مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی سبزوار
سال بیست و هفتم شماره 5 (پیاپی 112، آذر و دی 1399)

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly and is characterized by loss of memory and other cognitive functions. The acetylcholinesterase enzyme (ACHE) with hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the cholinergic synapses of the brain plays a role in ending the neural message. One of the methods used to control the progression of Alzheimer’s disease is the administration of cholinesterase inhibitors, especially plant- originated medicines. The aim of this study was to study bioinformatics and obtain the level of inhibitory effect of acetylcholinesterase enzyme by hydro-alcoholic extract of aerial organs of Thymus vulgaris.

In order to investigate how the compounds are attached to the active site of the enzyme, first, Docking studies were conducted using AutoDock 4.2 software, the hydro-alcoholic extract of Thymus vulgaris was measured at concentrations 2, 1, 0 .5, 0.25 mg/ml in order to determine its inhibitory effect on acetylcholinesterase.

The compounds present in the extract were able to occupy the active site of the enzyme with a binding energy level of -4.12 to -6.58 kcal / mol. According to the laboratory results, concentrations of 2mg/ml were 46.99% and IC50 = 2.03 mg/ml.

The results of in silico and in vitro studies indicate that the extract of this plant contains effective inhibitory compounds, and trying to use these compounds is a suitable topic for future research with the aim of acquiring pharmacologically inhibitors.

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that easily enter to respiratory tract and cause considerable biologic damages. The main objective of this study was to determine the dose from the alpha and gamma radiations of radon decay chain products in trachea tissue using Monte Carlo simulation.

At first a trachea-equivalent cylindrical phantom was simulated by MCNPX Monte Carlo code. Then, dose profiles from alpha and gamma-emitter progenies were separately calculated. The daughter radionuclides were considered as suspended particles with uniform distribution inside the trachea inner volume.

The results showed that the received dose by trachea in alpha decay is considerably higher than that of gamma decay. The maximum administered dose by alpha decay was 1.72×10-16 Gy/decay. 218Po was had the highest dose among the studied alpha emitter daughter nuclides. The maximum administered dose by gamma decay was also equal to the 17.55×10-19 Gy/decay, where 214Pb and 214Bi had almost the same contribution in calculated dose.

The daughter radionuclides from radon decay chain, especially alpha emitter products of 218Po and 214Po, can be considered as a serious danger viewpoint to the internal exposure. These daughter nuclides can attach to the inner wall of trachea and remain in the respiratory system for long periods of time which can cause to the continuous exposure of trachea. Reducing the biologic effects of these internal radiation source requires especial schemes in order to avoid entering the radon and its radioactive daughters to human respiratory system, as much as possible.

COVID-19 is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by a new coronavirus that can be transmitted from person to person through close contact.  The aim of the present study is to investigate new information in the field of COVID-19 immunology.

The present study uses Google and Google Scholar search engines and articles indexed by reputable international scientific databases including Pub Med, MedLine, and the World Health Organization (WHO). In this study, published articles about COVID-19 and field of immunology were reviewed, and articles that did not have free access (Open Acess) and only access to abstracts were excluded from the study.

In total, studies have been suggested that the amount of cytokines such as IL-10, IL-7, IL-2, G-CSF, and TNF-α has been reported at high levels in patients. The ACE2 receptor is the target receptor for the Covid-19 virus, which binds to it after entering the lungs then IFN-I inhibit the primary replication and inhibition of the virus.

After reviewing the articles, it was found that strengthening the immune system against viral infections is very important. The virus weakens the immune system by disrupting the production of type I interferon and reducing expression in the production of MHC-I, II. One of the best ways to fight COVID-19 is to get the right vaccine to boost immune system and produce T cells and cytokines.

Management of antimicrobial-resistant Acinetobacter baumanni is a great challenge for clinical microbiologist. Whereas use the predatory bacteria is the best way to treat infection diseases  caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the aim of this study was to use the autochthonous Bdellovibrio potential to prey Acinetobacter baumannii as a biological control agent.

