Ustekinumab for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis: an update.

Psoriatic arthritis occurs in 30% of psoriasis patients, and the treatment can be challenging in some patients. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration approved ustekinumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody, for the management of psoriatic arthritis. In this article, we review large-scale randomized clinical trials addressing the efficacy and safety profile of ustekinumab for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Isolation of fungi from housefly (Musca domestica L.) at Slaughter House and Hospital in Sanandaj, Iran

Objective. Houseflies have long been regarded as potential carriers of microorganisms especially fungi. Since pathogenic microorganisms are widespread in the hospital environment, there is abundant opportunity for flies to become contaminated and in turn to contaminate the patient environment and residen- tial regions. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify fungi from the slaughter house and the hospital environments. Material and method. The flies were captured with a sterile nylon net and transferred to the Entomology Laboratory for iden- tification by standard keys. The flies were captured and rinsed in a solution of 1% sodium hypochlorite for three minutes and twice in sterile distilled water for 1min then flies was transferred to a 0.85% saline solution. 0.1ml of this solution was transferred to Sabouraud?s dextrose agar (SDA). Isolation of fungi was identi- fied by standard mycological methods. Results. In this study totally 908 Musca domestica (418 flies from the hospital environments and 490 flies from the slaughter house) were collected in Sanandaj, Iran. The main fungi isolated were Aspergillus spp (66%). and another isolated were belong to Pene- cillium spp. (14%), Fusarium spp. (11.3%), Alternaria spp. (6%) and among the filamentous fungi, 8.6% of the isolates as Micro- sporum gypseum of dermatophytes was identified. Conclusion. The present study supports belief that the house fly is a carrier for fungal spores. Therefore they have to be control- led and density of their population should be reduced undertaken different vector control approaches

Stroke as the Initial Presentation of Takayasu\u27s Arteritis: A Case Report

In this study, we report the case of a pediatric neurology stroke patient who was ultimately diagnosed with Takayasu\u27s Arteritis. Our case describes a 14-year-old Hispanic female with no significant past medical history who presented to an outside hospital for acute onset of confusion and right sided weakness. She was given tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) at the outside hospital and transferred as a stroke alert. Initial The NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) was 12 with primarily right sided symptoms. Physical exam was also significant for asymmetric pulses and blood pressures. Imaging was significant for multifocal stenosis. She was ultimately diagnosed with Takayasu\u27s arteritis and treated with a multidisciplinary approach including pediatrics, neurology and rheumatology. This case represents an important differential diagnosis for pediatric stroke patients including those who have stroke as the presenting symptom of this systemic disease

IgG anti-apolipoprotein A-1 antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus are associated with disease activity and corticosteroid therapy: an observational study.

IgG anti-apolipoprotein A-1 (IgG anti-apoA-1) antibodies are present in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and may link inflammatory disease activity and the increased risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in these patients. We carried out a rigorous analysis of the associations between IgG anti-apoA-1 levels and disease activity, drug therapy, serology, damage, mortality and CVD events in a large British SLE cohort

Direct, residual and cumulative effects of organic manures and biofertilizers on yields, NPK uptake, grain quality and economics of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under organic farming of rice-wheat cropping system

Field experiments were conducted at the research farm of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi during rabi (winter) season of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 on a sandy clay loam soil (typical Ustochrept, 51.46% sand, 23.02% silt and 25.52% clay)of low in organic C (0.57%), medium in available phosphorus (19.87 kg/ha), high in available potassium (247.12 kg/ha) and low in available nitrogen (163.2 kg/ha) and of pH 8. Results revealed that the cumulative effects of farmyard manure (FYM) and green manure (GM) were more effective than their direct and residual effects and GM was significantly superior to FYM for increasing the productivity, nutrient uptake, grain quality and gross and net income of wheat in the rice-wheat cropping system. Further,inoculation of biofertilizers (B) with GM was better than GM alone in its cumulative effect. The combination of GM + FYM was still better than GM or FYM alone in its direct and cumulative effects for increasing productivity and gross return, but net return was significantly reduced due to the higher cost of GM + FYM compared to FYM or GM alone. However, the residual effect of GM + FYM was similar to the cumulative effects of GM or FYM alone. The highest increase in productivity, grain quality and nutrient uptake was recorded with the application of GM + FYM + B. However, net return was significantly reduced due to the higher cost incurred in the combination of GM + FYM + B. It was concluded that the cumulative effect of GM + FYM + B for higher productivity and the cumulative effect of GM + B for higher net return were suitable for wheat in organic farming of the rice-wheat cropping system

