Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Year:2017 | Volume:34 | Issue:411|Papers Count:5

Background: Empowerment of general practitioners (GPs) applicant to participate in family physician (FP) program should be facilitated to achieve defined aims. This study aimed to assess the changes in knowledge and attitude marks of general practitioners before and after one distance education course.Methods: In a field randomized trial study containing control group in 2013 in Isfahan province, Iran, 140 general practitioners who applied to participate in family physician program in more than 20 thousands population urban areas were randomly selected and devided to 2 equal groups. In interventional group, booklets on health sector reform were given out but no intervention was done in control group. Both the two groups were assessed before and after the distribution of booklets about practitioners’ knowledge and attitude by a researcher designed questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient was 0.82. Data was analyzed using paired-t and mixed ANCOVA tests via SPSS software.Findings: 3 months after giving booklets out in intervention group, the mean of knowledge mark raised significantly from 6.33±1.61 to 13.85±2.03 (P<0.05) and the mean of attitude mark improved significantly from 52.90±3.00 to 66.14±3.76 (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in control group. The variables such as age, sex, service record and type of service of general practitioners had not correlation with changes in knowledge and attitude marks.Conclusion: After distance education, the general practitioners’ knowledge and attitude increased markedly.

Background: Increased antibiotic resistance among nosocomial infections has made the treatment of these infections difficult. Staphylococcus epidermidis is also known as one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of resistance to macrolide, lincosamid and streptogramin antibiotics, in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) strains isolated from clinical samples and to detect their related resistance genes.Methods: For a period of 8 months, from 250 clinical Staphylococcus strains, 100 isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis were identified and the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates were determined using the disc diffusion method. MRSE samples were isolated by using the disk diffusion method for cefoxitin. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of erythromycin was determined using the micro dilution method. The frequency of inducible clindamycin resistance phenotype was detected via D test method and the resistance genes to MLSB were detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.Findings: Among 100 Staphylococcus epidermidis strains, 52 isolates were MRSE. The frequency of resistance phenotype iMLSB, MS and cMLSB were 17.3%, 13.4% and 48%, respectively. The frequency of the resistance genes ermC, msrA and ermA were 73%, 11.5% and 5.7%, respectively.Conclusion: The high frequency of the ermC gene among isolates is a serious warning to health systems; thus, use of convenient and effective treatment methods after antibiotic susceptibility tests is necessary.

Background: Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disorder which makes disorder in body metabolic activities. As herbal medicines have fewer side effects than many chemical medicines for treatment of the disease, aim of present study was to review the effect of swimming training and Aloe vera extract on lipid profile of diabetic rats.Methods: In this experimental research, 28 male rates selected and divided into 4 equal groups of control, swimming training, Aloe vera extract and swimming training with Aloe vera extract. Swimming training progressively started in first week by 6 minutes and increase to 36 minutes in sixth week. Groups 3 and 4 received 300 mg/kg peritoneal Aloe vera extract daily.Findings: Swimming training, Aloe vera extract and their combination had significant effects on improvement of lipid profile of diabetic rats (P<0.05). Swimming training with Aloe vera extract significantly had more effect on improvement of lipid profile of diabetic rats compared to Aloe vera extract alone (P<0.05). In addition, swimming training with Aloe vera extract significantly had more effects on improvement of very-low density lipoprotein (VLDL), total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) of diabetic rats compared to swimming training alone (P<0.05).Conclusion: Swimming training with Aloe vera extract has interactional effect in improvement of lipid profile of diabetic rats.

Background: We aimed to compare different clinical characteristics of epilepsy among two age groups of 20-60 and more than 60 years old.Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted during 2014-2015 in epilepsy clinics located in Isfahan city, Iran. The inclusion criteria were defined as definitive diagnosis of epilepsy, age of older than 20 years, and having medical record in Isfahan epilepsy clinics. Patients with incomplete medical records were excluded. Patients’ medical records were reviewed for seizure characteristics, demographic and paraclinical data; these findings were compared between the two age-groups.200 patients were included in the study and 23 of them were excluded because of incomplete medical records.Findings: 120 cases (67.8%) were under 60 years old and 81 cases (45.8%) were men. The most frequent seizure type in younger and older age-group was generalized tonic-colonic (35.0%) and mixed seizures (29.8%), respectively. Abnormal brain magnetic resounance imaging (MRI) (66.7% versus 37% and P<0.001), computed tomography (CT) scan (59.6% versus 30.9% and P<0.001) and laboratory data (22.8% versus 8.5% and P=0.009) were more frequent in older age-group. Family history of seizure was seen more in younger age-group (51.7% versus 29.8%, P=0.006).Conclusion: We found that elderly patients presented more with complex partial and mixed seizures while the younger population presented more with generalized seizures. Abnormal findings in brain CT scan and MRI were seen more in older patients and younger patients were more likely to have family history of epilepsy.

Background: In this survey, the effect of Averrhoa carambola fruit hydro-alcoholic extract on acute leadacetate-induced hepatotoxicity in rats was studied.Methods: In this experimental study, 24 male rats were equally divided to 4 groups. The first group received normal saline orally and served as negative control, the second group received only lead acetate for 5 days and served as positive control group. Groups 3 and 4 were treated orally with Averrhoa carambola at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively, for 10 days. These groups were also received lead acetate (25 mg/kg) during the last 5 days. At the end of the study, serum liver enzymes and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were assayed.Besides, histopathological changes of liver were examined under light microscopy.Findings: Oral administration of Averrhoa carambola fruit extract at a dose of 100 mg/kg had no significant effect on serum levels of malondialdehyde and liver enzymes compared to positive control group. Treatment with Averrhoa carambola fruit extract at dose of 200 mg/kg significantly reduced serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT) (P<0.05) and aspartate transaminase (AST) (P<0.01) in rats compared to positive control group. Furthermore, treatment with Averrhoa carambola fruit extract (200 mg/kg) significantly decreased serum levels of malondialdehyde compared with the positive control group (P<0.01). The histopathological investigations revealed that treatment with Averrhoa carambola fruit extract (200 mg/kg) decreased hepatic necrosis and sinusoidal distention compared to negative control group.Conclusion: Results showed the protective effect of Averrhoa carambola fruit extract on acute lead-acetateinduced liver injury in rats.