مجله فیض
سال بیست و سوم شماره 1 (پیاپی 104، فروردین و اردیبهشت 1398)

Curcumin, as a polyphenolic compound in turmeric plant, has a neuroprotective effect in the improvement of learning and memory. Curcumin has interaction with diverse molecules, e.g., nitric oxide (NO). The present study dealt with the effect of curcumin pre-treatment on morphine-induced inhibitory memory impairment and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) level in rat. In this experimental study, rats (n=40) were divided into four groups (each group, 10 rats) and their memory was evaluated in an inhibitory memory apparatus: Control (saline gavage for 35 days+post-training saline (i.p.)); Curcumin (curcumin gavage (10 mg/kg for 35 days)+post-training saline (i.p.); Morphine (saline gavage for 35 days+post-training morphine (7.5 mg/kg/i.p.)); Curcumin+Morphine (curcumin gavage (35 days)+post-training morphine (i.p.)). In all groups, the memory of animals in the second day (test) was reported as the time delay (Sec.) to enter the dark chamber. The locomotor activity was evaluated using the open field. After behavioral tests, the brain of animals was removed under deep anesthesia for evaluating the NOx level using the Griess method. The time delay to enter the dark chamber in Morphine and Morphine+Curcumin groups were decreased (P<0.001) and increased (P<0.01), compared to Control and Morphine groups, respectively. Tissue NOx levels in Morphine and Morphine+Curcumin groups were decreased (P<0.05) and increased (P<0.001), compared to Control and Morphine groups, respectively. Locomotor activity in open field did not show a significant difference in four groups (P>0.05). Curcumin improves the morphine-induced inhibitory memory impairment in rat, probably via the NO signaling pathway.

Diabetes in the long run causes damage to the heart tissue. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of continued and interval training along with crocin consumption on BDNF and NGF gene expression in a heart tissue of diabetic rats. In this experimental study, 49 diabetic rats were divided into 7 groups: interval training, continued training, interval training + crocin, continued training + crocin, crocin, sham and control. Continued training and interval training groups ran on a treadmill for eight weeks, three sessions per week, with intensity rates of 80%-85% and 50%-55% of the maximum running speed, respectively. The crocin groups received 25 mg/kg crocin daily for eight weeks. Interval training and continued training + crocin significantly increased BDNF levels (P=0.001). Continued training + crocin increased BDNF levels more than those of continued training, crocin, interval training, and interval training + crocin groups (P=0.001). Also, continued training + crocin significantly increased NGF (P=0.001) and continued training + crocin increased NGF more than continued training, crocin, interval training, and interval training + crocin group (P=0.001). Continued training with crocin has a more significant effect on increase of neurotrophins expression compared to continued training, interval training, crocin and interval training +  crocin groups in a heart tissue of diabetic rats.

Today, the fatty liver disease has been increased due to the wrong life-style. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ginger extract and vitamin K on serum levels of liver enzymes in mice with non-alcoholic fatty liver. In this study, male NMRI mice were randomly divided into six groups of five including control, sham (received high fat diet), positive control (received silymarin), ginger extract, vitamin K, ginger extract and vitamin K groups. The animals were injected daily with ginger extract and vitamin K (0.2 mg/kg i.p.) for four weeks. Serum levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) for evaluation of liver bile defects and liver function, and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes to determine the antioxidant status of the liver in serum was measured. Serum AST, ALT and ALP levels significantly decreased in ginger extract, vitamin K, ginger extract and vitamin K groups compared to the sham group (P<0.05). However, the serum levels of CAT and SOD were significantly increased (P<0.001). Findings of this study show that due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of ginger extract, and also due to an important role of vitamin K in coagulation and proper liver function, ginger extract with vitamin K can improve the function of non-alcoholic fatty liver.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an eight-week aerobic training  program and chlorella supplementation on brain antioxidants of diabetic male rats. Fifty male rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=10): aerobic training (AT), chlorella, training + chlorella, diabetic control and healthy control groups. Training was performed on a treadmill for eight weeks (5 sessions per week). Chlorella groups consumed chlorella powder solution once a day for eight weeks, each time with a dose of 5% of body weight. The rats of all the groups were anesthetized and sacrificed 48 hours following the last training session and after extraction of brain tissue, the levels of catalase and superoxide dismutase enzymes were measured. The activity of both enzymes (CAT and SOD) in all diabetic rats was higher than that in the healthy control group and of all three types of intervention led to a decrease in the amount of activity of these enzymes induced by diabetes. Also, the cumulative effect of supplementation and exercise was better than each other alone (P<0.05). Chlorella consumption and exercise in the brain of diabetic rats, contrary to expectation, were associated with an increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes, which appears to be due to the brain's efforts to relieve oxidative stress in the brain.

