JOURNAL OF ILAM UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
Year:2013 | Volume:21 | Issue:2|Papers Count:25

Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a parasitic disease in many tropical and sub-tropical countries, caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania and can be transmitted by sand fly bites. This study was carried out to identify the epidemiologic status of cutaneous leishmaniasis with emphasis on trend of its incidence rate in Kashan.Materials & Methods: This investigation was a descriptive and retrospective study based on existing data. Sample consists of all persons who were referred to the central laboratory in Kashan during the last five years (20 March 2005 to 19 March 2010) for parasitological diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis, and their diseases were confirmed. Demographic characteristics and clinical information of cutaneous leishmaniasis (positive cases) were recorded and analyzed.Findings: The results revealed that the number of infected cases in Kashan was 1599 people during the study. Of these patients 1315 (82.2%) lived in urban and 284 patients (17.8%) in rural areas. Incidence rate in rural dwellers was significantly higher than urban residents (19.10 vs.9.46 cases per 10, 000 population). During the study, patients showed a significant increaseing and positive cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis had been increased from 192 cases to 405 cases in the last year of the study. The annual incidence rate of the disease has increased significantly. Among the patients with active cutaneous leishmaniasis, 717 (45%) were females and 882 (55%) male. 92% of cases were Iranian and the remaining of non-Iranian. The highest incidence rate was observed in the age group below 10 years, with 14.87 per 10000 inhabitants, and the least rate in the age group 40-49 years with 5.93 per 10000 inhabitants. The prevalence of active CL patients in the age group less than 20 years (43.84%) was significantly higher than the corresponding value in the same age group in the general population (34.02%) in Kashan. Most commonly affected organs, hands (45.8% alone, 7.1 percent, with feet and 2.9% with face), followed by feet. Single lesion in the majority of patients, was followed by two or more ulcers on two or more parts of the body.Discussion & Conclusion: The findings showed an increasing trend of the prevalence and incidence rate of cutaneous leishmaniasis over the period study in the region. Also, cutaneous Leishmaniasis remains a public health threat in the future. Therefore, it is recommended that the regional authorities paying more attention to control the spreading of the disease.

Introduction: Low back pain is one of the most common and important public health problems of the current societies and it is the major cause of functional limitation for people under the age of 45. Eighty five percent of the chronic low back pain is classified as "non specific". The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between pain intensity or disability level and musculoskeletal conditions.Materials & Methods: Ninety patients diagnosed as nonspecific chronic low back were recruited for this study. Flexibility of some important lumbopelvic muscles was measured with a goniometer and endurance of trunk flexors and lateral flexor muscles was evaluated with static flex endurance and static side bridge endurance tests, respectively. Also, pain intensity and disability levels were measured by the visual analogue scale, roland moris and oswestory disability indices, respectively.Findings: The results of this study showed that only the endurance of lateral trunk flexor muscles had correlation with the disability level in these patients, albeit it was not strong (r=0.238, P=0.024). Moreover, flexibility of the hamstring, tensor fascia lata and hip lateral rotator muscles had only strong correlation with pain intensity level (r=0.815, P<0.01) meaning that muscle shortness have profound effects on pain intensity.Discussion & Conclusion: These findings could be important in the design of rehabilitation programs for people with nonspecific chronic low back pain. This means that physiotherapy treatments should be directed towards impairments that have stronger correlation with pain, functional limitations and disability as these are the major complains of these patients.

Introduction: Neurofeedback is used not only for diagnosis and treatment of different disorders but also for improvement of healthy person's daily activity and its quality. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of neurofeedback training on trait-competitive anxiety in athletes.Materials & Methods: The present study is semi-experimental and applied type of research, in which pre-test and post-test of three groups, including interventional, control and placebo, are compared. Therefore 36 volunteer athletes in both gendershave been chosen voluntarily and purposefully and organized into groups. Intervention was made in a form of increased Alpha-wave in O1 and O2 regions over 12 sessions. SCAT questionnaire was used for evaluation of trait-competitive anxiety state.Findings: Univariate analysis shows significant relationship between the actual neurofeedback training and decreased trait-competitive anxiety state (p=0.015).Hoc test revealed the only significant discrepancy exists between interventional group and control group (P=0.009) and no significant difference exists between interventional group and placebo group (P=0.058) and between placebo and control group (P=0.477). That indicates a significant relationship between neurofeedback training and anxiety reducetion in the experimental group (P<0.05).Discussion & Conclusion: Normal brain reaction to stress and anxiety is decreased Alpha-wave and increased beta-wave. Therefore when a person is faced to a stress situation, brain function is increased and beta-waves appear. Features that are reported for alpha-waves induce calm associated with alertness, mind integration and anxiety reduction.

