Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Year:2023 | Volume:32 | Issue:218 |Papers Count:17

Background and purpose: LncRNAs are a group of non-coding RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, that have a potential role in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of some disorders such as cancers. There is paucity of information about their involvement in hemophilia disease. This study aimed at discovering the relationship between expression levels of two common LncRNAs (MALAT-1 and HOTAIR) and incidence of hemophilia A in Iranian male patients. Materials and methods: In this case-control study two common LncRNAs (HOTAIR and MALAT-1) were selected for gene expression analysis using quantitative Real-time PCR based on their features. At first, 5 ml of whole blood in EDTA anti-coagulant tube was collected from 50 severe hemophilia A male patients and 50 healthy male donors. Then, total RNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the cDNA was synthesized by reverse transcription method. After that, the expression of the selected LncRNAs was analyzed using qRT-PCR. Finally, the gene expression ratios for the LncRNAs were analyzed using REST-2009. Results: A comparison between the hemophilia and non-hemophilia (healthy) groups demonstrated that the mean expression levels of two selected LncRNAs (MALAT-1 and HOTAIR) were significantly lower in hemophilia A samples compared with normal samples (P< 0. 05). Conclusion: The low expression levels of HOTAIR and MALAT-1 LncRNAs may be associated with incidence of disease in hemophilia A male patients.

Background and purpose: Antibacterial properties of restorative materials are of great advantage as they control the progression of tooth decay. The use of self-adhesive composite materials has some benefits such as easier application and reduced treatment time. Because the antibacterial properties of restorative materials can play an important role in preventing secondary decay, especially in cervical restorations, this study was designed to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of self-adhesive flowable composite against Streptococcus mutans. Materials and methods: An in vitro study was performed using 9 discs for each composite and glass ionomer group. The discs were prepared in three groups: micro-hybrid flowable composite samples, self-adhesive flowable composite samples, and self-curing glass ionomer samples. Direct contact test was used to compare the antibacterial properties of the discs. Data collection was done by direct contact test and visual counting of grown bacterial colonies. Data were recorded in a checklist developed according to the objectives of the study and analyzed using One-way ANOVA and Independent T-test in SPSS V22. Results: Findings showed that the antibacterial effect of glass ionomer was greater than that of flowable micro-hybrid composite and self-adhesive flowable composite. Also, a significant difference was observed between the antimicrobial activity of flowable microhybrid composite and self-adhesive flowable composite against Streptococcus mutans (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Glass ionomer and self-adhesive composite have a higher antibacterial effect against Streptococcus mutans, so they can be used as alternatives to treat tooth decay.

Background and purpose: Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic respiratory diseases which has become more prevalent over the past three decades. Seroflo and Seretide are inhalers that contain fluticasone (an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid) and salmeterol (a long-acting bronchodilator). This study aimed to compare the effects of Seroflo and Seretide nasal sprays on spirometry criteria and clinical symptoms in pediatric patients with moderate to severe asthma. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was performed using the medical records of 42 patients aged 6-15 years with a history of moderate-to-severe persistent asthma who were treated with Seroflo (group A)and Seretide (group B) inhalers in Shahid Motahari Hospital (affiliated with Urmia University of Medical Sciences). Data, including age, gender, clinical symptoms (coughs and shortness of breath), and spirometry variables were documented in pre-made checklists. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS V22. Results: Changes in PEF and FEV1 (parameters of treatment responses) were statistically significant in both groups (P<0. 05), but no significant differences were observed in these parameters between the two groups (P>0. 05). In this study, treatment with Seroflo caused more significant relief in clinical symptoms, including coughs, intermittent shortness of breath, daily attacks, and wheezing compared to Seretide after one and three months of treatment (P<0. 05). Conclusion: This study suggested that Seroflo and Seretide inhalers improved the spirometry indices to a similar degree, but treatment with Seroflo relieved the patients’,clinical symptoms more than Seretide.

Background and purpose: Anxiety before Cesarean section (C-section) is one of the common disorders that is caused by different reasons. According to Iranian traditional medicine, temperament indicates the specific characteristics of each person and its understanding is of great benefit in prevention and treatment of diseases and implementing interventions. The present study was conducted to determine the relationship between temperament and anxiety before C-section. Materials and methods: This descriptive analytical study was conducted in 327 pregnant women candidates for C-section in Kerman, Iran 2020-2021. Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Salmannezhad Temperament (Mizaj) Questionnaire were completed at gynecology ward before Csection. Analysis of quantitative data was done applying ANOVA and T-test and analysis of qualitative variables was done using Chi-square test in SPSS V21. Results: The average age of pregnant women was 29. 24±, 6. 33 years and 37. 3% were experiencing their second pregnancy. The mean scores for latent anxiety before C-section in cold-tempered mothers and warm-tempered mothers were 54. 43±, 8. 29 and 34. 44±, 9. 81, respectively, (P=0. 001). Conclusion: The level of latent anxiety before C-section was higher in cold-tempered mothers than warm-tempered and moderate-tempered mothers. Therefore, necessary measures considering traditional medicine are recommended for cold-tempered mothers before surgery.

