Journal of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences
Year:2019 | Volume:21 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Background and aims: Hydatidosis is considered as one of the most important zoonotic parasitic diseases, which has a worldwide distribution with endemic regions in many countries including Iran. The disease has public health and economic importance and its effective control requires sufficient information on the patterns of disease transmission. This study aimed to assess the current role of the cattle as the intermediate host in transmission of the disease and maintain the evolution of hydatidosis. Methods: The study was conducted at Isfahan Fasaran abattoir. From among 129 cattle infected with hydatid cyst, 134 liver and lung cysts were transferred to parasitology laboratory. Data including age, sex, the infected organ, the type of cyst (e. g., fertile, sterile, and calcified), and the severity of infection were evaluated for each of the cattle. Results: Based on the data, 99 (76. 7%) of the cases were females and the remaining 30 (23. 3%) cases were males, who were in the age range of 5-10 and 2-5 years, respectively. In addition, 385 cysts were found out of the total 134 examined infected livers and lungs and the number of the cysts in infected organs varied between 1 and 14. A significantly higher infection was detected in older cattle (P<0. 05) compared to the younger and female ones. Finally, out of the total of 385 collected cysts, 1%, 59. 8%, and 39. 2% were fertile, sterile, and calcified cysts, respectively. Conclusion: In general, the total rate of cyst fertility was estimated at 1% and it seems that the role of cattle led to a reduction in the transmission of the disease. However, due to the species differences in various areas and the better adaptation of the parasite to some intermediate hosts, further studies including more samples are necessary in different regions.

Background and aims: In a transient ischemic attack (TIA), the activation of the endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) has a prominent role in the formation of collateral vessels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of effective variables (e. g., hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, a family history of cardiovascular diseases, and statin therapy on the level of EPCs in TIA. Methods: Thirty patients suffering from the first attack of TIA, without having a history of acute cerebral injury, surgery or trauma, and blood disorders were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Then, flow cytometry was utilized to estimate the level of EPCs CD34 and CD309 and the results were evaluated based on the t test or the Mann-Whitney test. Finally, the Pearson or Spearman correlation was used to establish the relationship between the variables. The level of P < 0. 05 was considered statistically significant in this study. Results: The mean± SD number of CD309 in patients with hyperlipidemia was less than those with no hyperlipidemia (3. 35± 2. 77 vs. 5. 59± 3. 85, P = 0. 02) and diabetic patients had a significantly higher number of CD309 compared to non-diabetics (6. 14± 4. 89 vs, 3. 5± 3. 49, P = 0. 05). Conversely, the mean number of CD34 in groups with or without the studied variables was not statistically significant. The results further revealed that the average total of CD309 and CD34 was significantly lower in patients with hyperlipidemia as compared to those with no sign of hyperlipidemia (9. 44± 3. 05 vs. 6. 67± 4. 6, P = 0. 02). Using logistic regression, the intended variables demonstrated no significant effects on endothelial cells, and the relationship between age and the number of progenitor cells was not significant. Conclusion: In our study, only hyperlipidemia acted as a factor influencing the numbers of EPCs. Therefore, more studies with larger sample sizes are required to discover the role of these variables on progenitor cells in TIA.

Background and aims: Children with learning disabilities mainly have problems in cognition and sensations. Therefore, this study aimed to compare working memory and sensory profile in boys and girls with writing disability. Methods: To this end, this descriptive study applied a comparative method to collect the required data. Statistical population of the study included all girls and boys within the age range of 8-10, who were suffering from writing disability during their treatment in a writing disability center in Gorgan during the summer of 2018. In addition, a stratified random sampling method was used and 50 boys and 58 girls were selected from each group accordingly. Based on the research tools, the Dunn profile (1999) was obtained from the parents of the children. In the area of Daneman and Carpenter working memory (1980), children were directly questioned in order to obtain information related to processing and storage in their memory. Finally, data were analyzed by SPSS software using multivariate analysis of variance analysis. Results: Based on descriptive findings (i. e., mean and standard deviation), the following data were obtained regarding the intended parameters in boys and girls as processing (50. 32± 6. 93, 54. 22± 7. 45), storage (48. 47± 6. 08, 53. 17± 6. 07), indoctrination associated with the physical state of body motion (34. 28± 7. 09, 36. 91± 6. 48), multisensory processing (34. 68± 5. 21, 37. 94± 6. 57), and auditory processing (31. 74± 5. 84, 35. 52± 6. 59), respectively. In addition, the results indicated a significant difference in the writing disability among the processing (P < 0. 006) and storage (P < 0. 000) of working memory subscales and indoctrination associated with the physical state of the body motion (P < 0. 000), multisensory processing (P < 0. 000), and auditory processing (P < 0. 002) of the sensory profile in both girls and boys with writing disabilities. Conclusion: In general, the boys had a worse condition concerning their working memory and sensory processing styles that require special attention and more focused educational approaches.

