Scientific Journal of Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences
Year:2022 | Volume: | Issue: |Papers Count:12

Background and Aim: Selenium poisoning can occur in human and animals due to excess intake of selenium compounds. Considering the tissue oxidative damage in toxic amounts of Selenium, the present study was conducted to evaluated the effect of Beta vulgaris extract, a plant containing antioxidant compounds, on the treatment of experimentally induced selenosis. Materials and Methods: In this study, 32 rats were divided into four equal groups: control group, the second group received 6 mg/kg of sodium selenite daily, the third and fourth groups received the same amount of sodium selenite along with the oral administration of 240 and 500 mg/kg of hydroalcoholic extract of Beta vulgaris respectively, for ten days. At the end of the study, serum levels of total bilirubin, aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were measured. Pathologic changes in liver, kidney, heart, brain, lung, skin tissues and hair were evaluated. Data were analyzed using oneway ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test. P< 0. 05 was considered significant. Results: Serum levels of total bilirubin, AST, ALT, and ALP in the group receiving extract at the dose of 500 mg/kg along with sodium selenite showed a significant decrease compared to those in the group receiving sodium selenite (P < 0. 05). Concentrations of GPX, SOD, and CAT in the group receiving sodium selenite and the extract at the dose of 500 mg/kg were significantly higher than those in the group receiving sodium selenite alone (P < 0. 05). Also in this group pathologic changes in the above mentioned tissues were significantly reduced compared to those in the group receiving Selenium alone(P < 0. 05). Conclusion: The results revealed that Beta vulgaris extract can reduce the biochemical, oxidative stress and pathological effects of experimental selenosis.

Background and Aim: Daunorubicin is an effective antibiotic for the chemotherapy of various cancers. To prevent damage to healthy cells during chemotherapy, it is recommended to change this treatment or protect healthy cells from chemotherapeutic agents by protective compounds. The present study aimed to check the protective effect of royal jelly on male reproductive system against the side effects induced by daunorubicin injection in mice. Materials and Methods: In this study, 77 adult BALB/c mice were randomly divided into seven groups including sham, control, royal jelly 1, royal jelly 2, daunorubicin, royal jelly 1+daunorubicin, and royal jelly 2+daunorubicin. Mice received saline (0. 09%), and daunorubicin (2 mg/kg) intraperitoneally, and royal jelly (50 and 100 mg/kg) orally for 8weeks. The sperm parameters, testis weight, and oxidative stress parameters were evaluated. Using SPSS software (version 16), data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey test. P<0. 05 was considered significant. Results: Daunorubicin caused a significant improvement in sperm parameters, testicular weight, total antioxidant capacity (p<0. 01), and a significant decrease in malondialdehyde levels (p<0. 05), while in the treatment group these changes were compensated by royal jelly. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that daunorubicin caused decrease in sperm parameters and increased oxidative stress, while royal jelly, as a rich source of antioxidants, moderated these changes.

Background and Aim: Cardiac function and resistance to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury are affected by various factors including sex hormones, especially androgens and estrogens. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of prenatal testosterone exposure on cardiac tolerance to I/R injury in male rats during adulthood. Materials and Methods: The hearts of male rats exposed to testosterone during the critical period of fetal development (experimental group) and also rats in the control group were isolated and perfused in a Langendorff apparatus. Values of hemodynamic parameters, including left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP), rate pressure product (RPP) and peak rates of positive and negative changes in left ventricular pressure (±, dp/dt) were recorded using a power lab system. Generalized linear regression model and generalized estimation equation model were used for data analysis. Results: At baseline (before ischemia), adult male rats in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher values of LVSP, LVDP, RPP and ±,dp/dt, compared to the rats in the control group (P < 0. 05). After reperfusion, the values of LVSP, LVDP, RPP and ±, dp/dt significantly decreased in the experimental rats compared to the rats in the control group (P < 0. 05). Conclusion: The present study showed that fetal hyperexposure to testosterone led to lower cardiac tolerance to I/R injury in male rats, in adulthood.