Introduction: Heart disease, particularly coronary heart disease, is a major cause of mortality among patients with diabetes mellitus. High level of (high sensitivity C reactive protein) hs-CRP is considered as a risk factor for heart diseases. Treatment with pioglitazone and/or metformin decreases the serum concentration of hs-CRP in patients with or without type II diabetes. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of pioglitazone and metformin on hs-CRP level in patients with type II diabetes.Materials & Methods: A randomized clinical trial was performed on 40 patients with type 2 diabetes and the defined inclusion criteria. Patients were divided into two groups: receiving metformin and receiving pioglitazone. Blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting blood glucose, alanine transaminase, aspartat transaminase, glycolsylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) and hs-CRP were measured in all subjects before and after 3 month drug therapy. The average change in each group before and after drug therapy was analyzed by paired T-test. Mean changes of the parameters between the groups were compared by independent T-test.Findings: In both groups, hs-CRP level was significantly decreased after drug therapy. The mean change of hs-CRP, HbA1C, and cholesterol was significantly higher in metformin treated group.Discussion & Conclusion: Since the average reduction in the level of hs-CRP, cholesterol and HbA1C in the diabetic patients treated with metformin was significantly higher than those patients treated with pioglitazone, the treatment with metformin is recommended to reduce the risk of heart disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Introduction: Currently, nursing authorities, researchers and scholars closely criticize nursing researches and documents based on its philosophy and methodology, hence the concept development is considered as one of the most important approaches for nursing knowledge development.Materials & Methods: The present study was a review that used Walker and Avant approach for the autonomy concept development. This approach is one of the methods of conceptualization and concept development that eventually resulted in the theory development. In this study, the autonomy concept was searched by using of the autonomy keyword, in valid data bases, PMDR and INLM. Then all of the related articles reviews and themes related to the autonomy keyword were determined.Findings: There are various definitions of autonomy in nursing literature and the concept has been in evolution until now and based on professional literature review, many concepts including themes of self governance, ability, capacity, competent, self-controlling, freedom, critical reflection and decision making have been extracted.Discussion & Conclusion: The concept of autonomy is an abstract and complex concept and its meaning has intervened with other concepts. Formal analyzing of the concept could result in appropriate usage, semantically.

Introduction: Lengthening of the admission and labor duration has harmful effects on mother and fetus. Lack of maternal education and preparedness increases medical intervention and creates complications for both mother and baby. Therefore, the childbirth preparation classes during pregnancy can be an appropriate solution to address these problems.Materials & Methods: The interventional study was a Health System Research which was performed as a descriptive-analytical research, during 2009-2011 in Arak Taleghani Hoapital.170 nulliparous pregnant women who were selected by simple sampling, were assigned in to two group (case and control).Case group participated in preparation classes for eight sessions, 2 hours once two weeks, and trained with a coach of midwifery. Control group received only usual pregnancy care. The duration of admission and satisfaction of mothers were assessed and gathered by questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software.Findings: Duration of admission in the case group (30.70±11.14 hours) was significantly shorter than the control group (38.17±15.33 hours, P=0.001). Satisfaction rate of mothers in the case group (94.20%) was significantly higher than the control group (67.24%. P=0.001).Discussion & Conclusion: Our study showed childbirth preparation classes decrease the duration of admission and increase the satisfaction of mothers. Therefore it is recommended that all pregnant women participate in these classes during pregnancy.

