Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal
Year:2020 | Volume:14 | Issue:5|Papers Count:8

Background and Objectives: The present study aimed to detect the organic compounds of Citrullus Colocynthis L. and investigate the anticancer and antioxidant effects of four extracts of this plant on Caco-2 cell line. Methods: The effective compounds of the air branches of Citrullus Colocynthis L. were studied using phytochemicals methods. In order to evaluate the cytotoxic and antioxidant characteristics of this plant, the ethanolic and n-hexane extracts of the plant were collected, using Soxhlet apparatus and maceration methods. The effects of these extracts on Caco-2 colon cancer cells were evaluated using MTT tests based on the ability of living cells to convert tetrazolium salt to unsolvable formazan, NBT method to evaluate the reduction of ROS using aqueous nitrotrazole and based on a completely randomized design using SPSS software and Duncan test. Results: The phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, vitamin C, and protein compounds in Citrullus Colocynthis L. However, no steroids, tannin, saponins were detected in this plant. The results of MTT showed that the least cell survival value of the treated cancerous cell was obtained with n-hexane extract using maceration method. The results of the NBT test also demonstrated the antioxidant properties of all extracts. The NBT results revealed the highest reduction in the percentage of free radicals belonged to the group treated with n-hexane extract by maceration methods and ethanolic extract using Soxhlet apparatus. Conclusion: The existence of several chemical compounds with proapoptotic properties in the extracts of Citrullus Colocynthis L. proposes the notion that the use of the compounds of these extracts alone or in combination with anticancer drugs may be beneficial in the treatment of colon cancer.

Background and Objectives: Irrational use of antibiotics can lead to increased drug resistance. The Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical/ Defined Daily Dose (ATC/DDD) system is a tool to monitor medication use, evaluate the improvements in drug consumption quality, and make comparisons between international and other levels in this regard. This study aimed to determine the status of antibiotic prescription in hospitals in Qom, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 1200 medical records of the patients using a multi-stage sampling method in 2019. The data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire to seek demographic information and antibiotics used by patients, as well as ATC/DDD based on the DDD/100 bed-days index. Furthermore, the data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) through descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Results: The results showed no significant relationship between the number of prescribed antibiotics and the hospitalization season (P>0. 05). The majority of the antibiotics were injectable (93. 5%) prescribed by surgical specialists (50. 70%). Gynecology and Children's hospitals obtained the highest (18. 4%) and the least (12. 4%) level of antibiotic prescription, respectively. The daily recommended doses for every 100 days of bed rest for the most common antibiotics were Amikacin (21. 81), Ceftriaxone (33. 62), Ampicillin (19. 34), Meropenem (6. 10), and Vancomycin (11. 28). Conclusion: The results show that Amikacin, Ceftriaxone, Ampicillin, Meropenem, and Vancomycin were the most common antibiotics used in the present study accounting for more than 70% of the total antibiotics administered. The DDD/100 bed-days of the most commonly used antibiotics were higher than those reported by the World Health Organization.

Background and Objectives: Glioblastoma is one of the most malignant and common brain tumors, accounting for about half of all gliomas. Glioblastoma is a central nervous system tumor that originates from the glial tissue of the brain. The present study aimed to investigate changes in the expression of long non-coding RNA HOXA11-AS as a possible biomarker in glioma. Methods: For the purposes of the present study, first, the medical records of the patients in Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran, Iran were reviewed. The ethical considerations were respected as well; accordingly, written informed consent was obtained from the patients and the code of ethics was achieved as well. Finally, the paraffin blocks, including the biopsy of brain tumor tissue of the patients who referred to Imam Hossein Hospital during 2015-17 were collected and their degrees were confirmed by the pathologist. In total, 50 samples of grades 1 and 2 as well as 50 samples of grades 3 and 4 were examined in this research project. The RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed for all the tissue samples donated by the patients. Subsequently, a specific primer and probe were designed and the expression of the HOXA11-AS gene was investigated using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. The mean age of the subjects was 43. 70± 16. 416 years. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) using descriptive and analytical statistics. Moreover, the expression levels of this gene in lower-and higher-grade tumor tissues were compared using the unpaired samples t-test. Results: Based on the results, the tumor samples with grade three and four underwent a 2. 76 fold increase in expression (fold change), compared to tumor samples with grade one and two. This difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the expression of the HOXA11-AS gene has a significant positive relationship with the degree of disease (P=0. 0002).

Background and Objectives: Sodium bicarbonate may be effective in reducing the pain since it creates an alkaloid environment and prevents acidosis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal irrigation using sodium bicarbonate on postoperative pain severity. Methods: This non-randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed on 50 candidates for elective surgery with midline laparotomy at Besat Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, during 2017-18. The patients were assigned into an intervention (underwent intraperitoneal irrigation using sodium bicarbonate solution) and a control group (underwent intraperitoneal irrigation using the normal saline solution). The severity of the pain 12 and 24 h after the surgery in patients was measured using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: The mean ages of the patients were 48. 87± 11. 68 and 49. 56± 15. 44 years in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Regarding gender distribution, 52% of the participants were male. Moreover, the mean pain scores 12 h after the surgery were 6± 1. 71 and 7. 56± 1. 47 in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Additionally, the mean pain scores obtained from VAS 24h after the surgery were 20. 20± 1. 15 and 3. 68± 1. 62 in the intervention and control groups, respectively. According to the results, the mean score of pain was significantly lower in the intervention group, compared to the control group (P<0. 05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the frequency of complications and the amount of opioid consumption. Conclusion: The combination of sodium bicarbonate and normal saline solution for intraperitoneal irrigation is a simple method with no complication. This can help reduce postoperative pain up to 24 h after surgery.

