Comparison of Ultrasonography and Intravenous Urography in the Screening and Diagnosis of Hematuria Causes

Introduction: Our aim was to compare transabdominal ultrasonography (US) and intravenous urography (IVU) in the evaluation of patients with hematuria. Materials and Methods: Two hundred patients with hematuria were assessed by US and IVU, and if needed, by cystoscopy, ureteroscopy, and CT scan, to determine the definite cause of hematuria. The results of US and IVU were compared according to the definite diagnoses. Results: Of 97 patients with microscopic hematuria, 44 (45%) had a documented cause for hematuria, and of 103 patients with gross hematuria, 76 (74%) had a definite disorder (P < .001). Urinary calculi were found in 105 patients, 93 (88.5%) and 73 (69.5%) of which were detected by US and IVU, respectively (P < .001). There were 3 and 6 cases of kidney and bladder neoplasms, respectively, all of which were revealed by US, but only 2 renal tumors were detectable on IVU. Ultrasonography had a higher sensitivity than IVU for diagnoses of kidney calculi, lower ureteral calculi, and urologic neoplasms (95.3% versus 65.1% for kidney calculi, P = .039; 89.7% versus 69.2% for lower ureteral calculi, P < .001; and 100% versus 22.3% for urologic neoplasms, P < .001), but in calculi of the middle and upper ureter and of the whole ureter, there were no differences between US and IVU. Conclusion: Our results are in favor of using US in the initial evaluation of hematuria. However, we must choose our diagnostic tool according to the patient's condition and suspected disorders causing hematuria

Insights into the Role of Chemokines, Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns, and Lymphocyte-Derived Mediators from Computational Models of Trauma-Induced Inflammation

Significance: Traumatic injury elicits a complex, dynamic, multidimensional inflammatory response that is intertwined with complications such as multiple organ dysfunction and nosocomial infection. The complex interplay between inflammation and physiology in critical illness remains a challenge for translational research, including the extrapolation to human disease from animal models. Recent Advances: Over the past decade, we and others have attempted to decipher the biocomplexity of inflammation in these settings of acute illness, using computational models to improve clinical translation. In silico modeling has been suggested as a computationally based framework for integrating data derived from basic biology experiments as well as preclinical and clinical studies. Critical Issues: Extensive studies in cells, mice, and human blunt trauma patients have led us to suggest (i) that while an adequate level of inflammation is required for healing post-trauma, inflammation can be harmful when it becomes self-sustaining via a damage-associated molecular pattern/Toll-like receptor-driven feed-forward circuit; (ii) that chemokines play a central regulatory role in driving either self-resolving or self-maintaining inflammation that drives the early activation of both classical innate and more recently recognized lymphoid pathways; and (iii) the presence of multiple thresholds and feedback loops, which could significantly affect the propagation of inflammation across multiple body compartments. Future Directions: These insights from data-driven models into the primary drivers and interconnected networks of inflammation have been used to generate mechanistic computational models. Together, these models may be used to gain basic insights as well as serving to help define novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 23, 1370?1387.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140310/1/ars.2015.6398.pd

Does Development Assistance for Health Really Displace Government Health Spending? Reassessing the Evidence

Rajaie Batniji and Eran Bendavid dispute recent suggestions that health aid to developing countries leads to a displacement of government spending and instead argue that current evidence about aid displacement cannot be used to guide policy

An Adequately Robust Early TNF-α Response Is a Hallmark of Survival Following Trauma/Hemorrhage

Background: Trauma/hemorrhagic shock (T/HS) results in cytokine-mediated acute inflammation that is generally considered detrimental. Methodology/Principal Findings: Paradoxically, plasma levels of the early inflammatory cytokine TNF-α (but not IL-6, IL-10, or NO2-/NO3-) were significantly elevated within 6 h post-admission in 19 human trauma survivors vs. 4 non-survivors. Moreover, plasma TNF-α was inversely correlated with Marshall Score, an index of organ dysfunction, both in the 23 patients taken together and in the survivor cohort. Accordingly, we hypothesized that if an early, robust pro-inflammatory response were to be a marker of an appropriate response to injury, then individuals exhibiting such a response would be predisposed to survive. We tested this hypothesis in swine subjected to various experimental paradigms of T/HS. Twenty-three anesthetized pigs were subjected to T/HS (12 HS-only and 11 HS + Thoracotomy; mean arterial pressure of 30 mmHg for 45-90 min) along with surgery-only controls. Plasma obtained at pre-surgery, baseline post-surgery, beginning of HS, and every 15 min thereafter until 75 min (in the HS only group) or 90 min (in the HS + Thoracotomy group) was assayed for TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and NO2-/NO3-. Mean post-surgery±HS TNF-α levels were significantly higher in the survivors vs. non-survivors, while non-survivors exhibited no measurable change in TNF-α levels over the same interval. Conclusions/Significance: Contrary to the current dogma, survival in the setting of severe, acute T/HS appears to be associated with an immediate increase in serum TNF-α. It is currently unclear if this response was the cause of this protection, a marker of survival, or both. This abstract won a Young Investigator Travel Award at the SHOCK 2008 meeting in Cologne, Germany. © 2009 Namas et al

The Analysis of Status of innovation Acceptancein Curriculum University

The aim of this study was to analyses the status of curriculum innovation acceptance based on faculty members point of views at university of Isfahan. The questions of this study were developed with respect to innovational styles of curriculum (goals, content, teaching-learning strategies, and evaluation methods) and then examined. Statistical population included all 503 faculty members at university of Isfahan which 126 faculty members, were chosen as statistical sample. In order to collecting data, library method and researcher made questionnaire were used. Validity of the questionnaire calculated through Cronbachâs Alpha and its coefficient was 95%. Also content and formal reliability of questionnaire was confirmed by 10 experts and professors in curriculum field. Results study indicated that the rate of innovation acceptance in goals, content, teaching-learning strategies, and evaluation methods are more than average level of curriculum. Also, there was no significant difference among faculty members point of views with regard to the gender, but there showed a significant difference with regard to the status of innovation acceptance in curriculum, based on ranking of faculty members

