IRANIAN SOUTH MEDICAL JOURNAL (ISMJ)
Year:2010 | Volume:13 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Background: Endocrine dysfunction related to toxic side effects of iron overload, such as delayed puberty, short stature and hypogonadism present major problems in thalassemic patients. This study was aimed to assess the Leptin and Ghrelin serum levels in such cases.Methods: 50 normal subjects, 50 cases of b-thalassemia major and also 50 pateints of thalassemia intermedia were randomly selected and leptin and Ghrelin serum levels were checked.Results: Mean leptin concentration was 2.62±1.2 mg/L in patients with b-thalassemia major, and 2.878±2.4 mg/L in patients with thalassemia intermedia. These values appeared to be significantly lower than in controls (9.228±2.9) (p<0.001). Mean Ghrelin concentrations were 1042.192±275.9 pg/mL and 989.39±275.5 pg/mL in b-thalassemia major and intermediate respectively. This value in thalassemia major appeared to be significantly higher compared with controls (876.96±384.3 pg/m) (P<0.01). There was positive relation between circulating leptin and body mass index in thalassemia major and intermediate. Leptin levels were lower in thalassemia major patients with short stature group compared with controls but there was not any correlation between ghrelin levels and short stature in different groups.Conclusion: These results suggest that one of the endocrinopathies affecting thalassemic patients is adipose tissue dysfunction and it seems that low leptin levels play a role in the endocrine dysfunctions in these patients. These findings should be confirmed in further studies.

Background: Introduction: Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a major risk factor for osteoporotic fracture. There are emerging evidences, that micronutrients and macronutrients may play a protective role against age related bone loses. In this study the relationship between dietary calcium intake and bone mineral density in adult population was investigated.Methods: A total of 1028 healthy men and women, aged 20-72 years, were randomly selected from 13 clusters in Bushehr port. Dietary calcium intake with a validated FFQ was evaluated. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to determine the bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L2-L4), distal third of radius, and proximal femur. Serum degradation products of the C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX), and osteocalcin were measured by highly specific ELISA methods.Results: There was significant positive age- adjusted linear correlation between dietary calcium intake and femur neck BMD (r=0.06, p<0.05), femur ward’s triangle BMD (r=0.07, p=0.01), and femur trocanter BMD (r=0.06, p<0.05). Negative age-adjusted linear correlation between dietary calcium intake and osteocalcin (r=-0.07, p<0.05) in adults population were significant.Conclusion: It is concluded that a high dietary calcium intake has protective role against osteoprotc fracture and is supported by reduction of osteocalcin, a turn over marker in people who had used more calcium.

Background: The aim of this study was to determine relationship between the groundwater fluoride (F) concentration and villages elevation with dental caries in children living in the Borazjan villages (in Dashtestan area) of the Bushehr Province.Methods: 13 villages in Dashtestan with only a groundwater source and essentially the same socio-economic living standards conditions were surveyed. All of the children in each village in the ages 6–11 were sampled for a total of 2287 in all villages. F levels in the village drinking water measured by the SPADNS method.Results: F drinking water concentration ranged from 0.99 to 2.50 mg/L, while the number of decayed permanent (Dt) teeth per child ranged between 0.14 and 1.08 and the number of decayed deciduous (dt) teeth ranged between 0.17 and 1.18. Over this narrow concentration range there appeared to be no significant association between the F level in the drinking water and Dt and dt. Also it was appeared villages elevation had no any significant effect on dental carries levels.Conclusion: F drinking water levels higher than 1 mg/L in this area had no any effect in the prevention of dental caries.

Background: Candida vulvovaginitis is a disease caused by colonization of candida species in mucosa of genital tract of women. There was no any information about epidemiology of this infection in Bushehr city, so this survey was conducted to detect yeasts species in women who referred to health center clinics from June to September 2002 in Bushehr city.Methods: In this study from 80 women who suspected to vulvovaginitis, 160 vaginal swabs were collected (two swabs from each woman) and examined by direct microscopic slide and culture method; by using the sugar fermentation and assimilation isolated yeasts were specified.Results: From 80 subjects participated in this study, 42 cases were positive for vulvovaginitis. Etiologic species of 42 positive cases were as follow: 31 cases were Candida albicans, 5 cases Candida glabrata, 4 cases Candida tropicalis and 2 cases were Candida Kefyer.Conclusion: This study showed, candida albicans is predominant species in this group of patients.

