The stinging Apidae and Vespidae (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) in Iranian islands, Qeshm, Abu-Musa, Great Tunb and Lesser Tunb on the Persian Gulf.

Objective: To study the stinging flying Hymenoptera (Apidae and Vespidae) fauna in four Iranian Islands, Qeshm, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu-Musa on the Persian Gulf.

Methods: The flies were captured by used of Malaise trap, fly trap, bottle trap and insect net-hashing from March 2011 to July 2012.

Results: In this study, 11 species of stinging Hymenoptera were reported for the first time in Persian Gulf region.

Identification of a new immunogenic candidate conferring protection against Brucella melitensis infection in mice.

Identification of bacterial proteins that contribute to the replication and survival of the engulfed bacteria within phagolysosome is critical in the pathogenesis of intracellular bacteria. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that prevent unwanted protein aggregation and protect the bacteria against cell stress. In order to study the potential of HspA for development of a Brucella subunit vaccine, immunogenicity and protective efficacy of recombinant HspA (rHspA) from Brucella melitensis was evaluated in BALB/c mice.

Autoimmune pancreatitis: a case report.

Autoimmune pancreatitis is a fibro-inflammatory form of chronic pancreatitis. It is diagnosed by the combination of imaging studies such as a CT scan and pancreatography, laboratory analyses that include IgG4 and/or autoantibodies, histopathological evaluations and positive response to corticosteroid therapy. We report the case of a 41-year-old female with a history of jaundice and increasing abdominal pain for two weeks prior to her clinic visit.

High-performance multifunctional graphene yarns: toward wearable all-carbon energy storage textiles.

The successful commercialization of smart wearable garments is hindered by the lack of fully integrated carbon-based energy storage devices into smart wearables. Since electrodes are the active components that determine the performance of energy storage systems, it is important to rationally design and engineer hierarchical architectures atboth the nano- and macroscale that can enjoy all of the necessary requirements for a perfect electrode. Here we demonstrate a large-scale flexible fabrication of highly porous high-performance multifunctional graphene oxide (GO) and rGO fibers and yarns by taking advantage of the intrinsic soft self-assembly behavior of ultralarge graphene oxide liquid crystalline dispersions.

The value of provocative tests in diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy.

Background: This study was aimed at assessing the accuracy of provocative tests in diagnosis of acute or chronic Cervical Radiculopathy (CR) based on an electrodiagnostic reference criterion.

Materials And Methods: Shoulder Abduction Test (SAT), Spurling Test (ST), Upper Limb Tension Test (ULTT), and electromyography were done on 97 patients who referred to Electrodiagnostic center in the university hospital from January 2010 to March 2011. All of the participants had neck and radicular pain for at least 3 weeks.

Electrocardiographic changes in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Background: Epilepsy is the second most common type of chronic neurological disease. Its diagnosis carries an excess mortality, which is 2-3 times higher than that of general population. Mortality rates are increased among patients with uncontrolled seizures.

Convulsive syncope as presenting symptom of carotid body tumors: Case series.

Carotid body tumor (CBT) is paraganglioma and mainly found in the carotid bifurcation. The manifestations of the tumor are variable; in most cases, it presents as a non-symptomatic slow-growing mass, rarely compression of carotid body induces bradycardia and hypotension and repeated syncope, prolonged syncope can cause convulsion. Convulsive syncope occurred in 0.

A comparative assessment the efficacy of intravenous infusion of sodium valproate and phenytion in the treatment of status epilepticus.

Background: Status epilepticus (SE) is a type of persistent lasting seizure with high mortality and morbidity. Numerous medications are suggested for the treatment of SE, two of which are sodium valproate and phenytoin. The purpose of this study is to conduct a comparison between the efficiencies of intravenous sodium valproate and phenytoin in the treatment of this type of epilepsy.

The role of melatonin in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis: a case-control study.

Background: The association between the prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) and latitude gradient indicates the importance of environmental factors in MS susceptibility. Sunlight's ultraviolet radiation, its ability to influence melatonin, and an imbalance of melatonin in the central nervous system (CNS) may be involved in this process.

Methods: This case-control study was conducted in Isfahan MS Society (IMSS), Isfahan, Iran.

A literature review on the efficacy and safety of botulinum toxin: an injection in post-stroke spasticity.

Background: A variety of techniques for the management of spasticity have been suggested, including positioning, cryotherapy, splinting and casting, biofeedback, electrical stimulation, and medical management by pharmacological agents, Botulinum toxin A (BTA) is now the pharmacological treatment of choice in focal spasticity. BTA by blocking acetylcholine release at neuromuscular junctions accounts for its therapeutic action to relieve spasticity.

Methods: A computerized search of Pub Med was carried out to find the latest result about efficacy of BTA in management of post stroke spasticity.

Immune reactivity of Brucella melitensis-vaccinated rabbit serum with recombinant Omp31 and DnaK proteins.

Background And Objectives: Brucella melitensis infection is still a major health problem for human and cattle in developing countries and the Middle East.

Materials And Methods: In this study, in order to screen immunogenic candidate antigens for the development of a Brucella subunit vaccine, a cytoplasmic protein (DnaK) and an outer membrane protein (Omp31) of B. melitensis were cloned, expressed in E.

Short-term safety of pulse steroid therapy in multiple sclerosis relapses.

