Studies in Medical Sciences
Year:2015 | Volume:26 | Issue:9|Papers Count:14

Background & Aims: Propiconazole is a systematic fungicide from triazoles that are widely used to control fungal diseases. This toxin causes cellular, genetic, and metabolic damages to animals. This study aimed to determine the effects of propiconazole on testis tissue and levels of testosterone hormone in mice.Material & Methods: In this experimental study, 28 adult male mice with the average age of 12 weeks were randomly divided into four groups including control, sham and experimental one and two groups.Experimental 1and 2 received 0.5 and 1.5 mg propiconazole/kg bw, respectively, by gavage for 4 weeks.Sham group received solvent and control group received no toxin. The mice were killed 7 days later and the histological appearance of testis was investigated. Testosterone hormone concentration was measured by radioimmunoassay.Results: The number of germ cells and seminiferous diameters in experimental 2 group significantly reduced compared to the control group. Also the number of Leydig cells of the experimental groups significantly reduced compared to the control group. (p<0.05) Conclusion: The results suggest that testes are sensitive to propiconazole and their effects are dose dependent.

Background & Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of antioxidant property Klotho by examining 8-hydroxy-2' - deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), as a marker of oxidative damage in nucleic acids in patients with hemodialysis and kidney transplantation.Materials & Methods: Serum samples from 45 patients undergoing hemodialysis and 45 patients with stable renal transplant recipients were collected. Klotho levels, 8OHdG, iPTH and vitamin D (25 (OH) D) were measured using standard methods.Results: Klotho level in hemodialysis patients was significantly higher (p≤0.001). Considering the serum levels (8-OHdG), there was no significant difference between the two groups (p=0.242). Serum parathyroid hormone levels in hemodialysis patients was significantly higher while the correlation between serum levels of iPTH and Klotho in none of the two groups were observed.Conclusion: It seems that high levels of Klotho in hemodialysis patients is a secondary response to high levels of parathyroid hormone, or just due to the use of immunosuppressive drugs in renal transplant recipients.

Background & Aims: Access to safe drinking water is important in health and development at national, regional and local levels. The concentration of fluoride in drinking water is highly variable, depending on the individual geological environment from which the water is obtained. Fluoride is an essential microelement for human health. Smaller quantities in drinking water are usually considered good to have beneficial effect on the rate of dental carries; particularly among children, and chronic exposure to exceeding fluoride concentration induces set of toxic effects, i.e. fluorosis. The aim of this study was determination of fluoride concentration in drinking water in villages of Makoo county in 2014.Materials & Methods: This study was conducted on 65 samples of drinking water sources that were taken during the spring and summer. Fluoride concentration was determined using SPANDS methods.Results: It was revealed that the mean fluoride concentration in spring was 1.6±1.4mg/l and in summer was 2.6±3.2mg/l. so, maximum concentration fluoride in the spring was 6.68mg/l and minimum was 0 mg/l, and maximum concentration fluoride in the summer was 11.1 mg/l and minimum level was 0 mg/l.Conclusion: The amount of fluoride in some water sources is higher than the recommended national levels, so it is an urgent necessity to remove excess fluoride from water sources.

Background & Aims: Ischemic heart disease is the most common reason of mortality and morbidity and has imposed the high costs to industrialized countries. It seems to be the most common reason of death in the world by 2020. There are different risk factors for ischemic heart disease that can be divided to two large groups, hereditary and immutable risk factors like age, sex, family history and mutable risk factors like obesity, smocking, hypertension, dyslipidemia and DM. Another risk factor for coronary artery disease is iron stores in body. Theoretically it has been discussed about the role of Iron stores in causing free radicals and lipid peroxidation and atherosclerosis for years.Materials & Methods: This is a cross sectional survey and data is collected by the interviews, examination and laboratory results from patients who had referred to Shahid Taleghany hospital in Urmia, Iran for coronary artery angiography.Results: Accordingly, 68 men (59.6%) and 46 female (40.4) were entered.50 (43.9%) had hypertention, 44 (38.6%) were smoker and 83 (72.8%) were negative for IHD family history. The mean age, weight, height, and BMI were 58.25±9.63, 79.09±11.62, 164.25±10.23, 29.48±4.69, respectively. There was coronary artery disease in 91 patients that 37 (32.5%) had one vessel, 20 (17.5%) had two vessels and 34 (29.8%) had three vessels atherosclerosis. 56 (53.3%) patients had ferritin below 200 (22 men and 34 female).Conclusion: There is no significant correlation between coronary artery disease and the level of ferritin in both sexes. As well, there is no significant correlation between coronary artery disease and serum iron level of patients.

Background & Aims: Professional drivers are apparently more involved in metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its complications due to their working conditions. The outcome may not only be harmful for drivers, but also can be harmful to community as they play critical role in transportation and traffic sectors.Occupational stresses, physical inactivity, prolonged working hours, and inappropriate dietary habits have all been reported as contributors to health risk factors in drivers. The present research was carried out to determine the prevalence of MetS among professional drivers in West Azerbaijan province in Iran.Materials & Methods: Medical documentation was the source of data for the reported study. It derived from medical examinations of 10000 among long distance drivers in West Azerbaijan province applying for driving license. The MetS was defined using International Diabetes Federation criteria.Results: The average age of participants was 38.62±9.7 (20-74) years. The prevalence of MetS in subjects was %33.7 (95%CI: 32.7-34.6). The presence of central obesity was more common than other components %52.3 (95%CI: 51.4-53.2). The associations of MetS with BMI, age, and driving experiences were significant in the logistic regression. By increasing BMI, age, and driving experiences also odds ratio of MetS increased.Conclusion: The study suggests that MetS has become a noteworthy health problem among West Azerbaijan among long distance drivers. Based on these findings, it is recommended to consider training programs, establish pertinent health regulations, and focus on the MetS complications in high risk group to improve and maintain their quality of life and to promote their public health.

