KOWSAR MEDICAL JOURNAL
Year:2009 | Volume:14 | Issue:2|Papers Count:10

Aims. D iabetes mellitus is accompanied with higher incidence of cardiovascular disorders. There is some evidence on antidiabetic potential of Allium schoenoprasum L. (AS). Thus, t he endothelium-dependent effect of oral administration of AA for 8 weeks on contractile and relaxatory response of thoracic aorta from diabetic rats investigated.Materials & Methods. Male Wistar rats were divided into 5 "control", " AS-treated control", "diabetic", "AS-treated diabetic" and "glibenclamide-treated diabetic" groups. T reated groups received AS-mixed pelleted food at a weight ratio of 3%. Body weight and serum glucose level were measured before the study and at weeks 4 and 8. At the end of study, contractile reactivity of thoracic aortic rings to KCl and phenylephrine and relaxatory response to acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside were determined using isolated tissue setup.Results. Serum glucose level significantly decreased in AS-treated diabetic group versus untreated diabetics (p<0.05). In addition, endothelium-intact AS-treated diabetic group showed a significantly lower contraction to KCl and phenylephrine (p<0.05) as compared to diabetic group and endothelium removal abolished this response. Meanwhile, relaxation response of endothelium-intact rings to acetylcholine was significantly higher in AS-treated diabetic group as compared to diabetics (p<0.05). In addition, there were no significant changes amongst the groups regarding relaxatory response to sodium nitroprusside.Conclusion. Chronic oral administration of AS through affecting endothelial-related agents can decrease contractile response and enhance relaxatory response in aortic tissue of diabetic rat and this may be beneficial in prevention of long-term vascular complications of diabete.

Aims. This study was to introduce a modified GMS staining for more rapid, more accurate and simpler detection of Pneumocystis carini infection.Materials & Methods. Sprague-Dawley rats were weekly administered methylprednisolone acetate (40 mg/kg) subcutaneously for 8 weeks. Then, their lungs were obtained and paraffinized sections were prepared. The sections subsequently were stained with two common GMS staining and our modified staining method. With 1000x magnification, the quality of stained sections was evaluated and the number of organisms in 50 microscopic fields was enumerated for each method.Results. Our modified GMS method could make better contrast between organisms and lung tissue. Also, the mean number of countable cysts at each microscopic field in our modified method was 35.6±16.7 that was significantly greater than two current methods (3.5±2.65 and 2±1.86; p<0.0001) Conclusion. Our modified GMS staining method can help to more accurate and more rapid diagnosis of PCP and use of this method is recommended as routine diagnostic procedure for diagnosis of PCP.

Aims. Previous studies have shown that morphine consumption during pregnancy may delay embryo development. The present study focused on the effects of maternal morphine consumption on choroids plexus development in Wistar rats. Materials & Methods. Wistar rats (170-200 g) were used throughout. The experimental groups after pregnancy received 0.05mg/ml of morphine in their tap water while the control group received water. On 17th day of pregnancy, the pregnant animals were killed by chloroform and the embryos were removed surgically and fixed in formalin 10% for 4 weeks. Then, tissue processing, sectioning and staining with hematoxylin and eosin were applied for the embryos. The sections were examined for choroids plexus and ventricle development by light microscope and MOTIC software.Results. Severe reductions of the third as well as lateral ventricles were observed in the experimental group. In addition, an increase in the choroids plexus area in the experimental group regarding to controls was identified. Conclusion. Oral morphine consumption causes a decrease in the third and lateral ventricles and an increase in choroids plexus area. This defect may cause behavioral changes observed in the F1 generation from addicted pregnant animals.

Aims. In this study, the function of tactile mass detector compared with physical examination by specialist surgeons and ultrasound used as gold standar.  Materials & Methods. 55 patients were selected from suspects of breast mass. First, physical examination was performed by surgeon manually and then, examination was done by artificial tactile device and results were registered in questionnaire.Results. Calculated indexs represented the advantage of diagnostic mass detection device to physical examination by surgeon. However, in spite of more numerical accuracy of machine physical examination campare with surgeon hand visiting in all age groups, there was no statistically significant difference between them (p>0.05).Conclusion. Construction and development tools like touch instrument is an effective help for early diagnosis of suspicious masses. In fact, patients using these devices can easily be visited in appropriate time by homogeneous (female) midwife, nurse or doctor and if necessary, by specialist or method of more advanced imaging radiography. Therefore, the patients not feeling comfortable referring to the male doctors can be examined regularly.

