INTRODUCTION Low fetuin-A and vitamin D and high monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) contents are associated with vascular calcification (VC) in dialysis patients. We aimed to demonstrate the difference in fetuin-A, vitamin D, MUFA, and VC on plain radiography between patients on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD). MATERIALS AND METHODS We recruited 31 hemodialysis and 30 PD patients. We...

BACKGROUND Previous research on the effects of plain packaging has largely relied on self-report measures. Here we describe the protocol of a randomized controlled trial investigating the effect of the plain packaging of cigarettes on smoking behavior in a real-world setting. METHODS/DESIGN In a parallel group randomization design, 128 daily cigarette smokers (50% male, 50% female) will atten...

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to compare the utility of plain radiographs to multislice computed tomography (MCT) for cervical spine (c-spine) evaluation. We hypothesized that plain radiographs add no clinically relevant diagnostic information to MCT in the screening evaluation of the c-spine of trauma patients. METHODS This was a prospective, unblinded, consecutive series of inj...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to explore in-depth the response of young women smokers (18-35 years) to using dark brown 'plain' cigarette packs in naturalistic settings. METHODS Participants were recruited in six towns and cities in Scotland to take part in a naturalistic study, where they used plain cigarette packs for a week. Participants completed a number of questionnaires during t...

desertification could be traced back to one or many factors. thus, to cope with such a phenomenon, there exists a need for a profound understanding of the processes and the causes. the study area of the current paper is the extent of shahrekord’s marghzar as an important case amongst the important ones of the province. in order to evaluate the roots of desertification in the area, the iranian m...

analyzing the process of land use and cover changes during long periods of time and predicting the future changes is highly important and useful for the land use managers. in this study, the land use maps in the ardabil plain in north-west part of iran for four periods (1989, 1998, 2009 and 2013) are extracted and analyzed through remote sensing technique, using the land-sat satellite images. t...