Advanced Biomedical Research
Volume:5 Issue: 9, Oct 2015

Influenza H1N1 is very important worldwide and point mutations that occur in the virus gene are a threat for the World Health Organization (WHO) and druggists, since they could make this virus resistant to the existing antibiotics. Influenza epidemics cause severe respiratory illness in 30 to 50 million people and kill 250,000 to 500,000 people worldwide every year. Nowadays, drug design is not done through trial and error because of its cost and waste of time; therefore bioinformatics studies is essential for designing drugs.

This paper, infolds a study on binding site of Neuraminidase (NA) enzyme, (that is very important in drug design) in 310K temperature and different dielectrics, for the best drug design. Information of NA enzyme was extracted from Protein Data Bank (PDB) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) websites. The new sequences of N1 were downloaded from the NCBI influenza virus sequence database. Drug binding sites were assimilated and homologized modeling using Argus lab 4.0, HyperChem 6.0 and Chem. D3 softwares. Their stability was assessed in different dielectrics and temperatures.

Measurements of potential energy (Kcal/mol) of binding sites of NA in different dielectrics and 310K temperature revealed that at time step size = 0 pSec drug binding sites have maximum energy level and at time step size = 100 pSec have maximum stability and minimum energy.

Drug binding sites are more dependent on dielectric constants rather than on temperature and the optimum dielectric constant is 39/78.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC enzymes have been observed in virtually all species of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The β-lactamase producing bacteria cause many serious infections, including urinary tract infections. These enzymes are predominantly plasmid mediated. There are no recommended guidelines for detection of this resistance mechanism and there is a need to address this issue as much as the detection of ESBLs. This study was undertaken to characterize ESBL and AmpC producers among Escherichia coli by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which were initially screened by phenotypic method.

A total of 90 isolates of E. coli were recovered from the urinary tract during a 7-month period, and were screened for ESBLs and AmpC production by disk diffusion test using cefoxitin (30 μg) disks and confirmed by combined disk diffusion test using phenyl boronic acid. The presence of genes encoding CIT, FOX, and TEM was detected by PCR.

On disk diffusion test, 59 of 90 isolates were resistant to third generation of cephalosporins; of these 37 (62.7%) and 3 (5%) were ESBL and AmpC producers, respectively. PCR showed that 29 (49.1%) and 3 (5%) were positive for blaTEM and blaCMY-2 , respectively.

ESBL- and AmpC-producing E. coli isolates cause significant resistance to cephalosporin. There is a need for a correct and reliable phenotypic test to identify AmpC β-lactamases and to discriminate between AmpC and ESBL producers. This work showed that boronic acid can differentiate ESBL enzymes from AmpC enzymes.

Cardiac multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has been mainly applied in the diagnosis of valvular heart morphology and function along with the assessment of coronary artery disease. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of coronary MDCT angiography for the diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse (MVP), as compared to transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

A total of 40 patients who had undergone both TTE and MDCT within a three-month period were included in the study. Two parameters of mitral valve leaflet thickness and leaflet billowing were measured using both techniques. The MDCT results were compared with those of TTE, which was the reference standard.

Implementing the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) test on the data for MDCT-measured leaflet billowing received from MDCT angiography suggests that the area under the ROC curve is 96% for a declared variable, which is absolutely significant (P < 0.001), and MDCT-measured leaflet billowing is an appropriate index for the diagnosis of mitral valve prolapse. On the basis of the achieved cut-off point from the ROC analysis (which equals 2.5 mm leaftlet billowing) the MDCT-measured leaflet billowing takes a sensitivity and specificity of 68.4 and 95.2%. The false positive and false negative results are 4.8 and 31.6%. The positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) of the revealed test indicate 92.9 and 76.9%, respectively. Finally, the consistency of the MDCT measured leaflet billowing for diagnosing the mitral valve prolapse is 82.5%. Based on the mentioned test, the consistency of the MDCT-measured leaflet thickness test is 47.5%.

Along with the assessment of coronary arteries, the presence or absence of MVP can be reliably evaluated by MDCT angiography.

Surgeries may trigger the stress response which leads to changes in blood glucose level, and studies suggest that different sedation and anesthesia methods have different effects on blood glucose level. The aim of this study was to investigate changes of blood glucose levels in diabetic patients and compare them in two sedation methods of propofol + fentanyl and midazolam + fentanyl.

