Journal of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences
Year:2022 | Volume:22 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Background & objectives: Tissue engineering is a growing field to repair and replace the defective function of damaged tissue or organ, and today it is proposed as a new treatment to replace conventional transplant methods. For this purpose, polymeric biomaterials (scaffolds) and living cells are used. The purpose of this study is to fabricate polycaprolactan (PCL) nanoscaffold and load silymarin on the nanoscaffold to check the biocompatibility and proliferation ability of pc12 cells on it. Methods: In order to prepare polycaprolactan nanoscaffold and load silymarin on it, 7% polycaprolactan solution (dissolved in acetic acid) was mixed with silymarin solution with a concentration of 0. 9% (weight percent), and then the scaffold was prepared using electrospinning device. The morphology of the scaffold was evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the chemical structure of the scaffold was evaluated by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Toxicity of the scaffold and cell survival of PC12 cells were investigated by MTT test and SEM microscope respectively. Results: Examining the morphology of the scaffold and its chemical structure showed the appropriate porosity of the scaffold and the successful loading of silymarin on the PCL scaffold. The toxicity of the scaffold was investigated 24, 48 and 72 hours after the cultivation of PC12 cells, and the results showed an increase in cell viability and proper attachment of cells on the scaffold. Conclusion: The results of this research showed that the loading of silymarin on polycaprolactan scaffold increases the proliferation and survival of PC12 cells. Therefore, this scaffold can be a suitable candidate for nerve tissue engineering.

Background & objectives: Urinary tract infection is still one of the most common diseases that affect pregnant women. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of sexual hygiene behaviors on urinary tract infection in pregnant women. Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 100 pregnant women with urinary tract infection (case group) and 150 pregnant women without urinary tract infection (control group) in health centers of Ardabil city in 2020. Purposive sampling was done in 6-10 weeks of pregnancy. The information was collected through a researcher-made questionnaire. SPSS 21 software was used for statistical analysis of data. The odds ratio (OR) of infection in both groups was estimated by logistic regression. Results: Sexual health behaviors in the majority of women of the case group (47%) were average (with score of 50. 1-66), but in the majority of the control group (49. 33%) were good (with score of 66. 1-84) (p<0. 001). Sexual intercourse 3 or more times in a week in the last 30 days was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group (p=0. 001). Spouse bathing before sexual intercourse was less in women in the case group than the control group (p=0. 022). Statistically significant differences were observed in Pre-coital voiding (p=0. 04), Post coital voiding (p=0. 02) and post-coital bathing (p=0. 03) in the two groups. Conclusion: Sexual hygiene behaviors play an important role in preventing or contracting urinary tract infections. Therefore, training and improving hygiene behaviors in women and their spouses is an effective step in reducing urinary tract infections.

Background & objectives: The 2019 coronavirus pandemic is a major threat to global public health due to unprecedented individual and social fear and anxiety and it puts significant stress on health-related quality of life and challenges health care professionals, including dentists, with increasing patient burdens, unprecedented disruptions in normal life and The high risk of being exposed to the disease has put them in stressful situations and therefore they are more exposed to stressful situations that can affect their quality of life. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the level of perceived stress and the quality of life of the students and professors of Ardabil Dental School in the face of the outbreak of the 2019 coronavirus disease in 2021 and the relationship between these two variables with the demographic characteristics of the participants. Methods: To measure the level of perceived stress, Cohen's Perceived Stress Questionnaire was used, and to measure the quality of life, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Standard Questionnaire-Abbreviated (WHOQOL-BREF) was used. The statistical population in this study is all dental professors and dental students of the Faculty of Dentistry of Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. A significance level of less than 0. 05 was considered. Results: From the statistical population of this study, a total of 227 people including 33 professors and 194 students participated in the study. There was no significant relationship between demographic variables and perceived stress variables and quality of life. Perceived stress and quality of life were higher for professors than for students during the pandemic. There was a direct relationship between perceived stress variables and quality of life in both groups. The level of perceived stress in both groups was lower than the optimal level and the quality of life in both groups was higher than the optimal level. Conclusion: Students and professors of Ardabil Faculty of Dentistry experienced moderate stress during the Covid-19 epidemic and had a good quality of life. By comparing between the two groups of participants, professors had more perceived stress.

Background & objectives: Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK-2) is a serine/threonine protein kinase with regulatory activity in the cell cycle. Inhibitors of this protein are the treatment of choice for a variety of cancers by stopping the cell cycle. In this in silico study, the effects of docking and molecular dynamics of Abemaciclib, Hymenialdisine, and Indirubin on the inhibition of CDK-2 as one of the most important factors in the cell cycle have been investigated. Methods: PDB file of CDK-2 protein as well as three-dimensional structures of Abemaciclib, Hymenialdisine, and Indirubin were obtained from the protein database (http: //www. rcsb. org) and pubchem server, respectively. After simulating CDK-2 in Gromacs software, molecular docking of compounds on CDK-2 was performed by AutoDock 4. 2 software. Finally, the most important molecular dynamics factors such as RMSD, the radius of gyration and total energy in the pre-docking state were analyzed and compared to these factors in the postdocking stage. Results: Abemaciclib has the highest affinity for binding to amino acids at the CDK-2 binding site by releasing binding energy equivalent to 8. 23 kJ/mol. The binding of Abemaciclib, Hymenialdisine, and Indirubin to CDK-2, resulted in significant reductions in some molecular dynamics factors such as mean total energy, the radius of gyration, RMSD, and changes in CDK-2 secondary structure. Conclusion: Abemaciclib, Hymenialdisine, and Indirubin have a high tendency to interact with CDK-2, and this binding can induce significant dynamic molecular changes in the structure of CDK-2 molecule. Based on the results of molecular dynamics simulation, the secondary structure of CDK-2 changes after each ligand binds to it and makes the complex of ligand and protein more stable.

