OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the rate and causes of wastage of blood and blood products (packed red cells, plasma, platelets, and cryoprecipitate) in Qazvin hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was conducted in all hospitals in Qazvin, including 5 teaching hospitals, 2 social welfare hospitals, 3 private hospitals, 1 charity hospital, and 1 military hospital. Thi...

This study reports the efficacy of a heterologous prime-boost vaccination using DNA and vaccinia viruses (Western Reserve [WR] virus and modified [attenuated] vaccinia virus Ankara [MVA]) expressing the LACK antigen (Leishmania homologue of receptors for activated C kinase) and an intradermal murine infection model employing Leishmania infantum. At 1 month postinfection, vaccinated mice showed ...

BACKGROUND Cardiac iodine-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) scintigraphy is an established method of assessment of cardiovascular sympathetic function. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term cardiovascular predictive value of cardiac (123)I-MIBG scintigraphy parameters in Japanese type 2 diabetic patients without structural heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS Car...

We present a VLT/FORS1 survey of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in the spiral galaxy NGC1313. In total, 94 WR candidate sources have been identified from narrow-band imaging. Of these, 82 have been spectroscopically observed, for which WR emission features are confirmed in 70 cases, one of which also exhibits strong nebular He ii λ4686 emission. We also detect strong nebular He ii λ4686 emission within ...

Intestinal and testicular toxicity in groups of nonirradiated and irradiated mice were investigated after intraperitoneal injection of aminothiol compounds or saline. Four aminothiols were studied. Three were prodrugs: WR-2721, WR-3689, and WR-151327 and one was the active form of WR-2721: WR-1065. Thirty minutes after injection, the mice were sham-irradiated or bilaterally exposed (whole body)...

BACKGROUND Vaccinia viruses have been used as a model for viral disease and as a protective live vaccine. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We investigated the immunogenicity of an attenuated strain of vaccinia virus engineered to inactivate the N1L gene (vGK5). Using the intranasal route, this recombinant virus was 2 logs less virulent compared to the wildtype VACV-WR. Infection by the intr...

The potential threat of smallpox bioterrorism has made urgent the development of lower-virulence vaccinia virus vaccines. An attenuated LC16m8 (m8) vaccine was developed in 1975 from the Lister strain used in the World Health Organization smallpox eradication program but was not used against endemic smallpox. Today, no vaccines can be tested with variola virus for efficacy in humans, and the me...

Agricultural waste management is one of the important issues that agricultural producers should consider to increase their income and environmental protection. Therefore, the investigation of factors that reduce the rate of agricultural production wastage as well as citrus production wastage is of utmost consequence in order to manage wastes, reduce environmental degradation and ecosystem destr...

OBJECTIVES We sought to prospectively compare the prognostic value of cardiac iodine-123 (I-123) metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging with that of heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with mild-to-moderate chronic heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND Cardiac I-123 MIBG imaging, which reflects cardiac adrenergic nerve activity, provides prognostic information on chronic HF patients. Reduced HR...

The modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) strain is a candidate vector for vaccination against pathogens and tumors, due to safety concerns and the proven ability of recombinants based on this vector to trigger protection against pathogens in animals. In this study we addressed the fate of the MVA vector in BALB/c mice after intraperitoneal inoculation in comparison with that of the replication-...