Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences
Volume:28 Issue: 3, MayJun 2021

The COVID-19 outbreak imposed serious mental pressure on people worldwide. This study aimed to assess the effect of the two-month quarantine enforced at the beginning of the outbreak on physical activity (PA), sleep, and anxiety in inhabitants of Kerman.

The present study was conducted on 911 subjects randomly selected and interviewed twice: Before the COVID-19 outbreak (Feb 2020) and at the end of two- month quarantine. The level of anxiety was measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), PA by the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ), and daily sleep hours were reported by participants.

A high percentage of people experienced a decrease in PA (39.6%), an increase in sleep hours (33.7%), and an increase in anxiety (16.3%) during the quarantine. Women, young people, students, and illiterate people were more susceptible to increased level of anxiety; and women, young people, hypersomniac people, and people with higher education levels experienced lower PA. Furthermore, the odds of an increase in sleep hours was higher in men and young people and lower in people with intense PA and higher levels of anxiety. The changes in the three variables were mostly related to the quarantine, although interaction between PA and sleep was also present.

The quarantine caused hypersomnia, a decrease in PA, and an increase in anxiety level especially among young people and women. As these are also risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, it is suggested that health authorities encourage an active lifestyle in the public and provide them with economic and psychological supports during the quarantine.

Bipolar disorder is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to determine the elevated lipoprotein (a) level and 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease among patients with bipolar disorder.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 patients with bipolar disorder in Yazd province, Iran. Elevated lipoprotein (a) concentration was defined as the lipoprotein (a) level of greater than 30 Mg/dL. The Framingham risk equation was used to estimate the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease. The data were analyzed using Chi-square or Fisher's exact test, and independent sample-t or Mann-Whitney test. Statistical significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05.

In this study, 75 male (75%) and 25 female (25%) patients with bipolar disorder were investigated. Based on the findings, smoking was significantly more prevalent among men than women (p <0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed between males and females with regard to the total cholesterol, high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and lipoprotein (a) (p>0.05). High levels of lipoprotein (a) were observed in 41% of the participants. Most individuals (77.3%) were at low risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years.

The findings suggest a high level of lipoprotein (a) among patients with bipolar disorder. Most participants were at a low risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years. Psychiatrists and health professionals should be informed about cardiovascular risk factors in bipolar patients and monitor them regularly for early detection.

Hempseed oil is a suitable source of alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of hempseed oil on the plasma levels of inflammation markers interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in maintenance hemodialysis patients.

This 8-week single-blind randomized study was conducted on 97 hemodialysis patients. Patients were randomly assigned to the hempseed oil (receiving 20 ml of hempseed oil per day) or control (receiving no intervention) group. The plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured at baseline and at the end of the study.

The plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor- α changed significantly in neither of the group. Furthermore, the comparison of changes in the concentrations of IL-6 and TNF-α throughout the study showed no significant difference between the hempseed oil and control groups.

Hempseed oil consumption did not decrease inflammation in the maintenance hemodialysis patients.

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptogenesis play a critical role in learning and memory. Crocin as a carotenoid has many neuroprotective effects but its effect on neurogenesis and synaptogenesis is unknown. In this study, the effects of crocin administration from post-lactation period to adulthood on the mice hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptogenesis were investigated.

12 mice offspring were divided into 2 groups of control and crocin. Animals in the crocin group received 30 mg/kg of crocin from postnatal day 30 to 75 through drinking water. At the same time, the control group received drinking water without crocin. At the end of the treatment, animals were sacrificed and their brains were removed. The brains were sectioned and stained by immunohistochemical technique to evaluate the effect of crocin on hippocampal doublecortin (DCX) positive cells and synaptophysin expression.

The results of the immunohistochemistry showed that the mean number of DCX+ cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the crocin group was significantly higher than that in the control group. In addition, the synaptophysin expression was higher in the cornu ammonis (CA) of the hippocampus in the crocin group.

According to the results, consumption of crocin from childhood to adulthood may increase hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptogenesis.

Population aging is occurring in almost every country in the world, resulting in reduced mortality, reduced fertility, and increased life expectancy. With an increase in the elderly population, chronic diseases related to aging, including Alzheimer's disease will also increase, which is a big problem for the health in society. Since early diagnosis can help a more effective treatment, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and its risk factors in people aged 50 and above in Kerman, Iran. For sampling, a one-step random cluster method was used across 11 districts of Kerman for one year and a ten-item questionnaire provided by Alzheimer's World Association and MMSE was employed for data collection. A total of 4,191 people were surveyed, of which 1,213 were 50 years of age or older. 1111 people had disorder at least one question in the MMSE ten-item questionnaire. 26 of these people were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease after further investigation. The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in Kerman was similar to that in the rest of the world. Many of the cases were over 80 years old and had serious illnesses. If they had been diagnosed in the early stages of the disease, their disease could be managed at a lower cost and more effectively.

