Spectral parameter and vascular pattern are useful to distinguish malignant from benign thyroid nodules, especially for those with suspicious or undetermined fine-needle aspiration biopsy.

Objectives There is scarce data available on the prognostic application of chest CT. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a semi-quantitative CT severity score in identifying the risk of mortality in COVID-19 patients. Methods This retrospective cohort study was performed on 262 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The CT severity score was assessed by two independent radiologists using a method previously used to score the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome on thin slice lung CT. Results Multivariate regression analysis showed increasing odds of in-hospital death associated with older age, and the presence of coronary artery disease at the time of admission. The mean CT severity score was 7.5 in the survivor group and 14.5 in the deceased group. Overall, the lower zones were the most frequently affected sites in COVID-19. There was significant difference between the survivor and deceased groups regarding CT severity scores. Multivariate regression analysis showed increasing odds of in-hospital death associated with higher CT severity score at admission. Conclusions Our results show that mortality was significantly higher in patients with higher CT severity score even after adjustment for clinical, demographics and laboratory parameters. However, this study is performed retrospectively and needs to be validated in a prospective study.

In this study, high-resolution, multislice computed tomography findings are compared with surgical findings in terms of the fracture location in patients with traumatic facial paralysis. Patients with traumatic facial paralysis with grade VI House-Brackmann scale who met the criteria for surgical decompression between 2008 and 2012 were included in this study. All the patients underwent a multislice high-resolution, multislice computed tomography (HRCT) using 1-mm-thick slices with a bone window algorithm. The anatomical areas of the temporal bone (including the Fallopian canal) were assessed by CT and during the surgery (separately by the radiologist and the surgeon), and fracture line involvement was recorded. Forty-one patients entered this study. The perigeniculate area was the most commonly involved region (46.34 %) of the facial nerve. The sensitivity and specificity of HRCT to detect a fracture line seems to be different in various sites, but the overall sensitivity and specificity were 77.5 and 77.7 %, respectively. Although HRCT is the modality of choice in traumatic facial paralysis, the diagnostic value may differ according to the fracture location. The results of HRCT should be considered with caution in certain areas.

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The lack of publicly available datasets of computed-tomography angiography (CTA) images for pulmonary embolism (PE) is a problem felt by physicians and researchers. Although a number of computer-aided detection (CAD) systems have been developed for PE diagnosis, their performance is often evaluated using private datasets. In this paper, we introduce a new public dataset called FUMPE (standing for Ferdowsi University of Mashhad's PE dataset) which consists of three-dimensional PE-CTA images of 35 different subjects with 8792 slices in total. For each benchmark image, two expert radiologists provided the ground-truth with the assistance of a semi-automated image processing software tool. FUMPE is a challenging benchmark for CAD methods because of the large number (i.e., 3438) of PE regions and, more especially, because of the location of most of them (i.e., 67%) in lung peripheral arteries. Moreover, due to the reporting of the Qanadli score for each PE-CTA image, FUMPE is the first public dataset which can be used for the analysis of mortality and morbidity risks associated with PE. We also report some complementary prognosis information for each subject.

Background The rising burden of premature mortality for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in developing countries necessitates the institutionalization of a comprehensive surveillance framework to track trends and provide evidence to design, implement, and evaluate preventive strategies. This study aims to conduct an organization-based prospective cohort study on the NCDs and NCD-related secondary outcomes in adult personnel of the Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) as main target population. Methods This study was designed to recruit 12,000 adults aged between 30 and 70 years for 15 years. Baseline assessment includes a wide range of established NCD risk factors obtaining by face-to-face interview or examination. The questionnaires consist of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, lifestyle pattern, fuel consumption and pesticide exposures, occupational history and hazards, personal and familial medical history, medication profile, oral hygiene, reproduction history, dietary intake, and psychological conditions. Examinations include body size and composition test, abdominopelvic and thyroid ultrasonography, orthopedic evaluation, pulse wave velocity test, electrocardiography, blood pressure measurement, smell-taste evaluation, spirometry, mammography, and preferred tea temperature assessment. Routine biochemical, cell count, and fecal occult blood tests are also performed, and the biological samples (i.e., blood, urine, hair, and nail) are stored in preserving temperature. Annual telephone interviews and repeated examinations at 5-year intervals are planned to update information on health status and its determinants. Results A total of 5287 individuals (mean age of 43.9 ± 7.6 and 45.9% male) were included in the study thus far. About 18.5% were nurses and midwives and 44.2% had at least bachelor’s degree. Fatty liver (15.4%), thyroid disorders (11.2%), hypertension (8.8%), and diabetes (4.9%) were the most prevalent NCDs. A large proportion of the population had some degree of anxiety (64.2%). Low physical activity (13 ± 22.4 min per day), high calorie intake (3079 ± 1252), and poor pulse-wave velocity (7.2 ± 1.6 m/s) highlight the need for strategies to improve lifestyle behaviors. Conclusion The PERSIAN Organizational Cohort study in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences is the first organizational cohort study in a metropolitan city of Iran aiming to provide a large data repository on the prevalence and risk factors of the NCDs in a developing country for future national and international research cooperation.

