Journal of Arak University Medical Sciences
Year:2013 | Volume:16 | Issue:8 (77)|Papers Count:13

Background: Monitoring of facial nerve function during surgery helps surgeons to preserve the nerve during parotid gland surgery. Electromyography is currently the standard method for monitoring, however, the rates of facial nerve paresis and paralyses are 18-68% and 3%, respectively.The disadvantages of this method include cost and lack of anywhere access to it. Unipolar alternating electric current stimulation of the facial nerve contracts the muscles and finds the nerve and avoids the damage.Materials and Methods: In this interventional study, patients from 2009-11 using monopolar electrocautery underwent parotidectomy and one month after surgery, the facial nerve injury was examined. During the study period, twenty patients had undergone total or superficial parotid gland resection and one excluded due to facial nerve involvement before surgery.Results: In this study, 19 patients were evaluated. The mean age of patients participating in this study was 43.1±13.9 years. A temporary palsy (5.4%) was observed and there was no paralysis.Conclusion: Due to its availability and low cost, using electrocautery devices compared with standard facial nerve monitoring (electromyography) is beneficial and the treatment results are also satisfactory.

Background: Because of high risk of physical inactivity in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and its adverse consequences, evaluating their physical activity (PA) using accelerometry and investigating its relation with age and severity of the disorder are integral.Materials & Methods: Fifty-two boys and 16 girls aged 7-14 years -from autism schools in Tehran- participated in current cross sectional study. Level of daily PA was evaluated for seven consecutive days using accelerometers. Autism severity was also assessed in communication, sociability, sensory and cognitive awareness, and health and physical behavior using Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC).Results: Ninety one percent of participants encountered low level of PA. Girls were remarkably less active than boys and were more inactive. Level of PA significantly reduced as they aged. Level of PA was adversely and significantly correlated with autism severity in the area of sensory and cognitive awareness. Moreover, level of vigorous PA was adversely and significantly correlated with total autism severity. Finally, age, sex, and sensory and cognitive awareness were partially predictors of PA.Conclusion: Children with HFA are physically inactive and considerably engage in more sedentary activities as they age. Age and gender can be considered as physical activity determinants among this people.

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a common problem in women. The purpose of this study was to compare two identification methods; new PCR analysis (with DNA extracted from samples) and conventional culture technique in detection of Candida species in vulvovaginal samples.Material and Methods: In this experimental-analytical study, 150 women of fertility ages participated and two vaginal discharge samples were collected by speculum. One sample used for direct DNA extraction as well as PCR and the other was used for culture and phenotypic evaluations.Phenotypic evaluations waere performed by germ tube and chlamydospore formation and specially culture in chrome agar medium to detect color of the colonies. PCR was performed by DNA extracted from samples as templates and finally size of Candida specific amplicons was determined.Results: From 150 samples, 87 in culture and 127 in new PCR technique were positive. In culture method, from total 87 Candida species, 73 C. albicans, 12 C. glabrata and 2 C. tropicalis were isolated whereas in new PCR technique, from total 127 candida species 107 C. albicans, 18 C. glabrata and 2 C. tropicalis were identified. Concordance of the two methods were calculated as 68 percent.Conclusions: The new molecular method (innovative PCR) has the potential to rapidly and accurately diagnose Candida vulvovaginitis in patients and can be used for diagnosis of Candida species in clinical specimens.

Background: Early detection and treatment are crucial to prevent mental retardation in congenital Hypothyroidism (CH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the screening program of CH in Markazi province.Material and Method: In this cross-sectional study we used recorded data in Markazi province health center. From 2006 to 2012, 127112 newborns were screened by measurement of serum TSH level by heel prick. Neonates who had blood TSH≥5MIU/L were recalled for more evaluation.Neonates with confirmed hypothyroidism underwent treatment.Results: From 127112 screened neonates, 414 were diagnosed as CH patients (both permanent and transient). The prevalence of CH was 1/307 in this province. Recall rate was 4.8 percent. In 94.4% of patients, treatment was begun before the 40th day of life. The coverage percent in the province was 100% from the second year of the program.Conclusion: Recall rate and the incidence of CH were higher than those in other studies, both in Iran and other countries. The mean age of treatment initiation and coverage percent were in favorable range.

Background: Organizational intelligence increases access to knowledge in organizations, can create competitive advantage in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness in organization. But that are affected by the structural dimensions of centralization, formalization, complexity (which reflects the characteristics of the internal organizations). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between organizational structure and organizational intelligence in Arak medical university affiliated teaching hospitals.Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the research community was consisted of official staff that had high school diploma and working in hospitals which all of them were included in this study. Tool for data collection was Robbins organizational structure questionnaire and also Alberkht organizational intelligence questionnaire. Data was analyzed by running SPSS 16.Results: The results were show a significant correlation between the organizational structure and intelligence in teaching hospital (r=-0.612 and p=0.001). The relationship between the complexity and organizational intelligence was not significant (r=0.157 and p=0.53), but in two other dimensions of organizational structures (degree of formalization and centralization) with organizational intelligence significant relationship was obtained (r=- 0.693and p=0.001 and r=0.711and p=0.001 respectively).Conclusion: Based on our findings, teaching hospitals can review current situation about organizational structural dimensions particularly through decreasing centralization and formalization to provide necessary field for developing and implementation of organizational intelligence.

