Stochastic simulation of the FDA centrifugal blood pump benchmark.

In the present study, the effect of physical and operational uncertainties on the hydrodynamic and hemocompatibility characteristics of a centrifugal blood pump designed by the U.S. food and drug administration is investigated.

Tick Ectoparasites of Animals in Borderline of Iran-Iraq and Their Role on Disease Transmission.

Background: Since ticks are potent vectors of various diseases, identification of these species are clinically important to protect the public health and control veterinary problems in the communities. We aimed to figure out the frequency of ticks on cows, goats, sheep, lambs, turtles and also obscure hosts in Kurdistan Province, bordered with Iraq June 2012 to May 2013.

Methods: The hosts were selected randomly and examined individually for tick infestation.

Occult hepatitis B infection in patients with cryptogenic liver cirrhosis in southwest of iran.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has a broad spectrum of manifestation, ranging from silent carrier state to advanced cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The persistence of HBV DNA in serum and hepatocytes of the cirrhotic patient could be detected by molecular techniques in spite of negative HBV serologic markers.

Objectives: This case-control study was designed to evaluate the prevalence of occult HBV infection (OBI) in patients with cryptogenic liver cirrhosis in comparison with healthy subjects.

Acute flaccid paralysis and its differential diagnosis in in kurdistan province, Western iran; an 11-year surveillance.

Objective: The surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is a key strategy for monitoring the progress of poliomyelitis eradication and is a sensitive measure for detecting potential cases of poliomyelitis and poliovirus infection. This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of patients reported with AFP, and to evaluate the performance of the surveillance system in Kurdistan province, western Iran, using indicators recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Methods: This observational study was conducted from January 2000 to December 2010 at the Kurdistan Center for Disease Control and the Department of Pediatrics.

Generation of immunogenic and tolerogenic clinical-grade dendritic cells.

Immunotherapy with dendritic cells (DCs), which have been manipulated ex vivo to become immunogenic or tolerogenic, has been tested in clinical trials for disease therapy. DCs are sentinels of the immune system, which after exposure to antigenic or inflammatory signals and crosstalk with effector CD4(+) T cells express high levels of costimulatory molecules and cytokines. Upregulation of either costimulatory molecules or cytokines promotes immunologic DCs, whereas their downregulation generates tolerogenic DCs (TDCs), which induce T regulatory cells (Tregs) and a state of tolerance.