ARAK MEDICAL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL (AMUJ)
Year:2021 | Volume:23 | Issue:6 (148)|Papers Count:12

Background and Aim Recognizing the position of the Mental Foramen (MF) is essential in numerous cases, such as anesthesia injection and periapical surgeries in the anterior region of the mandible. Furthermore, the diversity in the location and position of MF can develop problems during surgery in this region. Methods & Materials The present study examined anatomical landmarks based on panoramic radiographic images obtained in Bandar Abbas City, Iran. In total, 450 panoramic radiographic images of men and women were assessed. All explored images were converted to JPEG format and entered in real size in Auto CAD software (2014). The collected data were analyzed in SPSS by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Student’ s t-test, and Chi-squared test. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR. HUMS. REC. 1394. 189). Results The obtained data revealed that the mean distance from the MF to the lower edge of the mandible on the right and left was 10. 53 mm and 10. 51 mm, respectively. The mean distance from the MF to the posterior side of the mandible equaled 49. 36 mm on the right and 48. 72 mm on the left. Moreover, the mean distance of MF to the midline of the lower jaw on the right and left was calculated as 27. 16 and 26. 27 mm, respectively. Furthermore, in most cases, the anterior-posterior position of MF was symmetrical concerning anatomical landmarks. The anterior-posterior distance of MF to mandibular midline was significantly different between the explored males and females (P<0. 001). There was no significant gender-wise difference in the shape of the MF (P=0. 89). Conclusion The present research results signified that the most frequent anterior-posterior position of the MF is between the apex of the first and second premolars. Furthermore, the most prevalent shape of MF is oval per panoramic images.

Background and Aim Applying Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) is increasing. A critical step in ART is the frozen embryo transfer, in which the endometrium thickness has great significance in the outcome. In this case, the frozen embryo will be transferred during the next cycle. There are several ways to prepare an endometrium for transmitting embryos; however, choosing the best method remains debated. The present study aimed to evaluate the pregnancy rate of frozen embryo transfer in the presence or absence of GnRH agonists. Methods & Materials A retrospective analysis was conducted on 146 consecutive patients attending Qom’ s infertility treatment center from 2015 to 2017; these subjects were candidates for the transfer cycle of the frozen-thawed embryo and randomly assigned to receive either protocol with or without GnRH agonist. Clinical features, implantation rate, pregnancy rate (chemical & clinical), and abortion rate were assessed. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research of Mashhad University (Code: IR. ACECR. JDM. REC. 1398. 001). Results There was no significant difference in baseline and clinical characteristics, implantation rate, pregnancy rate (chemical & clinical), and abortion rate between the study groups of endometrial preparations with or without GnRH agonist (P<0. 05). Conclusion In this study, pregnancy outcome was similar in both study groups; thus, this method is recommended as an endometrial preparation without GnRH agonist.

Background and Aim The adherence of diabetic patients to the recommended treatment regimens is among the major challenges in diabetes control. Dietary adherence is low in pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Non-compliance can reduce the beneficial effects of treatment, symptoms, and signs, increase complications, or even cause death. Therefore, further research on the determinants of followup behaviors is essential. Methods & Materials This was a descriptive-analytical study. In total, 260 women with gestational diabetes treated with diet referring to healthcare centers, and Imam Reza (AS), Ghaem, and Umm Al-Banin Hospitals in Mashhad City, Iran participated in this research. The study subjects were selected using convenience, multistage, class, and cluster sampling methods. The required data were collected using a demographic and pregnancy profile questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire of adherence to the treatment regimen. The obtained data were analyzed by inferential statists and regression tests in SPSS v. 16. Ethical Considerations This study was registered with ethics code of IR. MUMS. NURSE. REC. 1397. 091 in the ethics committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Results The regression analysis results indicated that dietary adherence, blood glucose monitoring, and exercise adherence scores presented a significant and positive effect on the total treatment adherence score (P<0. 001). Furthermore, education (P=0. 044), unwanted (P=0. 006), or unplanned pregnancy (P=0. 21) provided a positive and significant effect on the overall score of treatment adherence. Women with a history of diabetes in first-degree relatives (P=0. 010) and those with a history of miscarriage (P=0. 021) obtained higher scores of total treatment adherence. Conclusion According to the present study findings, some demographic and pregnancy characteristics can affect the rate of adherence to the treatment regimen in women with gestational diabetes. Healthcare providers need to pay attention to the impact of these factors in improving adherence to patients’ treatment regimens.