Background: Racial and environmental factors may influence the refractive errors, corneal curvature and thickness. This study evaluated refractive errors, corneal curvature and thickness in Arak residential university students.Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 400 students aged 18-30 years old living in Arak city entered the study according to inclusion criteria. Demographic and past medical history of all students was recorded and the corneal thickness (CT) and corneal curvature (CC) and refractive error were measured. The correlation between refractive indices and CT and CC were investigated in all cases and also in refractive subgroups.Results: The mean of CT, CC and power were 533.22 (±32.02) mm, 7.75 (±0.28) mm and 43±1.66 diopters respectively. There were significant correlation between refractive error and CT in hyperopic subgroup (p=0.029) and between CT and CC in myopic subgroup (p=0.007). The mean of CC of myopic and astigmatic subgroups were significantly more than normal cases.Conclusion: The findings of the present study are similar to the other international researches about corneal thickness, curvature and refractive errors in normal population. It seems that further studies with more evaluations and larger samples are necessary to investigate the impact of climatic condition and industrial air pollution on refractive errors and corneal parameters.

Background: In this research dosimetric parameters of mercury were investigated as a radiotherapy modulator and compared with cerrobend as a common beam attenuator material in most radiotherapy centers.Materials and methods: In this experimental study, transmission factor of different thicknesses of cerrobend and mercury at 6MV and 18MV photon beams were measured in order to investigate mercury as a beam modulator. Relative dosimetry was done with ionization chambers and then mercury modulating system for radiotherapy was designed with different cross sections.Results: The dosimetry results show that the transmission values increased with field size increment due to increased scatter contribution, for all cerrobend and mercury thicknesses. The procedure of mercury transmission factor is in agreement with cerrobend transmission factor. The second designed system with hexagonal cross section is in good agreement with patient contour.Conclusions: The experimental investigation on mercury dosimetric parameters showed that mercury could be proposed as a modifier in radiotherapy because of its profit properties such as being liquid in room temperature and power of attenuation. So mercury can be proposed as a beam modifier (at closed system because of its poison vapor) in radiotherapy.

Background: Today with raised use of antibiotics and prevalence of resistant strains, there is need for antimicrobial drugs that have fewer side effects than antibiotics. Rosmarinus officinalis is a medicinal plant which had many uses in traditional medicine. In this study, methanol leave extract of this plant is tested on various pathogens.Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study Rosmarinus officinalis was used to evaluate its antimicrobial effects. Methanol leave extract of this plant with concentrations of 400, 200, 100, and 50 mg/ml were prepared, and antibacterial activities were evaluated by well diffusion method on strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined by the microplate method.Results: In this study, the most efficacy of thanol extract of rosemary leaves was at concentration of 400 mg/ml against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli. Minimum inhibitory concentration of the extract on the growth of these bacteria showed changes from 6.25 mg/ml to 100 mg/ml. Also MBC of extract showed range from 12.5 to 200 mg/ml respectively.Conclusion: It was found that rosemary methanol extract inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa but did not inhibit of Bacillus cereus growth.

Background: Considering the high prevalence of diabetes and developing cardiovascular diseases through dyslipidemia and inflammation in type 2 diabetic patients, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of oligofructose-enriched inulin on serum lipid concentrations and inflammation in women with type 2 diabetes.Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 52 women with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Experimental group (n=27) received 10g/day oligofructose-enriched inulin and control group (n=25) received 10g/day maltodextrin (placebo) for 8 weeks. Dietary intakes, anthropometric indicies, hs-CRP and serum lipids levels were measured at the baseline and at the end of the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (verision11.5). Paired, independent t-test and ANCOVA were used to compare comparison of quantitative variables.Results: At the end of study, significant decrease was observed in total cholesterol levels mean (28.00 mg/dL, 14.10%), LDL-c (22.00 mg/dL, 21.70%), TC/HDL-c ratio (0.73, 20.70%) and LDLc/ HDL-c ratio (0.55, 27.50%) in oligofructose-enriched inulin compared with the maltodextrin group (p=0.03). Changes in concentrations of triglycerides, hsCRP and high-density lipoprotein were not significant in oligofructose-enriched inulin compared to maltodextrin group.Conclusions: Oligofructose-enriched inulin supplementation with improving in inflammtion and lipid profile help in management of type 2 diabetes and its complications.

Background: Pentoxifylline is a xanthine derivative that causes deduction of blood viscosity, improves peripheral blood flow and increases tissue oxygenation. In this study, considering special properties of this drug and in spite of undefined mechanism of its effect, the effect of Pentoxifylline on skin biomechanical indices in acute phase of skin wound healing in rat is evaluated.Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 14 adult Wistar rats were divided into two groups of experimental (n=7) receiving 100mg/kg pentoxifylline twice a day and control (n=7) receiving distilled water, intraperitoneal. Incisional wound with 20mm length in identical pattern were created on back skin of rats. After 15 days, skin strips containing wound were excised and used to evaluate biomechanical indices, work up to maximum force-Nm and Tensile strength=Rm-N/mm2.Data were analyzed by SPSS software and by T-Test.Results: According to biomechanical test findings, pentoxifylline administration causes improvement in biomechanical indices of skin after 15 days of administration. Discrepancy between skin biomechanical indices of experimental and control subgroups was significant (p<0.05).Conclusion: Pentoxifylline caused improvement in skin biomechanical indices and accelerated skin wound healing in experimental group.