Prevalence of papilledema and its related factors in patients referring to Farabi hospital, Tehran, 1997-99

Background : Papilledema is relatively a common problem. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of papilledema in a group of Iranian patients referring to a neuroophthalmology clinic in Tehran, between 1997 and 1999. Materials and methods : It was an existing data type study. Form medical files of patients, those who have diagnosed as papilledema were selected, then initial data including sex, age, clinical features, and accompanied findings were recorded. Results : Of 739 patients referring to Farabi hospital, 36 (4.87 CI=95, 3.4-6.4) had diagnosed as papilledema. Of these, 52.7 were females and 47.3 were males. The most common etiologies were tumors (36.1) and pseudotumor cerebri (25). Of 36 affected patients, 35 had bilateral papilledema and one had unilateral disease with optic nerve atrophy. Headache (55.5) and transient blurred vision (41.6) were other prevalent symptoms. Conclusion : Papilledema could be detected during ophthalmoscopy. With respect to its known complications, further studies are highly recommended

The Effect of Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Plan on Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Introduction: Today, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in many patients to treat complications of the disease is common. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of cardiac rehabilitation on quality of life in patients undergoing CABG was performed. Materials and Methods: In this study, a quasi-experimental (clinical trial) study of 50 patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery procedure based on objective and applying the criteria for inclusion of patients (community access) selected. Rehabilitation program was conducted for 24 sessions. for evaluate of demographic data and quality of life, demographic and questionnaires was used. For analysis of data chi-square test and RMANOVA tests was conducted. Results: Results showed that participants in terms of demographic variables were not significantly different from each other. The results also vary between the different stages of research in physical function, role physical (physical limitations, bodily pain, general health, role emotional (emotional limitations), mental health, physical health components and quality of life were significant differences. Conclusion: The results of this research, cardiac rehabilitation intervention is indicated on life quality improvement. Therefore attentive to the issue of cardiac rehabilitation is necessary

Improvement of Tribological and Biocompatibility Properties of Orthopedic Materials Using Piezoelectric Direct Discharge Plasma Surface Modification

Various types of alloys and polymers are utilized in orthopedic implants. However, there are still several issues accompanied by the use of prosthetic materials, such as low wear performance and catastrophic failure. Surface enhancement of biomaterials is a promising method that can improve the success rate of prosthetic operations without negatively affecting their bulk properties while improving the biocompatibility of implants and reducing infections. Nonthermal plasma treatment has become a ubiquitous surface modification method in sterilization and healthcare applications. However, the clinical applications of such an approach have been limited due to the lack of detailed studies delineating the wear behavior and biocompatibility of implants after plasma treatment. In this study, we have employed a handheld piezoelectric direct discharge (PDD) plasma generator to modify the surface of two common metallic (Ti6Al4V) and nonmetallic (GUR1020 polymer) biomaterials used typically in joint and disc replacements. We have observed an approximately 60-fold reduction in tribological wear rate along with a 2- to 3-fold increase in the biocompatibility properties of plasma coated samples compared to noncoated (untreated) surfaces, respectively. Our study introduces a novel application of nonthermal PDD plasma technology that is capable of increasing the quality and success rate of joint and disc replacements