[Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among truck drivers and its relation to shift work]

Recent studies suggest that shift work is associated with metabolic syndrome in the shift workers. The population of truck drivers is of particular interest, because they frequently work irregular shifts. In addition, truck drivers have a high prevalence of sedentary habits, poor diet, and obesity. The aim of the present study was to investigate prevalence of metabolic syndrome and the relationship between metabolic syndrome and shift work schedule. We conducted a cross sectional study. A total of 192 truck drivers were assessed and the variables studied were: body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, triglycerides, total and fraction cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the criterion set by the National Cholesterol Education Panel III. The average age was of 39.4 +/- 1.3. According to the anthropometric data, it was observed that there were waist circumference >102 cm in 54%, HDL cholesterol <40/dl in 27%, triglyceride >150mg/dl in 29%, and glycemia >110mg/dl in 19.5%. Hypertension prevalence was 10.4%. Regression analyses to show the relationships between shift work and metabolic syndrome were performed using simple and multivariate models and adjusted for age, personal habit such as smoking, and physical activity. We found a significant association between shift work and metabolic syndrome. In truck drivers, shift work may be responsible for increased waist circumference, total cholesterol, and some features of metabolic syndrome

[ rare case report of the Thyroidea Ima and the thymic arteries common trunk, arising from the brachiocephalic artery]

The Thyroidea Ima artery [The artery of Neubauer], was recognized and described by Neubauer in 1786. This artery which was described in the all anatomical textbooks may arise from the arch of aorta, brachiocephalic trunk or other arteries in the upper mediastina. It is considered as a compensatory artery when the other thyroidal vessels showed deficiencies. This artery showed greatly variation in size and gave some anastomotic branches to the thymic artery. The thymic artery arised from the anterior mediastinal branch of the internal thoracic artery but, may also arise from the brachiocephalic trunk, arch of aorta, common carotid or the main trunk of the internal thoracic artery. Its origin from the thyroidea ima is rare. This rare case was seen in a 65 years old male cadaver, the common trunk of the thyroida ima and the thymic arteries originated from the brachiocephalic artery. After a short course it divided into two branches: an ascending [thyroida ima] and descending [thymic] branches. The thyroidea ima artery turned to left and upward to the lower border of the isthmus of thyroid gland. At this point it sent a branch to the lower part of the left lobe of the thyroid which penetrated it deeply and ended in the left inferior parathyroid gland. The main branch continued its course upward to the upper border of the thyroidal isthmus and divided into right and left branches. Each of these branches, after sending a great anastomotic branch to the superior thyroidal artery of their own side, terminated as several small branches in the upper part of the right and left lobes of the thyroid gland. The thymic artery continued its course downward for about three centimeters and ended as two branches in the right and left lobes of thymus. The thyroid gland of this cadaver was larger than the normal ones and the thymus was also clearly noticeable with right and left bobs. According to the embryonic origin and the developmental processes of the inferior parathyroid glands and the Thymus from the neighboring pharyngeal pouches, their blood supply from a common trunk will be acceptable especially when these two glands show some degree of enlargement as shown in this case. In the cases of thyroidectomies, when a surgeon is going to resect an enlarged thyroid gland, the presence of thyroidea ima artery and its branches to the lower part of lobes of thyroid gland would be a useful guidance to identify the inferior parathyroid glands an save them for the prevention of the next hypocalcemia

[In vitro quality evaluation of avian influenza subtype H[9]N[2] oil-emulsion vaccines]

The use of vaccines in poultry to control avian influenza viruses [AIVs], especially mildly pathogenic avian influenza viruses, has been increased in recent years; thus, regarding the characteristics of AIVs, it is important to evaluate the quality of vaccines with an appropriate and rapid method. The aim of the present study was to investigate the quality of three commercially available oil-emulsion AIVS [subgroup H[9]N[2]] vaccines via in-vitro assessment. Viral antigens of the vaccines were recovered by aqueous partition method and the amounts of extracted total protein and recovered hemagglutination [HA] activity were determined and compared with the immune system responses of chickens to the vaccines. It has been shown that the amount of recovered total protein and activity of the recovered HA were different among vaccines with the same dose. Meanwhile, chickens showed different immune system responses to the vaccines. We have shown poor quality for two vaccines and high quality for one which can be attributed to their viral protein density