Measurement of abdominal muscle thickness using ultrasound: A reliability study on patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain

Background and purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the Within-day and Between-days reliability of abdominal muscles size measurement in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (LBP) using ultrasound (US). Materials and methods: In this study, 15 patients with chronic non-specific LBP (20-50 years old) were recruited. The reliability of the abdominal muscle size (External and Internal oblique, and Transversus abdominis) was assessed in a relaxed and contraction state by a real time US. Two images were taken on the same day with an hour interval to assess the within day reliability and the third image was taken a week later to determine the between- days reliability. Results: Within-day and between-days reliability of abdominal muscles thickness measurements using US in patients with nonspecific chronic LBP in both rest and contraction state found to be high, ICC = 0.90 for within and ICC=0.85 for between-days of Transversus abdominis muscle in rest state and ICC= 0.82 and 0.86 in contraction state, respectively. For Internal oblique muscle, ICC=0.90 (82) and ICC=0.88 (88) were found for within-day and between-days in rest and contraction state, respectively. Within-day and between-days reliability at rest of ICC=0.86 (79) and in contraction state of ICC=0.79 (75) were demonstrated for External Oblique muscle. Conclusion: Results of the present study suggest US as a reliable method to evaluate the thickness of the abdominal muscles which could be used as a reliable tool in the assessment of patients and also in evaluating the effect of different therapeutic interventions. © 2015, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Cancer registry in Iran: A brief overview

Cancer registry is an important tool for any successful cancer control program. The first formal cancer related data from Iran were published in 1956. In 1969, observations documenting a high incidence of esophageal cancer in the Caspian Littoral, urged researchers to set up the first population-based cancer registry in this region. This cancer registry was established jointly by University of Tehran and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In 1976, another cancer registry started its activities in Fars Province. In 1984, the Parliament passed a bill mandating the report of all tissues "diagnosed or suspected as cancer tissue" to the Ministry of Health. While only 18% of all estimated cancer cases were reported in first reports, this rate increased to 81% in 2005 In 1998, Tehran Population-Based Cancer Registry started to collect data from cases of cancer referred to the treatment and diagnostic facilities throughout the Tehran metropolis. Digestive Disease Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, established four new population-based cancer registries in Northern Iran and another in Kerman Province in the south. These five provinces have a total population of about 9.5 million, and constitute about 16% of the total population of Iran. While the pathology-based cancer registration is in place, we hope that the addition of the population-based cancer registries, and establishment of new registries in poorly-covered areas, will improve cancer reporting in the country

Development of Production Scheduling Model With Constraint Resources and Parallel Machines

In this paper, a production scheduling model with constraint resources and parallel machines has been investigated. This problem is proposed as a multi-product production problem. Shortage is not allowed and the production horizon is indefinite. The objective is to maximize the level of resource usage and support the management’s standpoint (delays reduction). In this paper, this problem is modeled as the popular Knapsack problem in 0 and 1 programming. Then due to being NP-hard type for this kind of problems to obtain an optimal solution, A heuristic approach has been used to obtain the acceptable solution. By using the branch-and bound method, a near optimal solution is provided. Finally, resultant solutions by the proposed approach have been compared with the optimal solutions of some real-world problems and it has been observed that deviation from the optimal solution is negligible that indicates the accuracy of the proposed approach

Black hole solutions to Einstein-Bel-Robinson gravity

By employing a combination of perturbative analytic methods, we study the physical properties of a static-spherically symmetric black hole in the framework of the recently proposed Einstien-Bel-Robinson version of gravity. We show that interestingly the theory propagates a transverse and massive graviton on a maximally symmetric background with positive energy. There is also a single ghost-free branch that returns to the Einstein case when \beta\to 0. Then, we obtain the conserved charges of the theory to study the thermodynamics of the black hole solutions. We get the thermodynamical quantities and show that the solutions undergo a first-order phase transition with associated Van der Waals behavior. We analyze the specific heat, determining that the black holes are thermodynamically stable over large regions of parametric space.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

An assistive tabletop keyboard for stroke rehabilitation

We propose a tabletop keyboard that assists stroke patients in using computers. Using computers for purposes such as paying bills, managing bank accounts, sending emails, etc., which all include typing, is part of Activities of Daily Living (ADL) that stroke patients wish to recover. To date, stroke rehabilitation research has greatly focused on using computer-assisted technology for rehabilitation. However, working with computers as a skill that patients need to recover has been neglected. The conventional human computer interfaces are mouse and keyboard. Using keyboard stays the main challenge for hemiplegic stroke patients because typing is usually a bimanual task. Therefore, we propose an assistive tabletop keyboard which is not only a novel computer interface that is specially designed to facilitate patient-computer interaction but also a rehab medium through which patients practice the desired arm/hand functions. © 2013 Authors

Techniques of Eyebrow Lifting: A Narrative Review

None of brow lift techniques are completely satisfactory because of their limited effectiveness, lack of longevity, and potential complications. The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on the pros and cons of the most popular techniques in brow and forehead lift. Relevant original articles in the PubMed database (English language) were sought using the search terms �eyebrow lift�, �forehead lift�,�periorbital rejuvenation�,�eyebrow ptosis�,�blepharoplasty and eyebrow change�,�surgical eyebrow lift�, and�non-surgical eyebrow lift�, No date limitation was considered. Titles and abstracts were scanned to include the most pertinent articles. Subsequently, full texts of included articles (111 articles) were skimmed and finally 56 references were selected for the review. A narrative synthesis of data was finally undertaken with particular attention to the indications, techniques, and common complications of the eyebrow lift procedures. Ten popular techniques including two nonsurgical methods (Botulinum toxin A and soft tissue fillers) were reviewed in this article. In general, non-surgical methods of forehead/brow lift are temporary, need less experience and correction would be easier should any complication occur. Surgical methods are divided into three categories: trans-blepharoplasty eyebrow lift, direct eyebrow lift, and trans-forehead eyebrow/forehead lift. Currently, the most popular method is the endoscopic forehead lift approach even though its longevity is limited. Direct brow-lift is particularly useful in patients with facial palsy and those who are more likely to be accepting of the scar (male gender, high forehead hair line). © 2020 JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMIC AND VISION RESEARC

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers as a measure of disease activity and treatment efficacy in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers can reflect different aspects of the pathophysiology of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Understanding the impact of different disease modifying therapies on the CSF biomarker profile may increase their implementation in clinical practice and their appropriateness for monitoring treatment efficacy. This study investigated the influence of first-line (interferon beta) and second-line (natalizumab) therapies on seven CSF biomarkers in RRMS and their correlation with clinical and radiological outcomes. We included 59 RRMS patients and 39 healthy controls. The concentrations of C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13), C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1), glial fibrillary acidic protein, neurofilament light protein (NFL), and neurogranin were determined by ELISA, and chitotriosidase (CHIT1) was analyzed by spectrofluorometry. RRMS patients had higher levels of NFL, CXCL13, CHI3L1, and CHIT1 than controls (p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed higher NFL, CXCL13 and CHIT1 levels in patients treated with first-line therapy compared to second-line therapy (p = 0.008, p = 0.001 and p = 0.026, respectively). NFL and CHIT1 levels correlated with relapse status, and NFL and CXCL13 levels correlated with the formation of new magnetic resonance imaging lesions. Furthermore, we found an association between inflammatory and degenerative biomarkers. The results indicate that CSF levels of NFL, CXCL13, CHI3L1, and CHIT1 correlate with the clinical and/or radiological disease activity, providing additional dimensions in the assessment of treatment efficacy