Advanced Biomedical Research
Volume:6 Issue: 1, Jan 2016

Gabapentin is a common drug used as analgesic and anticonvulsant and also is prescribed for insomnia, depression, obsessive – compulsive disorder and panic attack. We report a case of a 48-year-old man who is prescribed gabapentin because of insomnia, headache, and depressed mood. In the first period of using the drug no complication has been seen. However in the next period, side-effects such as hyperesthesia, scaling and severe localized edema has been observed. After several laboratory tests and imaging, no reason was found for his edema. And after discontinuing gabapentin the pain and edema was quite relieved. We found out the brand of the drug has been switched in the second stage. The point which makes our study special is the incidence of side-effects such as severe edema, scaling and hyperesthesia for the first time because of using gabapentin and changing the drug combination.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease that is becoming a public health problem in recent decades. Obesity and overweight play a key role in NAFLD pathogenesis. Thus, weight loss (especially body fat mass) is one component of therapeutic strategies in NAFLD. Results from experimental studies have shown that garlic (Allium sativum L.) can reduce body weight and body fat mass. However, the effect of garlic on body fat mass and weight in the human population, which is addressed in this study, is still obscure.

In this clinical trial, 110 subjects with NAFLD were randomly assigned to the intervention or the control group. The intervention group received two garlic tablets (containing 400 mg of garlic powder) daily while the control group received placebo tablets. Dietary intake and physical activity of participants were obtained by a validated questionnaire. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16.

In the intervention group, significant reductions were observed in body weight and body fat mass (P < 0.05). We also observed a significant reduction in body weight in the control group, but there were no significant changes in total body water and lean body mass in both groups (P > 0.05). In the intervention group, the percentage change in body weight was significantly greater than the control group (−2.6 vs. −0.7, P = 0.02). No serious side effects associated with the intervention were reported.

Our trial suggests that garlic supplementation can reduce body weight and fat mass among subjects with NAFLD.

Nowadays, establishment of nCPAP and surfactant administration is considered to be the first level of intervention for newborns engaged in the process of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS). In order to decrease the side effects of the nCPAP management placed in noninvasive-non-cycled respiratory support. Noninvasive-cycled respiratory support mechanism have been developed such as N-BiPAP. Therefore, we compared N-BiPAP with Bubble-CPAP in a clinical trial.

This research was done as an on newborns weighing less than 1500 grams affiliated with RDS. A3 The total number of newborns was 70. Newborns were divided into two groups with the sample size of 35 patients in each, according to odd and even document numbers. One group was treated with N-BiPAP and the other with Bubble-CPAP. Patients were compared according to the length of treatment with noninvasive respiratory support, length of oxygen intake, number of surfactant doses administered, need for invasive mechanical ventilation, apnea, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), chronic lung disease, intraventricular hemorrhage, pneumothorax, and death. Data was recorded and compared.

The average duration for noninvasive respiratory support and the average time of need to complementary oxygen was not significantly different in both groups (P value > 0.05). Need for invasive ventilation, also chronic lung disease, intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), pneumothorax, need for the next dose of surfactant, and the death rate did also have no meaningful difference. (P value > 0.05).

In this research N-BiPAP did not show any obvious clinical preference over the Bubble-CPAP in treatment of newborns weighing less than 1500 grams and affiliated with RDS.

Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism (PE) remains difficult due to its nonspecific symptoms and signs. Therefore, many patients die undiagnosed or untreated. We decided to study the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism.

In this prospective study, 77 patients with clinically suspected PE in the emergency department of Isfahan Al-Zahra Hospital were enrolled from September 2011 to September 2012. At first, they were evaluated by thoracic ultrasonography (TUS) and then divided into four groups based on their TUS findings. Multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) was the reference method in this study performed within 24 h from admission. MSCT scans were interpreted by a radiologist who was unaware of the TUS results. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive values (NPVs) of thoracic ultrasonography were determined.

PE diagnosis was confirmed by MSCT in 25 patients and 54 hypoechoic lesions were detected by TUS with the average size of 16.4 mm × 11.1 mm. In our study, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and accuracy of TUS for PE diagnosis were 84%, 94.2%, 87.5%, and 92.5%, respectively.

