Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Year:2013 | Volume:31 | Issue:235|Papers Count:6

Background: Leishmaniasis has a wide range of clinical symptoms including cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis. Recently, advances have been observed in the field of using herbal medicines for the treatment of leishmaniasis. The study aimed to determine the in-vitro effect of two prenylated coumarins (oxypeucedanin and isoimperatorin) of Prangos ferulaceae (L.) Lindl with positive and negative controls on Leishmania major.Methods: To have stationary phase of the growth curve, the parasites were cultured in NNN (Novy-MacNeal-Nicolle) and RPMI-1640 (Roswell Park Memorial Institute 1640) medias in the incubator. Then a certain amount of culture, containing approximately one million parasites, were exposed to oxypeucedanin and isoimperatorin and their effects were investigated after 3, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours.Findings: Non of the concentrations of oxypeucedanin and isoimperatorin had leishmanicidal effect compared to the positive control (P<0.05).Conclusion: Oxypeucedanin and isoimperatorin do not have leishmanicidal effect on Leishmania major promastigotes.

Background: Metabolic impacts of two important alleles of the growth hormone receptors (GHR), one with retention of exon 3 [exon 3 (+) GHR] and the other with the deletion of it [exon 3 (-) GHR], on the metabolic risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are really unknown. We aimed to evaluate relationships between the genotypes and metabolic risk factors of T2DM.Methods: In the present study, 40 patients in pre-diabetic state and 40 healthy subjects were selected based on their clinical and laboratory evidence. For genotyping, DNA was extracted from the leukocytes of peripheral blood and amplified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction method.Genotypes of the amplified DNA samples were resolved using 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis.Other risk factors were also determined by using standard methods and appropriate kits.Findings: Frequency of the homozygote exon 3 retained genotype [exon 3 (+/+) GHR] was significantly higher in the subject in pre-diabetic state (P<0.001); the frequency of exon 3 (+/-) GHR and exon 3 (-/-) GHR genotypes were significantly higher in the control subjects (P<0.001). The decrease of metabolic risk factors was profound in subjects with exon 3 (-/-) GHR genotype (P<0.001).Conclusion: The presence of exon 3 deleted allele of GHR, especially in the homozygosity situation, was associated with decreased levels of the metabolic risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus. So, the exon 3 deleted GHR may have more robust biological and metabolic activities lead to the resistance against T2DM.

Background: Women candidate for cesarean section experience a high degree of anxiety due to fear of anesthesia and its complications. On the other hand, post-operative pain induces unfavorable psychosomatic effects. Pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical approaches, like listening to music, use to decrease these adverse effects. Regard to the belief of Muslims to Quran sound, we assessed its effect on the grade of pain and anxiety of the patients underwent cesarean section with regional anesthesia.Methods: In a case-controlled clinical trail, 64 candidates of cesarean section were included. Cases were exposed to Quran sound but the controls did not expose. The degree of pain and anxiety were compared during and after operation between two groups.Findings: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in sedation score, heart rate, respiratory rate and vomiting (P>0.050). Recovery duration in controls was significantly longer (P<0.001). Pain was significantly lower in cases at 1, 2 and 24 hours after the surgery (P<0.050).Mean arterial pressure was significantly lower in cases before, during, and after the (P<0.050).Anxiety score was higher in controls during and 1 hour after the surgery (P=0.001). The level of satisfaction between the groups was statistically different (P<0.001).Conclusion: Quran sound decreased the degree of anxiety and pain, and increased the patients' satisfaction.

Background: Dysfunction in normal breathing affects the enuresis in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of breathing exercises on arterial blood gases and enuresis in children suffered from the sleep-disordered breathing.Methods: This study was conducted in the year of 2011, by a semi-experimental design with the control group, among 40 children aged 6-12 years. Subjects were selected based on the criteria of mouth breathing and enuresis; they had sleep-disordered breathing and were referred to the urologist's office affiliated to the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Participants were examined based on the criteria of nocturnal enuresis, oral breathing, and nocturnal snoring. Subsequently, they were randomly assigned to the case and control groups. In the case group, the breathing exercises were performed for 45 minutes for four weeks in prior to sleeping. Subsequently, the arterial blood gases were measured and the frequency of enuresis and the respiratory rates (RR) were recorded. Data were analyzed using repeated measurements of ANOVA, paired-t, independent-t, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Mann-Whiney U tests.Findings: After intervention, O2 saturation and PaO2 were higher (P<0.001) and RR and PaCO2 were lower in the case group (P<0.001). The enuresis decreased significantly in the case group, too (P<0.001).Conclusion: This study suggests that the breathing exercises may increase arterial oxygen and reduce the frequency of enuresis in the patients with the oral breathing and nocturnal snore.

Recently attentions have been made towards the renoprotective property of erythropoietin beyond stimulating erythropoiesis. It has been suggested that carbamylated erythropoietin administration is able to reduce cyclosporine-induced tubulointerstitial damage. Erythropoietin is also cable of preventing the increase in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen caused by gentamicin.Interestingly, erythropoietin has shown to have curative effect, besides of its preventive properties. In this letter, the promising kidney protective and curative effects of erythropoietin have been discussed.