ARAK MEDICAL UNIVERSITY JOURNAL (AMUJ)
Year:2017 | Volume:20 | Issue:9 (126) |Papers Count:12

Background: Learning disorders, especially dysgraphia, are among the students' educational disabilities. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two intervention methods of neurofeedback training and the movement program on the handwriting performance of 9-11 years old children with dysgraphia.Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental comparative study with a pretest-posttest design. Thirty right-handed boy students aged 9 to 11 years old were selected from elementary and middle schools (district 4) in Karaj, based on the dysgraphia Fallahchai test. Participants were randomly divided into three groups each included 10 subjects. The movement program group did activities with emphasis on visual-motor coordination, fine motor control, visual-motor integrity, and eyehand coordination 3 sessions per week, for 4 weeks (total of twelve sessions). The neurofeedback group did a training protocol (decreasing beta wave and increasing alpha wave at C3 zone) in 4 weeks, 3 sessions per week each session for 20 minutes. The control group did not any training intervention.Results: The data analysis showed that there were significant differences between two groups of intervention and the control group. The two experimental groups had a significant improvement compared to the control group. Also, the results showed that the selected movement program is more effective than neurofeedback training intervention.Conclusion: Overall, the selected movement program was more effective than the neurofeedback training and control group. Therefore, it is suggested that the movement program intervention should be used to improve the handwriting performance of students with poor handwritten quality.

Background: The purpose of the present research was to compare the perceived stress, self-efficacy and mental health in patients with HIV and Hepatitis C.Materials and Methods: The method of present research was causal-comparative research.Population included of all patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS referred to a behavioral disease counseling centers of Arak city and all patients of chronic hepatitis caused by the hepatitis C virus referred to Gastroenterology Research Center and private practice of digestive specialists in Arak city. The sample consisted of 200 people, including 100 HIV and 100 people with hepatitis C who participated in the study and were selected for screening. All participants responded to the three instruments including Cohen Perceived Stress, Kamark and Mrimlstyn, Sherer's Self-efficacy and Goldberg general health questionnaires. Data analysis was done in two descriptive and inferential levels using SPSS version 20.Results: The results of MONOVA showed that two groups were different in the perceived stress, self-efficacy and mental health, physical symptoms, depression, anxiety, social dysfunction, at the level of 0.01.Conclusion: It is suggested that workshops to be held to careful inform how much stress and self efficacy had affected on physical and mental health of patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS.

Background: Antibiotic resistance rates in E. coli are rapidly rising, especially with regard to fluoroquinolones. One of the mechanisms that lead to antibiotic resistance is efflux pumps. The aim of this study was phonotypic and genotypic analysis of efflux pump role in fluoroquinolones resistance of E. coli strains isolated from hospitalized patients in Kermanshah 2013.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 isolates of E. coli were collected from hospitalized patients from Kermanshah. All isolates were identified by standard biochemical tests. The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined by disk diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines. The presence of Efflux pump genes was determined by a PCR method.Results: The rates of resistance to Ceftazidime, Nalidixic Acid, Ciprofloxacin, Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Gentamicin, and Tetracycline were 73%, 67%, 55%, 54%, 45%, 38%, and 24%, respectively.According to the results of PCR test, of 100 E. coli isolates, 99% of isolates were positive for acrA, 98% for acrB, 95% for acrE, 98% for acrF, 94% for mdfA, 96% for norE, and 96% for tolC.Conclusion: In Strains with positive gene acrA, acrB, acrA, acrB, tolC, mdfA, norE, the presence of efflux pump inhibitor reduced the amount of resistance to antibiotics. So, efflux pumps are important in antibiotic resistance.

Background: In present research, the structural equation modeling of the relationship between cognitive avoidance and rumination with clinical symptoms of OCD with mediating role of cognitive failure was studied.Materials and Methods: In a descriptive correlational study, 220 patients with OCD were selected from Urmia psychological clinics and completed YBOCS, RRS, CAQ, and CFQ questionnaires. For data analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM) was used.Results: The results showed that the modified final model is best fitted with present research data and cognitive avoidance, rumination, and cognitive failure paths with OCD and cognitive avoidance, and rumination paths with cognitive failure were significant. Also, indirect paths such as cognitive avoidance and rumination to OCD were significant.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that in addition to the direct relationship, cognitive failure can adjust the relationship between cognitive avoidance and rumination with OCD.

Background: A lot of studies indicate that cancer chemotherapy drugs such as doxorubicin results in memory impairment. On the other hand, crocin as the chemical constituent isolated from the Saffron is effective on memory and motor enhancement. So, in this work, we have studied the co-administration effect of crocin and doxorubicin on avoidance memory and motor activity in adult male rat.Material and Methods: In this study, 50 male rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham, doxorubicin, crocin and treated rats with coadministration of doxorubicin and crocin. In crocin group, crocin injected 30mg/kg for 21 days and each rat in the chemotherapy group was treated once a week for 3 weeks with doxorubicin (5mg/kg). Treatment group, received doxorubicin and crocin at the same time.Sham groups administrated with saline. All drugs were injected intraperitoneally. After these procure passive avoidance memory, balance and exploratory behaviors were assessed respectively by shuttle box, rotarod and open field instruments.Results: Memory in rats which have consumed doxorubicin significantly was decreased compared to other groups (p<0.001). Crocin treatment improved memory impairment following doxorubicin injection (p<0.001). Motor activity in open field and rotarod tests in treatment group showed significantly increased compared to doxorubicin group (p<0.001).Conclusion: Crocin consumption beside of anticancer drugs such as doxorubicin has protective effect on the bad effects of chemotherapy drugs on memory and movement.

