Iranian South Medical Journal
Year:2017 | Volume:20 | Issue:2|Papers Count:9

Background: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. It is characterized by degeneration of the retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve damage. Vascular dysregulation plays an important role in the etiology of glaucoma. Nitric oxide (NO) increases blood flow in the vessels of the tissue and helps to overcome the stress. Circulating NO is synthesized in the vascular endothelium by action of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Glu298Asp is one of the common polymorphism of eNOS gene. This study evaluates the association of eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphism with glaucoma.Materials and Methods: This case- control study included 110 glaucoma patients and 121 controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. Genotypes were detected using a PCR-RFLP method. Statistical analysis was performed using the MedCalc program (version 12.1).Results: The frequency of GG, GT and TT genotypes in controls were 0.52, 0.42 and 0.06, respectively while in glaucoma patients were 0.6, 0.32 and 0.08, respectively. No significant differences in genotypes frequencies were found between patients and controls (p=0.24, c²=2.78). In control and patient groups, the frequency of G allele was 0.73 and 0.76, respectively and the frequency of T allele were 0.27 and 0.24, respectively. The allele frequencies did not differ significantly between controls and patients (p=0.56, c²=0.33).Conclusion: It is suggested that eNOS Glu298Asp polymorphism may not be associated with the risk factor of glaucoma in the studied population. However, larger and different ethnicities-based populations are required to achieve a definitive conclusion.

Background: Sea lettuce is a kind green alga with scientific name "Ulva lactuca", has many uses in many countries. With Notice to the presence of this alga in the coasts of Bushehr and its ease of propagation and cultivation, we can take advantage of beneficial interest. The objectives of this current study was to determine the amount of total fat, survey the quality and quantity of some physicochemical parameters and the profile of fatty acids in its oil.Materials and Methods: After samples collecting of sea lettuce (Sea lettuce) from Bushehr coasts, sample preparation and extraction of fat, quantity of some physicochemical parameters according to AOAC method; and fatty acid profile were analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID).Results: The acidity index in extracted oil in Shoraye-shahr, Bandargah and Naftkesh regions were, 0.73, 0.73 and 0.72 respectively, and the peroxide value was 0.75, 0.74 and 0.75 respectively. The refractive index and average oil contents for all areas were reported 3 % and 1412, respectively. In the three mentioned regions, sixteen fatty acids including (C6), (C10), (C12), (C13), (C14), (C15), (C16), (C17), (C18), (C19), (C20), (C21), (C18: 1), (C18: 2), (C18: 3) were identified with different amounts. Palmitic acid had the highest levels in all three regions.Conclusion: Sea lettuce contains different fatty acids that each of them has different applications in food industry, medicine and cosmetics. The favorable amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the sea lettuce oil increase their nutritional importance. Caltivating of this beneficial alga is suggested due to the appropriate geographic climate of Bushehr.

Background: Vitiligo is characterized by autoimmune destruction of melanocytes and it presented as a patches of depigmented on skin and mucosa. Contradictory reports have been listed from the zinc serum level in patients with vitiligo. The aim of this study was to check the zinc levels in patients with vitiligo who reffered to skin clinics of Arak University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: In this case– control study, we 103 patients vitiligo and 103 healthy people as a control group were entered to our study after obtaining knowingly testimonial.Two groups were matched according to gender and age. Zinc serum level were measured by using the spectrometery method in two groupsResults: The mean serum level of zinc was 92.1±13.8 in patients with localized vitiligo, 81.3 ±12.7 in patients with generalized vitiligo and 91.8±16.2 in control group. Zinc level in generalized vitiligo was significantly less than the control group.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that zinc serum level in patients with generalized vitiligo is lower than healthy people. So it can be used in treatment of these patients.

Background: Helicobacter pylori is the main cause of various gastroduodenal diseases. As the diseases caused by H. pylori are associated with severe tissue damage, proteases of bacteria may play an important roles in this process. In current study we investigated diversity of H. pylori protease activity and its association with different pathological lesions of gastric tissue.Materials & Methods: The study was performed on 116 gastric biopsy specimens obtained from patients with gastrointestinal disorders referred to Taleghani hospital in Tehran, IR.Iran. Isolates were identified by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Their protease activity was assessed by spectrophotometric and well diffusion assays using casein as substrate. Variance analysis (One-way ANOVA) was used for statistical analysis.Results: A prevalence of 43.1% (50/116) of H. pylori infection was detected in the studied patients. Histopathological lesions among 50 H. pylori positive patients were included: chronic gastritis 40% (20/50), intestinal metaplasia 8% (4/50), and severe active gastritis 52% (26/50). Nearly, 4.25% of the strains showed high protease activity, while 91.4% and 4.25% of the strains showed moderate and low protease activities, respectively. Statistical analysis demonstrated significant association between low protease activity of the strains and chronic gastritis (p= 0.044).Conclusion: Results of this study indicated diversity of protease activity among different strains of H. pylori and significant association between low protease activity of the strains and occurrence of chronic gastritis. Further studies are necessary to investigate this association.

