KOWSAR MEDICAL JOURNAL
Year:2001 | Volume:6 | Issue:part 1|Papers Count:16

The effects of herbal remedies is gaining increasing importance, due to their minimal side effects and their co-existence with complex compounds in nature. On the other hand, the importance of appropriate foods in the treatment of the patient with diabetes mellitus is why we chose two of the most frequently used medicinal herbs Phaseolus Vulgaris (kidney bean) and chicory to investigate the effect of these herbal consumption on blood sugar in diabetic rats. The adult male rats were divided into eleven groups. Diabetes was induced experimentally by alloxan monohydrate (150 mg/kg sc) injection. After observation of diabetic signs, the animals were divided into eleven groups: The control group was fed a standard diet, and the ten other groups (test groups). Five of the test groups were treated for 4 weeks, with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% chicory and the other five with 10-50% kidney bean diets. Four weeks after induction of " diabetes, blood glucose was measured via glucometer, in all groups. According to the results blood glucose was decreased significantly in the rats fed diets containing chicoryina in a dose-dependent manner and also in the 20% kidney bean group. The 30% and 50% chicory diets caused a reduction of 22.6% and 44.3% in blood glucose respectively. The 20% kidney bean diet caused a reduction of 17.2% in blood glucose, and no signifcant decrease in blood glucose was observed in the other kidney bean diet groups. These results showed that, ingestion of chicory was more effective than kidney beans in diabetic rat, and the effect of chicory diets are dose-dependent. These diets may be investigated in treatment of IDDM in humans.

This survey was performed to compare two hypoxemic intratracheal suctioning methods on the hemodynamic condition of 30 patients who were undergoing open heart surgery and mechanical ventilation in control mode. Hemodynamic parameters included systolic and diastolic pressures, heart rate, and cardiac rhythm measured in four phases and then recorded. The results showed that both systolic and diastolic pressures and also heart rate changes in various phases of both methods respectively with no statistically significant difference. The rhythm changes was toward sinus tachycardia (P < 0.001). Also the comparsion of both methods in four phases (control phase) showed diastolic pressure changes in hyperoxygenation to be higher than hyperinflation (P<0.05). However, systolic pressure changes were not statistically significant. The comparison of heart rate changes in the second phase of hyperinflation method was increased more than that in the other method (P<0.05). Rhythm changes was more or less of the hazardous type rhythms (P

Long-term immunosuppressive therapy after renal transplantation increases the risk of developing malignancy. From 1984 to 1999, we studied 1750 renal transplant recipients at the Baghiyatollah and Labbafinejad medical centers. We found 27 cases of varying cancers. the most involved tissue was the skin (63%) and the most common type was Kaposis sarcoma (n=2), followed by lymphoma (n=2), cutaneous SCC of skin (n=l), cutaneous BCC (n = 1), Melanoma (n = 1), fibrosarcoma of the skin (n = 1), pleuretic mesothelioma (n = 1), SCC of the lung (n= 1), ductal cell carcinoma of the breast (n=1), avarian cancer (n = 1) and seminoma (n= 1). The mean age of the patients was 44 years and the mean cancer detection time was 3 years. Eight patients died after transplantation because of rapid progression of disease and 19 patients are still alive. In our study, the most common post renal transplantation malignancy was Kaposis sarcoma followed by lymphoma. It seams that in Iran, post-renal transplantation malignancy is less common than in Western countries.

A seventeen year-old diabetic man referred to our hospital with a history of coughing and fever 45 days prior to admission. The chest radiograph revealed left upper lobe consolidation. Parac1inic evaluation revealed negative sputum smears for BAL and TB. Open lung biopsy was diagnostic for histoplasmosis. ELISA was positive for histoplasmosis The patient had histoplasmosis pneumonia and recieved ketoconazole, 400 mg daily, for six weeks. He was then asymptomatic, and the chest radiograph after treatment was normaL

The effects of Al+3 and Pb+2 were examined on the calcium spikes of Helix aspersa F77 neuron, using two microelectrode current clamp technique. These results show that in the normal Ringer, the action potential is sodium-calcium dependent. The important role of calcium ions in the depolarizing phase of the action potential was observable as long duration action potentials with a plateau, when Na + and K+ ions were eliminated and sodium-potassium channel blockers were used. Nifedipine (lµ,M), a specific L-type calcium channel blaker, decreased action potential duration (P < 0.01). Application of lead (0.6 and 3 µ,M) led to significant decrease in threshold and duration of action potential (P<0.05). The effects of lead were not dose dependent. Aluminum (150µM) at pH between 6.8 to 6.9, affected excitability and bioelectrical characteristics of F77 neurons. The resting membrane potential, firing threshold, peak, amplitude, duration and frequency of action potentials were reduced significantly in the presence of aluminium. In summary, the results of this study demonstrate that lead and aluminum exert at least a part of their neurotoxic actions by alterning the neuronal excitability and action potential characteristics.

