International Journal of Basic Science in Medicine
Year:2018 | Volume:3 | Issue:2|Papers Count:8

Dear Editor Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease which is considered as the leading cause of death and a health concern worldwide. 1 In 2016, the global incidence of TB was estimated as 10. 4 million new (incident) cases, from which 6. 2 million were men and 10% of them were infected with HIV. Countries with high burden of TB including India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, and South Africa are accounted for 64% of the new TB cases. 2 The long common borders between Iran (Sistan and Baluchestan province) and Pakistan demonstrates the importance of this disease for Iranian community.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness in the world. Telemedicine is one of the best solutions for providing high-quality screening for many diabetic patients. This study was a systematic review, in which all published papers related to telemedicine application in retinopathy were reviewed during March 2001 to June 2017. Iranian databases (Irandoc, Barakat Knowledge Network System, Magiran and SID) and international databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) were searched with appropriate keywords. Out of the 59 articles retrieved in English, 11 related articles were identified and examined. Four articles focused specifically on the programs and applications for management of retinopathy, 6 papers on effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this strategy, and 1 article on the satisfaction and collaboration of caregivers. Majority of the studies were concerned with economic impacts of telemedicine application in this area. Five studies examined the efficiency of telemedicine recruitment and patients’ assessment and its ability to lower blindness occurrence. Telemedicine applications have been clinically validated and successfully implemented around the world. Low-cost and portable digital cameras are used in this approach. One of the benefits of this strategy is its high level of clinical accuracy, easy patient access, and cost-effectiveness.

Introduction: Temperament (mizaj) plays an important role in society’ s general health as well as in diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Despite its effectiveness, the mechanisms of temperament-dependent treatment in practical Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) has not been well understood yet. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the temperament and superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD1) polymorphism. Methods: The study was carried out on healthy blood donors. All participants were from Fars province, southern Iran. To determine the participants’ temperaments, a self-reported identification scale was used. Two hundred eighty males with any of 4 simple temperaments (Warm, Cold, Moist, and Dry) were included. The SOD1 genotypes were determined using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based method. Multinomial logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI for the association of temperament with SOD1 polymorphism. Results: No association was found between the insertion/deletion (Ins/Del) polymorphism of SOD1 and each of the temperament groups. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the temperament is not affected by the Ins/ Del polymorphism of SOD1. Further research with larger samples and with other genes of antioxidant system is recommended.

Introduction: T Drosophila melanogaster is a suitable in vivo model organism to study the neurotoxic effects of ethanol. In the present study, the behavioral responses, levels of oxidative markers, and activity of antioxidant enzymes were investigated in ethanol-exposed Drosophila flies. Methods: Adult flies were exposed to absolute ethanol using ethanol exposure chamber. Then, their resistance against ethanol vapor was measured by monitoring their locomotion. Biochemical assays were applied to quantify antioxidant enzymes activity in the brains of ethanol exposed flies. Results: The results showed that acute ethanol exposure led to the hyperactivity of flies. If alcohol exposure was prolonged, then sedation could occur in the experimental flies. The levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) as cellular markers of oxidative stress considerably increased in ethanol-exposed flies while glutathione (GSH) level declined. Higher activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were observed in the ethanol-exposed flies. Ethanol neurotoxicity became more evident when a remarkable decrease in acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity was seen in the ethanol-exposed flies. Treatment with Decalepis hamiltonii aqueous extract increased the time of ST50 and decreased the RC50 values of ethanol-exposed flies. Moreover, we demonstrated that D. hamiltonii pre-treatment diminished ROS and LPO levels in the ethanol-exposed flies. D. hamiltonii treatment resulted in augmentation of GSH level and activity of CAT and SOD enzymes. Conclusion: This is the first report on the protective effects of D. hamiltonii natural antioxidants in D. melanogaster on oxidative stress induced by ethanol.

