DANESHVAR MEDICINE
Year:2013 | Volume:20 | Issue:105|Papers Count:9

Background and Objective: Caloric method is the most important test in evaluating the vestibular function and air caloric stimulation is the most popular method for performing this test. As there are no standard normal criteria for this test, the goal of this study was to define normal criteria for different parameters of caloric test which is a part of peripheral vestibular system test battery in Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. These parameters include directional preponderance, unilateral weakness and slow phase velocity.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study, thirty two healthy volunteers of 20-45 years of age were included. After obtaining written informed consent and performing basic audiologic examination, Caloric test was performed using INC model of House Infrared/Video ENG System, USA. Its parameters were compared between males and females and within 2 different age groups of 20-30 and 30-45. Data were analyzed with a significant level of 0.05.Results: In the right eye, slow phase velocity was 15.23±7.43o/s, directional preponderance was 10.49±9.28% and unilateral weakness was12.27±6.45% and these values in the left eye were 15.94±8.25o/s, 10.45±9.09% and 12.69±7.54%, respectively. There was not any significant difference between the two genders and between the two age groups.Conclusion: These results suggest the normal values for different parameters of Caloric test and it can be used to differentiate patients and normal subjects. As there was no statistically significant difference between males and females and two age ranges, the same values can be used for all of them.

Background and Objective: GABAergic inhibitory interneurons are distributed in spinal cord for pain sensation, so that muscimol and bicuculline (GABAA agonist and antagonist) reduces and enhances pain, respectively. Gap junctions (Gj) are membrane contacts for exchanging the signaling agents and small metabolites. Using spinal administration (i.t) of carbenoxolone (Gj blockers), this study tried to understand the Gj and spinal GABAergic system roles on chemical pain sensation.Materials ad Methods: Male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were divided into 8 groups (n=7). The drugs were injected at 10 ml volume intrathecally including carbenoxolone (1nM), muscimol (0.3 mg) and bicuculline (0.3 and 0.6 mg) individually or as a form of co-treatment. Sub-plantar injection of 0.05 ml of 2.5% formalin was used and pain related behaviors were recorded for 1 hour.Results: Carbenoxolone and muscimol reduced pain (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively), and bicuculline elevated pain (p<0.01) induced by formalin. Carbenoxolone co-treatment with muscimol reduced pain more than each one (p<0.05). Administration of carbenoxolone reduced hyperalgesia induced by bicuculline (p<0.05).Conclusion: Muscimol analgesic effect elevation and bicuculline hyperalgesic effect alleviation followed by Gjs blockade might be explained when the existence of Gj is considered between a primary inhibitory interneuron effective on a secondary interneuron which inhibits spinal pain projection neurons.

Background and Objective: Snoring is one of the most significant causes of sleep disturbance in children. Sleep behavior and movement disturbance (SBMD) is common and important and has prominent effect in quality of daily life in this age group. This study aimed to assess SBMD in children with a history of snoring in Qom.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we have chosen 100 children (2-12 years old) with a history of snoring for 3 months. Their parents fill out two questionnaire of Berlin and Childhood Sleep Questionnaire. Data was collected by organized interview and then data analysis was done using SPSS. A p value less than 0.05 was significant.Results: The mean SBMD was 13.78±3. There were also 52% and 30% frequent and severe snoring, respectively, apnea was observed in 18% of cases and snoring with troubling others was noted in 27% of cases. In addition, bruxism was in 37% of cases, sleep walking was in 4% of cases and sleep talking was reported in 30% of cases.Conclusion: This study showed the high prevalence of SBMD in children. It is important to educate subject with sleep disturbance and to train their parents for helping to achieve better sleep and early diagnosis of sleep problem in children.

Background and Objective: The endodontic management of immature teeth with wide open apices has always posed particular problems. A number of canal preparation and filling techniques have been described such as apexification, surgery and retrograde filling, customized-cone, and apical plug. The purpose of this study was to compare the sectional technique microleakage in open apices with lateral compaction technique.Materials and Methods: Twenty seven open apex canals and twenty seven close apex canals were used in this study. Teeth were divided into two groups. In addition to 23 experimental teeth in each group, there were 4 positive controls and 4 negative controls. Group1 was filled with sectional warm gutta percha and group 2 was filled with lateral condensation technique. The extent of dye penetration was determined with stereomicroscope and by two independent observers. The data were obtained and then statistically analyzed with t test.Results: The mean microleakage) intra-canal dye penetration (in group 1 (sectional) (penetration was 0.042) was not significantly different versus group 2 (lateral) (penetration was 0.027).Conclusion: This study suggests that sectional technique is a suitable and non-surgical method for filling gutta-percha in open apex teeth.

Background and Objective: Preeclampsia is one of the most common complications during pregnancy that occurs after 20th weeks of pregnancy in women with normal blood pressure. The pathophysiology of this disease is unknown. Due to changes in serum level of nitric oxide in women with preeclampsia and also the important role of mesenchymal stem cells in the secretion of nitric oxide as an immunoregulator, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the level of nitric oxide in secretions of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in women with normal pregnancy and patients with preeclampsia.Materials and Methods: Subcutaneous adipose tissue of 10 preeclamptic patients and 10 healthy pregnant women was collected during cesarean operation. After isolation and proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells, capablity of their differentiation and their immunophenotyping charactetistics were assessed. Then, their release of nitric oxide was evaluated using Griess method.Results: Stem cells isolated from adipose tissue in both groups differentiated into osteocyte and adipocytes. Flow-cytometric analysis showed the expression of the markers CD90, CD73 CD44 and CD105 and lack of expression of the markers CD-14, CD34, CD45 and HLA-DR in both groups. No significant change was observed for the level of nitric oxide secretion in both groups.Conclusion: The present results suggest that nitric oxide secreted by mesenchymal stem cells do not have a significant contribution in variation of serum level of this factor and possibly do not play a role in the pathology of preeclampsia. However, such study with a higher sample size is suggested.

