مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی اردبیل
پیاپی 70 (زمستان 1397)

One of the most important diabetes complications is chronic renal failure. This disorder is one of the most important progressive renal problems that is closely associated with high mortality rate in diabetic patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of conjugated blackcurrant extract and zinc oxide nanoparticles on histopathologic damages of kidney tissue in diabetic rats. A total of thirty adult Wistar rats were used and they were randomly divided into the following six groups (n=5): control group; diabetic group (170 mg/kg alloxan); diabetic group treated with insulin (170 mg/kg alloxan & 10 U/kg insulin); diabetic group treated with ZnO nanoparticle (170 mg/kg alloxan & 8 mg/kg ZnO nanoparticle); diabetic group treated with extract (170 mg/kg alloxan & 150 mg/kg blackcurrant extract) and diabetic group treated with extract conjugated with ZnO nanoparticles (170 mg/kg alloxan & 8 mg/kg blackcurrant extract conjugated with ZnO nanoparticle). Diabetes mellitus was induced by intraperitoneal injection of alloxan monohydrate. Conjugated blackcurrant extract and ZnO nanoparticles were produced using green synthesis method. The tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain. Image J software was used for evaluation of histopathological changes. The comparison between groups treated with blackcurrant extract, ZnO nanoparticles and blackcurrant extract conjugated with ZnO nanoparticle showed that these compounds somewhat protect kidney tissue from diabetes damage . The highest protective effect was observed in diabetic group treated with ZnO nanoparticles conjugated with blackcurrant extract. Our study, for the first time, showed that the conjugation of blackcurrant extract to ZnO nanoparticles can be effective in preventing renal- tissue damage in diabetic patient.

Considering the importance of liver toxicity due to drugs and toxins as a major cause of liver damage, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the combination of cinnamon and ginger extracts on serum biochemical parameters in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- intoxicated rats. In this experimental study, forty-two male Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups (n=6). Three control groups including normal control, combined extract control and damaged control were designated that received distilled water, a mixture of cinnamon and ginger extracts and distilled water respectively for 14 days.
Other 4 groups were pre-treatment groups which were treated with cinnamon (50 mg/kg/d), ginger (250 mg/kg/d), cinnamon + ginger (25+125 mg/kg/d) and silymarin (100 mg/kg/d) respectively for 14 days before being damaged by intraperitoneal injection of CCl4 (1 ml/kg, 1:1 in olive oil). Fifty - two hours after CCl4 injection, blood sampling was performed and biochemical parameters were measured in serum of rats. The results of this study showed that the injection of CCl4 significantly increased the ALT and AST enzymes activity ,cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels and decreased the blood albumin and HDL levels in damaged rats compared to the normal control group (p<0.001). However, pre-treatment with the cinnamon and ginger extracts, especially combination of extracts significantly improved these values ​​compared to the CCl4 damage group (p<0.001). The results suggest that simultaneous use of cinnamon and ginger extracts has more significant protective effects against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity.

Epidemiological and clinical studies have shown a close relationship between asthma and obesity. The present study examined the effect of obesity on the airway response to methacholine and the number of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar fluid of ovalbumin-sensitized male rats. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: normal diet (C+ND), OVA‐sensitized with the normal diet (S+ND), high-fat diet (C+HFD) and OVA‐sensitized with high‐fat diet (S+HFD). All animals were fed for 8 weeks with standard diet or high-fat diet, and then were sensitized with ovalbumin or normal saline for another 4 weeks while receiving the designed regimens. At the end of the study, the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF) and tracheal responsiveness to methacholine were examined. In diet-induced obesity groups, weight and obesity indices increased (p<0.05 to p<0.001). The results also showed that tracheal responsiveness to methacholine in S+HFD group compared to S+ND group, was significantly increased (p<0.05). In addition, the number of inflammatory cells in the BAL, in the S+HFD group was higher than other groups (p<0.001). the results of this study suggest that the response of the airways to methacholine and the number of inflammatory cells are increased in obese-asthmatic male rats.