Introduction: Enterococci are the commensally organisms of gastrointestinal tract and frequently cause biofilm formation and infections. The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of the antibiotics ampicillin, gentamaicin, tetracycline and nitrofurantoin on enterococcal biofilms through MIC, MBC and MBEC assays.Materials & Methods: In the present study 78 clinical samples were collected from Tehran hospitals. Identification of the isolated strains was based on the growth on Bilesculin agar culture, tolerance against 6.5% Nacl, gram staining, catalase test, hydrolysis of hyporate and fermentation of carbohydrates. Ten enterococcal isolates sensible to the antibiotics were selected for biofilm formation.Findings: Collectively, more sensibility to nitrofurantoin was seen in 93% of the isolates. The majority of cells in the biofilm were eradicated at the low levels of nitrofurantoin, namely, 256 mg/ml for one-day biofilm and 1024 mg/ml for five-day biofilm. The eradication of biofilms was corroborated by electron microscopy observation.Discussion & Conclusion: The results demonstrated that nitrofurantoin could be efficiently used for the treatment of enterococcal infections in planktonic and biofilm condition.

Introduction: Alteration of abusing pattern of addictive drugs from classic opioid to psychostimulant drugs threatens young people life. Glass abusing has been increasing among young adult, although this drug has not been incoming Iran for a long time. The main compound of glass is methamphetamine. Heroin and glass in addition to nervous system have very toxic effects on cardiovascular system. The aim of this study was to compare the toxic effects of heroin and glass exposure on the blood and serum parameters.Materials & Methods: Male adult rats were given intraperitoneal injection of heroin or glass (10 mg/kg, once per day) for 15 days. At the end of 15 days, the blood samples were taken from rats and analyzed for red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and HDL.Findings: Our data showed that glass significantly decreased the total red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin and haematocrit (P<0.05). Also, heroin decreeased the level of hemoglobin (P<0.05). Serum triglyceride, cholesterol and HDL did not change significantly in heroin and glass group when compared to control group. The level of LDL in heroin group significantly decreesed compared to glass group. (P<0.05). Discussion & Conclusion: Industrial psychostimulant drugs in comparison with classic opioids have more impairing effects on blood factors and during short time lead to cardiovascular problems, anemia, weakening immune system and, ultimately predispose addicted people to infectious diseases.

Introduction: Methylphenidate (MPH), a mild psychostimulant drug administered orally in ADHD has a short 2-4 hours half life and 3-5 hours duration of action. Thus, frequent MPH administration is required to maintain its therapeutic blood level. The main objective of the present study was to utilize simple pelletization technique to prepare MPH pellets suitable for the once daily dosing schedule.Materials & Methods: MPH matrix pellets consisting Avicel, lactose and different amounts of some polymers were prepared by extrusion-spheronization technique. The particle size of the pellets was determined by the sieve analysis. Hardness, weight variation and disintegration time of pellets were also evaluated. The drug dissolution study was carried out in 500 ml water at 37°C using USP apparatus (paddle) at 50 rpm for 12 hours. The content uniformity of pellets was also determined according to the USP guidelines.Findings: Most 11 pellet formulations had acceptable physical properties with regard to size distribution, sphericity, flow ability, crushing strength and friability. MPH pellets comprising Avicel 60% and Eudragit RSPO & RLPO 5% were, however, released the drug in a more time-controlled manner than other formulations with the release of 70% of its drug content after 420 min. Hardness and pellet size did not have significant effects on drug release from pellets.Discussion & Conclusion: Pelletization can be used to produce MPH pellets exhibiting a dual release pattern of a burst release followed by a slower release rate. This can benefit patients with avoiding repeated dose administration and improve their compliance.

Introduction: UV/O3 process is an advanced oxidation process that can be used to break down volatile organic compounds.This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of the UV/O3 process in the removal of benzene from the airflow, considering the effects of such intervening factors as relative humidity, ozone dosage, and exposure time.Methods & Materials: The present study was an experimental research that was carried out on a laboratory scale. The laboratory equipment included an air pump, an injection pump, a mixing chamber, a rotameter, an ozone generator, a low-pressure15-watt UV-C lamp, and a humidity generating system (consisting of an impinger and a heater). A concentration of 80 ppm of benzene was constantly exposed to the combined UV/O3 process under varying conditions of changing humidity levels, changing ozone dosages, and changing exposure times and the different concentrations of benzene were measured and compared before and after exposure to the UV/O3 process. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and three-way ANOVA.Findings: The findings showed that all three factors of relative humidity, ozone dosage, and exposure time affected the effectiveness of the UV/O3 process in removing benzene. Elevation of relative humidity enhanced the effectiveness of the system in removing benzene up to 60%. In addition, increasing ozone dosage and exposure time led to improvements in the removal of benzene up to 24.5% via the UV/O3 process.Discussion & Conclusion: Given the ease of use and feasibility of performing the UV/O3 process under common environmental conditions, this method can be used as a powerful procedure in removing benzene from the airflow. Additionally, changing variables such as relative humidity, ozone dosage, and exposure time can enhance the effectiveness of the system.

