KNOWLEDGE AND HEALTH
Year:2015 | Volume:10 | Issue:2 |Papers Count:12

Introduction: Considering the likelihood of uncommon blood pressure adaptations with exercise training and detraining observed in some individual, it seems the standard exercise prescriptions needs to be reconsidered. Therefore, the prediction of the future blood pressure responses to exercise and detraining is warranted.Methods: 70 sedentary volunteer midlife men with mild hypertension randomized were divided into experimental (Ex) and control groups. The Ex subjects participated in aerobic training (walking/running) program (24 sessions (3/wk) at 60 to 70% of maximum heart rate, MHR) 40 min per session; followed by 2 weeks of detraining. The data were analyzed using pearson correlation and chi-square goodness of fit, kappa, paired samples t and ANOVA tests.Results: The direction of mean atrial pressure (MAP) changes in adaptation with both training and detraining periods were not similar in the Ex subjects so that some have experienced good response (GR), some have no response (NR) and some other even experienced bad response (BR). Although all of the metabolic risks values had significant differences during the study, however; only a significant change was observed in Zmets value (P<0.05) in the GR subjects. Moreover, both GR and BR subjects had more metabolic risk counts and also upper Zmets at baseline. The baseline MAP, age, BMI, plasma HDL and LDL were recognized as the predictors of MAP changes in adaptation with training.Conclusion: All metabolic risk factors are important in predicting the direction of MAP response to training, however; participation in aerobic exercise would not possibly leads to bad responding in those with high metabolic risk factors. However, more research remains to be done because of a little body of evidence is available.

Introduction: Mental health is one of the most important as psychological topics. Spiritual and emotional intelligences can lead to improving of spirituality and social relations for more perfection. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between emotional and spiritual intelligence with general health status.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 197 students in Semnan province, were selected to participate in this survey in 2013. They responded to GHQ-28, spirituality intelligence and Bar-On emotional intelligence questionnaires. The data were analyzed through using structural equation modeling (SEM) and Lisrel statistical software.Results: Univariate analysis showed reverse significant correlation between health status scores and spiritual intelligence scores (r=-0.32), mental status scores and emotional intelligence scores (r=-0.26) and direct correlation between spiritual and emotional intelligence scores (r=0.33). Prediction of health status by emotional and spiritual intelligence using SEM showed a significant relation between health status and emotional intelligence.Conclusion: Findings of this study shows that the higher emotional intelligence score is a predictor of better mental health status. It seems that planning and use of educational programs for increasing emotional intelligence status can play a leading role in improving the mental health states of students.

Introduction: Diabetes, characterized by high blood glucose levels, is a serious chronic disease and antioxidant play an important role in the pathophysiology, complications, and management of the disease. Kudzu root, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has a long history of use for the treatment of headaches, cough, edema and extracts are a rich source of isoflavones and antioxidants property. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the kudzu root on biochemical parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.Methods: Male wistar rats were divided into four groups (n=32) including: Control, diabetic, diabetic rats treated with 100 mg/kg kudzu root extract, and diabetic rats treated with 50mg/kg kudzu root extract. Diabetes was induced by STZ intraperitoneally administration (50 mg/kg) and kudzu root extract was gavaged at the dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg for five weeks. Blood biochemical factors and insulin serum levels were also assessed.Results: The results show that in STZ induced diabetic rats, the serum levels of FBS, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) increased whiles the levels of HDL and Insulin were decreased. Moreover in diabetic kudzu treatment groups, the serum levels of of FBS, total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) decreased (P£0.001) whiles the serum level of HDL and Insulin were increased.Conclusion: In addition the antioxidant effects, Kudzu root extract produced a significant anti-hyperglycemic effect on STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Introduction: Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion leads to loss of vulnerable neurons by apoptosis in specific brain regions specially in the hippocampus. There is some evidence indicating that the neuroprotective effects of physical activity on the brain. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exercise pre-conditioning on apoptosis-related proteins expression in hippocampal CA1 neurons after induction of ischemia.Methods: 21 Male rats weighing 260-300g were randomly allocated into three groups. Sham operated group, ischemia group and exercise+ischemia group. Ischemia was induced by the occlusion of both common carotid arteries (CCA) for 20 min, The rats in exercise group were trained to run on a treadmill for 4 weeks befor induction of ischemia and in sham operated group common carotid arteries do not occluded. The expression of caspase-3, Bax and Bcl-2 proteins levels were determined by immunohistochemical staining.Results: The number of caspase-3-positive neurons in the CA1 area were significantly increased in the ischemia group, compared with the sham-operated group. Exercise pre-conditioning significantly reduced the ischemia/reperfusion-induced caspase-3 activation, compared to the ischemia group. Moreover Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in ischemia group, significantly increased in comparision with sham-operated group. However, exercise pre-conditioning significantly attenuated the ischemia/reperfusion-induced increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, as compared with the ischemia group.Conclusion: The results indicated that exercise pre-conditioning has a neuroprotective effects on the brain ischemia. Moreover, exercise pre-conditioning may provide a useful strategy for reducing brain complications caused by hypoxic ischemia brain injury.

Introduction: Recent studies have reported that remote organs, such as liver are affected by renal ischemia reperfusion. Oxidative stress has been proposed as one of the causative factors of these damages. This study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of vitamin E on the liver oxidative stress after renal ischemia reperfusion (IR).Methods: Male mice were subjected to three groups (n=9): Sham operated, renal IR (45 min ischemia) and renal IR+Vitamin E (150 mg/kg trough feeding tube for 28 days) after 24 h of reperfusion. Animals were anesthetized and blood samples were obtained from the heart. Moreover, liver tissues were collected for tissue enzyme evaluation.Results: IR increased plasma concentration of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and also decreased liver tissues superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Vitamin E consumption diminished plasma AST and ALT and increased SOD and CAT activity in liver tissues.Conclusion: These findings showed that vitamin E consumption prevented the IR-induced liver damage and preserved liver tissues antioxidant enzyme after IR-induced oxidative stress.

