Internal Medicine Today
Year:2011 | Volume:17 | Issue:3 (53)|Papers Count:12

Background and Aim: Experiments have showed that the use of combined single or dual frequencies ultrasound irradiation in low-level intensity for treatment of cancer is effective. We investigated the antitumor effect of simultaneous low-intensity, 150 kHz ultrasound, in combination with the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) on breast adenocarcinoma using murine model (BALB/c).Materials and Methods: Forty-four mice were used in this study. The tumor-bearing mice were divided into five groups, namely, control, sham, drug, drug+US and exposure to ultrasound alone. The administrated dose of DOX was 2 mg/kg (iv), and the time of exposure was 30 minutes. The data were analyzed employing ANOVA using SPSS software V.13.Results: We showed that, after the injection of DOX, exposure to ultrasound at 150 kHzcon potentiates the effect of doxorubicin on the growth of adenocarcinoma tumors compared to control group by two folds. The tumor growth inhibition percent in the groups treated by ultrasound and doxorubicin showed an increase compared with the group treated with doxorubicin alone. The total tumor growth inhibition percent (days 3-21) in the drug alone, drug+150 kHz groups was 23 (%), 55 (%), respectively. There was also a significant difference between the drug-treated group and the drug+US groups in times needed for each tumor to reach 2 and 7 times its initial volume (T2 and T7).Conclusion: The co-administration of DOX and low-intensity ultrasound provided a more effective treatment than the drug alone in murine breast cancer. The combined treatment appeared to produce synergistic effects that are potentially useful in reducing the side effects of DOX by lowering the required effective dose of the drug while increasing the efficiency of the therapy as a whole.

Background and Aim: Postoperative shivering is one of the common problems after anesthesia and can cause many complications such as heart disease, increased intraocular pressure, increased intracranial pressure and other problems. Various methods and drugs have been used for the prevention of postoperative shivering. In this study, we have investigated the pretreatment effect of ondansetron and meperidine in reducing shivering after cesarean elective by spinal anesthesia.Materials and Methods: In this double-blind study, 100 volunteered patients for cesarean elective using spinal were blocked and classified randomly into two groups. After the baby was born, 8 mg ondansetron for the first group (O) and 0.4 mg/kg meperidine for the second group (M) was injected slowly. MAP, Heart rate and SPO2 were measured and recorded before the operation, during the operation and after the operation. The shivering or its absence was recorded for 20 minutes after the operation by a recovery nurse.Results: The incidence of postoperative shivering was 10% in ondnasetron group and 24% in meperidine group. But there was no significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion: There was not a significant difference between the effects of ondansetron and meperidne groups.

Background and Aim: Thalassemia is a heterogeneous group of genetic anemia. It is caused due to deficiency in the construction of one or more globin clusters. Regarding the prevalence of Thalassemia in Iran and the effect of exercise activities on blood indices of the healthy people, this study aimed at investigating the effect of aerobic activities on iron status and the hematological indices in girls with β Thalassemia minor conducted.Materials and Methods: This study is a semi-experimental one. In this study, 8 girls with β Thalassemia minor, (17 to 23 years old) were selected voluntarily based on research criteria. The effect of 8 weeks of aerobic exercise including 5 sessions in each week, each session lasted 40 to 50 minutes with intensity of 50-65% maximum heart rate storage on iron status. Also, their hematological indices were studied. Further, 8 persons who didn’t participate in exercise protocol were chosen as control group. Before beginning and at the end of 8 weeks, blood samples were taken from the participants. For data analysis, SPSS software V.16 was used employing t-test.Results: After 8 weeks of aerobic exercise, a significant reduction in Ferritin indices and a significant increase in blood total iron binding capacity of girls with β Thalassemia minor were seen (p<0.05); and no other hematological indices with a significant change was seen in both experimental and control group (p>0.05).Conclusion: Aerobic exercise can cause a reduction in Ferritin and an increase iron binding capacity (T I B C) in girls with Thalassemia minor.

Background and Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer affecting women. It is the second common cancer (after lung cancer) in women. Zingiber afficinale is used as a traditional medicine. Recently, the biological activities of Zingiber afficieale plants have been reported as possessing anticancer, antibacterial, antiulcer, antifungal, and insecticidal properties. However, the antitumor effects of this medicine have not been studied in cancer cell lines. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of Zingiber afficieale on breast cancer cell lines.Materials and Methods: Breast cancer (MCF7) cell lines and normal connective tissue cell line (L929) were cultured in DMEM medium. Zingiber afficinale was extracted; and different dilutions of Zingier extract (1.60 to 1.200) were added to cell culture. Cell viability was quantitated by MTT assay after 24, 48  and 72 hours.Results: The effects of Zingiber afficieale on cell viability were observed after 48 hours on cell lines. Ginger doses in dilution 1.100 and 1.70 inhibited 50% cell growth (IC50) in MCF7 cell line after 48 hours of incubation, respectively.Conclusion: Our study shows that ginger fresh extract has cytotoxic effects on tumor cells, but it does not have any cytotoxic effect on normal cells. It seems that ginger could be considered as a promising chemotherapeutic agent in cancer treatment.

