Journal of Advances in Medical and Biomedical Research
Year:2007 | Volume:14 | Issue:57|Papers Count:9

Background & objectives: Direct contact between a sperm cell and cryopreservation solution has detrimental effects on the cell. In this study the role of the epididymal tissue in the preservation of direct contact between sperm cell and cryopreservation solution during a freeze-thaw process was studied by assessing motility and vitality of the sperm.Material & methods: About 30 male mice were killed and the right caudal epididymis were removed and placed in cryo-preservation solution for two minutes. The samples were exposed to liquid nitrogen vapor for ten minutes and then immersed in liquid nitrogen. The left caudal epididymis were similarly removed and placed in T6 medium. In order to extract sperm, samples were needled and incubated for 1 hour at 37°C. Subsequently, sperm motility and vitality were assessed as control group and then the remaining solution was transmitted into a tube containing cryopreservation solution. For thawing, samples were picked up from a liquid nitrogen tank and kept in room temperature for 20 seconds and then immersed in warm water (37°C) for 2 minutes. Thereafter, sperm motility and vitality were assessed.Results: The survival rates of the three groups (control, outer and inner epididym) were 78.75±13.01, 34.67±7.86 and 9.97±7.08, respectively. The statistical analysis has shown that the difference between the inner and outer epididym was significant (P<0.05). The progressive motility of sperms in the three groups was 30.29±15.33, 3.29±3.55 and 0.00±0.00, respectively. The progressive motility of sperms in the inner and outer epididym was less than the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between the inner and outer groups (P=0.344). The non-progressive motility of sperms in the three groups was 34.72±12.21, 29.21±10.37 and 6.78±4.94 respectively. The statistical analysis has shown that the difference between the control and outer groups and also between the control and inner groups was significant (P<0.05) but the difference between the inner and outer groups was not significant.Conclusion: The quality of cryopreserved-thawed sperm in the outer epididym group was significantly better than in the inner epididym group. In this study we can conclude that the epididym has no protective effect on sperm during cryopreserved processing.

Background & Objective: Cannabinoids have a dose-related antinociceptive effect in animals and humans through Cannabinoid receptors (CB1, CB2). Several studies have suggested that CB2 receptors are not expressed in the CNS but others suggest that there are a few, although significant, receptors in that area. To date no studies have been done on the antinociceptive effect of central administration of a CB2 agonist. In this study the central and peripheral analgesic effect of JWH133 (a CB2 agonist) was examined.Materials & Methods: Male mice were used in this study. The antinociceptive effects of intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of JWH133 using formalin test was studied in stereo taxed mice after one week of surgery and the insertion of a stainless steel cannula in the left cerebroventricle. To study peripheral effects of JWH133, the drug was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.).Results: The i.c.v injection of JWH133 had no effect but i.p. injection of the drug had analgesic effects.Conclusion: The present results may suggest that there are no any effective analgesic CB2 receptors in the CNS.

Background & objective: Among the most common problems in patients with diabetes mellitus is the faulty healing of foot ulcer wounds which leads to foot or leg amputations. Many attempts were done to treat diabetic foot ulcers. This study evaluated the effect of vacuum-compression therapy (VCT) on healing diabetic foot ulcers.Materials & Methods: A single-blinded, randomized clinical trial was conducted in Zahedan in 2006. Twenty-two patients with diabetic foot ulcer limbs were used for this study through simple non-probability sampling. Patients were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The surface area of the foot ulcer was measured stereologically based on Cavalieri's Principle after 3 weeks and before any intervention. The point counting method was chosen to measure the surface area. In addition to the conventional therapy, the experimental group was also treated with vacuum-compression therapy produced by Vasotrain (VCT). The control group received conventional therapy only, which included debridement, systemic antibiotics, wound cleaning with normal-saline, and daily dressings. Independent-samples t-test and paired t-test allowed for comparisons between the pretreatment and post treatment test results between groups and within groups, respectively.Results: The mean of foot ulcer surface area decreased from 48.05±10.3 mm2 to 34.6±4.4 mm2 in experimental group (P<0.01) and also from 59.9±14.4 mm2 to 56.8±13.8 mm2 in the control group (P<0.01).The surface area of the foot ulcer in the experimental group and control group decreased by 28.4 percents and 6 percents respectively (P<0.05). After the treatment a significant decline in the surface area of the foot ulcer was observed within the experimental group in comparison to the control group (P<0.01).Conclusion: Vacuum-compression therapy enhances diabetic foot ulcer healing when used in conjunction with appropriate wound care. It is recommended that patients with diabetic foot ulcer and non-healing wounds achieve wound healing and limb preservation by using a vacuum-compression therapy.