Background and Aim Phonological awareness skills, as part of phonological processing abilities, can predict the extent of success in acquiring written and reading skills. Phonological awareness skills are of concern in children with severe and profound hearing loss, which has been less studied in this population. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate these skills in Cochlear-Implanted (CI) children and compare them with their healthy counterparts. Methods & Materials The study population included 25 CI children and 25 healthy children, aged 4-6 years, who were monolingual Persian speakers. The selected CI and healthy children were selected from the Rehabilitation Center of Naqmeh and the Kindergartens in Mashhad, City, Iran, respectively. After selecting each participant, the test of phonological awareness was administered. To compare the mean scores of each subtest, the obtained data were analyzed in SPSS v. 21 using the Mann-Whitney U test. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR. MUMS. REC. 1396. 263). Results The mean scores of CI children were significantly lower than that of their healthy peers in all phonological awareness subscales (P<0. 05). Conclusion The obtained data suggested that healthy children presented better performance than the CI children in the phonological awareness test. Poor phonological awareness skills in CI children seem to be associated with hearing deprivation before cochlear implantation; thus, it requires to speed up surgery at an early age and the implementation of an effective rehabilitation program.

Background and Aim Opioid and benzodiazepine family drugs are concurrently used in various patients. Considering the respiratory depressant effects of both classes, in this study, we investigated the effect of coadministration of morphine and several widely used benzodiazepines in the clinic on the rate of respiratory depression in rats. Methods & Materials Seventy adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 10 groups; morphine, midazolam, diazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam, morphine-midazolam, morphine-diazepam, morphine-lorazepam, and morphine-alprazolam. Respiration signal was recorded using whole-body plethysmography 15 minutes after the intraperitoneal injection of the drugs. The respiratory pattern was examined using several parameters; the mean value of inter-breath interval and the respiratory rate, as well as the coefficient of variation and sample entropy analysis of inter-breath interval. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR. ARAKMU. REC. 1397. 327). Results Analyzing respiratory data revealed that injecting the anxiolytic dose of alprazolam, and the combination of morphine-alprazolam and morphine-midazolam, altered the respiratory pattern. Such changes were associated with a decrease in the number of breaths and an increase in the inter-breath interval in the explored test animals, compared with the controls. The obtained data also indicated that morphinemidazolam injection increased the variability of the breathing pattern; such an alternation was associated with increased irregularity and decreased coefficient of variation of the inter-breath interval. Conclusion The present research results suggested that the short-term injection of morphine-midazolam changes the respiratory pattern more severely than morphine combined with other benzodiazepines.

Background and Aim Patients with the symptoms of gastrointestinal diseases and ulcers constitute a large number of patients referring to general and internal clinics. Furthermore, preliminary studies on gastric ulcers highlighted the role of psychological factors in the development of a susceptible gastric ulcer. The current study aimed to determine the effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on pain intensity and stress coping styles in patients with gastric ulcers. Methods & Materials This was an experimental study with a pretest-posttest-follow-up and a control group design. The statistical population included all patients with a gastric ulcer who were referred to public health centers in Tehran City, Iran, in the winter of 2018. Among the volunteers participating in the study, 30 patients with gastric ulcers were selected by the convenience sampling method. Next, they were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (n=15/group). Measurement tools included the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS; Endler & Parker, 1990). The experimental group subjects participated in eight 90-minute sessions of CBT. However, the controls received no psychological treatment in this period. For data analysis, repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests were applied. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch (Code: IR. IAU. K. REC. 1397. 85). Results The present research results signified that CBT improved problem-oriented coping styles (P<0. 01) and decreased emotion-focused coping styles (P<0. 01) and avoidance (P<0. 01) in the test group. Besides, the mean scores of pain intensity decreased in the experimental group, compared to the controls (P<0. 01). Conclusion The provided CBT was effective on pain intensity and stress coping styles in patients with gastric ulcers.

