An ultra-low-power area-efficient non-coherent binary phase-shift keying demodulator for implantable biomedical microsystems

A novel non-coherent, low-power, area-efficient binary phase-shift keying demodulator for wireless implantable biomedical microsystems is proposed. The received data and synchronized clock signal are detected using a delayed digitized format of the input signal. The proposed technique does not require any kind of oscillator circuit, and due to the synchronization of all circuit signals, the proposed demodulator can work in a wide range of biomedical data telemetry common frequencies in different process/temperature corners. The presented circuit has been designed and post-layout-simulated in a standard 0.18 µm CMOS technology and occupies 17 × 27 µm2 of active area. Post-layout simulation results indicate that with a 1.8 V power supply, power consumption of the designed circuit is 8.5 µW at a data rate of 20 Mbps. The presented demodulation scheme was also implemented on a proof-of-concept circuit board for verifying its functionality

Pancreatic hydatid cyst diagnosed on EUS-guided FNA

A 22-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain. Abdominal CT scan demonstrated a mass lesion in the pancreatic body (Fig. 1A). There was no lesion in the liver on CT scan (Fig. 1B). EUS showed a 50- × 35-mm cystic mass lesion containing numerous floating serpentine-like linear structures (Fig. 2; Video 1, available online at www.VideoGIE.org). EUS-guided FNA was performed with a 22-gauge needle

Effect of opium on glucose metabolism and lipid profiles in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes

Wstęp: To eksperymentalne badanie przeprowadzono w celu określenia wpływu stosowania opium na profil lipidowy i metabolizm glukozy u szczurów z cukrzycą wywołaną podaniem streptozotocyny. Materiał i metody: Aby ocenić wpływ opium, 20 samców podzielono na dwie grupy: kontrolną (n = 10) i otrzymującą opium (n = 10). Po wywołaniu cukrzycy przez 35 dni codziennie mierzono stężenie glukozy we krwi zwierząt. Profil lipidowy i odsetek hemoglobiny A1c (HbA1c) określono na poczatku badania (przed wywołaniem cukrzycy) i w 35. dniu obserwacji. Wyniki: Poziom glikemii u szczurów, którym podawano opium i w grupie kontrolnej był podobny (544,8 ± 62,2 mg/dl v. 524,6 ± 50,0 mg/dl, P = 0,434). Ponadto, nie stwierdzono różnic między grupą leczoną i kontrolną w zakresie wartości HbA1c (6,5 ± 0,5% v. 6,6 ± 0,2%, P = 0,714). Również stężenia cholesterolu całkowitego, cholesterolu frakcji HDL, triglicerydów i lipoproteiny (a) były podobne w obu grupach. Wnioski: Stosowanie opium nie ma istotnego wpływu na metabolizm glukozy i profil lipidowy u szczurów z eksperymentalnie wywołaną cukrzycą.Background: This experimental study was performed to determine the impact of opium use on serum lipid profile and glucose metabolism in rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Material and methods: To determine the effect of opium, 20 male rats were divided into control (n = 10) and opium-treated (n = 10) groups. After diabetes induction, the animals were investigated for daily glucose measurements for 35 days. Serum lipid profile and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were assayed at the baseline (before induction of diabetes) and at 35-day follow-up. Results: The glycaemia levels in the rats treated with opium were similar to the levels measured in the control rats (544.8 ± 62.2 mg/dl v. 524.6 ± 50.0 mg/dl, P = 0.434). In addition, there was no difference between the opium-treated rats and control rats in HbA1c (6.5 ± 0.5% v. 6.6 ± 0.2%, P = 0.714). Compared to the control rats, the serum total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride and lipoprotein (a) in the test animals were similar. Conclusion: Opium use has no significant effect on glucose metabolism and serum lipid profile in rats with induced diabetes

Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa: COL7A1 Mutation Landscape in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort of 152 Extended Families with High Degree of Customary Consanguineous Marriages

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa is a heritable skin disease manifesting with sub-lamina densa blistering, erosions, and chronic ulcers. COL7A1, encoding type VII collagen, has been identified as the candidate gene for dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. In this study, we have identified COL7A1 mutations in a large multi-ethnic cohort of 152 extended Iranian families with high degree of consanguinity. The patients were diagnosed by clinical manifestations, histopathology, and immunoepitope mapping. Mutation detection consisted of a combination of single nucleotide polymorphism-based whole-genome homozygosity mapping, Sanger sequencing, and gene-targeted next-generation sequencing. A total of 104 distinct mutations in COL7A1 were identified in 149 of 152 families (98%), 56 (53%) of them being previously unreported. Ninety percent of these mutations were homozygous recessive, reflecting consanguinity in these families. Three recurrent mutations were identified in five or more families, and haplotype analysis suggested a founder effect in two of them. In conclusion, COL7A1 harbored mutations in the overwhelming majority of patients with dystrophic epi-dermolysis bullosa, and most of them in this Iranian cohort were consistent with autosomal recessive inheri-tance. The mutation profile attests to the impact of consanguinity in these families

