Molecular epidemiology of Kaposi�s sarcoma-associated herpes virus, and risk factors in HIV-infected patients in Tehran, 2014

Background: Kaposi�s sarcoma (KS) remains themostcommonmalignancyamongHIV-infected patients. Humanherpesvirus type- 8 (HHV-8) is regarded as the infectious etiological agent of Kaposi�s sarcoma (KSHV). Diagnostic procedures associated with KSHV are not routinely performed in HIV-infected subjects. Objectives: The main objective of this study is to obtain information on KSHV epidemiology in Iranian HIV-infected individuals. Patients and Methods: In the present cross-sectional study, 109 patients with established HIV infection, who visited a governmental and referral center for HIV screening in Tehran (Tehran west health center (TWHC)) between May 2014 and July 2015 were enrolled according to the convenience sample strategy. After peripheral blood collection, isolation of plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) compartments, DNA extraction was performed. KSHV DNA was analyzed by nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) using primers from ORF-26 (virus minor capsid). Results: Among all 109 HIV-infected patients, 67 (61.5) were male, with an age range of 2 - 64 years (mean±standard deviation 35.8 ±13.3). KSHV DNA was found in PBMC and plasma samples of six (5.5) and four (3.6) patients, respectively. Conclusions: This study revealed a considerable prevalence of KSHV DNA, during latent and lytic phases, among HIV-infected patients. Risk factors for KSHV infection acquisition and concurrent. 0+infection with HIV were also evaluated. Diagnosis of KSHV in the group could be helpful for prognosis of Kaposi�s sarcoma and clinical management. © 2016, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal

Design of A Compact CPW-FED UWB Antenna with WiMAX and WLAN Band-Notched Characteristic Evaluated in AHP Framework

In this article, we present a new design of a coplanar waveguide fed (CPW-fed) ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna with dual band-notched characteristics. Two notched frequency bands are achieved by using two inverted U-shaped stepped impedance resonators. The proposed antenna can operate from 2.82 to 11 GHz (118%), defined by VSWR< 2, except two notched bands around 3.5 GHz (WiMAX) and 5.5 GHz (WLAN). The size of the antenna is 20&times;20&times;1.6 mm3. The experimental and simulated results of the prototyped antenna, including voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR), radiation pattern, and gain characteristics are presented and discussed. In addition, Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method used for comparison the proposed antenna with previous designed structures

Effect of topography on tree species composition and volume of coarse woody debris in an Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) old growth forests, northern Iran

There is an emerging interest in the relationships between forest structure and topographic aspects. Still, such patterns have been scarcely studied in undisturbed mixed beech forests in northern Iran. We investigated the influence of topographical factors including aspect, slope degree, and landform index (LI) on the distribution of dominant tree species and coarse woody debris (CWD). Tree density and basal area were not significantly correlated with any of the measured parameters, except a moderate relation between basal area and LI (r = - 0.376; P = 0.029). Redundancy analysis (RDA) of the tree layer revealed a significant relationship between the measured environmental variables and species distributions. CWD volume showed significant negative correlation with percent canopy coverage and was highly correlated with slope. Density of CWD in decay class IV was significantly correlated with aspect and percent of canopy cover. Analyses of CWD distributions in relation to both living vegetation and topographic gradients showed a highly complex interplay of factors driving the distribution of CWD across the forest stands