Background and Aim: Chronic renal failure is one of the biggest public health problems. The most common alternative treatment method for patients is hemodialysis. Adherence to diet and fluids combined with dialysis is the cornerstone of renal failure treatment. By informing hemodialysis patients, we can help them have a proper diet and reduce mortality and complications of toxins. Face to face education is one of the most common methods of training in health care systems. The advantages of video training are easy and cost-effective but it is something virtual. So, the aim of this study was to assess the comparison of face to face and video-based education on attitudes related to diet and fluids adherence in hemodialysis patients.Materials and Methods: This study is a semi-experimental one which included 75 hemodialysis patients admitted to the hemodialysis wards in 17 Shahrivar and Qaem hospitals in Mashhad. They were divided randomly into face to face and video-training groups. In the face to face educational group, 2 educational sessions were accomplished during dialysis with a one-week time interval. In the video-based educational group, a produced film, separated to two episodes, was presented during dialysis within a one-week time gap. An Attitude questionnaire was completed as a pre-test at the end of the second and fourth weeks. SPSS software version 11.5 was used for data analysis. The data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test, t-test for two independent groups, Chi-square, Fischer exact test, and Kruskal Wallis test.Results: Attitude about fluid and diet adherence at the end of second and fourth weeks was not significantly different between the two groups (p>0.05). Patients' attitude had a significant statistical difference in the two groups prior to and at the end of the second and fourth week of intervention (p<0.05).Conclusion: Despite the belief that face to face method is more effective; our findings showed that video training could be as effective. It is recommended that more investment be paid to video training.

Background and Aim: Mental health of war veterans' spouses and martyrs' widows is expected to be more susceptible due to their specific stresses. This study aims to find the mental health situation related to different variables.Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive study. One hundred martyrs' widows and the same number of war veterans' spouses were selected and divided into two groups by systematic randomized sampling from among the list of those followed up by Zahedan War Veterans Foundation. Mental health of the individuals in the study was assessed by "General Health Questionnaire" and also semi-structural interviews. The data were analyzed by ANOVA and Toky Post Hoc Test.Results: The results revealed that the mean scores of both groups and also 70% of the whole number of contributors in the study were higher than the GHQ cut-off point. Comparing the means in GHQ scores of the two groups showed no statistically significant difference. Women whose husbands had physical injuries showed a better mental health than those with mentally ill husbands (p=0.001).Conclusion: The findings of this study in concordance with other similar researches confirm that generally martyrs' widows and war veterans' spouses suffer from low level of mental health. The relationship between the type of injury and mental health of veteran' spouses calls for special cares and services for different groups.

Background and Aim: Musculo-skeletal disorder is an occupational disease. It occurs due to the inappropriate conditions in the workplaces. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of low back pain and some related factors in nurses employed in Gonabad hospitals.Materials and Methods: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional research. It was carried out on 93 nurses who were working in Gonabad hospitals in 2010. The data were collected by aself-made questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS V.14 using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and t- test.Results: 61.3% (57 persons) of the patients were women and 38.7% (36 persons) men. 20% of them had another part time job in addition to nursing. 76.3% of cases had some knowledge about the proper care of vertebral column although 12.9% used these cares. 50.5% of cases were also suffering from at least one type of low back pain. Lower vertebral column pain was the most common type of low back pain. There was a significant statistical relationship between pain and years of work (p=0.01).There was a significant statistical relationship between pain and age (p=0.001), pain and sex (p=0.02), pain and BMI (p=0.05), as well. Nurses with back pain had greater knowledge than those without the pain.Conclusion: High prevalence of vertebral column pain suggests the necessity for proper planning to reduce pain in the vertebral column. Regarding the effect of BMI on vertebral column pain, planning for weight reduction is necessary.

Background and Aim: Anxiety is one of the emotional and psychological factors that the studying of its effects considering existing variables can solve some of the athletes’ psychological problems. The current study was performed with the aim of surveying the relationship between coaching anxiety with Footsal players’ anxiety and performance in Gonabad city in 2010.Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive and correlational study conducted with the use of sport competitive anxiety questionnaire of Martinez consisting of 15 questions, a demographic questionnaire and an athletic performance checklist. The study populations were 600 players and Footsal coaches compromised of 60 Footsal teams. Each team was consisted of 10 members (five major players, four reserves and one coach). All the study population was studied and no sampling was conducted. The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 14. For data description, descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used; X2 and Pearson correlation coefficient test were used for statistical analysis of the data.Results: The findings showed that there was a direct and significant relationship between coaching anxiety levels with sport competitive anxiety level in athletes (p=0.019). It also showed that there was a significant and negative relationship between coaching anxiety levels with the performance level of the athletes (p=0.012) and there was a significant and negative relationship between athletics’ sport anxiety levels with their performance level (r=-0.81, p=0.01,). And it showed a significant and negative relationship between athletes' sport anxiety levels with their athletic experiences (r=-0.45, p=0.001) and with their age as well (r=-0.37, p=0.001).Conclusion: Sport competitive anxiety has deeper and more effective relationship in locomotors skills performance in competition status in comparison with the other psychological factors. Finally, some recommendations were presented for reduction of sport competitive anxiety in athletes.

Background and Aim: In cement production factories, dust is produced due to corrosion, grinding, replacement, and baking materials in the furnace. Electrostatic precipitation is one of the most widely applied technologies for the removal of hazardous particles from cement factories.Materials and Methods: In this study, some questionnaires were designed, by attention with several studies and its standards and catalogs of production for this equipment. Then, the questionnaires were distributed in the factories under study and the following information was obtained. The Excel software was used for analyzing the data. The data were analyzed employing t-test and Chi-square.Results: The results of the study showed that the maximum removal efficiency of particles had been obtained to 99.98% by to ESP system. Also, it was observed that the rising CO gas was the most effective factor in the shutdown of ESP systems. The results showed that the maximum rate of monitoring and maintenance in control systems was in the ESP for annual monitoring (94%).Conclusion: The results of the study showed that because of inaccuracy and indifference in daily, weekly and monthly monitoring, problems in the control systems daily are more; and the solutions such as designing monitoring programs, worker training human resources, renewal and improvement in technology can play a fundamental role in alleviating these problems.