ANTI-DUMPING IN AGRICULTURE BETWEEN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES: TWO CASES OF TOMATOES

International Relations/Trade,

Intracranial physiological calcifications in adults on computed tomography in Tabriz, Iran

Intracranial physiological calcifications are unaccompanied by any evidence of disease and have no demonstrable pathological cause. They are often due to calcium and sometimes iron deposition in the blood vessels of different structures of the brain. Computed tomography (CT) is the most sensitive means of detection of these calcifications. The aim of this study was the assessment of intracranial physiological calcifications in adults. We studied 1569 cases ranging in age from 15 to 85 in Tabriz Imam Khomeini Hospital, Iran. These patients had a history of head trauma and their CT scan did not show any evidence of pathological findings. The structures evaluated consisted of (A) the pineal gland, (B) the choroid plexus, (C) the habenula, (D) the basal ganglia, (E) the tentorium cerebelli, sagittal sinus and falx cerebri, (F) vessels and (G) lens and other structures which could be calcified. Of the 1569 subjects, 71.0% had pineal calcification, 66.2% had choroid plexus calcification, 20.1% had habenular calcification, 7.3% had tentorium cerebelli, sagittal sinus or falx cerebri calcifications, 6.6% had vascular calcification, 0.8% had basal ganglia calcification and 0.9% had lens and other non-defined calcifications. In general, the frequency of intracranial physiological calcifications was greater in men than in women. All types of calcification increased at older ages except for lens and other non-defined calcifications. We evaluated all the cranial structures and determined percentages for all types of intracranial physiological calcification. These statistics can be used for comparing physiological and pathological intracranial calcifications. Moreover, these statistics may be of interest from the clinical perspective and are potentially of clinical use

Evaluation of Maternal and Fetal Hemodynamic Alterations in Delivery in Epidural and Combined Spinal-Epidural Analgesia: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: The pain of vaginal delivery is considered as the worst experience in women life that negatively affects mother and fetus. The most important methods advised by anesthesiologists for pain reduction include epidural and combined spinal-epidural analgesia. The ideal method provides convenient pain relief and guarantees maternal and fetal safety, simultaneously. Fetal heart rate (FHR), fetal movement (FM), and maternal hemodynamics (i.e. blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and SpO2) monitoring are the most available ways for controlling the fetus and mother’s conditions during the delivery process. Methods: This randomized-blinded clinical trial was performed on 100 pregnant women (50 cases in each group) during labor under epidural or combined spinal-epidural analgesia using lidocaine, fentanyl, and bupivacaine. FHR, FM, BP, HR, and SpO2 were monitored and recorded by blinded nurses. Data were analyzed by SPSS 22. Results: There were no significant differences in FHR, FM, and Apgar scores between the two groups. No significant difference was found between the two groups in maternal hemodynamics. Generally, FHR, maternal BP, and HR were in the normal ranges. The C/S rate was lower in the epidural group but not statistically significantly. Conclusions: In our survey, epidural and combined spinal-epidural analgesia were comparable in terms of FHR, FM, and maternal hemodynamics. Therefore, there is no priority in using each of the methods. The monitoring of FHR and maternal hemodynamics is essential during analgesia. It is suggested that further surveys evaluate the incidence and causes of C/S after analgesia

Effect of Remifentanil on Active Phase Duration of Labor in Nulliparous Pregnant Women: A Cross-sectional Study

Objectives: Due to the increase in elective cesarean section and its high complications, epidural analgesia is the gold standard for reducing the pain of vaginal delivery. In contraindication cases, other effective and safe analgesic methods such as remifentanil are suggested. The present study aimed to compare the duration of active phase of labor at stages I and II, as well as neonatal Apgar score following the use of remifentanil analgesia. Materials and Methods: In this study, 120 healthy primiparous women who were candidates for vaginal delivery were selected. After matching for age and body mass index (BMI), the participants were assigned into two equal groups (n=60 each) of intervention (receiving remifentanil) and control. We compared the duration of active phase of labor at stages I and II, neonatal Apgar scores, and the cesarean section rate between the groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 23). Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of the duration of active phase in the first and second stages of labor (P=0.84 and P=0.78, respectively), 1-minute Apgar score (P=0.95), 5-min Apgar score (P=0.92), and the rate of cesarean section (P=0.067). Moreover, we observed no maternal complications with remifentanil. Conclusions: According to our results, remifentanil did not increase the duration of labor, rate of cesarean section, and maternal complications. Hence, it can be a good alternative in cases where epidural analgesia is contraindicated