Introduction: Leukemia is a progressive and malignant disease of hematopoietic organs of the body. Genetic abnormalities play an important role in the development of leukemia in the body. Many studies have been accomplished on the molecular factors that involved in the disease. DNA microarray technology provides a general picture of gene expression in whole genome and applied for the exploring of candidate genes that lead to diseases. In fact, having analyzed a large number of genes together along with the expected changes provides more closely examination the disease under study. In the present study, the DNA microarray data of leukemia disease were analyzed by bioinformatics software (DAVID). The aim of the study was to functionally analyze the genomic and proteomic lists of data that have been obtained with high throughput tools during biological studies.Materials & Methods: Microarray leukemia gene sets were obtained from the database http: //www.biomedcentral.com/ content/ supplementary/1471and analyzed with the bioinformatics software (DAVID). The communication gene expression in different classes, chart and clustered genes were examined. The list of genes was identified by the DAVID analysis program.Findings: A chart consisting of 615 identified genes associated with various diseases was detected. Most genes involved in the disease were those genes that were also involved in cancers. 23.7% of the identified genes (146 genes) were cancer genes. Of 615 genes, 70 charts of the identified biological pathways (the database KEGG) were associated with the disease. Of 615 genes identified, 12 clusters were associated with the disease based on the functional annotation.Discussion & Conclusion: The results showed that the program, DAVID, is capable of analyzing genome. Also, the program was capable to evaluate the main classes of genes and pathways involved in the disease to determine the best candidate gene markers for the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia disease.

Introduction: Hypertriglyceridemia is associated with many risk factors that elevate the incidence of cardiovascular and diabetes diseases. Therefore, informing the prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia may be helpful for health authorities to make programs for controlling of the condition. Aim of this present study was to obtain an overall estimation of hypertriglyceridemia and trend of the condition in Iran.Materials & Methods: Using some valid keyword including triglycerides, prevalence, and meta-analysis in the databases of Googles choolar, SID, Pubmed, Magiran, Irandoc, Medlib and Iranmedex a total of 155 articles were collected. From the articles, 24 articles were reliable and included in the study. Variance of each study was obtained using the binomial distribution.Heterogeneity of the studies was assessed using I2 index, and the data were analyzed using random effects model and the STATA V.11 software.Findings: Collectively, 24 articles were enrolled in this study. The overall prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was obtained 36.6%. Prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was estimated as follow: In general population, 27.2% (95 CI: 21.1-33.3), in diabetic population 62.1% (95% CI: 51.1-73.2), in patients with heart disease 35.2% (95% CI: -6.9-77.4) and in other patient groups (metabolic syndrome, obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, or benign vertigo) 36.7% (95% CI: 25.8-47.7).Discussion & Conclusion: The prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia was low in general population in Iran, however, incidence of the condition was higher in patients with diabetic and cardiovascular diseases. So the health authorities should provide relevant programs to control the disorder.

Introduction: Psychological stress in workplace is among the stress-inducing factors that influence the workers’ health and damage their occupational performance and safety.The present study was carried out to investigate the relationship between general health and workers’ sleep quality as well as the work safety in Gole Gohar Mineral Industries Co., Sirjan, Iran.Materials & Methods: The present cross-sectional and descriptive-analytical study was carried out in 2011-2012. The statistical population included 337 workers in Hematite and Pelletizing section in Gole Gohar Mineral Industries Co., Sirjan in Iran. The sampling was carried out in a simple random selecting method. A general health questionnaire having 28 questions (GHQ) and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were applied in the study. Analyses of data were carried out using SPSS 19 software and descriptive and inferential statistics tests.Findings: The average age of workers was 30.92±4.78 years and their working experience averaged 5.47±3.24 years.82.9 percent of the workers responding to the questionnaire were satisfied with their jobs, and 17.1 percent were not satisfied. Using 23-point break in large-scale and 6- point break in small-scale, psychological disorders were detected in 29.4 percent of workers. Also, 46.9 percent of the workers experienced satisfactory sleep and 53.1 percent of them experienced unsatisfactory sleep.Discussion & Conclusion: With the high incidence of industrial accidents in Iranian industrial environments, the workers’ health must be regarded as a prime necessity. The results of the present study could provide valuable information about the treatment and prevention of psychological disorders for policy-makers and relevant authorities.

