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. An annular cell with elliptical cross section and small physical size is introduced and simulated for increasing the absorption length in the spectroscopy. In this investigation by changing of the geometrical radius of the ellipse an absorption length of 15.50 m is obtained. By the optimization of the cell and including the sagittal and tangential radius of the ellipse that reflect the beam, it is shown that at the obtained absorption length, it is possible to reduce the divergence of the beam down to 54 µm. Then, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is calculated for R(16) CO2 absorption line by assuming that the cell is filled by the gas. The results of this calculation indicated that under optimum condition the SNR can be increased up to 310. Finally, the cell is optimized using Genetic algorithm by including all the effective parameters which affect the efficiency of the cell. We found that in the best case an absorption length of 8.24 m with a SNR of 107 can be achieved when the geometrical radius of the cell being fixed at 5.95 and 4.59 cm.

A novel compact fiber-coupled NIR system based on a DFB diode laser source is employed as a portable and sensitive gas sensor for trace detection of combustion pollutant molecules. We demonstrate the performance of such an NIR gas sensor by tracing the absorption lines of CO and CH4 using 2f-WMS technique at moderate temperature of T ~ 600°C in the recuperator channel of an industrial furnace provided by Mobarakeh steel company. This measurement shows the excellent sensitivity of the applied NIR gas sensor to the on-line and in-situ monitoring of such molecular species.

