Background. Vitiligo is a common skin disorder characterized by macular depigmentation of the skin. The etiopathogenesis of the disease is still unclear, but there is evidence that autoimmunity and endocrine disfunction may be involved. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine whether vitiligo is statistically associated with thyroid autoimmunity. Method. In a prospective case-control study, we compared the frequency of thyroid autoantibodies (thyroglobulin antibody, anti-Tg and thyroid peroxidase antibody, and anti-TPO) in 33 patients with vitiligo and in 33 healthy volunteers. Thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid hormones (thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in all subjects. Results. Thyroid functional abnormalities were found in 6 (18.18%) patients. Anti-Tg and anti-TPO were positive in 9 (27.27%) and 8 (24.24%) patients, respectively. In control group, only one subject (3.03%) had abnormalities in thyroid hormonal status, and two subjects had positive thyroid autoantibodies. Compared with the control group, the frequency of both anti-Tg and anti-TPO was significantly higher in those with vitiligo (P < .05). Conclusion. This study shows a significant association between vitiligo and thyroid autoimmunity, and that tests to detect thyroid autoantibodies are relevant in patients with vitiligo.

Accurate knowledge of transmission line (TL) impedance parameters helps to improve accuracy in relay settings and power flow modeling. To improve TL parameter estimates, various algorithms have been proposed in the past to identify TL parameters based on measurements from Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs). These methods are based on the positive sequence TL models and can generate accurate positive sequence impedance parameters for a fully transposed TL when measurement noise is absent; however, these methods may generate erroneous parameters when the TLs are not fully transposed or when measurement noise is present. PMU field-measure data are often corrupted with noise and this noise is problematic for all parameter identification algorithms, particularly so when applied to short TLs. This paper analyzes the limitations of the positive sequence TL model when used for parameter estimation of TLs that are untransposed and proposes a novel method using linear estimation theory to identify TL parameters more reliably. This method can be used for the most general case: short/long lines that are fully transposed or untransposed and have balanced/unbalance loads. Besides the positive/negative sequence impedance parameters, the proposed method can also be used to estimate the zero sequence parameters and the mutual impedances between different sequences. This paper also examines the influence of noise in the PMU data on the calculation of TL parameters. Several case studies are conducted based on simulated data from ATP to validate the effectiveness of the new method. Through comparison of the results generated by this novel method and several other methods, the effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background and Objectives: Currently, there is no consensus about immunosuppressive therapy following kidney transplantation. Acute rejection rates and allograft survival rates are the clinical outcomes traditionally used to compare the efficacy of various immunosuppressive regimens. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate whether patient survival rates improved in the era of modern immunosuppressive treatment during living-related kidney transplantation. Design and Setting: Retrospective cohort study in a university-based tertiary internal medicine teaching hospital performed between 1999 and 2009 and patients followed up to 7 years. Patients and Methods: Survival rates were assessed in 38 patients receiving basiliximab and mycophenolate mofetil (regimen A) and 32 patients receiving antithymocyte globulin and azathioprine (regimen B). The rest of the regimen (cyclosporine A and steroids) remained the same. A secondary end point was acute rejection episode. Results: Seven-year survival rates were 100% and 72% (P=.001) and 7-year acute rejection-free survival rates were 82% and 53% (P=.03), in groups A and B, respectively. Conclusion: Long-term survival after living-related kidney transplantation has improved in the era of modern immunosuppressive treatment.