نشریه دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بیرجند
سال بیست و نهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 91، تابستان 1401)

 Exercises and consumption of plant-based supplements are essential to prevent and control diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a four-week home workout plan and pomegranate supplementation on oxidative stress in overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

 The present single-blind, quasi-experimental, and practical study was conducted on 60 overweight and obese women between 45 to 65 years with a body mass index over 25 (kg/m2) who were randomly divided into four groups. After participant dropout, 56 women were divided into four groups. The first group (n=15) took pomegranate supplements and had exercise, the second group (n=13) took the placebo and had exercise, the third group (n=14) was given the pomegranate supplement and the fourth group (n=14) was given the placebo. The intervention and placebo groups took a 225 mg capsule of pomegranate supplementation and placebo daily for four weeks, respectively. Resistance training was performed in 28 90-min training sessions for four weeks at home due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 The results of the present study indicated that exercise and supplementation significantly increase total antioxidant capacity, and decrease Malondialdehyde (MDA) (P<0/05); however, no significant effect was observed in the other groups. One-way ANOVA demonstrated that four weeks of training and supplementation significantly reduce the concentration of MDA compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed among the four groups in the total antioxidant capacity.

 Pomegranate supplementation together with a home workout plan can possibly reduce oxidative stress and prevent difficulties related to obesity.

Passiflora caerulea has antioxidant properties. The present study aimed to assess the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Passiflora caerulea aerial parts on cadmium chloride-induced renal dysfunction in male rats.

In this experimental study, 54 adults male Wistar rats 200±10 gr were divided into 6 groups (N=9). Control group, the sham group that received 0.2 ml/kg of distilled water as solvent. Renal Injury induction group: received 2 mg/kg cadmium chloride intraperitoneally (IP) for 21 days. Treatment groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, received 2 mg/kg cadmium chloride IP for 21 days, followed by 150, 300, and 450 mg/kg hydroalcoholic extracts of aerial parts of Passiflora caerulea intraperitoneally for 30 days. At the end, blood samples were taken from all animals. Serum levels of sodium, potassium, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and uric acid were measured. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18, ANOVA and Tukey test.

Cadmium chloride caused a significant increase in serum concentrations of creatinine (P<0.001), BUN (P<0.001), sodium (P<0.001), potassium (P=0.04) and uric acid (P<0.001) compared to the control group. Different amounts of hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts of Passiflora caerulea could significantly reduce serum concentrations of creatinine (P<0.001), BUN (P<0.001), sodium (P<0.001), potassium (P<0.001) and uric acid (P<0.001)in all treatment groups compared to cadmium chloride.

As evidenced by the obtained results, the hydroalcoholic extract of aerial parts of the Passiflora caerulea plant has a protective effect on cadmium chloride-induced renal dysfunction in male rats.

The beneficial effect of physical activity on some risk factors improves and promotes the metabolic and physiological factors in individuals. Women who have gone through menopause are at a greater risk. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of physical activity on metabolic and anthropometric factors in pre and postmenopausal women.

A total of 77 women participated in this quasi-experimental study. The subjects were non-randomly divided into four groups including premenopausal women [active (n= 18), inactive (n= 17)] and postmenopausal women [active (n = 23), inactive (n = 19)] which had regular activity in the gyms of Rasht, Iran for three 90-minute sessions for at least 6 months. Bouchard Three-Day Physical Activity Record was completed by subjects to assess energy expenditure and to determine levels of physical activity. Then body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio (WHR), and body fat percent (BF%) of subjects were measured. Also, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and TC/HDL-C were measured. Data analysis was performed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test using SPSS software (version 20).

The results of this study indicated no significant difference in SBP, DBP, BMI, BF%, and WHR between pre and postmenopausal women (active and inactive). However, significant differences (P≤0/01) were observed in TC, TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TC/HDL-C between pre and postmenopausal inactive and active women.

The results of this study revealed that although physical activity failed to affect BMI, weight, or BF%, it could desirably and significantly affect lipid profile in pre and postmenopausal women.

The use of anabolic steroids is common among athletes who perform resistance training; nonetheless, the effect of their abuse, along with resistance training, on the structural destruction of skeletal muscles is not fully understood. The present study aimed to assess the effect of different doses of Boldenone, along with resistance training, on muscle injury.

