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Evaluation of periodontal health in patients taking atorvastatin
Get PDFIntroduction: Periodontal disease as a chronic inflammatory condition is more prevalent in adults. Considering the anti-inflammatory effect of statins and the need to find out the effects of these drugs on the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases, this study was conducted to investigate the role of atorvastatin in periodontal health.
Material & Methods: In this cross sectional study the effect of atorvastatin on plaque index, probing pocket depth (PPD), gingival index (GI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) index were examined. Patients with plaque index between 1 and 2 were included in the study, and those who had taken atorvastatin for at least 3 months were selected as the case group and those who had not taken atorvastatin were considered as the control group.
Results: A total of 138 patients (50 patients for the atorvastatin group and 88 patients for the control group) were included. The mean probing pocket depth in the atorvastatin group was 2.03±0.35 mm and that in the control group was 2.8±0.31 mm (p=0.335). The mean bleeding index in the atorvastatin group was 0.20±0.14 and compared to the control group was 0.20±0.17 (p<0.001). The GI index in the atorvastatin group was 1.29±0.33, compared to the control group was 1.20±0.40 (p=0.218).
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate the positive effect of the use of atorvastatin on reducing the bleeding on probing index in patients taking this drug. The probing pocket depth index and gingival index were not significantly different between the atorvastatin group and the group not taking this drug
Inhaled Beclomethasone with or whiteout Montelukast in the Management of Pediatric Persistent Asthma
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Inhaled corticosteroid is the first line of treatment for asthma which has its own side effects. By contrast, Montelukast has fewer complications and is easier to use because of its tablet-like form. Hence, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of inhaled beclomethasone with and without oral Montelukast in the control of children’s persistent asthma.
METHODS: This clinical trial study was performed on 84 children with asthma referring to Amirkola Children's Hospital in two groups. One group of patients received inhaled beclomethasone with Montelukast. The another group was treated with only inhaled beclomethasone alone. Before and 3 months after the treatment, FEV1, IgE, eosinophilia, night sleep quality, and school absenteeism status were measured in both groups.
FINDINGS: FEV1 values presented no significant difference between the two groups before the treatment, but it significantly increased in both groups three months after the treatment (p=0.000) (from 71.8±2.1 to 89.4±2.1 in the combinative treatment group and from 72±3 to 88.3±2.4 in the beclomethasone group). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in this regard (p=0.146).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that although the increase in FEV1 was similar in the two groups after treatment, but due to the better therapeutic acceptance in the combination therapy group, combination therapy could be used to control children's asthma
The comparison of N-acetylcysteine and Vitamin D on oxidative Liver Toxicity in Sub-Acute Paraquat Poisoning
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Paraquat is mainly used as an herbicide and its toxicity can be caused by acute and chronic liver disease by increasing the active oxygen species, in this study, we investigated the effect of N-acetyl cysteine and vitamin D on the oxidative toxicity of Liver tissue in sub-acute toxicity with paraquat.
METHODS: In this experimental study, 36 male albino Wistar 8 weeks old were randomly divided into 6 groups: 1) control group; 2, 3) control animals received intraperitoneal injection of Vit D 2 μg/kg/day or NAC 6.25 mg/kg/day (IP); 4) received paraquat 5 mg/kg/day (IP); 5 and 6) received paraquat and treated with Vit D 2 μg/kg/day or NAC 6.25 mg/kg/day for 7 days. At the end of the study, serum and liver tissue were collected. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxidation (LPO), total thiol groups (TTG), ALT and AST levels in liver tissue were evaluated. Also liver histopathological evaluation was performed.
FINDING: Based on the results, in paraquat-poisoned groups compared to the healthy control group, the LPO was increased by 239.83±70.87 versus the control group 123.1±16.63 and the liver enzymes were increased. TAC in paraquat-poisoned groups was 68.66±23.41 that showed a significant decrease compared to the control group 126.50±18.25. Also, TTG in paraquat-poisoned groups was 40.50±5.95 that significantly decreased compared to control group (P<0.05). Moreover, LPO was significantly reduced in vitamin-treated groups 156.33±39.40 compared to the paraquat-poisoned group of 239.83±70.87. In addition, histopathologic findings showed that vitamin D could improve the tissue damage caused by paraquat in the liver.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that Vit D and NAC decreased oxidative toxic stress, and tissue damage in the Liver caused by paraquat poisoning
Effect of Pioglitazone on Antioxidant Capacity and Oxidative Damage after Spinal Cord Injury in Rat
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Reduction of the antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage has a crucial role in development of damage after spinal cord injury. Since pioglitazone (PPAR-gamma agonist) have a powerful antioxidant property, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of pioglitazone on antioxidant capacity and oxidative damage in the injured areas of spinal cord in rat.
