Athletes have been found to endure more pain than nonathletes. This may be due to more frequent use of adaptive pain responses by athletes. In this study, we aimed to identify the pain responses, which are most frequently employed by athletes and compare them with a non-athletic control group. Ninety male athletes from different sports categories (contact, limited-contact and non-contact) and thirty healthy male non-athletes were selected for this study. Results showed that athletes used adaptive pain responses (social support, activity) more frequently (0.001, 0.004 respectively) and maladaptive pain responses (avoidance), less frequently (0.001) than non-athletes. Further studies are required to investigate optimal timing and methods for these techniques to better understand the influence of these pain responses on pain control.

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Background: Otitis media (OM) is an important health problem among children. It is the one of the leading causes of bacterial infections and antibiotic prescriptions. Patients and Methods: Three hundred patients with OM [147 with acute suppurative otitis media (ASOM), 80 with secretory otitis media (SOM) and 73 with chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM)] ranging in age from 3 months -12 years were investigated for possible risk factors of OM. Age- and sex- matched healthy children served as controls (n=300). Bacteriological examinations were completed for 178 patients (110 with ASOM and 68 with CSOM) with discharge from their ears. Results: Residence in rural areas, artificial feeding, low socioeconomic standard (SES), parental smoking, allergic rhinitis, adenoid hypertrophy, chronic tonsillitis, URTI, LRTI and introduction of foreign body (FB) into ears were major risk factors for the occurrence of OM (P<0.01). Unilateral infection was more significantly (P<0.001) found in ASOM and CSOM, while bilateral infection was more significantly found in SOM (P<0.01). Bacteriological examination showed that the prevailing bacteria in cases of ASOM were S. pneumoniae (24.8%), Staph. aureus (24.8%), P. aeruginosa (15.2%), H. influenzae (9.5%), and S. pyogenes (7.6%). On the other hand, the prevailing bacteria in CSOM were Proteus mirabilis (31%), P. aeruginosa (26.8%), Klebsiella species (14.1%), Staph. aureus (8.5%), and E. coli (5.6%). Conclusion: many risk factors have a role in the occurrence of OM in children and control of these factors may decrease the incidence of this disease. Many bacterial species (S. pneumoniae and Staph. aureus in ASOM and Proteus mirabilis, P. aeruginosa and Klebsiella in CSOM) are the causative organisms of this disease in our locality.

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Background: The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in hypothyroid retinal damage are still being debated. Materials and methods: Ninety-six pups of albino rats were equally divided into control, hypothyroid model and thyroid supplement groups. Each group was separated into juvenile and adult subgroups that were sacrificed at day 20 and 60 postnatally, respectively. Pups in the hypothyroid group were born to mothers who received 0.05 mg Carbimazole/day/pregnant female orally during gestation and at 20 days of lactation in juvenile subgroup. The adult subgroup received the hypothyroid agent until day 60 postnatally. The thyroid supplement group received antithyroid agent, then were treated with L-thyroxine orally (10 ug/kg body weight) for one month. Results: A significant reduction in body weight, temperature, heart rate, levels of Triiodothyronine (T3), Tetra-iodothyronine T4), growth hormone (GH) and Insulin-like growth factor (1GF-1), and antioxidant enzymes and an increase in systolic pressure and lipid peroxidation (LP) products were evident in hypothyroid subgroups associated with a decreasing thickness and degeneration of retina l layers. Thyroid supplementation group showed a partial normalization of the measured mediators accompanied by recovery of structural changes especially in the juvenile subgroup. Conclusions: Thyroid hormone has a vital role in normal retinal growth. GH, IGF-1 and oxidative stress are also significant mediators of retinal degeneration.

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A 30-year-old man presented with progressive pain in the lumbar area of two years duration. It radiated to the right buttock and leg with numbness in the right anterior thigh and dorsum of the foot. The pain did not improve substantially with conservative therapy (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and physiotherapy). All symptoms were aggravated by standing, walking, and lumbar flexion, and were relieved by lying down. MR imaging of the dorsal spine showed a sharply marginated round mass expanding the 8^th thoracic vertebral body resulting in moderate stenosis of the spinal canal. Signal within the lesion on T1-weighted images was hypo-intense with hyper-intense signal character in T2- weighted images containing multiple internal septations. Surgical excision was undertaken and the material was submitted for pathologic analysis. Histological examination confirmed it was a hydatid cyst. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, with complete resolution of symptoms.

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