Journal of Advances in Medical and Biomedical Research
Volume:28 Issue: 127, Mar-Apr 2020

Metabolic syndrome has a high prevalence (about 22.4% in adult individuals) in developed countries. Inflammation due to obesity and fat accumulation is the most important factor in the progression of metabolic syndrome. In cells which have a receptor for insulin hormone, inflammatory mediators target the insulin signaling pathway and cause insulin resistance. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors are a group of ligand inducible transcription factors, whose activation can improve insulin resistance and their agonists such as Genistein, which seems to be useful in prevention of insulin resistance development. Genistein is one of the soy derived isoflavonoids that affects carbohydrate and lipid metabolism resulting in prevention of insulin resistance. The current narrative review has concentrated mainly on highlighting the usefulness of Genistein in the improvement of insulin resistance and therapeutic potential of it in both in-vitro and in-vivo models. Genistein can increase fatty acid β-oxidation, decrease lipogenesis and improve insulin resistance in hepatocytes. In adipocytes, Genistein prevents downregulation of adiponectin expression and facilitates the upregulation of adiponectin expression. In β-islet cells, Genistein initiates the special cascade which leads to proliferation of β cells, resulting in increased secretion of insulin. Based on findings of the studies, it can be concluded that Genistein can be a useful agent in prevention of de novo lipid synthesis as well as proliferation of β cells. In this way the development of metabolic syndrome can be prevented.

Early detection of neonatal hearing disorders is a suitable measure of speech and behavioral development. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hearing disorder in high-risk neonates treated in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

This descriptive study was performed on 150 neonates treated in the NICU of Besat Hospital in Hamadan, Iran, using a census method. Auditory brainstem response (ABR) and otoacoustic emission (OAE) tests were performed by Labat and HOMOTH devices in Besat Hospital of Hamadan for diagnosis of hearing disorders. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test via SPSS 16.

In this paper, 63.3% of studied participants were male and 36.7% were female. Also, 4.7% of participants had mild to severe hearing disorder, and 3.3% had moderately-severe hearing loss. There was a statistically significant relationship between age at admission, hearing loss in both ears, and oxygen demand with hearing-impaired participants (ABR test).

Considering the presence of 4.7% of hearing-impaired neonates (ABR test) in this study, it is necessary to design and implement a comprehensive hearing screening for high-risk neonates in terms of hearing disorders.

Hope therapy is an efficient and positive psychology intervention used to treat chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hope therapy on anxiety and depression using an Islamic approach and compare this approach with conventional hope therapy in coronary heart disease (CAD) patients.

The study was conducted in the form of a randomized trial with pre- post-test, and control groups. A total of 45 patients with CAD were sampled through convenience sampling from a hospital in Qom city, Iran. Data were collected using Snyder’s hope questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). After collecting pre-test data, the participants were randomly divided into three groups of peers, and the intervention sessions were performed in eight sessions of 90 minutes each. One experimental group received Islamic hope therapy, and the other experimental group was exposed to conventional hope therapy, while the control group received a stress relief package. All three groups undertook a post-test, the data from which were analyzed by SPSS 22, using Levin, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and covariance tests.

Islamic and conventional hope therapy both significantly outperformed the stress relief package in terms of increasing hope and decreasing depression. Also, Islamic hope therapy had an especially significant effect on reducing anxiety.

Islamic hope therapy seems similar to conventional hope therapy in its ability to increase hope and reduce depression and is more effective in reducing anxiety. Therefore, it could be helpful in treatment of patients with CAD and other chronic diseases that cause patients a high level of anxiety.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common chronic diseases and the leading cause of death in the world and in Iran. The aim of this study was to explore the geographical epidemiology of CVDs in the province of Zanjan, Iran.

 This cross-sectional study was carried out at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. Patients with adischarge diagnosis of CVDs (I00-I99 group of ICD-10 codes) who were hospitalized from 2012-2019 were selected as a study sample. All spatial analyses were performed in ArcGIS 10.7, and descriptive analysis was conducted by R (v3.6.0) and RStudio (v1.2.1335) software.

 The ischemic heart disease subgroup accounted for the majority of CVD cases (43.8%), while acute rheumatic fever (0.03%) was the least common contributor to CVD. Men had a higher rate of CVD (53.1%) than women (46.9%). The mean age of all CVD subgroups was 56.88 years, and the mean length of stay of all CVD subgroups was 114.2 hours. Zanjan city (57.4%) had the greatest incidence rate of CVDs in Zanjan province, Iran.

 Geographical epidemiology studies can identify the pattern of CVD distribution in different areas and can be helpful in preventing CVDs. A spatial-temporal pattern of CVD distribution provides crucial information for health development planning in Iran. The findings of this study provide useful information for health authorities in Zanjan, Iran, to plan CVD prevention programs.

