Journal of Babol University of Medical Sciences
Year:2021 | Volume:23 | Issue:ab001|Papers Count:7

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Ketogenic diet (KGD) is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat and average protein dietary formulation, which has been reported with the ability to ameliorate several metabolic diseases, especially those under the direct influence of hormonal disruptions. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) had been found to induce uterine fibroids in laboratory animals through alterations to hormones, lipids and oxidative state. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of KGD on MSG-induced uterine fibroid. METHODS: In this experimental study twenty-four female Wistar rats were divided into four groups of six. Control group received distilled water while the remaining groups were given 300 mg/kg body weight of MSG once a day for 28 days. Thereafter, the three groups of MSG, MSG + keto group 1 and MSG + keto group 2 received standard rat chow, cabbage-based ketogenic diet and coconut-based ketogenic diet, respectively for 42 days. Estrogen, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH), Luteinizing Hormone (LH), malondialdehyde (MDA), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and Total Cholesterol (TC) were determined in the blood of animals using standard methods and induction of fibroids was confirmed in the uterus by histomorphological measurements. FINDINGS: Significant elevations (p<0. 05) were observed in the levels of estrogen (1. 80±, 0. 09 &1. 27±, 0. 12), LH (1. 04±, 0. 04 & 0. 39±, 0. 01), FSH (1. 51±, 0. 04 & 0. 65±, 0. 03), TC and MDA in the MSG group compared to control. There were significant decreases (p<0. 05) in the activities of CAT and SOD enzymes in the MSG group compared to control. Histological analysis confirmed significant reduction (p<0. 05) in leiomyomas of the dietary treatment groups compared to that of MSG. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that cabbage-and coconut-based KGD may control the occurrence and progression of fibroids through reduction of oxidative damage and amelioration of hormonal imbalance induced by MSG.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Chronic kidney disease is one of the major health problems in todaychr('39')s world that creates a threatening situation for the health and socioeconomic status of the affected person, his/her family and the whole society. Due to the fact that in chronic diseases, a spiritual crisis appears in the individual, this study was therefore conducted to investigate the effect of spiritual health on resilience in patients undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed on 130 patients undergoing hemodialysis in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Babol in 2017-2018. Data were collected and analyzed using Spiritual Well Being Scale (SWBS) (Paloutzian & Ellison) with a score of 20-125 at three levels of low, medium and high, as well as Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC) with a score of 20-125 at three levels of low, medium and high. FINDINGS In this study, 5 (3. 8%) patients had low, 81 (62. 3%) had medium and 44 (33. 8%) had high spiritual health. The mean score of spiritual health was 87. 80±, 21. 12 and was at a medium level. Furthermore, 6 patients (4. 6%) had low resilience, 95 patients (73. 1%) had medium and 29 patients (22. 3%) had high resilience. The mean total resilience score was 86. 63±, 19. 48 and was at a medium level. The relationship between spiritual health and resilience was direct and significant (p<0. 001, r=0. 62). CONCLUSION The present study showed that spiritual health has a significant and positive relationship with resilience of patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Chronic urticaria is a common skin condition that is manifested with erythematous or white edema, itching, and transient dermis with or without angioedema. Due to insufficient knowledge of the etiology of many of these chronic lesions, this study was performed to investigate some factors related to individual and laboratory indices of patients. METHODS In this descriptive study, 210 patients (154 females and 54 males) with chronic urticaria referred to Asthma and Allergy Clinic of Ahvaz from September 2015 to February 2019 were evaluated. Routine tests were performed for all patients including blood cell count, antinuclear antibodies, thyroxine and thyroid stimulating hormones, anti-thyroperoxidase (TPO) and anti-thyroglobulin (Tg) antibodies, glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and glutamate-pyruvate transaminase (GPT) enzymes, autologous serum skin test and stool test. FINDINGS Of all patients, 166 (79%) had physical urticaria, 125 (59. 5%) had atopy and 158 (75%) had angioedema. Autologous serum skin test with a frequency of more than 74. 28% was positive in patients. Except for 3 patients (1. 42%) with low serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and normal thyroxine (mild hypothyroidism) and 49 patients (23. 33%) with abnormal increase in anti-thyroperoxidase and anti-thyroglobulin serum antibodies, the rest of the subjects (75. 23%) were healthy. The results of anti-nuclear antibody and stool tests were also generally normal. CONCLUSION Based on the results of this study, in order to diagnose patients with chronic urticaria with or without angioedema, it is necessary to perform autologous serum skin test and thyroid function tests along with detailed clinical examinations.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Non-alcoholic fatty liver is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and is considered as one of the hepatic manifestations of metabolic syndrome, and since one of the effective treatments for this disease is exercise, the aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in Fetuin-B and retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) during eight weeks of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in women with fatty liver. METHODS This experimental study was performed on 25 women with fatty liver disease in the age range of 30-50 years in two groups of training (n=13) and control (n=12). The training group was included in the intermittent high-intensity exercise protocols (8 weeks and four sessions per week and each session for 48 to 60 minutes) and the control group participated in the study without any intervention. Fetuin-B and RBP4 were evaluated and compared by ELISA using a kit made by Elabscience Inc. FINDINGS The results of the present study showed that the levels of Fetuin-B in the training group (752. 