Internal Medicine Today
Year:2009 | Volume:15 | Issue:1|Papers Count:14

Background and Aim: An active lifestyle is a critical determinant of overall health, but females engage in less vigorous exercise and leisure-time physical activity than males, and their level of activity decreases further as they age. These low levels of activity lead to loss of muscular strength and flexibility, as well as overweight and obesity, and result in disability and premature mortality from coronary heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (USDHHS, 2000). So, we want to study the exercise beliefs of females with diabetes for intervention on their physical activities.Materials and Methods: In this study we conducted personal in-depth interview with 50 females in preparation stage to assess regular physical activity from diabetic females' perspectives. We use qualitative approach to gain insight regarding behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs and control beliefs that may influence diabetic females' physical activity. Duration of each interview lasting 45 minutes and all interviews had written, and analyzed with content analysis method consecutively.Results: We found that: (a) the most salient behavioral beliefs that participants of this study said: exercise improves physical/ psychological/ social and spiritual health. physical health includes blood sugar decrease, Weight control, decrease in blood pressure, and lipid profile; psychological health includes prevention of depression, stress, anxiety, improves mood; social health include increasing relationship and collaboration with others, and promotion of relationship with God in spiritual health; (b) relating to normative beliefs, at first family members, and secondly physician have the strongest normative influence on exercise, (c) and regarding control beliefs, psychosocial problems, Lack of access to exercise facilities for females, too expensive exercise facilities and lacking money, Other commitments (caregiver for others, work), family responsibilities, Weather (bad or poor weather), and lacking time obstruct exercise regularly.Conclusions: Diabetic females have varied beliefs about exercise include positive to negative. Researcher intended to promote exercise behavior, should targeting these beliefs, weak negative beliefs, emphasis to positive beliefs & use these results in their interventions.

Background and Aim: Nowadays traumatic injuries are the third cause of mortality in human societies and vascular injury as a main part of them are one of the main problems in medicine. Tissue ischemia resulted from vascular injuries is an emergency and if it continues irreversible ischemia and damage will result after 6 hours. In vascular injuries, early diagnosis and treatment is very important. Since the causes, types and resulting damages are different in our country from developed countries, we designed this study to compare these factors based on angiography which is the method of choice in vascular injuries.Materials and methods: In this descriptive – analytical study, 75 patients with vascular injuries were studied by angiography in Imam Khomeini Hospital of Tabriz during 12 months.Results: 94.7% of our patients were male and remaining 5.3% were female. The most common cause of trauma in this study was traffic accidents (93.3%) and the most common site of trauma was leg (62.2%) and associated fracture was detected in 86.75% of cases. The most common fracture was double fracture of leg (55.4%). The most common injured artery was anterior tibial artery (36%) and the most common type of vascular injuries was complete arterial occlusion (62.7%).Conclusion: Vascular injuries were more common in young males than the other groups and the most common cause was blunt trauma specially motorcycle accidents.

Background and Aim: Domestic dogs are the most important reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) at the endemic foci of Iran. The disease are transmission to others dogs and human by sandflies, the logic of VL prevention in world is: dogs vaccination, chemical treatment dogs, diagnosis and eliminating of infected dogs, impregnated dogs with soaps that have been reported different degrees of success. Now using deltamethrin-impregnated dog collars have been pointed, because of its impacts good in prevents of infected dogs to VL.Materials and Methods: In this study, the efficacy of indexs of dog collars (Scalibor®) was evaluated in North-Khorasan province. For this aim, 6 dogs selected as well as had similar age, weight, race and not have VL. and randomly classified in two groups as treated and untreated; In the beginning of the transmission season, three DMC was separately fitted to 3 dogs and the other ones were considered as control (collarless) group. Two weeks after collar fited and any 15 days from June 2006 to September 2007 in evening one of collar and collarless dogs with their regard replacement in any shift in. separate were exposed to wild-caught sandflies during night time (2 h after sunset) using two separate bed nets. At the end of exposure time, the sand flies were recaptured and transferred to inside netted caps and maintained at optimal condition for 24 hours in order to assess the mortality.Results: Data analysis revealed that the blood-feeding index was 13.4% - 27.6% for DMS fitted dogs, and 54.2% - 59.3% for control (collarless) dogs which the difference is statistically significant (p<0.005). Also the index of blood-feeding inhibition were 51.3% - 66.2% and 37% - 44.8% for collared and collarless dogs respectively and showed a significant difference (p<0.01). The mortality was 20.42%- 21.88% for sand flies fed on collared dogs, and 1.04% - 6.17% for those fed on control dogs (p<0.004). The range of combined effects (inhibition of blood-feeding and mortality) was found 72.37% - 86.62% for collared dogs, and 40.74% - 45.83% for control dogs.Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate the considerable effects of DMC on inhibition of blood-feeding as well as mortality of wild-caught sandflies.