METHODS: In the present experimental study eighteen male Wistar rats divided into three groups as follow (n=6); sham, control injured and pioglitazone-treated injured group. Spinal cord injury was performed according to the Ping-Weight Drop (contusion) model in rat. The animals received pioglitazone (3 mg/kg) intraperitoneally at times of 15 min after injury and then each 12 hours until a week. At the end, malondialdehyde level, activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes and also histopathological alterations of spinal cord were assessed.
FINDINGS: Induction of spinal cord injury in control injured animals significantly increased the malondialdehyde levels (56%) and decreased the activity of catalase (48%) and SOD (65%) enzymes compared to sham group (p=0.004, p=0.001 and P=0.008, respectively). Pioglitazone in treated injured group significantly decreased the malondialdehyde levels (38%) and increased the activity of catalase (34%) enzyme compared to control injured group (p=0.038 and p=0.014, respectively). Also, pioglitazone prevented the histopathological changes of injured areas in spinal cord.
CONCLUSION: The findings of present study indicate that treatment with pioglitazone through potentiation of the antioxidant defense capacity of injured spinal cord decreases oxidative damage and also histopathological changes of spinal cord
Prediction of Coronary Artery Restenosis in Patients Undergoing Angioplasty
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Coronary artery restenosis following angioplasty may lead to major unwanted cardiac events. This is one of the most important concerns of cardiologists. This study was performed to evaluate the predictors of coronary artery restenosis in patients undergoing angioplasty.
METHODS: In this cohort study, all 2159 patients who referred to Madani Hospital in Khorramabad, Iran for angioplasty between 2004 and 2015 were followed up regarding the incidence of coronary artery restenosis for one or two years (at least 50% stenosis in the place of the previous angioplasty) depending on the type of stent, and clinical variables related to the lesion and procedure were recorded in an information form. Then, agents for predicting coronary artery restenosis were identified based on CART (Classification and Regression Tree).
FINDINGS: Cumulative incidence of coronary artery restenosis was 12.9% (279 patients) in subcategories: non-drug-eluting stent (25.8%, 114 patients), comorbidity of diabetes and hyperlipidemia (under the subcategory of drug-eluting stents, 19%, 32 patients), multiple drug-eluting stents (under the subcategory of non-diabetic patients, 14.6%, 25 patients), comorbidity of hyperlipidemia and drug abuse (under the subcategory of non-diabetic group who use one drug-eluting stent, 12.8%, 16 patients).
CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, stent type, history of diabetes, number of stents, hyperlipidemia and drug abuse are among the most important predictors of coronary artery restenosis
Design of Lentiviral Vector of Apoptin and Investigating its Cytotoxic Effect on Reh Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Resistance to chemotherapy drugs is one of the most important treatment problems in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Apoptin due to its ability to induce apoptosis in tumor cells, has an undeniable potential in cancer treatment, especially those that respond lessly to chemotherapy. Therefore, in this study, the effect of induction of apoptin expression on induction of cell death in reh malignant lymphoblasts was investigated.
METHODS: In this experimental study, after culturing of Reh cells (prepared by the Pasteur Institute), the entry of lentiviral vector, metabolic activity and cell proliferation were measured using flow cytometry, MTT and trypan blue at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. Real time PCR was also used to determine the apoptin gene expression.
FINDINGS: The results of this study indicate the design and construction of a suitable lentiviral vector that can infect more than 65% of the cells. Also, after infecting the cells with the vector, the apoptin gene expression rate was increased about 10 times to control, and subsequently, the cell viability decreased by 53% time-dependently (p <0.01) . The results also showed that the inhibitory effect of apoptin gene expression on the metabolic activity of Reh cells was about 35% (p<0.01).
CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that apoptin gene expression has anti-tumor activity in Reh cells and can be used as a promising therapy in ALL
Tumor necrosis factor- α, adiponectin and their ratio in gestational diabetes mellitus
Get PDFBackground: It has been suggested that inflammation might be implicated in the gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) complications, including insulin resistance. The aims of the current study were to explore maternal circulating values of TNF-α, adiponectin and the adiponectin/TNF-α ratio in women with GDM compared with normal pregnancy and their relationships with metabolic syndrome biomarkers.
Methods: Forty women with GDM and 40 normal pregnant women were included in the study. Commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods were used to measure serum levels of TNF-α and total adiponectin.