50±, 191. 23) had a significant decrease compared to the control group (1141. 90±, 227. 23) (p=0. 001). Moreover, RBP4 had a significant decrease in the training group (25. 42±, 1. 11) compared to the control group (30. 33±, 3. 09) (p=0. 001). CONCLUSION The results of the study showed that a course of high-intensity interval training can be a suitable and preventive strategy to improve Fetuin-B and RBP4 levels in women with fatty liver.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Organizational citizenship behavior is a performance beyond job duties that can lead to professional behavior and improve the performance of the organization and the quality of services. Considering that the physical health of nurses is one of the requirements for the quality of their performance, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and professional behavior mediated by nurses' physical health. METHODS This cross-sectional study was performed in 2019 among 350 nurses working in Amirkola Children's Hospital, and Yahyanejad, Shahid Beheshti and Ayatollah Rouhani Hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences. Using a four-section questionnaire, including Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Podsakoff Organizational Citizenship Behavior Scale (24 items with a score range of 24-120), Goz Nursing Professional Behavior Scale (27 items with a score range of 27-135) and Physical Health Questionnaire (14 items with a score range of 14-98), the required data were collected and evaluated. FINDINGS There were 245 female nurses (70%) and 105 male nurses (30%). The age of 59. 4% of subjects was in the rage of 30-39 years. The mean value of organizational citizenship behavior was 75. 77±, 17. 93 and the mean value of professional behavior was 102. 30±, 18. 27. The relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and professional behavior was direct and significant (path coefficient=0. 481, p<0. 001). The mean value of physical health was 47. 17±, 10. 80 and physical health played a mediating role in the relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and professional behavior (p<0. 05). CONCLUSION The results of the study showed that there was a direct relationship between organizational citizenship behavior and professional behavior and the mediating role of nurses' physical health in this regard was confirmed.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The activity of the cardiovascular system is carried out by the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). ANS itself is controlled by multiple nerve centers. At present, there is little and scattered information about them in Persian language. The aim of this review article is to collect information about nerve centers that control ANS and their relationship with cardiovascular activity in Persian. METHODS In this review article, by searching the international and national databases of web of science, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, ISC and Magiran until 2020 and using the keywords cardiovascular system, baroreflex, the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM), the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus (SON), amygdala, raphe nucleus, the periaqueductal gray (PAG), cuneiform nucleus (CnF), the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM) and the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT), data about Autonomic Nervous System were collected. FINDINGS Evaluations have shown that the most important brain centers for regulating blood pressure are the rostral ventrolateral medulla, the nucleus tractus solitarius, the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, the periaqueductal gray, and raphe nucleus, which control cardiovascular activity mainly by affecting the sympathetic system. CONCLUSION According to the results of this study, the maintenance of basal blood pressure, heart rate regulation and reflex control of blood pressure and heart rate are mainly done by autonomic and especially sympathetic nerve centers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Orofacial clefts are the most common congenital facial defect. Genetic and environmental factors play a role in their development. The prevalence of orofacial clefts in Qom province has not been studied so far. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of orofacial clefts and associated factors in infants born in Qom province during 2010-2018. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, during nine years, the medical files of all infants with orofacial clefts and the files of their mothers in all hospitals of Qom province were examined. The files of 476 healthy infants were also evaluated to investigate the associated factors. Healthy infants were selected one number before and one after the case number of sick infants. Infant-related variables (weight, blood type, and other illnesses) and parent-related factors (age, smoking, alcohol, and medications, illness, consanguineous marriage, and number of children) were extracted through reviewing the files or telephone interview. FINDINGS Of the 171, 270 infants, 238 were found with orofacial clefts (1. 39 per 1, 000 births). Isolated cleft palate with 39. 5% was the most common type of anomaly. Among the studied factors, the percentage of smoking in fathers in the case group (34. 5%) was higher than the control group (24. 2%) (p=0. 004). Moreover, the history of maternal high blood pressure in the case group (7. 6%) was higher than the control group (3. 4%) (p=0. 013). The incidence of diabetes in mothers of the case group (18. 9%) was higher than the control group (8. 2%) (p=0. 001). CONCLUSION The results of the study showed that the prevalence of orofacial cleft is 1. 39 per 1000 births and smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure are the associated risk factors.