Evaluation of bacterial and fungal contamination in the health care workers? hands and rings in the intensive care unit

Introduction. Nosocomial infections remain a major challenge to the health care system and result in significant mortality, morbidity, and economic burden. Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are at great risk of acquiring nosocomial infections. The objective of this study was to determine the contamination rate (bacterial and fungal) of the health care workers? (HCWs?) hands and ring in ICU. Methods. All health care workers were screened during the day shift in Emam hospital ICU. After obtaining informed consent, convenience samples of HCWs? hands and rings were cultured on specific media during their routine work hours, always after a patient care episode. The fungal and bacterial isolates were identified using standard microbiological procedures. Results. A total of 40 subjects were selected in this study (28females, 12males). The rate of contamination of hands and rings was observed in 73.1%. Most of isolates are known to cause nosocomial infections which included: 23% staphylococci, 7.9% Klebsiella spp., 4.7% Enterobacter spp., 3.9% Escherichia coli, 3.1% Acinetobacter spp., 2.3% Pseudomonas spp., and 27.7% were colonized with fungi. The fungal isolates were 16.6% Candida spp., 3.9% Rhodotorula spp., 3.1% Aspergillus niger, and 3.9% Aspergillus flavus. Conclusion. According to these results HCWs? hands and their rings were contaminated with various types of microorganisms. Medical and hospital personals must follow careful hand-washing techniques to minimize transmission of disease and should remove rings, watches, and bracelets before washing their hands and entering the ICU

An enhanced control system for single-phase inverters interfaced with weak and distorted grids

© 2019 IEEE. This paper presents an enhanced current controller for improving the performance of a class of single-phase grid-connected inverters operating in weak and distorted grid conditions. An inverter designed to operate at normal (strong or stiff and clean) grid conditions may not perform satisfactorily during weak and distorted grid conditions. One major reason is the interfering dynamics of the synchronization or phase-locked loop (PLL). This paper proposes an enhanced control structure for a popular class of single-phase inverters to address this problem. The proposed idea is to include the PLL state variables into the main inverter controller thereby minimizing the undesirable interactions of the PLL with the other components. A method for optimally designing the controller gains is also proposed. Compared to the conventional one, the proposed controller is shown to have a more robust performance over a substantially wider range of weak and distorted grid conditions. Extensive simulation and experimental results are presented to validate the proposed controls

Advance Parking Management System.

By looking towards scenario of today’s market and business; and approaches of peoples towards their standards ,to deal with the ever growing problem of parking management with issues like lack of space for parking, wastage of time to find parking space this paper proposes an advance solution for managing and monitoring free parking space and automated parking of the car. It aims at implementing smarter and better parking guidance mechanism with architecture which will settle within less land space and reduces significantly vehicle travel time and parking time

Guillian-Barre syndrome , Childhood, Epidemiology, Electrodiagnosis, Clinical features, East Azarbaijan

 ObjectiveThis study aims at determining the epidemiologic, presenting symptoms, clinical course and electrophysiologic features of childhood Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in the East Azarbaijan province over a period of five years.Materials & Methods All the patients, aged< 15 years, referred/admitted to Tabriz Children Hospital with GBS between January 2001 and December 2005 were investigated.ResultsOne hundred and twelve subjects were enrolled during this period. The average annual incidence rate was 2.21 per 100000 population of children agedConclusion The axonal type of GBS is a relatively common form of childhood GBS occurring in East Azerbaijan.