مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی ایلام
سال سی‌ام شماره 4 (پیاپی 135، مهر 1401)

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the emotion regulation method based on the Gross model and muscle relaxation technique on perceived stress, anxiety, and resilience in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).

This study quasi-experimental study had a pretest-posttest design and follow-up and control groups. The statistical population included all patients in the age range of 30-50 years with coronary heart disease who were referred to medical centers and private cardiology clinics in Ilam, Iran, in 2020, of whom 60 people were selected using a random sampling method and divided into three groups by random distribution method. The data collection tools included standard scales of perceived stress, anxiety, and resilience.

The results of repeated measures analysis of variance showed the effectiveness of Benson’s relaxation exercises on perceived stress, anxiety, and resilience as well as the effectiveness of emotion regulation training based on the Gross model on perceived stress and anxiety in patients. The comparison of the two treatment models showed that Benson’s relaxation exercises could reduce patients’ perceived stress and anxiety more effectively. However, emotion regulation training based on the Gross model has been more effective in increasing patients’ resilience than Benson’s relaxation exercises.

Based on the obtained results, emotion regulation training based on the Gross model and muscle relaxation exercises can be used as an effective intervention to complement medical treatment and improve patients' general health.

Tussilago farfara L. is a perennial forb belonging to the Asteraceae family. The leaves and flowers of this plant have medicinal properties, and its essential oil has been used for the treatment of dry coughs and inflammation of the mouth, throat, and respiratory tract. This study aimed to assess some phytochemical characteristics of Tussilago farfara L. and compare changes in this plant at different altitudes.

To investigate the changes in the amount of the effective substance of the studied plant in the altitude gradient, altitude classes of 1100-2600 meters were considered in Golestan province, Iran, considering the presence and abundance of the species. In each phenological stage (before and after flowering time), plant samples were randomly collected in each altitude class and transferred to the laboratory. Total phenol content and flavonoid content were measured using the Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract was also evaluated using the DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) reagent.

The results showed that the highest amounts of total phenol content, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were observed at altitudes above 2200 meters, and there was a significant difference in plants (Tussilago farfara L.) grown in different altitudes in terms of phytochemical properties. Based on the comparison of phytochemical properties of this plant in different phenological stages, the highest content of total phenol and flavonoids were observed in the phonological stage of flowering and the highest (42.08%) antioxidant activity of leaves was observed in the vegetative stage.

The results of this study can help activists in the field of medicinal plants to determine the appropriate height range and phenological stage in harvesting the leaves of this plant to achieve the highest levels of phenol content, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity.

Policy making is one of the main and fundamental issues in the management of institutions and organizations which necessitates attention to its process and components. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between policy-making and university autonomy in macro medical universities of region 3.

The present applied study was conducted with an integrated approach (qualitative and quantitative) in Ilam province of Iran, in 2021. The statistical population in the qualitative part consisted of the professors of macro medical universities in region 1 among whom 15 individuals were selected for designing the policy-making and university autonomy questionnaires using the purposive sampling method, considering the saturation law. In the quantitative part, 320 subjects were selected using a stratified random sampling method from managers and deputies of departments, faculties, department heads, and faculty members of macro medical universities in the health sector of region 3 to examine the relationship between variables. In the qualitative part, the questionnaires were designed and finalized through the Delphi method in two rounds, the experts’ opinions obtained through semi-structured 70-min interviews, and the review of topics and study of theoretical foundations. In the quantitative section, a researcher-made questionnaire on university policy-making and university autonomy was used for data collection. The SPSS and PLS software were used to analyze the data through confirmatory factor analysis and structural equations.

The results showed that among the various dimensions of policy-making, the component of “university structure” had the greatest impact with R2=0.927, and among the components of university independence, leadership independence had the most impact with R2=0.942 and path coefficient=0.971.

Based on the path coefficients, a factor load of 0.644 was established between the two variables of policy-making and university autonomy which was above average and, therefore, significant. Moreover, since the t-statistic value of 16.247 was established out of the(-2.58, 2.58) range, it can be concluded that the relationship between policy-making and university autonomy in macro medical universities in region 3 was positive and meaningful.

Aspartame is one of the synthetic sweeteners widely used in the food industry as a sugar substitute in recent decades. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of different doses of aspartame on histological and histomorphometric changes in the stomach in BALB/C mice.