In this experimental study, 36 male Wistar rats (189.53±5.94 gr) were randomly assigned to six groups (n=6 in each group): control, Boldenone (2mg/kg), Boldenone (5mg/kg), training, training+Boldenone (2mg/kg), and training+Boldenone (5mg/kg). Boldenone steroid was injected twice a week into the rat serine muscle. The resistance training program consisted of ladder-climbing 5×3, three times per week for six weeks. It began with 50% of the one-repetition maximum of rats and increased to 100% in the final week. Histopathological changes in quadriceps muscle tissue were assessed using hematoxylin staining and optical microscopic. To assess the normality of data, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc test were employed for data analysis at a significance level of P≤0.05.

Based on the results, there was no significant difference in the weight ​​of rats in all groups. In the groups receiving Boldenone, mild and moderate damages were observed in the tissue structure of the quadriceps muscle, which was slightly improved by performing resistance exercises; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P<0.05).

Resistance training in the present study did not seemingly prevent or improve the muscle injuries caused by taking Boldenone steroids.

Prehypertension is a warning sign in young people since it is an indicator of the risk of hypertension in adulthood. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension, as well as their related factors, among health, medical and administrative staff in Birjand, Iran.

This is a descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study carried out on 1,180 health and administrative staff under 40 years old. Data were collected through a standard World Health Organization STEP questionnaire, measuring blood pressure, as well as height and weight, by the researcher and trained interviewers. To ensure the accuracy of the measurement, the employees with hypertension and prehypertension were re-evaluated according to the JNC7 criteria two weeks later. The data were analyzed using t-test, One-Way ANOVA, Chi-square, and logistic regression in the SPSS software (version 20).

The prevalence of hypertension and prehypertension was 5.3% and 34.2%, respectively. The mean for systolic blood pressure was 114.2±11.03 mmHg. Based on logistic regression analysis, age, gender, workplace, and family history had a significant relationship with hypertension, while body mass index and socioeconomic status had a significant relationship with prehypertension (P<0.05).

This study showed that a significant percentage of employees at young ages had prehypertension; however, they were unaware of their disease due to a lack of screening and that they were asymptomatic. Therefore, this group should benefit from intervention programs to prevent and control high blood pressure among them. The findings also suggest that this issue should be considered more seriously in the staff of other departments, compared to the medical staff. Moreover, the findings indicated that obesity can also play a role in prehypertension.

Chronic diseases affect daily life activities. Naturally, as people age, their activity level drops, increasing the risk of diseases. Therefore, physical activity and aging are in a vicious cycle. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between chronic diseases and physical activity in the elderly in Birjand, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was part of a cohort study entitled "Comprehensive Plan for the Elderly in Birjand" conducted on 1,418 participants aged 60 years and older in 2018. Before data collection, informed consent was obtained, and physical activity was measured using LASA Questionnaire. The standard medical history questionnaire assessed the participant's chronic disease history.

Out of 1,418 elderly participants, 683 (48.1%) were male, and 735 (51.8%) were female, 1,063 (74.9%) were in the age range of 60-74. Around 351 (24.8%) of the participants had diabetes, 606 (42.7%) had high blood pressure, 457 (32.2%) suffered from dyslipidemia, and 79 (5.6%) had experienced a heart attack. The results showed that 50% of the geriatrics in the current study had moderate physical activity (more than 600 minutes per week), 37% had no physical activity (less than 300 minutes per week), and 13% had little physical activity (between 300 and 600 minutes per week). Diseases such as arthritis (P=0.03), cancer (P=0.02), hypertension (P=0.001), stroke (P=0.001), myocardial infarction (P=0.04), and heart failure (P=0.03) had a significant relationship with physical activity.

As there was a relationship between chronic diseases and physical activity, the results of this study help policymakers in the field of geriatrics' health and proper planning for health and treatment services.

