نشریه دانشگاه علوم پزشکی خراسان شمالی
سال پانزدهم شماره 3 (پاییز 1402)

The reduced organ function following delayed nerve repair highlights the need for pharmacological interventions. In this regard, many chemical agents have been administered after nerve injury; however, their functional outcomes are not satisfying yet. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the administration of citicoline and atorvastatin on the regenerative capacity of the distal end of the transected sciatic nerve throughout a delayed nerve repair period.

The sciatic nerve of male rats (250-300 g) was transected, and the animals were intraperitoneally administrated citicoline (200 mg/kg, n=5), atorvastatin (5 mg/kg, n=5), citicoline + atorvastatin, and vehicles (control groups 1 and 2, n=5) for one month. In the sham group (n=5), the sciatic nerve was only exposed. After one month, the transected nerve was repaired. Fourteen weeks after surgical repair, morphometric and electron microscopic evaluations were performed on the nerve.

In the present study, improvement in the structural (fiber diameter, axon diameter, and myelin thickness, etc.) and ultrastructural (degree of myelin destruction) indices of the distal segment of the nerve was observed in the citicoline and atorvastatin groups compared to the control groups (P< 0.01). In addition, the nerve structural and ultrastructural indices in the citicoline + atorvastatin group were better than each citicoline and atorvastatin group.

The results of this study showed that the administration of citicoline and atorvastatin leads to maintaining the regeneration capacity of the distal part of the nerve in the condition of delayed nerve repair

The present research aimed to investigate the effect of four weeks of selective training on motor performance and neurotrophin4 (NT4) gene expression in the hippocampus of rats with spinal cord injury (SCI).

This experimental study was conducted on adult and young male Wistar rats. The animals were randomly divided into six groups (control group, healthy group with the first exercise protocol, healthy group with the second exercise protocol, SCI group, SCI group with the first exercise protocol, and SCI group with the second exercise protocol; 7 animals in each group). Firstly, animals were subjected to general anesthesia and SCI. After two weeks of recovery, two types of aerobic exercise programs were performed for four weeks. After performing the exercises, Basso Beattie Bresnahan (BBB) test and molecular tests were used to measure the expression of the NT4 gene from the hippocampus of the animals using the qRT-PCR method.

The BBB score in the exercise group compared to the injury group increased significantly. The expression of NT4 in the SCI group was significantly decreased compared to the control group. While, NT4 expression was increased in the SCI + exercise 1 group and in the SCI + exercise 2 group compared to the SCI group, this increased expression was not significantly different between the two groups of SCI + exercise.

The exercise protocols of this study are effective on NT4 gene expression, as well as improving movement in animals with SCI, and could be a factor for axonal growth and neuronal survival in spinal cord injury recovery.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating mental disorder associated with psychosocial dysfunction and reduced quality of life. Neurosteroids modulate the functions of the brain and affect the activities of neurotransmitters. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the serum level of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and executive function in patients with schizophrenia compared to the control group.

In this case-control study, 20 schizophrenic men hospitalized in the psychiatric department of 5th Azar Hospital in Gorgan in 1401 and 20 non-diseased men eligible to enter the study were selected. After measuring the serum level of DHEAS, executive function was evaluated using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software (version 18) using independent t-test, U-Man-Whitney, logistic regression, chi-score, and Fisher's exact test at a significance level of 0.05.

The two groups were similar in terms of age (P=0.4), marital status (P=0.06), and education level (P=0.1). There was no statistically significant difference in the serum level of DHEAS in the two groups. There was a statistically significant difference in the executive performance of the two groups in the items of spotting (P=0.001) and correct answers (P=0.002).

In this study, the level of DHEAS in subjects with schizophrenia was lower than that of healthy people. The serum level of this hormone was inversely associated with the duration of schizophrenia and had a direct linear relationship with executive function in the number of categories and perseverative errors. These results can guide relevant experts in the direction of timely diagnosis and treatment measures for these people.

The jigsaw method of learning is a student-centered educational method, and one of its approaches is students' active participation in the class. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare teaching with two methods of jigsaw and lectures on the learning and motivation of laboratory science students in parasitology courses.

