MEDICAL SCIENCES JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY
Year:2015 | Volume:24 | Issue:4|Papers Count:13

Itrifal -Saghir or Triphala (tri = three and phala = fruits) is one of the oldest and commonly used polyherbal preparation. It is a botanical preparation include equal parts of three herbal fruits: Phyllanthus emblica., Terminalia chebula Retz and Terminalia belerica Retz. This study focuses on the indiations and components of Atrifel Sagir in obesity. Research resources include important traditional medicine book such as Al-Qanoon Fel Teb, Kolasetol hekma, Makzan al adviyeh and databases such as Google Scholar, Pub Med, Web of Science, SID and Iran Medex. Search terms were “Triphala”, “Atrifal -Saghir”, “Itrifal -Saghir” and “obesity” without narrowing or limiting search elements, with any outcome in humans and animals. There are a variety of indications for Atrifal -Saghir as described in Al-Qanoon Fel Teb such as purifies stomach enabling it for better coction. It is good for expels the phlegm. Its oral intake is useful for treating cases melancholy and anti-obesity. It strengthens the stomach by improving its capacity of coction assimilation and in improving relaxity and moistness of the stomach.

Background: There is an association between life style and serum levels of certain enzymes. This study aims to determine the effects of waterpipe smoke and darkness stress on serum levels of creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase in female rats.Materials and methods: In this experimental study, female Wistar rats were randomly divided into control, waterpipe smoke receiving, under darkness stress and both under darkness stress and warerpipe smoke receiving groups of 7 rats in each. Waterpipe smoke receiving rats were exposed to waterpipe smoke for 100 min/day and animals under darkness stress exposed to 5 hours darkness during the day. Under darkness stress and warerpipe smoke receiving animals were exposed to both waterpipe smoke for 100 min/day and 5 hours darkness during the day. After 7 weeks, blood samples were collected and serum alkaline phosphatase and creatine kinase levels were measured by spectrophotometry. The data were analysed using ANOVA.Results: The serum creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase levels significantly increased in waterpipe smoke receiving, under darkness stress and both under darkness stress and waterpipe smoke receiving rats compared to control animals (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). Also there was significant difference in creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase levels between waterpipe smoke receiving and under darkness stress rats (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively). The serum levels of creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase were significantly higher in waterpipe smoke receving rats compared to under darkness stress animlas (p<0.001and p<0.05, respectively).Conclusion: Our findings indicated that waterpipe smoke and darkness stress lead to increased serum levels of creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase; according to which, these factors can impose serious pathophysiological effects on internal organs including heart, brain, liver or muscles.

Background: Increased consumption of synthetic antifungal compounds has created serious side effects and wide spread anti fungal resistance. This persuades researchers to look for effective herbal plants as an alternative option. We report the results of anti fungal properties of different crude extract and relevant fraction of aerial parts of Ephedra pachyclada.Materials and methods: In this experimental study, extracts and fractions of Ephedra pachyclada were obtained by maceration standard methods. The crude extract and fractions were diluted in defferent values from 31.25 to 500mg/ml. Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Fusarium oxysporium were used for anti fungal activity assessment using standard agar diffusion methods.Results: Total extract and chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol and aqueous fractions had antifungal effects against Candida albicans only.Conclusion: We concluded that this plant contains antifungal compounds on Candida albicans, so this experiments and evaluation are pre-requirement of any applicable recommendation.

Background: Aggression is one of important problems among adolescence that has negative consequences such as negative image among peers and teachers, rejection by peers, academic failure, substance use, communicational problems with family and delinquency. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of anger cognitive behavioral group training on aggression among female students.Materials and methods: The research method was the quasi-experimental design with pretest-post test and control group. 40 third grade aggressive female students in Baneh’s high schools was selected using multi-stage cluster sampling and assigned to control and experimental groups (20 people in each group) in 2012-2013. Measurement tools included Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire and intervention method was anger cognitive behavioral group training that administered during 8 weekly 90- minute session. One- way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze data.Results: Anger cognitive behavioral group training had significant effects on aggression of aggressive female students (p<0.001).Conclusion: This study showed effectiveness of anger cognitive behavioral group training on aggression of female students.

Background: Control of the phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, and serum lipids in dialysis’ patients is very important and can be done in many ways. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of niacin on the serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone and lipid profile among hemodialysis patients.Materials and methods: This double blind controlled randomized study was done on 120 dialysis patients whom were divided into two groups: 60 patients (taking niacin) and 60 patients as control groups (taking placebo). Niacin was prescribed as increasing dose from 200 mg to 600 mg monthly in three steps. Phosphorus, PTH and lipid profile were measured in the both groups. P-value<0.05 was considered as significant.Results: 40 patients of case group (66.7%) and 37 patients (61.7%) of control group were male. Niacin significantly decreased serum levels of phosphorus (p<0.001) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) (p<0.001), also it significantly increased serum levels of HDL (p<0.01). Conclusion: Nicotinic acid can decrease serum phosphorous and PTH level, and increase HDL cholesterol level. However, it needs a well design and larger trial study for determining the most effective doses of the nicotinic acid.