Summary:Umbilical cord blood (UCB), bone marrow (BM) and mobilized peripheral blood (mPB) are used as sources of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation. The NOD/SCID mouse model was used to compare the lineage-specific repopulating potential of CD34 + cells derived from these sources. Six to 8 weeks after transplantation, blood, BM, spleen, liver and thymus, were harvested, and analyzed by flow cytometry using CD34, CD45, myeloid, and lymphoid lineage-specific antibodies. Fifty percent engraftment of human cells in bone marrow of mice was estimated to be reached with 0.55 × 10 6 CD34 + UCB cells or with 7.9 × 10 6 CD34 + cells from adult sources, illustrating a 10-fold superiority of UCB CD34 + cells to engraft NOD/SCID mice. Lineagespecific characterization of engrafted human cells showed that the high engraftment potential of CD34 + cells from UCB was due to a preferential B cell development (2-81%). In contrast, comparable percentages of myeloid cells were found following transplantation of CD34 + cells from UCB, BM and mPB (1-38%), and occurred at significant levels only at relatively high doses. Since the CD34 content of UCB transplants is usually at least one log lower than of transplant from adult sources, these results correspond to the clinical findings with UCB transplantation showing a relatively high overall engraftment, but delayed myeloid recovery. blood (mPB), and umbilical cord blood (UCB). The HPC source used for an individual patient may depend on the availability of the graft, the disease and the age of the patient, and the risks of complications after the transplant. For instance, transplantation with a mPB graft has been shown to result in more rapid recovery of granulocytes and platelets than BM transplantation, but is associated with a higher incidence of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). [2][3][4] In contrast, UCB transplantations have been reported to be accompanied by a relatively low incidence and severity of GVHD, but are associated with delayed hematopoietic recovery. 5,6 In part, the relatively slow speed of engraftment following UCB transplantation is thought to be due to the limited numbers of HSC that can be transplanted. The limited volume of UCB that can be obtained from a single harvest results in a graft usually containing at least one log fewer CD34 + cells than a BM graft. 6,7 However, qualitative differences in the CD34 + cell fraction from the various sources of HSC may also influence the recovery after transplantation. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The CD34 + CD38 Ϫ cell population from UCB, containing the most primitive cells essential for engraftment, showed a higher cloning efficiency, proliferated more rapidly in response to cytokine stimulation and generated more progeny than the CD34 + CD38 Ϫ cells from BM counterparts. 8 In part, the higher proliferative potential of primitive cells from UCB may be ascribed to their ability to leave the dormant state more rapidly than their BM counterparts. 14 In vivo functional differences among human stem cells from s...

Background:Traumatic events are one of the major causes of arterial injuries. Physical examination is not a good predictor of the extent of injuries and arteriography is considered as the gold standard for this purpose. In the recent years, noninvasive modalities are increasingly replacing diagnostic arteriography. Color Doppler ultrasonography (USG) is an excellent method to investigate arterial diseases.Objectives:The present study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of color Doppler USG compared to conventional angiography in traumatic arterial injuries of extremities.Patients and Methods:Seventy-five patients with extremity trauma suspicious for arterial injury were examined by color Doppler USG just before angiography. Doppler pattern and flow states were assessed, then angiography was performed. The results of duplex USG were compared with angiography.Results:Color Doppler USG had a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 98% in diagnosis of arterial injury. Positive and negative predictive values of Doppler USG were 92.5% and 94.2%, respectively.Conclusions:Color Doppler USG can be used as a reliable modality with acceptable sensitivity and specificity values to screen hemodynamically stable patients with limb trauma suspicious for arterial injury.