In this study, 24 BALB/C mice aged three weeks were selected and divided into three experimental groups that received 0.3 ml aspartame solution at doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg body weight, and a control group that received drinking water with the same condition up to nine weeks of age. Eventually, some tissue sections were prepared from the stomachs and stained using the hematoxylin-eosin method. After histological evaluation, the necessary images were prepared and the histomorphometric examination was conducted using an optical microscope equipped with Axiovision software. The thickness of mucosa, submucosa, musculature, and depth of pits was measured and the frequency of parietal cells was calculated in the dimensions of 6.25 × 104 μm2.

Histological results indicated destruction and disruption of the mucosal epithelium and gastric pits and atrophy of gastric glands including glandular cells. In the histomorphometric examination of the non-glandular part, only the thickness of the mucosa had a significant difference in the group receiving the highest dose of aspartame compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, in the evaluation of the glandular part, mucosal and muscle thickness in all three experimental groups and the submucosa thickness in the glandular and non-glandular parts in the experimental group (400 mg body weight) showed a significant increase compared to the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the depth of gastric pits increased significantly and the frequency of parietal cells had a significant decrease in the experimental groups compared to the control group (P<0.05).

Although aspartame may partially play a protective role by decreasing parietal cells, it should be noted that higher doses of aspartame could induce tissue changes in different layers of the stomach. Therefore, it is recommended to use it with more caution.

Evidence shows that secondary metabolites of saffron can be used in the formulation of new drugs for the treatment of various human cancers. It is demonstrated that saffron crocin inhibits the proliferation of cancer cells while having no inhibition effect on the growth of normal cells. Consumption of this substance also reduces the side effects of cancer chemotherapy. Therefore, the present study was performed to investigate the effect of crocin on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells and determine its molecular mechanism.

Initially, MCF7 breast cancer cells were prepared from the Pasteur Institute of Iran Cell Bank and cultured in RPMI1640 medium with  FBS 10%. To determine the effect of crocin toxicity on cancer cells, treatment was conducted at different concentrations and different hours, and (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was performed. The cell proliferation or cell apoptosis was evaluated as well. DAPI staining was performed to demonstrate cell apoptosis. After RNA extraction and cDNA preparation, the expression of an apoptosis-related gene (PTEN) and Akt pathway genes were measured by Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the mechanism of the crocin effect.

Results of the MTT assay showed that crocin inhibited the proliferation of MCF7 cells and induced apoptosis in these cells. In addition, real-time PCR results showed that crocin increased PTEN gene expression (P=0.041) in MCF7 breast cancer cells and significantly decreased Akt1 gene expression (P=0.038).

The results indicate that crocin stimulates the apoptotic cells in MCF7 breast cancer cells and can be used as a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of breast cancer.

E. coli is one of the failure factors in the pulpectomy of primary and permanent teeth. It is also responsible for many infectious diseases in Humans. This study aimed to determine antibacterial effect of arginine, protamine, aqueous extract of green tea, and Aloe vera against Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Aqueous extract of green tea, Aloe vera, and protamine with a concentration of 400 mg/ml, and arginine at a concentration of 160 mg/ml were used in this experimental study. E. coli was cultured on Mueller-Hinton broth and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the test materials against this microorganism was determined using micro-dilution test. Sodium hypochlorite 2.5% was used as a positive control.

It was found that protamine had the highest antibacterial activity (with MIC and MBC 0.62 mg/mL) and aqueous extract of green tea showed the lowest antibacterial activity against E. coli (with MIC100 mg/ml and MBC 200 mg/ml). Positive control (sodium hypochlorite 2.5%) showed better antibacterial activity against E. coli compared to other test materials.

Apart from sodium hypochlorite, among the tested materials, protamine had the maximum effect and aqueous extract of aloe vera, arginine, and aqueous extract of green tea showed the lowest antibacterial effect against E. coli., respectively.

COVID-19 is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. There is an urgent need to discover antiviral drugs for better performance against new strains of coronaviruses (CoVs) due to the rapid spread of the disease despite scientific advances in vaccine development. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of quercetin and its analogues on the COVID-19 Mpro enzyme.

In this descriptive-analytical study, the three-dimensional structures of quercetin analogues (20 compounds), standard drugs (ritonavir and lopinavir), and the COVID-19 Mpro enzyme were obtained from PubChem and PDB databases for bioinformatics study, respectively. Molecular docking studies of the compounds on the Mpro were performed using MOE-2014 software. Afterward, the physicochemical properties and biological activity of the compounds were predicted using Swiss ADME, PASS, and Swiss Target Prediction software.