Background & objectives: Obesity and a high-fat diet (HFD) lead to metabolic disorders in the liver by affecting the signaling pathways of fat and glucose metabolism. Exercise and dietary habits are of special interest to prevent and counteract obesity and its associated metabolic disorders. Also, Capsaicin ameliorates diet-induced obesity in rodents and humans. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of aerobic exercise and capsaicin on the gene expression level of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and protein kinase B (Akt) in the liver of HFD rats. Methods: in this experimental study, 40 male Wistar rats were fed a normal diet (ND, n=8) or high-fat diet (HFD) (n=32) for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, all rats were divided into 5 groups: normal diet (ND), high-fat diet (HFD), high-fat diet-training (HFDT), high-fat diet-capsaicin (HFDCap), high-fat diet-training-capsaicin (HFDTCap). Training groups have performed a moderate-intensity aerobic running program (60-50% VO2max, at 15-25 m/min, 30-60 min/day, and 5 days/week) on a motor-driven treadmill for eight weeks. Capsaicin (4 mg/kg/day) was administered orally, by gavage, once a day. Results: Induction of diabetes was associated with decreased AMPK expression (p=0. 0001) and increased Akt (p=0. 0001). The results showed that training and capsaicin significantly increased AMPK expression (p=0. 032 and p=0. 045, respectively) and decreased Akt expression (p=0. 045 and p=0. 049, respectively) in HFD rat hepatocytes. Also, the interaction of training and capsaicin had a significant effect on the expression of AMPK (p=0. 017) and Akt (p=0. 0001). Conclusion: The results showed that HFD impaired hepatocyte function and that aerobic exercise and capsaicin increased lipogenesis with increasing AMPK and decreasing Akt expression. However, the interaction effect of training with capsaicin was greater.

Background & objectives: Lung involvement is crucial in patients with Covid-19. The CT scan plays a key role in diagnosing of this disease. This study aimed to survey CT scan involvement patterns in patients with suspected Covid-19 symptoms. Methods: The present study was cross-sectional, analytical in which the statistical population was patients with typical clinical symptoms of Covid-19 who were referred to the hospital imaging center from March 2019 to May 2019. A total of 301 patients were randomly selected as a sample. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26 at a significance level of 0. 05. Results: The average age of the participants in the study was 54. 6±, 17. 6. 151 patients (50. 2%) were male. 255 patients (84. 7%) were treated on an outpatient basis, 37 patients (12. 3%) were treated in the Non ICU ward and nine patients (3%) were treated in the intensive care unit(ICU). One hundred sixty eight patients (55. 8%) with grand glass conflict, 25 patients (8. 3%) with consolidation conflict, 49 patients (16. 3%) with linear turbidity were identified while 44 patients (14. 6%) had crazy paving, 7 patients (2. 3%) had small nodules and 45 patients (15%) had round opacities on contrast-free CT scan. The pattern of conflict in the form of linear turbidity was directly and significantly related to the severity of the disease. Conclusion: Imaging findings in patients with Covid-19 have a wide range. Despite these findings, attention should be paid to less common and rare signs and symptoms that can help make the right decision and more definitive diagnosis of the disease.

Background & objectives: Low immunogenicity and targeted migration of mesenchymal stem cells to inflammatory sites have introduced these cells as the best vehicle for the delivery of gene or therapeutic products. Lentiviral vectors can be used as an efficient vehicle for inserting ectopic genes into stem cells. Therefore, the evaluation of the effect of lentiviral vectors on the identity, behavior and functional characteristics of the stem cells can show that vectors are safe tools in cell manipulation and gene therapy. Methods: At first, three vectors of lentivirus were added to HEK-293T cells using calcium phosphate method. After confirming the expression of GFP protein in more than 80% of HEK-293T cells, viral supernatant was collected and concentrated. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) were transduced with condensed viruses. After the elimination of the non-transduced cells by puromycin, transduced hASCs were evaluated for immunophenotyping and differentiation to adipocyte and osteocyte. Behavioral characteristics such as viability, migration and invasion were analyzed using MTT and transwell methods, respectively. Results: In the current study, there was no significant difference in the expression of CD29, CD34, CD73 and differentiation to adipocyte and osteocyte in the test group when compared to the control group. Moreover, there was no significant difference between two study groups in the behavioral characteristics such as proliferation, invasion and migration. Discussion: The findings of this study declare that lentiviral vectors do not have adverse effects on the identity and functional characteristics of stem cells. Therefore, they can be used in gene manipulation of the target cell.

Background & objectives: Endurance activity affects muscles through changes in hormonesecretion and related receptors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endurance training on Thrap1 gene expression in cardiac tissue and fast and slow twitch skeletal muscles in male Wistar rats. Methods: The subjects of this experimental study were 14 male rats with a mean and standard deviation of 234±, 34g, all of which were kept in natural conditions (free access to water and food, cycle of darkness and light, suitable temperature and humidity). They were randomly divided into two groups of control (n=7) and experimental (n=7). The experimental group had endurance activities 6 sessions per week at the speed of 30 meters per minute for 14 weeks. 48 hours after the last training session, they were anesthetized and dissected under sterile conditions, and Real-time RT-PCR method was employed to determine the gene expression. Finally, a t-test was used to evaluate the data. Results: The results of this study showed that the expression of the Thrap1 gene in the soleus muscle (p=0. 001) and heart (p=0. 001) of experimental rats increased significantly, while there was not a significant change in the expression of the Thrap1 gene in fast twitch muscles (p=0. 508) due to endurance activity. Conclusions: It seems the expression of the Thrap1 gene in slow twitch muscles is more affected than fast twitch muscles by endurance activity.