SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF KURDISTAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Year:2017 | Volume:22 | Issue:3 |Papers Count:12

Background and Aim: Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a tick-born zoonotic disease that can be transmitted to human by tick-bite and contact with blood, body fluids or tissues of infected animals and is associated with hemorrhagic presentation and high mortality rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the seroepidemiology of CCHF in high risk people and animals in Kurdistan Provinces.Material and Methods: Samples were taken from 100 people at risk of the disease who were selected randomly from slaughter house workers (n=20), livestock owners (n=80). Also, we obtained samples from both sexs of cows (n=150) and sheep (n=150) with the age ranges of less than 1 year, 1-3 years and ≥3 years, during the four seasons. Clinical signs and history of contact with ticks were recorded, and then serum samples were collected and tested by indirect immunofluorescent assay for detection of CCHF specific IgG.Results: In this study we did not find any positive result for CCHF from animal and human samples.Conclusion: Our results provided no evidence of human and animal exposure to CCHF virus which could be due to low prevalence of CCHF in Kurdistan. Thus, further studies including larger sample size and also virus isolation particularly from ticks, are recommended.

Background and Aim: Wound infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, substantially have been on the rise in recent years. There have been many reports on antimicrobial and inflammatory properties of rosemary, but no study has been performed on this subject. The aim of this study was to evaluate local effects of rosemary essence on healing of the cutaneous incisional wounds in the rats infected with Staphylococcus aureus.Materials and Methods: This study included 45 Wistar male rats with mean weight of 210±10 g. After general anesthesia and making a 1.5*1.5 cm. square wound in the area between the shoulders, 0.5 ml. of the bacterial suspension containing 1.5*106 CFU/ml Staphylococcus aureus was applied to the wounds. Then, the rats were divided randomly into three groups of 15; control, rosemary1.5 % and 3% groups. Each group was also divided into 5subgroups of 3 animals. Punch biopsies were obtained from the groups on different days.At the end of the 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and 20th days, biopsies were taken by a special punch.Results: The results of this study showed that use of rosemary enhanced significantly wound healing and increased the number of macrophages, fibroblasts and blood vessels, and reduced the number of neutrophils in the wound area in the experimental groups compared to those in the control group. Comparison of the number of the colonies of Staphylococcus aureus in infected wounds between the groups also showed that use of rosemary led to a significant reduction in colony count in the experimental groups compared to the results of the control group) p<0.01, P<0.05).Conclusion: The results of this study showed that rosemary essential oil can have beneficial effects on the healing of incisional wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus. In order to determine mechanism of action of rosemary essential oil, further studies are recommended.

Background and Aim: Psychosocial variables in pregnant women, including prenatal stress, anxiety and depression are associated with maternal, infant and child health. Relaxation technique is an intervention that increases comfort and might be effective in reducing psychological tension in pregnant women.The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of relaxation techniques training, based on self-efficacy theory, on depression, anxiety and stress in pregnant women Material and Methods: In this interventional study, 78 pregnant women were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The intervention group learned relaxation techniques in four sessions, after doing exercises at home for 4 weeks. However, the control group performed no interventions. The data were collected using demographic information, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS 21) and self-efficacy scale at the baseline and one month after the intervention. Using SPSS version 19 data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics.Results: The results of this study showed significant decrease in depression (p<0.001), anxiety (p<0.001) and stress (p<0.001) in the pregnant women in the intervention group, but no significant difference was observed in the control group. Moreover, a significant difference was found in the mean scores of self-efficacy in the intervention group before and after intervention (p<0.001).Conclusions: The results of this study supported the claim that training relaxation techniques could reduce stress, anxiety and depression in pregnant women through its effect on coping mechanism, leading to promotion of well-being. We recommend inclusion of perinatal meditation into perinatal care and counseling programs.

