Ardabil University of Medical Sciences
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Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) accumulation in coastal sediments from regions with different land use configuration along the Persian Gulf
No full textPhthalate acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers in various plastic products and have aroused considerable concern over their ubiquitous presence and potentially hazardous effects on the environment. This research provides the first data on PAEs distribution in the sediments of northern part of the Persian Gulf. To determine the concentration of 16 PAEs, 26 samples of sediments were collected from industrial stations (IS), urban stations (US), agricultural stations (AGS), and natural field stations (NS) from Asalouyeh Harbor coasts from Nov 2016 to Jan 2017. The mean values of Ʃ16PAEs in the samples taken from IS, AGS, US, and NS were 78.08, 11.69, 46.56, and 5.180 µg/g, respectively. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Ʃ16PAEs in the samples taken from IS and AGS areas were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the ones taken from US and NS areas. The order of PAEs concentrations in sediment samples were as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), respectively. DEHP was detected in all collected samples and the mean ± SD of its concentration in the IS, US, AGS, and NS regions were as 28.15 ± 4.9, 4.040 ± 0.53, 11.58 ± 1.2, and 1.780 ± 0.78 µg/g, respectively. The major sources of PAEs in the sediments collected from the study region were associated with the industrial and agricultural activities. The findings of this study indicated that the sediments of the Asalouyeh coasts are heavily contaminated with PAEs. They have shown potential ecotoxicological effects on the aquatic organisms and benthic. Therefore, more attention should be paid to prediction of the marine ecosystem in this region by the authorities
Hepatoprotective effects of Zingiber officinale and Cinnamomum verum methanolic extracts on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver damage in rats
Get PDFThe liver is one of the most important organs in the body since it plays important roles in several functions such as the metabolism of biomolecules, drugs and toxins. Therefore, any damage to the liver can affect the entire functioning of the body. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of co-administration of ginger and cinnamon on liver damage in the rats damaged by Carbon Tetrachloride (CCl4). 42 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups (n=6). Three of the groups were control groups (normal, damage control and normal extract control groups). 4 of them were exposure groups which were respectively administered with cinnamon 50 mg/kg, ginger 250 mg/kg, cinnamon 25 mg + ginger 125 mg and silymarin 100 mg/kg for 14 days before being damaged by CCl4. At the end of the study, biochemical factors, serum liver enzymes and liver morphology were assayed.
Administration of CCl4 significantly increased levels of liver enzymes, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, bilirubin and decreased the levels of HDL, albumin and total protein in comparison with damage control groups (p<0.05) Pretreatment with a combination of cinnamon and ginger extract significantly improved these values (p<0.05)
The results of this study are indicative of the potential hepatoprotective effect of combining cinnamon and ginger better than the each one alone, and its probable therapeutic properties for laboratory animals damaged by CCl4
Data quality assessment in emergency medical services
Get PDFBackground: High quality emergency medical data are important for decision-making, treatment, and quality improvement of patient care. Determining the actual performance of emergency medical services depends on the assessment of key performance indicators and the data should be of high quality.The aim of this study was to assess data quality in emergency medical services and determine the factors affecting the data quality in this area.
Methods: This study was an applied research carried out in three phases, using mixed method design (qualitative and quantitative). The first phase was a qualitative study and aimed to identify the current status of health information management and factors affecting the quality of data in the emergency medical services. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key people in the field. The key informants were managers and experts who worked in the emergency and disaster events management center in the Ministry of Health and in three medical universities, namely; Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Other participants included physicians and nurses who worked in the emergency departments of the selected hospitals, and emergency medical specialists and technicians who worked in the pre-hospital emergency services. In the second phase, the data were collected by using a questionnaire to investigate the perspectives of the aboved mentioned participants. The third phase was a quantitative observational study in which the dimensions of completeness, accuracy and timeliness of data in emergency medical services were measured by using a checklist.
Results: The results of the first phase of the study were categorized in five themes, including the status of information management in the field of emergency medical services, the documentation challenges, the individual, organizational and technical factors affecting the data quality in emergency care. The results of the second phase of the study showed a moderate quality level for documentation (6.17). The lowest level of quality was related to the Ministry of Health (5.36) and the highest level was related to the pre-hospital emergency care (7.54). The results of the third phase showed that, regarding completeness, demographic data were more complete than clinical data. However, the completeness level of 60.7% of the clinical data was less than 80%. In this study, 91% of the demographic data and 90% of the clinical data were accurate. Regarding the timeliness of data recorded from the time of ordering by the physician to the time of obtaining the results, this time for imaging services was 54.3 ± 57.9 minute and for laboratory was 144 ± 78.6 minutes.
