Cutaneous tuberculosis (scrofuloderma) in a five year-old boy: Case report

Cutaneous tuberculosis (CTB) is a rare form of extrapulmonary TB in our region. The incidence of CTB seems to be increasing in some countries. CTB continues to be one of the most elusive and difficult diagnoses to make for dermatologists practicing in developing countries. We report the case of a five-year-old boy with an infected discharging ulcer on his face referred to our hospital in Gorgan, north of Iran. After physical, pathological and radiological examination, the diagnosis of CTB was confirmed. The condition improved after standard antitubercular regimen

Pulmonary tuberculosis and some underlying conditions in Golestan Province of Iran, during 2001-2005

Context: Pulmonary tuberculosis has been a major health problem in Golestan province of Iran. Aims: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the frequency of coexisting medical conditions and their effects on some epidemiologic factors in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Setting and Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Methods and Material: Demographic information, time of admission in the hospital and coexisting medical conditions (diabetes, chronic renal failure/hemodyalysis, corticosteroids consumption and malignancies) were extracted from the patient's file. Statistical analysis used: Chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between variables. Results: Two hundred forty three patients with pulmonary tuberculosis during 5 years were studied. Out of all, 162 cases (66.7%) did not have any co-morbidities. Diabetes mellitus was found to be the most prevalent condition (23.05%) followed by chronic renal failure, corticosteroid consumption and malignancy ranking second, third and forth in the list (5.8%, 2.5% and 2 respectively). The mean age of the patients was 50.15±19 years old. In the group without co morbidities, male/ female ratio was 1.41/1, but co morbidity with diabetes was significantly more prevalent in females (p<0.05). Conclusions: We suggest screening of tuberculosis in patients with chronic renal failure and diabetes mellitus in our area. Also for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, diabetes screening should be considered essential

Actinomycosis may be presented in unusual organs: A report of two cases

Actinomycosis is a chronic granulomatous suppurative disease characterized by direct extension to the contagious tissue with the formation of multiple drainage sinus tracts through which tiny colonies of organisms called sulfur granules are discharged. Here, we report 2 cases of actinomycosis from Iran. One of them had actinomycosis on the hand and the other on the foot. Samples of tissue biopsy showed sulfur granules associated with colonies of actinomyces, thus confirming the diagnosis in both cases. The response to curettage and penicillin therapy was satisfactory in our patients. The chronic and indolent course of actinomycosis resembles tuberculosis, fungal infection and malignancy. So, increasing awareness among the clinicians and clinical microbiologists will help in the early diagnosis of the disease and in the initiation of early and proper treatment

Lymphomas in Golestan province of Iran: Results of a population-based cancer registry

Introduction: Malignancies of lymphoid cells can be divided into Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) on the basis of pathologic features, clinical manifestations and treatment. In this paper we present data on lymphomas in Golestan province, in the northeast of Iran, during 2004-2006, using three years results of the Golestan population-based cancer registry (GPCR), a voting member of the International Association of Cancer Registries (IACR). Methods: GPCR started collecting data on all cancers from all public and private diagnostic and therapeutic centers (hospitals, specialist physicians' offices, pathology, laboratory, and imaging centers) of Golestan province in 2004. Here, we used the Iranian national census data to identify the population characteristics of this geographical area. The last census was done in 2006 and the next one will be done in 2011. The population data for years between the national census intervals are retrieved from provincial census done annually by health deputy of Golestan University of Medical Sciences (GOUMS). Results: A total of 5,076 cancer cases were diagnosed in the GPCR between 2004 and 2006. Of these, 237 (4.67 %) were lymphomas, among the ten top cancers of this area, the patients having a mean (±SD) age of 45.2 (±20.9) years. The number of cases, frequency, age specific rates, crude rates and age standardized incidence rates (ASR) (per 100,000 personyears) for lymphomas in males and females are presented. Conclusion: It could be concluded that according to available therapies for HL and NHL, the outcome of the patients could be improved in this area, due to the better diagnostic and therapeutic methods now available

A Simplest Swimmer at Low Reynolds Number: Three Linked Spheres

We propose a very simple one-dimensional swimmer consisting of three spheres that are linked by rigid rods whose lengths can change between two values. With a periodic motion in a non-reciprocal fashion, which breaks the time-reversal symmetry as well as the translational symmetry, we show that the model device can swim at low Reynolds number. This model system could be used in constructing molecular-size machines

Harvesting traffic-induced vibrations for structural health monitoring of bridges

