Feyz Medical Sciences Journal
Year:2012 | Volume:16 | Issue:1 (SERIAL 61)|Papers Count:15

Background: Demyelination in central nervous system is usually followed by remyelination; however, chronic lesions with subsequent functional impairment result from the eventual failure of remyelination process, as seen in multiple sclerosis. Remyelination is the process through which oligodendrocyte-progenitor cells (OPCs) restore new myelin sheathes around demyelinated axons. This study aimed to investigate the effect of A1 receptor agonist, N6-cyclohexyladenosine (CHA), on the demyelination and remyelination processes in rat optic chiasm following lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) -induced demylination.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, LPC was injected into the optic chiasm of three groups of rats (n=6). Control group received aCSF on different days following LPC injection. Two groups of animals received CHA on days 0- 14 or 14 - 28 post - lesion.Demyelination and remyelination levels were evaluated by recording visual evoked potential (VEP) from the scalp.Results: The highest level of demyelination was occurred on day 7 post - lesion LPC injection and gradually reduced during the days 7- 28. The P-wave latency was significantly increased on day 7 and then partially restored during the days 7- 28 post-lesion. CHA administration during the days 0- 14 attenuated demyelination process. In addition, CHA administration in remyelination phase (days 14-28) was able to potentiate the endogenous myelin repair.Conclusion: Injection of CHA could prevent the lysolecithin-induced variations in VEP.The effects of CHA may be mediated through increment of OPCs proliferation and their differentiation into myelinating oligodendrocytes.

Background: Cynodon dactylon L. pers is one of the plants with applied medicinal value.This study aimed to examine the effect ofC. dactylon (L.) aqueous extract on catalase enzymatic activity in kidney and liver tissues as well as the changes in testicular tissues of diabetic rats.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 30 adult male rats were divided into five groups (n=6). Control rats were injected with physiological saline and the others were made diabetic by the injection of streptozotocin (STZ; 70 mg/kg, i.p.). The third, fourth and fifth diabetic groups were given the oral aqueous extract of C. dactylon at different doses (50, 250 and 500 mg/kg), respectively for 4 weeks. The catalase enzymatic activity in kidney and liver tissues were measured using Aebi method at the end of the treatment. Then the testis slices were stained and examined by electron microscopy.Results: The activity of catalase enzyme in kidney and liver of diabetic rats treated with the 500 mg/kg extract was increased significantly compared to the untreated diabetic rats (P<0.05). In the untreated diabetic group, coiled seminiferous tubules and the increased interstitial space of lubules were observable in testis. The aqueous extract- treated group, compared to the diabetic one, showed a significant recovery in the tissue parameters.Conclusion: Aqueous extract of C. dactylon (L.) have beneficial effects on the activity of anti- oxidant enzymes and changes in testicular tissue during the course of diabetes.

Background: There are different surgical procedures for circumcision. Although the classic method is the most common one, it takes more time and causes more pain and complications compared to other methods. The purpose of this study was to compare the complications and the time taken for performing the surgery for Gomco and classic methods of circumcision.Materials and Methods: This case - control study was performed on 80 neonates referred to the outpatient operating room in Shahid Beheshti hospital for circumcision in 2011 and were divided into two equal groups: one group underwent the classic method and another, the Gomco method. The complications were assessed in two phases: during the surgery by counting bloody gauze pads and one week thereafter using the objective methods, then they were analyzed statistically.Results: The mean age of neonates was 24.8±12.37 days and no significant difference was seen between two groups. The mean operation duration in the classic method (24.3±2.5 min) was approximately two times greater than that of the Gomco method (13.3±2.3 min).Moreover, the amount of bleeding in the classic method (4.1±0.6 cc) was over three times greater than that of the Gomco one (1.3±0.7 cc). No cases of infection were seen in both groups.Conclusion: Results show that the Gomco method takes less time and causes less pain and fewer complications compared to the classic method and may also be a suitable alternative to the classic method.