Conclusion: Understanding the data quality issues in the emergency medical services helps managers and policymakers to use appropriate management methods to measure the actual performance, and improve decision making and patient care quality. The results of this study showed that documentation in this area faces individual, organizational and technical challenges. The quality of emergency medical services data was not at a desirable level and needed to be improved to ensure high quality patient care. It is imperative that policymakers, managers, and care providers fully understand the importance of data quality in this area and apply the strategies to develop data quality
PEX12 Novel Mutation: A Case Report on Iranian Girl with Childhood Onset Peroxisomal Disorder: Pseudo ALD
Get PDFObjective: To report a 7 years old girl with genetic and biochemical characteristics of zellweger spectrum disorder who presented with phenotype and neuro imaging findings of adrenoleukodystrophy.
Methods: Target gene sequencing was performed by using a custom designed panel for this patient with focused mutation analysis on 16 peroxisomal genes included in the panel. Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the identified mutation.
Results: This patient was homozygote for a missense mutation in exon 2 of the PEX 12 gene; c.541T>G (p.Tyr181Asp) which is a conserved residue in the N-terminal region crucial for localization to peroxisomes. Her parents and healthy sister were also found to have the same heterozygote mutation.
Conclusion: We suggest that PEX 12 gene mutations with a milder phenotype may be a potential candidate for posterior dominant leukodystrophy of childhood resembling X-linked ALD. This is entitled to pseudo- ALD and may be a diagnostic possibility in patients who develop ALD phenotype and neuroimaging particularly, in girls
The effect of oral N-acetylcysteine on serum high sensitive CRP and plasma hemoglobin levels in end-stage renal disease patients under routine hemodialysis; a randomized placebocontrolled clinical trial
Get PDFBackground: Oxidative stress and systemic inflammation is increased in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. Due to the various effects of oxidative stress in ESRD patients, different antioxidants have been evaluated.
Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the effect of oral N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as an antioxidant on the serum high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and plasma hemoglobin levels in the ESRD patients who were under routine hemodialysis.
Patients and Methods: In this randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial, 51 ESRD patients under routine hemodialysis were randomly assigned to receive NAC 1200 mg daily for 1 month (n=26) or placebo (n=25). Laboratory findings including hemoglobin, ferritin, hsCRP were measured in patients before and after treatment.
Results: NAC group compared to placebo group had significantly higher ferritin levels before treatment (p=0.02) and lower phosphorus levels after treatment (p=0.03). Comparing the results before and after treatment in each group, a significant reduction in hematocrit (p=0.002), ferritin (p=0.006), hs-CRP (p=0.02) and an increase in alkaline phosphatase levels (p=0.005) in NAC group and significant reduction in calcium levels (p<0.001) in placebo group was detected. No major side effects were seen.
Conclusions: One month treatment with oral NAC resulted in reduced levels of hematocrit, ferritin and Hs-CRP, indicative of role of NAC in controlling inflammation in ESRD patients under hemodialysis. However, NAC was not effective in treatment of anemia, although the treatment duration was low
Investigation the Spermatogenesis and Testis Structure in Diabetic Rats After Treatment With Galega officinalis Extract
No full textObjectives: This study aimed to evaluate the anti-oxidative potential of Galega officinalis extract on oxidative damages in the testes and sperm parameters of diabetic rats.
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 32 male Wistar rats were segregated in 4 groups: Control, Diabetic control, Diabetic treated with G. officinalis extract and healthy group that received G. officinalis extract. An instillation of distilled water was performed in the control and diabetic groups. Also, treatment groups received Galega extract (50 mg/kg body weight) for 8 weeks. After treatment period all of subjects were anesthetized, their blood samples were taken, the serum level of insulin and glucose were measured then the testicles and epididymis were removed and sperm parameters and oxidative stress markers were assessed.
Results: Treatment of diabetic rats with G. officinalis extract significantly increased the Johnson score and diameter of seminiferous tubule as well as reduced the glucose plasma levels (P = 0.001) and increased the insulin levels (P = 0.001). Furthermore, during diabetes an upsurge in the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and a decrease in the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes activity were observed in the testes. Administration of G. officinalis extract (50 mg/kg BW) significantly rectified these parameters (P < 0.05). Moreover, the sperm parameters decreased in the diabetic group, while the use of G. officinalis significantly improved the mentioned disorders in the treatment groups (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The results of this study confirm the antioxidant role of hydroalcoholic extract of G. officinalis in the improvement of the testicular oxidative damage caused by diabetes
Effects of Magnesium sulfate on vasogenic brain edema formation and blood-brain barrier destruction in a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia
Get PDFBackground & obiective: Ischemic stroke as third leading cause of death and disability in the most of the human communities has complicated pathophysiology and there is no effective treatment against it.brain edema is an important complication of ischemic stroke that exacerbates primary brain injuries. Prevention of brain edema can protect the brain from further damage and improve patient,s outcome. The present study designed to evaluate the effects of treatment with magnesium sulfate on vasogenic brain edema formation, BBB integrity in a rat model of ischemic stroke.
Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three main groups (n=16) , sham , control ischemic. Magnesium sulfate treated (300 mg/kg loading dose at the beginning of reperfusion time followed by a further 100 mg/kg at 20 min later) ischemic groups. Transient focal cerebal ischemia was induced by 60-min-long occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery followed by 24-h-long occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery followed by 24-h-long reperfusion. Sensorimotor dysfunctions were evaluated at the end of the reperfusion period. Measurement of the infract volumes and investigation of ischemic brain edema formation were done using TTC staining and wet/dry method respectively. Additionally, blood-brain barrier permeability was assessed by Evans blue extravasation technique.
Results: occurring of ischemic stroke in the control group produced significant brain infarction and edema in conjunction with severely impaired sensorimotor functions. Treatment with magnesium sulfate significantly reduced the infarct volume and improved sensorimotor disabilities (p˂0.01 and p˂0.05 respectively).Additionally, magnesium sulfate significantly lowered the water content and protected BBB integrity in the ischemic lesioned hemisphere (p˂0.001 and p˂0.05 respectively).
Conclusion: Post-ischemic treatment with magnesium sulfate produced protective effects against ischemic brain injury. And reduced edema formation through protecting BBB integrity
Minimal invasive Hürthle cell adenoma of thyroid gland : A rare case report
Get PDFBackground: Hürthle cell adenoma (HCA) is a rare thyroid neoplasm including less than 5% of all thyroid tumors with predominance in adult females. Prognosis depends on patient’s age, size of the initial lesion, histologic appearance and extent of invasion. Size more than 4 cm is rare finding and
only few cases had been reported from this type of HCA. Methods: In this article we report a 50-year-old woman who presented with swelling in the left side of her neck. The patient had lost 10 kg over the past 2 years but loss of appetite was denied by her. She complained of shortness of breath, excessive sweating, anxiety, irregular menstrual cycles and hot flashes which may contribute to premenopausal symptoms according to her age. In physical examination no tracheal deviation was observed. She had history of hypothyroidism and chronic hypertension. She had been under treatment by Atenolol and levothyroxine.
Results: Ultrasonography of thyroid gland showed mildly enlarged left lobe and a cyst with uniform consistency measuring 3× 4×2 cm. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of thyroid gland was performed. Smears showed moderate amount of colloid, few inflammatory cells and moderate number of follicular cells that arranged as large follicle as well as papillary structures. There were some atypical as nuclear grooves, rarely nuclear inclusions and also a few psammoma body like calcifications. These microscopic views were suggestive for presence of papillary thyroid carcinoma. With this diagnosis the patient underwent total thyroidectomy. Post operational pathological study of the specimen revealed cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and small regular nuclei with low grade of capsular Invasion the diagnosis was minimal invasive Hürthle cell adenoma.
Conclusion: Ultrasound fails to identify thyroid tumors potential of malignancy while FNAB couldn’t differentiate it from thyroid carcinoma. As we see in our case, if the diagnosis of HCA was made before surgery, the surgeon might consider other less radical treatment options like thyroid lobectomy and preserve some parts of patient’s thyroid gland. On the other hand, because of unpredictable behavior of these tumors, a dilemma in management arises even after accurate diagnosis
Evaluation of Antibacterial Properties of Resin Composites Containing Silver Nanoparticles on Streptococcus Mutans
No full textBackground and Objectives: Studies showed that resin composites are more susceptible to aggregation of biofilm than amalgam and glass ionomers and have lesser antibacterial effects which results in increasing the rate of secondary caries? Therefore, production of antibacterial resin composites was always under investigation. Thus, the aim of this study is evaluating the efficacy of resin composites containing silver nanoparticles against the Streptococcus Mutans. Methods:In this experimental study, the antibacterial properties of resin composites incorporating 0, 0/02, 0/03, 0/04, 0/05% w/w of Nano silver particles was investigated using turbidity test. Composites was formed on the walls of 400 ml micro plates and after the curing, they left in contact with bacterial suspension. In times of 3, 24 and 48 hours, the optical density of the broth was read by spectrophotometer. The data was analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov, one-way ANOVA, LSD test and repeated measure ANOVA.
Results: The results showed that all composites containing silver nanoparticles had antibacterial effects (p ≤0/05) and by increasing the amount of silver nanoparticles to 0/03% w/w, the anti-bactericidal effect rose and the bacterial growth significantly diminished (p=0/001). However, in higher concentrations than 0/03%, this effect decreased. The MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) were seen in composites with 0/02 percent of silver nanoparticles.
Conclusion: While all composite groups containing silver nanoparticles had antibacterial effect, the most efficient group was 0/03% w/w and by increasing the amount of silver nanoparticles over 0/04%, the antibacterial effect didn’t increase significantly