Background and Aims: With increasing use of modern technology in some industries and communicating instruments and also electromagnetic field (EMF) due to transmission of high power electricity, radar beam, wireless instruments etc. study of electromagnetic radiation effects become a new subject these days. Since there is not much information regarding the effects of this kind of energy on live body tissues, present study was performed to determine these effects.Materials and Methods: In this study, 30 mice embryo were used and divided into two groups (case and control) of 15 each. Oral cavity tissues were selected for the examination. An electromagnetic producer machine which produced a field with frequency of 27 MHz and power output 493 watts. In the case group, mesenchymal tissues were affected by EMF for 20 mins. then were cultured on nutrient agar for 24 hrs.Results: In the case group, the mesenchymal compartments contain cartilage tissue and lost their epithelium in compare with those control which had no cartilage tissue and integrated epithelium.Conclusion: The study showed that high frequency EMF without other environmental stimulation such as warmth can produce metaplasia in embryonic mesenchymal tissues. Thus, avoiding from exposition to EMF for pregnant women is recommended.

Background and Aim: Degenerative joint disease in patella femoral joint causes disabling pain in knee motion. When conservative treatment fails, surgery is indicated. In advanced stage those operations that release the stresses on the patella femoral joint by correcting the biomechanics of the joint may be more useful for patients. In this study, we analyzed the clinical outcomes following conservative methods and surgical treatment with tibial tuberosity transfer.Materials and Methods: Fifty patients, who had severe patella femoral arthritis, after true clinical and radiographic evaluation, were treated with conservative methods. For those patients that did not have improvement after three months and were agree with surgical treatment, tibial tuberosity transfer was done. Patients were followed for one year and were asked about decrease of pain and improvement in daily living function.Results: Altogether, 12 patients (24%) had improvement with conservative methods and in 34 patients after conservative treatment failure who agreed to have surgical treatment had 13 acceptable results (38.2%).Conclusion: In advanced DJD of patella femoral joint, patients not responding to conservative treatment, may have surgical treatment. Anterior transfer of tibial tuberosity can be considered as a last choice of surgery before TKA and can be accepted and considered.

Background and Aim: There is not a suitable marker in dilution method in analysis of biomarker in joint fluid. In past, dye dilution method was used for joint fluid, but there were some errors. The aim of this work is the use of rate change lactate level in serum and synovial fluid of patients with arthritis by application of dilution method and direct aspiration as a biomarker.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study synovial fluid were obtained from 30 arthritis patients by direct aspiration. Also, serum sample were obtained from these patients. Serum and synovial fluid Lactate level was measured by standard biochemical methods. For analysis results Students t-test was used and P was less than 0.05.Results: Lactate concentration increases in synovial fluid (14.1±2.3mg/dl) in compare with serum (12.9±2.1mg/dl), but the differences were not significant (p>0.05).Conclusion: The difference between lactate concentration in synovial fluid and serum is not significant. The rate change of lactate concentrations in synovial fluid and serum was stable.