Background and aims: Hypertension is one of the most common and important risk factors of cardiovascular diseases. This phenomenon, if not cured, causes lots of problems in vital organs of the body like kidneys, brain, eyes, and heart. The aim of the current study was to identify factors which affect the time until myocardial infarction (MI) in hypertension patients using truncated Cox regression. Methods: This study was a population retrospective cohort and its statistical population included patients with hypertension symptoms, who had MI for the first time in Sari. A decision was made based on continuing the study as a nested case and control study because the number of MI incidents was low (7%) in the studied sample. In addition, the Cox’ s model and truncated Cox were used for determining the factors affecting the patients’ survival. Results: The median and mean survival times in this sample were equal to 57 and 66. 44 months, respectively. Considering time truncation, family history (HR=1. 70) and the age at diagnosis (HR=0. 99) were statistically significant in the Cox’ s model (P< 0. 05). Conclusion: Overall, using the Akaike criterion for comparing the survival time without the effect of truncation, the Cox’ s model demonstrated better fitness by controlling the truncation effect. These results show the importance of controlling the truncation in those diseases in which it is impossible to distinguish the time of the appearance from the symptoms.

Background and aims: The APOA5 gene is one of the genes involved in metabolic syndrome (MetS), as a constellation of several cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. The present study evaluated the possible associations between five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the microRNA target site (miR-TS-SNPs) of the APOA5 gene with MetS. Methods: This case-control study included 57 MetS cases, along with 59 normal children and adolescents aged 9-18 years. All miR-TSSNPs rs188133936, rs72525532, rs45596738, rs148759216, and rs114627122 were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-sequencing. Independent t-test, as well as the chi-square test and logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association of SNPs with MetS risk and its clinical components. Results: The mean (SD) age of MetS participants and controls was 12. 35 (0. 25) and 13. 39 (0. 38) years, respectively. Although no nucleotide changes were present in rs188133936, rs45596738, rs148759216, and rs114627122, a greater frequency of A insertion was detected in rs72525532 in MetS cases compared with the control group (P = 0. 012). This variant showed a significant difference in triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) levels between different genotype groups (P<0. 0001 and P = 0. 05, respectively) in controls. Furthermore, AA insertion genotype was correlated with an increased risk of MetS (Odds ratio [95% CI] = 8. 12 [0. 966-68. 27], P = 0. 05). Conclusion: This study was the first to investigate the association between rs188133936, rs45596738, rs148759216, rs76463524, and rs72525532 variants of the APOA5 gene and MetS. Our findings reveal that rs72525532 might have an impact on TG, HDL levels, and the risk of MetS.