Comparison of Epidural Methylprednisolone, Bupivacaine and Normal Saline Injection in Chronic Low Back Pain Due to Discal Hernia

Objective: Low back pain is the most common skeletal-muscular complaints, requiring medical care, causing many complications and social and economic damages to society as the fifth most common reason for a physician visit especially among men. The purpose of this study was to compare epidural injection of methylprednisolone, bupivacaine, normal saline in chronic low back pain due to discal hernia. Material and Methods: In a randomized, single-blind, clinical trial conducted on patients with chronic low back pain, the impact of epidural injection of methylprednisolone, bupivacaine, normal saline in chronic low back pain due to disc herniation in three groups was randomly studied. Method of epidural injection in all groups was similar. In the first group, 80 mg of methylprednisolone in 10 cc volume, in the second group, local anesthesia drug, 10 mL of bupivacaine 0.5 %, and in the third group, 10 mL of normal saline solution (equal injected volumes) were prepared. During the injection, the patient was monitored in terms of pain, hemodynamics, consciousness, arterial oxygen saturation. Results: Three months after treatment, the severity of pain in methylprednisolone group was less, the rate of disability in normal saline group was significantly high (P < 0.001) and also disability reduction rate in methylprednisolone group was significantly high (P < 0.001). In our study, the average time to return to daily activities in normal saline patients was significantly more (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Epidural methylprednisolone and bupivacaine injection were more effective than placebo (normal saline) injection in these patients

The Design of a Photonic Crystal Fiber for Hydrogen Cyanide Gas Detection

Data Availability Statement: Data are contained within the article.Hydrogen cyanide gas is a dangerous and fatal gas that is one of the causes of air pollution in the environment. A small percentage of this gas causes poisoning and eventually death. In this paper, a new PCF is designed that offers high sensitivity and low confinement loss in the absorption wavelength of hydrogen cyanide gas. The proposed structure consists of circular layers that are located around the core, which is also composed of circular microstructures. The finite element method (FEM) is used to simulate the results. According to the results, the PCF gives a high relative sensitivity of 65.13% and a low confinement loss of 1.5 × 10−3 dB/m at a wavelength of 1.533 µm. The impact of increasing the concentration of hydrogen cyanide gas on the relative sensitivity and confinement loss is investigated. The high sensitivity and low confinement losses of the designed PCF show that this optical structure could be a good candidate for the detection of this gas in industrial and medical environments.This research received no external funding

Cluster formation restricts dynamic nuclear polarization of xenon in solid mixtures

During dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) at 1.5 K and 5 T, (129)Xe nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of a homogeneous xenon/1-propanol/trityl-radical solid mixture exhibit a single peak, broadened by (1)H neighbors. A second peak appears upon annealing for several hours at 125 K. Its characteristic width and chemical shift indicate the presence of spontaneously formed pure Xe clusters. Microwave irradiation at the appropriate frequencies can bring both peaks to either positive or negative polarization. The peculiar time evolution of (129)Xe polarization in pure Xe clusters during DNP can be modelled as an interplay of spin diffusion and T(1) relaxation. Our simple spherical-cluster model offers a sensitive tool to evaluate major DNP parameters in situ, revealing a severe spin-diffusion bottleneck at the cluster boundaries and a significant sample overheating due to microwave irradiation. Subsequent DNP system modifications designed to reduce the overheating resulted in four-fold increase of (129)Xe polarization, from 5.3% to 21%