Background and Aim: Ice cream, a milk based product is a good media for microbial growth due to high nutrition value, almost neutral PH value and long storage duration. Contamination of this product with pathogen micro-organism can lead to food poisoning and food born infection and can endanger the sanitation of human. The aim of this research was to assess microbial status of traditional Ice creams.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study a total of 100 samples of traditional Ice cream were obtained randomly from the retail stores in summer. All the samples were analyzed for microbial contamination according to the Iran national standard .The collected data were analyzed statistically using t-test by SPSS for windows.Results: The results show that 26% of the samples were contaminated higher than standard level (>5×104 /gr), 75% of the samples were contaminated higher than standard level (>10 /gr) with entrobacteriacea. staphylococcus aurous and Escheria coli were isolated from 4% and 32% of samples respectively .No salmonella was isolated from samples.Conclusion: To prevent out break of poisoning and microbial infections due to consumption of Ice cream as well as supervision and control during the production are essential.

Background and Aim: Computer and technology widespread today through the world has engaged everybody in such a way and this has produced some anxiety and stresses in turn for operators. The purpose of this research is to study computer anxiety rate among faculty members and managers.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study and for this purpose, 200 faculty members and managers were selected by using the stratified random sampling method. In this research two questionnaires were used: demographic characteristics and Computer Anxiety Rating Scale (CARS). Content, discrimination and concurrent validity of the questionnaires were established using a panel of experts. Reliability of CARS with using test-retest 0.92 was obtained. Research method is descriptive. In present study five hypotheses was tested. To analyze data, t-test was used.Results: Results of research showed that: 1) There is a relationship between rate computer anxiety and sex (t=2.543, p<0.05). 2) There isn't any relationship between rate computer anxiety and experience with computer (t=0.525, p>.05). 3) There is a relationship between rate computer anxiety and level of education (t=2.776, p<.05).3). 4) There is a relationship between rate computer anxiety and job experience (t=2.279, p<.05). 5) There is a relationship between rate computer anxiety and type of Job (t=0.179,p<0.05).Conclusion: This research indicated that there is a relationship between rate computer anxiety and demographic characteristics.

Background and Aim: Indirect reduction and posterior instrumentation with short –segment pedicle screw is the method of choice for treatment of unstable burst thoraco-lumbar fractures. The literature regarding the time of surgery and its effect on outcome of thoraco-lumbar unstable burst fractures is sparse. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of early and late surgery on the outcome of thoraco – lumber unstable burst fractures.Materials and Methods: Patients with unstable burst thoraco-lumbar fractures were included in this prospective review of patients treated with indirect reduction and short - segment pedicle screw fixation between 2000-2004.The mean follow up period was 42 months (range from 16 to 66 months). Radiographic analysis was evaluated pre and post-operatively and clinical evaluation was performed postoperatively and at follow - up review. Results: The mean time of surgery was 11 days after injury (form 2 to 33 days). 35 patients underwent early surgery (2-15 days after injury) (Group A) and 15 patients had late surgery (15-33 days after injury) (Group B). In group A the anterior vertebral height (A.V.H) was improved from a median preoperative of 20.5 mm to 39.5 mm (37% correction), and sagittal alignment (S.A) was improved from a mean preoperative kyphosis of 20.4 degrees to 1/5 degrees. In group B the anterior vertebral height (A.V.H) was improved from a mean preoperative of 20.3mm to 28/2 mm (24.5 % correction) and sagittal alignment (S.A) was improved from a mean preoperative Kyphosis of 20.5 degrees to 8.4 degrees. At final follow – up observation a mean kyphosis of 4 degrees was increased in group B. Conclusion: Early indirect reduction and posterior stabilization (with short - segment pedicle screw) of unstable burst thoraco - lumbar fractures allows a satisfactory reduction and correction of deformity.

Hydatidosis usually is seen in lung and liver in human. Involvement of the breast by hydatic cyst is rare. A 26 years old woman referred to our clinic due to a palpable mass in her right breast. In ultrasonography a cystic lesion was seen. In mammography an opaque well defined lesion with a thin calcified margin was seen in her right inferomedial maxillary zone with 3 and 4 cm diameters without breast tissue destruction or microcalcification. Diagnosis of hydatic cyst was suggested and confined by pathology.Hydatic disease of the breast is rare. However, it might constitute a potentially serious differential diagnosis of a breast lump in areas endemic for this disease.