all 10 cities including the rural areas of the province of Kerman. All data were finally analyzed by SPSS software (version 11.5). Results On the basis of recorded statistical analysis, the mortality cases of human rabies in the province of Kerman during one decade was 10 persons (eight males and two females). One-half of them (50%) were bitten by dogs and the others (50%) by foxes. Among the reported deaths, 40% were from Kahnooj county (Jiroft region). The reported data indicated that 21,546 persons were bitten by animals during 10 years in the province of Kerman. The mean of age of the people who were bitten by dogs was 24.80 years (SD = ±14.6), while the mean age of the people who were bitten by foxes was 57.25 years (SD = ±1.50). There was a significant difference between the mean age of these two groups of the people (P < 0.05). The most frequent rate of injured people was reported in the age group 10-19 years old and the frequency rate of males (76.00%) was more than females (24.00%). Therefore, there was a statistically significant difference between males and females in this study (P < 0.01). About 60% of all persons that were bitten by animals were from rural areas and 40% of them were from urban areas (P < 0.05). Among the people who were bitten and injured by animals during one decade in the province of Kerman, 85.70% of them were not treated by the rabies prophylaxis treatment regimen. Among all of them who were bitten by animals, 50% were injured through hands and feet, 40% of them through heads and faces, and 10% of them through trunks, cervical regions and other organs of the bodies. In the persons who were bitten by animals in the head region, the mean latency period for rabies was 33 days (SD = ±12.2 days), while the mean latency period in the persons who were bitten through hands and feet was 77 days (SD = ±45.8 days). The P value was <0.1. The results of this study showed that there is a significant reciprocal correlation between annual raining level and the frequency rate of animal bites in the province of Kerman (r = 0.5, P < 0.01). Conclusions According to this study, the role of foxes in the epidemiology of human rabies in the province of Kerman, located in the southeast of Iran, seems very important. Since most of the animal bite individuals, during the one-decade survey in this region of Iran, did not seem aware of the risk of exposure to the viral infection of rabies through animal bites, the public education of preventive measurements of rabies seems imperative by the public health authorities as well as vaccination of animals against rabies, especially dogs and cats, as well as mass vaccination of wild animals by means of distribution of oral vaccines in the vast and scattered forests by helicopters belonging to Veterinary Organization Authorities being recommended. Collaboration of intersectional public health relationships of medical science universities of the province of Kerman as well as all related authorities to control rabies prevalence in the regional and interregional provi...

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Objective To examine the effects of short-term cyclic stretch on apoptosis in alveolar type II cells (A549). To study in vitro the direct influence of alveolar type II cells on mechanical stretch. Methods A549 were treated with different doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 0 ng/ml, 1 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml, 1000 ng/ml, and then A549 were lengthened 5%, 15%, 30% using a FLEXCELL tension unit 4000, a vacuum-driven device that applies strain to cells, which were cultured in six-well plates coated with collagen-I, and 12 cycles/min for 4 hours. Apoptosis was measured using the flow cytometry method that measures annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) staining. The morphological changes of apoptotic cells were observed by transmission electron microscope. Results Apoptosis could be induced in alveolar type II cells (A549) by mechanical stretch. The percentage of annexin V + PI cells increased after being treated with cyclic stretch for 4 hours by 5%, 15%, 30% in all groups. The morphological features of apoptotic cells demonstrated by transmission electron microscope were as follows: shrinkage of the cell, chromatin condensation and aggregation under the nuclear membrane as a crescent or lump, membrane-encapsulated nuclear fragment or cell organ formed by invagination of the cell membrane, and apoptotic body formation followed by vacuolization. Conclusion Apoptosis induced by mechanical stretch and LPS is dose dependent. Mechanical stretch aggravates apoptosis especially in cells treated with LPS. Annexin V and PI double staining is a specific, sensitive, and quantitative method for analyzing apoptotic cells. It is also helpful to clarify the protective mechanism of low-volume ventilation in ARDS. Acknowledgement The study was funded by the 'One Hundred People' project of Shanghai Sanitary Bureau (03-77-20). Introduction Although extrapulmonary ALI/ARDS is a common clinical entity, most animal models used to study this disease are induced by direct lung injuries. Our intention was therefore to investigate whether a condition resembling ALI/ARDS develops during the course of a fecal peritonitis in pigs; in that case experimental peritonitis would also prove as a clinically relevant ARDS model. Methods In 10 anesthetized, mechanically ventilated, and instrumented pigs fecal peritonitis was induced by inoculating autologue feces pellets suspended in saline. Mechanical ventilation was set with VT = 8 ml/kg, FiO 2 to reach a SaO 2 target of >90%, PEEP = 10 cmH 2 O if PaO 2 /FiO 2 > 300 and 12 cmH 2 O if PaO 2 /FiO 2 < 300, and respiratory rate to obtain a PaCO 2 of 35-45 mmHg. Before as well as 12 and 24 hours after peritonitis induction we measured the PaO 2 /FiO 2 ratio, the total compliance of the respiratory system (C), calculated as VT/(P plateau -PEEP) and inspiratory airway resistance (R i ) calculated as (P max -P plateau ) / mean inspiratory flow. Data are mean [range]. Results For data see Table 1. During the course of the 24-hour study period, six of 10 animals developed gas exchange deteriorations consistent w...