Background and aims: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the main causes of death worldwide and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery accounts for 1. 4% of all operating room procedures. Considering the importance of the above-mentioned issue, the present study aimed to assess CAD risk factors in CABG patients to provide more accurate information for health authorities. Methods: To this end, data of all patients with isolated primary on-pump CABG were collected from March 2014 to March 2016. The major risk factors of CAD were recorded as a history of cigarette smoking, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), advanced age, a family history of CAD, obesity, and male gender. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS using a t test, as well as the chi-square and Fisher exact tests, and the P value less than 0. 05 was considered statistically significant. Results: During a 24-month period, 895 patients underwent isolated primary on-pump CABG in the only open-heart surgery center in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. The mean age of the patients was 60. 4± 10. 3 years (within the range of 40 to 93 years). In addition, most of the patients amounting to 525 cases (58. 7%) were in the age group of 55-70 years and had two or more risk factors. Further, 98. 8% of males (age ≥ 45) and 68. 2% of females (age ≥ 55) were old, and 73. 3% and 26. 7% of the patients were men and women, respectively. Furthermore, risk factors such as hypertension, cigarette-smoking, DM, hyperlipidemia, obesity, and family history were observed in 53. 3%, 47. 9%, 37. 8%, 28. 5%, 61. 1%, and 19. 3% of the patients, respectively. As regards gender, the prevalence of coronary risk factors like hypertension (60. 7 vs. 50. 6%, P = 0. 005), DM (51. 9 vs. 32. 6%, P = 0. 001), hypercholesterolemia (43. 5 vs. 23%, P = 0. 001), and obesity (68. 2 vs. 58. 5%, P = 0. 005) were higher in women but other factors such as smoking (19. 2 vs. 58. 4%, P = 0. 001) and positive family history (14. 6 vs. 21%, P = 0. 01) were higher in men. Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence of most risk factors was more common among under 55-year group, especially in women, and this is a warning for increasing CADs in the future.

Background and aims: The purpose of this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was to determine the effectiveness of reflexology on self-reported back pain compared to placebo (massage) and control among cricketers. Methods: The volunteer participants consisted of 45 male cricket players who had been training at least for three years with a mean age of 18. 481± 2. 32 years, mean body mass of 64. 31± 7. 65, mean height of 174± 5. 39 cm, and a mean body mass index of 21. 07± 1. 97 kg/m² . Cricketers were trained at Chandigarh and Mohali (India) cricket stadiums and participated in Interstate competition 2017. Cricketers were randomly assigned to reflexology, placebo, and control treatment groups. The reflexology group received topical pressure applied to their feet using a specific reflex area believed to have an effect on back pain. In addition, the placebo group received a foot massage avoiding reflexology area and control group received back pain information. Pre-and post-treatment interviews were conducted after one week (7 sessions). Each treatment was administered for 15 minutes as well. To determine the degree of the effect of reflexology on back pain, multiple regressions, and the factorial ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to analyze the hypotheses. Results: Both reflexology (P < 0. 001) and massage (P < 0. 001) treatments resulted in reducing the pain compared to providing back pain information, and there were significant differences between the reflexology and placebo groups (P < 0. 001). Finally, the results indicated that reflexology may have a positive effect on back pain. Conclusion: Overall, foot reflexology, as an avenue for human touch, can be performed anywhere, requires no special equipment, is noninvasive, and does not interfere with patients’ privacy. However, an adequately powered trial is required before any more definitive pronouncements are possible.

Background and aims: Intermuscular lipolysis disorder plays an important role in insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus and perilipin PLIN5 and PLIN3 are the key proteins in regulating muscle cellular lipolysis. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the expression of PLIN3 and PLIN5 protein following endurance training in streptozotocin (STZ) rats. Methods: A number of 24 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into low endurance training group (n = 8), high-intensity training group (n = 8), and control group (n = 8). Diabetes was induced in every rat by STZ injection. Three days after injection, the blood samples were taken from the cut tip of the tails of the mice and animals with blood glucose greater than 300 mg/dL were considered diabetic. The training program included eight weeks of aerobic training at different intensities. Training in high-and low-intensity groups included 22-25 and 5-8 m/min of training. Finally, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation was used to determine the significance of the differences between variables, followed by utilizing Tukey’ s post-hoc test for significance. Results: The comparison between the groups by ANOVA showed significant differences in PLIN3 (P = 0. 0006) and PLIN5 (P = 0. 012). The results of Tukey post hoc test also demonstrated a statistical difference between the mean values of diabetic control group and high-intensity endurance group regarding PLIN3 (P = 0. 01) and PLIN5 (P = 0. 009), but no significant increase was observed in the lowintensity exercise group as compared to the control group (PLIN3, P = 0. 067 & PLIN5, P = 0. 44). As regards insulin resistance, there was a significant difference among the three groups (P = 0. 0001). Eventually, the result of the correlation between PLIN3 and PLIN5 showed similar enhancement by increasing the intensity (P = 0. 0026). Conclusion: According to research results, high-intensity endurance training increased the expression of PLIN3 and PLIN5 in diabetic specimens and PLIN3 and PLIN5 followed a similar increase pattern in high-intensity training.