Background and Objectives: Periodontal disease is one of the most common oral health problems that can be prevented by health education and early diagnosis. In this regard, the present study aimed to evaluate the periodontal status in women on the verge of marriage using the modified Community Periodontal Index (CPI) in 2019 in Zanjan. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 201 women on the verge of marriage in Zanjan. The required data were collected through questionnaires and the clinical examination of participants. Finally, the results were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests. Results: Based on the results, 6% of the subjects had a pocket depth of more than 3 mm, 28% of them had bleeding on probing (BOP), and 15% of them had attachment loss. Moreover, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the occupation of the participants and the pocket depth of upper and lower jaws teeth (P=0. 005, P=0. 019). Furthermore, BOP had a significant relationship with the occupation (P=0. 02, P=0. 019), level of education (P<0. 001), smoking (P<0. 001), alcohol use (P<0. 001), and frequency of brushing (P<0. 001). In addition, attachment loss had a significant relationship with smoking (P<0. 001) and alcohol consumption (P<0. 001). Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that the reduction of smoking and alcohol consumption and increase of the awareness of women regarding dental care can help improve their CPI. Therefore, oral health education and increase of awareness seem to be a necessity in this regard.

Background and Objectives: Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA) is a dietary supplement with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of alpha-lipoic acid on hormonal parameters of blood plasma serum and follicular fluid oxidative stress factors in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Methods: Patients were selected from infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome within the age range of 35-35 referring to Qom University Jihad Infertility Treatment Center. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups. The control group received 1500 mg metformin daily, whereas the treatment group received 600 mg alpha-lipoic acid with 1500 mg metformin(MET) daily for 8 weeks. Thereafter, anthropometric characteristics, blood glucose, plasma serum hormonal parameters, and follicular fluid oxidative stress factors were measured. Independent t-test and paired t-test were used to analyze the data if it was normal, and the Mann-Whitney U test was utilized if the samples were not normal. Results: Glucose and insulin levels were significantly reduced in the ALA treatment group (P<0. 05). LH also showed a significant decrease in the ALA treatment group (P <0. 05); nonetheless, the levels of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), testosterone, and estradiol did not change (P<0. 05). A significant difference was observed between the control and treatment groups in terms of oxidative stress markers (MDA and TAC) (P<0. 05). Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, ALA+MET consumption is effective in the reduction of oxidative stress, glucose, insulin, and LH levels. This property can be used to prevent complications of this disease, including hyperglycemia and hormonal imbalance.

Background and Objectives: Hypertension is one of the most prevalent diseases affecting numerous people in different societies. One of the major complications of hypertension is the occurrence of acute renal failure. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the survival rate of patients with hypertension until the onset of acute renal failure and determine the factors affecting it. Methods: This analytical study was conducted using modeling at the Kermanshah University of Medical Science within February 2016-July 2018. The current research examines the survival of patients with hypertension until acute renal failure using the Generalized Weibull Distribution model based on competing risks which included death due to cardiovascular disease. The required information was extracted from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT) data file. Results: Out of 842 patients, 85 died of cardiovascular diseases, 298 were diagnosed with acute renal failure, and 459 were censored. The mean survival time was 929. 49 days and its median value was 1029 days. The Akaike value of the generalized Weibull model was less than the Weibull model. These results indicate that based on the generalized Weibull model, the variables of glomerular filtration rate, the number of antihypertensive drugs used on arrival, chronic kidney disease, albumin/creatinine ratio in urine, and gender were effective on the survival of patients. Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, the Akaike value of the generalized Weibull model is less than the generalized Weibull model. Therefore, the generalized Weibull model has a better fit, compared to the Weibull model.

Background and Objectives Work-family enrichment is based on the assumption that work and family are interdependent since the gained experiences, skills, and opportunities from the workplace, improve an individualchr('39')s family life. On the other hand, a positive mood and behavior and a sense of achievement in personal life affect onechr('39')s performance in the workplace. This study aimed to investigate the effect of work-family enrichment on psychological capital by considering the mediating role of vulnerability to stress. Methods The present descriptive-correlational study was performed on 482 employees of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran, 2019. Data collection tools were three standard questionnaires, namely work-family enrichment, psychological capital, and vulnerability to stress. To evaluate the conceptual model of the research structural equation modeling technique was used. Results The effect of work-family enrichment and family-work enrichment on vulnerability to stress were estimated (P=0. 146 and P=0. 531, respectively), indicating that both relationships were inverse and significant (P˂, 0. 01). It was also revealed that the direct effects of work-family enrichment and family-work enrichment on psychological capital were positive and significant (P=0. 339 and P=0. 334, respectively). Moreover, the results of the Sobel test, which was applied to calculate the indirect effect, showed that vulnerability to stress plays a partial mediating role in work-family enrichment and family-work enrichment. Conclusion It was revealed that work-family enrichment and family-work enrichment affect employeeschr('39') psychological capital directly and influence it indirectly through stress vulnerability. Regarding this, organizations should seek to implement strategies to create a constructive interaction between the employeeschr('39') work and personal life and manage the stress to promote their psychological capital.