Introduction: The antimicrobial properties of cyanobacteria was recently highlighted. The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity and antiviral properties of cyanobacteria collected from oil-polluted areas of southern Iran.Methods: In the present study, aqueous and methanolic extracts of five species of cyanobacteria were prepared. Cytotoxic effects of cyanobacteria on (lymphoblast cell line) LCL and Hela cell lines were evaluated. Using MTT assay and medium only served as a negative control group. Hela and LCL cells also infected by human papilloma virus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) respectively and were exposed to the cyanobacteria extracts to examine the anti-viral effects of extracts. DNA was extracted and the viral gene encoding envelope was also carried out by PCR. The samples were assessed in order to examine that viruses are capable of successfully infecting and lysing embedded colonies. The data were analyzed using Two-way ANOVA tests.Results: The results indicated that cyanobacteria extract had cytotoxic effects on LCL and HeLa cell lines. In addition viral load gene was significantly decreased in treated cells.Conclusion: According to the significant antiviral effects of alcoholic and aqueous extracts of cyanobacteria. These extracts may used for a variety of viral therapies.

Introduction: Current study was conducted because of a social demand to treat and prevent rising cognitive damages following oxidative stress occur due to several reasons including reduced blood supply to the brain following cerebral ischemic lesions and cardiovascular diseases.Methods: In present study male albino rats were divided into test and control groups. In the test group saffron extract was administered daily for seven days and the other group received normal saline at the same time. Then by performing surgery, in one half of rats in each group, two common carotid arteries were ligated. The ligation reduced blood flow and made lesion in the brain. After surgery, all rats in the test group, were retaken medication for 4 days followed by assessment using behavioral morris water maze task.Results: Test analysis showed there was a significant difference between treated and control group. Moreover, saffron extract attenuated brain hypoperfusion induced learning disorder.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that saffron extract treatments decreased rat cognitive defects caused by reduced brain blood flow following appearance of free oxygen radicals and oxidative damage in hippocampus area.

Introduction: Respect for inherent dignity of human beings means respect to their basic rights in different environments and have an importance role in the study of health care. This study was conducted to investigate the inherent dignity and its related factors in heart failure patients.Methods: In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 130 patients with class II to IV heart failure were selected upon to researcher characteristics and in purposive sampling from patients of Hazrate Rasoolakram, Imam Hossein and Shariati Hospital of Tehran. Demographic questionnaire and inherent dignity questionnaire (IDQ) completed by individuals. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistic methods, pearson correlation test, one-way ANOVA and independent-sample t tests.Results: The mean score of social dignity was 4.6±0.8. The highest mean score were obtained for dimension of inherent dignity in the family and the lowest mean score were obtained for dimension of inherent dignity in community. These findings revealed a significant difference in the mean of inherent dignity score between dimension of inherent dignity in the family and dimension of inherent dignity in community. There were also significant correlation between age and inherent dignity and between disease severity and inherent dignity.Conclusion: Respect to the importance of every one role in family, community and health care systems and their commitment to protect and promote dignity of patients, the results of present study can be useful in planning of patients support and also their care and treatment.

Introduction: Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that first diagnosed during pregnancy. Its prevalence has been reported between 1.3% to 8.9% in Iran. This study was performed to compare the effect of nutritional interventions with educational methods and without education, and also comparing the behavioral change models education based to control gestational diabetes.Methods: Electronic search of databases was performed using the keywords in English and Persian from SID, Iran Medex, PubMed/ MEDLINE, and Science Direct. Selected studies were divided into 3 categories including: Diets, diet education based on theories and behavioral change model and diet education without model. The comparison were made between groups.Results: The results indicated that high-fiber diet on glycemic control was effective in all studies. Social support, self-efficacy and receive feedback influenced on adopting healthy behaviors and group training was more effective than face to face training.Conclusion: Planning and organizing the appropriate and proper training are necessary to audience and using health education models and theories were more effective than conventional training.

Introduction: Human b-defensin 126 (DEFB126) is a small cationic glycoprotein that is considered as an important component of the primates and human sperm glycocalix. It protects sperm from infection-causing microbes and against the female immune system antibodies. Human DEFB126 gene is located on the sub-telomeric region of 20p13. DEFB126 variations caused by a frame shift deletion of two cytosines was found to affect the sperms functionality. The aim of this study was to verify the correlation of this gene mutation with success rate of IUI.Methods: In the present study, the rate of DEFB126 gene mutation was elucidated in 76 Iranian men with unexplained infertility whose wives had undergone IUI with either positive or negative results. DNA properties quantified with Nano Drop spectrophotometers. Standard PCR, Single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and sequencing were used to confirm the results. Moreover, immunocytochemistry was performed for the assessment of the protein expression on sperm cells.Results: DNA quantification revealed that 24.4% of men, whose wives showed a negative result for IUI, were homozygote for this mutation, whereas none of the couples with a positive IUI result carried the mutation for this gene (P£0.05). Moreover, the amount of this protein was decreased on the sperms of men who carried the mutant allele.Conclusion: Results of the present study suggested that common alteration in DEFB126 gene could be considered as a critical factor in the success rate of IUI operation.