Journal of Analytical Research in Clinical Medicine
Volume:4 Issue: 1, Winter 2016

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has become a catastrophic health problem throughout the world because of the aging population. Destruction of the macular architecture in the wet type form is a major problem that results from AMD and is irreversible. Working on preventive measures is, therefore, of critical importance. Because pentraxins (PTX) become elevated in the body in stressful, oxidized conditions, this study examines the role they play in AMD. The similarity between the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and AMD and the role of PTX3 in atheromas were also factors that support conducting this study.
This case-control study used 40 eyes that were at different stages of wet type AMD. The eyes were from patients who were over the age of 50 and had not had intraocular surgery or choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to non-AMD causes. The control group included 49 eyes with normal macula. These study groups were matched according to age and gender, and the serum levels of PTX3 were analyzed.
The mean ages of the patients were 70.7 ± 9.0 and 69.6 ± 7.4 years among the case group and the control group, respectively (P = 0.540) while the male to female ratios were 2.64 and 1.19, respectively (P = 0.091). The PTX3 (P = 0.002), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (P = 0.008) and triglyceride (TGs) (P = 0.032) were significantly higher among the wet type AMD cases.
PTX3 appears to be a component in the pathogenesis of AMD and, therefore, could be a target for possible pharmaceutical interventions to stop or reduce the progression of this ominous disease.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) in UC patients in comparison with healthy subjects using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
In this case-control study, five biopsies of patients with UC and 30 healthy people as controls were selected. Sampling was performed by endoscopic biopsy operation. After DNA extraction, PCR was used to determine EBV genome by specific primers. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test.
The results of PCR indicated that EBV genome was detected in 60.0% of samples in the case group, and 36.7% of samples in the control group were positive for EBV. Thus, no significant association was observed between the prevalence of EBV and incidence of UC in comparison with the control group (P = 0.36).
The findings presented herein demonstrate no direct molecular evidence to support an association of EBV with UC. These results, do not exclude the possibility oncogenic role of EBV to infect the different colon cell.

Hydration is necessary for surgery, and it is recommended that pre-operative hydration may accompany with better outcome and shorter post-operative hospitalization. This study aims at evaluating effects of pre-operative hydration on clinical outcome of patients undergoing orthopedic surgery.
In this case-control study, 100 patients undergoing lower limb orthopedic surgery were randomly classified as intervention group (pre-operative hydration, n = 50) and control group (no pre-operative hydration, n = 50). The intervention group received crystalloid fluids (ringer) 1.5 ml/kg during fasting, and the control group received no intravenous fluid before surgery. Both groups were evaluated for intraoperative and post-operative findings.
Comparing with the control group, the intervention group had significantly lower hypotension during surgery (10 vs. 38%, P = 0.001), less hemodynamic disorder (8 vs. 30%, P = 0.005), less need for pack cell transfusion (12 vs. 60%, P Pre-operative hydration improves patient’s status during surgery, reduces hypotension, and duration of hospitalization.

The universal target under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to reduce the worldwide burden of tuberculosis (TB) 2015, and we wanted to evaluate development in TB control by assessment of the time trend in incidence and death rate in Tabriz, Iran.
This was a retrospective trend analysis of the data have been recorded in East Azerbaijan State TB center during 10 years. Data were related to patients have been registered for treatment under the directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) strategy from 2001 to 2011.
In total, 3283 TB patients were treated under DOTS strategy during 2001-2011. Males constituted 55.0% of subjects. The risk was the highest among the productive age group (15-44 years). About 61.0% of cases had pulmonary, and 78.0% of pulmonary TB patients were found to be the sputum smear positive than 46.0% of them were new sputum smear positive, and 2.0% of them were relapse. On average, for sputum smear positive, TB cases from 2005 to 2011; the treatment success rate was 87.3%; the cure rate was 80.2%; the treatment failure rate was 0.5% and death rate was 10.3%. In general, the TB incidence rate for all TB cases was decreased from 11.9-8.1 a 100000 population and the smear-positive pulmonary TB incidence rate were decreased from 4.7 to 4.1 a 100000 population in eastern Azerbaijan province during 2001-2011.
In general, we had a decrease in the incidence rate for all of TB cases. In addition, we had a fall in cure rate and had an increase in drug side effects rate in this year that can be because of elevated old people ratio and high death rate by other indirect causes and lack of regular visits and medications taking according to the treatment protocol.

Paraspinal, abdominal, and core muscles are playing the main role in lumbar disc herniation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a 6 weeks exercise training protocol on pain relief in males and females with lumbar disc herniation.
In this before-after trial study, 64 patients with lumbar disc herniation were assigned to a 6 weeks exercise training program. Training protocol included leg press, trunk lateral flexion, trunk rotation, trunk flexion/extension, and stretching exercises in two sessions a week with 25-30 minutes each. Pain was measured with visual analog scale (VAS) at 1st, 6th, and 12th sessions.
A total of 64 patients (13 males with mean age 47.53 ± 11.71 years and 51 females with mean age 46.50 ± 11.76 years) completed the protocol. The pain was significantly reduced in both males and females during sessions 6 and 12 in comparison with the first session (P = 0.001). The amount of pain relief in males was higher than females (P = 0.047).
About 6 weeks exercise training program could reduce more pain in males with lumbar disc herniation compared to females. This core stabilizing exercise protocol could be a good recommendation for patients with disk herniated low back pain (LBP).