To evaluate the effect of autochthonous Bdellovibrio  on  Acinetobacter baumannii, as a biological control agent, plaque perdition assay, reduction in optical density (OD) and reduction in host cells viability by colony forming unit (CFU) counting in cocultures after 0,24, 48 hours  and assay of killing efficiency were carried out.

Clear plaques were observed after 3-6 days of incubation. In co-cultures, the CFU enumeration of Acinetobacter baumannii was decreased after 48 hours. Also, after 48 hours, OD was decreased 0.7unit. In this research the efficiency ofBdellovibriokilling for Acinetobacter baumannii was 83%.

Base on the results, Bdellovibrio can prey Acinetobacter baumannii as a prey cell. Therefore utilize of  Bdellovibrio spp., as biological control agent, for treatment of antimicrobial-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infection suggested in future study.

The neuropeptide orexin is synthetized in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and is involved in naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal syndrome via orexin type 1 receptors (OX1R). Locus coeruleus (LC) is a sensitive site for the expression of somatic aspects of morphine withdrawal. The orexinergic and GABA-A-ergic systems are involved in morphine withdrawal syndrome. In this study, the effect of OX1R at the LC neurones on GABA-A-ergic inhibitory system activity in morphine withdrawal syndrome was investigated.

Male Wistar rats (14-21 days) were made dependent on morphine (20 mg/kg, i.p., for 7 days). Then the effect of orexin-A on spontaneous and evoked inhibitory post synaptic currents in LC neurons using whole-cell patch clamp recordings was assessed.

The findings of this study indicated that orexin-A through OX1R in the presence of naloxone may induce an inhibitory effect on GABAergic system in the LC neurons. It seems that the orexin-A administration decreased the eIPSCs amplitude in LC neurons. OrexinA decreased spontaneous sIPSCs frequency of LC neurons, but did not change the sIPSCs amplitude in the presence of naloxone.

These findings implicated evidence that orexin-A via OX1R may participate in expression of naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal syndrome through decreasing of GABAA receptor activity.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most lethal malignancies in women. Hence, new investigative and therapeutic methods for OC are instantly needed. The use of new biomarkers for faster diagnosis and selection of more efficient therapies is one of the main concerns in this area. Few studies have been conducted on the effects of miR-4443 in cancer. Therefore, to determine the role of thismiRNA in OC, this study was directed to investigate the expression rate in OC tissue samples and its relationship with clinical factors.

In this study that was descriptive-analytic, regarding the role of miR-4443, its expression levels were evaluated in 35 ovarian tumor and 35 ovarian non-tumor tissue samples paraffinembedded by using qPCR. Expression was investigated by miRNA specific primers and then statistical analysis was performed to determine the significance. In the next step, the relationship between clinopathologic factors and miRNA expression was investigated.

The results of the study showed that miR-4443 decreased in OC and in metastatic samples (P<0.0001).

As a result, this studied miRNA may contribute to suppressing tumor. Therefore decrease in its expression is associated with increased cell proliferation and invasion. Further investigation can help to suggest thismiRNA as diagnostic biomarker or therapeutic target in OC.

One of the most severe physiological, psychological disorders and the most critical risk factors for cardiovascular disease is hypertension. High blood pressure is associated with several factors, such as thought control strategies and perceived stress. This study aimed to investigate the role of thought control strategies on perceived stress in hypertensive patients. The research method was a descriptive correlational. To select the research sample, 180 patients with hypertension who referred to the health centers of Qaenat (200 persons in total) were selected in 2018. Participants then responded to Wells and Davis (1994), Perceived Stress Questionnaire Cohen (1983). Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 22. The results showed that there is a significant relationship between the components of mind control, the component of distraction, reassessment, fear and punishment with perceived stress (p <0.05). So that the component of distraction and reassessment of negative relationship and the components of worry and punishment are a positive relationship with perceived stress (p <0.05). Thought control strategies play a role in the perceived stress of hypertensive patients. Stress causes many disorders and mental illness, including hypertension. However, if a person is mentally sound and healthy, he will not be stressed and will be safe from blood pressure.

Irisin is one of the skeletal muscle secreted myokine that can affect the growth of cancer cells and influence the muscular tissue changes. In the present study, the effect of four weeks continuous and interval exercise training on serum and muscular levels of irisin in breast cancer bearing mice were investigated.