Introduction: Fishery wastes are the unique sources of natural products, and structural and chemical characteristics of their extracted compounds are different from those of terrestrial animals. They are known as rich sources of bioactive molecules, including collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG). In the present study, we extracted and analysed the anticoagulant activity of GAG from fish (Rutilus frisii kutum) scales. Methods: The GAG compounds were extracted using cationic salt of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to identify and compare the structure of the extracted GAG with that of heparin. Anticoagulant property of extracted material was measured by prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and thrombin time (TT) on human plasma at three concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 μ g/mL. Results: The mass of the extracted GAG was estimated approximately 23. 8 mg/g of dry tissue. FTIR analysis confirmed the presence of heparin-like compounds in fish scales-extracted GAG. Human plasma coagulation times significantly increased with increasing the extracted GAGs concentration. At the concentration of 200 μ g/mL, coagulation time of aPTT was 4. 3 times as that of control reaching 138. 6 seconds. Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that the GAG extracted from fish scales had valuable anticoagulant properties compared to synthetic anticoagulant compounds such as heparin.

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main causes of hospital infections. The present study aimed to determine the antimicrobial effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on the growth of mupirocin-resistant S. aureus isolates taken from hospital carriers. Methods: The samples were taken from the anterior nasal parts of 150 hospital staff in Gorgan, using a sterile swab. Being cultured on Mannitol salt agar, the suspected colonies were identified through gram staining as well as catalase, coagulase and DNase tests. Resistance of the strains to mupirocin was examined using microdilution broth test. The antibacterial effect of ZnONPs on the mupirocin-resistant strains was also investigated using agar well diffusion method. Results: In this study, 48 isolates (32%) were identified as S. aureus, out of which 3 isolates (6. 2%) showed high resistance to mupirocin and 14 isolates (29. 2%) showed low resistance to this antibiotic. The results of this study revealed that ZnONPs had the highest inhibitory effect on the growth of mupirocin-resistant S. aureus in the density of 400 mg/mL. Conclusion: The ZnONPs used in this study had a high dose-dependent antimicrobial activity against all drug-resistant S. aureus strains.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of eight-week resistance training and supplementation of leucine on protein synthesis in elderly men suffering from sarcopenia. Methods: A total of 40 elderly men residing in elderly nursing center were randomly selected and divided into 4 groups to be evaluated: Resistance training and leucine supplement (RTLS=10), resistance training (RT=10), leucine supplement (LS=10), and Control (C=10). Resistance training was performed with intensity training of 35%-70% of one repetition maximum (1RM) for 20-45 minutes during an 8-week interval. The supplemented group consumed 3 g of leucine amino acid in every meal. The serum insulin concentration, urine nitrogen, muscle mass, and muscle strength were measured 1 day prior to the implementation of the protocol and 72 hours following the last training session. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was analyzed within and between group changes. Bonferroni post hoc test was used to determine the difference between each of the 2 groups. Results: The results showed that urine nitrogen and muscle mass levels increased significantly after 8 weeks of RT compared to C group (P < 0. 05). Serum insulin concentration increased significantly in RT group compared to C group (P < 0. 05). In addition, there was a significant increase in muscle strength in RT and S groups compared to C group (P < 0. 05). Conclusion: The results indicated that muscle protein synthesis increased after resistance training in skeletal muscle. This implies that the rate of sarcopenia reduced as a result of resistance training. Likewise, , resistance training along with consumption of leucine supplement were effective in improving muscle strength.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most frequent solid malignancy in women. Omentin-1 is synthesized by visceral adipose tissue, placenta, and ovary and its production is altered in some cancers. The aim of this study was to assess omentin-1 as a diagnostic marker in patients with breast cancer. Methods: The participants of the study included 90 women (45 patients with breast cancer and 45 healthy women as control group). In addition to anthropometric and blood parameters analysis, omentin-1 serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays method. Receiver operator characteristic curve and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) were calculated to define diagnostic accuracy. Results: Serum omentin-1 level in breast cancer patients (157 ng/L ± 66 ng/L, mean ± SD) was significantly lower than that of the control group (217 ng/L ± 75 ng/L, mean ± SD). There was no significant correlation between omentin-1 levels and anthropometric and blood parameters. The best cut-off point for the diagnosis of breast cancer was at 146 ng/L. The sensitivity and specificity for omentin-1 with 95% CI (0. 611 to 0. 837) were 60% and 85%, respectively. Calculated PPV and NPV at the 146 ng/L cut-off point were 88. 8% and 51. 5%, respectively. Conclusion: Breast cancer patients had significantly lower serum level of omentin-1 than healthy women. Omentin-1 may be beneficial as a screening test along with the early-approved methods in the diagnosis of patients with breast cancer.