Studies in Medical Sciences
Year:2016 | Volume:26 | Issue:11|Papers Count:13

Background & Aims: Some studies have shown that beta-alanine supplementation may delay fatigue during strenuous exercises. This study examined the effect of 10 days of b-alanine supplementation with different doses on neuromuscular fatigue and blood lactate levels.Material & Methods: This study was conducted on 40 active men with a mean age of 21.9±2.6 years and body mass index 24.54±1.8 kg/m2 who were randomly divided into four groups of 10 people as follows: receiving doses of 2, 4 and 6 grams of beta-alanine supplement (experimental groups) and placebo (control) group. Competitors completed four 30-second Wingate tests with maximum power, before and after 10 day beta-alanine supplementation period. A 4-minute rest interval was set between each exercise. At each step, the first and second blood sampling administrated before the 1st exercise and 6 minutes after finishing the 4th exercise, respectively. The EMG amplitude as neuromuscular fatigue index was measured before the first Wingate and during the fourth Wingate test.Results: Supplementation with different doses of b-alanine had no effect on M-wave amplitude in vastus lateralis muscle. In other words, none of the within-group (P=0.078) and between-group (P=0.66) changes were significant. Moreover, after repeated Wingate exercises, amount of lactate in all groups (received b-alanine supplement and placebo group) increased significantly (p<0.001), while there was no difference between groups (p=0.1).Conclusion: The present findings suggest that doing repetitive maximal exercises result in significant increase of lactate, but short-term b-alanine supplementation with different doses has no effect on neuromuscular fatigue and blood lactate accumulation.

Background & Aims: Scratching the enamel surface during orthodontic bracket debonding and removal of adhesive remnants is a common concern for orthodontists. This study sought to assess the enamel surface roughness following the use of low speed tungsten carbide (TCB) and high-speed Arkansas burs (AB).Materials & Methods: This in-vitro experimental study was performed on 72 first and second premolar teeth extracted for orthodontic purposes. Labial surfaces of the teeth were etched and brackets were bonded using light-cure composite resin. After 24 hours, orthodontic brackets were debonded by holding them from the mesial and distal and peeling the bracket base away from the tooth using a debonding fine cutter in order to minimize the trauma to the enamel. The teeth were then randomly divided into two groups of 36. The composite remnants were removed using a 12-blade TCB and low speed hand piece in group 1 and AB and high-speed hand piece in group 2. The enamel surface roughness of specimens was evaluated under a stereomicroscope using the surface roughness index described by Howell and Weeks. The time required for complete adhesive removal from the enamel surface was recorded in seconds. The data were analyzed using non-parametric chi square test.Results: In both TCB and AB groups, the enamel surface roughness significantly increased compared to the baseline value (P=0.001 for TCB and P=0.004 for AB). No significant difference was found in surface roughness between the two groups after the intervention (P=0.431). The time spent for complete removal of remnants was significantly shorter with AB compared to TCB (P=0.00).Conclusion: Considering the same level of surface roughness caused by AB and TCB and faster removal AB, AB is recommended for composite remnant removal. However, further studies are required in this respect.

Background & Aims: Preterm delivery is an important determinant of prenatal period that happened in 5-12% of pregnancies. Studies have shown that one of the risk factors is sleep and sleep related disorder like sleep apnea. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between sleep apnea (OSA) on spontaneous preterm birth in Ardabil city.Materials & Methods: We performed an analytical cohort study, screening 234 pregnant women in 28-32 weeks for OSA symptoms. The multistage sampling methods were used and subjects were enrolled into two groups (118 subjects without sleep apnea and 116 subjects with sleep apnea), then, followed for the occurrence of preterm delivery. The data were collected using demographic and obstetrics questionnaire, Berlin questionnaires and Epworth sleepiness scale, and were analyzed with SPSS.Result: Accordingly, 28 (65.1%) subjects with sleep apnea and 15 (47.2%) in the group without sleep apnea had preterm birth and there was a significant difference between groups (p<0.03). OSA was associated with an increased risk of PTB (OR=2.08; 95% CI, 1.04–4.16). An important association was found between preterm birth and variables such as snoring frequency, sleep time ≤8 hours (p<0.05).Conclusion: Pregnancies complicated by OSA are at increased risk for preterm birth.