Spermatogenesis and oogenesis stress is a primary epigenetic element that can cause lifelong modifications in neural system functions. This study was designed to elucidate whether preconceptional stress during spermatogenesis and oogenesis affects the seizure behaviors and body weight of the offspring later in life.

In this experimental study, 16 male and 32 female adult rats were included. Half of the rats were subjected to predatory stress. Then, they were coupled as follows: both subjects were intact as the control group (MC-FC), both subjects were stressed (MS-FS), male control/female stressed (MC-FS), and male stressed/female control (MS-FC). The pups were weighed and assessed for pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures. In addition, aniline blue staining was performed to study the chromatin maturity of the sperm in male parents immediately after copulation.

The latency of the first seizure behavior significantly diminished in stressed pups, and the duration of focal and generalized seizures significantly increased in the stressed rats. In addition, the body weight of the pups decreased in the stress groups compared to control rats, and a significant decrease was detected in the chromatin maturity of sperms in stressed rats.

Stress during spermatogenesis and oogenesis can be critical for the general growth (body weight) and seizure susceptibility of the offspring. Therefore, to improve reproductive outcomes, stress-lowering interventions are better to be started before conception.

Efflux pump inhibitors (EPIs) can block efflux pumps and are helpful in potentiating the activity of aminoglycosides against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The present study compared the effects of phenylalanine-arginine beta naphthylamide (PAβN) and curcumin on aminoglycoside minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates.

For this descriptive-analytical study, 100 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were collected and identified by differential diagnostic tests. The MICs of amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin were evaluated before and after adding EPIs using a micro-broth dilution test.

The bacteria were isolated from different types of samples, including urine (26 isolates), sputum (37 isolates), ulcers (20 isolates), catheters (eight isolates), blood (five isolates), feces (two isolates), and eyes (two isolates). Overall, 60% of the isolates were obtained from males (mean age = 47.85), and 40% from females (mean age = 44.76).
In the MIC test, 11 (25.5%), 15 (34.8%), and 18 (41.8%) isolates were resistant to amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin, respectively. Significant reductions in the MICs of amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin were observed after adding curcumin in 54-100% of aminoglycoside-resistant isolates, while fewer changes in the MICs of aminoglycosides were seen against these clinical isolates after adding PAβN (36-55%).

Curcumin and PAβN can potentiate the effect of aminoglycosides on clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and change their susceptibility pattern due to efflux pump inhibition. However, our outcomes detected that curcumin was more effective than the PAβN against the aminoglycoside-resistant isolates of P. aeruginosa.

Post-stroke fatigue is a troublesome symptom and a common complaint of stroke patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric features of the Persian version of the FIS (FIS-P) administered to Iranian stroke patients.

In this cross-sectional methodological study, the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the FIS (FIS-P) were examined. The participants were 280 Iranian people (140 healthy adults; 140 stroke patients) who were assessed using the FIS-P, fatigue severity scale (FSS), and SF-36 questionnaire. The content, convergent, and discriminant validity of the FIS-P were evaluated using CVR and CVI, Pearson correlation, and independent-sampling T-tests, respectively. Furthermore, inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability were assessed via the intra-class correlation coefficient and SEM. The internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s α.

The results of the CVR for items ranged from 0.6-1, and the CVI of the FIS-P was 0.85. The Pearson correlation measure revealed strong and inverse correlations between FIS-P and FSS and a low to moderate relationship between all subscales of the SF-36 and FIS-P in terms of convergent validity. T-test results showed the discriminant validity of the FIS-P in differentiating between stroke patients and healthy participants. The ICC coefficients for test-retest and inter-rater reliability for the overall scale were 0.991 and 0.984, respectively. Cronbach’s α was 895.

The strong psychometric properties of the FIS-P indicated its applicability in assessing the impact of fatigue on stroke victim’s daily activities and the effectiveness of therapeutic and rehabilitation interventions.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is the result of excessive cytokine release, leading to over-response by immune cells, such as macrophages and T lymphocytes. Here, we report a lethal case of HLH with a complete clinical course. The patient was a 45-year-old man with fever and chills since two months ago plus splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and pancytopenia. The Anti-HBc IgM was positive, but the HBS antigen, anti-HCV, and HBS antibody were negative. Assessment for cirrhosis was carried out by FibroScan, which showed F4 grade. The biopsy sampling was impossible due to the low platelet count. During admission, generalized bleeding was developed and led to alveolar hemorrhage, which subsequently resulted in the patient's death. Liver necropsy certified the diagnosis of hemophagocytic syndrome. Overall, according to the reported case in this paper, it should be remembered that secondary HLH is an inflammatory phenomenon due to different conditions, such as latent newly-developed infections.