Objective: To assess decisional conflict and knowledge about prematurity among mothers facing extreme premature delivery when the counseling clinicians were randomized to counsel using a validated decision aid compared with usual counseling., Study Design: In this randomized trial, clinicians at 5 level III neonatal intensive care units in the US were randomized to supplement counseling using the decision aid or to counsel mothers in their usual manner. We enrolled mothers with threatened premature delivery at 22 0/7 to 25 6/7  weeks of gestation within 7 days of their counseling. The primary outcome was the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) score. One hundred mothers per group were enrolled to detect a clinically relevant effect size of 0.4 in the Decisional Conflict Scale. Secondary outcomes included knowledge about prematurity; scores on the Preparedness for Decision Making scale; and acceptability., Results: Ninety-two clinicians were randomized and 316 mothers were counseled. Of these, 201 (64%) mothers were enrolled. The median gestational age was 24.1 weeks (IQR 23.7-24.9). In both groups, DCS scores were low (16.3 ± 18.2 vs 16.8 ± 17, P = .97) and Preparedness for Decision Making scores were high (73.4 ± 28.3 vs 70.5 ± 31.1, P = .33). There was a significantly greater knowledge score in the decision aid group (66.2 ± 18.5 vs 57.2 ± 18.8, P = .005). Most clinicians and parents found the decision aid useful., Conclusions: For parents facing extremely premature delivery, use of a decision aid did not impact maternal decisional conflict, but it significantly improved knowledge of complex information. A structured decision aid may improve comprehension of complex information., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01713894., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Skin cancer, the melanoma type of which causes high mortality, is the most common malignancy in Iran and all over the world. UV is the most important cause of the incidence of this disease. This study evaluates the frequency of different types of cancer and their trajectory in Ilam province from 2012 to 2011., Materials and Methods: This analytical-descriptive study covered and evaluated all skin cancer patients who were registered in Ilam Province Cancer Registry during 20002 to 2011. Required information of each individual patient, such as age, sex, residence, pathological type of skin cancer, the location of the incidence of the disorder, and the year, was collected and studied., Findings: Out of total 347 cases, 240 cases (69.2%) were diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), 63 cases (18.2%) with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 16 cases (4.6%) with malignant melanoma (MM), 8 cases (2.3%) with metastatic cancer, and 20 cases (37.7%) with other skin cancers. Mean age of patients was 62/42 ± 16/11 years, and the majority of them (37.7%) were men and lived in the city. Face was the most common place of the incidence of this disease (81.6%) and hand was the least common one (1.7%). The rate of incidence of cancer has experienced considerable growth in men and a slight decrease in the case of women between 2002 and 2011 in Ilam., Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the rate of skin cancer has increased among men during the studied period; thus, necessary measures are required to prevent and reduce the incidence of this disease, especially in people who are exposed to the sun's ultraviolet rays because of their jobs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disease around the world. The present study aims at studying hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) and vitamin D serum levels in diabetic patients., Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted on 102 diabetic patients presenting to the diabetic clinic of a tertiary care hospital in West of Iran in 2016 (Shahid Mostafa Khomeini Hospital of Ilam city). The data collected were inserted into the SPSS-20 software, and it was then analyzed by using the relevant statistical tests. For describing the quantitative variables, mean and standard deviation were used. Moreover, for describing the qualitative variables, number and percentage were applied. The mean serum levels of HbA1C and vitamin D were compared for different variables using the Chi-square and ANOVA., Results: There is a positive and statistically significant relationship between the HbA1C and fasting blood sugar (FBS). Moreover, there is a statistically significant relationship between the serum level of vitamin D with smoking and body mass index (BMI). There is also an inverse linear relationship between vitamin D with HbA1C, FBS, BMI, and disease duration. The relationship between HbA1C with FBS and disease duration is a linear direct one. Their relationship between HbA1C and BMI is an inverse linear one, yet not significant., Conclusion: Given the role of this vitamin in secretion and the effect of insulin, it seems useful to monitor the serum level of vitamin D in a diabetic patient and prescribe its supplements if necessary., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Aim: In the present study, we aimed the effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of Achillea millefolium (HEAML) on human skin fibroblast cells (HSF-PI-16) proliferation, stimulation and growth properties., Methods: Initially, using HSF-PI-16 monolayer culture, we created one line scratch method as an in vitro wound closure and after 3 days monitored via an inverted microscopy., Results: HEAML selectively inhibited proliferation of HSF-PI-16 cells at higher concentration (>20.0 mg/mL), and stimulated at lower concentrations (<20.0 mg/mL). Following, HSF-PI-16 media treatments up to 72 h, HEAML demonstrated significantly elevated proliferation rates (p<0.05) and stimulation in a scratch wound assay (p<0.04). Furthermore, the morphological analysis of HSF-PI-16 cells at culture media were detected the figures of round to spindle, non-adherent, immature and mature cells., Conclusion: These results clearly demonstrate the absence of any toxic effect of HEAML on human skin fibroblasts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report elucidating potential mechanisms of action of HEAML on fibroblasts proliferation, and stimulation, offering a greater insight and a better understanding of its effect in future studies.

Rationale: Currently used definitions of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) lack a continuous measure of disease severity., Objectives: To determine if an indirect measure of V./Q. mismatch is reliable when simplified to facilitate more widespread use for grading disease severity in BPD at 36 weeks postmenstrual age., Methods: We used prospectively collected data from 32 preterm infants undergoing an oxygen reduction test at 36 weeks postmenstrual age to perform a simplified indirect assessment of V./Q. mismatch for each infant. Independent raters applied the model, and interrater reliability for a quantitative measure of mismatch was measured by intraclass correlation coefficient. A receiver operating characteristic curve evaluated the impact of increasing degrees of V./Q. mismatch on diagnosing BPD as defined by oxygen reduction test failure., Measurements and Main Results: Concordance for the quantitative measure of V./Q. mismatch between independent raters improved from 0.72 (confidence interval [CI], 0.48-0.86) to 0.93 (CI, 0.87-0.96) after refinement of instructions for applying the simplified model. Higher degrees of mismatch were increasingly predictive of oxygen reduction test failure, with a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis area under the curve of 0.83 (CI, 0.68-0.99; P = 0.03)., Conclusions: A simplified indirect measure of V./Q. mismatch for diagnosing and grading disease severity in BPD has high reliability and can be performed with data obtained during a standard oxygen reduction test. This should facilitate more widespread investigation of this model as a technique for characterizing BPD severity.