Background and Objective: Aminopeptidases remove the amino acids from the N-terminal of proteins and peptides. Aminopeptidase N (CD13) and leucine aminopeptidase are involved in processing and presentation of pathogens to immune cells. Also, enzyme activity in some viral infection and tumors are high. In this study, the activity of CD13 in serum with high level of brucella antibody was measured. Due to the effect of protein, cortisol, bilirubin, and total antioxidant concentration on enzyme activity, these factors were also measured.Materials and Methods: In this study, 37 sera with high level of brucella antibody and 30 sera from healthy subjects were collected and enzyme activity was measured by spectrophotometry using L-leucine para-nitro-anilid substrate. Protein concentration was determined by the Bradford method, total antioxidant levels was assessed by spectrophotometry method, cortisol level was measured by ELISA method and total bilirubin was determined by calorimetric method.Results: CD13 activity was not significantly higher in test group than in healthy subjects and there was no correlation between enzyme activity and antibody titer in test group. But there was a direct positive and significant correlation between enzyme activity and cortisol levels. Also, there was a negative correlation between serum protein level with cortisol, bilirubin, and total antioxidant. Also, there was a positive correlation between bilirubin and total antioxidant in test group.Conclusion: There were no correlation between brucella antibody titer and CD13 activity. Also, factors such as protein, reducing substances, bilirubin and cortisol did not interfere with the results achieved.

Background and Objective: HESA-A is a natural compound with herbal-marine origin that its therapeutic effects have been proved in cancer. The present study investigated HESA-A drug effect in an inflammatory model in rats.Materials and Methods: In this study, four groups of rats were used with a sample size of six in each group. These groups were negative control (distilled water), positive control (methylprednisolone) and treatment groups (HESA-A at dosages of 150 and 225 mg/kg). On the first day, the drugs were injected intra-peritoneally to rats. After thirty minutes, paw volume was measured by plethysmometer and immediately, formalin solution was injected subcutaneously into the hind paw of rats. After an hour, inflamed paw volume was measured. In days 2-8, the inflamed paw volume was measured and immediately drug was injected intra-peritoneally.Results: In this study, comparing of the HESA-225 and control groups and also HESA-225 and HESA-150 groups, indicated significant differences in days 2-8. The mean volume of rats paw in HESA-225 group was significantly less than HESA-150 and control groups (p<0.05). In addition, a significant decrease in the mean volume of rats’ paw was observed in methylprednisolone group as compared to control group in days 3-8 (p<0.05).Conclusion: The HESA-A drug has a chronic anti-inflammatory effect following intraperitoneal administration.

Background and Objective: Hepatitis B prevention is a very important issue in the young women, since it can transfer from mother to infant. This study was aimed to determine factors associated with preventive behaviors of hepatitis B among the high school girls during the academic year 2005-2006 in the Arak, Iran.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in five high schools in the Arak city. A total of 590 students from the first and second grades, who agreed to take part in the study, enrolled using a cluster sampling method. The data were collected by a questionnaire, including constructs of perceived severity (15 items), perceived susceptibility (eight items), perceived barriers and benefits (seven items), behavioral intention (10 items), and self-efficiency (two items).Results: The results showed that the mean age of students was 16.27±0.72 years. Only 5.4% of students had received the hepatitis B vaccination in three intervals and more than one quarter (28.1%) of them were never used their personal equipment when they have gone to the barber salon. The constructs of perceived barriers (p=0.001), perceived susceptibility (p=0.022) and self-efficacy (p=0.001) were significantly associated with preventive behaviors of hepatitis B. The perceived barriers (3.76±0.60) had the maximum score, while self-efficacy (2.13±0.87) had the minimum score.Conclusion: Due to the low range of preventive behaviors of hepatitis B and since these behaviors were associated with constructs of perceived barriers, perceived susceptibility and self-efficacy, adult girls must know about real preventive barriers of this disease and suitable ways have to be prepared to perceive the susceptibility of this disease and developing of self-efficiency.

Background and Objective: Estimation abilities are a group of processes that involve cognitive functions such as planning, attention, abstract reasoning, and memory. The goal of this study was to assess cognitive estimation in patients with schizophrenia, major depression disorder (MDD) and normal individuals.Materials and Methods: Three groups including patients with schizophrenia, major depression disorder (MDD) and normal individuals (n=22 for each group) were selected using available sampling methods and inclusion and diagnostic criteria and were assessed by Cognitive Estimation Test (CET).Results: Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that patients with schizophrenia disorder were impaired in all cognitive estimation dimensions in comparison with patients with major depression disorder (MDD) and normal individuals and its total score. Also, major depression patients performed worse than normal individuals in size, weight and quantity of cognitive estimation dimensions and its total score.Conclusion: A better understanding of the cognitive estimation in schizophrenia and depression could help identify the risk and modifying factors that influence the onset, severity and course of these diseases.