Effect of Intraoperative Dextrose Infusion for Prevention of Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting in Diagnostic Gynecologic Laparoscopy

Objective: Laparoscopic procedures are accompanied with a high occurrence of nausea and vomiting after surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of prophylactic intraoperative infusion of dextrose 5% in the avoidance of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). Materials and Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 70 ASA class I women, aged 20-40 years scheduled for diagnostic laparoscopy for infertility were studied. Following induction of anesthesia, study group (n = 35) received Ringer"s solution 10 mL/kg/h with glucose 500 mg/kg (dextrose 5%) and placebo group (n = 35) received Ringer"s solution with normal saline 0.9% in the same volume intraoperatively. The incidence and severity of PONV according to a 4-point scale (0-3) in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and during the first 24 postoperative hours, the first request for antiemetic, and overall antiemetic consumption were compared between 2 groups. Results: The overall incidence of PONV was certainly lower in the study group compared with the placebo group (22.85% vs. 45.71%; P = 0.03). Severity of PONV was significantly lower in the study group (1.14 ± 0.32) compared to the placebo group (2.50 ± 0.27) (P = 0.03). There was a statistically significant difference between 2 groups regarding the first request for antiemetic after surgery (7.1 ± 1.13 vs. 5.71 ± 1.76 hours, P = 0.04) and total dose of antiemetic (metoclopramide, 60 vs. 100 mg, P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in perioperative blood sugar levels between 2 groups (P = 0.46). Conclusion: Intraoperative infusion of dextrose 5% was found to be an efficacious method in the prevention/reduction of PONV without any significant difference in postoperative blood sugar levels in patients undergoing diagnostic gynecologic laparoscopy

HYSSOP and POLIUM could help to prevent COVID-19 in high-risk population: The results of a parallel randomized placebo-controlled field trial

243-253This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of HYSSOP (composed of Hyssopus officinalis L., Echium amoenum Fisch & C. A. Mey and Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) and POLIUM (contained Teucrium polium L., Cuscuta epithymum Murr and Cichorium intybus L.) combined distilled herbal medicines compared to placebo in the prevention of COVID-19. This is a double-blind parallel placebo-controlled field trial conducted on 751 asymptomatic individuals whose one of the family members recently had a positive RT-PCR test for COVID-19. They were divided into three groups including POLIUM, HYSSOP and placebo using random blocks with a 1:1:1 allocation ratio. Participants received daily 5 cc (under 12 years) or 10 cc (over 12 years) of allocated oral medications for 20 days. The primary outcome was the frequency of positive RT-PCR test among participants who became symptomatic. The mean age of participants was 36.6. Nineteen participants get infected by COVID-19 during the intervention; fifteen of them belonged to the placebo and four to the POLIUM group. Fisher's exact test indicated significant differences between HYSSOP and placebo (p<0.001) as well as POLIUM and placebo (p=0.009) groups in terms of COVID-19 confirmed by PCR tests. Cox regression model adjusted for confounders illustrated that the hazard of getting infection by COVID-19 in POLIUM and HYSSOP groups decreased by 66% (OR (95% CI): 0.34 (0.12 to 0.94); p=0.038) and 93% (OR (95% CI): 0.07 (0.01to 0.56); p=0.012) respectively, compared to placebo .Oral administration of HYSSOP and POLIUM with the other supportive health care could decrease the risk of getting COVID-19

NMR hyperpolarization techniques of gases

Nuclear spin polarization can be significantly increased through the process of hyperpolarization, leading to an increase in the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments by 4–8 orders of magnitude. Hyperpolarized gases, unlike liquids and solids, can often be readily separated and purified from the compounds used to mediate the hyperpolarization processes. These pure hyperpolarized gases enabled many novel MRI applications including the visualization of void spaces, imaging of lung function, and remote detection. Additionally, hyperpolarized gases can be dissolved in liquids and can be used as sensitive molecular probes and reporters. This Minireview covers the fundamentals of the preparation of hyperpolarized gases and focuses on selected applications of interest to biomedicine and materials science