Journal of Inflammatory Diseases
Year:2014 | Volume:17 | Issue:5 (70)|Papers Count:11

Background: Tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TRK B) is one of the oncogene agents.Objective: The aim of this study was to design and optimize inhibitory peptides for TRK B in U266 cell line.Methods: This study was conducted in Qazvin University of Medical Sciences during 2012. After generating the peptides library using sequence tolerance method and optimizing energy of peptides employing backrub protocol in Rosetta 3.3 software package, the most stable peptides were selected based on the energy scores in R package. Prediction of the three-dimensional structure of the peptides was performed using the molecular dynamic simulation. Peptides-TRK B docking was evaluated by HADDOCK web server. The most stable peptides were designed and their cytotoxicity effects on U266 cells were investigated by the MTT assay.Findings: The designed peptides were stable in terms of energy and structure and had high affinity for binding to TRK B. For measuring cell survival during 24 hours treatment of U266 cell line with these peptides, the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50%) was obtained 350.2 and 199.5 nM for peptide one and two, respectively.Conclusion: With regards to the results, it seems that TRK B inhibition can block cancer growth in this cell line.

Background: Drug delivery systems were developed to improve the efficiency of drugs and minimize toxic side effects during the 1980s and 1990s. Nanoparticles have the ability to deliver a wide range of drugs to different areas of the body for sustained periods of time.Objective: The aim of this study was to prepare and optimize chitosan nanoparticles as carrier of anti-alzheimer tacrine drug and to estimate particle size by chemometrics.Methods: This experimental study was conducted at chemistry school of Imam Khomeini International University in Qazvin during 2011-2012. Chitosan nanoparticles were prepared by spontaneous emulsification method. In order to optimize the method of chitosan nanoparticles preparation, Design of Experiment (DOE) was employed using Box-Behnken design. Also, chitosan nanoparticles containing tacrine were prepared using the optimal synthesis method provided by the experimental design. The relationship between particle size and Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform (DRIFT) Spectroscopy was employed to introduce a method for estimation of particle size in chitosan nanoparticles. Partial least squares (PLS) technique was applied to estimate average particle size based on DRIFT spectra. Forty two chitosan nanoparticles samples with different particle size were analyzed by DRIFT spectrometry and the data were processed by PLSNAS. Size and morphology of nanoparticles were determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM).Findings: According to Box–Behnken experimental design results, 0.52% NaCl as an electrolyte, 10% Span 80 as a surfactant and 4.86 mL Glutaraldehyde Saturated Toluene (GST) as a chemical cross-linking agent are optimum amounts to prepare the lowest size and spherical morphology of nanoparticles. The mean particle size of the designed nanoparticles was 33.64 to 74.87 nm. Percent yield and drug loading percent of chitosan nanoparticles that were synthesized according to the optimal method were 90% and 13.4±0.51%, respectively. The estimated sizes of chitosan nanoparticles give promise to a robust and reliable calibration that were confirmed with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.98 and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 3.59.Conclusion: With regards to the results, an optimized method for the preparation of chitosan nanoparticles as carrier of anti-alzheimer drug can be presented with smaller particle size and spherical morphology using Box-Behnken experimental design.

Background: Employing non-fluorescent quenchers in Real-time PCR is appropriate for gene expression examination.Objective: The objective of this study was to compare Real-time PCR fluorescent and nonfluorescent quenchers in standard amplification plots of delta-6 desaturase gene in PANC-1 cell line culture.Methods: This analytical study was conducted in the Reference Laboratory affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Human pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1) were cultured in 75 cm2 flasks, 3x106 cells were seeded in 6-well plates and were treated with specific intracellular signaling drugs. Changes in expression of delta-6 desaturase gene were examined with fluorescent and non-fluorescent quenchers using Real-time PCR in equal conditions, separately. Data were analyzed using student T-test and gene expression results were analyzed using ΔΔCT method with the assumption of 100% efficiency.Findings: Employed quenchers showed different absorption of the fluorescence emitted by the reporter and caused different results in Real-time PCR. Using non-fluorescent quencher, the amplification plot was more precise and its baseline was lower. Therefore the signal to noise ratio (S/N) was decreased. Also, the Threshold cycle (Ct) value was lower because of increased Tm (melting temperature) and decreased non-specific bindings.Conclusion: With regards to the results, non-fluorescent quencher is more appropriate compared to fluorescent quencher and can be a better alternative for current quenchers especially in allelic discrimination and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) studies.

Background: Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating the immune system and recent studies have suggested a relation between serum vitamin D levels and autoimmune diseases including Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of serum vitamin D level and severity of RA.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 153 patients with RA who were not taking vitamin D supplementation referred to Booali Sina Hospital in Qazvin, during 2012. Disease and pain severity were assessed by the disease activity score 28 (DAS28) and the Visual Analogues Scale (VAS), respectively. Serum levels of vitamin D and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) were determined for all the participants. Data were analyzed using independent T-test, Chi-square test and Pearson correlation coefficient.Findings: Vitamin D deficiency was found in 105 (68.6%) patients. According to DAS28 scores, 86 (56.2%), 33 (21.5%) and 34 (22.2%) patients were categorized as low, moderate and high disease activity, respectively. A significant negative correlation was found between serum vitamin D levels and disease severity according to DAS28. Similarly, a significant negative correlation was found between pain intensity according to VAS scores and serum ESR levels.Conclusion: With regards to the results, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among patients with RA. Furthermore, there is a negative correlation between vitamin D and the disease severity.