TUS is an inexpensive, safe and easily available method for timely diagnosis and treatment of PE in emergency department and its NPV is high for cases with low scores for Wells criteria who had a normal or possible TUS findings. It is also specific in the diagnosis of PE in cases with high scores Wells criteria who have confirmed or probable TUS findings.

Endothelial dysfunction probably has a role in the etiology of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). The aim of this study was determining of the relationship between endothelial dysfunction and SSNHL.

In a case–control study, 30 patients with SSNHL and 30 otherwise healthy age and sex-matched controls were studied. Demographic data gathered included age, gender, family history of SSNHL, and history of smoking, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia. Laboratory data included measurement of hemoglobin, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and lipid profile. Endothelial function was assessed by measuring flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

The two groups were the same in age (47.9 ± 9.3 and 48.1 ± 9.6 years, P = 0.946) with female/male ratio of 1:1 in both groups. Diabetes and dyslipidemia were more frequent in patients than controls (20% vs. 0%, P = 0.024). Brachial artery diameter was greater in patients than controls before (4.24 ± 0.39 vs. 3.84 ± 0.23 mm, P < 0.001) and after ischemia (4.51 ± 0.43 vs. 4.28 ± 0.27 mm, P = 0.020), but FMD was lower in patients than controls (6.21 ± 3.0 vs. 11.52 ± 2.30%, P < 0.001). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that FMD was associated with SSNHL independent from FBS and lipid profile (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] =0.439 [0.260–0.740], P = 0.002).

Endothelial dysfunction, among other cardiovascular risk factors, is associated with SSNHL. This association is independent from other cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes and dyslipidemia.

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of letrozole on ovulation induction and pregnancy in comparison with clomiphene citrate in PCOS patients.

The study was based on prospective randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of letrozole as the first-line management of the PCOS patients in comparison to clomiphene citrate during 2009 to 2011 and was performed in one private infertility clinic. The study included 100 patients divided into 2 equal groups.

Pregnancy occurred in 29 of 50 patients in letrozole group (58%) and 24 of 51 patients in clomiphene group (47%). The difference was not statistically significant (P value = 0.23). Thirty patients in clomiphene group and 36 patients in letrozole group showed regular menses after or during the treatment course. No significant difference between the 2 groups was observed (P value = 0.21).

Our findings suggest letrozole and clomiphene citrate are equally effective for induction of ovulation and achieving pregnancy in patients with PCOS.

The exact role of vitamin D in the development and severity of preeclampsia is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between vitamin D supplement and preeclampsia in pregnant women.

In this randomized controlled trial, in 2012, 140 nulliparous pregnant women in two groups received supplementation with 600 IU/day of vitamin D or supplementation free of vitamin D at 16 week gestation until the delivery. The main outcomes included the frequency of preeclampsia and subtypes by clinical severity and infant birth weight.

Mean of maternal age and gestational age at the delivery in all studied subjects were 25 ± 4.1 years and 37.4 ± 3 weeks, respectively, which were not statistically significant between the groups. Preeclampsia was observed in two subjects in case group compared to seven subjects in control group, which was not significant (P-value = 0.09). In case group, subjects with preeclampsia diagnosed as mild preeclampsia and in control group four subjects were mild, and three were severe. No significant differences were noted between the case and control groups in the frequency of preeclampsia subtypes by clinical severity. Infant birth weight in case group who was significantly higher than control group, which was statistically significant between groups (P-value = 0.09).

In summary, our results demonstrated that vitamin D supplementation during the third trimester of pregnancy; despite the non-significant association between vitamin D supplementation and preeclampsia, reduce the risk of preeclampsia. However, further studies needs to be done.

The influence of the supplementation of pomegranate peel extract containing anthocyanins on atherosclerotic plaque formation induced by hypercholesterolemia was investigated in renal arteries in rabbits.

