نشریه پژوهش در پزشکی
سال چهل و پنجم شماره 2 (پیاپی 178، تابستان 1400)

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases in the world. Intracellular recording from neurons with epileptiform activity has well shown the burst firing pattern. Previous studies have shown that melatonin anti-epileptic effects, although effective on the neuronal properties and alteration of the firing pattern, has not been determined yet. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of melatonin on the electrophysiological parameters in an epileptic model induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ).

An experimental study was performed on the soma membrane of F1 neurons of sub-esophageal ganglia of Helix aspersa (Iranian garden snail). The firing pattern and action potential were recorded using a single electrode intracellular recording under controlled conditions. The epileptiform activity was induced using pentylenetetrazole and treatment was done using melatonin (100μM). Data analysis was carried out using Prism (version 8, GraphPad Software, Inc.) running one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s test.

Melatonin significantly prevented the depolarizing effect of pentylenetetrazole on resting membrane potential at concentration of 100μM (P<0.001). In addition, it caused a significant (P<0.001) reduction in firing frequency and an increase in the afterhyperpolarization potential. Furthermore, it resulted in changes in the electrical firing activity of neurons from bursting in the present of PTZ to a tonic firing in the control condition.

It seems that, by altering the electrophysiological parameters, melatonin caused a reduction of epileptiform activity and changed the bursting pattern due to PTZ to a tonic pattern. Thus, it can be concluded that melatonin can be effective in the treatment of epilepsy by reducing neuronal excitability.

Asthma is a complex and chronic inflammatory disease that causes numerous changes in the shape and function of the respiratory system, including reversible obstruction and stenosis, severe response, and alteration of the airway model, and other body systems, such as the immune system, the nervous system, and the endocrine system. It also affects the psyche of the patient. Today, due to the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs, there is a growing desire to use traditional medicine. Bee venom due to the presence of numerous antioxidants and anti-inflammatory factors can prevent the increase of free radicals and is effective in reducing the complications of asthma.

To evaluate bee poison, 32 rats (Wistar) were divided into four groups of control, asthma, and asthma receiving categorized 0/5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg. To inflict the experimental asthma, rats received injective–inhalation ovalbumin. Along with receiving asthma, the treatment groups received bee poison during 10 days, too. At the end of the experiment, the samples were dissected and their lavage fluid was extracted, the white blood cell counted, and the percentages of monocytes and eosinophils in the lavage fluid of the four groups were determined and compared using SPSS running ANOVA with the significance value set at .

The results showed that the total number of white blood cells, with the mean and standard deviation of 229 ± 34 (P≤0.01), percentage of monocytes with the mean of 1.71 ± 0.18 (P≤0.001), and vasinophils with the mean of 1.63 ± 0.26 (P≤0.01) in asthma samples increased significantly compared with those of the control samples.

According to the results, it seems that, due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, bee venom may be effective in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma.

One of the concerns faced by dentists is the reliability of tooth shade selection. The present research was carried out concerning the increase in patients’ expectation of beauty and the importance of conformity in restorative materials for success in beauty restorations and also due to the lack of suffecient research in this field.The current study was performed to determine the reliability of tooth shade selection done by the students of semesters 11-10 using vita Classic system at Tehran Islamic Azad University, School of dentistry, in 2015.

A cross sectional study was carried out on 60 students of dentistry who had no colorblindness. Ishihara color-blindness test was taken from all of the students and then they were asked to choose the color of patients’ left maxillary central incisor using four vita Classic shade guide kits with unknown codes. In order to unify the condition, the patient was asked to brush her teeth and remove her makeup. The light was assimilated using “day light” device made in Taiwan and also tooth shade selection test was done in 30 centimeters distance from the patients and no time limitation. A grey screen was used to prevent eyestrain. After 10 days, the experiment was repeated with similar conditions.

The reliability of shade selection in students (R) was 0.96 or %96 and the congruency (R²) was 81 percent. Also, %65 of excellent reliability and %24 of good reliability and 8 moderate reliability and %3 of low reliability was observed among the residents. Relevant factors like gender, wearing glasses, and academic semester were not observed to be statistically significant (p<0.2).

It saems the there is a high reliability of shade selection in students and it does not have any relationship with other factors.