This study was carried out based on a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical design. In this study, 25 laboratory science students participated and were assigned to two groups: jigsaw and traditional. In each session, the teacher assigned a topic for each member of the jigsaw groups, and the students were given a week to study the topic. Thereafter, in the educational method of jigsaw, each student explained the presented material to other members. In the traditional method, each session was conducted by a teacher. At the end, the lecture and jigsaw groups were tested with the same questions and the scores of the two groups were compared.

In the examination of the difference between the total score in the jigsaw and lecture groups using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test, the mean and median of the total scores in the jigsaw method were higher than the traditional method, and this difference was statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

Considering the many names of the parasitology course, hard learning, and students' complaints about the amount of content in this course, jigsaw can be a suitable method for teaching this course.

Premature birth is one of the most common causes of infant mortality worldwide. In many countries, preterm birth rates increased between 1990 and 2010. Vaginal infections are important causes of preterm labor (PTL). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the role of vaginal infections in causing preterm labor.

This study was a case-control study. The target population was pregnant women referring to Ali Ibn Abitaleb Hospital in Zahedan, Iran, in 2018 who were aged 20 to 38 years and were diagnosed with PTL. The control group included an equal number of women with the same age range but term labor. To investigate candida, trichomonas, bacterial vaginosis, and group B streptococcali, swab samples were taken from the vagina and rectum. Different laboratory methods were performed to isolate the above-mentioned microorganisms, including microscopy of wet mount smear, Gram stain, culture on Sabouraud agar, and 5% sheep blood agar. Moreover, four Amsel criteria were used to diagnose bacterial vaginosis. At last, the collected data were analyzed by SPSS-19 software with a p-value of 0.05.

A total of 300 patients were included in the study, and the mean age was not statistically significantly different between the two groups of PTL and term labor. No statistically significant difference was observed in the frequency of vaginal candidiasis (P=0.081), bacterial vaginosis (P=0.906), and trichomonas infection (P=0.904) between the two groups.

It seems that the genital infections examined in this study do not play a role in increasing the prevalence of premature birth.

High blood pressure is one of the most important concerns of the healthcare system, especially in low- and middle-income countries. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the protective effect of the hydromethanolic extract of ginger on cardiac parameters in male rats with renovascular hypertension.

A total of 54 rats were randomly divided into 6 groups as follows: control, hypertensive group, hypertensive group (hydromethanolic extract of ginger with a dose of 100 mg/kg), hypertensive group (hydromethanolic extract of ginger with a dose of 200 mg/kg), hypertensive group (hydromethanolic extract of ginger with a dose of 300 mg/kg), and surgical group receiving hydromethanolic extract of ginger with a dose of 200 mg/kg. Rats were gavaged for 42 days, once every day, using hydromethanol extract of ginger. Afterward, the heart rate was measured every 7 days. Ejection fraction (EF) and cardiac index were evaluated by SPSS-16 at a significance level of 0.05.

The results of the study showed that the hydroethanolic extract of ginger caused a significant decrease in heart rate in the group without induced blood pressure receiving ginger extract (dose of 200 mg/kg) and in the induced blood pressure group gavaged ginger at a dose of 200 mg/kg. It was also found that there was a significant difference between the average EF in the studied groups; however, the cardiac index had no significant difference in the studied groups.

Hydroethanolic extract of ginger can reduce heart rate in hypertensive models and have a significant effect on cardiac output. Since ginger has no effect on cardiac index, studies with a longer duration of treatment are needed in this case, nevertheless, it can have a significant effect on ejection fraction

Risperidone is a highly effective medicine in patients with mental disorders. Since maintaining blood concentrations of risperidone within the therapeutic index is pivotal during treatment, these patients should receive medication daily and continuously.

In this study, an optimal lipid liquid crystal was designed according to the maximum release for 60 days based on different ratios of phosphatidylcholine (PC) to sorbitan monooleate (PC:SMO), tween 80 (w/w%), and tocopherol acetate (w/w%) using Design Expert software with the Central Composite Design (CCD) method. Release evaluations were conducted in vitro to compare the effects of lipid liquid crystal and Risperdal CONSTA®. The structure evaluation was also tested using polarized electron microscopy and in vitro assessment via cell culture.

