Jundishapur Scientific Medical Journal
Year:2010 | Volume:9 | Issue:4 (67)|Papers Count:20

Backgrounds and Objective: Green tea (Camellia sinensis; Teacea family) contains antioxidant and antimicrobial agents, and has a protective effect on the health of teeth. The aim of this study was to make a stable formulation of green tea aqueous extract and to verify its antimicrobial effects on the oral aerobic bacterial load.Subjects and Methods: A total of 25 female volunteer students within the age range of 20 through 25 years were evaluated by using 0.2, 0.5 and 1% plant tannin aqueous solution on their aerobic bacteria streptococcus mutan species and the kinds of staphylococcus living in mouth. In order to evaluate the specific role of alcohol, a green tea mouthwash containing 1% tannin plus 10% alcohol was compared with a same alcohol-free formulation. Also in a separate test, a comparative study was performed between the above alcoholic green tea mouthwash and the commercial chlorhexidine 0.2%.Results: The aqueous extract containing 1% tannin was more effective than other concentrations (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between any of the formulations of green tea mouthwashes whether or not alcohol was incorporated (P>0.05). Also, no difference was observed between the herbal and chlorhexidine 0.2% mouthwashes in terms of their antibacterial activities on the aerobic mouth bacterial load.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that tannin 1% aqueous green tea extract is as effective as chlorhexidine 0.2% mouthwash in reducing oral aerobic bacteria. The use of this herbal mouthwash may also be safer, especially in children and pregnant women.

Background and Objective: Prevalence and characteristics of hypokalemic periodic paralysis has been reported differently in various societies. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and characteristics of hypokalemic periodic paralysis in hyperthyroid patients referred to endocrine OPD of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciensis.Subjects and Methods:A questionnaire including age, sex, cause of hyperthyroidism, ophtalmopathy, skin manifestation of Graves disease, history of paralysis, organs involved, predisposing factors, the number of paralysis attack, the beginning time of the paralysis and potassium levels during the attack, were completed in all hyperthyr-otoxic patients.Results: About 52% of patients had Graves' disease. About 69% of patients were women. Nineteen (0.8%) had history of hypokalemic periodic paralysis especially in warm months and all were males with Graves’ disease and their mean age were 30.2 ± 10.7 years. ECG disturbance and paralysis of respiratory muscles were not detected in any patients. The mean serum potassium level during paralysis was 2.6 ± 0.67 mEq/L.Predisposing factors for paralysis attacks were physical overexertion, carbohydrates and sweets consumption, infections, and corticosteroid injection. No predisposing factor was found in 9 (47.3%) of the patients. There were no episodes of hypokalemic periodic paralysis after successful treatment of hyperthyroidism in any patients.Conclusion: Hypokalemic periodic paralysis was mainly seen in males with Graves’ disease in warm climate and after discontinuation of anti-thyroid treatment. No episodes of paralysis were detected after successful treatment of hyperthyroidism.

Background and Objective: One of the most important disorders in preterm infants is lung immaturity which can lead to respiratory failure after birth. This condition is known as neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).The purpose of this study was to evaluate the RDS frequency in preterm neonates and the effect of antenatal dexamethasone in preventing this condition.Subjects and Methods: This study was a retrospective random descriptive cross sectional clinical trial. Two hundred and thirty mothers who suffered from preterm labor and were admitted in Ahvaz Imam Khomeini hospital from 2006 to 2007 were included. Sixty nine mothers received 6 mg dexamethasone every 12 hours (maximum 4 doses) during pregnancy. Control group (166 cases), did not receive dexamethasone. The information, including the number of affected infants, and the effect of dexamethasone in the prevention of RDS were extracted from patients' files. xChi-square and Pierson Correlation Coefficient tests were used for data analysis. SPSS (17) was used for statistical analysis.Results: Out of the 69 mothers who received dexamethasone, 21(30.4%) newborns developed RDS, while 66(41 %) ones in the control group suffered from it (P=0.012).Conclusion: Dexamethasone is effective in the prevention of RDS in premature infants. Our study showed that the use of dexamethasone was beneficial in preventing this condition.

Background and Objective: Psychological problems can arise following a general medical condition, especially chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus. The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence and type of psychological problems in patients with diabetes mellitus.Subjects and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the subjects included 125 volunteers (75 female and 50 male) with diabetes referring to diabetes clinic of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Patients completed symptoms checklist SCL-90-R and a demographic form.Results: The results showed that 40% of patients suffered from a psychological disorder, including: depression (0.82), obsessive compulsive disorders (0.78), somatic disorders (0.67) and anxiety (0.67). There was a significant relationship between psychological disorders and duration of diabetes (p<0.001). A significant relationship was also observed between psychological problems and insulin dependent diabetes (P<0.016), complications of diabetes mellitus such as retinopathy (P<0.007), neuropathy (P<0.020) and HbA1c (P<0.001). Gender, diabetes type and family history of diabetes were not correlated with psychological problems.Conclusion: Our finding indicates that psychological problems are common in patient with diabetes. Therefore, routine psychological assessment in patient with diabetes for early diagnosis is recommended.