Background and Aim: Despite the theoretical superiority of oral contraceptives (OCs) containing antiandrogenic progestins, to the products with androgenic activity, the clinical benefits of these compounds remain unknown. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of OCs containing desogestrel (DSG) or drospirenone (DRSP) on the hormonal, clinical and metabolic parameters of the patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Materials and Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial and included 126 patients with PCOS. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the intervention groups using OCs containing DSG or DRSP. Outcomes of interest, including serum androgens, Ferriman-Gallwey score, and anthropometric and metabolic parameters were measured at the baseline, third, and sixth months of treatment. Results: After 3 to 6 months of treatment with OCs, we found no significant difference between the two groups in regard to serum androgen levels. There were also no significant differences between the two treatment groups, in terms of Ferriman-Gallwey score and anthropometric parameters, except for waist circumference in the sixth month of treatment (P = 0. 011). After 3 months of the intervention, patients treated with OCs containing DSG had higher levels of lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) (P = 0. 017), higher systolic (P = 0. 013) and diastolic blood pressures (P = 0. 008) than those treated with OCs containing DRSP. Conclusion: Although use of OCs containing antiandrogenic and androgenic progestins had the same effects on hormonal profiles, anthropometric and hirsutism parameters, compounds containing DSG were associated with more negative effects on serum lipids and blood pressure.

Background and Aim: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common disorder in women of childbearing age that can be associated with adverse pregnancy complications. The aim of this study was to compare the adverse pregnancy consequences between pregnant women with PCOS and control group in Qazvin. Materials and Methods: In this study, 150 pregnant women with PCOS aged 18-35 years with gestational age of more than 20 weeks were selected as our case group based on Rotterdam criteria and our control group included 150 pregnant women without PCOS. The groups were compared in terms of pregnancy complications including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, low birth weight, and neonatal admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic data including age, weight, height and BMI. In the case group (PCOS) we found gestational diabetes in 33 cases (64. 7%) (P=0. 021), preeclampsia in 44 cases (67. 7%) (P=0. 002), and preterm delivery 70 in cases (75. 3%) which indicated a significant difference between the case and control groups (P<0. 0001). The case group had higher neonatal complications than control group in regard to low birth weight (40 cases, 64. 5%, P=0. 008) and NICU admission (30 cases, 66. 7%, P=0. 015). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that PCOS, due to its metabolic effects, may increase the incidence of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm delivery, low birth weight or macrosomia and long term NICU admission.

Background and Aim: Periodontitis is an infectious bacterial disease that leads to increased production of cytokines including prostaglandins. During maternal delivery, the level of prostaglandin increases to the threshold level in the amniotic fluid which leads to delivery. In the presence of infection, an increase in the amount of prostaglandins may occur sooner than the due date. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between periodontitis and low birth weight in pregnant women. Materials and Methods: 114 pregnant women (40 cases and 74 controls) participated in this case-control study. Periodontal indexes including pocket depth (PD), plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), clinical attachment loss (CAL), and bleeding on probing (BOP) were evaluated in all mothers and infants' weights were recorded. Using SPSS software version 20, data were analyzed by descriptive and quantitative tests. Results: The results showed significant statistical differences between the two groups in regard to BOP, PI, GI (p<0. 001) and PD (p<0. 05). Mothers of 92. 5% of neonates with birth weights of less than 2500 grams, had periodontitis, while periodontitis was detected in the mothers of 1. 4% of infants with birth weights of more than 2500 grams and this difference was statistically significant. (p<0. 05) Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the periodontal condition of the pregnant women can affect neonatal birth weight. Therefore, it is necessary to design educational programs on gum diseases and their effects on the newborn before pregnancy.

Background and Aim: Excessive interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) in hemodialysis (HD) patients has serious effects. Therefore patients should follow a fluid-restriction diet. Nonadherence to fluid restriction can lead to excessive IDWG. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ice chips on thirst, xerostomia and IDWG in HD patients. Materials and Methods: This one-group pretest-posttest study included 49 HD patients and had three stages. In the first week (baseline stage) the patients received instructions for three sessions. In the second week (liquid stage) patients consumed fluid for one week and in the third week (ice chip stage) patients consumed fluid and ice intermittently for one week. Weights of the patients were measured before and after every dialysis session. Thirst and dry mouth were evaluated only before the dialysis session. Using SPSS version 16, data were analyzed by t-test and Wilcoxon tests. Results: The average IDWG (p=0. 001) and xerostomia scores (p=0. 041) in the two stages of fluid and ice chips were significantly different. Comparison of the thirst scores (p=0. 127) between the two stages of fluids and ice chips showed no significant difference. Conclusion: Consumption of ice chips led to reduction in IDWG which was indicative of less fluid consumption by the patients. This is one of the most important goals of care in HD patients, and can be used as an educational recommendation for them.

