Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences
Year:2015 | Volume:21 | Issue:4|Papers Count:11

Background and Aim: Patients with chronic diseases are markedly at the risk of psychiatric disorders, particularly depression and anxiety. Results of various researches have shown the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral stress management on depression and anxiety. The aim of the current study was a comparative effectiveness of cognitive behavioral stress management on “depression” and “anxiety” of patients with epilepsy and migraine.Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental clinical trial study 21patients with epilepsy and 19 patients with migraine were selected based on clinical interview and Beck’s depression and anxiety questionnaires.. Mild to moderate depression and generalized anxiety were diagnosed in these patients..Then, the cases were divided into two treatment groups Patients in both groups received cognitive behavioral stress management. Beck depression and anxiety pre-post test was used to compare the recovery rate of depression and anxiety. Finally, the obtained data was analyzed by means of SPSS (V:15), using paired and independent T- statistical. tests at the significant level of P<0.05.Results: Cognitive behavioral stress management was significantly effective on the depression and anxiety symptoms of epileptic and migraine patients and there was a significant difference between pre- and post-test scores (p<0.001), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of efficacy.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, cognitive behavioral stress management was effective on the depression and anxiety of epileptic and migraine patients, and chronic disease has no effect on this effectiveness. This method can be used in combination with drug therapy.

Background and Aim: Subjective Tinnitus is one of the common problems in the world whose prevalence is estimated to be 7-20 percent in the community. In the present study, effectiveness of Ginkgo biloba with that of cinnarizine on subjective tinnitus were compared and assessed in order to determine the effective dose of Ginko on. patients.Materials and Methods: This clinical trial study conducted on 61 patients with subjective tinnitus who had been referred or had come to Shahrekord ENT clinic. The patients who did not have certain pathologic physical problems. were randomly divided into two groups (Cinnarizine & Ginko biloba).The patients filled out. Tinnitus Severity Index (TSI) form and after 2 months they were assessed. The obtained data was analyzed by means of SPSS software (V: 17) using chi-square, paired t test, and independent T test.Results: According to the findings in Ginkgo Biloba group the two criteria; the severity of tinnitus and the. adverse changes in quality of life significantly reduced after treatment (P=0.001, P=0.006), respectively. In Cinnarizine group, both criterion reduced after treatment, but just the severity of tinnitus decreased significantly (P=0.006). The overall response to treatment in Ginkgo Biloba group was significantly higher than Cinnarizine group, but the difference was not significant (P>0.05).Conclusion: It was found that after two months of treatment with Ginkgo biloba (120-140 mg daily) tinnitus severity and the adverse changes on quality of life significantly decreased in the patients, whereas Cinnarizine did not reduce the latter significantly. However, no significant difference was observed between the two groups (Cinnarizine & Ginko biloba).

Background and Aim: Hop with, scientific name of Humulus Lupulus, has got estrogenic, sedative, hypnotic, and antiseptic properties in the treatment of certain diseases. The present study aimed at assessing the effects of the herb on pituitary–thyroid hormones in adult male rats.Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 45 adult male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into 5 equal groups including control (no treatment), control (saline) and three experimental groups receiving doses of the hop flower extract 50,100, and 150mg/kg gavage for 10 days, respectively. At the end of the tenth day., blood samples were derived from the rats’ hearts and their blood hormone concentrations of Thyrotropin (T3), Thyroxine (T4), and Thyrotropin (THS) were measured by means of gamma counter. The obtained data was analysed employing SPSS software (V: 18) using Anova and Tukey. Statistical tests at the significant level P≤0.05.Results: It was found that the experimental groups receiving doses of 150 and 100 mg/kg, their serum hormone levels of T3, T4 and TSH levels significantly reduced (P≥0.05).Conclusion: The results showed that the ethanol extract of hop flowers with a flavonoid phytoestrogens reduce T4, T3 and TSH hormones.

Background and Aim: Sodium arsenite is an environmental pollutant with the capacity of generating free radicals and tissue damage. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of green tea extract (GTE), as an antioxidant, on sperm parameters and testis tissues of the mice treated with sodium arsenite.Materials and Methods: Twenty-four adult male NMRI mice with mean body weight 30±5g were randomly divided into 4 equal groups: control, sodium arsenite (5mg/kg/d.), GTE (100mg/kg/d.) and sodium arsenite+GTE. Oral treatments were performed as long as 34 days. At the end of treatments, body and left testis weight were recorded and the left caudal epididymis of each subject was cut under Ham's F10. Then, the released spermatozoa were used to analyze sperm parameters. Sperm chromatin quality was assessed by nuclear staining using acridine orange and aniline blue. The left testis of each mouse was used for histopathological observation. The serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level was measured as an index of lipid peroxidation. Finally, the obtained data was analyzed by means of one-was ANOVA at the significant level P<0.05.Results: A significant decrease in the number, motility, viability (P<0.001) and normal morphology of sperm (P<0.01) and also in mean diameter of seminiferous tubules, germinal epithelium thickness (P<0.001) were found in the mice treated with sodium arsenite compared to the controls. The mice treated with sodium arsenite revealed a significant increase in the mean diameter of seminiferous tubules lumen and MDA levels (P<0.001). The above parameters were significantly compensated in the sodium arsenite+GTE group. Sodium arsenite had no effect on the body and testis weight, diameter of spermatogonial nucleus, sperm DNA integrity, and histone-protamine replacement.Conclusion: The results indicate that green tea extract can partially be useful in reducing sodium arsenite-induced toxicity.

