JOURNAL OF ISFAHAN MEDICAL SCHOOL (I.U.M.S)
Year:2013 | Volume:31 | Issue:223|Papers Count:7

Background: This study aimed to survey the presence of flagellin gene flaA in isolated Helicobacter pylori.Methods: One hundred gastric biopsies were collected by a gastroenterologist and inoculated in enrichment medium under microaerophilic conditions. DNA was extracted and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the designed primer.Findings: PCR products showed that all extracted DNA were positive for flaA gene.Conclusion: We found flaA gene to be present in all clinical isolates. As it is highly similar to standard Helicobacter pylori strains, it can be used to detect the mentioned bacteria.

Background: Keratoconus is a progressive disease occurring in adolescence or early twenties. In an eye with keratoconus, the cornea thins and bulges out into an irregular cone shape. Although keratoconus may be seen in one eye, in 90% of cases, both eyes are damaged. Cross-linking is a novel, very chip, and rapid method to treat keratoconus. Since few studies have evaluated this method we assessed the improvement of keratoconus following cross-linking.Methods: This clinical trial study was performed in Feiz Hospital, Iran, during 2010-11. The target population was patients with keratoconus who were scheduled for cross-linking. Visual acuity was measured before and after the operation. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS20.Findings: The mean ± SD of visual acuity was -2.66 ± 2.2 before the operation and -2.8 ± 4.7 after the operation (P=0.65). While visual acuity was not changed in 29 patients (29%), it decreased in 43 cases (43%) and increased in 28 (28%).Conclusion: According to the results of this study, cross-linking had no acceptable effects on visual acuity in cases of keratovonus. More studies are required to clarify the efficacy of this method in improving keratovonus.

Background: Several fluids have been used in priming the cardiopulmonary pump in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Hydroxy-ethyl starch 6% (HES 6%) is a new colloid fluid which is widely used as a substitute for intraoperative fluid. Gelatin is also a commonly used colloid fluid for priming. However, it has some adverse effects, especially on the coagulation system.Methods: In this clinical trial, patients were randomized into two groups of HES 6% and gelatin.Prothrombin time (PT), partial thromboplastin time (PTT), and international normalized ratio (INR) were measured before surgery and immediately and 24 hours after the operation. Chest drainage (CD) was measured 24 hours after the operation. Urine output (UO) was measured during the first 24 postoperative hours. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were measured before and 24 hours after surgery. Data was analyzed with SPSS.Findings: CD, INR, PT, and UO were not significantly different between HES 6% and gelatin groups.PTT was significantly higher in gelatin group only at the end of the surgery (56 ± 35 vs.44 ± 27).BUN was only significantly higher in HES group 24 hours after surgery (19.9 ± 9.8 vs.16.4 ± 7.6).Creatinine, sodium, and potassium concentrations did not differ at any time.Conclusion: HES and gelatin are both options for prime in cardiopulmonary pump. They have adverse effects on renal function and coagulation. More studies with larger sample size are recommended to clarify their advantages.

Background: Normal vision is essential to interact with widespread digital technologies. Higher order aberrations (HOA) are one of the important causes of image degradation in patients suffering from keratoconus, pterygium, or irregular astigmatism. These aberrations cannot be corrected by common ways of refractive errors correction like spectacles. Besides, other methods of HOA correction (e.g.customized contact lenses) are not easily accessible in many regions and photo-refractive surgeries like laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) are expensive. A novel method to correct HOA is pre-compensation of images displayed on computer monitors to provide unaberrated images. We used total variation (TV) deconvolution to pre-compensate images and compared the results with previous methods based on Wiener deconvolution.Methods: MATLAB was used for simulations. Each HOA was reconstructed using single-index scheme for Zernike coefficients. Pupil diameter was assumed to be four millimeters. Root-mean-square error of simulated aberrations was greater than 0.35 micrometers. Point spread functions corresponding to each HOA were created and TV deconvolution was used to pre-compensate the images.Findings: Strehl ratio of TV pre-compensation is very close to the results of Wiener pre-compensation method. Besides, execution time for TV Pre-compensation algorithm is about 20% faster than Wiener.Conclusion: Simulations ascertain that TV based pre-compensation method is a fast and efficient way to pre-compensate the images, and it could improve the patient’s perceived retinal image quality. One more advantage of using TV algorithm is that we could enhance the results just by altering one parameter.

Background: Migraine is a neurovascular disorder of the brain. It is chronic, debilitating, and progressive and has important effects on the patient’s life. Migraine is one of the most common types of headaches in many countries of the world including Iran. In recent years, vitamin D deficiency has been identified as a global public health problem. Since previous studies have suggested the benefits of vitamin D in treating migraine headaches, we reviewed available literature on vitamin D and migraine.Methods: Using migraine, vitamin D, and headache as keywords, we searched PubMed and Scopus for articles published during 1994-2012.Findings: Case reports had emphasized the role of vitamin D in reducing the number and duration of headaches and migraines. The relationship between low levels of serum vitamin D and higher incidence of chronic pain and headaches (including migraines) had been suggested by a number of studies. Although the exact role of vitamin D deficiency in headaches and muscle and bone pain has not been identified, possible mechanisms are serum magnesium deficiency and presence of vitamin D receptors, alpha 1-hydroxylase, and vitamin D-binding protein in the brain and particularly hypothalamus.Conclusion: Vitamin D can be effective in the treatment of chronic pain and headaches including migraines. However, due to the small number of available studies, more research in this field is warranted.