Background & Objective: Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosome aneuploidies causing mental retardation which occurs in approximately 1/230 pregnancies. It is usually caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21. The aim of this study was to evaluate the simple PCR based DNA diagnostic method and also to determine the parental origin of the extra chromosome 21 in trisomal Down syndrome. Materials & methods: To determine the polymorphism rates of chromosome 21 microsatellite markers, 50 people from Eastern Azarbayjan were randomly selected and studied for the microsatellites. The results were statistically analyzed. Thirty affected Down syndrome patients, diagnosed by specialists were referred to the lab for further molecular analysis. After genetic counseling and getting consent, blood samples were obtained. Seven pairs of chromosome 21 micro satellite markers were amplified using PCR in all the samples. Results: Five highly polymorphic micro satellite markers were selected from a total seven markers, studied in 50 normal people. Out of 30 Down syndrome's patients, trisomal 21 was diagnosed in 21 families (70%). In which non-disjunction errors were determined to be of maternal origin in 86% and of paternal origin in 9% of the cases. The mean maternal and parental age was 33/3 and 36/2, respectively.Conclusion: The three micro satellite markers, D21S1910, D21S1411 & D21S11 could diagnose a high percentage of trisomal 21 in Down syndrome' patients. The parental origin of an extra copy of chromosome 21 could be exactly determined.

Background & objective: Rotavirus is the most important viral cause of diarrhea and dehydration, and is one of 10 important pathogens in hospitalized patients. In developed countries, the identification of rotavirus in stool is a routine diagnostic method in diarrhea to reduce the need for antibiotics.Materials & Methods: This study is a descriptive and analytical study and it consists of 400 samples. The cases were tested for rotavirus using ELISA and the collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.Results: The prevalence of rotavirus with acute diarrhea was 32% and the most prevalent cases were among children of 6-24 months. The most associated symptoms were fever and vomiting. Rotavirus was common in autumn and non-rotavirus in summer which were significant (P=0.005).Conclusion: It is recommended to physicians, in acute diarrhea, to pay more attention to rotavirus in children aged 6-24 months and for the stools to be examined and analyzed.

Background & Objective: Studies have reported a relationship between serum ferritin and some components of insulin resistance, as well as an increased risk for type 2 diabetes. There fore, it is probable for the dietary content of iron to have an influence on the development of diabetes. In this study, the iron intake in first degree relatives oftype2 diabetic patients with normal or impaired glucose tolerance was investigated.Materials & Methods: Based on the results of OGTT, 210 first degree relatives of type 2 diabetic patients were divided into 2 groups with normal and impaired (diabetic, IGT) glucose tolerance. Using a 3-day food questionnaire, the daily intake of energy, red meat, fish and poultry meat, magnesium, iron, zinc and chromium was calculated and compared between the 2 groups.Results: The mean age and BMI were 48.9±5.2 years and 43.7±6.7 years (P=0.373) and 29.3±0.7 kg/m2 and 28.7±0.8 kg/m2 (P=0.654) in impaired and normal groups, respectively. Iron intake was significantly higher in impaired group in comparison with normal subjects. (P=0.015), however, no significant differences were observed between the two groups concerning the intake of other nutrients.Conclusion: Keeping the role of other risk factors in mind, the higher iron intake observed among subjects of the impaired group shows a probable relationship between an increased intake of iron and a higher risk in developing type2 diabetes.

Background & objective: Factors such as improved medical technology, resource allocation, increasing costs, the rights of individuals and the changing roles of nurses can result in ethical conflicts that demand the ability of nurses to recognize moral dilemmas and conflicts and to make appropriate ethical decisions. The aim of this article is to explain the concept of patient or nurse harm in the context of ethical decision making in patients care.Materials & Methods: This study was conducted using the Grounded Theory method. The participants were 17 Iranian nurses, who work in hospitals of universities of medical sciences. The data was gathered using semi-structured, unstructured and in-depth interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and simultaneously and were coded according to the Strauss and Corbin method in open, axial and selective coding.Results: Preventing harm to patients or to nurses is one of the major moral conflicts for nurses in ethical decision making. For nurses, the concept of harm is a process which consists of a prediction, a prevention and an outcome that may be harmful or non-harmful. The outcome may affect either the nurse or the patient or both. It seems that the context of ethical decision making plays a major role in moral conflicts for nurses and the outcome of this process.Conclusion: Participants believed that the context of ethical decision making is a major factor in nurse's moral conflicts and in the prevention of harm to themselves or to the patients. Therefore, it is necessary that nurses consider the context of ethical decision making in their moral decisions and resolutions to conflicts. Also, structures with agents and nursing managers must attempt to reform and improve the context especially for structural conditions so nurses could make better decisions without conflict and moral distress.

Narcoleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS) is a rare but potentially fatal problem induced by the consumption of antipsychotic drugs, especially traditional drugs which are more common in youngsters and males. This paper describes the first reported case of a clinical presentation of NMS (induced by the consumption of Risperidone) in an old woman, who was suffering from psychotic processes. Due to psychotic depression and with differential diagnosis of schizoaffective, the woman had been prescribed a low and medium dosage of Risperidone, but she suddenly and unexpectedly developed clinical NMS. Despite special treatments and services, she passed away after 14 days. In spite of rare universal reports regarding the development of NMS induced by the consumption of Risperidone, so far no occurrence of NMS in aged women has been reported.