Among probiotics, lactobacillus species with bacteriocin activities have been used in microbial biotechnology as safe biological preservatives. So, this study aimed to determine antimicrobial activity of bacteriocins of lactobacillus species isolated from lactic acid bacteria in traditional dairy products. In this experimental study, isolated lactic acid bacteria from local yoghurt of Nadushan region were used as probiotics with a bacteriocin production potential. The bacteriocin effect of isolated lactic acid bacteria was investigated against seven pathogenic bacteria using well diffusion and disk methods. The results of well diffusion analysis showed that the most growth inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis and Candida albicans pathogen bacteria was caused by isolated lactic acid bacteria including Lactobacillus delbrucki, Lactobacillus caesium and Lactobacillus plantarum, respectively. Also, the results of disc method showed that the highest inhibitory effect against the bacterial pathogens was caused by Lactobacillus delbrucki, Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus caesium, respectively. Although antimicrobial compounds were inactivated by proteolytic enzymes, they showed stability against variant pH and temperature treatments. It seems that bacteriocin of the probiotics isolated from dairy products of this region can be used as a safe and healthy biological preservative in food industry.

The injuries in osteoarthritis are mediated by various cytokines, growth factors, and inflammatory factors and the importance of the interleukin 17 family in this disease is increasingly evident. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between interleukin 17F rs763780 gene variation and the risk of knee osteoarthritis. In this case-control study, 200 participants including 100 healthy individuals and 100 patients with knee osteoarthritis referred to Shahid Beheshti hospital were enrolled. The blood samples of the participants were collected and genotypes of the samples in the polymorphic region were detected by PCR-RFLP. Results showed that there was a significant association between the genotype AG and an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis (OR=3.49, 95%CI=1.48-8.25, P<0.01). But, no significant association was found between the genotype GG and an increased risk of knee osteoarthritis. In addition, there was a significant association between the allele G and the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OR=2.97, 95% CI=1.39-6.30, P<0.01). Findings of the present study show that rs763780 can be a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis. Therefore, this polymorphism can be considered as a possible biomarker for the screening of susceptible individuals to knee osteoarthritis

Methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) is a common medication in opioid dependence disorder. This treatment, despite the positive results, has many psychological problems such as difficulty in emotion regulation and distress tolerance. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) on emotional regulation strategies and distress tolerance in patients under methadone therapy. This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial with the intervention and control groups. Fifty men referred to the methadone treatment clinic were randomly assigned to two groups. In this study, emotion regulation questionnaire, distress tolerance questionnaire, corrective therapy questionnaire, and unified therapy questionnaire in three stages of pre-test, post-test and follow-up were used. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS 17 with Leven test, chi-square, t-test and repeated measure ANOVA. The results showed that the scores of the intervention group significantly decreased in the distress tolerance after 4 months of the intervention (P<0.01) and 2 months follow-up compared to the control group (P<0.01). Also, the scores of the intervention group significantly increased in the emotion regulation after 4 months of intervention (P<0.01) and 2 months follow-up (P<0.01) compared to the control group. The simultaneous combination of methadone therapy and dialectical behavior therapy can be useful in reducing the psychological problems of patients with opioid dependence.

Gastric cancer is one of the main causes of cancer related deaths particularly in northern parts of Iran. It has been recently attributed to the increased application of agricultural pesticides in these areas. CYP1A1 is the prototype member of the cytochrome P450 detoxifying enzymes that its gene expression alterations as a result of genetic or epigenetic changes, has been verified to have significant role on gastric cancer incidence. In this cross-sectional study, genomic DNA of tumoral and normal stomach tissues was extracted by phenol chloroform protocol and was subjected to bisulfite conversion by the EpiTech DNA Bisulfite kit. CpG-rich regions of the CYP1A1 gene promoter was amplified using specific primers and subsequently was sequenced in both directions using direct bisulfite Sanger sequencing method. Methylation rate of the individual CpGs was calculated and its correlation with demographic features was estimated by Spearman's test. Results showed a significant positive correlation between promoter methylation of the CYP1A1 gene, particularly those CpGs existing in Xenobiotic response elements (XRE) consensus sequence, and smoking habit as well as familial history of gastric cancer. However, increasing age showed no significant effect on the methylation rate of the CYP1A1 gene promoter. Smoking and familial history of gastric cancer showed positive correlation with CYP1A1 gene promoter methylation. Screening of the CYP1A1 gene promoter methylation in smokers and individuals having positive familial history of disease may be used as a marker for gastric cancer diagnosis.

