The study of bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis

زمینه و هدف: کاهش تراکم مواد معدنی موجب بروز پوکی استخوان و عوارض ناشی از آن می شود. مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی وضعیت تراکم معدنی استخوان بر اساس رده های مختلف سنی در زنان یائسه مبتلا به آرتریت روماتوئید انجام شده است. روش بررسی: مطالعه توصیفی-تحلیلی حاضر، بر روی 98 زن یائسه مبتلا به آرتریت روماتوئید مراجعه کرده به بیمارستان آموزشی درمانی 5 آذر شهرستان گرگان که نتایج سنجش تراکم استخوانی آنان در پرونده موجود بود، انجام شد. اطلاعات لازم به وسیله پرسشنامه از پرونده های بیماران استخراج گردید. داده ها با استفاده از آزمون های آماری آماره های توصیفی (فراوانی نسبی و فراوانی مطلق، میانگین و انحراف معیار) و آزمون های تحلیلی (رگرسیون، کای دو، ضریب همبستگی اسپیرمن و ANOVA)، مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. یافته ها: در مجموع 98 زن یائسه مبتلا به آرتریت روماتوئید با میانگین سنی39/9 ± 88/57 سال مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند. شیوع کلی استئوپروز 3/13 گزارش شد که با افزایش سن به طور معنی‌داری افزایش یافت (001/0

Selection of Appropriate Mode of Foreign Investment by Using Multi Create Decision Making Techniques in oil refinery industries of Islamic Republic of Iran

Today, foreign investment is known as one of the most important sources of funding and technology transfer modes in developing countries, that is because foreign investment, in comparison to domestic investment, includes competitive advantages such as accessibility to sufficient information, managerial skills, advanced technology and valid sources of funding., Due to high demand of large expenses and advanced technologies, foreign investment is a necessary and inevitable issue in oil refinery industries. In related to multiplicity of foreign investment modes, selecting the right mode of investment has been as one of the strategic decisions for investee countries. The present research, therefore, is designed to identify and prioritize the different modes of foreign investment in oil refinery industries. This paper is based on a research, descriptive-survey methodology. To analyze the gathering data used in this paper is based on statically and multinational attribute decision making techniques. The final results illustrates that using investment mode like Built, Operation, Transfer (BOT) has been considered to be the best method in comparison with other modes in this oil refinery industry

Endothelin-1 level in scleroderma patients with and without fingertip pitting ulcer

Introduction:Scleroderma is a systemic disorder with unknown etiology most notably characterized by skin thickening and internal organ involvement. Endothelin-1 plays an important role in skin fibrosis. This study aimed to compare endothelin-1 level in scleroderma patients with and without fingertip pitting ulcer.Material and Methods:A cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 95 patients with scleroderma who were referred to the Rheumatology Clinic in Shariati hospital, Tehran, during 2005-2006. A questionnaire was completed and then the level of endothelin-1was measured by taking 5 ml of venous blood sample. The data were analyzed using SPSS software and statistical tests. Results:The results indicated a significant association between endothelin-1 level and fingertip pitting ulcer, number of scars and simultaneous fingertip scars and pitting ulcers on the tips of fingers or toes. There was no significant relationship between age and the level of endothelin-1. Conclusion:These data indicated that the Endothelin-1 plasma level in scleroderma patients with pitting ulcer was higher than patients without pitting ulcer. Hence, increased plasma level of endothelin-1 might be effective in vascular damage, fibrosis and skin thickness

The effect of vitamin D on GATA3 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in allergic asthma

Introduction: Asthma is becoming a major health problem in many countries. Immune responses in allergic asthma, as the most prevalent asthmatic phenotype, are mediated mostly by a subtype of T lymphocytes referred to as the effector lineage of Type 2 Th cells (Th2). The development of Th2 cells is mainly governed by a zinc finger transcription factor, i.e., GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3). Allergic asthma is a complex disease, and vitamin D deficiency has been named as a non-genetic risk factor for its development. Vitamin D, a steroid hormone belonging to the family of nuclear receptors, has shown significant immunosuppressive effects in previous studies. In this study, given its immunomodulatory properties, we aimed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of vitamin D on GATA3 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), including Th2 cells, and compare GATA3 expression levels between PBMCs taken from allergic asthmatic patients and healthy controls. Results: The total sample size was 40 and the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) procedure was applied to assess the mRNA expression levels of GATA3 in different groups. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the expression of GATA3 in PBMCs taken from patients with allergic asthma is lower than in that from healthy controls. In addition, in the control group, cells co-cultured with vitamin D had a significantly increased GATA3 expression. However, in the patient group, such an increase was only observed in cells treated with 10-7M-vitamin D. By contrast, incubation with vitamin D at the concentration of 10-6 M slightly decreased the expression of GATA3 among patients. Conclusion: In summary, it is likely that vitamin D should regulate GATA3 gene expression in the PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. The impacts of this steroid hormone can also differ between the status of health and allergic asthma in either extent or direction