Background and purpose: Electronic learning (e-learning) is highly important nowadays, so, it is necessary to have a suitable tool to check its level of acceptance and outcomes. The present study aimed to evaluate e-learning acceptance and learning outcomes in university students. Materials and methods: A methodological cross-sectional study was performed in 410 undergraduate students at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences and Tehran Azad University, Electronics Branch in April-June 2022. The participants completed the 46-item questionnaire about the acceptance of e-learning and the outcomes of learning. The face validity, content validity, and construct validity (convergent and divergent validity) of the questionnaire were evaluated. The reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha, theta, and McDonald omega coefficients. The construct structure of the questionnaire was analyzed using factor analysis. Results: Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, seven factors were extracted: learning outcomes, course content and design, infrastructures, the instructor, student computer competency, supports provided by the university, and easy access to electronic facilities. The fit indices of the model confirmed the two-level structure of e-learning acceptance and learning outcomes in the students (PCFI=0. 825, PNFI=0. 747, CMIN/DF=1. 714, RMSEA=0. 050, AGFI=0. 831, IFI=0. 925). The questionnaire’, s convergent validity and divergent validity, and also the internal consistency and reliability (<0. 7) were confirmed. Conclusion: The present study revealed that the acceptance of e-learning and learning outcomes questionnaire had good validity and reliability in a selected population of undergraduate students. Due to the suitable psychometric properties of the tool, it can be used in future studies that evaluate the acceptance of the e-learning and learning outcomes in this population.

Background and purpose: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating condition that may require reduction or discontinuation of chemotherapy. Identifying effective methods in treatment of established CIPN requires determining the frequency of CIPN. There is a lack of comprehensive studies on this issue, so, this study was conducted to investigate the frequency of peripheral neuropathy caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients in Sari Imam Khomeini Hospital. Materials and methods: This longitudinal study was done in cancer patients receiving thalidomide derivatives, vinca alkaloids, taxanes, proteasome inhibitors, platinums, and microtubule destabilizers in Comprehensive Cancer Center at Sari Imam Khomeini Hospital (2021-2022). Neurotoxicity was assessed by the EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 questionnaire before the start of the chemotherapy cycle and three months later. Data analysis was carried out in SPSS by applying MannWhitney U test, t-test, and Chi-square. Results: The study included 103 patients. Fifty-four patients (52. 4%) were younger than 55 years old and 49 (47. 6%) were older than 55 years of age. Forty-nine patients (47. 6%) developed chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in the three-month follow-up. Symptoms were more frequent in women, but were not significant (P=0. 11). The average body mass index in patients who experienced neuropathy was higher than that in patients without neuropathy. Conclusion: Almost half of the patients developed CIPN which raises the need for preventive training and interventions.

Background and purpose: Cesarean section (C-section) is associated with high rate of complications, one of the most important of which is bleeding. Isthmocele is one of the causes of bleeding after a C-section. This study was performed to evaluate the risk factors and clinical findings of isthmocele in women undergoing C-section. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 women with a history of cesarean delivery in Sari Imam Khomeini Hospital (2017-2018) were studied. Demographic information, risk factors, and clinical and ultrasound findings were recorded. Independent t-test and Chi-square were applied for data analysis. Relationship between isthmocele risk factors and its incidence was investigated by multiple logistic regression. Results: In this study, 57 patients (28. 5%) had isthmocele and 143 (71. 5%) did not have the problem (P=0. 03). According to findings, 100% of patients with isthmocele had dilatation less than 5 cm and 89. 7% underwent cesarean in less than five hours since the onset of labor, indicating a significant difference compared to those without isthmocele (P=0. 04 and P=0. 08, respectively). Number of Csections was higher in patients with isthmocele (1. 9±, 0. 8) than in those without isthmocele (P=0. 03). Among the symptoms, there was a significant difference in abnormal uterine bleeding (P=0. 02), menometrorrhagia (P=0. 01), spotting (P<0. 001), and dysmenorrhea (P=0. 04) between the groups with and without isthmocele. Conclusion: Abnormal uterine bleeding was found as the most common symptom and recurrent cesarean was identified as the most important risk factor for isthmocele, which needs to be reduced by health care providers.