Background and Aim: Human exposure to heavy metals causes health problems and use of cosmetic products; especially lipstick and hair dye contaminated by metals is considered a way of exposure to these agents. The aim of this study was to determine concentrations of heavy metals in lipstick and hair dye cosmetics products in Sanandaj.Material and Methods: This study was a cross - sectional study and performed from Jan to Feb, 2015. In this study we collected 50 samples from four brands of lipstick and hair dye in Sanandaj.After preparation of the samples by acid digestion, the concentrations of heavy metals were measured by using ICP-OES and the results were reported in microgram per gram.Results: The results showed that the mean concentrations of cadmium, iron and zinc in the hair dyes were higher than those in the lipsticks; while the mean concentrations of, copper, nickel and lead in the lipsticks were higher than those in the hair dyes. Moreover, among the metals iron had the highest and silver and cadmium had the lowest concentrations in both of the cosmetic products. HQ index in this study was less than 1.Conclusion: The metal concentrations in the lipstick and hair dye cosmetics products in Sanandaj were generally lower than the maximum acceptable concentration in the US and Canada. Considering the potential effects of metals on health, it is essential to control import of these products into the country and establish national standards for cosmetics.

Background and Aim: Ruta Graveolens (RG) commonly called Sedab, has been known as a medical plant since ancient times. Flavonoids, rutin (quercetin 3 - b -rutinoside), quercetin, and furanocoumarins are the most common chemicals found in Sedab. Flavonoids have hepatotoxic and cytotoxic effects and the most abundant flavonoid in Sedab is quercetin. Due to its anti-proliferative and pro-apoptosis activities, quercetin can exert negative influences on ovaries and fertility in females. This study was performed to analyze Sedab aqueous extract and evaluate its oxidative effects.Materials and Methods: This study included 30 female mice. The animals were divided into control and RG groups. Control group received a daily dose of 0.2 mL of normal saline, and Sedab aqueous extract 300mg/kg/day was given to RG group for 14 days. The levels of MDA, NO and TAC were measured and analysis of the extract were performed by HPLC to evaluate its oxidative effects.Results: Administration of Sedab extract led to a significant increase in the MDA levels in RG group, in the 1st and 2nd weeks and increased levels of TAC in the 2nd and 3rd weeks compared to the results found in the control group. Meanwhile, NO levels increased and TAC levels decreased significantly in Sedab group in the 1st week compared to those in the control group. Analysis revealed that each 10 mg aqueous extract contains 0.017 mg quercetin.Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that a dose of 300mg/kg Sedab aqueous extract produced oxidative effect on mice ovarian tissue and after discontinuing administration of the extract and subsequent drop of its serum levels, the anti-oxidative effects appeared.

Background and Aim: Consumption of large doses of fructose have been associated with numerous metabolic abnormalities in human beings and laboratory animals.Homocysteine is believed to enhance oxidative stress while taurine has hypolipidemic effect. The present study was performed to investigate the effects of taurine and homocysteine on the oxidative stress and lipid profile in rats receiving a high fructose-containing diet.Material and Method: In this experimental study, forty male adult Wistar rats were divided in to 5 groups. Our control group (group 1) received a normal chow. The diets of the second to fifth groups were as following: Group 2: A high fructose containing diet Group 3: A high fructose containing diet+homocysteine thiolactate (50mg/kg /day) Group 4: A high fructose containing diet+taurine (2%) Groups 5: A high fructose containing diet+homocysteine thiolactate (50mg/kg /day)+taurine (2%) All the groups received the above mentioned diet for six-weeks. At the end of the experimental period, total antioxidant capacity, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol of the plasma were measured.Activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase and level of malondialdehyde were measured in the heart and kidney tissues of the rats.Result: Fructose alone or in addition to homocysteine significantly reduced total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities, while the levels of triglycerides and malondialdehyde increased. Taurine suppressed or attenuated these changes.Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the role of high fructose containing diet in inducing oxidative stress and hypertriglyceridemia.We also found that use of homocysteine deteriorated the effects of high fructose containing diet. In contrast taurine had beneficial effects and suppressed fructose induced-oxidative stress and hypertriglyceridemia.

Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of aerobic exercise on breast cancer by TGF b protein and Smad-3 and MMP2 gene in female mice.Material and method: Twenty-four female Balb/c mice were divided into control and exercise groups. Estrogen-receptor dependent breast cancer cells (MC4-L2) were injected into the subcutaneous area of the right flank of the mice. the exercise group performed endurance exercise five sessions per week at an intensity of 60% to 65% VO2max for 10 weeks. Each session lasted 60 minutes.After appearance of the tumor, the length and width of the tumor were measured by a digital caliper once a week.Finally, the mice were sacrificed, tumor tissue was removed and immediately frozen and kept at -70oC. The level of TGF b protein was measured by western blot and expression of Smad and mmp2 genes in the samples was measured by Real Time PCR.Data were analyzed by t-test. P<0.05 was considered significant.Results: The results showed that aerobic continuous training significantly increased mean expression of Smad-3 (p=0.033) and TGF-b protein mean concentration (P=0.000) in tumor tissue in the endurance group compared to those in the control group. Also, the results showed that aerobic training significantly decreased the mean expression of MMP-2 in tumor tissue in the endurance group compared to that in the control group (p=0.044).Conclusion: According to the results, It seems that continuous aerobic training may be an effective intervention to reduce breast cancer progression.

Background and Aim: Ducrosia anethifolia (Moshgak) is one of the most important herbs used in traditional medicine for treatment of anxiety and insomnia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of Ducrosia anethifolia leaf essential oil (DAEO) in male mice.Material and Methods: This experimental study included 84 male mice. For evaluation of pain, we used pain assessment tests (writhing, tail-flick and formalin) and animals were divided into control group and experimental groups. The experimental groups treated with the essential oil (30, 100 and 300mg/kg), morphine, and naloxone plus 300 mg/kg of essential oil. We used Xylene test for evaluation of anti-inflammatory effect, and divided the animals into 5 groups: control, DAEO (10, 50, and 100 mg kg) and dexamethasone.Results: In tail-flick and writhing tests, application of a dose of 300 mg/kg of DAEO showed a significant analgesic effect (P<0.01) in the test groups compared to that in the control group. In the formalin test, a dose of 100 mg/kg of DAEO in the chronic phase reduced pain scores in the test groups compared to the scores in the control group (P<0.05). In addition, in Xylene test, treatment with both doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg of essential oil led to reduced ear swelling in the rats (3.8 ±0.1, 4.1±0.8, respectively), compared to that in the control group.Conclusion: Intraperitoneal administration of DAEO can produce analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Background and Aim: Malassezia yeast can become pathogenic under certain conditions in humans.Malassezia has various species which can cause a number of skin diseases, such as pityriasis versicolor (tinea versicolor), seborrheic dermatitis and folliculitis and even systemic infections. In the present study, Malassezia species isolated from the patients with pityriasis versicolor were identified by PCR-PFLP molecular method.Material and Methods: In this study, the scraping specimens of the trunk and scalp of the patients with pityriasis versicolor were cultured on Dixon agar medium. Finally, one-hundred Malasseziacolonies were obtained. The genomic DNA was extracted by phenol–chloroform method and then was studied by use of PCR-PFLP molecular method. D1-D2 segment in the area of 26srDNA of ITS gene was proliferated by specific primers and then the PCR products were exposed toCfoI restrictive enzyme.Results: Among 100 Malassezia colonies, the most common Malassezia species were; M.globosa(44%), M. globosa / M. restricta (27%), M. restricta (11%), M. sympodialis (7%), M.sympodialis/ M. restricta (4%), M. globosa / M. restricta/M. furfur (1%), M. sympodialis / M.restricta/ M. globosa(1%) and unknown species (5%).Conclusion: The dominant species isolated from patients with pityriasis versicolor were M.globosa, M. restricta and M. sympodialis, respectively. Thirty-three percent of the specimens had more than oneMalassezia species. Therefore, rapid PCR-RFLP method is recommended for identification ofMalassezia species in epidemiological studies and production of more effective medicines.

