مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 501 (هفته اول دی 1397)

Postoperative coughing and hoarseness are two of the most common complications occur following endotracheal intubation and pharyngitis, laryngitis, and tracheitis. Eucalyptus lozenges are used in the treatment of many sign of common colds, such as cough, sore throat, etc. Therefore, the aim of this research was to study the effect of sucking Eucalyptus lozenges on coughing and hoarseness following endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia. In this clinical trial study, 134 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia were selected using convenience sampling method, and were allocated into two equal groups of control and intervention via random assignment method. Following obtaining informed consent, half an hour before surgery and in intervals of six hours after the surgery, eucalyptus lozenges were administered to intervention group. Postoperative coughing and hoarseness were measured 2, 6, 12, and 24 hours following endotracheal intubation using coughing and hoarseness checklists. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact, chi-square, and t test, and generalized estimating equation (GEE) measures in SPSS software. P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Findings: The severity of coughing (P = 0.004) and hoarseness (P < 0.001) during the time were significantly less in the intervention group compared to the control group. Eucalyptus lozenges are effective in reducing coughing and hoarseness caused by endotracheal intubation in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery under general anesthesia.

The prevalence of bacteria in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the department of neonatal diseases is constantly changing, and the empiric practice of antibiotics is not effective due to the resistance of these microorganisms. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the relative frequency of positive cultures of BACTEC, blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and urine in infants admitted to NICU and neonatal diseases section of Alzahra hospital, Isfahan, Iran, during the years 2011-2016. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 466 positive-culture samples from 2853 different cultures [blood, urine, cerebrospinal (CSF) fluid, etc.] from infants were evaluated for the type of microorganisms and sensitivity to antibiotics. All the infants have clinical signs of neonatal infection and were admitted to NICU and neonatal diseases section of Alzahra hospital during 2011-2016. Findings: Among BACTEC, blood, CSF, and urine cultures, 15.5%, 9.3%, 6.4%, and 28.6% were positive, respectively. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most prevalent species in the BACTEC (46.7%), blood (53.1%) and CSF (37.1%) cultures, and Klebsiella pneumoniae was the most prevalent species of urinary cultures (28%). The highest susceptibility in our study population was to co-trimoxazole, clindamycin, amikacin, and oxacillin, respectively. Regarding the results of BACTEC and blood cultures, it is essential to use necessary policies to reduce staphylococcal infections.

Regarding the high prevalence of uterine leiomyoma and vitamin D deficiency, this study aimed to determine the effect of administration of vitamin D supplement on the amount of uterine leiomyoma in women with vitamin D deficiency. In a double-blind clinical trial, 70 patients with uterine leiomyoma and vitamin D deficiency were distributed in two equal groups, which received supplements of 50,000 unit of vitamin D every two weeks for 10 weeks and placebo, respectively. Serum level of vitamin D and size of uterine leiomyoma was measured in both groups before and 10 weeks after treatment, and compared between the two groups. Findings: 10 weeks after the intervention, serum level of vitamin D was 36.08 ± 11.15 and 16.25 ± 5.52 ng/dl in case and control groups, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was significant (P < 0.001). Moreover, 10 weeks after the intervention, the mean size of leiomyoma was 52.58 ± 14.4 and 61.11 ± 12.5 mm in case and control groups, respectively, and the difference between the two groups was significant (P = 0.006). The findings suggest that vitamin D intake decreases the amount of uterine leiomyoma, and therefore it seems that vitamin D is a good way to treat leiomyoma.

Physical activity in aging reduces of risk factors, and plays a protective role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of core stability and TheraBand resistance training on cardiovascular risk factors and cardio-respiratory fitness in elderly. In this experimental study, 40 elderlies with cardiovascular risk factors were selected using simple sampling method. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two groups of core stability and TheraBand resistance training. Patient’s body mass index (BMI), maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max), blood pressure, fasting blood sugar (FBS), and lipid profiles were evaluated using Rockport walking test, manual pressure gauge, and Multicare-in instrument at baseline and after 12 weeks of training. Data were analyzed using paired and independent t test via SPSS software. Findings: After intervention, FBS and lipid profiles improved significantly in both groups. Moreover, BMI, blood pressure, and VO2max improved after exercise. There was no significant difference in BMI, VO2max, blood pressure, and lipid profiles between the two groups, and only FBS was significantly less in TheraBand resistance training group. This study suggests that core stability training and TheraBand resistance training both will improve BMI, VO2max, blood glucose, lipid profiles, and blood pressure in the elderly, and the use of these interventions in the medical and rehabilitation process of these patients is recommended.

Stem cells are counts as a promising tool for treating spinal cord injury (SCI), due to their high proliferation and self-renewal capacities. Many advances in the field of gene therapy and in particular cell therapy of SCI have been made at three levels of experimental, pre-clinical, and clinical practice, owing to the multiple capabilities of stem cells. But, in order to find a therapeutic approach to ultimately reach the clinical level, a number of barriers, such as ethical, tumorigenicity, immune rejection, differentiation to non-intended cells, and clinical-trial-associated problems must be resolved. Many strategies for optimization of the route, location, and time of cell administration have also been developed in this field. Literature reveals that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the most prominent benefit for clinical applications, compared with other types of stem cells. However, it appears that the recent method of in-vitro trans-differentiation of somatic cells has the potential to substitute the current beneficial MSC transplantation method, in the near future. According to the complex pathophysiology of SCI, the combination therapies (that is simultaneous application of different treatment approaches such as cell therapy, gene therapy, simultaneous application of several types of cells in combination with nanomaterial scaffolds, and ...) are considered to be more useful in SCI treatments rather than single therapies. Finally, it should be noted that due to the safety problems attributed to cell and gene therapy application, patients are not recommended to participate in experimental treatments other than formal clinical trials.