Studies in Medical Sciences
Year:2022 | Volume:32 | Issue:12|Papers Count:8

Background & Aims: The use of curettage in the diagnosis of endometrial disorders is very widespread, and is the most common diagnostic method before performing hysterectomy. Various studies have been performed to compare the pathological results obtained from curettage with the final pathological results of hysterectomy. The results of some of these studies indicated high efficiency of curettage but the others indicated its inefficiency in the diagnosis of endometrial disorders, especially endometrial carcinoma. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of curettage before hysterectomy in determining tumour type. Materials & Method: Pathological specimens obtained from curettage and hysterectomy in 89 patients with endometrial cancer who underwent hysterectomy in Shahid Motahari Hospital in Urmia from 2015 to 2018, were reviewed and the data of these two methods were compared. Demographic information of the patients was also extracted from their files and their relationship with the diagnostic accuracy of curettage before hysterectomy in determination of the type of tumor in the patients with endometrial cancer was examined. Results: Curettage had a high ability to distinguish between malignant and benign forms of the tumor. Due to the positive predictive value and high sensitivity (95. 95% and 80. 68%, respectively) and high diagnostic accuracy in determination of the tumor type (78. 3%), if the curettage result is also positive, curettage indicates malignancy of the tumor with a high confidence level. The diagnostic accuracy of curettage has no significant relationship with age, clinical signs, and tumor type, but is associated with the tumor grade and this association is higher in the tumors with higher FIGO grade than the lowergrade tumors. Conclusion: Due to its high diagnostic accuracy, curettage is a reliable diagnostic method before performing a hysterectomy.

Background & Aims: Leukemia is a particular type of cancer characterized by the failure of cell death or disability in the differentiation of hematopoietic cells. Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is the most studied kind of this type of cancer. In this study, the anticancer effect of the 4-chloro-5-iodo-7H-pyrrolo[2. 3-d]pyrimidine compound on the human leukemia K562 cells was investigated. Materials & Methods: The K562 cell line was cultured by initially seeding 1×10 cells per milliliter in RPMI 1640 medium. Cell viability was investigated using trypan blue exclusion and MTT assays. Cell death in cancer and normal cells was quantified using propidium iodide (PI) and acridine orange (AO) double staining. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the SPSS16 and Excel softwares were used for data analysis. Data were analyzed statistically using the SPSS16 software. A probability level of p<0. 05 was considered as the statistically significant reference. Result: The 4-chloro-5-iodo-7H-pyrrolo[2. 3-d]pyrimidine compound had a strong fatal and concentration-dependent effect on K562 cells and caused cell death mainly through induction of apoptosis. Statistical analysis of the cells under a fluorescence microscope revealed significant differences in apoptotic cell populations between treated and untreated cells. Conclusions: The results of this investigation indicated that the 4-chloro-5-iodo-7H-pyrrolo[2. 3-d]pyrimidine compound does have cytotoxic effects on the K562 cell line. This information also revealed that this compound may initiate a new therapeutic standpoint for the treatment of leukemia.

Background & Aims: Bacterial metabolites are extremely rich resources for discovering new compounds with different biological activities. Metabolites of actinomycetes have significant potential for the production of anticancer compounds. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of two secondary metabolites of soil actinomycetes, UTMC 676 and UTMC 919, on apoptosis induction and their related genes in the human non-small cell lung carcinoma cell line, A549. Materials & Methods: The crude extracts of UTMC 676 and UTMC 919 were prepared from the collection of biological compounds of Tehran University. After cell treatment with UTMC 676 and UTMC 919, cell cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and mRNA expression were measured using MTT, flow cytometry, and q-RT-PCR methods. Doxorubicin was utilized as a positive control. Results: The MTT results showed induction of cytotoxicity by UTMC 676, UTMC 919, and doxorubicin in A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. After 48 hours of treatment, both UTMC 676 and UTMC 919 induced apoptosis in the A549 cell line. However, the apoptotic effect of UTMC 676 was more than doxorubicin. The q-RT-PCR data exhibited that the expression of apoptosis-related genes was enhanced in the treated group compared to the untreated group. Conclusion: These results suggest that the crude extract of UTMC 676 was able to induce apoptosis in A549 cells and could be a very promising source having therapeutic potential against lung cancer cell lines.

Background & Aims: Respiratory complications arised from exposure to flour dust are among most common work-related diseases. This study was conducted to investigate flour dust exposure and its respiratory complications in bakery workers in Urmia in 2021. Material and Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in 2021. The statistical population of the study consists of 166 bakers in Urmia. An standard questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in workers. Data analysis was performed at two levels of descriptive and analytical statistics by SPSS 22 software using t-test, chi-square and one-way ANOVA at the significant level of P <0. 05. Results: The mean and standard deviation of age obtained 40. 39 and 10. 17 years and mean and standard deviation of work experience obtained 15. 13 and 9. 49 years. The most common complication in the studied people were chest sputum (22. 3%) and cough (16. 9%). According to the results, there were significant relationships between respiratory complications with the type of bakery (P= 0. 0001), the type of contact with dust (P= 0. 0001), and also with the type of job (P= 0. 000). Conclusion: The results of this study showed the existence of respiratory complications in the bakers of Urmia. Therefore, in order to reduce respiratory complications, it is necessary to do actions such as providing appropriate personal protective equipment, adequate ventilation, and reducing the duration of exposure.