Background and Aim: Nowadays, diabetes mellitus is a major challenge for human health. Serine/threonine-protein kinase 4 (STK4) is a main regulator of pancreatic β,-cell death and dysfunction, and its over activation can lead to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Deficiency of STK4 restores functional β,-cells and normoglycemia. In the current study, for the first time, we used molecular modeling to discover a potent STK4 inhibitor. Materials and Methods: In this study, among 51220 molecules in ZINC database, we used the molecular docking method for virtual screening process to select the potent and effective inhibitors against STK4. We used Desmond software for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations studies of the structures with the lowest free binding energy for 100 ns. The ADME properties of the selected compounds were calculated by Qikprop software. Results: Virtual screening results showed that compounds with ZINC ID of ZINC95918625, ZINC85569233, ZINC03874317, ZINC00105086 and ZINC14819359 can be considered as STK4 inhibitors. Among these compounds, ZINC95918625 had the lowest free binding energy (-11. 67 kcal/mol). After the 100 ns MD studies, ZINC95918625 interacted with STK4 residues of Lys59, Glu73, Cys105, and Gly153 via hydrogen bonding. ADME analysis exhibited that all pharmaco-kinteic parameters of ZINC95918625 were within the reasonable range. Conclusion: Our study can provide valuable information about new inhibitors for diabetes treatment. The findings of this study indicated that ZINC95918625 molecule could be used as a novel STK4 inhibitor in the future studies.

Background and Aim: Irrigation with wastewater and the use of sludge as fertilizer is one of the important issues related to health and environmental concerns. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of heavy metals of arsenic, cadmium and lead in potato and soil of agricultural lands in Sefid Dasht in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province. Materials and Methods: This study was an experimental-laboratory study. Samples were obtained from three agricultural lands with an average area of one hectare. Hach digestion and Sandstone were used for digestion of soil and potato samples, respectively. Finally, the concentrations of heavy metals were measured using Varian atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA240 model). Results: The results of this study showed that lead metal had the highest rate of accumulation in soil and potato. The calculated transfer factor was according to the Arsenic > Cadmium > Lead pattern. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, measures should be taken to prevent contamination of the soil by heavy elements. Therefore, the amount of heavy elements in the soil of Sefid Dasht should be controlled by reducing use of livestock manure and chemical fertilizers.

Background and aim: Conventional methods for evaluation of skin aging are based mainly on physiological or biochemical observations. The aim of this study is to provide a non-invasive method based on the extraction of biomechanical parameters of the skin resulting from the processing of sequential high-frequency ultrasound images in order to investigate the process of formation of skin lesions. Materials and Methods: In order to evaluate the process of skin damage, 25 C57BL6 mice were exposed to UVB radiation. The mechanical parameters of the skin derived from the processing of sequential ultrasound images were also estimated weekly by the motion estimation algorithm (gradient and block matching) during the injury process and mean ±,standard deviation was used to report the results. Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the elastic parameters in the trend of changes over 5 weeks. Results: Significant correlation was obtained between elasticity extracted from non-invasive ultrasonic image processing method and invasive tensiometric method with a correlation coefficient of more than 0. 79. By analysis of the sequential ultrasound images, the results showed that the axial elastic and the shear modulus of the skin layers were significantly increased, which indicated the increased skin firmness (p <0. 05). Conclusion: According to the findings of the present study we recommend a non-invasive method for extraction of local biomechanical parameters of skin based on the processing of sequential high-frequency ultrasound images for following the skin damage caused by ultraviolet radiation.

Background and Aim: Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is a neurological syndrome which presents with various clinical symptoms, such as headache, alteration of consciousness, seizure, visual disturbances. Parieto-occipital white matter changes are the predominant findings in MRI and vasogenic edema is known as the most accepted pathophysiology of this disorder. Case presentation: We report a case of PRES in a 22-year-old primigravida near term pregnant woman who presented with blurred vision, followed by seizures. Brain MRI was suggestive of PRES. Supportive treatment resulted in clinical improvement with complete recovery from visual impairment. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are important measures to prevent short-and long-term neurological deficits in PRES.