A study of the clinical features and the treatment of breast cancer in 374 patients in Iran

For evaluation of clinical features and state of the art in the treatment of breast cancer in Iran, we studied 347 consecutive patients among 1123 hospital admissions (in 14 hospitals in three cities) who had undergone surgery for a mass in their breasts during a 2-year period, 1991 to 1992. Thirty-nine additional patients with breast cancer had been treated in the second year of the study, an increment of 8.9%. The relative frequency of positive biopsies for breast cancer was 31% for the entire series. In Teheran, Babol and Yazd, it was 35%, 24.2% and 18.1%, respectively. The mean age for the entire series was 48 +/- 1 years. The mean age for patients from Yazd was 51 +/- 9, which was higher than the mean age (41.5 +/- 16) of patients from Babol. The pathologic diameter was > 2.1 cm (pT2 and pT3) in 59.36% of the tumors. In 15.56% of the patients, the exact size of the tumor was not available. In 83.45% of the patients, the tumors were reported as infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Of 173 patients in whom regional nodes had been histologically examined, 80% had metastatic involvement (stage II disease). Modified radical mastectomy had been used more than radical mastectomy in this series, but the choice of the operation was not related to the size of tumor.     

Accurate measurement of stable isotopes 46Ca and 48Ca in human feces,plasma, and urine in relation to human nutrition of calcium

A method based on Radiochemical Neutron Activation Analysis (RNAA) is described which allows simultaneous measurement of two stable isotopes of calcium, ⁴⁶ Ca and ⁴⁸Ca, in human feces, plasma, and urine for the purpose of studying human nutrition and metabolism of calcium. It is shown that these measurements can be made with relative analytical precision of 1–5% depending on the particulars of a given experiment. The method has been applied in humans and data are given showing that kinetics of plasma appearance of ⁴⁶Ca administered orally with food can be readily investigated. This method allows investigation of a number of important nutritional and metabolic issues in all human population groups without regard to radioisotope safety considerations, and should prove especially helpful in relation to studies of calcium bioavailability from different foods in a variety of population groups for whom use of radiocalcium is not warranted.     

Correlation Between Negative Near-Wall Shear Stress in Human Aorta and Various Stages of Congestive Heart Failure

The critical effect of advanced congestive heart failure is reduced blood flow in descending aorta resulting from mild to severe reduction in cardiac output, usually accompanying low ejection fraction. In these patients the heart tries to compensate by beating faster, but reduced blood flow combined with increased heart rate can lead to retrograde flow and negative shear stress along the vessel walls during each cardiac cycle. Our studies show that near-wall negative shear stress can result from an entire-retrograde flow at normal heart rates or a Womersley-type phase delayed near-wall retrograde flow at high heart rate and low ejection fraction conditions. In our experiments, a compliant aortic loop with appropriate pressure and flow instrumentation was used, running on either various aqueous glycerin solutions or property filtered, anticoagulated diluted bovine blood. The flow field was mapped using a General Electric Vingmed System 5 platform. The resulting images were analyzed with Caltech's digital ultrasound speckle image velocimetry technique. We showed the occurrence of near-wall retrograde flow under certain aortic flow rates and frequencies, charted via an empirical relationship between Reynolds and Womersley numbers. Also, we demonstrated a strong correlation between retrograde flow level and transition from preliminary to advanced congestive heart failure patients. © 2003 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC2003: 8719Hh, 8719Rr, 8719Uv, 4380Qf, 8763Df     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Trypanosoma evansi</Emphasis> in three dogs in Iran

Three crossbreed dogs were referred to the Small Animal Hospital of Tehran University. Corneal opacity was obvious in two of these cases. The animals were pyretic (T: 40–41°C) but other vital signs were normal. Blood samples were collected from the cephalic veins of the dogs using EDTA. Complete blood cell count showed a nonregenerative anemia with low packed cell volume, Hb, RBC, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular Hb and mean corpuscular Hb concentration. Thin smears were made and stained by Giemsa method after fixation in methanol and then examined under a light microscope (×100). Trypanosoma evansi detected with 17–36 μm length (mean = 25 μm). The kinetoplasts of the parasites were subterminal, the undulating membranes were well-developed and there was a substantial free flagellum. Serum analysis showed hyperproteinemia and normal values of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin. Serum analysis showed a polyclonal gammopathy and a beta–gamma bridge in the electrophoresis of serum samples of two dogs. After confirming the disease, treatment started by diminazen aceturate (Berenil, Intervet).     

Quality of life of diabetic patients with smear positive PTB in southeastern Iran: A cross-sectional study in a poor region of Iran

Background

The quality of life is an important indicator of quality of care in chronic diseases such as diabetes and TB. The present research is conducted with an aim to assess the Quality of Life of Diabetic Patients with Smear Positive PTB.

Absence of NF-kappaB activation by a new polystyrene-type adsorbent designed for hemoperfusion

AIM: The aim of the study was to evaluate biocompatibility of anew polystyrene-type adsorbent (BetaSorb) designed for hemoperfusion, using second-level biomolecular analyses. The device has recently been developed to enhance beta2-microglobulin removal during hemodialysis. Molecular structure and chemical modifications of the surface beads of this cartridge should prevent exposure of dense hydrophobic surface sites to proteins, and avoid the major drawbacks of previous polystyrene-type adsorbent materials. METHODS: Whole blood of healthy donors was incubated in sterile minicolumns packed with BetaSorb Cuprophan, Hemophan, polysulfone and cellulose acetate. In parallel experiments, whole blood was recirculated for 180 min in a sham dialysis circuit equipped with the study sorbent or Hemophan or polysulfone. Biocompatibility was assessed by means of new biomolecular approaches focused on nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation (assessed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay), TNF-alpha and IL-1beta gene expression (evaluated by real-time PCR), TNF-alpha and IL-1beta production (measured by Western blot assay and ELISA), nitric oxide (NO) generation (detected by electron paramagnetic resonance), free oxygen radical production (by chemiluminescence in a biological assay) and the generation of the complement breakdown product C3d. RESULTS: In coincubation experiments, 5-min contact with any dialysis device, but BetaSorb, was enough to induce activation of NF-kappaB. The amount of TNF-alpha precursor form was found to increase after 5 min of exposure to each tested polymer, but no traces of mature forms of TNF-alpha or IL-1beta were detected in in vitro experimental conditions using healthy blood. NO and free oxygen radical generation were significantly lower in blood samples exposed to BetaSorb than in control dialysis devices. C3d levels were found to be increased with Hemophan, unaffected by polysulfone, and remarkably decreased with the BetaSorb device. In the sham hemodialysis experiments, NF-kappaB activation and C3d and NO profiles were similar to direct incubation experiments. Compared to basal levels, quantitation of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta mRNA revealed a 15- and 9-fold increase, respectively, in samples exposed to Hemophan for 180 min. CONCLUSIONS: The new BetaSorb device not only appears to be highly biocompatible, but shares properties that make it probably able to interfere with the activation of the inflammatory state.