Background: Risks and benefits of increasing placental transfusion in extremely preterm infants (extremely low birthweight [ELBW], <1000 g) are ill defined. We performed a meta-analysis to compare long- and short-term outcomes of ELBW infants in trials of enhanced placental transfusion regimens., Study Design and Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of delayed umbilical cord clamping or umbilical cord milking in compliance with PRISMA and Cochrane Collaborative guidelines for systematic reviews. We searched multiple databases for medical literature up to December 2012. Inclusion criteria were preterm infants less than 30 weeks and less than 1000 g birthweight, randomly assigned to enhanced placental transfusion (either delayed cord clamping or cord milking) versus immediate cord clamping. The primary outcome was standardized neurodevelopmental outcome at 18 to 24 months corrected age using a standardized scale. Several short-term outcomes were also evaluated as secondary variables., Results: We found 19 studies of which 10 studies could be included (n = 199). Three reported neurodevelopmental outcomes, none of which showed significant rates of disability. Two reported these at 18 to 24 months (n = 42) but used different scales preventing pooling. Short-term benefits of enhanced placental strategies included better blood pressure and hemoglobin on admission, along with reduced blood transfusions, a trend to reduced intraventricular hemorrhage, and episodes of late-onset sepsis., Conclusions: Strategies to enhance placental transfusion may improve short-term outcomes of ELBW infants. However, paucity of data on neurodevelopmental outcomes and safety concerns tempers enthusiasm for these interventions. Appropriately designed RCTs to assess short-term and longterm outcomes are needed in ELBW infants.

Background: Intravenous opioids are administered to prevent and control hemodynamic changes due to endotracheal intubation. Except for special cases such as preeclampsia, these drugs are not recommended for parturants candidate for cesarean section because of the respiratory depression caused in the newborn., Objectives: According to rapid metabolism of remifentanil, the current study aimed to compare hemodynamic changes in preeclamptic parturants who received remifentanil and fentanyl for cesarean section under general anesthesia., Patients and Methods: This single blind randomized clinical trial was performed on preeclamptic pregnant women candidate for cesarean section under general anesthesia. They were divided into two groups. In the first group 0.05 μg/kg/min remifentanil was infused for 3 minutes before induction of anesthesia and in the second group 1ml (50 μg) fentanyl was injected before induction. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) before and after intubation and also Apgar index were measured and compared between the two groups., Results: All hemodynamic variables increased after intubation in the fentanyl group (pSBP = 0.146, pDBP = 0.019, pHR < 0.001). Additionally, decrease in SBP (P = 0.018) and DBP (P = 0.955) and mild increase in HR (P = 0.069) after intubation in the remifentanil group was observed. No significant difference was found between Apgar indexes of the two groups (P = 0.771)., Conclusions: It can be postulated that remifentanil can be used in partituents candidate for cesarean delivery under general anesthesia to prevent severe increase in blood pressure and heart rate during tracheal intubation without adverse effects on newborn.

Virtually nothing is known about glucocorticoid receptor (GR) or mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) gene expression in any avian species. Here we report the cloning of partial cDNAs for chicken GR and MR. These partial cDNAs were used as probes to characterize expression of GR and MR mRNA and to identify the full-length transcripts within the chicken genome. Chicken GR and MR sequences predicted from the genome sequence were compared with those of representatives of other vertebrate classes. GR and MR genes are located on chicken chromosomes 13 and 4, respectively. Northern blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results indicate that GR and MR are widely expressed in many tissues. Characterization of mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary gland during chick embryonic development by quantitative real time RT-PCR demonstrates decreased MR and increased GR gene expression between embryonic days 12 and 17. Plasma levels of corticosteroids increased during this same period. This is the first study of GR and MR gene expression in any avian species and the first analysis of changes in pituitary MR gene expression during embryonic development of any species.