Somatosensory afferent signals from from the environment are required for the posture control. The disorder of somatosensory systems results in impairment in on-time and efficient signaling and its upcoming postural instability. The present study aimed at investigating the effect of proprioceptive, vestibular and visual changes on posture control among the active girls with and without medial tibial stress syndrome. In this case-control study, 60 girl athletes were purposefully selected with a history of regular physical activity, among them 30 girls had medial tibial stress syndrome and others were healthy athletes. The assessment of posture during the single-leg stance test was carried out on both groups (with and without medial tibial stress syndrome) in six different sensory positions. The results showed a significant difference in posture control in five different positions (opened-eye, head hyperextension, closed eyes on hard surface, closed eyes followed by head hyperextension, opened-eye and head hyperextension and closed eyes on soft surface) between athletes with medial tibial stress syndrome and healthy athletes (P=0.001). It seems that in the presence of the coordinated function of three senses, the posture control of the girls with a medial tibial stress syndrome is similar to healthy girls and in the absence of each of the three senses, the posture control would impair.

Brain structures, cognitive components, and emotion regulation have an important role in etiology of psychological disorders. So, study of the differences in brain management systems and cognitive components of emotion regulation in patients with different psychological disorders could have a significant role in precise diagnosis and selection of appropriate psychotherapy approach. The aim of this study was to compare the brain behavioral system and cognitive emotional regulation in patients with compulsive hoarding and obsessive-compulsive disorder In this cross-sectional study, 50 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 50 patients with compulsive hoarding were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the cognitive emotion regulation scale (CERQ-P-short) and behavioral inhibitory and activator system scale (BIS/BAS). The results showed that patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder had a higher mean score in the behavioral inhibition and negative cognitive emotion regulation compared to patients with compulsive hoarding. But, patients with compulsive hoarding had a higher mean score in the positive cognitive emotion regulation compared to those with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Also, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the behavioral activation system (P>0.05). Paying more attention to brain systems and optimization of emotion regulation strategies can be useful in pathology and treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and compulsive hoarding.

The skull is one of the most important parts of the body used to determine gender in forensic medicine. Previous studies have focused on cadavers’ skulls in races other than Aryan race. However, the aim of this study was to focus only on temporal bone of living people in our country and evaluate the metric differences between the two sexes. In this is a cross-sectional descriptive analytical study, CT images of patients in Amir Aalam Hospital were selected by the quota-convenience sampling method during 2015-2017. Temporal bone metric indices were calculated and compared in two groups of men and women. The results showed a significant difference in lateral angle of internal acoustic canal, length of mastoid process and the length to width ratio of mastoid process between women and men. But the width of mastoid process, bone thickness and Hounsfield units of squamous part of temporal bone and the angle between squamous part and zygomatic process of temporal bone showed no significant difference between the two groups (men and women). The findings of this study show that certain characteristics of temporal bone alongside other clues can be useful in sex determination. Furthermore, it has emphasized the importance of sexual dimorphism in human anatomy.

Various researches have studied the relationship between psychological distress and different variables. The present study aimed to predict psychological distress according to the attachment style with respect to the mediating role of mindfulness. The present study follows a design of correlational studies. The sample of research included 250 undergraduate and M. D. students of Shahed University studying in the first semester of a 2017-2018 academic year. Data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 item (DASS-21), Experiences in Close Relationship-Revised (ECR-R) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Then, the data were analyzed using the SPSS-23 and AMOS-18 software.  The results showed a significant positive relationship between attachment anxiety and the components of psychological distress (anxiety, depression and stress), as well as a significant negative relationship between attachment anxiety and mindfulness. Also, a significant negative relationship was found between mindfulness and the components of psychological distress. In addition, a significant negative relationship was found between attachment avoidance and mindfulness. The results of the structural equation modeling confirmed the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between attachment anxiety and the components of psychological distress. The effect of attachment avoidance on the components of psychological distress was only confirmed in the presence of mindfulness as a mediating variable, rather than directly. According to the findings of the current research, the mediating role of mindfulness in the effect of attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance on the components of psychological distress is confirmed. These findings seem to be applicable in different humanistic areas like interpersonal relationships, educational, family and therapeutic fields.

Traumatic spinal injuries are the main cause of patients' morbidity and the underlying health costs. The first step in prevention of these injuries is to recognize their epidemiologic factors. The aim of this study was to identify the demographic and some other risk factors of traumatic spinal injuries in Isfahan Province. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 510 patients with traumatic spinal injuries referred to two main hospitals of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences during 2012-2018. Demographic data of the patients including age, sex, mechanism of injury, level of injury, type of fracture and the need for surgery were recorded. The mean age of the patients was 42.31±14.52 years and 30.4% were female. Seventeen percent of the patients had neck injury, 26.9% had thoracic damage, 56.1% had the lumbar region damage, and 13.3% suffered spinal cord injury. Also, 18% were surgically treated for spinal fracture. The most common type of fracture was compression fracture (29.4%), followed by burst fracture (28%). The most common mechanism of trauma was car accident. Considering the high prevalence of traffic accidents in this country and the following occurrence of spinal cord injury, more studies need to be conducted regarding factors affecting the spinal cord injuries and the ways of preventing these injuries, and as a result we can reduce social and financial burden of these injuries on society.