The findings of the present study showed that the most important bonds involved in drug-receptor binding are hydrogen, hydrophobic, and π-π interaction bonds. The best docking results were obtained for Baicalein, Genistein, Naringenin, and Quercetin compounds with strong binding energy (-12.83 to -13.54 kcal/mol), compared to ritonavir and lopinavir. These compounds have a greater tendency to bind to the catalytic amino acids His41 and Cys145 and other key amino acids of the active site of the COVID-19 Mpro enzyme.

Based on the results of bioinformatics studies, quercetin analogues had more effective inhibition than standard chemical drugs due to their suitable placement in the active site of the main protease enzyme of COVID-19 and can be good candidates for in vitro and in vivo studies.

During exercise, angiogenesis occurs in active skeletal muscle; however, little is known about potential mechanisms for improving this adaptation. This study aimed to investigate a period of interval training on chemokine gene expression and its effect on vascular endothelial growth factors in male adult rats.

In this study, 24 rats were divided into three groups (n=8 in each): high-intensity training (HIT), low-intensity training (LIT), and control groups. HIT and LIT groups were trained for eight weeks (five days per week). The exercise program in the HIT group consisted of running on a treadmill for 8 min with 85-90% VO2max intensity and 2 min with 50-60% VO2max intensity. The LIT group exercise program consisted of running on a treadmill for 8 min with 55-60% VO2max intensity and 2 min with 45-50% VO2max intensity. The control group had no training. The expression of chemokine and vascular endothelial growth factor genes was measured in soleus muscle. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test. Statistical differences were considered significant at P<0.05.

The results of this study, showed that the expression levels of chemokine and vascular endothelial growth factor gene in the HIT group were significantly higher than that in the control group (P=0.01, P=0.04), while the levels of chemokine and vascular endothelial growth factor in the LIT group were not significantly different from those in the control group (P=0.2, P=0.1).

According to the results of the present study, it seems that high-intensity exercises can be more effective than low-intensity exercises in increasing angiogenesis caused by the increase of chemokine that in turn depends on vascular endothelial growth factor levels.

Genistein is an isoflavone that is used as a drug to stop various types of cancer cells, such as breast and prostate cancer. This study aimed to perform molecular simulation of the adsorption process of genistein molecule on pure graphene and genistein on graphene doped with metal atoms (Ni, Ti, Se, and Cr) to increase the adsorption efficiency of the genistein-graphene molecule.

In this study, a graphene plate (dimensions: 4 × 4) was placed next to the genistein molecule at a distance of 1 to 5 angstroms, using HyperChem Professional software (version 8.0.10). The density functional theory (DFT) was used to simulate the adsorption of Genistein-graphene, and the Gaussian software (version 09), hybrid method (B3LYP), and the 6-31G base set were used to optimally design the molecular structure.

Based on the obtained results, the adsorption energy of genistein-graphene doped with metal atoms Ni, Se, Ti, and Cr was determined at 318.154, 954.080, 972.745, and 1236.149 kcal/mole, respectively, and the energy gap of genistein-graphene doped with Ni, Ti, Se, and Cr was estimated to be 85.422, 92.476, 102.396, and 94.694 kcal/mol, respectively.

The results of this study show that the presence of graphene-doped Ni atoms increases the electron charge density. The energy gap of genistein-graphene doped with Ni atoms indicates reactivity and high electron charge density of this compound and can be used as a suitable option to increase the uptake efficiency of the genistein drug molecule.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the cause of 75% of infertility due to lack of ovulation. This study aimed to investigate the possible association between exon 1 polymorphisms of the NOEY2 gene in women with PCOS and diabetes.

This study was conducted on 240 blood samples (1 cc each) from women in four groups: polycystic, diabetes, polycystic-diabetes, and control. Genomic DNA extraction was performed using the extraction kit, according to the protocol. A primer pair was designed and synthesized for the exon 1 sequence of the NOEY2 gene. After gene amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and evaluation of band quality, Sanger sequencing was performed on PCR products. Sequencing results were analyzed using Chromas, GeneRunner, and Alignment software, and statistical calculations were performed by SNPAlyze, SPSS, and Web-Assotest program.

Sequence analysis confirmed two polymorphisms: 5'UTR c.156G> A polymorphism was observed in exon 1 of NOEY2 and second polymorphism of 5'UTR c.207+76 G>A, 76 nucleotides farther from exon 1 and in the intron region of NOEY2 gene. Statistical analysis showed a statistically significant difference between 5'UTR c.156G> A and susceptibility to PCOS and diabetes.

No report on this region was available in genetic databases and this polymorphism was reported for the first time in the present study. Bioinformatics studies showed that this polymorphism can affect the affinity to bind in certain transcription factors by allelic changes due to its location in the CTCF overlapping promoter region.