Neonatal jaundice is a common cause of premature neonatal hearing loss and is a major cause of childhood deafness, especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was evaluating Hearing threshold of Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) in term neonates admitted with hyperbilirubinemia at a range of exchange transfusion and near exchange transfusion. This cross-sectional study was performed on 134 healthy term infants admitted due to hyperbilirubinemia in the neonatal care unit of Besat Hospital in Hamadan from March 2017 to September 2017. All neonates were evaluated by Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) and ABR after admission in neonatal ward and after treatment by intensive phototherapy or blood              exchange. Data were collected and analyzed through SPSS software and using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests. The significance level was considered at 0.05 for all statistical tests. The mean weight of newborns was 3000 ±350 gr and the mean of gestational age was 39± 2 weeks. Bilirubin concentration of the infants was 36.9±9.2 mg/dL. There was a significant difference between hearing loss on auditory brainstem response in term neonates according to hyperbilirubinemia in blood exchange range (P = 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between hearing loss on auditory brainstem response in term neonates according to the gestational age, sex and phototherapy (P > 0.05). Our findings indicated that high bilirubin levels in the range of exchange transfusion can be an important risk to the auditory system, which without creating kernicterus, can interfere with auditory tests.

Topical fluoride application has an important role in caries prevention. The aim of the present study was to evaluate and compare fluoride uptake of tooth enamel after exposure to four commercially available low fluoridated toothpastes. The present in vitro study was conducted on 60 sound extracted premolar teeth. The teeth were covered with acid-resistance nail polish except at a 5×5 mm area on the buccal and lingual surface of each tooth (for experimental and control group respectively). After demineralization of the window area for 2 days, the teeth were immersed in toothpaste slurry containing: Sodium Fluoride 1000ppm (Group A), Soduim monofluorophosphate 1000ppm (Group B), Soduim monofluorophosphate 500ppm (Group C) and Sodium fluoride 500ppm (Group D). The pH of the dentifrices was measured. The acid biopsy technique and fluoride ion-specific electrode was used for fluoride ion estimation. All of the applied toothpastes significantly increased fluoride content of the enamel compared with the control group (P <0.001). There was a significant difference among the four groups of toothpastes in the mean fluoride uptake and group A showed maximum uptake of fluoride (5.5920 ppm), followed by group B, C and D respectively. According to Pearson correlation analysis, there was not any significant relationship between the pH of the dentifrices and uptake of fluoride. There was a positive correlation between the fluoride concentration of dentifrices and the fluoride uptake on demineralized enamel. The toothpastes containing NaF are more effective than toothpastes containing NaMFP. Moreover, dentifrice pH had no influence on fluoride uptake by enamel.

Corporation of Hyaluronic acid (HA) with PLGA is an effective way to potentially enhance chondrogenesis. The aim of this study was to use HA macroporous biodegradable poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) [PLGA] scaffold to enhance the attachment, proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes for cartilage tissue engineering and articular cartilage regeneration of human adipose derived stem cells (hADSCs) in the presence of avocado/soybean unsaponifible (ASU).

The PLGA and PLGA/HA scaffolds were prepared and hADSCs were cultured separately on the scaffolds and 14 days after differentiation, chondrogenic genes in each scaffold evaluated using real time PCR and cell viability examined by (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.

The viability and proliferation of cells in-group of PLGA significantly decreased in comparison with the control (P=0.002) and PLGA/HA (P=0.013) groups.The expression of (SOX9), Aggrecan (AGG), and Collagen type II (Col II) genes was significantly higher in the PLGA and PLGA/HA groups compared to the control group (P≥0.05).The gene expression of SOX9 (P=0.003) and AGG (P=0.009) was significantly higher in the PLGA/HA groups compared to the PLGA group. The results of real time PCR showed that collagen type X (Col X) gene expression in the PLGA group, was significantly higher than the control and PLGA/HA groups (P=0.000).

The corporation of HA with PLGA is an effective way to potentially enhance chondrogenesis and articular cartilage regeneration of hADSCs in the presence of avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU).

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a major chronic vasculitis disorder that its etiology is unknown. Patients are mostly Asian women who often show nonspecific symptoms such as fever, myalgia, arthralgia, weight loss, and anemia. The report relates to a 17-year-old girl suffering from complaints, permanent and uncontinental pain starting from a month earlier, with loss of appetite and weight loss (4 kg), and night sweats. She had no diarrhea or gastrointestinal symptoms but had a pain in the shoulder and chest area since the last 5 months. She got better after seeing a physician and receiving supplements. She had a history of pain in the ear from the last five months leading to otitis, and was treated as a case of brucellosis with a score of 1.20 in the Coombs Wright test. According to the physical examination findings, the patient's left, radial, ulnar, and proximal pulses, and blood pressure were unexplained, and in the supraclavicular region of the left and the umbilical region, bruit was heard and the shape of the left nail was changed. Laboratory tests and imaging were performed for the patient, and after angiography, the left subclavian artery stenosis was detected. Given the age and sex of the patient and the results obtained, she was diagnosed with Takayasu's arteritis.

