Journal of Advanced Biomedical Sciences
Volume:13 Issue: 2, Summer 2023

COVID-19 can affect thyroid gland and causes subacute thyroiditis.

We introduced a 60-year-old woman with an initial symptom of anterior cervical pain without any other constitutional symptoms. Nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were detected positive for COVID-19 using RT-PCR assay. According to ultrasonographic,  laboratory (lowered TSH, elevated CRP and ESR), and physical findings, subacute thyroiditis was found following the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

As subacute thyroiditis associated with SARS-Cov-2 may be represented without any fever, ruling out this infection in these patients is considerable.

The International Society of Nephrology/ Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) classification is based upon criteria which differentiate acute and chronic phases of Lupus Nephritis. Activity/Chronicity Index grants us a higher insight on the level of pathological lesions and treatment outcome by examining the reversibility of lesions .The present investigation was done in order to highlight the importance of activity and chronicity indices in the course of Lupus Nephritis.

Seventy-three Kidney biopsy samples of Lupus Nephritis patients were examined. The information was recorded in a check-list and was then statistically analyzed.

Lupus Nephritis is importantly age-related, frequency of Lupus Nephritis increases with age until the age of 40 years; 21–40 years being the most frequent among studied patients. A prominent decline was seen after the age of 40. Regardless of age, the occurrence was more frequent in females. Class IV was most frequent in all ages and in both sexes. Both Activity and Chronicity scores were slightly higher in females. Activity Index was higher in ages of 11 to 30 years, whereas Chronicity Index was highest in 41 to 50 years of age. The highest Activity Index was reported in Class IV while the highest Chronicity Index was reported in Class V. The least Activity Index was shown in Class VI while Classes II and I had the lowest Chronicity Index. Endocapillary hypercellularity was the most frequent active lesion and tubular atrophy was the most frequent chronic lesion. It is noteworthy that fibrotic crescents were significantly less common among chronic lesions.

Histopathological findings, clinical and para-clinical data could furnish more information on disease process, treatment, quality of life and mortality rate.

Gamma rays are widely used in medicine despite their harmful effects on health. Our study evaluated the protective effects of melatonin on kidney, heart, and liver tissues.

Seventy-two adult male Wistar rats were categorized into nine groups. Groups 2 and 3 only received whole-body γ-ray irradiation (WBI) (2.0 Gy), no melatonin,  interval time (IT) 8hr and 24hr. Groups 4 and 5 received WBI (8.0 Gy, no melatonin, 8hr and 24hr). Groups 6 and 7 received melatonin at 60 minutes (min) before WBI(2.0 Gy). Groups 8 and 9 received melatonin before WBI(8.0 Gy). All the rats were sacrificed 8 or 24 h after the experiments for laboratory and histopathological analysis. Serum levels of Blood Urea Nitrogen(BUN), Creatinine (Cr), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Potassium (K), Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT), Serum Glutamic-Oxaloacetic Transaminase(SGOT), Serum Glutamic-Pyruvic Transaminase(SGPT), Alkaline Phosphatase(ALP), c-reactive protein(CRP), Troponine(TPO)  and histological features of liver, heart and kidney tissues were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed by One-Way ANOVA.

Our data did not indicate significant differences in BUN, Cr, K, and CRP between groups with or without melatonin treatment (P>0.05); but differences were significant for LDH, GGT, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, and TPO (P<0.05). The results showed that radiation-induced histopathological effects on the liver, heart, and kidneys were mitigated in the groups six to nine.

The existence of significant differences in serum levels of LDH, GGT, SGOT, SGPT, ALP, and TPO in groups(6 to 9) and amelioration of the histopathological effects of irradiation on the liver, heart, and kidneys in the groups six to nine showed that the melatonin(100 mg/kg)  is able to protect the body in gamma-radiation(2.0 Gy and 8.0 Gy).

For patients, COVID-19 disease is a reminder of non-existence and death. For this reason, these patients experience existential anxiety. One of the effective factors in the control and treatment of this disease is to educate patients on self-care to reduce the burden of these psychological problems on them. The present study was designed and conducted with the aim of evaluating the effect of self-care educational program using telemedicine and multimedia methods on the level of existential anxiety in COVID-19 patients.

This study was a quasi-experimental research conducted on 88 COVID-19 patients referred to the comprehensive health service centers of Bandar Abbas, Iran from 2020 to 2021. Th0ey were selected using a convenience sampling method. The samples were randomly assigned to the multimedia (44 patients) and telenursing (44 patients) groups. Patients in both groups received education on self-care during COVID-19 disease for 21 days. The Existence Anxiety Scale was completed before and immediately after the intervention. Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 26. Descriptive statistics, normality test, independent t-test, homogeneity of variance and covariance, univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance were used.

The mean score of existential anxiety at the beginning of the study was 90.50± 12.57 and 85.25 ±16.12, respectively, in the telenursing and multimedia groups, and after the intervention, it was 46.88 ± 6.38 and 65.40 ± 9.59, respectively, in the telenursing and multimedia groups. After the intervention, the existential anxiety score was significantly reduced in the telenursing group compared to the multimedia group (p <0.001).