Introduction: Nowadays, cancer diseases are the most important causes of death worldwide and the breast cancer is the most important of them within women. Assessing the survival of the patients is one of the most important indices of controlling the cancer. This study aimed to make a comparison between the prediction of artificial neural networks (ANN) and Cox regression models for the breast cancer survival.Materials & Methods: The data of the survival study gathered from 344 breast cancer patients between 2005 and 2012 that registered at the Fayyazbakhsh hospital, Tehran, Iran. The status of survival was considered as a dependent variable. Area under receiver operative characteristic curve (AUROC) and classification accuracy were used for the comparison of artificial neural networks and Cox regression models. Data analysis was performed by R and Minitab software.Findings: The age of participants expressed as Mean±SD, was 49.9±10.93 years and the median of survival was 44.6 months.Up to the end study, 45 (13.1) were died. Results showed that AUROC for ANN and Cox regression were 87.6% and 75.4%, respectively. In addition the classification accuracy of ANN and Cox regression were calculated as 89.42 and 77.68, respectively.Discussion & Conclusion: According to the results, the total classification accuracy of the ANN was better than those of the Cox regression, therefore, the ANN model is suggested to predict the survival status of breast cancer disease and also is suggested for diagnostic goals.

Introduction: Given the importance of zinc metal (zn+2) as an essential element in boilogical systems and the toxic effects of metals, on the other hand, and the emergence of strains of Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) smr+ resistant to tetravalent ammonium compounds (QACs) due to widespread use of materials containing Biocide QACs led to compare the sensitivity of S. aureus strains resistant to zinc and those strains having the biocide benzalkonium chloride and smr genes.Materials & Methods: S. aureus strains isolation from dairy and clinical samples was performed by using of mannitol-saltagar medium at 37oC for 48 hours and the strains was identified with morphological and biochemical methods. The Smr gene was investigated by PCR and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of zinc for the bacterial strains was determined using broth microdilution.Findings: 20 strains of S. aureus were selectively isolated from 40 samples of dairy and clinical. Smr genes were observed in all S. aureus strains resistant to the biocide benzalkonium chloride. The MIC concentration was reported to be ppm 20.Discussion & Conclusion: The results showed that the growth of all strains of S. aureus, that is, the susceptible and the resistant to benzalkonium biocide zinc chloride substance is inhibited in 20 ppm concentration of zinc and the presence of smr gene has no effect on resistance to zinc.

Introduction: One of the leading causes of death around the world is cancer. Despite the advances in science and technology, man has still failed to cure the disease. The discovery of amazing biological properties of carbon nano tubes caused that they would be good candidates for the research on cancer cells. Functionalization of carbon nanotubes is known to improve their properties. Many compounds that have applications in medicinal chemistry have diazo group. In this paper, we tried to functionalize MWNT-COOH with diazo compounds.Materials & Methods: Modification was confirmed by FT-IR, Raman and SEM spectroscopy. The products were tested on colon cancer cells (SW742) by MTT assay. Viability of the colon cancer cells was investtigated in different concentrations of the functionalized products.Findings: The results demonstrated that the viability of cancer cells was profoundly decreased in the presence of the functionnalized nanotubes.Discussion & Conclusion: Our results revealed that the functionalized nanotubes could be a suitable candidate for the synthesis of effective drugs on colon cancer.

