Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Year:2019 | Volume:37 | Issue:520|Papers Count:5

Background: Cartilage grafts are used in plastic surgery in restorations that require strength. Due to varying degrees of strength in these regenerations, cartilage grafts from different sources are used in block, crushed, and diced forms. The aim of this study was to compare the survival rate of in crushed, diced, and block autograft cartilage forms of rabbit ear. Methods: This study was performed on 36 New Zealand white male rabbits weighing 2000 to 2500 grams and aged 12 to 16 weeks. The cartilage of the right ear of each rabbit was harvested, and three graft samples of crushed, diced, and block forms were obtained. The grafts were put in three separate subcutaneous envelopes adjacent to the rabbit’ s backbone. After 3 months, the specimens were removed, stained with hematoxylin and eosinophil (H & E), and histologically examined. Findings: The mean graft weight increased in all groups using crushed, diced, and block cartilage forms, but it was not statistically significant. There was a significant difference between the different methods in terms of the amount of fibrosis (P = 0. 002), ossification (P < 0. 001), and chondrocyte (P = 0. 002); so that the percentage of the live chondrocytes was significantly higher in the block group. Conclusion: Results show that block cartilage grafts are more reliable than diced and crushed types in the formation of various facial and nasal regions.

Background: Dermatophytes are a group of fungi that attack keratinous tissues of the skin, hair, and nail in humans and animals, and cause infections called dermatophytosis (tinea). Since identification of pathogenic fungi at the species level is essential for the detection of the source, control and prevention, and identifying epidemiology of infection, it is necessary to use specific and sensitive diagnostic methods to identify the causes of dermatophytosis. Methods: The clinical samples (skin, nail, and hair) of patients with dermatophytosis in Mashhad City, Iran, were cultured in Mycosyl Agar culture media, and the DNA of obtained dermatophyte colonies were extracted by specific kit. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene was amplified and sequenced by ITS1, ITS4 primers. Finally, the sequencing results were analyzed using SeqMan software, and were compared with the data of the global genebank. Findings: In this study, 80 dermatophyte isolates were sequenced, which included 9 dermatophyte species as 23 (28. 8%) Trichophyton (T. ) interdigital, 18 (22. 5%) T. tunsorans, 10 (12. 5%) Epidermophyton fluccosum, 10 (12. 5%) of T. mentagrophytes, 8 (10%) Microsporum canis, 4 (5%) T. rubrum, 4 (5%) T. benhamiae, 2 (2. 5%) Nannizzia (N. ) fulvum, 1 (1. 2%) N. persicolor. Conclusion: According to report the rare species of dermatophytes in this study, the use of molecular methods such as sequencing of the ITS gene can determine the diversity of dermatophytes in a region more precisely than morphological methods.

Background: Sialic acid (SA) is presented in all cells membrane of vertebrates, and its level in the human brain is much higher than other body tissues. Studies have shown that, in addition to oxidative stress, increasing the amount of SA can also lead to the development of neurological diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of SA on malondialdehyde (MDA) production levels, as a lipid peroxidation product, in human astroglia. Methods: The human astroglias were cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), and cells were treated with different doses of SA. MDA was measured using thiobarbituric acid (TBA) protocol, and the results were analyzed using SPSS software. Findings: The production of MDA in treated cells with 200, 500, and 1000 μ g/ml of SA significantly increased compared to the control group. It also significantly increased when the cells were treated with 200 μ g/ml of SA at 12, 16, and 24 hours incubation. Conclusion: Many studies have been conducted on neurological disorders; however their mechanism of occurrence has not yet been fully elucidated. With regard to the role of SA in inflammation, our results suggest that SA can cause pathological conditions and oxidative stress followed by MDA elevation; which is effective in the development of neurological disorders like Alzheimer's. The role of SA and its effects need further studies.

Background: Schizophrenia and bipolar disorders are associated with impaired cognitive and executive functions. Cognitive and executive profile of these two disorders is similar. However, cognitive and executive deficits in these patients may follow different paths. The purpose of the present study is to examination and comparison of different paths of cognitive and executive function in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Methods: This was a descriptive study on patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders from 2016 to 2017. Thirty-four patients with schizophrenia, 52 patients with bipolar disorder, and 72 healthy individuals participated in the present study. This research was performed in Kargarnejad psychiatric hospital located in Kashan City, Iran. In this study, Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS), Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Tower of London task, Wisconsin card sorting task, Trial Making Test (TMT), and Four-Choice reaction time test (Four-Choice) were used. Findings: The MANOVA test showed a significant difference between the schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and healthy groups in all scales of cognitive and executive functions. Altogether, performance of patients with schizophrenia in cognitive and executive functions were better than those with bipolar disorder; but schizophrenia and bipolar disorder groups have weaker performance than healthy persons (P < 0. 001). Conclusion: This study show that cognitive and executive functions are destructed in schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, and they have weaker cognitive and executive functions than healthy controls. Moreover, cognitive and executive functions in patients with bipolar disorder are weaker than patients with schizophrenia, and follow different paths from schizophrenia.

Oxygen deficiency, referred to as hypoxia, can be divided into two categories of environmental (exogenous) which is sensitized by respiratory cells, and microenvironmental (endogenous) responses by other cells in the body, like cancer cells. Cell responses to oxygen fluctuations are mediated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs). Lung is known as the first organ that encounters the exogenous and environmental oxygen after breathing. However, data are limited for HIF respiratory pathways of environmental oxygen sensing inside the lung cells. Thus, we evaluated the role of both HIF-1 and HIF-2 isoforms in environmental hypoxia sensation by pulmonary vascular and bronchial cells. Then, we introduced the role of HIFs in microenvironmental and endogenous oxygen sensation in tissues and cells other than respiratory cells as well as all of involved molecular mechanisms in those non-lung cells and tissues. Next, a detailed emphasize was put on the strict role of HIF molecule in tumor cells and cancer stem cells.