Studies in Medical Sciences
Year:2011 | Volume:22 | Issue:2|Papers Count:11

Background & Aims: Deletion/insertion of a single guanosine in the promoter of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene, resulting in two alleles containing either 4 or 5 guanosines (G). Results of recent studies showed that presence of PAI-1 4G allele may increase the risk of human disease. The aim of present study was to determine the 4G/5G genetic variation in the promoter of PAI-1 gene in patients with recurrent miscarriage and healthy controls.Materials and Methods: Genotypes of 45 cases with recurrent miscarriage (at least 3 unexplained abortions) and 64 controls were determined by RFLP-PCR.Results: The findings of present study shows: Frequency (percent) of PAI-1 4G allele in cases and controls were 29 (32.22%) and47 (36.72%), respectively; frequency (percent) of PAI-1 5G allele in cases and controls were 61 (67.78%) and 81 (63.28%), respectively. Frequency (percent) of PAI-1 5G/5G and 4G/4G was 16 (35.56%) and 29 (64.44%) in cases and 17 (26.56%) and 47 (73.44%) in controls, respectively. PAI-1 4G/4G genotype was not observed in studied groups. Statistical analysis showed that the frequencies of PAI-1 -675 4G/5G alleles and genotypes did not significantly differ between cases and controls.Conclusion: The findings of present study show that it is not possible to find any association between PAI-1 -675 4G allele and predisposition to recurrent miscarriage in tested population.

Background & Aims: The relationship between personality with depression and life satisfaction has been considered by the researchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the personality traits on base of Five Factor Model with Depression symptoms and life satisfaction.Materials & Methods: The design of this study was causal-Comparitve. The population of this study was the students of Marand Islamic Azad University that 200 students were selected randomly between them by cluster method. All students were asked to complete the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), NEO-FFI-R and satisfaction with life scale (SWLS). Data were analyzed by Correlation and Multivariate Regression.Results: There is a significant positive relationship between Neuroticism with depression (r=0.85, p<0.01). Also there was negative relationship between Extroversion, agreeableness and Conscientiousness with depression (-0.58, -0.44, -0.29 respectively). Neuroticism could explanation 78 percent of depression. In other hand there is a negative relationship between life satisfaction with Neuroticism (-0.41) and positive relationship with Extroversion, agreeableness and Conscientiousness (0.33, 0.25, 0.17 respectively). The Neuroticism and Extroversion could explanation 20 percent of life satisfaction.Conclusion: Finding showed that personality factors can be considered as a predictor for depression and life satisfaction.

Background & Aims: Tuberculosis as one of the most important infectious diseases in the world is considered lethal. About a third of the world is infected by Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.95 percent of cases and 98 percent risks of death from tuberculosis occur in developing countries. This study investigated the prevalence of Tuberculosis infection among health workers and office workers in Urmia University of Medical Sciences.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study with analytical aims was conducted in 2008.299 health workers from the educational hospitals of Urmia (Imam Khomeini, Motahari, and Taleghani) and 110 office staff were selected through menu sampling step into a class were studied. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-square test.Results: The prevalence of tuberculosis infection in health workers was 37.5% and office staff 18%. Statistically compared in terms of infection was different in two groups. There was no significant association in TB infection prevalence between medical staff with high and low exposure. Between the hours of practice per week, history of BCG vaccination, BCG Oscar size, sex and size of PPD diameter there was no significant association. There was statistically significant correlation between increasing experience of practice in the health care system and PPD adoration size.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of tuberculosis infection in health workers compared with general staff was high, this difference was statistically significant.

Background & Aims: Food security is one of the major challenges for socioeconomic programs in the communities. The number of food-insecure people in the 70 lowest-income countries rose from 849 million to 982 million between 2006 and 2007 in the world. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of household food insecurity and its influencing factors.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 2500 households selected from Qaresoo region in Khoy city of the northwest of Iran. Household food security status was measured by a validated short questionnaire including six questions. Other required data (influencing factors) also were obtained alongside the validated questionnaire. Chi-square and logistic regression were used for data analysis using SPSS software.Results: Prevalence of household food insecurity was 59.4 percent. Household food insecurity decreased by increasing the number of rooms at home, store numbers at village, residential infrastructure. Household food insecurity increased by distance from city. There was a significant relation between household food insecurity and family car ownership, home situation (rental or personal), parent situation at home (attendance of father and mother or one of them at home) and household's income (per month).Conclusion: Our findings indicate that household food insecurity is prevalent in the northwest of Iran. Household's socioeconomic status was found as an important factor on household food security status.

