Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Volume:25 Issue: 2, Apr 2023

The regeneration of nerve defects and nerve damage is considered as most difficult clinical issue worldwide. Current treatments for regenerating nerves following trauma restrict nerve recovery because of intricate neural structures and some inhibitory factors at the injured site. Researchers have constructed innovative three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with complicated structures using bioprinting to overcome nerve tissue regeneration difficulties. The therapeutic potential of this method for application to both the central and peripheral nervous systems was assessed. This study provides an overview of recent advancements in 3D bioprinting development and their medicinal potential for the nervous system.

The COVID-19 pandemic infects athletes in different ways, and some ceased their training due to the pandemic. Many others reduced their workout due to the closure of sports venues, and some could continue their training as usual for a while.

The aims of this study can be divided into two categories: (1) Test the between-group effect of different levels of training over six weeks and (2) test the within-group changes regarding body composition and fitness levels.

Thirty-six male bodybuilders (age = 24 - 33) with at least two years of training experience volunteered to participate. The athletes were divided into two groups, those who were healthy and continued their training program (CTR, n = 12), those who were healthy and ceased their training program (HWT, n = 12), and athletes who were infected and ceased their training program (INF, n = 12). The maximal muscle strength in a chest press and squat before and after weeks was measured in the participants. In addition, skinfolds were used to examine body composition changes over the six weeks. Pre-pandemic anthropometric and physiological parameters of these subjects were available from their clubs. Before athletes returned to exercise in training groups, cardiovascular symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, syncope, tachycardia, and respiratory symptoms such as cough, sneezing, sore throat, asthma, and bronchial hypersensitivity after infection were assessed and recorded. One-way analysis was used to compare pre-and post-parameters, and Tukey post-hoc tests were used to assess the significance.

Post-test results revealed bodybuilders infected with the COVID-19 virus had significantly greater weight and lean body mass losses than the other two groups. Also, their 1RM squat and chest press exercises decreased more (P < 0.005). Clinical manifestations of the disease showed a return to normal ranges following two weeks of training.

Lack of training caused changes in body composition and upper- and lower-body muscle strength of bodybuilders. If the cessation of training coincided with the COVID-19 infection, the intensity of these changes was exacerbated. It is recommended that training of those who have recovered from the coronavirus should be closely monitored for at least two weeks so that medical interventions can be promptly provided if necessary.

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is a diagnostic approach in assisted reproductive technology (ART) to detect and select unaffected embryos to be transferred. Obtaining biopsy samples from embryos (polar body, blastomere, or blastocyst) is a key step in preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), which has many technical issues.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of biopsies from 3-day embryos (blastomere) on the quality of embryos and implantation success in couples who requested sex selection before embryo transfer.

On the third day after fertilization, 352 high-quality embryos (> six cells on day third with < 10% fragmentation) were collected from 77womenand were tested for sex selection using FISH testing. Alaserbeamwas used to obtain blastomere biopsies by removing a significantly small portion of the zona pellucida. One blastomere was gently biopsied by an aspiration pipette through its hole. After biopsy sampling, the embryo was immediately returned to the embryo scope until transfer. Embryos’ integrity and blastocyst formation were assessed on day 5.

A total of 595 embryos were studied, including 352 embryos that were biopsied on day 3 for gender selection (i.e., the intervention group) and 243 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) embryos that did not undergo biopsy (i.e., the control group). Overall, 17.1% of the embryos were abnormal for X or Y chromosomes. Biopsy for PGD was performed 67 - 73 hours after ICSI. Blastomere biopsy taking was significantly associated with blastocyst quality and implantation success.

In this study, after obtaining blastomere biopsies, we investigated the growth process of the embryos according to morphokinetic parameters. Ourresultsshowedthat blastomere biopsy taking could affect the blastulation of embryosanddecrease the success rate of implantation.