Background: Epilepsy as the most important chronic neurological disease affects suffering child and his/her family. It causes some stresses in the family, especially in mothers. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Coping-Therapy (CT) of mothers on severity of generalized epileptic attacks of their children.Methods: This interventional study was conducted in Qom during 2009. Thirty four mothers of children with epilepsy referred to neurology clinics in Qom were selected by convenience sampling method and were divided into intervention and control groups. Coping-Therapy protocol was performed for mothers of intervention group in 8 sessions and a self-made questionnaire was used to measure the severity of the attacks. Data were analyzed by repeated measure analysis of variance.Findings: The group by time interaction which represents the mean differences between the two groups was significant. The mean attack duration was decreased from 30.76 seconds to 12.94 second in intervention group and the difference was statistically significant.Conclusion: With regards to the results, it seems that Coping-Therapy in mothers has considerable effects as a treatment modality in decreasing the severity of epileptic attacks in children.

Background: Scoring systems have been developed to predict outcomes in the critical patients and to facilitate the decision making and resource allocation for management of such patients.Objective: The aim of this study was to compare Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II) in predicting hospital mortality of intensive care unit patients.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 88 patients admitted to the intensive care unit because of trauma or surgery in Shahid Rajaee hospital, Qazvin 2008. During the first 24 hours of admission, the results of clinical examination and biochemical assays and demographic information were collected to complete each of the scoring systems. Observed mortality and predicted mortality were recorded and compared. Detection value of scoring systems was assessed by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves and data were analyzed using logistic regression analysis and Chi-Square test.Findings: Mean age of patients was 44.25±23.09 years (2 to 86 years). Observed mortality in ICU was 32.5% and predicted mortalities were 23.63±24.2% and 19.88±15.1% according to SAPS II and APACHE II, respectively. There was positive significant correlation between SAPS II and APACHE II scoring systems and between these two scoring systems and observed mortality. There was also positive significant correlation between SAPS II and APACHE II values and GCS score. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) of APACHE II was greater than SAPS II for predicting observed mortality (0.823 vs. 0.790).Conclusion: With regards to the results, both APACHE II and SAPS II scoring systems can be used to predict mortality of intensive care unit patients, but not to help in definite decision-making.

Background: Complexity of clinical situation, non-oriented patients and abundant medical devices make the ICUs one of the most prevalent wards for patient harms and incidents.Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess patient safety management system in ICU for hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in 9 hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences which had Intensive Care Unit in 2011. Structural survey of patient safety assessment was used to identify status quo of hospitals. The sample size was 54 employees, top and middle managers, patients and their relatives who were interviewed. The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method was used for specific identification of ICU in terms of patients safety by group discussion in clinical teams and the VOLERE logics was used to design patient safety management system based on identifying functional and nonfunctional requirements. Findings: Mean scores of 6 main components of the questionnaire (safety culture, safety leadership, patient and family partnership on safety, reporting safety errors and incidents, safety education and technology/environment) were lower than expected. Some failures identified by FMEA were: admission and discharge error, medication error, patient fall and high rate of infection. With regards to the Risk Priority Number (RPN), the highest score was related to nosocomial infection and the and lowest score was related to re-extubation because of inability to open the patient airway. Familiarity and responsibility of the clinical teams, managers and hospital staff about patient safety were low and organizational and managerial problems were the root causes of many failures and errors in the ICUs.Conclusion: With regards to the results, designing a patient safety management system is strongly needed and the proposed system of this study can be applied in other intensive care units.

Background: Nurses experience stress of conscience when they are not satisfied by providing care to patients. Nurse dissatisfaction may be due to duties that are dictated by him/herself and others (patients, managers and organization).Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate nurses’ experiences of the factors lead to commit unconscionable acts.Methods: This phenomenological descriptive study was performed on 9 nurses who worked at Kermanshah educational centers. Unstructured interviews were tape-recorded and later transcribed. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method.Findings: By analyzing the data from the interviews four themes emerged including organizational factors (management and equipment), factors related to conditions (exhaustion, work overload and time limits), individual factors (individuals' characteristics and inexperience) and human factors (inappropriate nurse to patient ratio).Conclusion: Organizational, individual and human factors and factors related to conditions can lead to commit acts inconsistent with conscience in nurses. So while considering solutions to solve or reduce these factors, further specific studies is needed in specialized wards and hospitals.

The aim of this study was to compare the frequency and intensity of burnout among nurses with high humor scores (n=30) and those with low humor scores (n=30) in Qazvin City, 2011. Subjects were selected by cluster random sampling and targeted sampling methods. The measurement tools included two questionnaires: the Sense of Humor Questionnaire (SHQ) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and analytical statistics using ANOVA. Frequency and intensity of burnout was lower in nurses with high humor scores compared to nurses with low humor scores.

Different factors affect behavior of individuals faced with diseases. The aim of this cross sectional study was to analyze health seeking behavior and patterns of health system services utilization among rural population of Fars province. 198 rural households were selected by systematic random sampling method in 2011. Data were collected by standardized questionnaire and by interviewing the most knowledgeable person in the household. Data were analyzed by Fisher exact test and Chi-Square test. There were significant associations between marital status, having insurance coverage and insurance type with the likelihood of seeking care and utilized services level. With regards to inappropriate use of the referral system and the benefits of rural insurance system, rural insurance system reform, increasing community awareness and training of physicians and pharmacists is recommended to improve the patterns of health services utilization.