Background & Aims: One of the perplexing problems with regard to addiction is its relapse since 50% of rehabilitated Iranian addicts tend to re-consumption. The aim of this study is to determine the factors related to the relapse of opiate addiction.Materials & Methods: In this descriptive study 228 addicts referring to rehabilitation contents were selected based on goal sampling. The survey tool was the questionnaire. Data collection was carried out by trained experts through structured interview within six months. The data was analyzed using SPSS software.Results: The results showed that all study cases had experienced at least one attempt to quit drug use Psychological disease (50.9%) was the most leading factor in relapse of opiate substance use.The addicts reported their viewpoints regarding the other factors as follows: Among individual factors; avoiding from isolation (%36), and among familial factors, improper interaction between parents and children had been reported by the addicts. With regard to the social factors the existence of addicts’ friends (35.5%), and related to the economical factors, lack of job was the major element with (34.6%). Considering cultural factors, lack of safe and healthy entertainments were leading factors mentioned by the addicts.Conclusion: Based on survey findings many factors were involved to the relapsing to addiction which indicate the necessity of researches focusing to the relapse of addicts and the ways for avoiding themes to the addiction as a major depending factor to addiction.

Background & Aims: People’s health and well-being maybe determined by the interaction of endogenous and external rhythms. Late chronotypes should become anxious. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between circadian types (morningness-eveningness) and anxiety among the university students.Materials & Methods: The method of present study was causal-comparative. Research participants were 288 (123 boys and 165 girls) of the university students. The scores obtained on the morningness-eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) of Horn and Ostberg and state-trait anxiety inventory of spielberg. Data were analyzed by multivariable analysis of variance (Manova) and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) between two independent groups.Results: The results showed that there was a significant relationship between two circadian type and anxiety (p<0/001). The result of Manova showed that there are significant differences between two circadian types in state-trait anxiety. The results of ANOVA showed that in circadian types and state-trait anxiety there isn’t significant differences between two groups.Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study could be concluded that the anxiety is related to circadian type eveningness.

Background & Aims: Memory disturbance is common in epileptic patients and might be changed by anti convulsion drugs. In this research neuropsychological functions of epileptic patients with grand mal seizure (GMS) and complex partial seizure (CPS) who have been under drug treatment were compared together and then with normal people.Materials and Methods: In a descriptive study 60 epileptic patients between 15 to 44 ages with GMS and CPS were randomly selected from neurology clinics and were given neuropsychological tests. Data was analyzed by SPSS.Results: There was no significant difference between epileptic and normal people in visual memory. However there was a significant difference between epileptic and normal people in attention and working memory (P<0.05). Also there was a significant difference between GMS and CPS patients in attention and working memory but there was no difference between them in visual memory.Conclusion: The results suggesting that disturbances in attention and working memory might be due to either drug therapy or underlying pathology of GMS and CPS or both.

Esophageal perforation is one of the most lethal forms of mediastinitis that usually named as disaster, denoting its lethality. The most important factor in patient salvage is early diagnosis. Post emetic rupture or Boerhaaves syndrome is accounted for 10-15 percent of causes. Unfortunately due to its rarity, usually is misdiagnosed as other equally serious but more prevalent pathologies such as acute myocardial infarction, perforated peptic ulcer, pulmonary emboli and acute pancreatitis. Here in we report a case of this disease that presented with pulmonary symptoms and early diagnosis was pulmonary emboli that definitive diagnosis confirmed after 12 hour and successfully treated with primary repair. As a conclusion it must be in differential diagnosis of acute onset chest symptoms such as chest pain or dyspnea.