The 32 female Balb/c mice assigned in four group with eight mice including: healthy control, tumor control, interval training+tumor and continuous training+tumor groups. In order to induce breast cancer, MC4-L2 cell line were used. Interval and continuous exercise training program conducted in four weeks and five sessions per week. The 48 hours after last exercise training session, blood samples and gastrocnemius muscle tissue were isolated and used for measurement of irisin levels by ELISA method. Data analyze performed by one-way analysis of variance test and Tukey post-hock test and significant considered at p≤0.05.

Significant increase of irisin serum levels in continuous (p=0.002) and interval (p=0.011) training group compared to tumor control group was observed. Tumor volume significantly decreased in continuous and interval training group (p>0.05), but not significant changes in gastrocnemius muscle weight observed after continuous and interval training (p>0.05).

According to present study findings, the observed antitumor effects of continuous and interval training can partly attribute to increase in irisin levels and there is no significant difference between continuous and interval exercise training

In aged women, elevated levels of some proinflammatory markers are risk factors for the development of diseases. The present study investigated the effect of 12-week walking at two different intensities on inflammatory factors in elderly woman.

Thirty untrained elderly women (60—75 years) randomly divided into three groups. Moderate tempo walking group (MTWG, n=11), Brisk walking group (BWG, n=10), and the control group (CG, n=9). The MTWG, walked at 50—55% maximum heart rate reserve (HRRmax) and the BWG walked at %70-75 HRRmax. Both walking groups trained 12 weeks, 3 sessions per week, starting from 30 to 60 minutes and the CG remained untrained. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), body composition, leukocyte counts (WBC) and plasma levels of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), were measured before and after the study period. To analyze the data, oneway analysis of variance, Scheffe test and dependent t-test was used (P≤0.05).

VO2max, increased significantly in BWG. Body weights, percent body fat (p =0.000), body mass index (p = 0.003) significantly decreased, and percent muscle (p = 0.000) increased in both exercise groups. Percent visceral fat (p = 0.028) significantly decreased in BWG. Also, BWG showed a significant reduction in WBC counts compared to baseline levels (p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in the plasma levels of TNF-α between the groups.

The results showed that regular walking program can affect body composition in elderly women, however, it may not be effective in reducing systemic inflammatory markers.

Midwifery knowledge of midwifery regulations is a major issue requiring a focused review through appropriate methods for educating midwives to improve their knowledge. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of pocket e-book as a new teaching method with the traditional midwifery knowledge brochure.

This is an experimental study in which 92 midwives were randomly selected from hospitals in Mashhad and randomly divided into three groups. Data were collected by researchermade questionnaire. Pretest was collected in groups. The first group did the exercises through the booklet; the second group received instruction through a pocket book. The third group was the control group and did not receive any training. After eight weeks, they were re-tested. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software.

Knowledge level in all three groups was average (score 12-18). There was no significant difference between the mean of knowledge in the three groups (p> 0.05). There was a significant difference between pre-test scores (pre-intervention) and post-test (two months after intervention) in two groups of book and e-mail (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the control group. The mean score of knowledge after intervention in all three groups showed a significant difference. Both educational groups included podcasts and e-books significantly more than the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean score of knowledge in the e-book group and the booklet. (p> 0.05)

As these two methods of training are influential,‌training rules and regulations of midwifery profession can be performed using these methods.

The accuracy of the diagnosis of acute appendicitis has been agreed at 85%. Based on this and considering that appendectomy is one of the most common surgeries in Shahid Beheshti Educational and Medical Center in Qom, we decided to compare the accuracy of acute appendicitis diagnosis with the agreed standard in patients undergoing appendectomy in this center.

This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. It was performed in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Qom in 2015-2016. Sampling was done by simple random method. Information including sex and age as well as patient pathology diagnosis and complications such as gangrene and appendix perforation were entered into the checklist and analyzed by SPSS software.