Background and Aim Iron deficiency is among the most prevalent nutritional problems during pregnancy. Besides, it can significantly affect pregnant women’ s health. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of education based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) on promoting anesthetic prevention nutritional behaviors in the pregnant woman. Methods & Materials This was an educational randomized controlled trial study. In total, 80 pregnant women were randomly divided into two groups of test and control (n=40/group). Data collection with reliable and validity questionnaire consist of demographic factors, knowledge, the construct of TPB (attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control, intention), and performance. Before performing the intervention, pre-test data were collected from the study groups. Then, the educational intervention was performed based on the results of the needs assessment for the test group, within a month and in the form of four 60-minute training sessions based on the TPB. The results were collected 3 months after the intervention and analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-squared test, and correlation coefficient. Ethical Considerations The present study was registered with the code IRCT2017052334106N1 in the Clinical Trial Registration Center of Iran and was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR. ARAKMU. REC. 1395. 445). Results The present research results indicated that before the intervention, all variables were the same in the study groups. However, after the intervention, the research groups significantly differed concerning all the studied structures (P<0. 05). Moreover, the Mean± SD pre-test performance score of the intervention group was equal to 2. 88± 0. 415 (out of 5); accordingly, it was significantly improved after training to 3. 64± 0. 216 (P<0. 001). Conclusion Educational intervention based on the TPB improved anesthetic anxiety behaviors in the studied pregnant women; such a modification can be attributed to the provided educational program in the intervention group.

Background and Aim Weight gain and vitamin D deficiency are associated with increased systemic inflammation and chronic diseases. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of regular Pilates training associated with Vitamin D intake on Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α ) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels in overweight males. Methods & Materials This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 52 overweight men aged 45-55 years. Volunteers were firstly selected through the convenience sampling method. Then, they were divided into Pilates training, Pilates training + vitamin D supplementation, vitamin D supplementation (combined), and control groups (n=13/group). The provided Pilates training program was performed for 8 weeks (with the intensity of 50%-75% of reserve heart rate, 3 sessions/week). The supplement and combined groups also received 50000 units of oral vitamin D weekly for 8 weeks. The serum levels of variables were determined using the ELISA method. The obtained data were analyzed by Paired Samples t-test, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and Kruskal– Wallis test at the significant level of <0. 05. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Islamic Azad University, Babol Branch, Iran (Code: IR. IAU. BABOL. REC. 1398. 088). Also, this study was approved by the Iranian Clinical Trial Registration Center (Code: IRCT20190831044650N2) Results The collected results indicated that 8 weeks of Pilates training, vitamin D intake, and the combined intervention were associated with a significant increase in IL-10 (P<0. 001) and a decrease in TNF-α (P<0. 001). Additionally, the presented combination intervention was associated with further alternations in the research variables, compared to the other two interventions; however, in the exercise group, the decrease in TNF-α level was more than that in the vitamin D intake group (P=0. 012). Conclusion It seems that in overweight combined with vitamin D deficiency stats, the anti-inflammatory effects of Pilates training, vitamin D supplementation interventions, and a combination of the two methods can be attributed in part to up-regulation IL-10 and TNF-α reduction; however, the effectiveness of the combined intervention on the development of inflammation was greater than that of the other two interventions. Furthermore, the effect of Pilates training on reducing TNF-α was stronger than that of vitamin D supplementation.

Background and Aim In the microbial contamination of food and water, identifying the trace amounts of contaminating bacteria has always been of researchers’ interest and concern. The most frequent approach to resolve this problem is using culture-based methods to increase and enrich bacteria samples; accordingly, it extends the bacterial detection process to several hours or days. One of the smart strategies to solve this problem is the concentration of bacteria using physical methods. The present study aimed to enrich Vibrio cholerae as the most essential water-polluting germs. Accordingly, we used the filtration method and evaluated its function by culture method and two detection approaches of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and PCR assay. Methods & Materials A certain concentration of V. Cholerae was artificially added to a specified volume of sterile water. Then, the bacteria were extracted from the medium and filtered using 0. 450 μ m separable filters. Finally, the performance of the pre-and post-filtration processes was compared using bacterial cell culture (CFU), ATP, and PCR assay with the specific primers for the ompW gene of V. cholerae. Ethical Considerations This article is a meta-analysis with no human or animal sample. Results The present research results indicated that the applied method presented high efficiency and recovery performance. In other words, samples provided no positive response before filtration in both methods; however, after filtration in isolated and recovered samples, the presence of bacteria was detected in the ATP and PCR methods. Conclusion In conclusion, the employed strategy can detect V. cholerae in non-culture and in the shortest time in contaminated water samples.

