Thrita
Volume:4 Issue: 14, Dec 2015

Urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence are common urogenital problems affecting 7 - 10% of menopausal women. The primary objective of this study was to quantify effective factors on urinary incontinence in a cohort of menopausal women.Patients and A sample of 150 menopausal women (natural menopause for at least 12 months) were recruited from 13 healthcare centers in Ilam, Iran. Data regarding diagnosis, medical history and clinical symptoms were collected using a structured questionnaire and screening patient medical records. Logistic regression models were used to examine associations between urinary incontinence and other variables. Multiple atrophic urogenital changes were identified including vaginal dryness (42%), decreased libido (41.3%), dyspareunia (16%), vaginal itching (11.3%) and vaginal discharge and burning (10.7%). The prevalence of urinary frequency, stress urinary incontinence, nocturia and urge urinary incontinence were 33.3%, 28.7%, 22.7% and 17.3%, respectively. A multivariate logistic model found that urinary infection (OR 5.6; 95% CI: 2.6 - 11.58), cystocele (OR 1.73; 95% CI: 1.29 - 2.33) and rectocele (OR 1.47; 95% CI: 1.20 - 1.80) were potential risk factors for incontinence. A significant association was observed between marital status and vaginal atrophy, body mass index and urinary incontinence and parity type and urinary incontinence (P < 0.05 for all). Multiple associations existed between atrophic urogenital changes and urinary incontinence. The most significant interaction was between urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence in menopausal women, with urinary tract infections increasing the risk of incontinence by 5.6 fold. We recommend health professionals to focus on early screening of these issues and implement educational programs for women as part of standard practice.

Context: The current study aimed to review research articles concerning cortical representational plasticity following the manipulations of inputs.Evidence Acquisition: This review article compromised previous studies in PubMed, Google Scholar and Scientific Information databases according to the keywords since 1988. CA1 neurons depolarization paired with CA3 presynaptic input result in EPSPs amplitude enhancement called LTP. Theta-burst stimulation of layer IV produced long term potentiation (LTP) in the granular primary motor cortex, but the agranular or primary somatosensory cortex was capable of generating LTP in case of GABAA receptor inhibition. Upper layers (UL)-induced, and White Matter WM-induced plasticity in layer VI corticogeniculate neurons were produced through type-5 metabotropic glutamate and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, respectively. Calcineurin and cannabinoid type 1 receptors are involved in WM-induced and UL-induced het-LTD, respectively. Long-term potentiation of inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) was produced in FS-GABA neurons in layer II/III of the mouse visual cortex by tetanic activation. In summary, the current study presents rational evidences for specific fundamental forms of plasticity, containing associative long-term potentiation and depression of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials.

Inflammatory bowel disease includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D have been linked with autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Procalcitonin as a marker of inflammation, has been proposed for bacterial infections. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between serum level of vitamin D and procalcitonin with activity of ulcerative colitis disease.Patients and In this cross-sectional study, 96 patients referred to the Gastroenterology Clinic of Baqiyatallah hospital in 2013, were analyzed. Thirty-two patients had active and 32 patients had silent ulcerative colitis or were in the remission phase of the disease. Thirty-two age- and sex-matched healthy controls were studied. The diagnosis of ulcerative colitis was previously established on the basis of clinical symptoms and colonoscopic demonstration. Our sample comprised of 32 patients with active and 32 patients with silent ulcerative colitis, and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. The frequency of vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in patients with active and silent ulcerative colitis when compared to healthy controls (75% and 65.6% versus 59.4%, respectively; P = 0.04). We found no significant difference in the serum level of procalcitonin among the groups. This study showed that the serum levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with active ulcerative colitis were higher than the two other groups. Our results showed that vitamin D deficiency is more common in patients with ulcerative colitis. Laboratory findings confirmed the rise of ESR and CRP.

Moyamoya disease (MD) is a disorder caused by blocked arteries at the base of the brain. As the normal blood vessels narrow and become blocked, a person may suffer a stroke. The MD mainly affects children, although adults may have the condition. This is a rare condition, with a marked prevalence gradient between Asian countries. We report a 5-year-old boy, who was presented with sudden right hand monoparesis and dysarthria. The patient was investigated with magnetic resonance angiography and diagnosed as MD.

Coexistence of horseshoe kidney and ureterocele abnormalities in one patient is a complex and rare condition. The role of heredity in this disease has not yet been proven. Moreover, its diagnosis requires various paraclinical methods. A middle-aged male was known to have horseshoe kidney, bilateral ureteroceles and a stone, 1 cm in diameter, in his right ureter. He also had severe hydronephrosis in his left kidney, whereas mild hydronephrosis was detected in his right kidney. Unlike other similar cases, we performed a transverse incision on the ureterocele with no surgery on the horseshoe kidney. Similar cases to date have been treated with partial nephrectomy. Urinary complications and flank pain did not occur during the one-year follow up. Precise evaluation of patients with one renal abnormality could lead to detection of other associated anomalies. Application of minimally invasive procedures such as ureteroscopic incision is highly recommended in ureterocele treatment..

