Focal Myopericarditis as a Rare but Important Differential Diagnosis of Myocardial Infarction; a Case Series

Distinguishing ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) differential diagnoses is more challenging. Myopericarditis is one of these differentials that results from viral involvement of myocardium and pericardium of the heart. Myopericarditis in focal form can mimic acute STEMI in its electrocardiogram (ECG) features and elevated cardiac enzymes.Myocarditis patients may face thrombolytic related complications such as intracranial bleeding, myocardial rupture, and hemorrhagic cardiac tamponade. Furthermore, re-administration of streptokinase (a common thrombolytic agent in our country) is banned for at least six months of previous administration; however, it can save patients’ lives in emergency conditions such as massive pulmonary embolism. It seems that, when dealing with a young patient presenting to emergency department with acute chest pain and ST segment elevation on ECG, we should consider focal myocarditis as an important but rare differential diagnosis of STEMI. In this report, we describe three cases of focal myocarditis, primarily misdiagnosed as STEMI

The Test of the Effect of Investor Trading Behavior and Investors` Sentiment on Excess Return in Tehran Stock Exchange

How the behavioral pattern and investors` sentiment affect excess return is one of the challenges of today behavioral financial. The finance literature shows that a large part of the excess stock returns is not easily explained by fundamental factors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of investors` sentiment index and volume of stoke traded to explain stock excess returns in Tehran stock exchange. In this study, an attempt was made to use the data of 155 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange during the period 2011-2015. Regressions were used to examine the effect of the trading behavior of investors, investor’s sentiment on the excess return. The results show that the trading behavior of investors has effects on the value of assets (excess return) and investors` sentiment affects the value of assets

The Effect of Marketing Culture on Business Performance (Case Study: Yazd Ceramic and Tile Industry)

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of marketing culture on business performance in the ceramic and tile industry of Yazd. The research methodology is the field and library method, this research in terms of procedures is the correlation type, and in terms of the object is placed as applied research. The statistical population of this study included 146 CEOs, marketing managers, financial managers of ceramic and tile companies in Yazd. Finally, 106 people were selected as sample according to the criteria of sampling by using simple random sampling. Measuring instrument was a questionnaire. Finally, the data collection was performed by analyzing data with appropriate statistical methods such as correlation analysis and regression analysis by using statistical software LISREL. The results showed that the quality of service, the sales function, organization, innovation, internal communications and senior management on business performance of ceramic and tile companies in Yazd has a positive and significant impact

Investigating the Effect of Background Music on the Intention to Buy through Stimulation, Joy, Trust, and the Moderating Product Level

Objective Most of the experts in marketing consider the market (store) environment as an effective factor to attract customers which is used as a strategy to create a pleasant purchasing experience for the customers and influence the consumers’ behavior. Nowadays, hypermarkets pay more attention to the custormers’ comfort while purchasing and try to use a variety of strategies, nice background music or good smell in the market, to make the customers stay longer in there. Intention to buy can be affected by many factors like background music, stimulation and joy, trust and the products level. Music refers to the ability to conbey feeling through sounds that can help relies your feeling or thoughts and to show your inner characteristic. Hence, playing music can help keep the customer in the market for longer which may be effective in their purchasing intention. The main goal of the present study is to evaluate the role of background music on the customers’ intention to buy considering the intervening variables like stimulation, joy, trust and the determining variable of products level.   Methodology This is a practical study in nature and is considered as a causal descriptive survey. The statistical population includes all customers of the 5 branches of Ofogh Kourosh Hypermarkets in Gorgan during the first four month in 2017. According to Cochran formula, a sample size of 420 were selected and 384 questionnaire were collected at the end. SPSS and structural equation modeling (SEM) through Smart PLS were run to analyze the data.   Findings The findings of the study showed that background music positively affects customers’ stimulation. Besides, such stimulation influences the customers’ purchasing joy. The joy positively affects the formation of trust among the customers. The joy and the trust can both have a positive role in the customers’ intention to buy. Finally, product level keeps a balance on the purchasing joy among the customers.   Conclusion Music distinguished features have remarkable effects on people’s feelings and perceptions. Happy music can help create a joyful marketing environment for the customers. Low tempo music can convey mild thoughts and feeling to the customers, while high tempo music raises their excitement. Such stimulation can lead to a more pleasant purchasing experience. An appropriate marketing environment will increase the joy of the customers. New and simple designs can help customers enjoy the products more and can lead to a bigger trust. The trust helps customers make easier decisions while purchasing. The intention to buy can be estimated through perceptions and norms of a society. Joy and trust can lead to the intention to buy. A desirable environment may increase the customers’ joy which can result in a bigger customer population in future through word of mouth advertisement. Interesting and joyful products will create good feeling among the customers leading to an intention to buy. If you can stimulate purchasing joyful products, the customers will play around the environment which may result in the purchasing of unnecessary products. However, if the customers try to purchase based on the benefits and their needs, they consider the cost-benefit of the products and may lead to an economical purchasing after all