Decreased volume of the hippocampus causes disorders in memory and learning. One of the reasons for the change in the volume of the hippocampus is a change in the number of neurons. Probiotics are living microorganisms whose adequate consumption causes the health effects of the host to appear. Due to the various uses of probiotics and their beneficial effects on the body, they are expected to be able to improve these disorders in cases such as Alzheimer's disease, in which a person's memory and learning are impaired. So, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of probiotic prophylaxis of Lactobacillus fermentum on neuronal density of hippocampus in CA3, CA2, and CA1 regions in rats with Alzheimer's disease.

In the current experimental study, 30 Wistar rats weighing 200-250 g were randomly divided into five groups (control, Alzheimer, 3 treatment groups). In order to induce Streptozotocin Alzheimer, 5 mg/kg doses of stereotaxin (volume of 5 microliters) was injected at each lateral ventricle of the brain. In the treatment groups, Lactobacillus probiotic fermentum was also injected by the dosage of 10-6, 10-7, and 10-8 ML/CFU simultaneous with STZ intraperitoneal injection in 21 days. In the current study, the shuttle box was used to investigate the behavior and to avoid passive learning. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the data resulted from analysis of variance with repetitive measures and to analyze the memory. Data were analyzed using minitab statistical software running Post hoc and ANOVA at a significance level of P<0.05. The curves were drawn using Excel software.

A significant decrease was found in the neuronal density of the control group against Alzheimer's group (STZ) (P <0.001), and the comparison between treatment groups (10-6, 10-7, 8-8) and Alzheimer's group (STZ) showed a significant increase (P <0.001).

  It seems that probiotics, with their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, have prevented the development of neuronal lesions and implemented improvement mechanisms. Our study shows that probiotic Lactobacillus fermentum at dilution of 10-6 has a neurogenic effect and may be used to improve memory and learning.

Lateral ankle sprains are one of the most common injuries in athletes. However, there is little information about the risk factors of this injury. The aim of the present study was to determine prospectively intrinsic risk factors for lateral ankle sprains in athletes.

A longitudinal study was carried out on 152 male athletes recruited from clubs in Hamadan province by first completing a personal information registration form at the beginning of the season. Then, their height, weight, body mass index, hip abductor, hip extensor, ankle evertor, and invertor muscle strength were measured. The participants played and practiced for 20 months. Lateral ankle injuries were registered during 20 months and exposure to sport was recorded. Since the dependent variable was grouped (presence or absence of aspirin), logistic regression was used to analyze the data (p≤0.05).

A total of 34 new ankle sprain injuries were recorded in total training sessions and competitions, which was equivalent to 0.804 injuries per 1000 hours of play and training. The results of logistic regression showed that age (P = 0.04, OR = 1.040), height (P = 0.03, OR = 1.024), weight (P = 0.05, OR = 1.008), body mass index (P = 0.04, OR = 1.077), invertor muscles strength (P = 0.00, OR= 1.091) ), evertor muscles strength (P = 0.03, P = 1.051), and previous injury history (P = 0.001, OR=51.016) are significantly associated with the incidence of ankle sprain injury. According to the results of regression analysis and ROC curve, the history of previous injury was introduced as the main predictor of ankle sprain.

It seems that previous injury history, age, height, weight, and body mass index can predict lateral ankle sprain. These results can help coaches and players prevent this injury in the future.

The use of an occlusive membrane interfacing with gingival connective tissue/epithelium and bone tissue to promote periodontal tissue regeneration has considerably been successful. The biological basis of tissue-guided membrane regeneration is that the addition of a physical barrier prevents the migration of epithelial cells and connective tissue into the lesion to allow periodontal and mesenchymal ligament cells to migrate to the root surface. The presently existing structures act only as a physical barrier and have no other function. The purpose of the present study was construction and evaluation of a triple-layered composite PCL/ HA membrane containing Dexamethasone loaded PLGA Microspheres for the regeneration of jaw bone in periodontal disease.

In the current experimental study, the composite polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite membrane was prepared along with microspheres containing dexamethasone using solvent casting. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate morphology, Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was implemented to study the chemical structure, and spectrophotometry was used to evaluate the release rate of dexamethasone. Except for morphology, 5 samples were prepared and analyzed for each test. The normality of data distribution was evaluated running the Shapiro-Wilk test and the results were compared using t-test.

SEM images show that the membranes prepared via this method have high porosity, large, and interconnection. Microspheres have an almost uniform surface topography and a completely homogeneous spherical state with an average size of 6 nm to 10 μm. FTIR results confirmed the presence of hydroxyapatite in the structure. Spectrophotometric results showed that the release rate of dexamethasone was higher when the microspheres containing it were in the second layer on the first day (P=0.02), but this amount was not significantly different in the third layer on different days (P=0.12). 