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic diseases caused by an intra cellular protozoan called Toxoplasma gondii. This infection is almost asymptomatic in imunocompetent persons but it is an important disease in immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women. Seroepidemiological survey of Toxoplasmosis in girls before marriage for identifying non immune girls could be used to prevent congenital Toxoplasmosis.Methods: As a cross sectional study to evaluate the IgG and IgM antibodies, 491 student girls were chosen randomly from Bushehr university of medical sciences and persion gulf university. Blood samples were collected and The obtained sera were examined for anti Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies by using ELISA method.Results: Results showed that the prevalence of of Toxoplasmosis IgG and IgM antibodies in student girls was 11.5 and 1.5 percent respectively. 30.8% of students had information about Toxoplasmosis. There was significant correlation between seropositivity of Toxoplasma antibodies and factors such as, area of residency, and food consumption habits, but there was no significant correlation between seropositivity and availability of drinking water, contact with cat and keeping pet.Conclusion: Altough prevalence of Toxoplasma antibodies in Bushehr is lower than expected, but it could be correlated with some factors such as: low abundance of stray cats, low consumption of beaf and lamb and lack of optimum temperature for the parasite sporolation in most months during the year. It is recommended to establish the educational and detecting measures to prevent congenital Toxoplasmosis in non immune women.

Background: To prevent inadvertent rupture of the hydatid cyst during surgery, various scolicidal materials would be injected into the cysts, but they could cause various side effects on the body of the host. In the current study, the effects of the scolicidal methylene blue on protoscolices of hydatid cyst were evaluated.Methods: In this study, 50 sheep liver samples infected to hydatid cyst were collected. Each sample had at least one prolific cyst containing live protoscolices confirmed with candle flame shape movements of them and shakes of their internal ingredients as well as staining by eosin dye. The samples were categorized in three groups of positive control, negative control, and test groups regarding to their exposure to saturated hypertonic saline, normal saline, and methylene blue, respectively. Life signs of protoscolices were examined under visible microscope at 2, 4, 8, and 16 minutes after exposure to the dyes.Results: Methylene blue and normal saline had no effects on protoscolices at the end of the mentioned times and all the protoscolices were live after 16 minutes, but saturated hypertonic saline killed 95% of protoscolices at the end 4 minutes and all of them were died till 16 minutes.Conclusion: The results of this study manifested that Methylene blue has no effects on killing of protoscolices, so it is suggested that future studies should be done to find an effective scolicidal material with no side effect on human body.

Background: Emergence of multi-drug resistance bacteria in the world, vast inappropriate usage of anti-infective agents and re-emergence of micro-organisms lead to the beginning of discovery of new anti-infective agents from the sea by the scientists.Methods: A total of known 611 seashells species in the Persian Gulf were investigated for synonymy in OBIS database. Then, all the species, including their synonymy were searched in PubMed database to find their isolated bioactive agents.Results: From 611 known seashells in the Persian Gulf, 172 genera/species had bioactive compounds. Anti-infective agents were isolated and purified for 11 genera. The crude or purified extracts from these seashells were active against gram-positive bacteria (5 seashells), gram-negative bacteria (4 seashells), viruses (2 seashells), fungi and leishmania (each one seashell). Two molecular probe s for invasive organisms were also reported from two seashells.Conclusion: The known seashells from the Persian Gulf have potential anti-infective compounds and increase in the efforts to isolate these agents will promise a treasure for novel anti-infective agents.

In the majority of cases, common bile duct obstruction is due to neoplasms, choledocholithiasis, trauma or iatrogenic causes. However, especially in endemic regions, parasites should not be overlooked. Ruptured hydatid cyst is one of the most important parasitic causes of common bile duct obstruction and should be considered in every case of common bile duct obstruction with a history of hydatid infection. We present herein an unusual case of hepatic hydatid cyst recurrence after 13 years with concomitant rupture into the biliary system causing common bile duct obstruction.