OBJECTIVES The balance between interferon gamma (IFN gamma) and interleukin 4 (IL4) producing T cells (T1 and T2 cells) seems to be of importance in many (auto)immune disorders. In general, T1 cell activity is important in cellular immunity whereas T2 cell activity plays a part in humoral responses. T1 cell activity predominates in joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) whereas T2 ce...

Dear Editor: The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is commonly determined in laboratory blood testing and is often elevated in patients with underlying systemic disorders. In 1983, Miller et al.1 clarified the upper limits of ESR and, since then, these parameters have been widely applied in clinical practice. In a study of the upper limits of ESR based on 26 836 healthy men and 1076 nonpregn...

abstract  introduction: during extrinsic coagulation pathway, a complex is developed between factor vii, calcium and tissue factor (a cell membrane lipoprotein that is exposed after cell injury). factor vii needs calcium and vitamin k for its biologic activation. coronary artery disease (cad) can be induced by increased level and activity of the coagulation factors vii, viii and ix. in postmeno...

INTRODUCTION The objectives of this study were to determine the predictive factors of long-term radiographic outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to describe the relationship between joint damage and disability over the course of the disease. METHODS A cohort of 191 patients with early RA referred from primary care physicians were prospectively followed for 10 years. To determine the pred...

BACKGROUND The authors conducted the present study to identify clinical and radiological prognostic factors in infants and neonates with septic arthritis of the hip. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 31 patients with septic arthritis of the hip. All of the patients were younger than 18 months old. Follow-up periods ranged from 5 to 17 years. The following potential v...

Background Patients with Takayasu's disease, a chronic inflammatory arteriopathy of unknown cause, have variable clinical courses, and predictors of the long-term outcome are not well understood. We studied prognostic factors of this disease, based on follow-up results, and a new prognostic classification was proposed. Methods and Results Life-table methods and Cox regression analyses were appl...

INTRODUCTION Early prognostic factors for the clinical response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) after 1 year of treatment with infliximab (IFX) as part of routine clinical practice were investigated. METHODS Thirty-five patients with RA with an inadequate response to methotrexate were enrolled and administered IFX (3-9 mg/kg, every 4-8 weeks). Serum trough levels of IFX and levels ...

Requirements of a treatment process for drinking water production from challenged surface water sources shifted over the past decades. The role UV can play in an integrated treatment approach is illustrated by a case study discussing the various research results leading to treatment upgrades at Andijk. The paper describes the feasibility of advanced oxidation based on MP UV/ H2O2 treatment for ...

Introduction: Geologic evidence indicates that the K/T mass extinction occurred on 65 million years ago is caused by an asteroid or comet impact [e. g., 1]. However, the actual mechanism that caused the mass extinction is still very controversial. The impact generated sulfuric oxides are thought to cause an environmental perturbation and it is one of the most plausible hypotheses of the K/T kil...

Background: Due to the destructive effect of cardiovascular disease on vital organs, study laboratory biochemical factors in most common heart diseases is essential accelerate treatment patients. Materials and Methods: This was cross-sectional analytical. By referring hospital information system educational hospitals Abadan University Medical Sciences, necessary 565 patients with (e.g., demogra...