نشریه دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بیرجند
سال سی‌ام شماره 2 (پیاپی 95، تابستان 1402)

The medical and surgical condition of mother during pregnancy can be affected on prenatal morbidity and mortality. Physician must have knowledge about the effects of pregnancy on the course of disease as well as the effects of disease on outcome of pregnancy and treatment of disease during pregnancy.Hypertension is one of the common difficulties and complications during pregnancy, which leads to hospitalization. Blood pressure disorders occur in approximately 10% of pregnancies in the United States, and it accounts for 12.3% of maternal deaths. Hypertension in pregnancy is an important alarm that carries risks for both the mother and the fetus. In some cases, these complications can be life-threatening risks for both. For example, preeclampsia ranks among the top four leading causes of maternal mortality, when it is diagnosed and treated correctly it is possible to prevent adverse consequences. There are different types of high blood pressure in pregnancy that can be related to pregnancy or not related to pregnancy, and the diagnosis and management of each of them are different from each other. The purpose of this study was to provide a brief overview of definitions, diagnostic methods, risk factors, symptoms, side effects, drug and non-drug treatments, and prevention of various types of hypertension during pregnancy based on the latest American Obstetrics and Gynecology Guidelines and the latest edition of Beckman and Ling's Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Studies have shown that lncRNA DSCR9 prevents cancer and inflammation and its expression leads to anti-tumor activity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between lncRNA DSCR9 expression and the risk of colon cancer.

Samples were taken from 20 tissues of patients with colorectal cancer and 20 healthy intestinal tissues of healthy individuals. Total RNA extraction was performed, followed by cDNA synthesis. Expression of lncRNA DSCR9 was investigated using real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and primers designed using Beacon Designer software. The relative expression of lncRNA DSCR9 was calculated, and finally, the results were analyzed by GraphPad Prism software.

The results showed that lncRNA DSCR9 expression increased in colorectal cancer compared to the control group as well as in tumors of metastatic and non-metastatic individuals. However, the relative expression of lncRNA DSCR9 in tumors of individuals with stages 1 and 2 and in tumors of with different sizes did not show a significant increase; nevertheless, the relative expression of lncRNA DSCR9 in tumors of grades 1 and 2 was statistically significant (P=0.0144). The specificity and sensitivity of lncRNA DSCR9 showed that as a marker (P=0.0001), it could isolate the patient population from the healthy one.

In the present study, there was a relative increase in the expression of lncRNA DSCR9 in patients with colorectal cancer compared to control, which possibly could be due to the activation of proteins involved in cancer and increased Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway and cause tumor cell growth and angiogenesis in cancer. Therefore, due to changes in the expression of the lncRNA DSCR9 gene in colorectal cancer, this gene may be used as a biomarker for the detection of tumors.

Hyperglycemia is associated with decreased activity of antioxidant enzymes and damage to peripheral nerves. The present study aimed to compare the antioxidant and analgesic effects of gallic acid (a natural compound) with metformin (a chemical drug) in hyperglycemic conditions.

Hyperglycemia was induced in male rats by the intraperitoneal injection of Streptozotocin (STZ) at a dose of 60 mg/Kg. For this research, rats were assigned to four groups. Two groups were healthy control and hyperglycemic control rats that did not receive any drugs. The other two groups were hyperglycemic rats, which respectively received metformin at a dose of 300 mg/kg/day and gallic acid at a dose of 40 mg/kg/day. At the beginning of the 8-week period for all groups, every two weeks, hot-plate and tail-flick tests were taken, and at the end of the period, the rats were anesthetized, and their blood test was performed to measure the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software using one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc test.

The administration of metformin and gallic acid in hyperglycemic rats for eight weeks increased the pain threshold and the activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (P<0.05).

Gallic acid, like Metformin, can be effective in the improvement of complications caused by hyperglycemic conditions. Therefore, gallic acid may have a clinical application in the treatment of diabetic patients in the future.

Glass ionomer cement (GIC) is used in atraumatic restorative treatment, full crown cementation, and root lesion repair. Glass ionomer cement can prevent secondary infections if it has antibacterial properties. Therefore, in the current study, the antibacterial effects of GIC containing different antibiotics and the rate of antibiotic release were investigated.

In the in vitro study, GIC discs containing 1.5% metronidazole, ciprofloxacin, or penicillin V antibiotics were first made. Afterward, the amount of antibiotic release from different discs was analyzed by spectroscopic method at 24, 72, and 168 h. The antibacterial effects of GIC discs containing antibiotics were evaluated by the disc diffusion method against the standard bacterial strain of Streptococcus mutans and compared with standard antibiotic discs.

In the present study, antibiotic release from GIC discs containing penicillin could not be measured by spectroscopic method. Nevertheless, the rates of antibiotic release from GIC discs containing ciprofloxacin and metronidazole were about 41% and 66%, respectively in the first 24 h, and after 168 h, these release rates reached 53% and 75%, respectively. The results showed that GIC disc alone and GIC with metronidazole had no antibacterial effect on S. mutans. The mean scores of inhibition zone diameter of GIC discs containing penicillin and GIC containing ciprofloxacin were reported as 27.25±0.97 and 14.0±2.52 mm, respectively. Moreover, the GIC disc containing all three antibiotics had an inhibition zone diameter of 24.33±1.37 mm.

