‘Normal’ comes from the latin norma, a carpenter’s square, and in mediaeval times meant something at a right angle or perpendicular. A few centuries later it came to mean conforming to a standard and was used in physics to refer to the average of a set of variables. If the variable concerned, such as head size or IQ, is continuous and has a normal distribution, by convention the normal range ha...

We propose a new approach to the use of circumscription for representing knowledge. Nested abnormality theories are similar to simple abnormality theories introduced by McCarthy, except that their axioms may have a nested structure , with each level corresponding to another application of the circumscription operator. The new style of applying circumscription sometimes leads to more economical ...

From 1 January 1985 to 31 December 1990, the Northern Region Fetal Abnormality Survey received 736 notifications of fetuses with suspected urological abnormalities; a prevalence of three per 1000 births. There was a male:female ratio of 2:1, the ratio was higher in obstructive than in intrinsic renal parenchymal lesions. Overall diagnostic sensitivity was 68-9% and positive predictive value 50....

background: currently, relation between reactive oxygen species (ros) ros concentration and semen quality was indicated. saffron has traditionally been not only considered as a food additive but also as a medicinal herb, which has a good antioxidant properties. objective: the aim of this study was to evaluate the protection potency of saffron and vitamin e on sperm chromatin integrity. material...

Background: Infertility is a complex medical problem. About 15% of couples are infertile, and male infertility being involved in roughly 50% of the cases. Among these, many cases are associated with a severe impairment of spermatogenesis. During the last stage of spermatogenesis (spermiogenesis), sperm chromatin endures complex modifications in which histones are lost and depositioned with tran...

Background: Chronic ethanol abuse causes reproductive organ failure and infertility in both humans and laboratory animals. Since sperm has a critical role in reproductive function, the objective of this unique study was to evaluate the effects of different doses of ethanol on sperm parameters, chromatin structure and apoptosis in adult mice. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 adult male mice ...

The aim of this study is to increase awareness of rare presentations, diagnostic difficulties alongside management of conductive hearing loss and ossicular abnormalities. We report the case of a 13-year-old female reporting progressive left-sided hearing loss and high resolution computed tomography was initially reported as normal. Exploratory tympanotomy revealed an absent stapedius tendon and...

the wrongdoer so as to deter him from repeating the offence or others from imitating him. Nowadays a more subjective attitude is being taken so that the welfare and reform of the criminal are considered. This leads to the conception of partial responsibility and the infliction of the indeterminate curative sentence. The first essay is by Brig. Rees who stresses the importance of diagnosis befor...

Background: There has been a growing claim that cell phone usage may have a detrimental effect on sperm chromatin. Infertile men possess anomalies in the composition of their sperm nuclei, displaying higher levels of loosely packaged chromatin and damaged DNA. In this study we examined the relationship of cell phone radiation and the protection effect of alpha_tocopherol on human sperm DNA. Mat...