Background and Aim: Ferula gummosa Boiss. (Barije) is an Iranian indigenous plant that has medical and antifungal properties. The current study was done to determine the effect of aqueous an alcoholic extracts of Ferula gummosa Boiss root on in vitro growth of fungi.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the plant was dried in the dark and aqueous, alcoholic extracts of its root powder were prepared using Soxhlet method. Then, the efficacy of 0.1 dilutions of different quantities of the extracts on strains of Candida albicans (PTCC 5027), Trichophyton rubrum (PTCC5143), and Aspergillus fumigatus (PTCC 5009) were evaluated employing Disk diffusion, Agar-well diffusion, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), and Minimum Fungicidal Concentration (MFC) methods.Results: No inhibited effect was observed in Disk diffusion and Agar-well diffusion methods. MIC and MFC values of all extracts for Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichophyton rubrum were more than 5×104mg/ml. The MIC values of ethanol and methanol extract for Candida albicans were 3.12×103 and 1.25×104mg/ml, respectively but the MFC values were 1.25×104 and 2.5×104mg/ml, respectively.Conclusion: Methanol and ethanol extracts proved to have antifungal activity against Candida albicans yeast in vitro while the fungi of Aspergillus fumigatus and Trichophyton rubrum had no sensitivity to these types of extracts.

Background and Aim: Animal solid lipids contain considerable saturated and trans acids fats which are the risk factors for lipidemia and as a result, predispose men to cardiovascular diseases. Thus, the present study aimed at.determining the fatty acid profiles of tallow and meat of the cattle in different places of South Khorasan Province and assessing their decisive effects. on the occurrence of cadovascular diseases.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study. 5 samples of meat and tallow from the cattles’ abattoirs in Birjand, Boshroyeh, Ferdows, Ghaen, and Nehbandan cities (i.e. from50 samples of 25 oxen. ) were gatheredd and frozen. The samples were frozen at -80oc. Then, the fats were separated from the samples, hydolized, and methylated. Then, the type and percent of each fatty acid were designated taking their respective retention time and standard peak into account. Atherogenesity and thrombogenisity features of the samples were accounted. based on the fatty acid profile. Finally, statistical analysis of the obtained data was done by SAS software.Results: Analysis of the gathered data. revealed that the levels of saturated fatty acids were not differet between meat and tallow except for stearic acid. The percent of this acid was 18.2% higher in tallow in comparison with meat. The higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acid was observed in the meat than tallow (p<0.05). The amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega-6, and omega-3 fatty acids did not differ between meat and tallow. The percent of trans-fatty acid was lower in meat than in tallow (p<0.05). The hypocholesterolemic fatty acid was higher in the meat.Conclusion: It was found that the sum of trans and stearic fatty acids was more in tallow. The hypocholesterolemic fatty acids levels were higher in the meat in the whole province. The cattle’s meat had lower atherogenetic and thrombogenetic properties compared with the animals’ fat. The consumed cattle’s meat and fat in the province appear to have a proper condition.

Background and Aim: Cyclosporine-A (CsA) is commonly prescribed for kidney transplant patients to suppress their immune systems, which can lead to gingival enlargement (GE). The present study aimed at determining the prevalence of associated factors with CsA-induced gingival enlargement in kidney transplant patients in Rasht during 2012.Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional research, information about kidney transplant patients was recorded in respective questionnaires after their examinations. Then, gingival enlargement and gingival index (GI) were divided into 4 degrees at 4 points; and plaque index (PI) was recorded according to Oleary index. Finally, the obtained results were analyzed by means of SPSS Software (V:16), using Chi-square and T-Test.Results: Seventy-five renal transplant patients (31 women and 44 men) with the mean age 43.18 years (age range 18-73years) participated in this study. Gingival enlargement was diagnosed in 50% of the patients that had used cyclosporine. The average dosage of the drug was 179.6 mg. The increased prevalence of gingival enlargement was observed in the maxilla rather than in the mandible and more in the anterior than in the posterior parts of the jaws. Gingival enlargement was significantly correlated with GI and PI (P=0.01 and P=0.03, respectively).Conclusion: PI and GI were higher in patients with gingival enlargement than patients without gingival enlargement. Thus, it is suggested that periodontal proper hygiene be done to prevent gingival enlargement.

Lack of attention to a patient’s history and his/her accurate physical examination may lead to diagnostic and treatment problems. Thus, a case is reported in which a missed foreign body inside a patient’s cheek caused therapeutic problems The patient was a nine-year old girl who had a broken pencil lead inside one of her cheeks due to falling off a height of one-meter, while she had been holding the pencil in her hand. She was referred to EMS; radiography was taken from the laceration, and it was sutured. She was discharged with antibiotic medication. After discharge, the patient repeatedly referred to physicians and complained of pain and secretion in the sutured area. At the end, spiral CT scan of paranasal sinuses was demanded which depicted a 60 mm tubular foreign body. Thus, the patient had to undergo surgery. In visiting patients their primary histories and physical examinations are the most decisive factors which help physicians to make proper diagnoses. If necessary, CT scans can be of great tool for diagnosis.