It seems that PCL/HA composite membranes were prepared via solvent casting can be used in soft and hard tissue regeneration due to their similarity with bone tissue and creating suitable conditions for soft tissue repair.

Chronic exposure to stress is often associated with increased activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) and causes chronic high plasma glucocorticoids concentrations, which can result in various diseases. Regading the fact that antioxidant agents can modulate the activity of the HPA axis, in the present study, the effect of royal jelly was investigated on the activity of the HPA axis in male rats under chronic unpredictable stress.

In the current experimental study, 24 adult rats were randomly divided into the following three groups: without stress-solvent, without stress- royal jelly, and with stress-solvent and with stress-royal jelly. The animals in the stress groups were exposed to chronic unpredictable stress for four weeks and received royal jelly or solvent during this time. The weight of the animals was measured and blood samples were obtained to determine the plasma concentration of corticosterone. Finally, the adrenal glands of the animals were removed and weighed.

The weights of the stressed rats (195.88±4.24) were lower than those of the non-stressed rats (231.13±5.91) (P<0.001). However, plasma corticosterone concentration (1.22±0.03) (P<0.01) and adrenal gland weights (51.85±2.49) (P<0.05) increased in the stress group, whereas Royal jelly decreased plasma corticosterone concentration and increased body weight in the stressed rats so that these values were close to the control group values. The use of this substance had no effect on adrenal gland weight.

It seems that Royal Jelly prevents the increase of plasma corticosterone concentration following exposure to chronic unpredictable stress. With regard to the fact that this substance has no effect on the weight of the adrenal glands, it has probably exerted its modifying effect on corticosterone by reducing the secretion of corticosterone from the adrenal glands.

Microorganisms in soy have many beneficial effects on human health. Useful microorganisms in soy include Lactobacillus. The aim of the current study was to determine the antimicrobial properties of Lactobacillus isolated from soybean on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

A descriptive study was performed on 32 Lactobacillus isolated from soybeans for one year. First, soybeans were bought under different brands. In order to prepare soybean samples, attention was paid to the health of the seeds and the expiration date of the packaging and the health of the packaging. First, 10 grams of the soybeans was introduced into 50 ml of tap water. Catalase and oxidase tests were then performed on the colonies that appeared. Fermentation tests of different sugars and antimicrobial properties of isolated bacteria on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were examined. For molecular studies, the extracted DNA, along with specific primers, PCR, was performed to observe the antimicrobial gene of Lactobacillus. All tests were performed with three replications and the reported numbers are the average of the three replications.

From among 32 isolated Lactobacillus isolated from 16 different soybean brands, the highest frequency was related to Lactobacillus plantarum with 21.8% and the lowest frequency was related to Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus pantris each with 3.1%) all of which had antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Lactobacillus plantarum had a larger growth inhibition zone compared with other species. All samples examined in PCR test formed a band.

Placenta-specific protein 1 (PLAC1) is one of the members of cancer-testis antigens family that has limited expression in normal tissue, but is upregulated in a variety of malignant tissues. Considering the lack of studies on the expression of FCRL1 in CML and CLL, the current study was conducted to examine the expression pattern of PLAC1 gene in these leukemias.

Fresh peripheral blood samples were collected from 6 CML and 10 CLL patients. In addition, peripheral blood samples of 10 healthy individuals were collected in EDTA as control group. All patients and healthy individuals signed a consent letter before sampling. The mononuclear cells were separated using ficoll-hypaque gradient centrifugation. Isolated mononuclear cells were used for RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis using RT-PCR method. Then, PLAC1 transcript expression in comparison to GAPDH were detected via Real-Time PCR. The statistical analyses were performed using chi-square test in SPSS.

All 10 normal samples were negative for PLAC1. The PLAC1 expression was found to be statistically different in CML group (4 out of 6 cases) compared with that in the normal group (P value = 0.000). However, CLL revealed no significant difference compared to normal individuals for PLAC1 expression (P Value = 0.648). In a significant percentage of CML patients, PLAC1 expression was positive but in CLL patients PLAC1, transcript expression was not evident.

It seems that PLAC1 could potentially be proposed as a biomarker in CML to aid in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment in the future.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial infections in the world. Efflux pumps are well known as a key role to fluoroquinolone resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The present study was performed to determine resistance to antimicrobial agents related to efflux pumps isolates recovered from blood cultures of patients referred to several hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences between 1396-1397.

