Background & Aim: The patients suspected of appendicitis are evaluated by history, physical examinations and laboratory results. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of C-REACTIVE protein in patients with suspected acute appendicitis.Patients & Method: In a prospective study, 299 patients with acute abdominal pain who had been admitted to hospital for observation were enrolled. Serum CRP measurements were performed and the results were compared with the final results of histopathology or follow-up results. The results were analyzed using Chi-square test and their accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were determined.Results: The findings showed that the accuracy of CRP test in diagnosing appendicitis was 70% (CI=Confidence Interval 95% from 65% to 74.4%), the sensitivity was 80.7%(CI95% from 71.2% to 87.6%), the specificity was 65.4% (CI95% from 58.8% to 71.5%), and the positive and negative predictive values were 49.3% (CI95% from 41.3% to 57.4%) and 89.0%(CI95% from 83.2% to 93.0%) respectively. The odds ratio was 8 (CI95% from 4.3 to 14.4).Conclusion: The results of CRP test can help a surgeon rule out or confirm the diagnosis of appendicitis in suspicious cases.

In this paper, a novel risk-based, two-objective (technical and economical) optimal REACTIVE power dispatch method in a wind-integrated power system is proposed which is more consistent with operational criteria.  The technical objective includes the minimization of the new voltage instability risk index. The economical objective includes cost minimization of REACTIVE power generation and active power loss. The proposed voltage instability risk employs a hybrid possibilistic (Delphi-Fuzzy)-probabilistic approach that takes into consideration the operator’s experience, the wind speed and demand forecast uncertainties when quantifying the risk index. The decision variables are the REACTIVE power resources of the system. To solve the problem, the modified multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm with sine and cosine acceleration coefficients is utilized. The method is implemented on the modified IEEE 30-bus system. The proposed method is compared with those in the previously published literature, and the results confirm that the proposed risk index is better at estimating the voltage instability risk of the system, especially in cases with severe impact and low probability. In addition, according to the simulation results compared to typical security-based planning, the proposed risk-based planning may increase the security and economy of the system due to better utilization of system resources.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia is one of the most prevalent diseases in pregnancy that include proteinuria and hypertension and can be associated with morbidity and mortality in mother and neonate. Endothelial cell dysfunction and inflammation are considered to have a crucial role in the pathophysiologic mechanism of preeclampsia. A systemic inflammatory response involves both the immune system and the clotting and fibrinolytic system. The aim of this study was to determine the association of fibrinogen and C-REACTIVE protein (CRP) with the severity of preeclampsia.METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 44 normal pregnant women, 35 cases with mild preeclampsia and 19 cases with severe preeclampsia that referred to Shahid Yahyanejad hospital, Babol, Iran. All of patients were primigravida and single pregnancy, cases over the age of 15 and gestational age of 30 to 40 weeks. Patients didn’t receive betamethasone in last week. The diagnosis of preeclampsia is made whose blood pressure reaches 140/90 mmHg or greater with proteinuria (trace or greater in random urine samples). Blood sample were taken from all subjects to measure CRP and fibrinogen and send to single laboratory. Then the groups were compared.FINDINGS: The mean of CRP was significantly different in control (2.28±0.81) and mild preeclampsia group (4.91±5.99) (p=0.03), and there was not significant difference between control (2.28±0.81) and severe preeclampsia group (3.8±3.05). The mean of fibrinogen was not significantly different in control group (360.5±62.35) and mild preeclampsia (344.71±65.07) and severe preeclampsia groups (340.95±78.62).CONCLUSION: Results show that CRP increased in mild preeclampsia in comparison with control group but there was not significant difference between fibrinogen level in control group with mild and severe preeclampsia.

Introduction: Due to increase of water consumption and lack of resources, wastewater reuse, especially in the industries, as one of the methods for supplying water needs is considered. Dyeing industries are among the large consumers of water and the major problem of their produced wastewater is that it contains color materials and it is non-biodegradable. The conventional methods for removing color from wastewater often lead to production of a large amount of sludge, posing the problems of sludge disposal and treatment. Electro-Fenton process is an advanced oxidation process which can decrease the pollutants organic and color concentrations effectivelly.Materials and methods: In this method, sampling of wastewater was done according to standard methods book for the examination of water and wastewater principles. Then the samples were transferred to the made electrochemical cell pilot, and the impact of various parameters including the amount of electric current, rate of consumption of iron ions, pH and electrolysis time on operating conditions of process was evaluated.Results: The results showed that under the optimal conditions as current intensity of 20 V for color concentration of 100 mg/L and current intensity of 30 V for color concentration of over 200 mg/L time range of45-60 min, iron ion oncentration of 0.3 mg/L and pH=4, color removal of 100% can be achieved.Conclusion: Electro-Fenton process is capable of removing REACTIVE Blue19 dye with different concentrations and maximum efficiency. Based on the results obtained, it was found that the electric current intensity and iron ion concentration are the parameters affecting the Electro-Fenton process for the removal REACTIVE Blue19 dye, whereas electrolysis time and pH parameters were less effective on the efficiency of Electro-Fenton process for the removal of REACTIVE Blue19 dye.

Introduction. The relation between inflammation and coronary artery disease has been shown by several studies. The prognostic value of C-REACTIVE protein in acute coronary syndromes is well established. There are few studies addressing the relation between CRP level and severity of coronary artery disease. In our study this issue is investigated.Methods. This is a cross sectional analytical study that was done in spring and summer of 2003 on 130 patients with stable angina in Chamran Hospital in Isfahan. The blood was tested for CRP level on the day of angiography, the angiographic films were interpreted by three cardiologists. After data collection the relation between angiography score and CRP level was tested by linear regression test.Results. There was no linear relation between CRP level and angiographic score in overall patients (P>0.05). But there was a linear relation between these (P<0.05) two variables in female subgroup of patients.Discussion. At present there is no evidence of direct relation between serum CRP level and severity of coronary artery disease.