Totally, 80 diabetic candidates for cataract surgery who had all the inclusion criteria, underwent cataract surgery using two methods of propofol (1 mg/kg/h) + fentanyl (2 μg/kg) (Group P) and midazolam (0.03 mg/kg) + fentanyl (2 μg/kg) (Group M) for light sedation. In the end, 70 patients (Group P n = 35 and Group M n = 35) remained in the study. Patients' blood glucose levels, vital signs, and hemodynamic data were assessed 30 min prior to the surgery, each 15 min during surgery and at the end of surgery.

Hemodynamic parameters did not have a statistically significant difference between the two groups mean blood glucose level in Group M was 149.15 mg/dl and in Group P was 149.2 mg/dl, and based on repeated measures analysis of variance test, significant differences were not observed between the two groups (P = 0.99). T-test showed no significant differences in the blood glucose level at any time of the study between the two groups.

Light sedation methods of propofol + fentanyl and midazolam + fentanyl did not have any differences in alteration of blood glucose level.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease in which demyelination and axonal loss leads to progressive disability. Cognition impairment is among the most common complication. Studying axonal loss in the retina is a new marker for MS. The main goal of our study is to search for correlations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness at the macula and head of the optic nerve and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Scores that assess multiple domains of intelligence, and to explore the relationship between changes in the RNFL thickness with intellectual and cognitive dysfunction.

A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Hospital of Kashani, Isfahan, Iran, from September to December 2013. All patients were assessed with a full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) on the WAIS-R. An optical coherence tomography study and brain MRI were performed in the same week for all the patients. Statistical analysis was conducted by using a bivariate correlation, by utilizing SPSS 20.0. A P value ≤ 0.05 was the threshold of statistical significance.

Examination of a 100 patients showed a significant correlation between the average RNFL thickness of the macula and the verbal IQ (P value = 0.01) and full IQ (P value = 0.01). There was a significant correlation between brain atrophy and verbal IQ.

The RNFL loss was correlated with verbal IQ and full IQ.

Having pleasurable sexual intercourses plays a major role in marital life satisfaction. Many of the medical and psychiatric disorders may affect the sexual function of the patients. The present study aims to investigate the relative frequency of sexual dysfunctions in the patients hospitalized in psychiatric wards and that of the patients in other specialized wards.

This study is a descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional one, carried out on 900 patients hospitalized in psychiatric, cardiac, orthopedic, ophthalmology, and dermatology and plastic surgery wards of 5 hospitals in Isfahan. Data collection tools included demographic questionnaire and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX).

Sexual dysfunction in the patients hospitalized in psychiatric wards (38%) was significantly higher than in the patients in other wards (27%), (P = 0.00). Among the patients hospitalized in psychiatric wards, those with bipolar disorder (37.3%) had the highest prevalence rate of sexual dysfunction. The patients with schizophrenia, major depression, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders had the following rates respectively. Among the patients in non-psychiatric wards, those in cardiac wards (37.1%) had the highest prevalence rate of sexual dysfunction. There was a significant relationship between the drug uses, mostly psychiatric drugs especially anti-psychotics, and the occurrence of sexual dysfunction.

Considering the significant relative frequency of sexual dysfunction in psychiatric patients and undesired effects of simultaneous occurrence of both of these disorders in the patients, more emphasis is recommended to be placed on the prevention and proper treatment of these disorders in the patients.

Considering maximal aerobic running speed (MAS) as a useful tool to evaluate aerobic capacity and monitor training load in soccer, there is an increasing need to develop indirect assessment methods of MAS, e.g., submaximal tests. The aim of this study was to examine the prediction of MAS from the physical working capacity (PWC) in heart rate (HR) 170 beat/min test (PWC 170 ).

This cross-sectional study was done on adolescent (n = 67) and adult soccer players (n = 82) were examined for anthropometric characteristics, PWC 170 and performed Conconi test to assess MAS.