Results: Women with GDM had higher values of TNF-α (225.08±27.35 vs 115.68±12.64 pg/ml, p<0.001) and lower values of adiponectin (4.50±0.38 vs 6.37±0.59 µg/ml, p=0.003) and the adiponectin/TNF-α ratio (4.31±0.05 vs 4.80±0.07, P<0.001) than normal pregnant women. The adiponectin/TNF-α ratio showed negative correlations with insulin resistance (r=-0.68, p<0.001) and triglyceride (r=-0.39, p=0.014) and a positive correlation with insulin sensitivity (r=0.69, p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that values of the adiponectin /TNF-α ratio were independently associated with insulin resistance. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that GDM was negatively associated with adiponectin /TNF-α ratio.
Conclusions: In summary, the adiponectin/TNF-α ratio decreased significantly in GDM compared with normal pregnancy. The ratio might be an informative biomarker for assessment of pregnant women at high risk of insulin resistance and dyslipidemia and for diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring aims in GDM
Effectiveness puppet play therapy on adaptive behavior and social skills in boy children with intellectual disability
Get PDFBackground: Intellectual disability influences social skills and adaptive behavior in children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of puppet play therapy on adaptive behavior and social skills in boy children with intellectual disability.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study with pre/post-test design was conducted on 30 intellectual disability boy children (9-11 aged) selected through the criteria from Nor-Islam School of Varamin City in 2017. They were randomly divided into the control and intervention groups. The intervention group received puppet play therapy for eight treatment sessions. The research tools were Vineland Social Maturity Scales (VSMS) and Adaptive Behavior Index of Limbert (ABIC). Data were statistically analyzed using ANCOVA.
Results: Findings indicated that the mean scores of six subscales of adaptive behavior including violent and disruptive behavior (P0.05) and psychological disturbance (p<0.05).
Conclusions: The findings indicated that play therapy brought the positive impact on social coping behaviors in children Intellectual disability. It is necessary that child counselors and psychologists to utilize the play therapy to decrease social skills deficits and promote social adjustment in children via intellectual disability at schools and rehabilitation centers
The Effect of Chrysin Nanoparticles in Preventing the Growth of Mcf-7 Cancer Cells
Get PDFBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chrysin is a natural and biologically active compound extracted from plants, honey and propolis. Since chrysin has pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, this study was conducted to compare the effect of chrysin and its nanoparticle on breast cancer cells (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7). METHODS: In this study, chrysin nanoparticles were prepared using chitosan, and then the prepared nanoparticles were dissolved in water, and the cytotoxic effects of 20, 40 and 80 μM chrysin and chrysin dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (at the same concentrations) on MCF7 cells were investigated. Cell viability was measured using MTT assay after 24, 48 and 72 hours, and was compared with viability of the control samples. FINDINGS: The results of this study showed that chrysin and chrysin nanoparticles prevented the growth and proliferation of MCF7 cell line. These effects depend on the concentration of chrysin and its nanoparticles, and it has been shown that the effect of chrysin nanoparticle on cells at a concentration of 40 μM in 72 hours is significant with p<0.001 while it is significant with p<0.01 at the same concentration in 24 and 48 hours. The IC50 value of chrysin nanoparticle was approximately 40 μM. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the chrysin nanoparticle exhibits anti-proliferative activity in breast cancer cells in the laboratory and its effect is greater than that of chrysin
Effect of a 12-week submaximal swimming training in rats exposed to tobacco- derived nitrosamine ketone
Get PDFBackground: Tobacco contains carcinogens such as NNK (nicotine-derived nitrosamine ketone) that makes induction of lung cancer by changing the stimulation of IL-10 expression. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in resting levels of IL-10 in lung tissues of rats exposed to NNK after a 12-week aerobic submaximal swimming training.
Methods: For this purpose, 46 Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups consisting training, training + NNK, NNK, saline and control. NNK-induced groups received NNK subcutaneously one day per week at a rate of 12/5 mg per kg body weight and the training groups performed submaximal swimming training for 12 weeks. The levels of IL-10 in homogenized lung tissue were measured by ELISA.
Results: Findings indicated that a period of swimming training increased the IL-10 levels significantly in lung tissue of training group when compared to control (P=0.00) and NNK groups (P=0.00). Also, a significant increase of IL-10 level was observed in exercise + NNK group when compared to NNK group (p≤0/02). Furthermore, it was observed that IL-10 levels of NNK group had a significant decrease when compared to training group (P=0/00), training + NNK group (p≤0/02), but had insignificant increase when compared to saline group (p≤0/85).
Conclusions: Generally, it could be confirmed that regular submaximal aerobic training plays an important role in the inhibition of the effects of lung inflammation induced by NNK via increasing IL-10 activity