BACKGROUND To evaluate the clinical value of plain magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (including magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, MRCP) and coronal liver acquisition with volume acceleration (LAVA) technique in the diagnosis and preoperative assessment of malignant low-level biliary obstruction. METHODS Forty-one patients with confirmed malignant low-level biliary obstruction were ex...

groundwater aquifers are an important source of water supply for agriculture, industry and drinking. the present study investigates the changes in the quality of groundwater using geostatistical methods in the ravar plain during a 10-year period. in this study, after selecting the appropriate spatial interpolation method to draw water quality parameters such as tds, sar and ec, zoning maps of r...

iran is among the world’s arid and semi-arid regions and its demand for water has been increased due topopulation growth, urbanization and the development the economic sectors (industrial and agricultural). inmany of these regions, the lack of planning and the unauthorized use of resources have led to excessiveexploitation and a lower level of groundwater. the usable groundwater for the country...

water is the main option of any development, so having an accurate management of groundwater is necessary. this study has been done in damghan sedimentary plain in iran, which is located in northwest of semnan province. the main objective of this research was to estimate the rate and right site of recharge in damghan plain to prevent the aquifer from decreasing the water table. for this purpose...

It has been quite a while since I’ve written one of these columns. Our production team (whose names may be found on the back of the title page) has grown to include some new members. Most notable of these has been Karl Berry, who has provided technical input, editorial input, as well as having gone out and “beat the bushes” to obtain new and interesting articles. The major problem over the past...

STUDY DESIGN A variety of interbody implants were imaged by computed tomography and plain radiography within cadaveric spines to evaluate their basic imaging characteristics. OBJECTIVES Sources of interpretation error by both computed tomography and plain radiography of interbody implants were investigated. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Lucencies have been reported around bone dowel implants i...

A key stated objective of the Australian Plain Packaging Act 2011 is to influence smoking prevalence, in particular of minors. We use the Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia) data set on minors, (that is, Australians aged 14 to 17 years) over the time period January 2001 to December 2013 to analyze whether there is evidence that this goal has been achieved. We carry out a statistical trend anal...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE As the standard of care for the evaluation of the cervical spine shifts from plain radiographs to multidetector row CT (MDCT), a re-examination of the normal anatomic relationships of the occipitovertebral articulations is needed. We aimed to define the normal anatomic relationships of craniocervical articulations on MDCT and address any discrepancies with currently accep...

OBJECTIVE To examine the effects of animal-source foods on toddler growth. DESIGN A 5-month comparison feeding intervention study with one of three millet-based porridges randomized to eighteen feeding stations serving 303 children aged 11-40 months. Feeding stations served plain millet porridge (Plain group), porridge with milk (Milk group) or porridge with beef (Meat group). Anthropometry, ...