Background: Enterococci have been recognized as clinically important pathogens. Among more than one dozen species of Enterococcus species, Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium are major pathogens. Vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE) strains have been spread worldwide among inpatients and outpatients. This study was designed to study phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of VRE isolates from inpatients and outpatients.Materials and methods: Of 193 enterococci isolates, 178 strains were identified as E. faecalis and as 15 E.faecium. Out of 193 isolates strains of enterococci, 22 were detected as VRE. All of these strains were isolated from fecal (6 starins) or clinical samples (16) of hospitalized patients.Results: The PCR revealed VanA genotype in 10 E. faecium and 2 E. faecalis strains, whereas VanB genotype was detected in 5 E.faecium and 5 E.feacalis strains. No VanC genotype was detected among VRE strains.Conclusion: Due to limited published studies in Iran for VRE strains, we are not able tot compare our results with other studies, but our findings showed that VRE strains were isolated from normal flora and clinical samples, on the other hand the VanA genotype is more than VanB among VRE strains.

Background: Waste effluents from hospitals contain high numbers of resistant bacteria. Among resistant strainsو Gram negative bacilli are able to survive for a long time in the environment and act as natural reservoirs of resistant genes. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistant Gram negative bacilli and the plasmid profile of multi resistant bacteria in hospital effluents.Materials and methods: In this experimental study, the antibiotic resistance patterns of the isolated strains were assayed by disc diffusion method. The isolates were identified by biochemical methods in accordance with Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Plasmid extraction was carried out by alkaline lysis technique.Results: A total of 320 bacterial isolates were picked from the sewage samples. Gram-negative rods represented the main bulk (62.5%), followed by Gram-positive rods (34.4%) and Gram positive cocci (3.1%). The most common isolates were Escherichia coli (33%) followed by Psudomonas aeruginosa (17 %). The gram-negative rods were tested for their susceptibility for eight antibiotics. The results showed that gentamicin and cefttriaxone were the most effective antibiotics and ampicillin had the least efficacy. The results also showed that all of the isolates were multi-drug resistant and 6% of them were resistant to all of the tested antibiotics. Isolates with high multi-drug resistance profiles were found to possess multiple plasmids with sizes in the range of 1.5 to 24.5 KB.Conclusion: The results show that the multi-drug resistant bacteria are present in the hospital waste and could be threat for public health.

Background: Many of women use oral contraceptive pills (OCP) to prevent pregnancy. So, this study was conducted to evaluate the OCP duration consumption on some risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.Materials and methods: women were selected among 4689 of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) participants whose data were complete. The questionnaires of TLGS were used for data gathering.Results: Comparison of four groups, including non users and users with different duration of consumption, even with adjustment for confounding factors showed no statistical significant difference.Conclusion: It seems duration of consumption of current OCPs is not contributor for cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most urgent diseases of the newborns; with preventable complications, such as mental retardation, by early diagnosing and treatment. It is often asymptomatic, but it can induce severe and or prolonged jaundice. We aimed to assess relationship between neonatal jaundice, as a nonspecific clinical sign, and incidence rate of CH.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 140 healthy term newborns affected jaundice that admitted to 4 selected educational Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. As CH causes both prolonged and severe hyperbilirubinemia, all 1-28- day old newborns with various causes of jaundice with total serum bilirubin values of > 10 mg/dl were included and evaluated for thyroid function tests. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) < 10 mu/l and thyroxin (T4) <7 mg/dl were considered as CH.Results: Serum value of T4 was normal at 97.86% and low at 2.14%. 1.43% of newborns had serum level of TSH >10 mu/l. More investigation reavealed the incidence rate of hypothyroidism at approximately 1 case in 140 birth which means 7 cases in 1000 birth (7:1000).Conclusion: In present study, the incidence rate of CH was 7:1000. As usual, there is no clinical finding in CH at birth, so more attention should be paid to nonspecific signs of hypothyroidism that one of the earliest is severe or prolonged jaundice. Also, follow up should be considered for these newborns.

Background: Self-efficacy, as the belief in your power and abilities, and Mindfulness under the title presence of mind and being in present and moment now in the purposefully shape and empty of judgment have important role in depression and of course in rumination of thoughts.Materials and methods: In this descriptive study, 380 students of Islamic Azad University, Shahrood Branch, in the accessible sampling way were selected. Tools of gathering data were Sherer’s self-efficacy Questionnaires (1982), log rumination of thoughts (2007) and Kentucky’s mindfulness skills (2004). Data were used to predict by pearson’s correlation test, T test two independent groups and liner regression using SPSS software.Results: Between self-efficacy and rumination of thoughts and also between mindfulness and rumination of thoughts was a significant negative relationship, so with increasing self-efficacy to 0.23 and with increasing mindfulness, the rate of rumination of thoughts to the 0.21 is being reduced. But, between self-efficacy and mindfulness to the rate of 0.56, there was a significant positive relationship; it means that with increasing one, another one will be increased. There was a significant difference between the awareness of mind of male and female students. But, there was not significant difference between their mindfulness and their rumination of thoughts. Under the effect of self-efficacy too, the variety of mindfulness was excluded from the regression of rumination of thoughts and explain almost 0.08 of variance.Conclusion: With the increased self-efficacy and mindfulness through purposeful life and perception of moment now without judgment and belief of “I believe” rumination of thoughts that is the root cause of psychological problems, such as depression and feeling of disability, can be prevented.