Aims. In patients with stage I and II of breast cancer, two common approaches are used: breast conservative surgery (BCS) and modified radical mastectomy (MRM). This study compared some variables between these methods. Materials & Methods. In a cross-sectional descriptive analytic study, medical records of 242 females with stage I and II of breast cancer were analyzed, retrospectively. These patients were operated by two types of BCS and MRM surgery. Follow-up was performed via examination or telephone call.Frequency and mean of variables measured. Life table, caplan-mayer and cox regression test used to evaluate the survival rate.Results. 109 patients (45%) were undergone BCS and 133 patients (55%) MRM. The mean age of patients in BCS was 47.2±10.4 and in MRM was 49.4±11.8 (p=0.5). There was no significant difference in locoregional recurrence (BCS 2.5%, MRM 3.2%; p=0.8), 1-year survival rate (both 100%) and 3-year survival rate (BCS 93% and MRM 94%) between two groups. However, metastasis was significantly lower in BCS (7.3%) group than MRM (18%) group (p=0.01).Conclusion. BCS method is not increasing the risk of locoregional recurrence and metastasis and decreasing the survival rate, so considering cosmetic advantages, BCS can be performed safely.

Aims. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most common agent of diarrhea disease among other bacterial agents and mortality rate of this disease is high in worldwide. Designing and producing vaccine against this disease is one of the purposes of world health organization. Heat-labile toxin (LT) is one of the most important virulence agents of bacteria and a vaccine candidate. The aim of this study was the expression of heat labile B subunit toxin (LTB) to investigate its immunologicl property.Materials & Methods. Information about LTB gene was obtained from gene bank and appropriate primers were designed accordingly. Genomic PCR reaction was performed and its product was cloned into pBlueskriptII SK cloning vector and pET28a expression vector using restriction enzymes and was transformed to competent cells. Then, LTB gene was expressed by induction of IPTG. The concentration of protein was determined and confirmed by immunobloting after SDS-PAGE.Results. 15.5 kD protein (MWt) was observed on SDS-PAGE comparing to noninduced sample and was confirmed with anti-cholera toxin B subunit antibody.Conclusion. Expressed LTB protein could be used in vaccine designing and also as strong mucosal immune system adjuvant.

Aims. hyponatremia or low sodium level is a result of water and salt loss and much fluid consumption while activity. This research accomplished to determine the hyponatremia frequency and its characters and risk factors related to hyponatremia patients in forces contributed in a one day maneuver to suggest the strategies of preventing it.Materials & Methods. This is a cross-sectional study in which 164 militants contributed in a one day maneuver in one of the Isfahan training centers in September 2008 were chosen by head accounting and were investigated by questionnaire and blood test before and after one day maneuver.Results. The incidence amount of hyponatremia was 17 (%10.3) at the end of maneuver. The characters and risk factors in hyponatremia patients were excess related to body mass index, age, covering amount and fluids consumption. BMI was 24.03±2.1 in hyponatremia patients and 23.25±2.83 in non hyponatremia patients. Frequency of hyponatremia in non natives was %53. Current symptoms were weakness (88.3%), spasm (70.6%), fatigue (59.9%) and headache (58.7%).Conclusion. To prevent this problem among military forces during activity it is recommended to pay more attention to risk factors and physical activities to be programmed based on regulated activity-rest program and fluids consumption proportioned to the intensity of activity.

Aims. Chronic respiratory diseases are the most commonly disease in chemical warfare victims that could be a factor of disability in work life, family and social role and activity of daily living and finally result in decreasing the quality of life. This study conducted in order to evaluate the effect of applying continuous care model on quality of life in chemical warfare victims with bronchiolitis oblitrans.Materials & Methods. In this clinical trial study 62 chemical warfare victims with bronchiolitis oblitrans who referred to hospital were divided into experimental and control groups, randomly. Continuous care model was applied to experimental group for a period of two months. Data collection instruments included respiratory disease specific questionnaire (SGRQ) and demographic questionnaire. Data was collected before and after the intervention in two study groups.Results. There were no differences between investigated variables and mean of quality of life scores in 2 study groups before intervention (p>0/05). Data analysis with independent t-test showed that there was a significant difference between experimental and control groups in the mean of quality of life scores after intervention (p<0/05). Paired t-test also revealed a significant difference before and after intervention in experimental group (p<0/05).Conclusion. Applying continuous care model can promote quality of life of chemical warfare victims suffering bronchilitis oblitrans.

Introduction. A 22-year-old man presented with bilateral flank pain, pyuria, and bacteriuria. Ultrasound revealed left hydronephrosis and hydroureter. Severe decreased function of kidney found in DTPA scan. A plain abdominal radiograph and intravenous urogram showed a giant left distal ureteral stone measuring 9 cm in length, causing left ureteral obstruction and right UPJ obstruction. No metabolic abnormalities were detected.Conclusion. Ureteral stone is one of the commonest causes of ureteral obstruction and could be asymptomatic even though with huge size, so we must take them in our mind during work-up.