After the determination of polyphenol and anthocyanin’s content of P. granatum peel hydroalcoholic extract, 30 male rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. They were fed basic diet, hypercholesterolemic diet and hypercholesterolemic diet along with P. granatum peel extract (polyphenolic content for each rabbit 1 g/kg diet) for 2 month. Blood samples were collected at the begging, middle and end of the study in order to measure lipid concentration and oxidative and antioxidative status variables, and renal arteries were taken for the assessment of atherosclerotic plaques at the end of the study.

The results reveal that P. granatum peel extract significantly increases serum antioxidant capacity in the extract recipient group in comparison with hypercholesterolemic control (P < 0.05). No significant differences are observed in total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein and in mean size of accumulated fatty streaks in renal arteries in the extract treatment group in comparison with hypercholesterolemic control (P > 0.05).

The results of this study indicate that consumption of pomegranate peel extract containing anthocyanins (polyphenol content 1 g/kg diet) despite of a significant increase in serum antioxidant capacity cannot protect the kidneys from hypercholesterolemia-induced damages during the treatment period.

Different research groups reported a negative correlation between cancers and parasitical infections. As an example, the prevalence of a hydatid cyst among patients with cancer was significantly lower than its prevalence among normal population. Tn antigens exist both in cancer and hydatid cyst. This common antigen may be involved in the effect of parasite on cancer growth. So in this work, common antigens between hydatid cyst and cancers have been investigated.

Different hydatid cyst antigens including hydatid fluid, laminated and germinal layer antigens, and excretory secretory antigens of protoscolices were run in SDS PAGE and transferred to NCP paper. In western immunoblotting, those antigens were probed with sera of patients with different cancer and also sera of non-cancer patients. Also, cross reaction among excretory secretory products of cancer cells and antisera raised against different hydatid cyst antigen was investigated.

In western immunoblotting, antisera raised against laminated and germinal layers of hydatid cyst reacted with excretory secretory products of cancer cells. Also, a reaction was detected between hydatid cyst antigens and sera of patients with some cancers.

Results of this work emphasize existence of common antigens between hydatid cyst and cancers. More investigation about these common antigens is recommended.

The present study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of at least three cycles of Bevacizumab in combination with chemotherapy regimens, FOLFIRI or FOLFOX to treat liver metastatic colorectal cancer and improved response rates in these patients.

In this non-randomized clinical trial, 38 patients were enrolled and followed for 12-weeks period of chemotherapy. Fifteen patients under treated with FOLOFX (Group I), 15 patients under treated with FOLOFIRI (Group II), 4 patients under treated with FOLOFX + Bevacizumab (Group III), and 34 patients under treated with FOLOFIRI + Bevacizumab (Group IV). Response to treatment was assessed in all patients as main endpoint. Patients in groups I and II, who did not response to treatment after 12 weeks of chemotherapy, were followed by groups III and IV regimens, respectively, for 12 weeks.

Overall response rate was 35% (19 of 54), and complete response (CR), partial response (PR), progressive disease (PD), and stable disease (SD) rates in all patients were 18%, 17%, 35%, and 30%. PR, SD, and PD were different among groups, but no statistical significance was noted among groups (P-value >0.05). No patient achieved a CR in groups III and IV, although CR was observed in 4 patients (27%) and 6 patients (40%) in groups I and II, respectively. The rare of CR was statistically significant among studied groups (P-value = 0.013).

Results showed that adding Bevacizumab to chemotherapy regimens, in patients who did not response to FOLFIRI or FOLFOX regimen, did not increase CR in these patients.

There are a lot of evidences showing that genetic play an important role in RA disease. Inheritance of some subgroups of HLA-DR4 gene increases the propensity to RA disease. In this paper, the impact of HLA-DR4 gene and its subtypes or subgroups, be consistence on RA patient who lived in Isfahan province, has been evaluated.

In this survey, two groups of people (100 patients in case group and 100 normal persons in control group) have been selected. These two groups were similar in age and gender. Statistical population has been considered among people who visited Al Zahra rheumatology clinic. The participants were from Isfahan province and accepted to participate to the study voluntarily. The prevalence of HLA-DR4 and its 0401-0404 subtypes were evaluated between two groups; DNA was extracted from blood samples and studied using PCR SSCP method.