Background: Lipases are one of the groups of enzymes which are important in medicine and industry. In gastrointestinal tract of human, lipase catalysis break down of triglyceride. Bacteria have also lipases which break down triglyceride in their culture medium and can use its fatty acids as carbon source. Dicyclomine is an antispasmodic drug that relieves smooth muscle spasm of the gastrointestinal tract. Few drugs have been determined to inhibit lipase activity, in this research; dicyclomine was introduced as an inhibitor of lipase, for the first time.Materials and Methods: Lipase was extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the effect of dicyclomine was tested on its activity. The bacterium was cultured in medium with olive oil as carbon source and the supernatant was used for enzyme assay. For monitoring the enzyme activity, Para nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) was used as a substrate and the induced product was measured by visible spectrophotometer. Lineweaver-Burk plot was utilized for revealing the type of binding.Results: This research has shown that dicyclomine can inhibit lipase. Inhibition plot determined that the drug can inhibit the enzyme by competitive manner. Calculation of Ki and IC50 values showed that the drug can bind to the enzyme with high affinity. The study of enzyme activity in different pH and temperature revealed that optimum activity of enzyme, in the presence or absence of the drug, was observed in pH 8 and 60oC.Conclusion: For the first time, dicyclomine was introduced as an inhibitor of lipase and the kinetics factors of the drug were investigated.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are vital for the degradation/remodeling of the extra-cellular matrix, and are involved in spiral artery formation and invasion of endometrium during implantation. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1), is expressed in the several tissues of organisms and inhibits MMP activity. The aim of this investigation was to study the association between single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the TIMP1 (rs4898) (372 T/C) with in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) outcome by AS-PCR.Materials and Methods: A total number of 200 blood samples including 100 IVF negative and 100 IVF positive (control) were collected in this study. DNA was extracted for TIMP1 genotyping. The genotype and allele frequencies of 372T/C polymorphism were examined by Allele-Specific PCR.Results: The genotype frequencies of CC, CT and TT in 372 T/C polymorphism of TIMP1 gene in IVF- samples were 1%, 98% and 1%, respectively, while for IVF+group were 7%, 91% and 2%, respectively (p=0.07). The allele frequencies of C and T in the IVF- were 50%, 50%, respectively and in IVF+were 47.5%, 52.5%, respectively. The genotype and allele frequencies of TIMP1 rs4898 (372 T/C) did not differ between the patients and the control group (p=0.07 and p=0.68, respectively).Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that SNP 372T/C of TIMP1 may not be associated with IVF-ET outcome in this population. Further studies with larger numbers of patients and controls are needed to confirm our results.

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is one of the most common complications in the patients undergoing strabismus surgery. The aim of current study was comparing supplemental 80% and 40% oxygen on reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting in the pediatrics undergoing strabismus surgery.Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, 100 pediatric patients scheduled for strabismus surgery under general anesthesia were allocated randomly into two parallel supplemental 80% and 40% oxygen groups during surgery. PONV in patients was compared until 24hrs after operation.Results: In the first 6hrs postoperatively, PONV in the supplemental 40% and 80% oxygen groups were 48.8% and 30.6% respectively, also were 20.8% and 12.2% in the 6 to 24hrs postoperatively. Therefore, there were no significant differences between both groups in regarding of PONV in 6hrs and 6 to 24hrs postoperatively (p values were 0.18 and 0.25, respectively).Conclusion: According to our results, there is no any difference between 40% and 80% oxygen postoperatively in the pediatrics undergoing strabismus surgery.

Background: Telomerase activity was reduced by aging, leading to decrease in telomere length and cell death. Evidence suggests that physical activity as well as green tea has a positive effect on the prevention of cellular aging. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 12 weeks aerobic training combined with green tea extract on cardiac telomerase enzyme in aged male rats.Materials and Methods: In this study, 32 aged male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control, exercise, green tea and exercise+green tea. Exercise groups performed moderate intensity aerobic exercise for 12 weeks and 5 days per week; meantime, the supplementary groups consumed green tea extract. Sandwich ELISA method was used to measure the amount of telomerase.Results: The results show that telomerase enzyme in exercise group was significantly higher than control group (p=0.001), green tea group was significantly higher than control group (p=0.016) and in exercise+green tea group significantly higher than control group (p=0.001) was observed.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, 12 weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise with green tea extract can increased the amount of telomerase enzyme and Prevent telomere length shortening and cellular aging.

Background: DNA-based computing is an emerging research aspect that enables the in-vivo computation and decision making with significant correctness. Recent papers show that the expression level of miRNAs are related to the progress status of some diseases such as cancers and DNA computing is introduced as a low cost and concise technique for detection of these biomarkers. In this paper, DNAbased logic gates are implemented in the laboratory to detect the level of miR-21 as the biomarker of cancer.Materials and Methods: At the first, required strands for designing DNA gates are synthesized. Then, double stranded gate is generated in laboratory using a temperature gradient that followed by electrophoresis process. This double strand is the computation engine for detecting the miR-21 biomarker. miR-21 is as input in designed gate. At the end, the expression level of miR-21 is identified by measuring the generated fluorescent.Results: at the first stage, the proposed DNA-based logic gate is evaluated by using the synthesized input strands and then it is experimented on a tumor tissue. Experimental results on synthesized strands show that its detection quality/correctness is 2.5x better than conventional methods.Conclusion: Experimental results on the tumor tissues are successful and are matched with those are extracted from real time PCR results. Also, the results show that this method is significantly more suitable than real time PCR in view of time and cost.