Background and Aim: RNase L is a cytoplasmic enzyme of the innate immune system that destroys RNA viruses and also plays an important role in the apoptosis of different cells. The association of ribonuclease L (RNASEL) gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to prostate cancer in different populations has been reported. In this study, the association of RNase L R462Q single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and prostate cancer was investigated in Sanandaj City in Iran.Material and Methods: This case-control study included 61 men with confirmed prostate cancer as our case group and 101 men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) as control group. The genomic DNA from prostate tissue samples were obtained from both groups and were embedded in paraffin blocks. The prevalence of the polymorphism ofRNASEL gene in R462Q location was determined by using Amplification-Refractory Mutation System PCR (ARMS-PCR). Data were analyzed by chi-square test.Results: The mean age was 70.12±13.37 years for the patients with cancer and 71.05±9.26 years for the control group (P=0.6). The frequencies of GG and GA genotypes in the two groups were not different significantly (p>0.05). The frequencies of AA genotype in the patients with cancer and control group were 18.03% and 5.94% respectively (p=0.02, OR= 3.48, CI: 1.46-15.2).Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that AA genotype polymorphism of RNASEL gene in R462Q location was associated with increased susceptibility to prostate cancer.

Backgrounds and Aim: Clostridium difficile has been identified as a pathogen in antibiotic associated diarrhea, pseudo-membranous colitis. The ready-to-eat vegetable salads (REVS) are one of the possible sources for transmission of C. difficile to human. The aim of the present study was isolation and identification of Clostridium difficile in ready-to-eat vegetable salads in the restaurants of Tabriz by Real-time PCR and determination of its antibiotic resistance pattern.Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 60 ready-to-eat vegetable salads samples were collected randomly from restaurants in different regions of Tabriz from February to June 2015. After preparation and DNA extraction, Clostridium difficile was identified by Real-time PCR method. Disc diffusion method was used to determine antimicrobial resistance of the isolates to eight different antibiotics. Using SPSS 19 software, chi-square was used for data analysis. p≤0.05 was considered significant.Results: Among that 60 samples, 8 (13.33%) were contaminated with Clostridium difficile.There was no difference in Clostridium difficle prevalence in different regions (p=0.296).Among eight antibiotics used in this study, nalidixic acid with 8 isolates (100%) and Clindamycin with 7 isolates (87.5%) had the highest resistance rate. We found no resistance to metronidazole and vancomycin.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the ready-to-eat salad vegetables can be a way for transmission of Clostridium difficle to humans. Therefore it is necessary to take necessary measures to prevent transmission of the infection through ready to- eat vegetable salads.

Background and Aim: Knowledge of biodegradability and biocompatibility rate in drug delivery systems is very important.Material and Method: This study PCL–PEG–PCL and MPEG-PCL copolymers were synthesized by ring-opening copolymerization. HNMR, FTIR, DSC and GPC techniques were used to confirm successful synthesis and determination of the characteristics of the copolymers. We evaluated biocompatibility by MTT assay on the basis of cytotoxicity effect of these copolymers on HEK293 cells. Biodegradation was evaluated by GPC technique.Results: The results of HNMR and FTIR confirmed synthesis of diblock and tri block copolymers. Using DSC technique, melting point of tri block and diblock copolymers were 55oC and 58.68oC and also the average molecular weights of these copolymers were 16, 000 and 12, 223 Dalton, respectively. The degradation of these copolymers were performed in buffer solution and at the end of the 31st day, molecular weights of diblock and tri block Copolymers were 7852 and 9586 Dalton respectively. Based on IC50, diblock and tri block copolymers had no toxic effects on HEK293 cells and are biocompatibile.Conclusion: diblock and tri block copolymers had high rates of biodegradability and because of not having toxic effects on normal renal cells, they were biocompatible.