It was found that 35% of RA patients had HLA-DR4 gene, of which 14 persons had 0401, 10 persons had 0404, and 11 persons had other subtypes, whereas 30 people in control group had HLA-DR4 gene, of which 10 people had 0401, 20 people had 0404, and nobody had other subtypes.

The observed differences between prevalence of HLA-DR4 gene between the case and control group were not statistically significant (P = 0.45; OR = 1.256; 95% CI = 0.69-2.27), but a relation was between HLA-DR4 0404 subtypes and RA (P = 0.02; OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.196-0.992).

To assess the validity of ultrasonography (US) in detection of secondary ossification centers (SOC) of the hand. Radiography is the standard technique for estimating skeletal bone age with its unwanted harmful effects mostly undesirable in little children. If efficient enough, US could be an appropriate substitute.

Left hand US was performed on 6-60 months children (n = 24, with 29 SOCs for each child in his/her hand and a total of 696 SOCs) referred for wrist radiography and bone age determination during a 4 months period. The presence of SOCs was investigated by US and radiography by two radiologists under blind conditions.

US was evaluated 696 SOCs, and 446 SOCs were detected, by US and 436 by radiography without statistically significant difference. The results of US and radiography in detection of SOCs of distal forearm (23 SOCs were detected by both US and radiography) and carpi (87 SOCs) were identical. However, in metacarpi (94 for US, 88 for radiography) and phalanges (242 for US, 238 for radiography) US appeared better.

On the base of our data, US is at least as effective as radiography in detection of SOCs and therefore can play a role in the skeletal age estimation.

The significance of techniques used for detecting micro-metastasis (MM) or isolated tumor cells (ITCs) is a controversial issue among investigators. We evaluated the different techniques used on sentinel lymph node (SLN) to detect MM/ITCs.

Ninety-one SLNs of 15 patients underwent serial section with 100 μm interval. In each level, two sections were prepared. One section was stained with H&E and another with anti-cytokeratin antibody (immunohistochemistry). Then the sections were evaluated for detecting MM/ITCs. Results were analyzed by chi-square test.

1656 sections of 91 SLNs of 15 patients were evaluated by a pathologist; MM was found in 1 and ITCs in 1 case. Overall, 2 out of 15 cases (13.3% of the patients) showed MM/ITCs by IHC staining. So, serial section along with using IHC was superior than serial section and routine H&E staining. But it did not affect the 5-year survival of the patients (P = 0.47).

Using the combined techniques of serial section and IHC staining could up-stage 13.3% of colon cancer patients who were lymph node negative. In other studies with different combination of serial section, IHC staining, and PCR, investigators were able to find MM/ITCs in 3-39% of the cases. In our study, although serial section and IHC staining could up-stage 13.3% of patients, it could not affect the 5-year survival of the patients.

The function of renin angiotensin system (RAS) is gender‑related, and this system affects cisplatin (CP)‑induced nephrotoxicity. In this study, we compared the effect of enalapril as an angiotensin‑converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor on CP‑induced nephrotoxicity between male and female rats.

Sixty‑two adult male and female Wistar rats were divided into eight groups. Both genders received CP (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) and enalapril (30 mg/kg, i.p.) for 7 days in compared with CP alone or enalapril alone or vehicle alone treated groups. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were obtained, and the kidney tissue was investigated for histopathological changes.

CP increased the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine as well as kidney weight and kidney tissue damage score in both genders (P < 0.05). However, not only enalapril failed to ameliorate the aforementioned parameters in both genders, but also it intensified nephrotoxicity in females (P < 0.05). In addition, enalapril enhanced body weight loss induced by CP in females (P < 0.05). CP alone decreased kidney level of nitrite in both genders (P < 0.05) and enalapril could not reverse this decreasing. The combination of enalapril and CP significantly increased serum level of nitrite in females, but this was not observed in males (P < 0.05).

Enalapril as an ACE inhibitor failed to ameliorate nephrotoxicity induced by CP in both male and female rats. In addition, enalapril aggravated CP‑induced nephrotoxicity in female possibly due to gender‑dependent RAS response.