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Many population-based studies have been performed to determine the prevalence of different types of headaches; however, none of them was performed in Tehran urban area as a huge and crowded metropolitan with multiple serious problematic crises. This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence rates of different types of headache among adult population of Tehran urban area in the year 2010. In this cross-sectional survey, a "face-to-face, in-door" structured interview was developed and used in district 8 of Tehran urban area as one representative region in the year 2010. A form concerning the prevalence of different types of headaches which also comprised the characteristics of the headaches and sociodemographic data was designed. After enrollment, participation rate of 91% (3,655 out of 4,000) was achieved. Of 3,655 recruited individuals, 2,778 (76%) people have experienced headache within last year. Tension-type headache and migraine were the most common types with the prevalence of 48.6% (n = 1,777) and 18.2% (n = 665), while, chronic daily, medication overuse headache and cluster headaches were presented in 7.0% (n = 255), 4.9% (n = 180) and 0.1% (n = 3), respectively. The prevalence of primary headaches in a sample of Tehran adult population is considerable. This high prevalence of headaches necessitates further evaluation of possible risk factors derived from leaving in such a crowded metropolitan area.

A 76-year-old woman was referred to our centre to perform (18)F-FDG PET/CT with the clinical suspicion of vasculitis. Whole body PET was negative for vasculitis but it depicted moderate hypermetabolism in several lymph nodes of the mediastinum and intense uptake of the tracer in the parotid glands. Since the patient referred skin lesion on both legs a particular acquisition of the lower extremities was performed which showed diffuse uptake on the perimalleolar region of both legs. On the basis of the PET/CT findings that were suggestive for sarcoidosis the patient performed bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and biopsy of a mediastinal lymph node which confirmed the suspicion of sarcoidosis., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMNIM. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and potential usefulness of a new intraoperative portable high-resolution imaging γ-camera for the localization of sentinel lymph node in patients with breast cancer., Methods: Sixteen T1 to T2 breast cancer female patients were evaluated (mean age, 62 years) with preoperative lymphoscintigraphy, acquired 30 minutes after intradermal injection of 60 to 70 MBq (1.6-1.9 mCi) of (99m)Tc-nanocolloids in saline volumes of 0.1 to 0.2 mL. Surgery took place the day after (18-20 hours after tracer injection). For intraoperative sentinel lymph node localization, a traditional γ-probe was used by the surgeon. Moreover, a portable imaging γ-camera was used by the nuclear physician who was present in the operating room., Results: The portable imaging γ-camera showed very high spatial resolution (2.4 mm) in the 4.4 × 4.4 cm(2) FOV, with a good sensitivity of 180 cps/MBq at a Plexiglas depth of 1 cm. In 11 patients, lymphoscintigraphy, γ-probe, and imaging γ-camera depicted the same number of radioactive lymph nodes (17 nodes; 5 of which were metastatic and detected in 6 different patients). In 6 patients, the portable imaging γ-camera detected 1 node more than lymphoscintigraphy (in total, 5 nodes more), one of which was metastatic (the only one metastatic in that patient)., Conclusions: Our preliminary results showed that a portable high-resolution hand-held imaging γ-camera is a feasible, not time-consuming, noninvasive procedure in intraoperative sentinel node localization, offering extra confidence to the surgeon. In our hands, it was a very useful auxiliary imaging tool especially in the identification of nodes located deep in the axilla, which are difficult to detect at the preoperative lymphoscintigraphy. Additional multicenter studies involving a greater number of patients are necessary to confirm these promising data.

Pulmonary surfactant facilitates breathing by forming a surface tension reducing film at the air-liquid interface of the alveoli. The objective was to characterize the structure of surfactant films using endogenous rat surfactant. Solid-support surfactant films, at different surface pressures, were obtained using a Langmuir balance and were analyzed using atomic force microscopy. The results showed a lipid film structure with three distinct phases: liquid expanded, liquid ordered and liquid condensed. The area covered by the liquid condensed domains increased as surface pressure increased. The presence of liquid ordered phase within these structures correlated with the cholesterol content. At a surface pressure of 50 mN/m, stacks of bilayers appeared. Several structural details of these films differ from previous observations made with goat and exogenous surfactants. Overall, the data indicate that surfactant films demonstrate phase separation at low surface pressures and multilayer formation at higher pressure, features likely important for normal surfactant function., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The nanoindentation-induced phase transformation behavior of silicon at elevated temperatures (25-150 degrees C) has been studied. Nucleation of Si-III/Si-XII on unloading is enhanced with increasing temperature and at the highest temperatures in an amorphous Si matrix, occurs in a continuous fashion without a pop-out event. Interestingly, for slow unloading at the highest temperatures, formation of Si-III/Si-XII in a crystalline Si matrix was not observed. Elevated temperatures enhance the nucleation of Si-III and Si-XII during unloading but the final composition of the phase transformed zone is also dependent on the thermal stability of the phases in their respective matrices.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of radioiodine ((131)I), alone or in combination with lithium, on thyroid volume and the prevention of radioiodine-induced thyrotoxicosis. This is the first clinical trial including only patients with multinodular goitre, normal TSH values and negative anti-thyroid auto-antibodies at baseline., Methods: Eighty consecutive patients were randomised to receive (131)I plus lithium (group I+L) or (131)I alone (group I). Thyroid ultrasonography and biochemical analyses were performed at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after treatment., Results: At 1-4 weeks after treatment, (131)I-induced hyperthyroidism was observed in 58.8% of patients and was prevented by lithium administration. A low incidence of hypothyroidism (19%) was recorded at 24 months, whereas up to 44% of patients developed anti-thyroid antibodies. A significant reduction in thyroid volume was observed after (131)I, with a mean decrease of 47.2% (median 48.2%) at 24 months, without differences between the groups. Moreover, it was shown that the decrease in thyroid volume after (131)I was also due to the significant shrinkage of thyroid nodules., Conclusion: This demonstrates that adjunctive lithium is able to reduce radioiodine-induced hyperthyroidism. Therefore, such treatment appears to be safe in older patients and those with underlying cardiovascular disease. In the present large series, (131)I therapy was demonstrated to be highly effective in reducing thyroid and nodular volume even in patients treated with low (131)I doses (2.5 MBq/ml of thyroid tissue), further supporting the view that radioiodine therapy represents a real alternative to surgery.