The Histological Effects of L-arginine on Ventricular Myocardium in Iron Treated Male Rats

Background and Objectives: Iron overload is detrimental for the body and can create damage to different body tissues, such as myocardium by producing oxidative stress. Therefore, the antioxidant factors can neutralize iron induced damages. According to available reports, L-arginine as a precursor nitric oxide production has antioxidant effects. This study was carried out to evaluate the histological effects of iron overload on ventricular muscle and preventive role of L-arginine in male rats.Methods: In this experiment, 40 male rats with weight range of 300-250g were divided at random into five equal groups including:1- Control, 2- Iron (10mg/kg, ip), 3- Iron(10mg/kg, ip)+L-arginine (1mg/ml, po), 4- Iron (50mg/kg, ip) and 5- Iron (50mg/kg,ip)+L-arginine(1mg/ml,po). After treatment (6 weeks), the animals were anesthetized and the samples of left apical ventricular myocardium were taken out and morphological studies were done following fixation with 10% formalin and H&E staining. Microscopic parameters under study were cell swelling, vessel dilatation and hypercongestion, cell necrosis and tissue deformity. The type and severity of damage to the tissue were also noted. Data were analyzed using chi-square statistical procedure, and Pvalue≤0.05 were considered to be significant. Results: The data showed moderate changes in the ventricular myocardium of group 2 that was significant in comparison to the control group (P<0.05). The ventricular myocardium of group 3 showed low changes and wasn't significant in comparison to control group (P=0.84). The ventricular myocardium of the group 4 showed severe changes in comparison to the control group (P<0.01). The low change showed in the ventricular myocardium of group 5 that wasn't significant in comparison to the control group.Conclusion: This study showed that excess iron can cause unfavorable changes in myocardial tissue and L-arginine may reduce iron overload damage. Therefore, l-arginine can protect myocardial tissue against iron overload stress

Experimental investigation of the impact of the spoiler and piggyback line on scour holes of the parallel pipe lines under the erodible bed

The bed formations of submarine pipelines models were measured to investigate the effect of design parameters such as the distance between two submarine pipelines and also the effect of adjusted rectangular spoiler due to different angles of adjustment. To investigate the hydraulic parameters, three experimental models of parallel pipelines with three distances were made through the hydraulic laboratory. By considering the threshold velocity, the bed profiles were measured experimentally by employing the point gauge apparatus due to changing the angle of considered spoilers. Results indicate that increasing the distance between two submarine pipelines is the reason why that the downstream scour hole was formed independently from the upstream scour hole, which was developed under the upstream pipelines. Also, due to different angles of spoilers, the scour hole of spoiler with angle 90o formed the same as the witness model (with no spoiler), showing that angle 90o has no marginal effect on scour hole formation process. However, the angle of 180o adjusted on two submarine pipelines made the maximum scour hole under the upstream and downstream pipelines. It is assumed that the spoiler 180o affects the downstream flow of the pipelines and by creating the region with low pressure behind the pipelines, the scour holes were plunged to the bed and the depth of the scour holes increased significantly. Also, the investigation of spoiler position on the two pipe lines illustrates that by adjusting the spoiler on the downstream pipelines, the downstream pipe was buried under the sediment. These conditions were observed by angles of 135o, 180o, and 225o. It is assumed that increasing the distance between two submarine pipelines diminishes the rate of self-burial conditions. It appears that by increasing the distance between two pipelines, the effect of the upstream pipeline was omitted because the downstream and upstream pipelines were scoured as two single pipes; thus, the upstream pipelines did not affect the downstream pipelines

IRAK inhibitor can improve insulin sensitivity in insulin-resistant mice fed with a high-fat diet

Background: Obesity and the inflammation associated with it, play a key role in the development of insulin resistance through the release of inflammatory cytokines and free fatty acids and the stimulation of toll-like receptors (TLR). Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK), which mediates the activation of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) pathway, is an important molecule in TLR signaling. The NF-κB pathway can reduce insulin efficacy by increasing the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. There is no safe inhibitor for the NF-κB pathway, and for this reason, the upper mediator of this pathway was selected for investigation. Objectives: To determine the effects of an IRAK inhibitor on insulin resistance and serum biochemical factors in high-fat-fed insulin-resistant mice. Methods: Insulin resistance was developed in C57BL/6J mice by 12 weeks of a high-fat diet. Subsequently, the IRAK 1/4 inhibitor 1-(2-(4-morpholinyl)ethyl)-2-(3-nitrobenzoylamino)benzimidazole (IRAKi)/or pioglitazone, or both, were administered for a further 2 weeks. After 12 h fasting, blood and tissue samples were collected, insulin and glucose levels were assayed, and the homeostatic model assessment was used to quantify insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Results: The IRAKi decreased blood glucose levels significantly (253 ± 14.3 mg/dL vs 390.1 ± 16.6 mg/dL) and increased insulin sensitivity compared with untreated controls. However, we did not find a synergistic effect of IRAKi with pioglitazone in increasing insulin sensitivity. Conclusion: IRAKis can increase insulin sensitivity and their efficacy is comparable to pioglitazone. However, combined administration of pioglitazone and IRAKi had no synergistic effect compared with monotherapy. © 2020 Allahyari et al., published by Sciendo

B6. Delivering maximum power from microwave transistors

[abstract not available