The Effect of Vitamin D on GATA3 Gene Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Allergic Asthma

Introduction: Asthma is becoming a major health problem in many countries. Immune responses in allergic asthma, as the most prevalent asthmatic phenotype, are mediated mostly by a subtype of T lymphocytes referred to as the effector lineage of Type 2 Th cells (Th2). The development of Th2 cells is mainly governed by a zinc finger transcription factor, i.e., GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA3). Allergic asthma is a complex disease, and vitamin D deficiency has been named as a non-genetic risk factor for its development. Vitamin D, a steroid hormone belonging to the family of nuclear receptors, has shown significant immunosuppressive effects in previous studies. Material and Methods: In this study, given its immunomodulatory properties, we aimed to investigate the effects of different concentrations of vitamin D on GATA3 gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), including Th2 cells, and compare GATA3 expression levels between PBMCs taken from allergic asthmatic patients and healthy controls. Results: The total sample size was 40 and the quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) procedure was applied to assess the mRNA expression levels of GATA3 in different groups. Collectively, our results demonstrated that the expression of GATA3 in PBMCs taken from patients with allergic asthma is lower than in that from healthy controls. In addition, in the control group, cells co-cultured with vitamin D had a significantly increased GATA3 expression. However, in the patient group, such an increase was only observed in cells treated with 10−⁷ M-vitamin D. By contrast, incubation with vitamin D at the concentration of 10−6 M slightly decreased the expression of GATA3 among patients. Conclusion: In summary, it is likely that vitamin D should regulate GATA3 gene expression in the PBMCs in a dose-dependent manner. The impacts of this steroid hormone can also differ between the status of health and allergic asthma in either extent or direction

A Phase IV Study of the Safety and Efficacy of CinnoPar® in Iranian Patients with Osteoporosis

The safety of teriparatide has been studied in various phase III and phase IV trials. However, a postmarketing study of the biosimilar of teriparatide, CinnoPar®, has not been conducted on Iranian patients. This was a phase IV study conducted on osteoporotic patients who received an Iranian teriparatide biosimilar with a dose of 20 μg daily. The primary outcome of this study was to monitor for adverse events (AEs). Effectiveness as the secondary outcome was measured using the EQ-5D quality-of-life questionnaire and back pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score. Among 193 analyzed patients between September 2015 and March 2019, the most common AEs were hypercalcemia (4%), nausea, and pain (3%). No deaths, serious AEs, or other significant AEs occurred in this study. The mean EQ-5D scores decreased after the course of the treatment from 2.3 ± 0.66 at the baseline to 2 ± 0.66. The mean back pain VAS scores also decreased from 4.9 ± 3.6 at baseline to 1.8 ± 2.1 at the end of the study. Both changes were statistically significant (p<0.001). Consistent with the findings of previous studies and the drug monograph, no new safety concern was observed with this biosimilar teriparatide, and the drug was effective based on the VAS score and EQ-5D in osteoporotic patients

LPS-Responsive Beige-Like Anchor Gene Mutation Associated With Possible Bronchiolitis Obliterans Organizing Pneumonia Associated With Hypogammaglobulinemia and Normal IgM Phenotype and Low Number of B Cells

LPS-Responsive Beige-like Anchor (LRBA) deficiency is a disease which has recently been described in a group of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) in association with autoimmunity and/or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-like phenotype. We here describe a 10-year-old boy who experienced recurrent infections, mainly in the respiratory system, associated with thrombocytopenia and anemia. Immunological workup showed low numbers of B cells and low IgG, but normal IgM levels. In spite of therapeutic doses of antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungal agents, in addition to immunoglobulin replacement therapy, he developed disseminated involvement of both lungs with peripheral nodules; transbronchial lung biopsy revealed possible bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP). Combined homozygosity mapping and exome sequencing identified a homozygous LRBA mutation in this patient (p.Asp248Glufs*2). Such clinical and immunological findings have not been described to date and illustrate the broad and variable clinical phenotype of human LRBA deficiency