Background: Some common complications of aging such as nutritional deficiency, lack of physical activity, the increase in body fat percentage and the prevalence of specific diseases may indirectly affect the immune system function. Thus, this study aimed to determine the effect of a 6- month moderate aerobic training program on interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor (CD25 cells), IL-2 and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels in elderly men.Materials and Methods: Forty sedentary and healthy aged men (mean age, 65±2 years) were randomly divided into experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. The experimental group performed moderate aerobic training three times a week for 6 months, while the control group did not perform any regular training. Then CD25 cells, the level of IL-2, sIgA and VO2max were determined for each participant.Results: The results showed that aerobic training significantly increased VO2max, CD25 cells, the level of IL-2 and sIgA in the experimental group.Conclusion: It seems that the moderate aerobic training for 6 months can be very effective to delay the process of immune system aging.

Background: Although silver can be used as an effective water disinfectant, it has some disadvantages such as its high costs and darkening of the skin and mucous membrane due to long- term exposure to high silver concentrations. Nanotechnology can solve such problems through reduction of silver content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of nanosilver on removing the coliform bacteria from contaminated water.Materials and Methods: This bench-scale experimental study was carried out in a batch system on artificially contaminated water samples prepared by adding 5 ml effluent to 60 liters of tap water. In each run, the nanosilver suspension (30-180mgL-1) was added to 6 containers (500 ml) of contaminated water and then a sample was taken every 20 minutes for a 100-minute period and tested for coliform according to the standard methods book.Results: Results revealed that the coliform bacteria removal significantly increased with increasing the contact time of nonosilver (P=0.001), but there was no significant correlation between the nanosilver concentrations and coliform removal (P=0.6). The maximum coliform removal (92.41%) was achieved within 100 minutes contact time for 60mgL-1 of silver.Conclusion: Although nanosilver treatment is effective in removing coliform from contaminated water, further researches are required to study the efficacy of drinking water disinfection.

Background: Catecholamines play an important role in many vital body functions such as the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids. This research was designed to examine the changes in catecholamines during an intense and exhausting aerobic exercise.Materials and Methods: In this study, fourteen healthy young men were taken a Bruce treadmill test with a mean time of 16.05 minutes and were totally exhausted. The blood samples of the participants were taken in four stages: before and after performing Bruce test and at third and fourth stages, one and two days immediately following the completion of test, respectively. The serum epinephrine and norepinephrine levels were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.Results: Results showed that an intense and exhausting aerobic exercise significantly increased epinephrine (P<0.001) and norepinephrine (P<0.01) levels. Moreover, the norepinephrine level continued to increase two days after the aerobic exercise.Conclusion: It seems that catecholamines respond differently to the same exercise. The changes observed probably depend on the pre-exercise athlete condition as well as the intensity and duration of activity. Moreover, a mean time of 16.05 minutes for the performance of an intense physical activity with maximum oxygen consumption (54.83 ml/kg/min) can cause considerable changes in research variables.

Background: The Hsp90 chaperone complex functions in assembly, folding and activation of numerous substrates. The two vertebrate homologues encoded byhsp90 a and hsp90 bgenes are differentially expressed in embryonic and adult tissues and during stress, however, it is not known if they possess identical functional activities in chaperone complexes. This question was addressed by examining potential differences between the Hsp90 isoforms with respect to both co-chaperone and substrate interactions.Materials and Methods: Epitope - tagged proteins were expressed in mammalian cells or Xenopusoocytes and subjected to immunoprecipitation with an array of co-chaperones.Results: Both isoforms were shown to participate equally in multi - chaperone complexes and no significant difference in co-chaperone distribution was observed. The substrates Raf-1, HSF1, Cdc37 and Mek interacted with both Hsp90α and Hsp90β, and the relative patterns of these interactions were not affected by heat shock. The substrates kinases c-Src, CKIIB, Araf, and Erk interacted with both isoforms, however, significantly more Hsp90α was recovered after heat shock.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the Hsp90α and Hsp90β exhibit similar interactions with co-chaperones, but significantly different behaviors with respect to substrate interactions under stress conditions.