Paraneoplastic syndromes are rare manifestations of neoplasms. An immune mechanism is the cause of most of paraneoplastic syndromes. Subacute sensory neuropathy is one of these disorders. Early diagnosis of the disorder can provide early diagnosis of the neoplasm and more expedient treatment. A patient was referred to the clinic with signs of subacute, predominantly sensory, neuropathy and her breast cancer was subsequently diagnosed and treated accordingly.

There are several reports regarding the therapeutic effect of camel milk and camel urine on dyspena and asthma. Therefore, the relaxant effect of camel milk and camel urine were tested on isolated tracheal chains of guinea pigs in this study. The bronchodilatory property of camel milk and urine were studied by their relaxant effect on precontracted tracheal chains of guinea pigs (n=7 for camel milk and n=9 for camel urine). There was significant differences between maximum relaxant effects of camel milk and camel urine with that of Krebs solution (P<0.02 for camel milk and P<0.01 for camel urine). The results of this study showed the relaxant effect of camel milk and urine on guinea pig tracheal chains in comparison with Krebs solution.

A retrospective study of 1964 medical records of patients who had undergone surgery for chronic otitis media at the Baghiyatollah hospital from 1992-1998 showed a recurrence rate of 8.3%.62% of this group had a systemic disease. Bone marrow disorders were the most common and the thalassemia minor phenotype had a 31% prevalence rate. Four of these series underwent mastoid surgery for three times. Medical records show in all the patients treated by modified radical mastoidectomy without the use of synthetic material had no recurrence for at least one year post operation.

Diabetes is a prevalent disease in our country as it is worldwide. The rat is a suitable animal model for these studies. Protein kinase C is an enzyme which in its inactive form is located in the cytoplasm, but when activated (with calcium and phospholipid), translocate to the plasma membrane and phosphorylate the target proteins. Effects of this protein kinase and its isoenzymes in diabetic complications has been implicated. In this study, diabetes was induced with streptozotocin in the rat, and the effect of nifedipine (a calcium channel blocker), and polymyxin B sulphate (protein kinase C inhibitor) was investigated. The results showed that the levels ofthe, urea (two-fold), creatinine (60%), triglyceride (two-fold) and liver enzymes (two-fold) were significantly increase in the diabetic group. While in the other diabetic group, which was treated with oral nifedipine, although urea and creatinine levels were increased, had no increased in enzyme levels significantly different from those of the control group. The diabetic group treated with polymyxin had metabolites and enzyme levels equal to the control group except glucose level which was increased and liver glycogen storage which was decreased significantly. Protein kinase C activity in the cytoplasm of untreated diabetic group liver was increased comparing to its control group (573 ± 56 vs 400 ± 62). The enzyme activity in the plasma membranes of untreated and nifedipine treated diabetic groups was significantly increased, but in the polymyxin treated diabetic group the enzyme activity was close to the control group. Enzyme activity in the kidney cell membranes was significantly increased only in the untreated diabetic group. These results show that polymyxin is more effective than nifedipine against protein kinase C activity in diabetic complications. In conclusion, the results of this and other studies show that protein kinase C contributes to diabetic complications. We hope that future drug designers will target protein kinase C isozymes with specific inhibitors.

War trauma has always been important in the advancement of traumatology. Pancreatic trauma management has always been under debate, since, different treatments have been discussed and dangerous complications has caused death in a great number of combatants. Many of the combatants with pancreas trauma die before reaching an advanced surgical center. In this study, we review cases of Iran-Iraq war combatants with different kinds of treatments for pancreatic trauma. From 1534 cases of war injuries in first, second, and third line hospitals, 35 cases of penetrating trauma to the pancreas have been recorded. The present retrospective descriptive study showed the following treatments had been used: hemostasis, external drainage, debridement, resection, suture and internal drainage. From the cases studied above, in the descending order the first complications are fistula and abscess formation (both 31.4%) and the others are hemorihage 22.8%, peritonitis 8.5%, ascitis 5.7%, and pancreatitis 2.8%. These statistics do not show a significant difference compared with data given in textbooks and publications relevant to pancreatic trauma from low and high velocity injuries and less organic accompanying injuries treated in advanced surgical units.