Midfielders scored higher than goalkeepers (GKs) and defenders in MAS while GKs scored lower than all the other playing positions. Although this trend was also observed in PWC 170 , statistical difference was only observed between midfielders and GKs. Players with higher MAS had also higher PWC 170 in both age groups (P < 0.05). The odds ratio of a player of the best PWC 170 group to belong also to the best MAS group was 3.96 (95% confidence interval 2.00; 7.84). That is players with high-performance in the PWC 170 were about 4 times more likely than those with low PWC 170 to achieve a high score in MAS. Regression analysis suggested body fat (BF) percentage, PWC 170 , maximal HR and age as predictors of MAS (R = 0.61, R2 = 0.37 and standard error of estimate [SEE] =1.3 km/h, in total; R = 0.74, R2 = 0.55 and SEE = 1.2 km/h, in adolescents; R = 0.55, R2 = 0.30 and SEE = 1.3 km/h, in adults).

While there was only moderate correlation between MAS and PWC 170 , the former can be predicted from the latter when BF, HR max , and age are considered (large to very large multiple correlation coefficients).

Cholecystokinin (CCK) has roles in learning and memory, but the cellular mechanism is poorly understood. This study investigated the effect of CCK on spatial learning and memory, neuronal proliferation and apoptosis in the hippocampus in rats.

Experimental groups were control and CCK. The rats received CKK octapeptide sulfated (CCK-8S, 1.6 μg/kg, i.p.) for 14 days. Spatial learning and memory were tested by Morris water maze and finally immunohistochemical study was performed; neurogenesis by Ki-67 method and apoptosis by Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) assay in hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG).

Cholecystokinin increased Ki-67 positive cells and reduced TUNEL positive cells in the granular layer of hippocampal DG. CCK failed to have a significant effect on spatial learning and memory.

Results indicate neuroprotective and proliferative effects of CCK in the hippocampus; however, other factors are probably involved until the newly born neurons achieve necessary integrity for behavioral changes.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin disease with increasing prevalence worldwide and a considerable burden especially among children. To circumvent the problems related to oral azathioprine (AZT) we aimed to evaluate its topical variant and assess its efficacy in patients aged 2-18.

In a single-blind trial, we randomized the patients into two groups, one treated with topical emollient containing AZT and betamethasone (BM), and the other treated solely with topical emollient of BM. The treatments were administered twice a day for 8 weeks in both groups. The efficacy, recurrence, and the presence of side effects were evaluated using SPSS 20.

The amount of reduction in severity scoring for atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) score was significantly greater in the group treated with the topical AZT (P = 0.024). Incidentally, there were no difference between two treatments in difference in proportions of recurrence and adverse effects as well as SCORAD reduction in subgroups of sex and age (all P > 0.05).

Our results showed the superiority of topical AZT over BM with a low recurrence and adverse effects. No expectation of severe side effects, like those of oral AZT, is the major advantage of topical AZT. The sample size was an issue in uncovering the value of AZT in the subgroups. Conducting prolonged studies of quality-of-life and comparing the topical AZT potency relative to the common alternatives are recommended areas of future work.

Cesarean section is a major operation that can be the predictor of postoperative pain and discomfort and, therefore, providing the effective postoperative analgesia is an important factor to facilitate sooner movement of the patient, better care of infants. The aim of this study was to determine the preventive effect of ilioinguinal nerve block on pain after cesarean section.

In a randomized clinical trial study, 80 female candidates for cesarean section under general anesthesia were selected and divided into two groups. In the first group, ilioinguinal nerve was blocked and in the control group, ilioinguinal nerve block was not done. Finally, postoperative pain was compared between the two groups.

The mean pain intensity at 6 and 24 h after operation had no significant difference between two groups but in the rest of the times, it was different between two groups. Furthermore, in sitting position, except for 6 h, the pain intensity at the rest of the time had a significant difference between two groups. The pain intensity in 12 h after operation had a significant difference while in 24 h after operation; there was no difference between two groups. Doing repeated measures, ANOVA also indicated that the process of changes in the pain intensity in three positions of rest, sitting and walking had no significant difference up to 24 h after operation (P < 0.001).

Control of pain after cesarean as one of the most common factors for abdominal surgery will lead to decrease the staying of the patient in hospital, reduce morbidity and lower use of narcotics and analgesics after surgery.