Congenital hypothyroidism is the most common and preventable cause of mental retardation in children. This study aimed to investigate mental development in healthy children and children with hypothyroidism treated in South Khorasan in 2020.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 64 children aged five to seven years in South Khorasan, divided into two groups (n=32): the control group and the group with congenital hypothyroidism. Data were collected using checklist demographic data, including gender, age, treatment, socioeconomic status, place of residence, and parents’ level of education, as well as children’s intellectual quotient (IQ) based on the Raven’s Progressive Matrices test of intelligence. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software (version 24) at a significant level of less than 0.05

The mean age of children was 6.22±0.79 years, and there was no significant difference between the two groups concerning their age (P=0.78). The results also showed no significant difference between the groups for their gender (P>0.05). The average IQ score was 125.50±8.00 in the population with hypothyroidism and 127.14±5.41 in healthy children; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P=0.50). Additionally, there was no significant relationship between the IQ scores and case groups (P=0.40). Finally, the comparison of IQ classes was not significant between the two groups regarding their age (P>0.05) and gender (P> 0.05).

The results of the present study showed that the screening program for congenital hypothyroidism can positively affect children’s mental development or IQ.

Vertical transmission of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been reported in several case reports and case series, while the data regarding its transmission is controversial. Therefore, presenting different experiences from different regions can shed light on the virus's behavior during pregnancy. We reported a possible vertical transmission of COVID-19 from a mother to the neonate. A pregnant woman with signs and symptoms of mild respiratory illness and a low fetal heart rate at 36 weeks of gestation was induced to terminate the pregnancy. She had a positive COVID-19 test using RT-PCR before admission to the hospital, underwent an emergency cesarean section, and gave birth to a girl neonate. The COVID-19 test for the neonate was also positive. Although vertical transmission of COVID-19 has not been confirmed yet, there is growing evidence. Careful attention to the mother and newborn with positive COVID-19 and long-term follow-ups are needed to better understand the virus’s behavior during pregnancy.

Today, due to the high prevalence of infectious diseases and the risk of infection transmission in dental clinics, the control of infectious agents is critically important in dentistry. Given the importance of proper autoclave performance in dental processes, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of autoclave devices in the sterilization process using biological methods in dental clinics in Birjand. In this analytical cross-sectional study, all 65 dental clinics in Birjand were included. After collecting the questionnaire about equipment sterilization process and the characteristics of the autoclave, a vial containing spores of Geobacillus stearothermophilus was used for biological monitoring of autoclave devices. At the end of the autoclave cycle, the biological vials were incubated for 24-48 hours at 55 °C. Data were analyzed using Chi-Square or Fisher exact tests in SPSS 18 software. Among 46 clinics (71%) participating in this study, 36 clinics (83.7%) used class B autoclave. Out of 34 (77.3%) clinics that monitored the performance of the autoclave, 24 clinics (70.5%) used the chemical method, 6 clinics (17.5%) used the physical method and 4 clinics (12%) used biological methods. In the biological monitoring of the autoclave sterilization process in this study, the performance of one autoclave (2.2%) was reported to be inappropriate and this had a significant relationship with the number of autoclave uses. Despite the fact that biological monitoring of autoclave performance was not carried out in many dental clinics in Birjand, the results of this study showed that the autoclaves of a large number of dental clinics had good performance in the sterilization process. Given the importance of validating autoclave performance in dental processes, the quality control of autoclave devices in dental clinics can be taken into consideration.

Cervical spine pain is one of the most common problems of the spine and upper limbs, which can be axial or radicular. The present study aimed to electrodiagnostically evaluate cervical root involvement among patients presenting with radicular pain. The population was selected using simple random sampling from patients complaining of cervical radicular pain and unilateral or bilateral upper extremity that met the inclusion criteria. Out of 120 patients studied, 21 patients (17.5%) had cervical nerve root involvement, of which 14 were women (13.7% of patients) and 7 were men (38.8% of patients). The highest and lowest prevalence was related to C7 (37.1%) and C8 and T1 cervical roots (11.4% and 4.2), respectively. Four patients (19%) had only left cervical root involvement and 3 patients (14.2%) had right cervical root involvement and 14 patients (66.6% of patients) had bilateral cervical root involvement. The most common neurological finding associated with CTS cervical radiculopathy was about 52%. Based on the findings, most patients complaining of cervical radicular pain and upper extremity to investigate cervical root involvement often have no cervical radiculopathy and may have neurological causes such as carpal tunnel syndrome or musculoskeletal causes such as myofascial pain. Radicular pain and some other causes of these disorders can be simultaneously observed, which emphasizes the proper and timely use of electrodiagnostic tests and accurate examinations to diagnose nerve root damage.