Crohn’s disease is characterized by damage to the intestines, which can affect the gastrointestinal tract (from the mouth to the anus). The risks of Crohn’s disease appear to be linked to changes in the gut Macrobiota or disturbances in the mucosa and intestinal genetics.

We aimed to study the implication of appendectomy on the risk of the development of Crohn’s disease in the western Algeria population.

It was a retrospective analytical study of 403 patients from 2007 to 2020 carried out at the level of general surgery departments and university hospitals in western Algeria.

Four hundred three CD patients were included in our study. Among them, 81 cases have undergone an appendectomy. The average age was 36.88 ± 12.47, and the most affected location was the ileocecal location with P = 0.001. However, no significant association was noted between appendectomy andCDphenotype. Most of them suffered from constipation (P< 0.0001), came from urban areas, and presented extra-intestinal manifestations (P < 0.0001). Treatment of the disease was often medical, while 68 cases of the 81 appendectomized patients underwent surgery. Early relapse of CD was also observed in appendectomized patients with P = 0.035. Moreover, many complications (anal fissures, anal fistula) were also noted but with no significant association.

From our results, it appears that Crohn’s disease risk can be associated with a previous appendectomy and mainly manifested by ileocecal localization and constipation.

Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are associated with significant mortality.

The present study aimed to identify the risk factors that contribute to hospital outcomes of patients admitted with COPD exacerbation.

This prospective cross-sectional study was performed on 74 patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbation. Pulse oximetry, complete blood count, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and venous blood gas were taken under standard conditions. The clinical condition of patients was scored based on the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) and shortness of breath based on the standard, modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) questionnaire. The patients were divided into three groups based on in-hospital outcomes (i.e., favorable, unfavorable, and terrible or worse). One-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, logistic regression model, and odds ratio (OR) analysis were used to determine the most important factors associated with outcomes. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Out of 74 patients, 43 (58.1%) and 31 (41.9%) subjects were male and female, respectively. The patients’ mean age was 68.19 ± 10.62 years. The number (%) of patients in favorable, unfavorable, and worse outcome groups was 27 (36.48%), 30 (40.54%), and 17 (22.97%), respectively. As the CAT and mMRC score increased, the chance of terrible outcomes also increased (OR = 1.22, confidence interval (CI): 1.10 - 1.35). There was no significant correlation between worse outcomes and hs-CRP. The PCT was significantly higher in the group with worse outcomes than in the groups with favorable and unfavorable outcomes (P < 0.01).

The COPD evaluation by the CAT andmMRCplays an important role in the in-hospital outcomes of hospitalized COPD patients with exacerbation. The serum level of PCT was also a determinant factor of prognosis in hospitalized patients with COPD exacerbation.

Diabetes is the most common medical complication of pregnancy. Low serum zinc levels in pregnant women can cause uterine growth restriction and increase the risk of abortion and neural tube defects.

This study was designed to evaluate the association of serum zinc levels with gestational diabetes (GDM) in diabetic and healthy pregnant women referred to Bu-Ali Hospital in Zahedan.

This case-control study was performed on 70 pregnant women, including 35 diabetics and 35 healthy subjects, referred to our diabetes clinic. The subjects were enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Demographic, clinical, and obstetric characteristics of the subjects were gathered, and a diabetes screening test was performed for all of them. Then 3 mL of blood was taken from each person to determine serum zinc level by a calorimetric method. Statistical analysis using SPSS software was 16.

The means of serum zinc level in pregnant women with GDM and healthy pregnant women were 62.22 ± 5.57 and 89.17 ± 12.16 g /dL, respectively (P = 0.001). Except for the mean values of fasting, 1-hour, and 2-hour blood sugar levels (P = 0.001), there was no significant difference between diabetic and non-diabetic women in terms of age, weight, gestational age, number of deliveries, number of abortions, and body mass index.

Our results indicated that most of the pregnant women had severe zinc deficiency, which could intensify pregnancy complications, boosting the risk of pregnancy complications for mothers and neonates. Therefore, screening for gestational diabetes and zinc deficiency and their treatment are recommended to improve pregnancy outcomes.

