مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 526 (هفته دوم تیر ماه 1398)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the 10 most common malignant tumors. This study aimed to evaluate the relevance of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) genes as biomarkers for diagnosis of OSCC. In this study, 30 patients and 30 healthy individuals were selected. CK19 and VEGF were measured in peripheral blood using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. T-test was performed to analyze the data. In patients with OSCC, CK19 and VEGF markers were positive in 17 and 23 patients out of 30. The expression of VEGF and CK19 is more among the patients with OSCC, compared to healthy people. In summary, the result of this study can be considered as a diagnostic screening test in the early stages of the disease.

Brain ischemia/reperfusion causes structural and functional damage in the hippocampus. Physical activity is an essential method for early rehabilitation after a stroke. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of 8 weeks of early endurance training on treadmill on improvement of the neurons of CA1 region of hippocampus and expression of A2A protein following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in male rats. 21 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of sham, ischemia + control, and ischemia + exercise. 24 hours after induction of ischemia, the rats in exercise group ran 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. Ischemia was induced by blocking both common carotid arteries for 45 minutes. Ladder test, hematoxylin and eosinophil (H&E) staining, and immunohistochemical method were used to evaluate functional status, neuronal death, and protein expression, respectively. The brain ischemia was associated with an increase in neuronal death in the CA1 region of hippocampus, and reduced cognitive function and motor learning. Early training significantly decreased cell death, as well as impaired cognitive function and motor learning. Moreover, in ischemia + exercise group, expression of A2A did not change significantly compared to the ischemia + control group. This study showed that early training on treadmill, as a rehabilitation stimulant, would have protective effects against cell death, and can improve motor function.

Plasma is used in two direct and indirect methods for treating cancer cells. Direct treatment of cells or tissues is carried out with irradiation of plasma, but in indirect treatment, the medium activated by plasma radiation is used to decrease cancer cell growth. In this experimental study, the plasma parameters such as active species and temperature were evaluated, and then the effects of plasma-activated medium in different treatment times and gas composition of helium/helium + 0.5% oxygen were investigated on two cancer cell lines of Hela and MDA-MB-231. Moreover, to evaluate the selectivity effects of the plasma-activated medium, the viability of normal fibroblast cell lines was investigated after direct and indirect treatments. Analyses used in this study were optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and MTT assay. The optimal state for the experiments was 1 cm distance between the sample and the nozzle of the plasma jet and the voltage of 5 kV. Moreover, increasing the time of treatment of the medium and interval time between treatment and analysis caused decreasing in cancer cells viability. The plasma-activated medium also reduced the viability of cancer cells more than that of normal cells. Plasma-activated medium is a new and challenging method, which has a selective toxicity to destroy cancer cells. Based on the results, cold atmospheric plasma could be an effective and alternative method for cancer therapy.

Aggression is a threatening hurtful sign occurring by a variety of causes, and should be managed rapidly by therapists. To this end, anti-psychotic drugs are used. It is essential to identify the medications that are more rapidly efficient, and can calm an aggressive patient. This study attempted to compare the velocity of haloperidol, trifluoperazine, promethazine, and chlorpromazine in sedating of aggressive patients. This was a randomized clinical trial study on aggressive patients referred to the psychiatry emergency department of Nour hospital, Isfahan, Iran, from 2016 to 2017. 76 patients were randomly divided into 4 groups, and respectively received haloperidol, promethazine, chlorpromazine, and trifluoperazine intramuscularly. Patients were evaluated each 30 minutes for aggressive symptoms. The time last for sedation was recorded for each patient, too. 76 patients with the mean age of 32.85 ± 7.80 years participated in this study, and 61.8% of them were men. 59.2% showed respond to intervention after the first injection, and 40.8% needed the second injection. The mean time needed for obtaining sedation was 19.41 ± 6.61 and 18.71 ± 5.38 minutes after the first and second injection, respectively. These mean times of sedation induction were not significantly related to age, gender, type of substance used, and type of aggression. After the first and second injection, the shortest time needed of sedation induction was in promethazine group and the longest one was in chlorpromazine group. Promethazine has the highest speed in creating sedative effects on aggressive patients. None of the studied drugs produced any side effect.

Sexual problems are prevalent in women with multiple sclerosis (MS), and sexual self-efficacy as an effective variable plays an important role in sexual health and sexual quality of life of these women. The aim of this study was to determine the predictors of sexual self-efficacy in women with multiple sclerosis. This descriptive analytical study was conducted in Tehran, Iran, with participation of 200 women with MS, who referred to the Iranian MS society, had Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ≥ 7, and met the inclusion criteria in year 2019; they were selected using convenience sampling method. For data collection and assess the predictor factors of sexual self-efficacy in women with MS, related standard questionnaires were used. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression model via SPSS software. The mean age of participants was 36.33 ± 5.22 years, and the mean score of sexual self-efficacy was 16.54 ± 7.27. After entering the significant variables derived from measuring the relationship between each variable individually with the score of sexual self-efficacy in multiple linear regression model for controlling confounders, sexual dysfunction (P = 0.001), anxiety (P = 0.024), stress (P = 0.006), and the number of sexual intercourse (P < 0.013) were significantly predictor factors of sexual self-efficacy in women with MS. The sexual dysfunction, anxiety, stress, and the number of sexual intercourse significantly predicted sexual self-efficacy in women with MS. Therefore, considering these factors in the treatment process of these patients can help to promote sexual self-efficacy and empower them in sexual life.