Nausea and vomiting are frequently seen in patients undergoing cesarean section (CS) under regional anesthesia. We aimed to compare the antiemetic efficacy of ondansetron and dexamethasone combination with that of the use of each agent alone to decrease the incidence of postdelivery intra- and post-operative nausea and vomiting during CS under spinal anesthesia.

A randomized, prospective, double-blind study was performed on 90 patients undergoing planned CS under spinal anesthesia. The patients received 4 mg ondansetron in Group O, 8 mg dexamethasone in Group D, and 4 mg ondansetron +8 mg dexamethasone in Group OD intravenously within 1-2 min after the umbilical cord was clamped. Frequency of postdelivery intra- and post-operative nausea and vomiting episodes was recorded.

A total of 90 eligible patients were included in the study. There were 30 patients in Group O, 30 patients in Group D, and 30 patients in Group OD. Intraoperative nausea in Group D was more than the other two groups. Postoperative nausea in group OD was lesser than the other two groups. Intraoperative vomiting in Group OD was lesser than the other two groups. There was no statistically significant difference among the groups in postoperative vomiting (P > 0.05).

Combined use of dexamethasone and ondansetron for the same indication seems to increase the antiemetic efficacy.

Increases in intracranial pressure (ICP) require a rapid recognition to allow for adequate treatments. The aim of this study was to determine whether transocular Doppler and optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) monitoring could reliably identify increases in ICP.

This is a cross-sectional case-control study, which was carried out on 2013. Subjects were chosen from patients who admitted to the neurology and neurosurgery departments and the intensive care unit of Alzahra Hospital (Isfahan, Iran). To measure the ICP, the authors used ultrasound to measure the diameter of the optic nerve sheath and transocular Doppler (TOD) to measure blood flew velocity in ophthalmic artery (OA) and ophthalmic vein (OV) in both groups.

The mean of ONSD was 4.8 mm (SD 0.77) in patients with raised ICP and 3.2 mm (SD 0.3) in healthy volunteers which was significant (P < 0.001). The mean (SD) of TOD parameters were also significantly more in OA and OV of patients with raised ICP.

Ultrasound methods has been proposed as an alternative safe technique for invasive ICP measuring methods.

There is no agreement about the effect of adding opioids to local anesthetics in peripheral nerve blocks. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding different opioids with equipotent doses of lidocaine in axillary brachial plexus block using ultrasonography and nerve locator guidance.

In a prospective, randomized, double-blind clinical trial study, 72 adult patients aged 18-65 years old scheduled for orthopedic surgery of the forearm and hand with axillary brachial plexus block were selected and randomly allocated to four groups. Meperidine (pethidine), buprenorphine, morphine, and fentanyl with equipotent doses were added in 40cc of 1% lidocaine in P, B, M, and F groups, respectively. The onset and duration of sensory and motor blocks, severity of patients' pain, duration of analgesia, hemodynamic and respiratory parameters, and adverse events (such as nausea and pruritus) during perioperative period were recorded.

The onset time for the sensory block was similar in the four groups. The onset time for the motor block was significantly faster in morphine and pethidine groups (P = 0.006). The duration of sensory and motor blocks was not statistically different among the four groups. The quality of motor blockade was complete in 100% of patients receiving pethidine or morphine and 77.8% of patients receiving buprenorphine or fentanyl (P = 0.021).

In the upper extremity surgeries performed under axillary brachial plexus block addition of morphine or pethidine to lidocaine may be superior to other opioids (i.e. fentanyl and buprenorphine) due to better quality and quantity of motor blockade and faster onset of the block.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (RIR) is a major cause of renal dysfunction that acts through different mechanisms. We investigated the role of L-Arginine as an endogenous nitric oxide (NO) precursor and NG-nitro-L-Arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) as an NO inhibitor on kidney and liver function in RIR model.

Fifty-eight Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups. Groups 1 (sham-operated, n = 13) received a single dose of saline (4 ml/kg, i.p.) and 2 (Ischemia [Isch], n = 14) received a single dose of saline (4 ml/kg, i.p.). Groups 3 (Isch + L-NAME, n = 15) received a single dose of L-NAME (20 mg/kg, i.p.) and 4 (Isch + L-Arginine n = 16) received a single dose of L-Arginine (300 mg/kg, i.p.), After 2 h, renal failure was induced by clamping both renal pedicles for 45 min, followed by 24-h reperfusion in Groups 2-4. Finally, blood samples were obtained, and kidney tissue samples were subjected for pathology investigations.