Backgrounds & Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Micro RNAs are a group of non-coding small RNAs that inhibit the translation of target mRNA. MiR-146a-5p, as a tumor suppressor, has abnormal expression in many cancers. In this basic research, our goal was to restore the expression level of miR-146a-5p to normal level and to investigate its effect on the expression of the MMP9 gene in HT-29 cells. this study evaluates the effect of transfection of miR-146a-5p in HT-29 cell line. At first, the HT-29 cell line from colorectal cancer was cultured in RPMI-1640 culture media and then were transfected with miR-146a-5p using Jet-PEI reagent. qRT-PCR technique was employed to evaluate the expression level of miR-146a-5p and MMP9 genes. The statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 6 software. According to the obtained data, the onset of the invasion and metastasis, in particular, at the final stage of colorectal cancer may be related to a reduction in the expression of miR-146a-5p. The results of the qrRT-PCR test showed that by increasing the expression level of miR-146a-5p in HT-29 cells, the expression level of MMP9 gene decreased in the miR-146a-5p transfected group compared to the control group. According to this study, activation of metastatic pathways was due to the down regulation of miR146a-5p. Accordingly, miR-146a-5p can inhibits migration of these cells through down-regulating the expression of metastasis-related genes. Hence, miR-146a-5p can be a new diagnostic biomarker and new therapeutic target for CRC.

Parasitic diseases are one of the health problems of all societies and are considered as barriers to progress socioeconomic development, especially in most developing countries. This study evaluated the frequency of intestinal parasites in patients referred to hospitals affiliated with Ardabil University of Medical Sciences in 2018. a total of 409 stool samples were collected from laboratories of Imam Khomeini and Bouali hospitals and then transferred to the parasitology lab in the medical and paramedical school. Samples were evaluated using direct, concentration and culture methods. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21. Out of 409 samples, 22 cases (4.5%) were infected with intestinal parasites. Among them, 5.3% and 5.4% of infected cases were men and women respectively. Also, the rate of infection to the protozoans and helminths was 3.7% and 1.7% respectively. Among the positive cases, the highest percentage of infection was related to Giardia and Blastocystis.
The infection rate of each parasite among all patients and positive cases was 1.2% and 22.7% respectively. The present study showed that intestinal protozoan infection, especially Giardia lamblia and Blastocystis hominis are high in Ardabil city, and therefore special infection control measures are urgently needed.

Diet plays an important role in control of seizure in epileptic patients. Therefore in this research, the effect of acute and chronic sesame oil consumption on the seizure induced by strychnine in adult rats was investigated. In this experimental study, forty -two rats were divided into six groups: control (saline recipient, 1 ml/kg (, acute recipients of sodium valproate as positive control group (100 or 200 mg/kg, ip.), acute recipients of sesame oil (0.75 or 1.5 ml/kg, ip.) and chronic recipient of sesame oil (1.5 ml/kg/day, orally, 21 days). To induce seizure, strychnine was injected intraperitoneally 30 minutes after receiving saline, valproate or oil. Then seizure onset time and death time were recorded within 30 minutes. Acute injection of sesame oil increased seizure onset time and death time compared to control group but it was no significantly different. The chronic consumption of sesame oil significantly increased seizure onset time (p=0.029) in compared to control group, but there was no effect on the death time. Also, there were no significant differences in seizure onset time and death time between acute and chronic groups. It seems that chronic consumption of sesame oil delayed the onset of seizure and reduced the kindled seizure acquisition.

Breast cancer is one of the most important cancers in women worldwide. Taxol as a chemotherapeutic agent, is used for treatment of breast cancer.The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in the expression of mir-1246 and mir-224 in four breast cancer cell lines after Taxol treatment with the goal of introducing them as a biochemical marker for determining response or resistance of breast cancer to the Taxol therapy. In this in vitro study, four breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR-3 and BT-474 were cultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS and antibiotics. Then, MTT assay was performed to determine IC50 concentration of Taxol. Cells were treated for 24 hours and then RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed. Alterations in the expression level of mir-1246 and mir-224 were quantitated using qRT- PCR. After treatment with Taxol, the expression level of mir-1246 was significantly up-regulated in two HER2-overexpressing cell lines, BT-474 (113 fold) and SKBR-3 (1.4 fold), and down-regulated in two HER2-negative cell lines, MCF-7 (45.5 fold) and MDA-MB-231 (7.7 fold). Expression of mir-224 was detected only in two cell lines including SKBR-3 and MDA-MB-231, and was down-regulated after treatment with Taxol (2.1 and 17.2 fold, respectively). According to the different pattern of alteration in the expression level of mir-1246 in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cell lines compared to HER2-negative cell lines after treatment with Taxol, this miRNA could be a useful biomarker for responsiveness to Taxol in different types of HER2-positive and -negative breast cancers.