The optimal formulation was selected based on the maximum release (100%) of the drug obtained within 2 months with a PC: SMO ratio of 58.6%, tween 0.82% (w/w), and tocopherol acetate 3.6% (w/w). A hexagonal mesophase with a dihedral structure was observed in the liquid crystal structure. No toxicity was observed in the cell culture test.

The comparison of the results of in vitro studies of the liquid crystal formulation containing risperidone and the commercial formulation, Risperdal CONSTA®, showed that the liquid crystal system provides better and more uniform drug release for 60 days. Therefore, it can increase patient compliance and ease the problems of oral administration

Social health is the most complex aspect of health that plays a key role in the quality of social life and can be the cause of suffering or aggravation of psycho-social and physical problems. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating social health and its relationship with quality of life among medical students at Golestan University of Medical Sciences in 2018.

This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was conducted using stratified random sampling. A total of 190 people were selected for non-clinical and clinical stages. Data were collected using a questionnaire to determine social health and quality of life and then analyzed with SPSS software (version 16) using the t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, X2, as well as Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses. The significance level was considered to be 0.05.

The mean age of the students was 23.06±2.28 years, and the majority (58.9%) were female. The average scores of social health and quality of life of the students were 104.16±8.47 and 90.9±13.01, respectively. Social health had a direct and significant relationship with quality of life (r=0.0482, P=0.001). Age showed an inverse relationship with social health (r=-0.17, P=0.8) and a direct relationship with quality of life (r=0.14, P=0.07). Variables of gender, ethnicity, marital status, and place of residence had no relationship with social health indicators or quality of life.

Social health is directly related to the quality-of-life index of students. Moreover, an increase in age improves the quality of life but decreases social health.

Disabled veterans with lower limb amputation are at risk of cardiovascular disease 2 to 3 times more than healthy counterparts due to physical problems and immobility. Exercise is an effective intervention in reducing cardiovascular diseases in different groups. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of 12 weeks of aerobic and combined upper-body exercises on cardiovascular risk factors of disabled veterans with lower limb amputation.

In this clinical trial, 45 disabled veterans with lower limb amputation were randomly divided into 3 groups of aerobic exercise, combined exercise, and control. The exercise groups received the desired intervention 3 sessions every week for 12 weeks by observing the overload principle in the duration, volume, and intensity. Measurements of body composition, metabolic indices, and inflammatory indices (C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin 6 [IL-6], and vascular cell adhesion molecule [V-CAM]) were performed before and after the interventions. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS-25 software at a significance level of P≤0.05. One-way analysis of variance, Tukey's post hoc test, and paired-sample t-test were used for intragroup and intergroup comparisons.

A significant improvement was observed in weight, body mass index, blood sugar, cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, CRP, and IL-6 in the aerobic and combined training groups, compared to the control group (P≤0.05). A significant improvement was observed in the V-CAM only in the combined training group, compared to the control group (P=0.018). No significant changes were seen in aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase after any of the interventions (P≥0.05).

For disabled veterans with lower limb amputation, aerobic and combined upper-body exercises can have numerous benefits for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases through the improvement of cardiovascular risk factors.

Medicalization can be defined as the process by which some aspects of human life come to be recognized as medical problems, while before that, they were not considered pathological. Considering the importance of an awareness of the dimensions and consequences of medicalization, the present study aimed to securitize the historical aspects, emergence, and dimensions of medicalization with a glance at this phenomenon in Iran.

This descriptive-analytical study tried to address the dimensions and process of medicalization in a historical context and finally discuss the motor engines, aspects, and effects of medicalization in Iran.

Modern medicine and capitalism use three motor engines, including consumers, technology, and controlled medical care, to dominate and govern societies. During the last few decades, especially in the post-war period, medicalization has found its place in Iran's society with the change of cultural and consumer patterns.

Due to the keen dependence on technology and the capitalistic paradigm, modern medicine has been affected by the discourse and capitalist view in some areas. Therefore, some aspects of human life have been redefined under the label of disease and put in the cycle of supply and demand.