Background & Aims: Microlithiasis is a common increasing disorder, especially in infants and young children, defined as sonographic detection of hyperechogenic deposits in the pelvic area of the ureter and calyces which are less than 3 mm in diameter. Potassium citrate is one of the drugs used in nephrolithiasis. Citrate prevents the formation of calcium deposits. It also inhibits calcium oxalate crystals, which can be the nidus for kidney stones. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of potassium polycitrate versus no treatment in the infants with microlithiasis. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive-retrospective study, 112 patients referred to a pediatric nephrology clinic were enrolled. Children less than two years old with microlithiasis in kidneys or urinary tract confirmed by ultrasonography imaging were included in the study. Patients were randomly divided into two groups: the first group received potassium citrate solution of 1-2 mEq/kg of body weight daily for two months, and the second group did not receive any specific medication. Follow-up was performed every two months for six months using ultrasound by a skilled radiologist with a fixed ultrasound device. To minimize drug side effects and treatment response, the allergic responses were measured once every two months, and the physician decided drug will or will not continue. Data analysis was done by SPSS 19. The P values <0. 05 were considered significant. Results: The mean age of the study population was 4. 13 ±,2. 27 months. The mean weight in the total study population was 6. 62±, 1. 36 kg and the mean birth weight in the total study population was 3±, 0. 41 kg. According to the results of the study, the decrease in the size or number of stones in one or both kidneys was more in the recipients of polycitrate solution and the increase in the size or number of stones in one or both kidneys was more in the infants not receiving polycitrate (P<0. 001). Conclusions: Factors such as age, sex, current weight, birth weight and type of nutrition have no effect on improving and/or reducing the size and number of renal stones. However, in the group receiving potassium polycitrate solution, there was a significant reduction in the size and number of stones compared to the non-receiving group.

Background & Aims: Acute bacterial infections of the skin and skin tissues (ABSSSIs), especially methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) type, cause many problems for the patient. This Network Meta-Analysis (NMA) was designed to compare the efficacy between vancomycin and other antibiotics to determine a better treatment to resolve skin infections. Materials & Methods: Appropriate NMA studies were searched in the Cochrane central register of controlled trials, Embus, and Medline databases until January 2021. The Random effects model was used for each outcome in the NMA. The well-known PICOS17 strategy was used to search for articles. Descriptive or non-randomized studies, studies without specific outcomes or characteristics of ABSSSIs, review studies, and studies with subgroup analysis or information without the desired intervention were excluded from the study. Results: 26 randomized controlled trials with 16031 patients met the inclusion criteria. The results of NMA showed that the efficacy of ceftaroline fusamil, delafloxacin, GNGQ2, linezolid, omadacycline, Tigecyclin, and vancomycin-aztreonam were higher than the standard treatment, and the glycopeptides of dalbavancin, oritavancin, and telavancin are not significantly different from them. In the case of MRSA infections, Tedizolid, Linezolid, dalbavancin, and vancomycin-Linezolid therapy were shown to be more effective than the standard therapy. Conclusion: It could be concluded that due to some known advantages of glycopeptides and that they are not inferior to vancomycin in terms of efficacy, these drugs can be a good alternative to vancomycin.

Background & Aims: Oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of sesame oil on oxidative stress parameters caused by administration of streptozotocin in male rats. Matherials & Methods: This interventional experimental study was performed on five groups (7 on each) of male Wistar rats (250-270 g), including: the control group that did not receive any drug, the sham group that received 5 μ, l of saline in the lateral ventricles of the brain for 7 days, the streptotocin group which received 5 μ, l of streptotocin at a dose of 1. 5 mg/kg in the lateral ventricles for 7 days, and two groups of streptotocin+sesame oil, which were first pre-treated by intraperitoneal injection of 5 ml/kg of sesame oil in two periods of 7 and 28 days and then received streptotocin. 48 hours after the last drug injection in the experimental groups, the hippocampuses of the rats' brains were separated and homogenized. The activity of antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase, superoxide desmutase, catalase, and the total amount of glutathione in the hippocampus tissue were measured using special kits. Data analysis was done by one-way ANOVA. Results: The activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and total glutathione in the hippocampal tissue of streptozotocin-treated rats decreased compared to the control group (P <0. 05). 28-day pretreatment with sesame oil improved the activity of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, catalase and the total amount of hippocampal glutathione in the streptozotocin+sesame oil group to normal values, compared to the streptozotocin group (P<0. 05). Conclusion: By modulating the parameters of oxidative stress in the hippocampus, nutrition of sesame oil may prevent excessive reduction of antioxidant enzymes in the people with or prone to Alzheimer's disease.

Background & Aims: Kawasaki disease is a systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology that is common in the pediatric patients. The primary therapeutic strategy includes aspirin and Intravenous Immunoglobulin. The present study aimed to investigate the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) in the patients with Kawasaki and its relationship with the resistance to IVIg therapy. Materials and Methods: The present study included the patients presenting to the Motahari Hospital, Urmia, Iran, whom diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and received IVIg during 2008-2019. The authors collected the data from the patients' medical records and reassessed the patients' data for meeting the diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki. Afterward, the data of eligible patients entered the analysis. Results: The data from 460 patients were obtained and assessed for meeting the diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki. Of 460 patients, 241 met the eligibility criteria, and the data for other patients that meet exclusion criteria were excluded from the study. According to the results of our study, response to IVIg therapy had a significant relationship with the variables of blood and urinary leukocyte counts (p=0. 013 and p=0. 01, respectively). However, we didn’, t find any significant relationship between the response to IVIg therapy and the variables of age, gender, NLR, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, C-Reactive Protein (CRP), serum albumin level, ALT, hemoglobin, platelet count, and the interval between onset of symptoms and treatment initiation. Conclusion: High blood leukocyte count along with low urinary leukocyte count can predict the response to IVIg treatment and subsequent prognosis in the patients affected by the Kawasaki disease. However, the NLR did not show clinical relevance.