Based on the findings of this study, self-care education programs and knowledge about necessary care during COVID-19 illness should be considered for patients in comprehensive health centers, and telenursing should be used for more effective self-care education.

Lead (Pb) is a major toxicant that has threatened human health for years. There is no safe level of exposure and deposition of a small amount of Pb in the human body has a negative impact on an individual's health. Despite recent reductions in its use, it has caused extensive environmental contamination as well. In the present study, the intralaboratory quality control assessment is reported as an initial step in lead determination by Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS).

Varian SpectrAA-220 with partition tube and deuterium background correction was used for the analysis. The evaluation quality control blood material was Seronorm trace elements whole blood (levels I &II).

The lowest method limit of detection was 0.74 μg/dL, and based on the regression analysis, the lowest quantification concentration was 3.00 μg/dL (CV = 4.6 %). In addition, obtained %CV for Seronorm (I) & Seronorm (II) was 7.3% & 5.4% respectively.

In recent years, several diverse technological advancements in blood lead level determination have occurred. At the same time, demands for blood lead (BPb) level determination by GFAAS has been increased by public health in order to identify children exposed to lead in the environment, and by occupational health to reduce excessive exposure in the lead industries. The obtained results indicated that for BPb analysis, the method described by GFAAS is still a reference routine analytical technique that requires less time and no matrix matched standard curve, allowing blood samples to be run against aqueous calibration standards which eliminates the need for standard additions.

Burn is one of the prominent causes of death around the world, however drug discovery attempts for burn healing has not been entirely successful. Aloe arborescens (A. arborescens), is effective in the burning wounds healing and growth inhibition of bacterial pathogens. Our objective was to assess the wound healing and antibacterial effects of A. arborescens in vivo.

Thirty healthy Wistar rat animals were enrolled. The treatment process continued for 21 days and sampling was conducted on days 14 and 21 and the tissue slides were sent to the pathology laboratory for testing. The bactericidal activity of A. arborescens extract was evaluated using the disc diffusion method.

A. arborescens demonstrated a significant effect on the healing of burn wounds. Furthermore, the antibacterial effects of the A. arborescens extract against Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa) was significantly higher than that against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus) bacterial species.

In conclusion, this study indicated that A. arborescens extract had an improving effect on the healing process of third degree burns without toxicity to the tissue.

The biological production of nanoparticles (NPs) is a technique that has garnered a lot of interest because it is inexpensive, straightforward, and friendly to the natural environment. This study explores the green synthesis of Au-doped SnO2 NPs using Teucrium polium plant extract and evaluates their antimicrobial properties in comparison with two commonly used antibiotics.

Initially, an extract of Teucrium polium was made using water, and then it was combined with solutions of tin (II) chloride dehydrate [SnCl2.2H2O] and gold (III) chloride trihydrate [HAuCl4.3H2O]. The crystal structure was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The form, structure, and grain size of the NPs were analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The synthesized NPs were tested for their antibacterial properties.

The XRD and EDS analyses revealed that the SnO2:Au phase formed an average crystallite size of 22 nm and an Au dopant content of around 2%. The SEM and TEM investigations demonstrated that the NPs were formed in a regular and nanoscale manner, with diameters ranging from 25 to 30 nm. MIC and MBC of SnO2: Au NPs against the studied bacteria(S.aureus ATCC 43300, P.aeruginosa PAO1) were reported 9.6±0.13- 9.6±0.07 μg/mL and 25.9±11.5- 32.5±11.2 μg/mL

Green-synthesized NPs exhibit significant antimicrobial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, even at low concentrations. The NPs effectively eliminate bacteria and prevent biofilm formation.

Papillomaviruses are found in many different types of infections and in a wide range of animals and humans. They can cause health problems, including benign and malignant tumors. In the present study, the association between human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and breast cancer (BC) in Iran was investigated.

In this cross-sectional study, the presence of the HPV genome was investigated in BC-suspected tissues for the first time in Qom Province, Iran. A total of 400 samples (including 200 BC-suspected tissue samples and 200 blood samples of women without BC) were collected from women referred to two cancer-specific general hospitals. To determine the presence of the L1 gene of HPV in the collected samples, nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed. Then, HPV-positive samples were tested by PCR using high-risk specific HPV-16 and 18 primers.

Out of 200 BC-suspected tissue samples, 172 were malignant (in terms of pathology). Based on the nested PCR method, the L1 gene of HPV was detected in 12% (24/200) of the BC-suspected tissue samples and in 1.5% (3/200) of the blood samples from women without BC. The high-risk HPV genotypes (which were the predominant types) were present in 75% of the samples.

The results of the current study show a high frequency of HPV-16 and 18 genotypes in human BC in Iranian women. This is almost certainly due to poor rates of HPV vaccination, and it is strongly recommended that health organizations (such as the World Health Organization [WHO]) ensure adequate coverage of highly effective HPV vaccination in Iran.