Background and purpose: Violence against nurses is a growing global problem in all countries such as Iran. Due to the importance of this issue, this study was performed to investigate the relationship between the communication skills of nurses and the violence they experience in emergency departments at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in 224 nurses in Mazandaran province in 2019. The samples were selected via census. Workplace violence in the health sector questionnaire and Burton G. E questionnaire were used to evaluate nurse’, s communication skills, respectively. Data were analyzed in SPSS V25. Results: Verbal violence was the most frequent form of violence against nurses (85. 3%) and patients were the main source of violence. In this study, the mean score for nurses’,communication skills was 58. 13 that indicated moderate levels of communication skills. The study showed no significant relationship between nurses’,communication skills and the incidence of violence (P=0. 85). Conclusion: Although there was no significant relationship between emergency nurses’,communication skills and incidence of violence against them, enhancing their communication skills should be considered by managers.

Background and purpose: Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in terms of incidence and the second most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of CTGF and MLH1 gene in colorectal cancer tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues in patients in Golestan province. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 20 colorectal cancer tissue samples and 20 adjacent healthy tissue samples were collected from Sayad Shirazi Hospital Research Center, Gorgan. After RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and primer design, the expresion of CTGF and MLH1 genes were measured by Real Time PCR. Statistical analysis of data was done in Graphpad Prism software. Results: According to findings, increase was seen in the CTGF gene expression level in tumor tissue to the adjacent healthy tissue (P<0. 05), while the ratio of the MLH1 gene expression in the tumor tissue to the adjacent healthy tissue decreased (P<0. 05). Conclusion: This study showed that increased expression levels of CTGF gene and decreased expression levels of MLH1 gene play roles in colorectal cancer.

Background and purpose: The current study is a systematic review about information overflow, that was conducted with the aim of identifying the status of researches conducted in this field, determining research gaps and the components and sub-components of interests, research methodology, and challenges and solutions related to the information overflow of studies. Materials and methods: A systematic review was carried out using all articles published (until January 2022) in Persian and English indexed in electronic databases. First, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined. Then, of the 72 retrieved articles, 20 articles were eligible for analysis. Data were recorded on a checklist based on PRISMA Model. Results: The most frequent components of information overflow include the followings: the effective factor in creating information overflow, individual factor, effective instrumental factor in controlling information overflow, effective environmental factors in solving information overflow, solutions for adjusting information overflow, influence of information overflow on users, and technological infrastructures. The challenges of information overflow in other countries included disappointment, fatigue, stress, feeling flustered, physical and mental pressure, technological overload, confusion, and regret. The challenges in Iran included organizational limitations, human limitations, reluctance to disclose information, complexity of organizations, unoffical and decentralized organizations (50%). The solutions and suggestions presented in the articles included proper management of information overload, value engineering, information control, information and communication technology skills training, and appropriate architecture. Conclusion: By reviewing the researches on information overflow, the results were identified in terms of factors affecting information overflow, existing challenges, and possible solutions. Researchers working in Information Science and Knowledge, software engineers, etc., can be more successful in webbased projects by being aware of the issues raised in this research.

Pregnancy is a critical period. A healthy lifestyle during pregnancy has profound direct and indirect effects on the long-term health of the mother, the fetus and the newborn. According to studies, healthy lifestyle education for pregnant mothers in Iran, including at the level of primary health care, is not in a favorable condition. Lack of training program updates for midwives and lack of documented comprehensive educational content are among the reasons. The present policy brief aimed at dealing with this health problem by implementing the best evidence in practice. We propose "delivering healthy lifestyle education to pregnant women by midwives according to the best evidence-based criteria" to the health policymakers in Iran Ministry of Health and medical sciences universities. In this regard, it is recommended to systematically train midwives in healthcare settings, integration of healthy lifestyle education to mothers and primary health care programs, including that in the electronic health records of pregnant women, and continuous monitoring of these activities could be of great benefit.

Consumption of thousands of tons of industrial chemicals in agriculture, such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides, has created significant environmental problems. The regulations for the import, production, formulation, and utilization of chemical, biological and organic fertilizers and pesticides are not completely implemented in Iran. According to the latest notification of the Jihad Agriculture Minister entitled "Instructions for monitoring the production and health promotion of plant products" (1095/02006/04/2022), the Ministry of Health is the body responsible for investigating and monitoring the remaining of chemical compounds (pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, plant hormones, nitrates, and heavy metals). Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences Food and Drug Deputy in collaboration with Research and Technology Deputy, The Health of Plant and Livestock Products Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences Food and Drug Organization, Provincial Agricultural Jihad Organization, Provincial Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, Agricultural and Natural Resources Engineering Organization of Iran, Iran National Standards Organization, and Environment Protection Agency aim at regulating the utilization of chemical pesticides in agricultural products (strategic products) in Mazandaran province to control the consumption of pesticides in agricultural products and minimize their potential risk to human health and the environment. The main solutions include generating QR Code in the integrated electronic services system of the Organization of Agricultural Engineering and Natural Resources and issuing certificates for product improvement in the Electronic Agricultural Permits System in order to register plant products in production units.