OBJECTIVE To estimate the early prevalence of various electrocardiographic (EKG) abnormalities in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to evaluate possible associations between repolarization changes (increased corrected QT [QTc] and QT dispersion [QTd]) and clinical and laboratory variables, including the anti-Ro/SSA level and specificity (52 or 60 kd). METHODS We studied adu...

INTRODUCTION The objectives of this study were to evaluate fixed bonded palatal surface retainers between the maxillary central incisors that were placed to maintain midline diastema closure and record their longevity, proclivity for damage, and periodontal health of the central incisors in patients 5 or more years after treatment. METHODS Twenty-nine subjects were contacted and interviewed b...

vibration generated by vehicles during road transport has an important effect on the agricultural products damage process, particularly vegetable and fruit. modulus of elasticity is one of the most important mechanical properties of fruits and its variation can be described as one of the damage criteria during transportation. this research was conducted to evaluate the effects of vibration para...

Self-centering rocking walls are known as viable alternatives to typical shear walls, as they provide a number of solutions for eliminating seismic flaws of conventional designs. These rocking walls have a generally positive impact on the seismic behavior of structural systems, but their design makes them susceptible to concrete crushing around their base, which can lead to significantly advers...

PURPOSE To investigate the suitability of the visual field index (VFI) in different degrees of disease severity in glaucoma patients. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we consecutively enrolled patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and glaucoma suspects (ocular hypertension). All eyes required a reliable standard automated perimetry (SAP) test to be included. Subjects were categorize...

Recent guidelines on arterial hypertension regard increased carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) as a marker of end-organ damage. However, these guidelines do not specify whether the maximum or mean IMT should be used as an indicator. The aim of this study was to compare these two measures and their relationship to atherosclerotic burden. The study involved 215 consecutive hypertensive patients...

OBJECTIVE To describe cumulative organ damage in juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) patients and to identify patient characteristics and early disease variables that predict organ damage. METHODS An inception cohort of 60 patients diagnosed with JDM from 1970 to 2006 was examined, median 16.8 (2.0-38.1) years after disease onset. Disease activity was measured by the disease activity score (DAS), ...