In the present descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 100 clinical samples were collected from blood cultures over a 12-month period. S. aureus isolates were identified using standard microbiological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were determined using disk diffusion method and micro-dilution method. Subsequently, the presence of norA efflux pump gene was detected using PCR method. Finally, active efflux pumps were evaluated using ciprofloxacin and ethidium bromide MICs. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing were used to investigate the norA efflux pump gene. Chi-square test was used for statistical analyses.

Among 100 clinical samples, 38 out of 45 MRSA isolates (84.4%) showed resistance to ciprofloxacin. Moreover, the norA gene was found in 100% of ciprofloxacin resistant isolates. Among 38 ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates, 8 isolates showed active efflux activity by reducing EtBr and ciprofloxacin MIC values by 2 to 4 folds in the presence of CCCP (carbonyl cyanide 3-chlorophenylhydrazone).

It seems that a rising trend of antimicrobial resistance among S.aureus isolates to different antibiotics has  become a widespread concern in infection control.

Cancer is the leading cause of death after cardiovascular diseases, and accidents. Nowadays, researchers are increasing their efforts to use treatments with minimal side effects and make an attempt to use traditional medicine and herbal remedies. AnbarNesara is a seemingly worthless substance found in traditional medicine used in the treatment of many diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the smoke from the burning of AnbarNesara on liver cancer cells and to investigate the genes expression changes of P53 and CYP2E1.

In the current experimental study, first Anbarnsara was collected from Dargaz region in spring and then the smoke from its fuel was collected in cold propyleneglycol. The amount of smoke in the solvent was calculated. Then, liver cancer cell line (HEPG2) and normal cell line were cultured. Cytotoxicity tests and morphological studies were performed and IC50 value was calculated. RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, and Real Time PCR were performed to evaluate the expression of P53 and CYP2E1 genes. The results were analyzed using t-test and ANOVA at a significance level of P <0.05.

The results of morphological studies and toxicity test indicated that smoke from AnbarNesara fuel at a concentration of 58.5 mg/ml increases cancer cell mortality (IC50=48.79) compared to that in the control group (P <0.05). In the study of gene expression, while the concentration of 117 mg increased the expression of CYP2E1 gene, the P53 gene increased at the concentration of 58.5 (P <0.05).

The smoke from burning Anbarnsara seems to have a lethal effect on liver cancer cells. Duration and concentration are significant in this effectiveness.

Skeletal remains play an important role in forensic and anthropological studies and investigations to determine the individuals’ sex and age. The Mandibular bone is the largest and strongest skull bone that remains almost intact after death. Due to the varying size and shape of the mandible in men and women, the researchers use the morphometric properties of this bone to determine sex. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the morphometric parameters of the mandible in Tehran population.

In the present descriptive study, 100 orthopantomographs (from 50 males and 50 females) were used to measure three parameters of mandible including ramus length, ramus width, and body length. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 25.0 software running T-test with the significance level set at <0.05 (P <0.05).

The mean length of ramus in men and women were 74 and 67 mm, respectively (P <0.05). The mean length of ramus was longer in men on both right and left sides as compared with the women. Also, the mean parameter measure on the left side was found to be greater than that of the right side in both sexes. There was no significant difference between the width of the ramus and the length of the mandibular body between men and women.

It can be concluded that the measurement of mandibular ramus parameters is an important indicator of gender determination in forensics and anthropology.

Radiotherapy (RT) is an effective treatment in the field of cancer. Since the potential effect of RT is heavily dependent on the patient's immune system, using the immunotherapy to enhance the radiotherapy effects seems to be a positive step in the treatment of cancer.

In order to write the present review article, keywords including radiotherapy, immunotherapy, combination therapy, and immune-checkpoint inhibitors antibodies were searched in reliable databases, including Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Elsevier. Among potential candidates, those which were the most relevant to the purpose of the study and evaluated the combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy with immune-checkpoint inhibitors antibodies were selected.

RT has distinct effects on the tumor microenvironment which can either inhibit or promote tumor growth. By inducing immunogenic cell death results in releasing danger signals, RT increases in cytokine/chemokine secretion, recruits immune cells, and alters the expression of CTLA-4, PD-1, and PD-L1 molecules on tumor and immune cells. Previous studies showed that the combination of immunotherapy and RT (radio-immunotherapy) induces the synergic effects on stimulation of anti-tumor immune response. Due to the change in the expression of immune-checkpoint molecules, including CTLA-4 and PD-1 on tumor and immune cells, and the impact on anti-tumor immune function in controlling tumor growth as a result of radiotherapy, it seems that a rational solution to overcome the inhibitory effects and to enhance the anti-tumor effects of RT is anti-checkpoint antibodies (anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1). However, some factors including dose, type of radiation, and the timing of RT in relation to administration of checkpoint inhibitors are some of the challenges along this way.