Background and Objective: Cementation of indirect restorations with resin cements does not always provide better bonding performance to dentin when compared with direct dentin bonding systems. Immediate dentin sealing was introduced to overcome this problem with some successful reports. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of immediate dentin sealing on shear bond strength of resin to dentin.Materials and Methods: In this study, 66 human third molars were randomly divided in three equal groups: 1- Bonding composite blocks with dual cured RelyX ARC cement to dentin without pretreatment. 2- Bonding composite blocks with dual cured Rely XARC cement to immediately sealed dentin with single bond and 3- Bonding composite blocks with dual cured Rely X ARC cement to immediately sealed dentin with single bond and a flowable composite. Shear bond strengths were measured with a universal testing machine. Data were analysed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey statistical tests.Results: Means and standard deviations of tensile bond strengths were as follows: group 1:8.55±3.18, group 2: 6.67±2.21 and group 3: 14.07±5.02. The differences in shear bond strength between groups were different significantly only when group 3 was compared with groups 1 and 2 (P=0.000).Conclusion: Immediate dentin sealing with dentin bonding had no effect on bond strength. Use of flowable composite in combination with single bond improved bond strength.

Background and Objective: It seems that internet involves increasing parts of people's daily lives, every day. In recent years, many reports have been published based on user's addiction to internet. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate predicting personality variables of internet addiction.Materials and methods: Among internet users willing to cooperate in Ahvaz city net-shops and computer training centers, 100 people (56 female/ 44 male) were selected regardless of age, occupation and education. They completed Internet Addiction Questionnaire and NEO test. Population samples were divided into two groups: addicted and non-addicted. Their personality styles were determined based on two dimensions: Neuroticism and extroversion. Then data were analyzed using logistic regression model by SPSS software.Results: According to this study 86% of users had internet addiction (56%mild, 28% moderate and 2% severe) and 14% did not. Twelve personality styles in terms of neuroticism and extroversion were entered in the logistic regression statistical models. Internet addiction predictor styles included: stress vulnerability (p<0.0001), and impulsively (p<0.05), Being active (p<0.05) and excitement policy (P<0.05). Also, there is a significant relationship between internet addiction, teen aging (P<0.03) and being unemployed (P<0.0001).Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it seems that personality styles are suitable predictors for vulnerability for internet addiction. The results suggest that internet users' character assessment, and identifying individuals at risk, can help prevent internet addiction.

Background and Objective: Surgical procedures are one of the most stressful experiences in life, especially in children, and different methods are used preoperatively to decreasing this stress. Intranasal midazolam is an effective method for preparing the children before operation and prevents separation irritability.Subjects and Methods: Sixty patients aged 2-6 years that have elective surgery for the first time were chosen randomly. Subjects were randomly allocated into two groups. For the patients in group 1, intranasal midazolam (0.2 mg/kg) and for the patients in group 2, the equal volume of normal saline 0.04ml/kg was administered intranasally. Patients’ cries, irritability, hand moving during IV canulla insertion, consciousness before anesthesia and cooperation during face mask ventilation were evaluated.Results: In group 1, 93.3% of children did not cry or cried mildly when separated from parents, 90% of children in group 2 cried moderately or severely (P<0.05). Ninety percent of patients in group 1 cooperated well, but resistance was moderate or severe in group 2 (76.6%) (P<0.05). Before anesthesia 73.4% of patients in group 1 were asleep, but woke up with stimulation. In contrast, 63.3% of patients in group 2 were awake and 30% of patients were irritable (P<0.05). Ninety percent of patients in group 1 moved their hands slightly during IV canulla insertion but hand moving was exaggerated in 83.3% of patients in group 2 (P<0.05). All patients in group 1 cooperated well during face mask ventilation but 76.6% of patients in group 2 refused it (P<0.05).Conclusion: The results of the present study suggested that intranasal midazolam was an effective drug for pre-induction sedation in children.