Background: Microsporidia infections occur in all invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. The most common microsporidia infecting humans and animals are Enterocytozoon bieneusi.This study aimed to characterize the zoonotic isolates of E. bieneusi using a molecular method among the slaughtered cattle in Tehran.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 126 fecal samples from slaughtered cattle in Tehran were analyzed for Enterocytozoon bieneusi. A transcribed spacer region (500 bp) for rRNA gene of E. bieneusi was amplified using a nested PCR technique. For genotyping, positive samples were sequenced and the phylogenetic tree was reconstructed to determine the relationship between the isolates from human, animal and zoonotic isolates.Results: Nineteen out of 126 E. bieneusi PCR-positive samples were sequenced. A high degree of genetic polymorphism, represented by four genotypes (IREb4, IREb5, D, M), was found among theE. bieneusi isolated from cattle. In this study, the most common genotypes were D (38.6%), M and IREb4 (26.3%), respectively followed by IREb5 (10.5%) in the next stage. In phylogenetic analysis, 89.5 percent of the isolates (D IREb4, IREB5) formed a distinct cluster consisting of genotypes from humans and other domestic animals, but one genotype clustered as E. bieneusi genotypes taken from cattle and pig.Conclusion: Only some E. bieneusi isolates taken from cattle may be of public health importance. However, further studies should be conducted on cattle and other hosts to determine the role of animals in the transmission of infection to human.

Background: The purpose of this study was to compare the radiographic grading scales osteoarthritis, knee pain, signs and movement dysfunctions related to osteoarthritis in daily, sport and recreational activities and also the quality of life between ex- elite track and field athletes and the non-athletes.Materials and Methods: Thirty ex - elite male track and field athletes were purposefully selected and divided into two equal groups (n=15). The clinical and radiological methods (Kellgren-Lawrence) and a global and domestic questionnaire of the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) were used to diagnose the disease.Results: Results showed a significant lower mean for movement dysfunctions in sport and recreational activities between athletes and non-athletes (P=0.02). Despite a 30% difference in the mean radiographic grading for osteoarthritis in athletes compared to the non-athletes, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.90). Moreover, the lower mean values for knee pain, signs, movement dysfunctions in daily activities and the quality of life in athletes were 10% (P=0.27), 10% (P=0.09), 12% (P=0.13) and 4% (P=0.90), respectively compared to non- athletes, however, the difference was not statistically significant.Conclusion: Participating in track and field competitions at the professional level may improve the movement function of ex- elite athletes.

Background: Considering that there is no general agreement on use of misoprostol as the best method for the termination of pregnancy in first trimester, this study aimed to compare the vaginal ultrasonography and serum b - hCG in the confirming of a complete abortion.Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 133 patients with a missed abortion or the blighted ovum diagnosed by vaginal ultrasonography, and a 12 week gestational sac admitted to Shabih- Khani hospital of Kashan in 2010. The patients' serum b - hCG levels were measured. They were assessed for the tissue discharge (abortion) after taking one or two doses of vaginal misoprostol suppositories and the oral contraceptive pills prescribed after confirming the abortion. Then vaginal ultrasonography and the serum b-hCG measurement were performed to diagnose the complete abortion in the second and fourth weeks of pregnancy.Results: Among 133 patients, a complete abortion was diagnosed for 116 (87.2%) and 80 cases (60.15%) based on b - hCG level and vaginal ultrasonography, respectively in the second week of pregnancy. In other cases, a complete abortion was diagnosed using both b - hCG level and vaginal ultrasonography in the fourth week. Therefore, b - hCG level was more effective (98.75%) than the vaginal ultrasonography to diagnose a complete abortion in the second week of pregnancy. The accordance between the two methods was 0.327 at the end of the second week of pregnancy.Conclusion: The measurement of b - hCG level and vaginal ultrasonography are equally effective to confirm a complete abortion. Hence, to diagnose the complete abortion, determining the b - hCG level followed by clinical examination is recommended.