Background and Aim Conventional post-operative rehabilitation programs focus on quadriceps strengthening and knee range of motion. However, hip muscle weakness is evident in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The present trial study aimed to investigate the effects of adding early hip muscle strengthening exercises to conventional rehabilitation programs on pain, Range of Motion (RoM), Quality of Life (QoL), and physical function in patients with unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). Methods & Materials The intervention was initiated from the second day after surgery and continued for 10 sessions, 3 times a week on 24 participants in the control and intervention groups. Both research groups received Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulation (TENS) and Infra-Red (IR), followed by exercises. The control group performed knee extensor and flexor strengthening and RoM exercises. The intervention group conducted hip-strengthening exercises in addition. Outcome measures included pain, knee flexion, and extension RoM, and QoL using the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, Step Test, Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and Hip and Knee Muscle Strength test. Ethical Considerations This research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Iran University of Medical Sciences (IR. IUMS. REC. 1396. 9511340012) and it was registered in the Clinical Trial Registration Center (Code: IRCT 20150314021459N6). Results All outcome measures improved in both research groups. The improvement in the scores of pain (P=0. 03), knee extension RoM (P=0. 007), and TUG test (P=0. 033) were significantly higher in the intervention group, compared to the control group. The strength of knee flexors (P=0. 023), hip flexors (P=0. 040), hip extensors (P=0. 028), hip adductors (P=0. 040), and hip external rotators (P=0. 047) significantly improved higher in the intervention group. Conclusion According to the present research results, both treatment approaches were effective on patients with unilateral total knee arthroplasty. Considering the better result of some of the outcome measures in the intervention group, the addition of hip strengthening exercises to knee exercises can be useful.

Background and Aim Deferasirox (Exjade) is an iron-chelating drug used in patients with beta-thalassemia major. Oxidative stress is among f the major causes of nephrotoxicity and its progression. Deferasirox, due to oxidative stress and increased cell apoptosis causes the dysfunction of renal tubules and renal toxicity. According to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, the present study explored the effect of vitamin C on deferasirox-induced kidney damage. Methods & Materials This study was performed on 30 Wistar rats in 3 groups of control, deferasirox, and deferasirox plus vitamin C. To induce the nephrotoxicity, the intra-peritoneum injection of deferasirox (75 mg/kg/day) was used. After taking plasma from the blood samples of the explored rats, we determined the values of Cr, Na+, K+, Mg+, osmolality, and BUN in the obtained plasma and urine samples. The creatinine clearance, as well as the relative and absolute excretion of sodium and potassium, were also calculated. After separating the two kidneys, they were used for the histologic study with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) staining, as well as Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) biochemical studies. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Arak University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR. ARAKMU. REC. 1396. 309). Results Cotreatment with deferasirox and vitamin C reduced renal tissue MDA and relative and absolute Na and K excretion and urine osmolarity; this method also increased creatinine clearance and renal tissue FRAP. Conclusion The co-administration of vitamin C presented a significant protective effect on the renal toxicity induced by deferasirox. The protective property of deferasirox is because of the antioxidant impacts of vitamin C in reducing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation.

Background and Aim Despite numerous advances in treating various diseases and increased life expectancy, obesity will be the leading cause of hopelessness in the next 100 years. The present study aimed to compare the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on lifestyle habits, disordered eating behavior, and health-promoting lifestyle in obese women. Methods & Materials The statistical population consisted of all women referring to obesity clinics in district 2 of Tehran City, Iran, in 2019. Forty-Five patients were selected by convenience sampling method and replaced in 3 groups of 15 (two experimental & one control groups). The study participants were assessed using the Assessment of Life Habits Scale (LIFE-H)), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II). The ACT group underwent nine 90-minute sessions and the CBT group received eight 90-minute sessions. The control group received no training. The collected data were analyzed using Mixed Design and repeated-measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in SPSS. Ethical Considerations This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch (Code: IR. IAU. K. REC. 1398. 039). Results The present research results signified that ACT and CBT were effective on the habits of eating disorders and health-promoting lifestyles in the explored obese women. The achieved changes remained stable until the follow-up phase (P<0. 001). Moreover, ACT was more successful than CBT in improving the components of life habits and health responsibilities in the study subjects (P<0. 001). Conclusion Considering the significant effect of group-based ACT and CBT, it is recommended to use these methods to increase the mental health of obese individuals.