Background and Objective: There are some reports indicating that the Glu298Asp polymorphism of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). The aims of the present study were to evaluate possible association between the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene polymorphism of Glu298Asp (G894T) and occurrence of CAD and diabetes in type II diabetic patients with and without CAD.Subjects and Methods: In this case-control study, the polymorphism of eNOS Glu298Asp was detected using PCR-RFLP method in 203 diabetic patients with/without CAD, 105 CAD patients and 92 healthy subjects according to angiographic evidence. All studied individuals were from Kermanshah, a city in western Iran.Results: The frequencies of three eNOS genotypes of GG, GT and TT were not significantly different in diabetic patients with CAD (53.9%, 40.2% and 5.9%, respectively) compared to those without CAD (59.4%, 35.6% and 5%, respectively, P= 0.730). But the frequencies of these genotypes in diabetic patients with CAD were significantly different compared to those of control subjects (72.8%, 26.1% and 1.1%, respectively, P=0.013). Although the frequencies of these genotypes in diabetic patients without CAD were not significantly different compared with those of control subjects (P=0.08), the mutant allele in diabetic patients was seen more.Conclusion: The eNOS 298Asp mutation is common in diabetic patients with CAD and also in CAD patients from Kermanshah. This might be associated with occurrence of CAD in patients with or without diabetes.

Subjects and Methods: A total of 148 pregnancies at 37 to 42 weeks of gestation were included for induction. At first, the cervical length was measured by transvaginal ultrasonograghy and then was compared with Bishop Score to predict the mode of delivery. The cut off points was considered as 27 mm for the former and as score 4for the latter.Results: Mean preinduction cervical length was 24.5±7.92 mm. Seventy-three percent of pregnancies was primipara whereas 27% were multipara. Eighty eight women delivered vaginally and 60 underwent cesarean section. In the study, the rate of cesarean in the primipara was more than multipara (P<0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of the length of the cervix in comparison with Bishop Score were (71.6 vs 53.4%), (45 vs 66.7 %) respectively. The cervical length measurement and Bishop Score correctly predicted the model of delivery in 90 cases (60.8%) and 87 cases (58.8%), while the rate of incorrect prediction were 58 cases (39.2%) and 61 cases (42.2%), respectively (P=0.81).Conclusion: This study suggested that the cervical length measurement by transvaginal ultrasonograghy with cut-of-point of 27 mm and the Bishop Score of 4 are equally successful in predicting the type of delivery.

Background and Objective: This research intended to compare personality characteristics, neurosis and depression in self-inflicted burn patients and normal women in Ahvaz.Subjects and Methods: The research designed as post hoc (causal comparative) study. The subjects of the study consisted of 100 self-inflicted burn female patients admitted to Taleghani burn hospital who were selected via incidental sampling procedure and 100 ordinary females. The group was selected randomly by simple sampling method among Ahvaz female population uninvolved with burn. The age of both samples ranged 14 through 81 years. In order to assess personality characteristics, neurosis and depression, three standardized methods were used: NEO-PI-R, Beck Depression Inventory. Data were analyzed by ANOVA test, considering a P value of less than 0.05 as significant.Results: There were significant differences between self-inflicted and ordinary women in terms of their personality characteristics (P<0.05), neurosis (P<0.001) and depression (P<0.001).Conclusion: The presence of higher rate of depression and neurosis as well as differences in personality traits among self-inflicted burn females suggest that these variables contribute to this devastating phenomena in this city.

Background and Objective: A wide variety of epidemiological studies suggest the increase in incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma which, in turn, might be related to decrease in Helicobacter pylori prevalence, but very few studies have examined this association. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the relationship between H.pylori and esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma in Urmia in a period of 30 months.Subjects and Method: In this case-control study 161 patients with pathologically proven esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma were enrolled. Subjects were cancer cases, pathologically proven to have esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma, in medical centers in Urmia in the west of Iran during a 30-months period in 2006 -2007. Control cases (168 patients) were selected from the patients who were admitted to the ophthalmology department and were matched for sex, age and history of smoking. H. pylori seropositivity was determined by ELISA, using Trinity Biptech capita measuring IgG. Data were analyzed using Chi square and Mantel Hanzel tests.Results: The mean age of patients with esophageal cancer was 61.8 (SD=13.4) years. Sixty eight (42.2%) of patients were male and 93(57.8%) were female. In 31(19.2%) cases tumor ware located in the upper, 73(45.3%) cases in middle and in remaining 57(35.4%) cases in the lower portion of the esophagus. A total of 69 (42.8%) and 105(62.5%) out of 161 cases and 168 controls, respectively, had positive H. pylori infection. Subjects with positive H. pylori infections had a significantly reduced risk (OR=0.45; 95% CI =0.28-0.72; P=0.0001) of developing esophageal SCC than those without SCC.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that H. pylori infection may have a protective role against development of esophageal SCC in our area. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Among 24 species of scorpion in Iran, 12 can be found in the Southwestern parts, all of which belonging to the two following families: Buthidae such as Mesobuthus Eupetus, Androconus Crassicauda (AC) and scorpionidae such as Hemiscorpious Lepturus or Gadeem. Gadeem may induce local manifestations and/or systemic manifestations alone.Acute hemolysis may lead to acute kidney injury. Another potentially life-threatening scorpion lives in this region is AC with its toxins causing neurotoxic effects.Conclusion: Scorpion sting syndrome is a medical emergency, in the southwestern Iran.