Background: Power hierarchy, cohesion and family structure are the main component of every family. Families with disabled children may be affected with this structure and function. The aim of this study was to comparison of the power hierarchy, cohesion and family structure with disabled and non-disabled children in Bushehr from the perspective of their mothers (2015).Materials & Methods: In this Cross-sectional study, 150 mothers of disabled and non-disabled children in Bushehr city were selected by census and clusters method, respectively. Family structure, cohesion and hierarchy of mothers was assessed by using the Family System Test (FAST). Data were analyzed by using SPSS software (Version 18) and statistical tests carried out such as (Independent t-test, ANOVA and chi-square test.Results: Based on this results, there was no significant difference between the families in terms of power (p=0.22) but the cohesion of families with children with physical disabilities (p=0.0001, 1/90±0.54) and mentally (p=0.0001, 1.56±0.73) is less than the natural family (p=0.0001, 2.26±0.52), Also in terms of structure, there was no significant difference between families with healthy children and physical disability and mentally (p=0.05).Conclusion: Findings showed that the cohesion of families with disabled children are more vulnerable than healthy family. In the first step, awareness of young couples about the outcome of the birth of a disabled child is necessary and inevitable and in second step, providing training and adequate support to families with disabled child.

Background: Considering the growing elderly population and reducing their physical and mental abilities, and higher frequency of chronic diseases, attention to their empowerment is considered a necessity. So, the aim of this study was to designing and psychometric properties of elderly cognitive empowerment questionnaire of individual changes.Material and Methods: In this methodologic study, 294 elderly aged 60-70 years were studied by using a convenience sampling method in Bushehr city. Waltz 2010 was used to design the questionnaire. According to targeted literature review and available documents about the empowerment of the elderly, the initial version of the questionnaire was designed with 42 items. After confirming the content validity of questionnaire by 10 medical specialists, exploratory factor analysis was performed using the construct validity. Its reliability was determined by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient and test re-test. To analyze the data, SPSS version 18 was used.Results: The first version of the questionnaire cognitive empowerment of individual changes were designed with 42 items. In the process of psychometric evaluation no item were removed during the validity of the content. Content validity index and content validity ratio was calculated 0.82 and 0.95 respectively. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, the number of the questionnaire items was reduced to 32 and dimensions of empowerment were classified in the eight factors as physical abilities, self-respect, spirituality, commitment, performance role, positional identification, self-management and self-assessment which can predict with 75.787 %. Internal reliability of the questionnaire dimensions were ranged from 0.62-0.84 and external reliability was 0.96.Conclusion: Due to the appropriate reliability and validity of the questionnaire cognitive empowerment, applying it in training centers, treatment and rehabilitation centers is recommended to evaluate the cognitive empowerment of seniors to verify their requisites and offering qualitative services to them.

Background: Turbotoxins are marine secondary metabolites that produce in Turbinidae family and were isolated from Japanese Turbo marmorata for the first time. A few research has been done on these metabolites so far. Another species, Turbo coronatus exists in Iran. The main aim of the current project was to investigate some biological effects of the crude extract of Turbo coronatus from the Persian Gulf Materials and methods: In this study, 18 rats were selected in three groups including the control group. The experimental groups received 1/2 and 1/3 lethal doses intravenously and serum levels of liver and muscle enzymes, electrolytes and complete blood counts (CBC) were measured after 24 hours.Results: The levels of liver and muscle enzymes, amylase, sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, ferrous, haptoglobin, albumin and creatinine were significantly increased in experimental group compared with the control group by injection of crude extract of Turbo coronatus; however, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), red blood cell count, magnesium, and glucose levels were significantly decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group.Conclusions: Intravenous injection of 1/2 and 1/3 lethal doses of the crude extract of Turbo coronatus to rats produced rhabdomyolysis and hepatocytes injury. In addition, the crude extract injection acted as a haematoxin and decreased hemoglobin and MCV.

Natural coral exoskeleton and coralline hydroxyapatite have been used as bone replacement graft for repairing of bone defects in animal models and humans since two decades ago. These bone replacement grafts have an osteoconductive, biodegradable and biocompatible features. Currently, three lines of researches in bone tissue engineering are conducting on corals. Corals have been used for construction of bony composites, stem cells attachments, and the growth factors-scaffold- based approaches. This review have paid to the wide range of coral use in clinical experiments as a bone graft substitute and cell-scaffold-based approaches in bone tissue engineering.