The inhibition zone diameter of penicillin was larger than that of the mixture of three antibiotics. Based on this observation, it can be concluded that the use of 1.5% penicillin is a more suitable choice for creating antibacterial properties in GIC compared to the mixture of three antibiotics.

Nowadays, due to the toxic effects of synthetic compounds, we are witnessing a marked increase in the use of natural types, such as plant extracts. The present study aimed to assess the total phenolic and flavonoid content and in vitro comparative study of the biological activities of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Cuminum cyminum, Carum carvi, and Nigella sativa.

This study measured the total phenolic and flavonoid contents. Thereafter, antioxidant capacity was measured by the DPPH free radical scavenging and reducing power methods. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were evaluated using the broth microdilution method.

Based on the results, total phenol and flavonoid contents varied from 6.1 to 37.7 mg GAE/g dw and 6.2 to 56.2 mg QE /g dw in the studied species. The species showed high antioxidant capacities. The extracts from the studied species exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with the highest percentage of DPPH free radical inhibition being attributed to the methanolic extract of Carum carvi at a concentration of 400 μg/mL (74.67%) and the highest iron-reducing capacity being attributed to the methanolic extract of Carum carvi at a concentration of 1000 μg/mL (54.0%). The results also pointed out that the methanolic extracts of all three plants, Cuminum cyminum, Carum carvi, and Nigella sativa, have antibacterial activity against four bacterial species: Escherichia coli (PTCC1399), clinical Salmonella typhimurium, Bacillus cereus (PTCC1015), and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25923). The lowest inhibitory concentration (25.6 mg/ml) and the lowest bactericidal concentration (5.12 mg/ml) were observed for the methanolic extract of Nigella sativa against E. coli, while among the aqueous extracts, only the aqueous extracts of Cuminum cyminum and Nigella sativa exhibited antibacterial effects against the four studied species.

As evidenced by the results of this study, methanolic extract of three Cuminum cyminum, Carum carvi, and Nigella sativa had significant antioxidant and antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, these extracts can be considered natural herbal products for the management of bacterial infections.

Melon seeds have estrogenic, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and antioxidant effects. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of the hydroalcoholic extract of melon seeds on the pituitary-gonadal axis and the tissue changes of the testis in adult male rats.

In this experimental study, 50 adult male Wistar rats weighing 210-230 g were assigned to five groups (n=10). The Control group received no extract or solvent; Sham group: 1 ml of distilled water as a solvent; experimental group 1: Melon seed extract (50 mg/kg), experimental group 2: Melon seed extract (100 mg/kg), Experimental group 3: Melon seed extract (150 mg/kg). After 21 days of treatment by the intraperitoneal method, blood was taken from the animals. The serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Thereafter, the testicles were removed, and tissue changes were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 18) using a one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Tukey's test.

The mean body weight in experimental groups 2 and 3 demonstrated a significant decrease compared to the control and sham groups (P<0.001). The mean weight of the testes in experimental groups 2 and 3 displayed a significant increase compared to the control and sham groups. The mean concentration of testosterone hormones, FSH, LH, the number of spermatogonial cells, primary spermatocytes, spermatids, Sertoli, and Leydig cells, as well as the number of sperm cells in experimental group 3,  had a significant increase compared to the control and sham groups (P<0.001).

As evidenced by the results of this study, the hydroalcoholic extract of melon seeds had stimulating effects on the pituitary-gonadal axis and testicular tissue in adult male rats.

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphate pesticide that can damage the nervous system of insects by causing neurotoxicity. Although the molecular mechanisms related to it are not fully understood, some studies have suggested that apoptotic processes are involved. Caspase 9 is a protease that is related to the process of mitochondrial death and is activated during apoptosis. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of   CPF exposure on Caspase 9 level in the hippocampus of rats.
In this experimental study, 24 male Wistar rats (180-220 g) were randomly divided into four groups, including control, sham, CPF 1mg/kg.bw, and CPF 3mg/kg.bw (n=6). Data analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tucky statistical tests.
The findings pointed to significant differences between control and CPF-1mg (P<0.01), as well as between control and CPF 1mg (P<0.001) groups.The results of this study pointed out that long-term exposure to even low doses of chlorpyrifos can increase the level of hippocampal caspase 9. Furthermore,  receiving chlorpyrifos poison with higher doses caused more toxic effects.

The COVID-19 epidemic is a serious challenge for clinical education that has made nursing students and their tutors face problems in the learning and teaching process. The mean score of quality of clinical education in nursing students was obtained at 36.99±9.14 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The highest mean quality score of clinical education belonged to the “I willingly and voluntarily come to the bedside to perform educational procedures” (4.38±1.4), while the lowest mean score was related to the item “In general, due to the restrictions created by the COVID-19 conditions, I feel that the quality of clinical education has decreased” (2.15±1.18). It is highly recommended to carry out educational interventions to improve the educational goals in the clinical environment, boost the clinical performance of instructors, enhance communication between medical staff and nursing students, revise the evaluation process of nursing students, and increase the quality of welfare facilities in medical centers.