In-hospital and 1-year outcomes of patients without modifiable risk factors presenting with acute coronary syndrome undergoing PCI: a Sex-stratified analysis

AimA considerable proportion of patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) have no standard modifiable cardiovascular risk factors (SMuRFs: hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and cigarette smoking). The outcomes of this population following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are debated. Further, sex differences within this population have yet to be established.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 7,847 patients with ACS who underwent PCI. The study outcomes were in-hospital mortality, all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardio-cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The association between the absence of SMuRFs (SMuRF-less status) and outcomes among all the patients and each sex was assessed using logistic and Cox proportional hazard regressions.ResultsApproximately 11% of the study population had none of the SMuRFs. During 12.13 [11.99–12.36] months of follow-up, in-hospital mortality (adjusted-odds ratio (OR):1.51, 95%confidence interval (CI): 0.91–2.65, P:0.108), all-cause mortality [adjusted-hazard ratio (HR): 1.01, 95%CI: 0.88–1.46, P: 0.731], and MACCE (adjusted-HR: 0.93, 95%CI:0.81–1.12, P: 0.412) did not differ between patients with and without SMuRFs. Sex-stratified analyses recapitulated similar outcomes between SMuRF+ and SMuRF-less men. In contrast, SMuRF-less women had significantly higher in-hospital (adjusted-OR: 3.28, 95%CI: 1.92–6.21, P < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (adjusted-HR:1.41, 95%CI: 1.02–3.21, P: 0.008) than SMuRF+ women.ConclusionsAlmost one in 10 patients with ACS who underwent PCI had no SMuRFs. The absence of SMuRFs did not confer any benefit in terms of in-hospital mortality, one-year mortality, and MACCE. Even worse, SMuRF-less women paradoxically had an excessive risk of in-hospital and one-year mortality

Transfusion-transmitted malaria : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background : Malaria transmission through blood transfusion is an accidental but preventable cause of malaria infection and is increasingly becoming a matter of concern for blood transfusion services. This systematic review was conducted to provide a summary of evidence about the prevalence of Plasmodium infection in asymptomatic blood donors and the effectiveness of screening methods used based on the available literature. Methods : PRISMA guidelines were followed. Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and EMBASE were searched from 1982 to October 10, 2017. All peer-reviewed original research articles describing the prevalence of malaria parasitemia in blood donors with different diagnostic methods were included. The random-effects model was applied to assess the effects of heterogeneity among the selected studies. Incoherence and heterogeneity between studies were quantified by I2 index and Cochran's Q test. Publication and population bias was assessed with funnel plots and Egger's regression asymmetry test. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata (version 2.7.2). Results : Seventy-one studies from 21 countries, 5 continents, were included in the present systematic review. The median prevalence of malaria parasitemia among 984 975 asymptomatic healthy blood donors was 10.54%, 5.36%, and 0.38% by microscopy, molecular methods (polymerase chain reaction), and rapid diagnostic tests, respectively. The most commonly detected Plasmodium species was P. falciparum. Conclusions : This systematic review demonstrates that compared with other transfusion-linked infections, that is, HIV, HCV, and HBV, transfusion-transmitted malaria is one of the most significant transfusion-associated infections especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. Future work must aim to understand the clinical significance of transfusion-transmitted malaria in malaria-endemic settings.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