Introduction: Physical and bodily activities could affect the quality of life in children. In the present study, we decided to evaluate the relationship between the quality of life and the amount of physical activity in children. With the research, it is possible to identify the interventional points for the management of the problem.Materials & Methods: The present research, was a cross sectional survey. A random sample of female students aged 8-12 years were entered to the study. Sampling method was multistage. Sample size was estimated 384 students. The generic of Iranian-version of pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL 4.0) was used to measure HRQOL. In addition, some questions about the level and amount of activity were asked. Statistical methods that we used were T-test and ANOVA.Findings: Totally, 366 female students were selected for the study. The mean of age was 10.37 years (SD=1.13 years). Mean of total score of quality of life was 84.45 (SD=10.16).The lowest mean of total score of quality of life was 82.23 (SD=15.73) for emotional function and the highest mean of total score of quality of life was 88.47 (SD=13.99) for social function. Relationship between social functioning score and video games was significant (P=0.03).Discussion & Conclusion: Because of the long time that students spend for video games, reduced quality of life especially in the social and other functional affairs was evident. Therefore, more attention should be dedicated to this problem. Furthermore, structured programs and educational approaches for their parents are also needed.

Introduction: Physical and verbal violence against nursing are very critical problems that could influnce the quality of nuring cares. The extent and causes of violence against nurses are not fully determined in Iran, yet. So, the present study investigated all kinds of violences in the training hospitals of Ilam city in 2012.Materials & Methods: In the discriptive research, 147 subjects of nursing staff who had experinced physical or verbal violences during 2012 were randomly selected from the training hospitals of Ilam city using an author-made questionary.Findings: About 88.7% and 23.1% of the studied subjects had experinced the verbal and physical violence, respectively. Also, 89.8% and 23.8% of the nurses had experienced the verbal and physical violence, respectively from the patient followers. Based on the results, the most common violences against male and female nurses were verbal and physical, respectively. Moreover, a meaningful relationship was found between the violences and the age of nurses.Discussion & Conclosion: The occurance of physical and verbal violence against the nursing staff is high. The situation warns to the scurity autorities of hospitals to pay more attention to the nursing staff. Also, the using of media and the training of medical personnel may be helpful to alleviate vilances against nursing staff.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of mortality and morbidity that threaten the life of human being. American Heart Association (AHA) has estimated that until 2020, approximately 25 million deaths would be occurring because of the diseases and these would be recognized as the first cause of mortality. The aim of the present study was to survey the effect of education on the knowledge and attitude of the teachers regarding cardiovascular risk factors in middle and high school children.Materials & Methods: This research was a descriptive study in which 42 teachers in middle and high schools in the urban regions of Ilam were selected by a convenience sampling method. To evaluate the effectiveness of the education on teachers the interventional education method and two step test (pre and post education test) were used. At first, data collected by a questionnaire that consisted of three parts: Demographic characteristics, questions about knowledge and attitude. After education, the knowledge and attitude of teachers regarding cardiovascular risk factors was assessed. Finally, the collected data were analyzed by the SPSS software and the statistics tests, chi-square, fisher exact and parried T- test.Findings: The mean score for the knowledge of teachers was 37.71±3.1 and 41.80±1.5 before and after the education, respectively (P<0.01). The teachers' attitude mean scores were 18.97±5.1 and 18.99±4.6 in pre and post stages of the education which was not significant (P=0.4). There were significant relationships between the effect of education on the knowledge/ attitude and the job of husband in pre and post stages of the education (P=0.02 and P<0.05, respectively). However, there were no significant associations between the score of knowledge/ attitude and other parameters including age, gender, educational level, location of residence, illness history, and family history of cardiovascular diseases (P>0.05).Discussion & Conclusion: Results of this research indicated that there was a significant differences between the knowledge of teachers in the pre and post education stages (P=0.000). However, there was no significant difference between the attitude of teachers in the pre and post education stages (P=0.04).

Introduction: Ethanol known as ethyl alcohol is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is primarily known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. Its consumption is very high around the world. It has been reported that ethanol intake is associated with different diseases. Therefore, here in this study the effect of ethanol on human fibroblast cells was investigated.Materials & Methods: We have carried out cell survival and morphologic studies via Invert Microscope and MTT assay methods to evaluate survival rate and morphological alterations of human fibroblast cells treated with different concentrations of alcohol.Findings: Our findings suggested that ethanol could possibly change human fibroblast cells morphology and survival rate after 48 h incubation. In addition to this, examining fibroblast cells after 48 h culturing without ethanol showed the maintenance of these changes in next generation of the cells.Discussion & Conclusion: It can be concluded that ethanol can possibly cause genetic alterations of the human fibroblast cells, so karyotype evaluations is required to determine these consequences.