Thrita
Volume:10 Issue: 28, Dec 2021

Physalis alkekengi (PA) is used as a topical medicine in the treatment of tumors. The diuretic, laxative, and antiinflammatory properties of PA have been studied. Due to the widespread usage of PA, investigation on the plausible side effects is of great concern.

This study was done to assess the effects of aqueous extract of PA on the heart and aortic tissue of adult BALB/c mice.

Fifty BALB/c mice aged 10-12 weeks, weighing 25 ± 2 g, were divided into five groups of control, sham, and three experimental groups (receiving PA aqueous extract at 7, 15, and 19 g/Kg) for four weeks. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) enzymes were measured. Moreover, histological processing and macroscopic investigation were performed.

Our data showed that different doses of PA aqueous extract caused a significant increase in aortic diameter compared to the control and sham groups (P-value≤0.05). The macroscopic heart investigation revealed that the experimental groups had more apparent blood vessels than the control group. In microscopic examinations, an increase was observed in the interstitial spaces and unrecognizable stepped lines. The experimental groups demonstrated a significant decrease in the levels of LDH and CPK compared to the control and sham groups (P-value ≤ 0.5). Therefore, PA aqueous extract has adverse impacts on the heart, aorta, and cardiac enzymes, which were more significant at high doses.

Our finding showed that PA has destructive impacts on the heart tissue and PA use needs more investigation and attention.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the stage of renal failure that requires renal replacement therapy such as hemodialysis. Despite the beneficial effects of hemodialysis on patient survival and progress in the treatment of various disorders in these patients, patients still suffer from numerous complications, such as neurological and cognitive disorders, which do not improve with dialysis.

This study aimed to evaluate cognitive impairment in hemodialysis patients in Zahedan, Iran, and design a model to predict the risk.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 114 hemodialysis patients in Zahedan. Due to the socioeconomic status of the people of this region and the lack of a similar study in this part of Iran, the mini-mental state examination (MMSE) was performed. An information checklist, including age, gender, lifetime frequency of hemodialysis, and duration of hemodialysis, was completed by the investigator.

The MMSE score showed that cognitive impairment was common in ESRD patients, and its prevalence was significantly higher in elderly patients. Patients’ cognitive function was significantly related to the lifetime frequency and duration of dialysis. Based on these results, we designed a model to predict the likelihood of cognitive impairment.

The results show that cognitive impairment is a common problem among ESRD patients. Dementia is associated with multiple risks such as death, withdrawal from dialysis, hospitalization, and exacerbation of disability in ESRD patients. Therefore, effective recognition and management of these disorders can improve clinical care.

Moral intelligence is one of the several types of human intelligence. It is the ability to understand right from wrong and behave based on the value which is believed to be right.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a professional ethics workshop on the moral intelligence of prehospital emergency technicians in East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, and consequently the improvement of their performance and increase in their work efficiency.

In this before- and after-interventional study conducted in Tabriz University Prehospital Emergency Center, Iran, in 2020, a total of 234 participants were evaluated. The sample was collected using the Lennick and Kiel’s Moral Intelligence Questionnaire and full census method. Before the workshop, the questionnaire was completed by the participants. After the workshop, the same questionnaire was completed again.

The pretest and posttest scores for moral intelligence were 83.02 ± 7.33 and 83.49 ± 8.40, respectively, which showed a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). In the three components of moral intelligence, namely consistent behaviors based on principles, values, and beliefs, persistence for the right, and responsibility for personal decisions, there were statistically significant differences (P < 0.05) before and after the workshop.

According to the results, holding a professional ethics workshop was effective in increasing the overall level of moral intelligence, particularly in the three aforementioned components of moral intelligence. It is recommended to continue holding such workshops and improve the conditions and methods of training to increase their efficiency as much as possible.

Type 2 diabetes is one of the most important metabolic disorders that affect lifestyle. Accordingly, studies have shown that lifestyle changes, especially increasing daily physical activity, can prevent diabetes and help people with the disease through various mechanisms. On the other hand, the use of medicinal plants due to having various phytochemical compounds, each of which has healing properties, can be considered a helpful method in preventing and treating diabetes complications. One of the phytochemical compounds used as an effective substance in the treatment of diabetes is an alkaloid called Berberine. Berberine has been used in traditional medicine to lower blood glucose, and new studies in both in vivo and in vitro conditions have confirmed the diabetic effect of Berberine. Receiving increased energy metabolism, increased glucose and fatty acid uptake by peripheral tissues, improving lipid profile, reducing inflammatorymediators, increasing antioxidant capacity are commonmechanisms that aerobic exercise and Berberine exert their beneficial effects in diabetes. In the present study, the effect of aerobic exercise, Berberine, and its combination on diabetes markers have been investigated considering the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise and Berberine in diabetes.

Nowadays, circular training has become more common than traditional training in wrestling.

This study aimed to compare the effects of 6 weeks of traditional and circular wrestling trainingonblood lactate, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), glucose, and insulin concentrations in young male wrestlers.

Twenty-seven young male wrestlers were randomly divided into 3 groups (ie, traditional wrestling training, circular wrestling training, and control groups) and performed interventions based on the group name for 6 weeks. Blood samples were taken from all subjects 48 hours before and 48 hours after the interventions and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Blood concentrations of lactate, LDH, glucose, and insulin were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and suitable post hoc test.

Traditional training significantly increased plasma lactate concentrations of wrestlers (P = 0.01) and had no significant effect on their serum LDH, insulin, and glucose concentrations (P > 0.05). Circular training significantly increased plasma lactate (P = 0.03) and serum insulin (P = 0.004) concentrations and had no significant effect on serum LDH and glucose concentrations (P > 0.05).

These 2 types of training have a similar effect on the measured variables; however, it seems that circular training has a more significant effect on the measured variables than traditional training, which can probably be attributed to the use of more lactic energy resources and apparatus in circular training, which in turn can be used in preparation.