A narrative study of Iranian EFL teachers’ experiences of doing action research

The present narrative study examined the purposes that language teachers pursue in their research studies. The study also explored the opportunities and challenges that teachers experience while doing action research. Data were collected through a survey of narrative frames among 68 teachers, reflective essays written by 9 teachers and individual interviews with 12 other teachers. Analyzing the content of the data and sorting out the main themes showed that teachers are mainly concerned with practical aspects of their profession such as developing their teaching skills and improving students’ knowledge in particular language areas. In addition, teachers believe that action research broadens their understanding of language education, provides them with a framework for reflecting on their practice, empowers them to play more important roles in educational systems and heightens their awareness of students’ needs. The findings also point to teachers’ consensus that their time limitations, their lack of specialized knowledge of research, administrative restrictions and lack of collaboration are among the main challenges they experience when undertaking action research. The study concludes with the discussion of the broader implications of the study for promoting action research in language teaching profession

English teachers’ research engagement: Level of engagement and motivation

The gap between research and practice has been an endemic feature of the Iranian English language teaching profession. This concern has recently received major attention by the call for empirical investigations to be conducted in order to improve the relationship between research and practice. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the extent to which Iranian English teachers engage in doing and reading research. The study also aimed at exploring the motivations that can promote teachers’ research engagement. Data were collected through conducting qualitative interviews with 24 teachers with various teaching backgrounds. Analysis of the data revealed moderate level of research engagement. The results also showed a wide range of motivations, including teachers’ professional development, instrumental incentives, institutional expectations and pedagogical concerns that can promote teachers’ research engagement. Further analyses demonstrated that teachers’ professional development and pedagogical concerns remain their main motivations for research engagement. Instrumental incentives and organizational expectations comprise other potential motivations that can be profitably used to encourage teachers’ research engagement. However, this is not likely to happen unless working conditions in Iranian schools and policy conditions in national education system are altered

The Role Of Streptococcus Mutants In Dental Caries In Two Groups Of Sensitive And Resistance Children Age Between 3 To 5 Years

Background and Aim: Dental caries in children caused by repeatable consumption of sweet product especially at night, that itself mostly depend on economic and cultural background of the society and family.One of the most common diseases of human being is dental caries, which are caused by many factors, such as microorganisms, dieting, passing time, and the host itself. Among the microorganisms Streptococci mutants play the major role in causing dental caries. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of Streptococci mutants in dental caries between two groups of children sensitive and resistance to caries. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional research, in which 120 children(60 susceptible and 60 resistance) aged between 3 to 5 referred to Tehran University dental school were selected randomly. The selection criteria for the sensitive and resistance dental caries were dmfs > 5 and dmfs < 10 respectively. None of the groups had used any drug or fluoride products before sampling. Saliva of both groups were collected, and transferred to the specific culture media(Mitis Salivarious Agar). After incubation at 37 oC colonies of S.mutans were counted. Results: There was a significant difference between the number of colony counting(cfu/ml) with age and consumption of repeated sugar product, while. there was no significant difference between(cfu/ml) sex, oral hygiene, and nutrition period during infancy. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the consumption of sugar product in childhood results in dental carries

Corrigendum to:Transfusion-transmitted malaria: a systematic review and meta-analysis (Open Forum Infectious Diseases (2019) 6:7 (ofz283) DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofz283)

Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 6, Issue 7, July 2019, ofz283, https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofz283 In “Transfusion-Transmitted Malaria: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”, Open Forum Infectious Diseases, Volume 6, Issue 7, July 2019, ofz283, an acknowledgement was missed. More specifically, Alexander G. Mathioudakis was supported by the National Institute for Health Research Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (NIHR Manchester BRC). This was corrected in the new version of the manuscript.</p