Injury Severity Score coding: Data analyst v. emerging m-health technology

Background. The cost of Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) coding has limited its utility in areas of the world with the highest incidence of trauma. We hypothesised that emerging mobile health (m-health) technology could offer a cost-effective alternative to the current goldstandard AIS mechanism in a high-volume trauma centre in South Africa.Methods. A prospectively collected sample of consecutive patients admitted following a traumatic injury that required an operation during a 1-month period was selected for the study. AISs and Injury Severity Scores (ISSs) were generated by clinician-entered data using an m-health application (ISS eTHR) as well as by a team of AIS coders at Vancouver General Hospital, Canada (ISS VGH). Rater agreements for ISSs were analysed using Bland-Altman plots with 95% limits of agreement (LoA) and kappa statistics of the ISSs grouped into ordinal categories. Reliability was analysed using a two-way mixed-model intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Calibration and discrimination of univariate logistic regression models built to predict in-hospital complications using ISSs coded by the two methods were also compared.Results. Fifty-seven patients were managed operatively during the study period. The mean age of the cohort was 27.2 years (range 14 - 62), and 96.3% were male. The mechanism of injury was penetrating in 93.4% of cases, of which 52.8% were gunshot injuries. The LoA fell within –8.6 - 9.4. The mean ISS difference was 0.4 (95% CI –0.8 - 1.6). The kappa statistic was 0.53. The ICC of the individual ISS was 0.88 (95% CI 0.81 - 0.93) and the categorical ISS was 0.81 (95% CI 0.68 - 0.87). Model performance to predict in-hospital complications using either the ISS eTHR or the ISS VGH was equivalent.Conclusions. ISSs calculated by the eTHR and gold-standard coding were comparable. Emerging m-health technology provides a costeffective alternative for injury severity scoring

A study on the abundance and species diversity of cynipid wasps (Hym.: Cynipidae) in West Azerbaijan province, Iran

The induced galls by oak gall wasps were collected from various oak forests of Iranian province of West Azerbaijan in the regions of Ghabre-Hossein, Mir-Abad, Vavan, Shalmash, Rabat and Dar-Ghabr during from April to November 2009. The optimum number of samples was found to be 40 oak trees. In each tree, as a sampling unit, all of the existing galls were counted. The species richness of oak gall wasps in the West Azerbaijan province was measured and the parameters such as Simpsonâs, Shannonâs H', and Sorensen similarity indexes were calculated. In this study, 35 species of oak gall wasps on the oak tree species of Quercus infectoria, Q. brantii and Q. libani were identified. Most galls were observed on Q. infectoria. All of the collected oak gall wasp species belonged to the genera Andricus Hartig, Cynips L., Neuroterus Hartig, Biorhiza Westwood, Pseudoneuroterus Kinsey, Chilaspis Mayr and Aphelonyx Mayre. The genus Andricus included 23 species of oak gall wasps. The highest Simpson and Shannon indexes were recorded for the spring galls of Mir-Abad and for the fall galls of Ghabre-Hossein and Dar-Ghabr regions. The Sorensen similarity index reached its peak for the spring galls (sexual generation of oak gall wasps) of Ghabre-Hossein and Mir-Abad and for the fall galls (asexual generation of oak gall wasps) of Ghabre-Hossein and Dar-Ghabr. The distribution of oak species and subspecies, and geographical and climatic aspects are believed to be among the key factors for the species diversity of oak gall wasps

A critical comparison between dosage forms in traditional Persian pharmacy and those reported in current pharmaceutical sciences

There were many natural pharmaceutical dosage forms cited by Persian pharmacists and physicians in the historical pharmacopeias (Qarabadins). This work aimed to perform a comprehensive study on “Qarābādin-e-Sālehi” (1765 A.D.), one of the main Persian pharmaceutical manuscripts defining traditional dosage forms. All traditional dosage forms as well as their definitions, descriptions and considerations were extracted by reviewing “Qarābādin-e-Sālehi”. Then, the textbook of “Aulton's Pharmaceutics; the design and manufacture of medicines” was considered to compare the medieval knowledge of pharmaceutics with current ones. Overall, there were 226 different dosage forms which have been cited in traditional Persian pharmacy. Since many of them were related to the preparation method, the final list of dosage form was shortened to nearly 60 items including solid, semisolid, liquid and gaseous forms. On the other hand, almost 40 forms with oral, topical, nasal, parenteral, vaginal and rectal routes of administration are mentioned as current dosage forms. Some of the dosage forms are similar or as the same in traditional and current pharmacy. But, there were too many novel dosage forms in traditional Persian pharmacy. There were 11 types of traditional nasal forms whereas, this route is still known as a novel route of administration. Also 5 different ophthalmic dosage forms have been cited in the textbook. Many of traditional dosage forms were designed according to the medical purposes. Several current dosage forms have roots in the historical definitions and can be found in Persian medicine. However, there are forgotten traditional dosage forms which can be modified and optimized in pharmacy nowadays

Difficulty in detecting discrepancies in a clinical trial report: 260-reader evaluation