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is as a leading cause of death and disability all around the world. Multiple risk factors have a role in the development and progression of coronary heart disease (CHD). It is necessary to control risk factors, to achieve optimal results of treatment. The aim of present study was to evaluate the persistence of cardiovascular risk factors in patients with CADs after percutaneous cardiac interventions.
In an analytical-descriptive study, 150 patient with CAD and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were performed for them, and referred to Cardiology Clinic of Shahid Madani Hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, from September 2013 to September 2015, were studied. The persistence of coronary risk factors, 12-24 months after performing PCI, was evaluated.
The mean age of patients at time of PCI performing was 57.90 ± 12.26 years. 72.7% of patients were male and 27.3% were female and male to female ratio was 1 to 0.37. Dyslipidemia in 52.0% of patients, hypertension in 51.3% patients, and diabetes mellitus (DM) in 41.3% patients were the most common underlying comorbidities. In both before and after doing PCI, 26.7% were a smoker, and smoking rates after doing PCI also showed no significant change (P = 0.055), and also there were no significant changes in the physical activity of patients compared before and after performing PCI.
Based on the findings of the present study, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and DM, was the most frequent underlying diseases in patients with CAD respectively. Risk factors such as smoking, and lack of exercise, had no significant changes after performing PCI.

The aim was to determine whether secretory phospholipase-A2 (sPLA2) activity and fatty acids in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) are correlated with liver enzymes tests.
CSF and serum samples were collected from 49 patients (age 18-65) as part of routine diagnostic testing. Along with serum liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), the fatty acid composition of CSF was measured by gas liquid chromatography. CSF enzyme activities of sPLA2 were measured using the standard assay with diheptanoyl thio-phosphatidylcholin as substrate.
The saturated fatty acids (SFAs) including palmitic acid and stearic acid were positively, and the unsaturated fatty acids including oleic acid and linoleic acid were negatively correlated with liver enzymes tests. In regression analysis with adjustment for body mass index (BMI), the elevated liver enzymes tests were positively associated with activity of sPLA2 (β > 0.31, P 0.38, P CSF activity of sPLA2 and fatty acids may be linked to peripheral markers of liver function, suggesting an indirect impact of central fatty acids on hepatocytes function and metabolism.

Attracting community participation is the most important developmental solution in various sectors of the society. In this regard, the community evaluation is the process during which researchers and community members get the right understanding of health, living concerns, and community health care system by collecting and analyzing data and determining the strengths, resources, and the needs of society. Navai Kola is a village in the Babol, Iran, in which this research has been done to identify and prioritize problems.
This research is based on the model of the Northern Carolina. In this model, the process of community assessment is done in an eight-stage process that the first seven stages include: identification and classification of problems and the eighth involves drawing up operational plans for solving high priority problems.
In this study, a total of 40 different problems were identified in order, and the main were lack of sports facilities and entertainment, waste disposal, dangerous U-turn point in the entrance of the village, worn out power and water utilities, and youth unemployment.
Most of the problems identified were issues not directly related to health, but had effects that differently appeared in community health.

Behavioral self-management approach offers some promising implications for improving independent task performance in all students particularly ones with learning disabilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-management training on task performance in students diagnosed as learning disabled.
The participants were five students with learning disabilities attending in sub-specialty psychological clinics in Tabriz, Iran. Changing criterion design as a type of single-subject design applied, and data were gathered during each baseline and treatment sessions.
Training in self-management strategies was conducted in 12 sessions of 45 minutes. The self-management training improved students’ task performance and increased their academic productivity and accuracy.
Practical implications and recommendations for school psychologists, teachers, and clinicians for appropriate application of self-management strategies are discussed.

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) could be a marker of vascular calcification extent. The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between OPG and coronary artery calcification (CAC) extent in an Iranian population.
A total of 151 patients with chest pain [107 males/44 females, mean age: 57.23 (30-85)] were enrolled, excluding patients with previously established coronary artery diseases. All underwent chest multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for CAC scoring. Blood samples were collected for measurement of OPG. A potential relationship between CAC, OPG, age and number of involved coronary arteries was investigated, and a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was designed thereafter to identify a cut-off value of OPG that best predicted the presence of CAC.
A total of 93 patients did not have CAC, who were younger than others. The mean age of patients with a different number of involved arteries was significantly different and is significantly correlated with a number of involved coronary arteries. The mean level of OPG differed by the number of calcified coronary arteries and is significantly correlated with the number of involved coronary arteries. The level of OPG had a weak but positive correlation with Ca score. ROC curve analysis showed that plasma OPG level had a fair prediction of CAC score, with an area under ROC curve of 0.62. The cut-off value best predicting CAC score was 59.1 pg/ml.
This study suggests that a serum level of OPG can fairly predict extent of coronary retry calcification in symptomatic population.