Internal Medicine Today
Volume:27 Issue: 4, 2022

The oral cavity contains more than 200 microbial species. Candida species are also part of the fungal flora of the oral cavity. In recent years, Candida krusei, as a common oral candida in AIDS patients, has been shown resistant to some antifungal drugs. The emergence of multidrug-resistant fungi, especially in immunodeficient populations, is a major global problem. Today, medicinal plants and their pure compounds in treating infectious diseases have provided a new horizon. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic activity of eugenol and fluconazole on the necrosis and apoptosis of Candida krusei (C. krusei) isolates from HIV+ patients with oral candidiasis.

The antifungal susceptibility tests were performed using the broth microdilution (CLSI, M27-A2) method, and the synergy between eugenol and fluconazole was evaluated using the checkerboard method. Necrotic and apoptotic effects of different antifungal agents against C. krusei were analyzed using the flow cytometry method.

In antifungal susceptibility tests by microdilution broth, the mean minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of eugenol and fluconazole for C. krusei isolates were 755.06 and 60.1 µg/mL, respectively. According to the checkerboard test results, eugenol in combination with fluconazole exhibited significant synergistic effects against most of the yeast isolates tested (P<0.05). Eugenol decreased approximately 81.81% of the MIC value of fluconazole in growth inhibition of C. krusei. The flow cytometry test results indicated that eugenol plus fluconazole has significant necrotic effects on C. krusei isolates compared with the control group (P<0.05). In contrast, minor early and late apoptotic effects of this compound were observed. 

Eugenol can be used to reduce fluconazole dose, inhibit the growth of fluconazole-resistant C. krusei, and the necrosis of yeast cells.

Physical inactivity is associated with low-grade systemic inflammation and increased risk of chronic diseases. Beneficial effects of caffeine on adipocytes metabolism and its anti-inflammatory properties have been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of 12 weeks of combined training and caffeine on plasma levels of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory indices in obese men. 

In a quasi-experimental trial, 44 obese men were purposefully and accessibly selected and assigned into four groups each 11 samples: 1) control, 2) combined (resistance-endurance) training, 3) caffeine, and 4) combined training with caffeine. The study subjects received 6 mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight daily for 12 weeks. The combined training program was performed for 12 weeks, 3 sessions per week. The plasma levels of inflammatory (interleukin[IL]-1β) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) indices were measured using an ELISA kit. The obtained data were analyzed by dependent t test, 1-way ANOVA, and Tukey post hoc test at the significant level of P<0.05.

The results showed that 12 weeks of combined training, caffeine, and combined training-caffeine significantly reduced IL-1β levels and increased IL-10 in obese men at posttest compared to the pretest (P=0.001). Also, changes in IL-1β and IL-10 levels were greater in the combined training-caffeine group (P=0.001). 

 Combined training with caffeine positively affects body composition and improves inflammatory and anti-inflammatory indices in obese people.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of reading, writing, and math training on the mental state of schizophrenic patients.

 This clinical trial was performed on 60 patients with schizophrenia at Sina Hospital, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran. The patients were selected using a simple sampling method. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of patients undergoing routine treatment (control group) and patients under routine treatment with educational intervention (intervention group). In the intervention group, a trained person of the center held writing, reading, and math training sessions three days a week, each session for a maximum of 1 hour for six months. The study data were collected using Anderson’s positive and negative symptoms questionnaire and the mini-mental state examination. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS version 18 using the Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test, and repeated measures analysis of variances.

General scores of positive symptoms (P=0.038), hallucinations (P=0.033), delusions (P=0.023), and formal positive thought disorder (P=0.029) in the third measurement of the study were significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group. Regarding the negative symptoms, in the third measurement, the affective blunting was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.039). Mini-mental state examination score was also higher in the third measurement in the intervention group than in the control group (P=0.013).

Reading, writing, and math education can be effective in improving the positive and less pronouncedly negative symptoms of patients with schizophrenia and improving their cognitive symptoms.

Oxidative stress plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of seizures. In this study, we investigated the effect of ethyl acetate fraction of Tanacetum parthenium against oxidative brain damage in a pentylenetetrazole(PTZ)-induced seizure model in mice.

 In this experimental study, mice were divided into 6 groups: control, PTZ, and 4 other groups that, besides PTZ, received 25, 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of the fraction. PTZ (100 mg/kg) and a fraction (30 min before PTZ) were administered intraperitoneally for 3 weeks. Delay in the onset of the minimal clonic seizure (MCS), generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS), and the level of oxidative stress indexes in cortical and hippocampal tissues were measured.

 Pretreatment with fraction resulted in postponing the onset seizures in the Fraction+PTZ groups compared to the PTZ group (P<0.05, P<0.01, and P<0.001). In addition, all doses of ethyl acetate fraction decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased the level of tom thiol groups and the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes in the brain tissues compared to the PTZ group. 

Ethyl acetate fraction of Tanacetum parthenium attenuated PTZ-stimulated seizures through improving brain tissue oxidative stress.

Fatty liver and its treatment are among the concerns of today’s society. So this study aimed to investigate the effect of endurance training, Somatropin injection, and its lipolytic fragment (AOD9604) on cytokeratin-18 (CK18) levels and liver enzymes of mice with fatty liver.