The body weight decreased, and the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr), and kidney tissue damage score (KTDS) increased significantly in the Isch and Isch + L-NAME groups compared with the sham group while L-Arginine improved weight reduction (P < 0.05), and it reduced the serum levels of BUN and Cr, and KTDS when compared with the Isch and Isch + L-NAME groups. Kidney weight increased significantly in all groups compared with the sham group. L-Arginine reduced the liver tissue level of malondialdehyde and increased alkaline phosphatase.

L-Arginine as an NO precursor can improve kidney function against RIR. It also improves oxidative stress in liver tissue.

Cancer stem cells have been isolated and characterized in all common cancers. SOX2 and OCT4 are important genes to enhance the self-renewal ability as activate stem cells and inhibit the genes that start differentiation and thus maintain the self-renewal ability of stem cells. Also, the aim of this study is "Comparison of gene expression of SOX2 and OCT4 in normal tissue, polyps, and colon adenocarcinoma using immunohistochemical staining."

This cross-sectional study conducted on 20 patients so that for each patient, a sample of healthy tissue, dysplastic polyp tissue, and colon adenocarcinoma were provided as microscopic sections and staining on each tissue was performed through immunohistochemistry method by markers OCT4 and SOX2. The collected data were interred into SPSS version 18.0, (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software and the level of significance were considered as <0.05.

The study sample consisted of 20 patients including 11 men (55%) and 9 women (45%) with a mean age of 55.6 ± 9.88 years. There was no association between Oct4 and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (P > 0.05), but there was a significant correlation between Sox2 expression and CRC (P < 0.05). Patients in many aspects such as race, type of polyp, presence of lymph node, grade and intensity of Sox2 in different types of patients' tissues (P < 0.05).

Regarding our findings, the expression of Sox2 would be a liable marker for evaluating of cancer progression and could be a treatment target of CRC cells.

Studies show inconsistent effects of forced exercise on cognitive processes. These differences are probably due to the stress of coercion in forced exercise. Because fluoxetine is used to treat complications caused by stress, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of fluoxetine on memory in rats under forced treadmill exercise.

Experimental groups were the control, the control exercise, the fluoxetine, and the fluoxetine exercise. The exercise program was treadmill running at 22 m/min, 0° inclination for 50 min/day, 6 days/week, for 4 weeks. Fluoxetine (5 mg/kg) was injected 30 min before treadmill. Morris water maze and passive avoidance learning tests were used for evaluation of memory. Acquisition phase of both tests were performed before interventions and memory was evaluated 1-day and 1-week after the last session of exercise and treatments.

Our data showed that forced exercise impaired performance in passive avoidance learning test (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, 1-day and 1-week after the last session of exercise and treatments, respectively). Spatial memory was only impaired after 1-week in the exercise group. Fluoxetine improved spatial memory after 1-day in the control group. However, it had no significant effects on memory in the exercise group.

The data correspond to the possibility that forced treadmill exercise can cause stress, and thereby cause damage to memory. The present results suggest that although fluoxetine may improve memory in intact rats but it cannot prevent damages that are caused by forced exercise.

Post cardiac surgery routine chest radiographs (CXRs), ordered without any clinical and laboratory indications, is a standard obligatory practice in many cardiothoracic centers. Routine CXRs incur cost, manpower, and radiation. The objective of this study is to assess early outcome in off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) patients with postoperative routine versus clinically indicated CXR protocols.

This study is a randomized clinical trial conducted on 231 OPCAB candidates in Afshar Cardiac Center, Yazd, Iran. Patients were categorized into two groups. All 118 patients in group A had routine postoperative CXRs. The 113 patients in group B were selectively exposed to CXR only on clinical indications. All patients were postoperatively followed up for 30 days. Data gathered from both groups were statistically analyzed.

Routine postoperative CXRs obtained in 118 OPCAB group A candidates showed abnormal findings in 20 patients that did not require new intervention. One month follow-up of these patients showed no complications. In 113 OPCAB candidates of group B, 7 on-demand CXRs were obtained on clinical evaluation that required added intervention. In a 1-month follow-up of this group, five patients presented with symptomatic complaints. On re-examination, none needed readmission, intervention, or paraclinical evaluation. No complications were observed due to CXR elimination.