Background & Aims: Obesity is one of the mental health problems in the world that have important risk factors for mental and physical health. Self-efficacy is an important component that plays critical role in reduction of women weight. This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy on enhancing self-efficacy and mental health among women with obesity.Materials & Methods: The design of the study is quasi-experimental design with pre/post test with a control group.30 women with obesity were selected by available sampling method and randomly allocated into two groups: experimental group and one control group. The independent variable was cognitive-behavioral therapy which was administrated in 8 sessions on the experimental group while the control group did not receive any treatment. The research instrument was General HealthQuestionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) and self-efficacy Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using covariance analysis.Results: The results of the study showed significant differences between the mean scores of the pre-test and post-test of the experimental and control groups, so cognitive behavioral therapy improved mental health and increased self-efficacy mean score in the experimental group (p<0.001).Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that cognitive behavior therapy can improve mental health and increase self-efficacy. Therefore, it can be considered as an effective method for encountering and coping with obesity.

Background & Aims: This research was carried out to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and dialectic behavior therapy and on depression.Materials & Methods: This study was carried out on 27 participants who were selected according to acquiring 1 score more than standard deviation above the mean in depression inventories and were set into three clusters including cognitive-behavior therapy, dialectic behavior therapy and control. Next, based on an experimental method, pre and post tests with the control cluster, the former and latter clusters were trained in between the one and half an hour of eight sessions while the control group received no therapeutic training. Beck Depression scale and covariance were used to assess and analyze the data.Results: Albeit both therapeutic clusters did not have significant differences in depression, they have had significant therapeutic differences in successfully intervening against the symptoms compared to the control cluster.Conclusion: Thus, it could be inferred that the dialectic behavioral therapy and cognitive behavior therapy may be considered a practical therapeutic technique to improve and decrease depression.

Background & Aims: In order to evaluate the alleviative effect of crocin on diabetes mellitus and its kidney complications, the serum levels of glucose, insulin, urea, creatinine and b2M were examined in healthy and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats after crocin administration.Materials & Methods: In this study 45 rats were divided into 9 groups (5 each) of healthy control, diabetic control, diabetic treatment with crocin (two dose of 10 and 40 mg/kg) and diabetic positive treatment (with insulin 5 mg/kg) in a period of 20 days.Results: The results indicated that the serum levels b2M, urea and creatinine significantly increased in diabetic rats. However, in groups receiving crocin with the dose of 10 and 40 mg/kg the serum levels of b2M were significantly lower than the control diabetic rats showing beneficial effect of crocin preventing diabetic nephropathy. Although the serum levels of urea and creatinine decreased in crocin receiving groups but they did not reach to a significant level.Conclusion: Finally, crocin decreased the serum levels of b2M, glucose, urea and creatinine in diabetes mellitus causing a protective effect on the disease and its kidney complications. It seems the beneficial effect of crocin was modulating with stimulatory insulin secretion and ameliorative insulin resistance effects.

Background & Aims: Nowadays, there are some undesirable side effects of synthetic drugs, the use of herbal medicines have been widely used as a treatment. New skin extract and pistachio on the above mentioned bacterial infection is more local. The aim of study was to evaluate the effects of antibacterial extract (methanol) prepared from fresh skin pistachios on Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus cereus) isolated from clinical samples.Materials & Methods: Clinical samples were collected from medical diagnostic laboratories then bacterial suspension was prepared equivalent to the 0.5 McFarland standard and then were re-planted to screen the antimicrobial activity of the extract hole method, disc diffusion and microdilution broth macrodilution was used to determine the minimum concentration (dilution) inhibitors and fatal ([2] MIC and [3] MBC) in conditions (in vitro) were to be evaluated.Results: The extract effect on Streptococcus pyogenes compared to other bacteria than antibiotics amikacin, clindamycin, cefixime have the greatest impact. Due to the size of the diameter of inhibition Sensitivity have the more impact as follows: Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereusis was the most effective one. The results of the MIC of the extract on bacteria was reported as in broth macrodilution method of ml/ml 16.1 and its MBC ml/ml 32.2.Conclusion: The above extracts are quite effective on bacteria and it is strongly recommended to use these plant compounds to improve skin bacterial infections, especially in burns and food poisoning caused by bacillus cereus.

Except for the hallux, the human toes classically present three phalanges. There have been numerous papers in regard to incidence of biphalangism in different countries. The most common site of biphalangism is in the fifth toe and its incidence declines in the second to fourth toe. Hence biphalangism of second to forth toe is rare, the bilateral biphalangism of all lateral toes has not been reported yet in the literature. We report a 22 y/o male with biphalangism of all lateral toes (2nd to 5th) in both feet.