Anatomical variations of the brachial plexus may have not any clinical symptoms. One of these variations refers to the position of the roots and trunks of the brachial plexus. However, a good knowledge of this variation is very necessary in post-traumatic assessment, exploratory interventions, and administration of brachial plexus blocks in the interscalene space in order to surgical treatments. This report explains a case of variation in the position of the upper trunk of the brachial plexus which was observed in a male cadaver during routine dissection. Anatomically, the three trunks of the brachial plexus are originated from the C5-T1 spinal nerves, then, pass the interscalene space toenter the posteriortriangle of the neck. It is not usual that the upper trunk of the brachial plexus pierces the anterior scalene muscle, but in this report, it was observed that the upper trunk of the brachial plexus piercing the anterior scalene muscleunilaterally, then, was divided into two divisions. To exploratory interventions of the neck for brachial plexus nerve repair and surgical therapies, a good knowledge of the roots and trunks of the brachial plexus position helps surgeons and anesthetists prevent possible mistakes during surgery and diagnose the upper limb paresthesias.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is a major chronic vasculitis disorder that its etiology is unknown. Patients are mostly Asian women who often show nonspecific symptoms such as fever, myalgia, arthralgia, weight loss, and anemia. The report relates to a 17-year-old girl suffering from complaints, permanent and uncontinental pain starting from a month earlier, with loss of appetite and weight loss (4 kg), and night sweats. She had no diarrhea or gastrointestinal symptoms but had a pain in the shoulder and chest area since the last 5 months. She got better after seeing a physician and receiving supplements. She had a history of pain in the ear from the last five months leading to otitis, and was treated as a case of brucellosis with a score of 1.20 in the Coombs Wright test. According to the physical examination findings, the patient's left, radial, ulnar, and proximal pulses, and blood pressure were unexplained, and in the supraclavicular region of the left and the umbilical region, bruit was heard and the shape of the left nail was changed. Laboratory tests and imaging were performed for the patient, and after angiography, the left subclavian artery stenosis was detected. Given the age and sex of the patient and the results obtained, she was diagnosed with Takayasu's arteritis.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is defined by the presence of significant left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in the absence of secondary factors like systemic hypertension, aortic stenosis, and athlete's heart syndrome.

A 67-year-old woman, with a complaint of severe fatigue, peripheral cyanosis on normal daily activity life, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, was admitted to Cardiac Care Unit, Razavi Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. In the primary physical examination, cardiac auscultation revealed pathologic S4 sound. Clinical investigations such as electrocardiography, chest X-ray, and echocardiography approved Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (AHCM). Only administration of Metoprolol succinate with a short-term follow-up showed completely relieved pathologic presentation of this case.

In this case report, the management of a patient with peripheral cyanosis on normal activity, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, and AHCM was emphasized. This case showed that early diagnosis followed by medication and supportive care, can control the patient's symptoms and postpone the progression of heart failure symptoms.

The results reported on the prevalence of colorectal cancer are very disturbing. This study aimed to address the polyps’ detection rate and their prevalence. In addition, we analyzed some related variables among the patients referred to Afzalipour and Mehregan Hospitals of Kerman in 2015-2016.

Data concerning colonoscopy and pathologic samples of patients aged over 40 years who referred for colonoscopy were collected and analyzed. The polyps’ detection rate and some related variables were assessed.

A total of 469 patients older than 40 who underwent colonoscopy were enrolled in this study. One hundred and two cases of polyps were found in which 45.3% of them had adenoma. The bowel preparation (0.03), higher age (0.007) and male gender (0.013) had significant relationship with the detection of polyps.

The detection of the polyp / adenoma in this study is comparable with the results of the research carried out in other parts of the world with a high prevalence of colon cancer. Our findings are consistent with other studies in Iran as well.

The aim of the present study was to determine the optimal cut-off point ofneuron-specific enolase (NSE) level for diagnosis of brain damage in patients with head trauma.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) who referred to the Emergency Department of Besat Hospital in Tehran, Iran, during 2015-2016. The neuron specific enolase (NSE) serum level was measured by obtaining peripheral blood samples from the participants at two stages, namely upon admission (i.e., the first stage) and 6 h after admission (i.e., the second stage). To determine the best NSE cut-off point, diagnostic indices, such as sensitivity and specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values, were used by applying the performance curve. Data were analyzed using MedCalc software (version 13.3).

The mean NSE serum levels of the subjects were 16.66 ± 11.32 and 17.92 ± 12.49 at the first and second stages of the study, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of NES were respectively calculated as 1 and 0.92 at the beginning of the study. In addition, NSE showed significant direct and indirect relationships with computed tomography (CT) scan results and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, respectively (P < 0.001).

Considering the NSE cut-off points in the present study, NSE values can be used to determine the brain damage in patients with head trauma based on gender and age group. The NSE showed a high sensitivity and specificity. In addition, an inverse correlation was observed between NSE level and GCS score.