Daneshvar Medicine: Basic and Clinical Research Journal
Year:2015 | Volume:22 | Issue:119|Papers Count:13

Background and Objective: Axonal transport is a vital process in nervous system. Impairment of motor proteins involved in axonal transport like dynein is a common factor in several neurodegenerative disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, no study found on abnormalities in axonal transport due to decreased physical activity and neuropathic pain.Materials and Methods: Ten adult male Wistar rats (250±30 g) were randomly divided into two groups including healthy control (C) (n=5) and decreased physical activity (SNL) (n=5). Over the six weeks, neuropathic pain behavioral tests conducted continually in groups. At the end of sixth week, change of dynein gene expression in sciatic nerve measured with real time technique and calculated using the 2 0-DDCT method.Results: After 6 weeks, neuropathic pain behavior tests showed that pain threshold of thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in the SNL group was significantly lower than that in control group (p<0.05). In addition, dynein gene expression in sciatic nerve ligation group compared to controls significantly decreased (p<0.05).Conclusion: It seems that neuropathic pain and decreased physical activity is associated with decreased dynein gene expression in sciatic nerve fiber. According to the physiologic functions of dynein in neurons, this condition may cause functional disorders in the neural and muscular systems.

Background and Objective: Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) is one of the most complications of pregnancy that has markedly negative effect on life quality of women. As the identification of factors affecting the complication is important, the aim of the study was to compare the socio-psychological factors in pregnant women including anxiety, depression, specific pregnancy stress, socioeconomic status, and social support in women with NVP and without NVP.Materials and Methods: This project was a causal-comparative study. Two hundred pregnant women with nausea and vomiting who were £12 weeks of gestational age were enrolled. All subjects filled out four questionnaires including, pregnancy experience scale (PES), depression, anxiety, stress (DASS-21), social support questionnaire (SSQ) and demographic questionnaire. Statistical tests of Pearson correlation, Chi Square, and linear multiple regressions were used to analysis the data.Results: Most of the women had mild to moderate NVP (87%). Women with VPN had significantly a higher score compared with non- NVP in the following variables: pregnancy experience stress (85.5% vs 14.5%), depression (89% vs 11.1%), anxiety (68.8% vs 31.2%), low social support (68.1% vs 31.9%) and low socioeconomic status (73% vs 26.7%). In linear multiple regression analysis, the most important positive significant variable was pregnancy stress (b=2.67). Also, negative predictors were social support (b=-0.227) and low socioeconomic status (b=-0.058).Conclusion: Women with NVP have specific pregnancy stress, anxiety, and depression more than women without NVP. Also, women with NVP have lower social support and socio-economic status as compared to women without NVP. This study propose that professionals of mother care could consider the role of psychosocial factors of specific pregnancy stress, socio-economic status, and social support in prevention and treatment of NVP.

Background and Objective: Memory naturally degrades with the passing of time. Dementia or deficit of memory caused by Alzheimer’s disease, aging and other risk factors, greatly affects one’s day-to-day life. Lavandula officinalis is an effective medicinal plant in treating inflammation, epilepsy, depression and anxiety. Also, recently have been submitted reports about the effects of lavender on memory improvement. However, the effect of aerial part hydro-alcoholic extract of Lavandula officinalis has not been studied on passive avoidance and spatial memory in rats with healthy memory.Materials and Methods: In this study, 40 male NMRI rats weighing 200-250 g were used. Animals were divided into four groups (n=10 each). Control group (group 1) received normal saline, daily, for 9-11 continuous days; groups 2, 3 and 4 received Lavandula officinalis aerial part hydroalcoholic extract at doses of 100,200 and 400 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p), daily, for 9-11 continuous days 60 min before the behavioral testing. Passive avoidance and spatial memory was tested by shuttle box and Y maze, respectively.Results: Chronic administration of the extract at a dose of 400 mg/kg significantly enhanced spatial memory in Y maze and also passive avoidance memory in shuttle box.Conclusion: Repeated consumption of Lavandula officinalis (400 mg/kg) in rats with healthy memory may cause memory potentiation.

Background and Objective: Considering the importance of the issue of self-medication consumption of drug, especially among the students with high level of education, the aim of this study was to compare knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication between medical and non-medical students in Arak in 2013.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and analytical study that was carried out on 400 medical and non-medical students in 2013 that were selected by convenience sampling. Data collected with valid and reliable questionnaire consisting knowledge, attitude and practice and finally with appropriate statistical tests were analyzed.Results: The average of knowledge score was 62.39±21.79, practice was 26.36±17.82 and attitude was 54.55±16.50 that were obtained from a 100 score. In this study, a significant difference between the median knowledge score (p=0.001) and attitude between medical and non-medical student was observed. Significant direct correlation between age and performance was poor (r=0.16, p=0.001), but significant indirect correlation between the performance of attitude (p=0.001) was observed.Conclusion: Considering prevalence of self-medication and low attitude of student, therefore it is suggested that education program about harmful self-medication in universities for reduction of self-medication is included.

