Arch Iran Med
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Case Reports
Septic arthritis of sternoclavicular joint: a case report of a rare finding in injecting drug users.
The sternoclavicular joint is an unusual site for bacterial infection. In this case, we describe a 25-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with fever, chills, limited range of motion in the right upper limb along with complaints of severe pain and tenderness in the right upper chest wall and shoulder. He was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation. ⋯ The diagnosis of septic arthritis of the right sternoclavicular joint was confirmed by blood culture and MRI of the sternoclavicular joint. This case is, to the best of our knowledge, the 25th recorded staphylococcal septic sternoclavicular arthritis. He received appropriate intravenous antibiotic therapy and subsequently was discharged two weeks later with complete clinical and laboratory recovery.
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Bispectral Index is an objective tool to assess electroencephalographic activity and measure the effect of certain sedatives and hypnotics on the brain. In addition, there are certain subjective tools such as the observer's assessment of alertness and sedation which are used. The correlation between BIS and the concentration of propofol in the brain, and the relationship between these subjective and objective tools in assessing sedation levels are the subject of this study. ⋯ Both Bispectral Index and effect site concentration of propofol indicate a good estimate of sedation levels; however their correlations are significant and negative only at moderate and deep sedation levels, and during the induction of sedation.
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Cancer-testis antigens are tumor antigens that their expression is almost limited to male germ cells in the testis. Some of cancer-testis antigens are also expressed in the ovary and in trophoblasts. Recently their expression has been seen in different types of tumors. ⋯ So, testis is considered as an immune-privileged site, and testis-specific genes, if expressed in cancers can be immunogenic. For this reason cancer-testis antigens are promising candidates for cancer immunotherapy and have become a major focus for the development of vaccine-based clinical trials in recent years. In addition, these antigens can also be used as biomarkers for early detection of cancers.
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To promote organ transplantation in Iran, organ procurement from deceased donors should be supported. For this policy, some organ procurement units have been established in university hospitals. Further researches in these activities are warranted to better elucidate the role of cadaveric organ transplantation in Iran. ⋯ Other variables were not changed during this period. Donor characteristics such as age, sex, blood group, and causes of brain death impacted on the organ yield. This study showed that organ procurement units can improve organ yield and both experience and donor characteristics influence on the number of harvested organs.