MicroRNAs are reported as playing important roles in neural differentiation, but the complex mechanisms of neural differentiation are always a barrier to finding the significance of microRNAs in neural differentiation. Our hypothesis was that high-throughput techniques with systems biology network could be used to solve these complicated mechanisms. To this end, we made an attempt to candidate new microRNAs in neural differentiation mechanisms using high throughput and systems biology network approaches.

We utilized meta-analysis with five microarrays in both genes and microRNAs expression databases with R programming language. Then, we constructed proteinprotein interaction (PPI) network from DEGs using GeneMania plug-in in Cystoscape environment. Also, to find miR that are in interaction with DEGs of neural differentiation, we used two TargetScan and miRTarBase databases. The results of two miR database were compared with the those of DEmiR and we finaly reported some DE-miR that have interaction with DEGs in neural differentiation

Our results showed that 443 DEGs and 148 DE-miR in neural differentiation process after meta-analysis of five databases. Next, the 443 DEGs were analyzed using two TargetScan and miRTarBase microRNAs database and the results revealed 252 miR, so 252 miR were compared with 148 DE-miR and the results indicated that only four miR 124, 29a, 383, and miR-380-3p were present in both lists. In addition, PPI network was constructed with 443 DEGs and the results of GO indicated four anterior posterior pattern specification, Neural tube development, Stem cells differentiation, and Forebrain development pathways. PPI network of four pathways are extracted and analyzed using four DE-miR candidates, and then two miR-383 and miR-380-3p were reported as candidate microRNAs to play a role in neural differentiation process.

Our results suggest that the two miR-383 and miR-380-3p play a role in neural differentiation process.

Turner's syndrome is one of the relatively common chromosomal disorders characterized by the absence of all or part of one sex chromosome, with a prevalence of near one in 2500 live birth females. Most typical clinical characteristics of this syndrome include primary amenorrhea, hypogonadism, short stature, digital anomalies, and low hair line at the back of the neck. A large number of affected individuals have a 45,X monosomy; nevertheless, other structural abnormalities of X chromosome or 45,X with cell line mosaicism can also fulfill the criteria. In the current study we report two turner affected patients with dicentric X making an attempt to explain their phenotypes associated with deleted areas.

The first case was a 13-year old female who had edema and lymphoma during infancy. As she grew up, other symptoms of Turner’s syndrome such as short stature, broad shoulders, widely spaced nipples, short metacarpals, small womb, premature ovarian, and higher levels of FSH, LH, and prolactin were apparent. The second patient was a 12 year-old girl without obvious Turner’s syndrome in her infancy, but during her puberty, she showed short stature, short neck, broad chest, normal womb, premature ovarian, normal LH, and increased levels of FSH and prolactin.

The results of G-banding karyotyping depicted that the first patient had 46,X,dic(X) and she was monosomy for short arm of X chromosome, while the second patient was mosaic 45,X(60%)/46,X,dicX(40%). Considering the areas which have been deleted and also heterogenic phenotypes of each patient, roles of every involved gene in that regains have been regarded. With this regard for the exact detection of deleted areas, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is recommended. Also, carrier detection of parents with a history of affected child for assessing chromosomal abnormalities with the aim of preventing further affected child during their conception is suggested.

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a progressive disease that can lead to destruction and deformity of involved joints. Different therapeutic regiments and ways of treatment for this disease are presented which may reduce symptoms and signs of disease but have many complications, as well.

In the present article, the case of a patient with chronic seronegative rheumatoid arthritis with progressive coarse, resistant to routine therapy is reported who was treated with a combination of specific diets, vitamins, and low dose of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drags.

The patient, with 35 years of history, responded rapidly to this way of therapy. Her joints limitation regressed significantly and the diameter of her legs decreased so that after 10 days she was able to walk without help.

This report may result in directing researchers’ and physicians’ attention to consumption of diets with greater anti-oxidants and abstinence of inflammation-inducing diets in favor of reducing inflammation and signs of rheumatoid arthritis and correction of tolerance immune cells whose derangement is the main pathogenesis of this disease making use of in vivo cell therapy.