Background and Objective: Deleterious effect of neurotoxins on the brains of animals is an attractive research topic. In this research, the effect of microinjection of colchicine into the hippocampal CA1 was shown by examining the novelty seeking behavior. Also, the effect of pre-injection of galantamine, an effective agent in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, for reversal of colchicine’s side effect in that region was also examined.Materials and Methods: Ninety six male Wistar rats were bilaterally cannulated at the hippocampal area (AP: -3.8; L: 1.8±2.2; V: 3). They experienced a three-phase novelty seeking task in the unbiased conditioning apparatus after one week: in day 1, the animals moved freely (10 min) in the box to familiarize with the device; over the next consecutive three days, they were confined in one part of the apparatus (40 min, twice daily); finally (Day 5), the animals were injected colchicine (25 mg/rat hippocampus, n = 8) prior to testing (lasted 10 min/similarly to the familiarization situation). The galantamine groups received the drug (1-25 mg/rat hippocampus; n = 8) solely or prior to the colchicine. The negative control only received saline (1 mL/rat hippocampus).Results: As the data show, the injection of colchicine significantly caused an increase in the locomotor activity of the treated animals. The lonely galantamine groups though showed no significant difference versus the control group, but in pre-galantamine groups, the enhanced activity was reversed.Conclusion: The side effects of colchicine on the brain of the laboratory animals have been shown; the most important of them is the destruction of granular neurons of the hippocampal formation. The effect of this material on the cortical pyramidal neurons is still unknown. The present study shows the increased locomotor activity of the animals due to the injection of colchicine into the hippocampus. This effect was reversed by pre-injection of galantamine and it is probable that the effect was modulated by the neuronal mediators.

Background and Objective: Repeated application of Ustukhuddoos has been recommended for a long time in Iranian traditional medicine for some of nervous disorders like epilepsy. In Iran, both imported Lavandula officinalis and endemic Nepeta menthoides are commonly known as Ustukhuddoos. Despite of some reports about antiepileptic and antioxidant effects of Lavandula officinalis, there is no available report for this effect of Nepeta menthoides. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the anti-epileptic and antioxidant activity of Nepeta menthoides extract on timed intravenous pentylenetetrazol infusion seizure in mice model.Materials and Methods: A convulsive model that utilizes timed intravenous infusions of pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) was developed to study anticonvulsant and antioxidant effect of ten days Nepeta menthoides pretreatment in mice. PTZ was infused through an indwelling tail vein catheter, and the threshold dose of PTZ was determined from the time needed to produce clonic convulsions, the body weight of the animal, and the rate of infusion of PTZ. Diazepam (Diaz), a major antiepileptic drug, was also tested for comparison.Results: Versus diazepam, Nepeta menthoides did not show antiepileptic properties because of not only it did not increase threshold dose of PTZ but also significantly decreased it at some doses (p<0.05). It means Nepeta menthoides significantly increased susceptibility to seizures. Nepeta menthoides also significantly increased brain nitric oxide (NO) level in comparison with control group (p<0.05) and it was ineffective on MDA level.Conclusion: This study reported that Nepeta menthoides not only did not prevent seizures, but also increased susceptibility to seizures. Also, due to an increase in NO by Nepeta, nitric oxide may be a progenitor agent for epilepsy.

Background and Objective: Depression is most prevalent psychiatric disorders that causes impairment in all dimensions of human life. The aim of this study was investigation of the prevalence of depression among undergraduate medial students (interns) of Kashan University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on all of medical students in internship (n=160) in Kashan University of Medical Sciences (2014). The instruments were Beck Depression Inventory (28) and a questionnaire consists of personal information and factors associated with depression. Data were analyzed using SPSS16 software and Chi square or Fisher's exact test and student t-tests.Results: The mean depression score of interns was 10.26±7.39. Forty five medial students (28.1%) had mild depression, nineteen (11.9%) students had moderate depression, and 2 (1.2%) had severe depression. Prevalence of depression was 41.8%. There was a significant relation between living location and severity of depression (p<0.05). Interns who live in dormitory of university had a higher depression score than interns who live out of dormitory. There was no significant relation between depression severity and sex, marital status (p>0.05). Meanwhile, 8.1% of interns had suicidal thoughts.Conclusion: According to the results, prevalence of depression during internship was considerable. Living in dormitory and living without their families had stress for them. Screening depression, supportive interventions and preparation of proper living situations are necessary for them.

Background and Objective: Research evidence show that specific parenting styles are as risk factors in evolution of maladaptive perfectionism in students. On the other hand, perfectionism is affected by biological motivational personality systems. This study investigated the role of behavioral-brain systems and perceived parenting styles in Students’ perfectionism.Materials and Methods: The method of study was causal-comparison that performed on 180 subjects selected with multi stage random cluster sampling among Payam Nour University’ students. Subjects were responded the Behavioral Activation and Behavioral Inhibition System, parenting style questionnaire and multidimensional perfectionism scale. Data were analyzed with regression analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).Results Findings indicate that children of authoritative parents had higher levels of self-oriented perfectionism than those of authoritarian parents. Children of authoritarian parents had higher levels of other and socially prescribed perfectionism than those of authoritative parents. Also, behavioral activation system (BAS) predicted self-oriented perfectionism and behavioral inhibition system (BIS) in first step and BAS in next step predicted socially prescribed perfectionism.Conclusion Findings indicate the importance of investigating broad models that include both personality and family factors as predictors of perfectionism. The present findings could be used to develop effective prevention and therapeutic strategies for children who are at-risk for or who demonstrate maladaptive perfectionism.