Background & Aims: Mobile phone radiation is a major public health concern. This study aimed to determine if a quantitive relation could be found between specific absorption rate (SAR) and salivary volume and C-reactive protein (CRP).Material & Methods: Unstimulated whole salivary samples of 310 mobile phone users were collected.Mobile phones were categorized into three groups according to their SAR values. The samples were analyzed for probable correlation of volume and CRP content with SAR values.Results: No statistically significant relation was found between SAR value and the volume of saliva (p>0.05). On the other hand, a statistically significant relation (p>0.01) was found between categories of SAR and salivary CRP. Conclusion: Mobile phone radiation does not affect the salivary volume. Salivary CRP content increases predictably as SAR of the mobile increases

Background & Aims: Tic disorders are a group of conditions with onset in the developmental period.The disorders produce impairments of functioning. The goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of habit reversal techniques training (HRT) on reduction of intensity, frequency, complexity and interference of tourette syndrome and motor tics.Materials & Methods: This study was conducted on three boys, with tourette syndrome (1 boy) and motor tic (2 boys) who were selected by available sampling from Psychiatric Clinic Bozorgmehr in Tabriz city. Each of the participants received habit reversal techniques training. Patients participated in 8 treatment sessions of HRT for 4 weeks. The resent study was performed in framework of empirical plan case study using single base line plan. Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS, 1989) was used to evaluate participants.Results: The results of the present study showed that the effectiveness of habit reversal technique training reduced the intensity, frequency, complexity and interference of tourette syndrome and motor tics. Follow-up for one month after the end of treatment showed the persistence of these results.Conclusion: Accordingly, children with tic disorders and their families can learn behavioral techniques to reduce and improve the collection of the tic disorders substantially. Habit reversal training technique is effective in treatment of tic disorders.

Background & Aims: Multiple drug resistance among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates is one of the most important challenges for treating of such infections. Fosfomycin is a broad-spectrum peptidoglycan biosynthesis inhibitor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of fosfomycin on imipenem resistant clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.Materials & Methods: This study included 43 isolates of imipenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae were collected from educational hospitals of Urmia and were identified by using the standard methods.Susceptibility of isolates to various antibiotics was determined by disk diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations of fosfomycin were determined in the range of 8-1024 mg/mL.Results: All tested isolates were resistant to fosfomycin. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations for investigated isolates were determined in the range of 512-1024 mg/mL. According to EUCAST criteria if the minimum inhibitory concentration of antibiotic for an isolate is equal or greater than 32 mg/mL, the isolates were considered as resistant to fosfomycin, so all the isolates were defined as resistant to this antibiotic.Conclusion: In spite of the fact that some of the other studies confirmed the effectiveness of this antibiotic in treatment of Enterobacteriaceae caused infections, at least in the studied area fosfomycin is inefficient for treating of infections caused by imipenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates.

Background & Aims: Zinc, as an essential trace element and antioxidant, plays a significant role in the glucose and insulin metabolism and altered zinc content seems to be one of the contributing factors in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus (DM). The altered levels of serum zinc content has been observed in diabetic patients and it was reported that low serum Zinc concentration is one of the major factors in inducing cardiovascular diseases in patients with DM. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral administration of zinc oxide nanoparticles instead of zinc sulfate supplementation on cardiomyopathy indexes (Troponin I and CK-MB activity) in rats with T1DM.Materials & Methods: In this study, 120 male Wistar rats were divided into two major intact and diabetic groups. DM was induced by single dose of STZ (45 mg/kg as i.p.). Oral administration of ZnO nanoparticles and zinc sulfate were gavaged respectively at doses 1, 3 and 10 and 30 mg/kg for 56 days.Blood samples were taken from heart at 7, 28, and 56 days and concentration of serum glucose, Insulin, zinc, troponin I and the activity of the CK-MB were determined.Results: The results of this study revealed that in diabetic rats, serum glucose concentration significantly increased (P<0.001) and insulin and zinc levels significantly decreased (P<0.001). Rats with DM showed increased level of troponin I and induced activity of CK-MB (P<0.001). Oral administration of ZnO nanoparticles at dose 3 mg/kg significantly lowered serum glucose level and induced zinc and insulin concentration (P<0.001). It also showed cardioprotective properties by reducing troponin I and CK-MB activity significantly (P<0.01). In contrast, ZnO nanoparticles at dose 10 mg/kg induced cardiomyopathy and revealed high concentration of troponin I and CK-MB (P<0.01). Zinc sulfate administration at dose 30 mg/kg has similar effects as ZnO nanoparticles (3 mg/kg) but not as exactly as seen on the ZnO nanoparticles.Conclusion: Oral administration of ZnO reduced troponin I content and CK-MB activity in serum of diabetic rats, though this findings revealed cardioprotective effects of ZnO nanoparticles.