A sub-threshold differential cmos schmitt trigger with adjustable hysteresis based on body bias technique

This paper presents a sub-threshold differential CMOS Schmitt trigger with tunable hysteresis, which can be used to enhance the noise immunity of low-power electronic systems. By exploiting the body bias technique to the positive feedback transistors, the hysteresis of the proposed Schmitt trigger is generated, and it can be adjusted by the applied bias voltage to the bulk terminal of the utilized PMOS transistors. The principle of operation and the main formulas of the proposed circuit are discussed. The circuit is designed in a 0.18-μm standard CMOS process with a 0.6 V power supply. Post-layout simulation results show that the hysteresis width of the Schmitt trigger can be adjusted from 45.5 mV to 162 mV where the ratio of the hysteresis width variation to supply voltage is 19.4%. This circuit consumes 10.52 × 7.91 μm2 of silicon area, and its power consumption is only 1.38 μW, which makes it a suitable candidate for low-power applications such as portable electronic, biomedical, and bio-implantable systems

Association between R353Q polymorphism for coagulative factor VII and severity of coronary artery disease in Iranian population

Background: Recent research has supported the central role of coagulative factors in advancing atherosclerosis and causing coronary artery disease (CAD). The present study, for the first time, aimed to clarify the relationship between R353Q polymorphism for factor VII and the occurrence and severity of CAD in a large sample of Iranian population.Methods: Nine hundred and nineteen consecutive patients with suspected CAD, who candidated for coronary angiography in the Tehran Heart Center between January 2006 and March 2007, were examined. The number of diseased coronary vessels was determined, and the severity of CAD was assessed by the Gensini score. Genotyping was done via the PCR-RFLP method.Results: The frequency of Q and R alleles was 74.1% and 25.9% in the patients with CADand 75.2% and 24.8% in those without CAD, with an insignificant difference (p = 0.625). The frequency of Q allele in the patients with single-vessel, two-vessel, and three-vessel diseases was 72.8%, 71.5%, and 76.4%, respectively; the difference was also insignificant (p = 0.379). No relationship was observed between the distribution of the genotypes and the number of the involved coronary vessels. The average of the Gensini score was 43.39 ± 46.18 in the patients with QQ genotype, 38.87 ± 42.89 in those with QR genotype, and 55.61 ± 53.80 in the ones with RR genotype, with the difference not constituting any statistical significance (p = 0.084).Conclusions: The results suggest no association between R353Q polymorphism for factor VII and the presence or progression of CAD in the Iranian population

Serum Uric Acid Level and Metabolic Syndrome in Patients Undergoing Coronary Angiography

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives: The association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hyperuricemia has been formerly studied mostly in healthy people in western countries. We tried to examine the relationship between hyperuricemia and MetS in an Iranian population undergoing coronary angiography. Materials and Methods: From March 2008 to September 2008, we studied 465 patients (260 men, 55.9%) undergoing elective coronary angiography due to symptoms related to coronary artery disease. The MetS was defined according to the adapted Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III A), and hyperuricemia was defined as serum uric acid concentrations ≥ 7.0 mg/dl in men and ≥ 6.0 mg/dl in women. For the statistical analysis, the statistical software SPSS version 13.0 and the statistical package SAS version 9.1 were applied Results: The mean age of the study population was 59.66 ± 10.04, ranging from 31 to 85 years. Hyperuricemia was detected in 231 (49.7%) of total population, in 126 (54.5%) of men, and in 105 (45.5%) of women. In the multivariable adjusted model, subjects with MetS and subjects with 5 components of the MetS compared to those without any components of the MetS, had 1.56-fold and 4.19-fold increased odds of hyperuricemia, respectively. Hyperuricemia was significantly associated with elevated BP and low level of HDL-cholesterol but not with other components of MetS. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that hyperuricemia was strongly associated with the prevalence of MetS according to adapted ATP III guidelines in an Iranian sample of patients undergoing coronary angiography

Maternal Obesity and Energy Intake as Risk Factors of Pregnancy-induced Hypertension among Iranian Women

Pregnancy-induced hypertension is causing striking maternal, foetal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in the world. A case-control study was conducted on 113 women with gestational hypertension and 150 healthy pregnant women at Shahid Akbarabadi Hospital of obstetrics and gynaecology in south of Tehran. Women who were obese (OR 4.44; 95% CI 1.84-10.72) before pregnancy were more likely to develop gestational hypertension. Proportion of having excessive gestational weight gain was positively and significantly associated with development of gestational hypertension (OR 2.70; 95% CI 1.19-6.13). Furthermore, findings revealed that women who were in the highest quartile of mid-arm-circumference had a 3-fold increased risk of gestational hypertension compared to women in the lowest quartile (OR 8.93; 95% CI 2.16-36.93). We found that having been in the highest quartile of energy intake positively correlated with increased risk of gestational hypertension (OR 9.66; 95% CI 3.30-28.21). The results suggest pre-pregnancy obesity, excessive gestational weight gain, and increased intake of energy as potential risk factors of developing gestational hypertension