 In this experimental study, 28 male mice were randomly divided into four groups (7 mice in every group): control (C), exercise (E), exercise + fragment (EA), and exercise + growth hormone (EGH). A medium-intensity endurance training program was performed for 8 weeks, 5 sessions per week with an intensity of 50% VO2max. The somatropin and fragment injection protocols were 1 mg and 250 mc/kg of body weight, respectively. The mice were evaluated 48 hours after the last training session. The obtained data were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests at the significant level of P<0.05 in SPSS version 26.

CK18 showed a significant decrease in group E compared to the control group only (P=0.00). CK18 values were significantly higher in the EGH group compared to the E (P=0.00) and EA (P=0.04) groups. HOMA-IR (homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance) index had a significant decrease in the E (P=0.00) and EA (P=0.03) groups, but no significant changes were seen in the EGH group. Changes in aspartate transaminase were not significant in any of the groups. Alanine transaminase levels in all three groups of E (P=0.00), EGH (P=0.03), and EA (P=0.00) were significantly lower than those in the control group, but the inter-group changes were not significant.

 Endurance training has produced a more effective response in improving nonalcoholic fatty liver disease markers than GH and fragment peptides. Growth hormone injection can have negative consequences on some indicators of this abnormality.

Hepatitis B infection is one of the common diseases and the most prevalent communicable virus transferred by blood to the healthcare personnel. Active immunity, through vaccination, is the most effective way to prevent hepatitis B infection. The current study aimed to determine the protective antibody titer against HBs antigen in Gonabad University of Medical Sciences students, Gonabad City, Iran, 2018.

The present cross-sectional study was conducted on 416 students of Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. The HBsAb level was determined in blood samples by an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit made in Iran. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics like frequency distribution tables and inferential statistics as independent 2-sample t-test and Chi-square test to determine the relationship between variables. The significance level was considered P<0.05.

HBsAb level of 217 cases (51.8%) was below 10 IU/mL, 96 (61.3%) had an HBsAb level between 10 and 100 IU/mL, and in 106 (36.5%) cases, HBsAb level was above 100 IU/mL. There was no statistically significant difference between the means of HBsAb in terms of gender, age, and body mass index (P<0.05).

In general, more than 50% of the study participants had mild immunity against hepatitis B viruses. Therefore, in these people, it is recommended to check the antibody titer periodically to ensure immunity against hepatitis B.

Because of the increasing number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and the psychological complications that affect this group, the current study has compared the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) on these patients.

 This research is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-post-test design and a control group. A total of 45 patients with MS were selected from the patients of an MS Clinic in Tehran City, Iran, in 2019. Then, they were randomly divided into two experimental groups of ACT and CFT and one control group. The participants completed the social and emotional loneliness scale for adults and the Penn State worry questionnaire before and after the intervention. The experimental groups participated in eight sessions of ACT and ten sessions of CFT. The control group did not receive any intervention, and in the end, a post-test was taken. The obtained data were examined by analysis of covariance 

Findings obtained from univariate analysis of covariance at the statistical level of P<0.05 were F=42.60 for loneliness and F=5.90 for worry, which indicates the more effectiveness of ACT.

It is suggested that ACT treatment be given more attention in controlling patients’ psychological symptoms.

 Leukemia is one of the most common childhood malignancies. The Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) is a tumorigenic virus of the herpes family and causes a primary infection in young children. This study aimed to evaluate the increase in NFKB expression following the EBV virus and its contribution to the half-life of EBV-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients.

In this case-control study, we examined blood samples of 60 patients referred to Tabriz Children’s Hospital for 6 months, Tabriz City, Iran, in 2019. RNA extraction was performed from the collected samples, and the quantity and quality of the extracted RNA were controlled by a NanoDrop device and gel electrophoresis. cDNA synthesis was performed from RNA extracted from the sample. NFKB gene expression was assessed using real-time PCR. The obtained data were analyzed using a t-test.

The results showed that the EBV virus decreased the expression of the NFKB gene in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The expression of the NFKB gene in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia increased significantly compared to the control group (P<0.05).

The NFKB gene can be used as a precursor for diagnosing acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, further studies are required on EBV infection and acute lymphoblastic disease.

 Humans have long used plant extracts to relieve the symptoms of various diseases. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Eucalyptus in treating upper respiratory infections in children aged 5 to 15 years.

 A case-control study was conducted on the children aged 5-15 years who were referred to the clinics of Zahedan Medical University, Zahedan City, Iran, in 2018-19. A total of 208 children were examined in two groups: case patients diagnosed with an acute upper respiratory infection and control patients matched to the case group. To prepare Eucalyptus incense, 2 drops of Eucalyptus oil were mixed in 750 mL of hot water. In the case group, Eucalyptus incense was prescribed every 3 hours for 15 minutes for 3 days. Also, in the control group, just water vapor was prescribed. Finally, the patients of both groups were evaluated by the researcher on the third day, and the information was entered into the Canadian Acute Respiratory Illness Flu Scale (CARIFS) questionnaire. Then the data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22.

The current study showed that Eucalyptus fumigation significantly improved patients’ symptoms in all upper respiratory tract infections such as cold (P=0.016), rhinitis (P=0.032), sinusitis (P=0.028), pharyngitis (P=0.043), otitis (P=0.046) and laryngotracheitis (P=0.014).

Eucalyptus incense generally causes clinical improvement in children with upper respiratory tract infections. As a result, it is possible to use this substance with other treatments according to the patients’ clinical conditions.