Background & Aims: Over the last decade, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the single largest cause of death worldwide including all developing regions. The coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most lethal form of CVD. Ceruloplasmin is a ferroxidase enzyme with two paradoxically oxidative and antioxidative performances. Some studies show that ceruloplasmin give rise to atherosclerosis by oxidative effect on low density lipoprotein (LDL).Materials & Methods: This study was done in Urmia Seyed-ol Shohada Hospital. The serum levels of ceruloplasmin were measured in 43 consecutive CAD patients (more than 75% stenosis at least in one coronary arteries by selective coronary angiography) and 43 consecutive control subjects (normal epicardial coronary arteries by selective coronary angiography). Exclusion criteria were lymphoma, pregnancy, oral contraceptive drugs, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, heart failure (LVEF<40%), diabetes mellitus, heavy smokers, obsessive disorders, schizophrenia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. CAD patients and normal group were matched for hypertension and dyslipidemia.Results: There wasn’t significant statistical difference in serum ceruloplasmin level between CAD patients (298±115mg/L) and control subjects (281±81mg/L).There wasn’t significant gender difference in serum ceruloplasmin level.Conclusion: The result of the present study doesn’t support the hypothesis that a high serum ceruloplasmin level is a risk factor for coronary artery disease. If we exclude major CAD risk factors and effective factors on serum ceruloplasmin level, it can be stated that a high serum ceruloplasmin level is not an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic CAD.

Background & Aims: Due to the complexity of the process of hemodialysis and the need for patient participation in his health care, patient education should be considered as an important component of health promotion and disease management programs. Accordingly, education of hemodialysis patients should be based on each patient's specific needs and problems so that it can result in a change in their behavior. This study aimed to assess learning needs and preferred methods and educators of patients in hemodialysis centers in Urmia University of Medical Sciences.Materials & Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on hemodialysis patients from teaching hospitals affiliated to Urmia Medical Sciences of University which were 420 individuals in total in 2014. The data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire that reliability of which had been measured by specialists and validity by internal consistency method (r=0.78). The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software descriptive statistics and analytical statistics (t-test and chisquare).Results: Most hemodialysis patients preferred to use handout-pamphlet, workshop, and oral conversation by nurses, doctors, and psychologists. The learning needs were ranked as follows: psychological issues (4.88), information about risk factors (4.75), lifestyle changes (4.62), diet information (4.56) and physical activity and sport (4.43).Conclusion: The results of the study showed that hemodialysis patients need to learn about psychological problems, identifying risk factors, lifestyle, and nutrition. Psychological and nutritional recommendations can be offered along with clinical ones. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide a plan to standardize the structure and content of educational programs based on the learning needs of patients.

Background & Aims: Lead is a toxic heavy metal that acts as environmental pollutant. Some medicinal plants can prevent toxin injuries in body tissues. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of Pelargonium graveolens leaves’ extract (PGE) on spermatogenesis process in male rats treated by lead.Materials & Methods: In this experimental study, 42 male rats were divided randomly into 6 groups (n=7): control (taking normal saline, 0.5 ml/day), witness (taking lead acetate, 500 ppm in tap water), positive groups 1 and 2: (250 mg/Kg PGE and 500 mg/Kg PGE), treated group 1and 2 (500 ppm lead acetate in tap water+250 mg/Kg and 500mg/Kg PGE). The blood and testes tissue samples were prepared for hormonal and histological analysis. All the data were evaluated with ANOVA and Tukey test.Results: The results showed that the testosterone serum level reduced significantly in witness group compared with the control group (P<0.001). The PGE increased testosterone serum level in treated groups (P<0.001). Lead acetate reduces the number of spermatogonia, spermatocyte, leydig and sperm cells significantly (P<0.001).Conclusion: The finding of this research revealed that PGE could inhibit the detrimental effects of lead acetate in testes. The PGE increased testosterone hormone and number of sperms in the treated rats.