The study suggests that postoperative CXR selected on clinical grounds in place of routine CXR does not change early postoperative outcome of OPCAB procedure.

An adverse transfusion reaction (ATR) is an unfavorable reaction to the transfused unit, the severity of which may be different among individuals depending upon the type of reaction and the patient's susceptibility. Transfusion reactions may be immediate or delayed type depending on the onset and immune or nonimmune type depending on the pathogenesis. A study was conducted to study the frequency of various transfusion reactions and the associated morbidity.

All ATRs occurring over a period of 3 years at a tertiary care health center were studied in detail according to the institute's protocol.

Of 38,013 units of blood and components that had been issued, 101 (0.2%) cases had an ATR. The most common reaction was allergic - 34/101 (33.6%) followed by febrile - 26/101 (25.7%). Other reactions included transfusion-related acute lung injury in 6/101 (5.9%) cases, and immune reactions were seen in 19/101 (18.8%) cases.

Allergic and febrile reactions are most common and least harmful, but fatal reactions can also occur, and preventive measures must be taken to avoid such reactions.

Aprepitant is one of the effective antiemetic drugs that usually used for a period of 3 days for prevention of anthracycline/cyclophosphamide (AC) induced nausea and vomiting. However, many patients still experience nausea and vomiting on days 3–5. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an increase in duration of aprepitant consumption from 3 to 6 days on the prevention of nausea and vomiting in women receiving AC chemotherapy.

It was a randomized, crossover, controlled clinical trial. Women with breast cancer and scheduled to receive AC regimens were enrolled in this study. Enrolled patients were randomized into two groups. Group I received 3 days regimen of aprepitant in the first course of AC regimen chemotherapy and 6 days regimen of aprepitant in the second course; Group II received 6 days regimen followed by 3 days regimen. For nausea and vomiting assessment, we used Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group questionnaire.

Forty-nine patients were enrolled in this study. Sixty-three percent achieved a complete response with 6 days aprepitant regimen compared with 39% with 3 days regimen (P < 0.001). Ten percent had at least one vomiting episode during the 6 days regimen versus 15% with 3 days regimen (P = 0.034). Nausea was significantly more severe in 3 days regimen of aprepitant than in 6 days regimen.

Increase in the duration of aprepitant consumption through 6 days resulted in significantly better prevention of nausea and vomiting than 3 days consumption for women receiving AC chemotherapy.

This study was undertaken with an aim to systematically design a model of factors that would yield an optimized sustained release dosage form of an anti-hypertensive agent, losartan potassium, using response surface methodology (RSM) by employing 32 full factorial design.

Mucoadhesive buccal patches were prepared using different grades of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) (K4M and K100M) and polyvinylpyrrolidone-K30 by solvent casting method. The amount of the release retardant polymers – HPMC K4M (X1) and HPMC K100M (X2) was taken as an independent variable. The dependent variables were the burst release in 30 min (Y1), cumulative percentage release of drug after 8 h (Y2) and swelling index (Y3) of the patches. In vitro release and swelling studies were carried out and the data were fitted to kinetic equations.

The physicochemical, bioadhesive, and swelling properties of patches were found to vary significantly depending on the viscosity of the polymers and their combination. Patches showed an initial burst release preceding a more gradual sustained release phase following a nonfickian diffusion process.

The results indicate that suitable bioadhesive buccal patches with desired permeability could be prepared, facilitated with the RSM.

Pneumonia due to ventilator is a prevalent nosocomial infection associated with high morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to determine the change in serum levels of precalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in response to antibiotic treatment in patients hospitalized in intense care unit (ICU) suffering from ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

This is an analytical and descriptive study performed in 2013 in Ayatollah Kashani Medical Training Center, Isfahan, Iran. The statistical sample includes patients hospitalized in ICU in 2013 suffering from VAP. In this study, 50 patients suffering from VAP were selected, and PCT and CRP levels were measured in them before antibiotic therapy and every 48 h until the end of therapy. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software.