Orthopedic surgeries are frequently complicated with a high amount of intra-operative hemorrhage, and this bleeding has a direct effect on the results of these operations.

This study evaluated the effect of preoperative administration of fibrinogen on intraoperative bleeding in pelvic surgeries.

This study was a double-blinded, randomized clinical trial. Forty-two patients were randomly divided into two groups of fibrinogen and placebo. Hemoglobin, platelet, and fibrinogen levels were measured in all patients before surgery. In the intervention group, the patients received 1 gr. of fibrinogen after the induction of anesthesia. In the control group, the patients received the same volume of normal saline. All data on bleeding, transfused blood, blood pressure, duration of surgery, hemoglobin, platelet, and fibrinogen levels were recorded during a 24-hour period after surgery.

There was no significant difference in terms of age and sex between the groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference between hemoglobin, blood transfusion rate, international normalization ratio (INR), prothrombin time (PT), and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) in the two study groups (P> 0.05). Patients’ bleeding rate was significantly lower in the fibrinogen group (1328.57 ± 227.8 mL) than in the placebo group (1610 ± 479.58 mL) (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between serum levels of fibrinogen before and after surgery in both groups (P > 0.05).

Although prophylactic injection of fibrinogen did not decrease the rate of blood transfusion to the patients in pelvic surgeries, it resulted in a significant bleeding reduction.

Arbitrary unsuitable consumption of Amaranthus caudatus L. (amaranth) extract has been reported in some patients with acute liver failure who were referred to Kerman Medical Centers. Also, some studies on rats have shown the hepatotoxic effects of amaranth extracts by increasing liver enzymes and serum bilirubin.

This study was performed to determine the cytotoxic and lethal effects of amaranth extract on human hepatocytes.

After preparing amaranth extract and hepatocyte cells, the cells were incubated in four culture media, including Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium (DMEM) and a control culture medium, with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and penicillin, and streptomycin, and stored and frozen after growth and proliferation. Then the cells were exposed to 10, 50, 100, and 200g/mL dilutions of amaranth extract and incubated for 24 hours. Finally, the percentage of cell growth and proliferation was measured by cell survival tests, including MTT and neutral red assay, and flow cytometry.

Using MTT and neutral red assay and flow cytometry during different stages of increasing the dose of amaranth extract and evaluating the average light absorbance, it was shown that the culture medium containing a dose of 200 g/mL of amaranth extract had the most cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on hepatocytes.

Due to the hepatotoxic effect of amaranth plant extracts in toxic doses and induction of jaundice and acute liver failure in some patients, arbitrary consumption of this plant should be limited.

Diagnosis and treatment of ventricular septal defect (VSD) during infancy is of great importance in improving the infant’s health. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and coarctation of the aorta are the most common disorders associated with VSD. Patent ductus arteriosus needs to be closed using surgical or non-surgical procedures. This article aims to present a case of repairing coarctation of the aorta by stenting inaninfant withVSDdueto the placement of a large Amplatzer during ductus arteriosus closure.

The patient was a one-and-a-half-year-old girl with Down syndrome and congenital heart disease. In the initial examination, a second loud heart sound and a systolic ejection murmur could be heard at the left sternal border. The results of the previous echocardiography showed the presence of VSD, PDA, and coarctationof the aorta. She underwent angioplasty a fewmonths ago, and since the coarctation had not been repaired by balloon aortoplasty due to a large amplatzer. Therefore, the surgeon could not repair the VSD because of uncorrected pulmonary hypertension. Hence, we decided to repair the coarctation by stenting. After two weeks of medication treatment, the patient underwent angiography, and a formula stent placement was done for the patient.

Pulmonary artery blood flow correction is an effective factor in treating patients with VSD that can be achieved by using the correct amplatzer placement. We corrected the aortic coarctation caused by improper amplatzer placement using stenting.