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world and Iran. Despite appropriate treatment, recent researches indicate that asthmatic patients have poor asthma control. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between educational level of asthmatic patients and asthma control indices. This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on 80 asthmatic patients admitted to Shahid Labbafinejad hospital. ESMAA questionnaire was used to collect data to assess the level of asthma control, according to ACT (Asthma Control Test) and 2016 GINA (the Global Initiative for Asthma) guidelines. Patient medication compliance was evaluated based on Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS). ANOVA test (Regression and Pearson correlation) and Chi-Square test were used for analysis of quantitative and qualitative variables, respectively. The P - value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Eighty asthmatic patients with an average age of 54.65 were entered to this study that of them 32 patients were at primary school level, 26 patients at high school level and 22 patients at university state. According to ACT test, 52.5% and 47.5% of patients were in control and uncontrolled state, respectively.
According to GINA classification, 30% of patients were in control, 45% in partially control and 25% in uncontrolled state. According to MMSA scale, 20% of patients were high adherent to medicine, 40% were moderate adherent and 40% were low adherent. In this study, there was no significant correlation between the asthma control in terms of ACT and patients' educational level. Also, there was no significant relationship between sex, asthma control and medication adherence. In addition, there was no significant relationship between educational level and drug adherence. The results suggest that there was no relationship between asthma control indices and patient's educational level. Perhaps other factors, other than education, affect the asthma control indices and medication adherence which requires more studies.

Ectopic eruption is a disorder in which the tooth does not follow its usual course and if not diagnosed in a timely manner, leads to occlusal problems. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of ectopic eruption of the first permanent molar and canine in patients referred to Ardabil dental school. By observing the panoramic radiographs, recorded from 2016 to 2017, the frequency of ectopic eruption of first permanent molars in children aged 5 to 8 years and permanent canine in children aged 10 to 13 years was determined. The frequency distribution based on sex, involved jaw, unilaterality and bilaterality were evaluated using Chi-Square test. the frequency of ectopic eruption of the first permanent molar and permanent canine was 2.1% and 6.4% respectively. There was no significant difference in the frequency of ectopic eruption of the first molar, based on the patient's gender (p=0.366), jaw (p=0.132), and unilateral or bilateral involvement (p=0.366).Also, there was no significant difference between the frequency of ectopic eruption of permanent canine and the patient's gender (p=0.384), unilateral or bilateral involvement (p=0.056). The ectopic eruption of the permanent canine in the maxilla was greater than the mandible (p=0.012). In this study, the frequency values of ectopic eruption were 2.1% and 6.4% for the first permanent molar and permanent canine respectively that were in the range of other studies reported from other populations.

Trichostrongylus spp. are common parasites of herbivorous animals and trichostrongyliasis is an important zoonotic disease in Iran, especially in northern Iran. Routine laboratory methods for diagnosis of these infections are direct smear and formalin-ethyl acetate techniques. There is no enough evidence about the sensitivity of nutrient agar plate culture for detection of Trichostrongylus spp infections. The objective of this study was to compare the nutrient agar plate culture and the formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation techniques for laboratory diagnosis of human trichostrongyliasis in an endemic area of northern Iran. A total of 1553 fresh stool samples were collected from residents of 31 villages within the Fouman district in Guilan province during 2015–2016. All samples were examined using nutrient agar plate culture and formalin- ethyl acetate concentration techniques for detection of Trichostrongylus spp. infections. Overall, 71 cases were diagnosed with Trichostrongylus spp. by at least one of the methods. Considering parasitological results as the diagnostic gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of nutrient agar plate culture were 90.1% and 100%, respectively. Also, the sensitivity and specificity of the formalin ethyl acetate concentration method were 95.8% and 100%, respectively. According to the results of this study, the formalin ethyl acetate method is more sensitive than nutrient agar plate culture in the diagnosis of human trichostrongyliasis, especially in humid climate regions such as North of Iran.

Topiramate, is an oral sulfonamide medication that is increasingly used for treating headache. We report a rare case of bilateral myopia and acute, secondary angle closure glaucoma following use of topiramate.
Case history: A 33 year-old woman, who referred to emergency ward of Alavi hospital in Ardabil, with bilateral painful loss of visual acuity following one week after starting topiramate. Her uncorrected visual acuity was two meter counting finger in both eyes. The patient had complete vision before administration of topiramate. At present, the eye refractive error was -6.00 diopters.The right and left intraocular pressure was 50 mm Hg OD and 45 mmHg OS respectively. Slit examination revealed conjunctival injection, corneal edemaand shallow anterior chambers. The patient had a history of taking topiramate tablets one week earlier. Topiramate was discontinued and she was treated with anti-glaucoma and cycloplegic drugs. Intraocular pressure and refractive errors were normalized within 3 days and 2 weeks, respectively. Topiramate can cause acute angle-closure glaucoma and myopia even at low doses or for a short period usage.