CRP and PCT levels were high before the beginning of antibiotic therapy in all patients suffering from VAP and their CRP level had an increasing trend until 4 days after the beginning of therapy; however, from the 4th day, it turned into decreasing trend. PCT serum level was higher than normal before the treatment and until 48 h after the therapy, and then it was found to have a decreasing trend. According to variance analysis test with repetition of observations, the mean level of mentioned markers had a meaningful difference before the beginning of antibiotic therapy until the end of antibiotic therapy (P < 0.001).

CRP and PCT serum levels can be used as an instrument for determining the effect of antibiotic therapy in patients with VAP.

Oxygen free radicals have become attractive candidates to explain injuries in ischemic heart. An association between raised serum uric acid concentration and increased cardiovascular risk has been recognized, however its role in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is still unclear. Recently, zinc is also trying to establish its role in tissue injury and oxidative stress.

This cross-sectional study was carried on 75 AMI patients. 5 ml of blood was drawn from each patient within 6 h of AMI, to estimate plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), serum zinc, whole blood superoxide desmutase, serum uric acid, and whole blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx). The same biochemicals were also determined in 50 age and gender matched controls for comparison.

We found significantly increased level of plasma MDA (5.649 ± 0.1780 vs. 2.757 ± 0.1623), serum uric acid (4.533 ± 0.1526 vs. 3.200 ± 0.1616) and significantly decreased levels of serum zinc (104.5 ± 1.874 vs. 115.3 ± 3.077), whole blood GPx (4599 ± 101.1 vs. 5519 ± 81.63) and superoxide desmutase (166.8 ± 1.896 vs. 188.3 ± 4.120). All the parameters studied also showed similar significant changes in male and female cases separately.

Raised MDA and decreased zinc, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide desmutase levels denote the increased oxidative stress. Even being a defense, uric acid is raised as it is abundantly present in our body. Thus, AMI exhibits oxidative stress dependent changes irrespective of gender.

The mellitus exact role of 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate in increasing the rate of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is still unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the association of treatment with 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate with GDM in pregnant women who are at risk for preterm birth (PTB).

In this clinical trial, 200 singleton pregnant women included 100 pregnant women at risk for PTB or with history of PTB as case group (received weekly injections of 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate) and 100 healthy pregnant women without history of PTB as control group (did not receive any drug) were evaluated. All women followed until detect or reject of GDM, and abnormal glucose challenge test (GCT) and GDM were calculated in all of them.

During study follow-up, 36 women in both groups were excluded and 81 cases 83 controls completed the study and analyzed. Mean of GCT in all studied pregnant women was 128.2 ± 18.1, whereas, in cases was higher than controls but no significant difference was noted between groups (P = 0.56). Abnormality in GCT was observed in 32 (19.5%) of 164 studied women, (18 of cases and 14 of controls), which was not statistically significant (P = 0.34). The frequency of GDM among all studied women was 7.9% (13 of 164), 7 of cases and 6 of controls, which was not significant (P = 0.74).

In summary, results demonstrated that weekly administration of 17-alpha hydroxyprogesterone caproate is not associated with higher rates of GDM in pregnant women at risk for PTB.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a serious public health threat worldwide. Cellular immune responses, especially cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs), play a critical role in immune response toward the HCV clearance. Since polytope vaccines have the ability to stimulate the cellular immunity, a recombinant fusion protein was developed in this study.

The designed fusion protein is composed of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), as an immunocarrier, fused to an HCV polytope sequence. The polytope containing five immunogenic epitopes of HCV was designed to induce specific CTL responses. The construct was cloned into the pET-28a, and its expression was investigated in BL21 (DE3), BL21 pLysS, BL21 pLysE, and BL21 AI Escherichia coli strains using 12% gel sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Finally, the identity of expressed fusion protein was confirmed by Western blotting using anti-His monoclonal antibody and affinity chromatography was applied to purify the expressed protein.

The accuracy of the construct was confirmed by restriction map analysis and sequencing. The transformation of the construct into the BL21 (DE3), pLysS, and pLysE E. coli strains did not lead to any expression. The fusion protein was found to be toxic for E. coli DE3. By applying two steps inhibition, the fusion protein was successfully expressed in BL21 (AI) E. coli strain.

The HBsAg-polytope fusion protein expressed in this study can be further evaluated for its immunogenicity in animal models.