In the present study, 250 people were studied, 167 (66.8%) were male and 83 (33.2%) were female. The mean age of patients with acute appendicitis was 23 years and those with other diagnoses had a mean age of 21 years. Also, 167 (66.8%) of them were male and only 83 (33.2%) were female. In this study, out of 250 patients who underwent appendectomy with a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, 194 (77.6%) had a diagnosis of acute appendicitis in pathology and 56 (22.4%) had another diagnosis. The diagnosis of acute appendicitis was 45.5% in women and 44.6% in men, which did not differ much.

Considering these findings and the lower accuracy of appendicitis diagnosis than the agreed standard, it can be concluded that a number of appendectomy procedures, especially appendectomy in women, were unnecessary. It is necessary to examine more carefully before the operation. Received

Research has shown that various exercises may have different effects on serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

In this quasi-experimental study, 16 non-athlete male students from Sistan and Baluchestan University were divided into two groups of 8 as control and training through simple randomization. The training group, performed 6 weeks of high-intensity interval training, in a 20-meter shuttle run for 30 seconds with a 90 percent maximum heart rate and 30 seconds active rest between each repetition was performed. BDNF values were measured 24 hours before and 48 hours after the first and last training sessions of exercise using ELISA method by commercial kits. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and t-paired test at p≤0.05level.

the findings showed that after 6 weeks, weight (p = 0.008) and body mass index (p = 0.005), decreased in high-intensity interval training group compared to control one, which was consistent with a significant increase in serum levels of BDNF (p = 0.031). While, none of the variables significantly changed in control group (p >0.05), in addition, there was a significant increase in serum contents of BDNF in HIIT group compared to control (p = 0.002).

Regarding the parameters of study, it can be concluded that high-intensity interval training improve BDNF through reduction in weight and BMI in inactive male students.

Adhesive molecules are cellular markers that identify the process of atherosclerotic plaque formation in the endothelial wall of arteries. The aim was evaluation of changes in E-selectin and P-selectin in men with heart failure after eight weeks of continuous and intermittent aerobic exercise.

42 men with heart failure were selected by sampling method as volunteers and were divided into three equal groups (14 subjects) continuous aerobic, intermittent aerobic exercises and control groups. Continuous training (45-70% of Maximum Heart Rate) and intermittent training (45-80% of MHR with 5-10 minutes rest between each period) were done for 8 weeks (three days a week). Fasting blood samples were taken from all subjects before and after  eight weeks of aerobic exercise and adhesion molecules were measured by ELISA method. Data were analyzed by ANCOVA at significance levels of P<0.05.

Comparison of the groups with covariance analysis showed that the levels of E-selectin (P=0.002) and P-selectin (P=0.022) levels was significant in all three groups. The Bonferroni test showed, There was a significant difference between the intermittent and control (P=0.005) and between continuous and control groups (P=0.006) at the level of Eselectin and the intermittent aerobic and control groups (P=0.032) at Pselectin level, However, there was no significant change despite a decrease between the control and continuing aerobic (P=0.083) in Pselecteine. Also, there was no significant difference in the studied variables in both intermittent and continuous aerobic groups.

Aerobic exercise with reducing levels of adhesion molecules may play an important role in the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases in men with heart failure.

Computer users are at risk of musculoskeletal disorders due to immobility and static activities, therefore the aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of musculoskeletal disorders using ROSA method among computer users of administrative section of Sabzevars hospitals.

In this descriptive-analytical study, which conducted 1397, 151 administrative staff were selected from four hospitals by census method. To investigate the pattern of pain in their limbs, participants completed the Body Map checklist and ROSA method was used to assess the ergonomic risk factors at workstations. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and t-test, Chi-Square / Fisher's Exact and Pearson statistical tests was analyzed.

The results showed that the most pain and discomfort reported among the participants were in the lower back (54.32%), back (51.16%), neck (44.24%), and shoulder (38.97%), respectively. Moreover, knee (36.02%). It also showed a significant relationship between age, work experience, exercise and gender with musculoskeletal pain (P-value <0.05). There was a significant relationship between chair score with pain in back, back and knees and mouse and keyboard score with pain in shoulder and wrist (P-value <0.01).

The high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain and the high score obtained in the ROSA method among hospital staff is evidence of the need for ergonomic interventions among them.