Background: The solid-waste leachate is a type of wastewater with high concentration of mineral and organic compounds.There is little information about the effect of the advanced oxidation processes for the treatment of municipal solid-waste leachate. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of processing advanced oxidation method as a biological pre - treatment for municipal solid waste.Materials and Methods: This bench - scale experimental study was conducted in a closed batch system on leachate samples of Kahrizak landfill (Tehran). After obtaining the optimal conditions for the O3 /UV and H2O2 /UV processes, the effect of each process on 20 leachate samples was assessed and for each sample, 4 different reaction times were studied for the removal of BOD5, COD, TS and color. The results were compared using the mixed - design ANOVA model.Results: The BOD5, COD and TS in raw leachate were 2500, 21910 and 29347 mg/l, respectively. The O3 /UV and H2O2 /UV processes removed 87% and 73% of COD, respectively. The BOD5 /COD ratio in the O3 /UV and H2O2 /UV processes increased from 0.11 to 0.33 and 0.11 to 0.12, respectively. Moreover, the color in the O3 /UV and H2O2 /UV processes decreased from 82 to 67.25% and 81.65%, respectively.Conclusion: The O3 /UV process can be used as a biological pre - treatment. The optimum pH for this process is 8.5, the optimum ozone concentration is 60.1 g/kg of decreased COD and the best reaction time which increases the BOD5 /COD ratio more than 0.25 and less expensive than other reaction times, is 10 minutes.

Background: Phosphorus compounds are among the potential water pollutants which enter the water resources through different ways such as wastewater discharge. Although there are physical, chemical and biological treatment methods for phosphorus removal from the wastewater, much attention has been focused on the use of electrochemical process.Materials and Methods: This bench-scale study was conducted on synthetic wastewater samples containing organic phosphorus using a closed batch system. The effects of reaction time and initial concentration of organic phosphorus on the electrochemical process of phosphorus removal were studied. In this study, the effect of steel electrodes, an electric current of 0.6 A, a reaction time of 10-60 minutes and also the initial phosphorus concentrations (2 to 32 mg/l) were investigated.Results: The results of this study showed that the concentration of residual organic phosphorus after the electrochemical process at different initial concentrations was reduced to less than 1 mg/l (equivalent to the effluent discharge standard to receptive water in Iran) at a reaction time of 50 minutes. Moreover, the phosphorus removal efficiency was between 93.73-98.72% at different initial concentrations and a reaction time of 60 minutes.Conclusion: The electrochemical process, using the steel electrodes at an electric current of 0.6 A, can reduce the phosphorus concentration to less than 1 mg/l. Moreover, the optimum reaction time for the removal of organic phosphorus is 50 minutes.

Background: Considering that hospital costs of the growing elderly population account for a significant share of the health care costs, this study aimed to investigate the elderly hospitalization cost in teaching hospitals of Kashan university of medical sciences.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 2067 patients (age³60) admitted to teaching hospitals of Kashan university of medical sciences during a one-year period (Sep.2009–Sep.2010) were randomly selected using stratified random sampling. Data related to hospitalization charges of cases were obtained from medical records and analyzed.Results: The mean hospitalization charge was 5533529 Rials. The highest cost share was for "bed-day" (26.4%). The highest average hospitalization cost for different diseases were for digestive, neoplastic and respiratory system, respectively. However, diseases of the eye and circulatory system accounted for the largest share of total hospital costs. Regarding the ward, the highest charges were paid for the elderly patients in ICU and CCU, but internal wards had the largest share of total hospital costs. In addition, a significant relation was seen between the cost for each elderly hospitalized and the ward/disease condition (P<0.001), and the comorbidities (P=0.001).Conclusion: To reduce the hospital costs, careful attention should be paid to disease services with the highest costs. Moreover, the preventive measures as well as alternative low-cost services (e.g. home care) and developing long-term care should be provided.