Objective: To determine the short-term safety of high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone in acute attacks of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Method: In a prospective study, we evaluated the patients with MS who received high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone for acute attacks. By repeated physical and laboratory examinations and history taking, patients were assessed for adverse effects that would be related to pulse therapy before, within, and 3 months after the treatment.

Metabolic syndrome in ischemic stroke: A case control study.

Introduction: The metabolic syndrome has known as an independent risk factor of stroke. The occurrence of this syndrome is due to genetic factors and lifestyle. This study was performed on the frequency of metabolic syndrome prevalence in ischemic stroke patients compare to control.

Iatrogenic botulism after the therapeutic use of botulinum toxin-A: a case report and review of the literature.

Local injection of botulinum toxin-A is an accepted treatment for hyperhidrosis. We report 2 cases of primary hyperhidrosis who developed iatrogenic botulism after the therapeutic dose of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox). This case report highlights the necessity of clinicians having sufficient information of potentially adverse effects, optimal dose, and correct preparation and injection of botulinum toxin-A.

Rietveld analysis of the effect of annealing atmosphere on phase evolution of nanocrystalline TiO2 powders.

The structural evolution of nanocrystalline TiO2 was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the Rietveld refinement method (RRM). TiO2 powders were prepared by the sol-gel technique. Post annealing of as-synthesized powders in the temperature range from 500 degrees C to 800 degrees C under air and argon atmospheres led to the formation of TiO2 nanoparticles with mean crystallite size in the range of 37-165 nm, based on the Rietveld refinement results.

Mycoplasma pneumonia seroposivity in Iranian patients with relapsing-remitting multipl sclerosis: a randomized case-control study.

Objectives: Environmental factors, such as different infections, have proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aimed to the evaluate mycoplasma pneumonia seropositivity, as a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Methodology: Using ELISA method, IgM and IgG antibodies to Mycoplasma pneumoniae were determined in 130 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (85 Remitted and 45 Relapsed) and 50 sex- and age-matched controls.

25-hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations in Patients with Optic Neuritis as a Clinically Isolated Syndrome and Healthy Controls.

Objectives: The onset of multiple sclerosis in the majority of the cases occurs as a clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). We sought to assess serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) in CIS patients and healthy controls.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study 40 patients (36 women and 4 men) with CIS manifesting as a single isolated optic neuritis and 40 Age- and sex-matched healthy controls (35 women and 5 men) were enrolled between late October 2010 and early March 2011.

Enhancement of the electrochemical capacitance of TiO2 nanotube arrays through controlled phase transformation of anatase to rutile.

Here, we report the fabrication of self-organized titania (TiO(2)) nanotube array supercapacitor electrodes through controlled phase transformation of TiO(2), with aerial capacitances as high as 2.6 mF cm(-2), which far exceeds the values so far reported in the literature. The role of phase transformation in the electrochemical charge-discharge behaviour of nanocrystalline TiO(2) nanotubes is investigated and discussed in detail.

Slime layer formation and the prevalence of mecA and aap genes in Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates.

Introduction: Staphylococcus epidermidis strains are frequently associated with catheter-related infection, acute bacteremia, and hospital-acquired infection. Some isolates produce an extracellular matrix called slime that may make them more resistant to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to determine antimicrobial resistance patterns, the prevalence of slime production, and the distribution of genes (mecA and aap, respectively) associated with these phenotypes in S.

A highly ordered titania nanotube array as a supercapacitor electrode.

We report the synthesis of self-organized titania nanotubes and nanocrystalline titania powders employing an alternative and novel approach. Integrating these nanostructures in a binder-free working electrode improved the capacitance up to 911 μF cm(-2), which is around one to two orders of magnitude higher than the conventional electric double layer capacitors.

The incidence of nosocomial toxigenic clostridium difficile associated diarrhea in Tehran tertiary medical centers.

Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of nosocomial diarrhea. It is usually a consequence of antibiotic treatment, But sporadic cases can occur. This study was aimed to determine the frequency of the nosocomial Clostridium difficile (C.

Repellency Effects of Essential Oils of Myrtle (Myrtus communis), Marigold (Calendula officinalis) Compared with DEET against Anopheles stephensi on Human Volunteers.

Background: Malaria and leishmaniasis are two most significant parasitic diseases which are endemic in Iran. Over the past decades, interest in botanical repellents has increased as a result of safety to human. The comparative efficacy of essential oils of two native plants, myrtle (Myrtus communis) and marigold (Calendula officinalis) collected from natural habitats at southern Iran was compared with DEET as synthetic repellent against Anopheles stephensi on human subjects under laboratory condition.

Scanning electron microscopy study of bone intracortical vessels using an injection and fractured surfaces technique.

The intracortical canal/vessel systems of long bones are not yet completely understood in terms of their morphology and physiology, mainly because of the difficulty of injecting the small calibre vessels and cutting the calcified matrix. Here, we apply a novel method combining perfusion of the vessels and fracture of the cortical bone to enlighten the architecture of this system. The femurs of ten rabbits were perfused with a water-soluble dye (China ink) or alcoholic glycerol solution, and the fractured cortex specimens were then examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Frequency of Helicobacter pylori vacA genotypes in Iranian patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer.

Helicobacter pylori infection is a risk factor for developing chronic peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of Helicobacter pylori vacA genotypes in patients with gastric and duodenal ulcer. A total of 100 biopsy specimens of patients with gastric (n=50) and duodenal (n=50) ulcer were collected.