This paper discusses the development and testing of a renewable energy source for powering wireless sensors used to monitor the structural health of bridges. Traditional power cables or battery replacement are excessively expensive or infeasible in this type of application. An inertial power generator has been developed that can harvest traffic-induced bridge vibrations. Vibrations on bridges have very low acceleration (0.1–0.5 m s _2 ), low frequency (2–30 Hz), and they are non-periodic. A novel parametric frequency-increased generator (PFIG) is developed to address these challenges. The fabricated device can generate a peak power of 57 µW and an average power of 2.3 µW from an input acceleration of 0.54 m s _2 at only 2 Hz. The generator is capable of operating over an unprecedentedly large acceleration (0.54–9.8 m s _2 ) and frequency range (up to 30 Hz) without any modifications or tuning. Its performance was tested along the length of a suspension bridge and it generated 0.5–0.75 µW of average power without manipulation during installation or tuning at each bridge location. A preliminary power conversion system has also been developed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/90794/1/0960-1317_21_10_104005.pd

Dry eye disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus; comparison of the tear osmolarity test with other common diagnostic tests: A diagnostic accuracy study using STARD standard

Background: To determine the diagnostic performance of tear osmolarity in diagnosis of dry eye disease by using tear lab osmolarity system in people with type 2 diabetes, and to compare it with common diagnostic tests already available in clinical practice. Methods: Two hundreds forty three people with type 2 diabetes were included. Tear osmolarity was measured with the tear osmolarity system. The 308 mOsm/L cutoffwas used to diagnose dry eye disease. The following tests were also performed: Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, Tear Film Break up Time (TFBUT), Schirmer I test, Rose Bengal and Fluorescein staining. The results of these tests were compared to the tear osmolarity measurement. Results: The prevalence of dry eye disease detected by the tear osmolarity test was 27.7. It was as follows for the other common diagnostic tests: OSDI (17.7), Schirmer I test (33), TFBUT (41), Rose Bengal (11), and Fluorescein staining (4). Fluorescein staining had the highest specificity (97). With the cutoffscore >12, the positive likelihood ratio for the OSDI questionnaire was the highest (1.78). The sensitivity was poor for all common diagnostic tests. ROC curve analysis could not determine optimal cut offs for the common diagnostic tests. Conclusions: The available common diagnostic tests underestimate the presence of dry eye disease in people with type 2 diabetes. Moreover, they could not discriminate tear hyperosmolarity from normal. Tear osmolarity could be considered as the best single test for detection of dry eye disease in people with type2 diabetes. © 2015 Najafiet al

Association between paraoxonase-1 gene promoter T (-107) C polymorphism and coronary artery disease

Background: Paraoxonase-1(PON1), a high-density lipoprotein (HDL) associated enzyme, is believed to contribute in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of PON1 promoter C (-107)T polymorphism with the extent of coronary artery stenosis in Iranian patients. Methods: The RFLP analysis for determination of the C(-107)T genotype distribution and measurement of serum PON1 activities (Paraoxonase and Arylesterase) were performed in 99 patients. They were undergone coronary angiography to determine the number of stenotic vessels and classified into three groups: single vessel disease (SVD), two vessels disease (2VD) and three vessels disease (3VD). Results: The C(-107)T polymorphism was significantly associated with serum arylesterase activity but not with paraoxonase activity. The CC and TT genotypes distributed inversely in SVD as compared with 3VD group. Moreover, the CC high activity genotype frequency decreased with increase of stenotic vessels in patients. Conclusion: The reduced arylesterase activity as a function from the weak promoter activity increases the stenosis severity, so that, we assume it is one of the progressive factors of atherosclerotic process in stenotic vessels

Microgrid working conditions identification based on cluster analysis. A case study from lambda microgrid

This article presents the application of cluster analysis (CA) to data proceeding from a testbed microgrid located at Sapienza University of Rome. The microgrid consists of photovoltaic (PV), battery storage system (BESS), emergency generator set, and different types of load with a real-time energy management system based on supervisory control and data acquisition. The investigation is based on the area-related approach - the CA algorithm considers the input database consisting of data from all measurement points simultaneously. Under the investigation, different distance measures (Euclidean, Chebyshev, or Manhattan), as well as an approach to the optimal number of cluster selections. Based on the investigation, the four different clusters that represent working conditions were obtained using methods to define an optimal number of clusters. Cluster 1 represented time with high PV production; cluster 2 represented time with relatively low PV production and when BESS was charged; cluster 3 represents time with relatively high PV production and when BESS was charged; cluster 4 represents time without PV production. Additionally, after the clustering process, a deep analysis was performed in relation to the working condition of the microgrid