Lung mitochondria were isolated by differential centrifugation from pentobarbital-anesthetized male rats. One to three millimolar Mg2+-ATP increased the consumption of oxygen of lung mitochondria oxidizing 10 mM succinate > fourfold (P < 0.01) whereas ATP increased the respiration of liver mitochondria by < 35%. ATP also hyperpolarized partially uncoupled lung mitochondria in the presence of the mitochondria-specific antagonist, oligomycin. However, only 20% of the ATPase activity in the lung mitochondria was blocked by oligomycin compared to a blockade of 91% for liver mitochondria. We investigated the effect of reducing the non-mitochondrial ATPase activity in the lung preparation. A purer suspension of lung mitochondria from a Percoll gradient was inhibited 95% by oligomycin. The volume fraction identified as mitochondria by electron microscopy in this suspension (73.6+/- 3.5%) did not differ from that for liver mitochondria (69.1+/- 4.9%). ATP reduced the mean area of the mitochondrial profiles in this Percoll fraction by 15% (P <0.01) and increased its state 3 respiration with succinate as substrate by 1.5-fold (P < 0.01) with no change in the state 4 respiration measured after carboxyatractyloside. Hence, ATP increased the respiratory control ratio (state 3/state 4, P <0.01). In contrast, state 3 respiration with the complex 1-selective substrates, glutamate and malate, did not change with addition of ATP. The acceleration of respiration by ATP was accompanied by decreased production of H2O2. Thus ATP-dependent processes that increase respiration appear to improve lung mitochondrial function while minimizing the release of reactive oxygen species.

Prior research indicates that growth hormone (GH) cell differentiation can be induced prematurely by treatment with glucocorticoids in vitro and in vivo. However, the nature of these responses has not been fully characterized. In this study, the time course of corticosterone induction of GH-secreting cells in cultures of chicken embryonic pituitary cells, responsiveness of differentiated somatotrophs to GH secretagogues, localization of somatotroph precursor cells within the pituitary gland, and the effect of corticosterone on GH gene expression were determined to better define the involvement of glucocorticoids in somatotroph recruitment during development. Anterior pituitary cells from embryonic day 12 chicken embryos were cultured in 10(-9) M corticosterone for 4 to 48 h and were then subjected to reverse haemolytic plaque assays (RHPAs) for GH. Corticosterone treatment for as short as 16 h increased the percentage of GH cells compared with the control. When corticosterone was removed after 48 h and cells were cultured for an additional 3 days in medium alone, the percentage of GH secretors decreased but remained greater than the proportion of somatotrophs among cells that were never treated with corticosterone. To determine if prematurely differentiated somatotrophs were responsive to GH secretagogues, cells were exposed to corticosterone for 48 h and then subjected to GH RHPAs in the presence or absence of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). Approximately half of the somatotrophs induced to differentiate with corticosterone subsequently released more GH in response to GHRH and TRH than in their absence. The somatotroph precursor cells were localized within the anterior pituitary by culturing cells from the caudal lobe and cephalic lobe of the anterior pituitary separately. Corticosterone induction of GH cells was substantially greater in cultures derived from the caudal lobe of the anterior pituitary, where somatotroph differentiation normally occurs. GH gene expression was evaluated by ribonuclease protection assay and by in situ hybridization. Corticosterone increased GH mRNA in cultured cells by greater than fourfold. Moreover, corticosterone-induced somatotroph differentiation involved GH gene expression in cells not expressing GH mRNA previously, and the extent of somatotroph differentiation was augmented by treatment with GHRH in combination with corticosterone. We conclude that corticosterone increases the number of GH-secreting cells within 16 h, increases GH gene expression in cells formerly not expressing this gene, confers somatotroph sensitivity to GHRH and TRH, and induces GH production in a precursor population found primarily in the caudal lobe of the anterior pituitary, a site consistent with GH localization in adults. These findings support the hypothesis that glucocorticoids function to induce the final stages in the differentiation of fully functional somatotrophs from cells previously committed to this lineage.