The sensation of palpitations may either be the initial or the only symptom of cardiac arrhythmia. We describe a case of a visible clear temporal relationship between standard doses of oxazepam and palpitation. A 48-year-old man presented to the cardiac care unit with systolic heart failure. He was commenced on a medication regimen of routine drugs of patient’s heart failure and oxazepam. After taking the second dose of oxazepam, he experienced palpitations. These were associated with lightheadedness, and retrosternal and upper abdominal discomfort. His electrocardiography (ECG) demonstrated atrial fibrillation (AF) with nonpathological premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) in trace. His symptoms ceased upon the cessation of the oxazepam therapy. Atrial fibrilation is the most common sustained rhythm disorder with serious clinical consequences such as hemodynamic impairment and ischemic stroke. Cardiologists and nurses should be aware of the possibility of adverse reactions when oxazepam is prescribed as hypnotic.

When dental implants are applied in partially edentulous patients, there is the risk of placing the implants in close proximity or in direct contact with the adjacent roots. In this situation assurance of pulp vitality of the adjacent tooth is neessary. The current study aimed to assess pulp response of the tooth after root proximity with dental implant.Patients and After investigating 2800 records of patients, 31 implants in 29 patients were included in this study. A parallel peri-apical radiography was taken and pulp vitality tests (cold, heat and electrical pulp tests) were conducted for each patient. Among the 31 assessed implants and the adjacent intact teeth, 13 implants had direct contact and 18 implants had proximity of less than 1 mm with the adjacent root. All of the teeth had positive (normal) pulp response to all tests. The most prevalent areas for proximity of implant-tooth were upper first premolar implants and upper canine teeth. The most approximation area was apical third of root of the teeth. Based on the clinical and radiographic examinations, implant-tooth approximation (less than 1 mm or direct contact) is not related to pulp vitality of the tooth. Further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to confirm the results of the study.

Age, one of the key biomarkers among the nonclinical parameters of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), has the greatest effect on the development and progression of CVDs. The current study was done to evaluate the effect of age on cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patients’ attitudes regarding the main cause of their condition.Patients and The administrative data of this cross-sectional study were obtained from the database of the CR department of a hospital in Iran. The demographic and clinical information of 901 patients was obtained from January 2004 and January 2012 using compiled forms of this database and the structured clinical interview for Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Univariate analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc analysis were used for the data analysis. After adjusting for gender, it was revealed that significant age differences existed between patients who perceived no specific risk factors (62.43 years) and those who viewed biological (55.0), physiological (57.31), behavioral (57.85), and psychological (57.25) risk factors as the main cause of their condition (P < 0.05). The age differences between those who had no perceived risk factors (62.43) was significantly different from patients perceiving biological (55.0) and environmental (62.03) factors to be the main cause (P < 0.05). Although older patients need more self-care and the quality of this self-care originates from their attitude toward CVD risk factors, their lack of awareness about the main risk factor of their condition is a major challenge for secondary prevention measures. In addition, younger patients’ significant emphasis on biological risk factors as uncorrectable factors can reduce their sense of responsibility toward attempting to control correctable risk factors. Correcting these patients’ attitudes regarding CVD risk factors can result in better responsibility feeling by the patients and can improve treatment outcomes.

Various studies indicate that life style may influence serum enzyme levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of waterpipe smoking, immobilization and darkness stress on serum creatine kinase (CK) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in female rats. Female Wistar rats were divided into control, waterpipe smoking, immobilized, under darkness stress, immobilized waterpipe smoking, under darkness stress waterpipe smoking, under darkness stress immobilized and under darkness stress immobilized waterpipe smoking of 7 each. Waterpipe smoking exposure was 10th/day for 10 minutes of each with 5 minutes resting time; chronically immobilization was applied 4 hours/day (twice a day for 2 hours with 2 hours resting time) and darkness stress for 6 hours/day in dark situation. Following 7 weeks experiment, serum enzyme levels were measured and compared statistically between groups using ANOVA. The results indicated enhanced serum CK and ALP levels in all groups compared with control (P < 0.05). Also, there was a significant difference in serum CK levels between all the groups including different types or multiplicity of stress (P < 0.05). Serum ALP levels were found less affected by these factors; where darkness or immobilization have shown semi-equal effect on these enzyme levels with no significant difference. Besides, under darkness immobilized waterpipe smoking, ALP levels have no significant difference compared to immobilized waterpipe smoking or under darkness stress waterpipe smoking animals. Our findings clearly indicate a synergistic effect of waterpipe smoke, immobilization and darkness stress on serum CK levels, whereas serum ALP levels of experimental groups have shown no significant synergism for the mentioned factors.