Background: Scientific literature can contain errors. Discrepancies, defined as two or more statements or results that cannot both be true, may be a signal of problems with a trial report. In this study, we report how many discrepancies are detected by a large panel of readers examining a trial report containing a large number of discrepancies. Methods: We approached a convenience sample of 343 journal readers in seven countries, and invited them in person to participate in a study. They were asked to examine the tables and figures of one published article for discrepancies. 260 participants agreed, ranging from medical students to professors. The discrepancies they identified were tabulated and counted. There were 39 different discrepancies identified. We evaluated the probability of discrepancy identification, and whether more time spent or greater participant experience as academic authors improved the ability to detect discrepancies. Results: Overall, 95.3% of discrepancies were missed. Most participants (62%) were unable to find any discrepancies. Only 11.5% noticed more than 10% of the discrepancies. More discrepancies were noted by participants who spent more time on the task (Spearman’s ρ = 0.22, P < 0.01), and those with more experience of publishing papers (Spearman’s ρ = 0.13 with number of publications, P = 0.04). Conclusions: Noticing discrepancies is difficult. Most readers miss most discrepancies even when asked specifically to look for them. The probability of a discrepancy evading an individual sensitized reader is 95%, making it important that, when problems are identified after publication, readers are able to communicate with each other. When made aware of discrepancies, the majority of readers support editorial action to correct the scientific record

B Cell Epitopes of Four Fimbriae Antigens of Klebsiella pneumoniae: A Comprehensive In Silico Study for Vaccine Development

Klebsiella pneumoniae is one of the major causes of nosocomial infections worldwide which can cause several diseases in children and adults. The globally dissemination of hyper-virulent strains of K. pneumoniae and the emergence of antibiotics-resistant isolates of this pathogen narrows down the treatment options and has renewed interest in its vaccines. Vaccine candidates of Klebsiella pneumoniae have not been adequately protective, safe and globally available yet. In K. pneumoniae infection, it is well known that B cells that induce robust humoral immunity are necessary for the host complete protection. Identifying the B cell epitopes of antigens is valuable to design novel vaccine candidates. In the present study using immunoinformatics approaches we found B cell epitopes of four K. pneumoniae type 1 fimbriae antigens namely FimA, FimF, FimG, and FimH. Linear and conformational B cell epitopes of each antigen were predicted using different programs. Subsequently, many bioinformatics assays were applied to choose the best epitopes including prediction antigenicity, toxicity, human similarity and investigation on experimental records. These assays resulted in final four epitopes (each for one Fim protein). These final epitopes were modeled and their physiochemical properties were estimated to be used as potential vaccine candidates. Altogether, we found four B cell epitopes of K. pneumoniae Fim antigens that are immunogen, antigenic, not similar to human peptides, not allergen and not toxic. Also, they have suitable physiochemical properties to administrate as vaccine, although their complete efficacy should be also shown in vitro and in vivo. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V

Identification and Clinical Implications of a Novel MYO15A Variant in a Consanguineous Iranian Family by Targeted Exome Sequencing

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hereditary hearing loss (HL) is known by a very high genetic heterogeneity, which makes a molecular diagnosis problematic. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a new strategy that can overcome this problem. METHOD: A comprehensive family history was obtained, and clinical evaluations and pedigree analysis were performed in the family with 3 affected members. After excluding mutations in the GJB2 and 7 other most common autosomal recessive nonsyndromic HL genes via Sanger sequencing and genetic linkage analysis in the family, we applied the Otogenetics deafness NGS panel in the proband of this family. RESULTS: NGS results showed a novel rare variant (c.7720C>T) in the MYO15A gene. This nonsense variant in the exon 40 of the MYO15A gene fulfills the criteria of being categorized as pathogenic according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guideline. CONCLUSIONS: New DNA sequencing technologies could lead to identification of the disease causing variants in highly heterogeneous disorders such as HL

Identification and Clinical Implications of a Novel MYO15A Variant in a Consanguineous Iranian Family by Targeted Exome Sequencing

Background and Objectives: Hereditary hearing loss (HL) is known by a very high genetic heterogeneity, which makes a molecular diagnosis problematic. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is a new strategy that can overcome this problem. Method: A comprehensive family history was obtained, and clinical evaluations and pedigree analysis were performed in the family with 3 affected members. After excluding mutations in the GJB2 and 7 other most common autosomal recessive nonsyndromic HL genes via Sanger sequencing and genetic linkage analysis in the family, we applied the Otogenetics deafness NGS panel in the proband of this family. Results: NGS results showed a novel rare variant (c.7720C>T) in the MYO15A gene. This nonsense variant in the exon 40 of the MYO15A gene fulfills the criteria of being categorized as pathogenic according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guideline. Conclusions: New DNA sequencing technologies could lead to identification of the disease causing variants in highly heterogeneous disorders such as HL. (C) 2019 S. Karger AG, Base

Effects of annealing treatment prior to cold rolling on delayed fracture properties in ferrite-austenite duplex lightweight steels

Tensile properties of recently developed automotive high-strength steels containing about 10 wt pct of Mn and Al are superior to other conventional steels, but the active commercialization has been postponed because they are often subjected to cracking during formation or to the delayed fracture after formation. Here, the delayed fracture behavior of a ferrite-austenite duplex lightweight steel whose microstructure was modified by a batch annealing treatment at 1023 K (750 A degrees C) prior to cold rolling was examined by HCl immersion tests of cup specimens, and was compared with that of an unmodified steel. After the batch annealing, band structures were almost decomposed as strong textures of {100}aOE (c) 011 > alpha-fibers and {111}aOE (c) 112 > gamma-fibers were considerably dissolved, while ferrite grains were refined. The steel cup specimen having this modified microstructure was not cracked when immersed in an HCl solution for 18 days, whereas the specimen having unmodified microstructure underwent the delayed fracture within 1 day. This time delayed fracture was more critically affected by difference in deformation characteristics such as martensitic transformation and deformation inhomogeneity induced from concentration of residual stress or plastic strain, rather than the difference in initial microstructures. The present work gives a promise for automotive applications requiring excellent mechanical and delayed fracture properties as well as reduced specific weight.ope