Annals of Military and Health Sciences Research
Volume:21 Issue: 2, Jun 2023

Fasciolosis is a global parasitic disease caused by liver trematodes such as Fasciola hepatica, affecting various mammals, including sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, and humans worldwide. Cathepsin L (Cat L) found in the life stages of F. gigantica is associated with the pathology of the fluke. Given the detrimental impact of fasciolosis on animal health and production, along with reports of drug resistance and concerns regarding drug residues in animal products and the environment, there has been an increasing emphasis on developing a potent epitope-based vaccine to combat this infection.

The present study aimed at bioinformatically analyzing the characteristics of Cat L of F. gigantica newly encysted juvenile (FgNEJ) to identify potential epitopes for constructing an effective vaccine against the infection.

The Cat L of FgNEJ was analyzed using several reliable bioinformatics tools.

Analysis of the second structure of the Cat L amino acid sequence demonstrated that the alpha-helix, random coil, and extended strand ratios were 77 (23.62%), 164 (50.31%), and 85 (26.07%), respectively. Analysis of B-cell, T-cell, and MHC epitopes predicted on the sequence suggested Cat L of FgNEJ as an ideal target for vaccine design.

The current study introduces significant information on Cat L of FgNEJ, as well as some promising epitopes that can be used as strong candidates in studies involved in developing a vaccine against fasciolosis.

People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from war have more severe symptoms when combined with other chronic disorders, worsening their condition.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and computer-based cognitive rehabilitation on the cognitive bias of veterans with PTSD.

This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, follow-up, and a control group. The statistical population included all the veterans under the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs coverage of Ahvaz, Iran, in 2021. After the necessary examinations, 45 eligible participants were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 participants per group) after the necessary coordination. The experimental groups separately received EMDR therapy and computer-based cognitive rehabilitation, whereas the control group received no intervention. Repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS-24 was used for data analysis.

The results showed that compared to the control group, EMDR and computer-based cognitive rehabilitation interventions significantly influenced the cognitive bias of veterans with PTSD (P < 0.001). Moreover, cognitive bias scores from the posttest and follow-up significantly differed from those from the pretest (P < 0.001).

Since EMDR and computer-based cognitive rehabilitation improved cognitive bias in veterans with PTSD, these methods are recommended for improving their psychological characteristics.

In addition to oxidative stress, the apoptosis of liver cells plays a main role in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis pathogenesis. Nevertheless, the main mechanisms of the response of liver cell apoptosis in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) models caused by a high-fat diet, as well as the effects of exercise with and without calorie restriction on these mechanisms, have not been assessed to date.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of two exercise protocols with and without calorie restriction on apoptosis and liver damage in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Sixty-four male Wistar rats were subjected to a high-fat diet for eight weeks and were divided randomly into eight groups: Control, calorie restriction (CR), aerobic exercise (AE), and aerobic exercise + calorie restriction (AC) for eight and twelve weeks. Also, two groups of rats that had normal and free access to food werenamedsham groups. The training groups exercised on the treadmill for five sessions a week for eight and twelve weeks. Two-way ANOVA was utilized for data analysis at a significance level of 0.05.

According to the findings, in both 8- and 12-week protocols, the expression of Bax proteins in the exercise and exercise + calorie restriction groups showed a significant decrease compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Also, Bcl-2 protein expression significantly increased in the exerciseandexercise+calorie restriction groups than the controlgroup(P< 0.05). The training groups showed no significant difference between the 8- and 12-week protocols.

It was revealed that exercise with and without caloric restriction and independent of the protocol duration can improve the apoptosis of hepatocytes in NAFLD.

In forensic medicine, several bones are used to determine gender. The most important and widely used are the skull and pelvis. But in some cases, the mentioned bones may not be available, and other bones, such as the scapula bone, should be used.

This study aimed to investigate and locate the anthropometric indices of scapula bone in the Iranian population to determine gender.

In this project, a study was performed on a chest scan of 259 Iranians referred to Besat NAHAJA Hospital in 2016. Pack software was used to measure the scapula’s indices. The obtained data, including age, gender, and different scapula sizes of max width of glenoid (MWG),maxlength of glenoid (MLG), maxwidth of scapula (MWS), andmaxlength of scapula (MLS), were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests. Assessment of differential ability, sensitivity, and specificity of scapula anthropometric indices was used in determining gender.

Of 259 participants in this study, 133 (51.4%) were female, and 126 (48.6%) were male. Generally, the mean index of MWG, MLG, MWS, and MLS was higher inmenthanwomenin the studied population. The results of this study showed there is a significant difference among scapula features in men and women (P < 0.05). The highest accuracy in determining gender was assigned to MLS, with 88.9%, and the lowest was assigned to MLG, with 66.3%.

Our study showed that measured anthropometric indices, including length and width of scapula bone and glenoid cavity, will help to predict gender and also can be used as an accurate and practical tool in gender determination.

There are different ways to make a surgical incision. The most widely used ones are the use of scalpel and electrosurgery. Each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages that affect its use.

This study aimed to compare scalpel and electrosurgery methods in cutting the anterior abdominal wall during Cesarean section.

This double-blind clinical trial manner was conducted by permuted block randomization. The participants were placed in two groups. In the scalpel group, incisions were made with a scalpel, and in the electrosurgery group, incisions were made with an electrosurgical pencil. This clinical trial was conducted on 86 pregnant women who were candidates for Cesarean section with spinal anesthesia. The inclusion criteria were an age range of 18 - 45 years, gestational age of 37 - 41 weeks, Pfannenstiel skin incision, and willingness to participate. The exclusion criteria were emergency Cesarean section, vertical skin incisions, incomplete medical files, chronic skin diseases, allergy to antibiotics, consuming anticoagulants, cardiovascular and pulmonary problems, and underlying diseases.

There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of intraoperative bleeding, newborn Apgar score, postoperative pain, and wound complications. However, the duration of surgery (P = 0.012), incision time (P = 0.049), and hemodynamic status showed a significant difference (P < 0.05).

The use of electrosurgery to make a surgical incision does not pose a risk to the patient if safety points are followed.

Bibliometrics is one of the credible methods of evaluating scientific publications and research output. This is the first study in the multiple sclerosis (MS) field that can guide researchers and policy-makers in contributing more to MS.

The main purpose of this study is to conduct a bibliometric analysis and visualization of multiple sclerosis scientific products of the 17 Middle East countries during 1900 - 2020.

Data from January 1, 1900, to December 31, 2020, were searched in the Web of Science database. Research productivity was evaluated by considering the country, year, number of publications, and time trend of these publications. Co-word and co-authorship analyses were done, andtop authors, journals, institutions, andcountry contributions toMSresearch were identified.

Middle Eastern countries produced 5.5% of the total number of MS research worldwide. Turkey (29.18%), Iran (23.54%), and Egypt (13.066%) had the top positions. King Saud University as a research center, Baser, Kemal Husnu Can as an author, and the Multiple Sclerosis Journal as a scientific journal, respectively, with a total of 1,582 (4.26%), 360 (0.97%) and 1,172 (3.15%) publications had the highest research productivities.

Accurate policy-making in research centers, prioritizing research topics, promoting journals, and making more international collaboration can decrease the gap in research on MS and increase its quality and quantity. Despite rising trends in research results, more strategic planning and cooperation between researchers are needed for regional advancement in the field.

Myositis is an inflammation of striated muscle tissue. Among its causes, autoimmune diseases are the main ones. However, infectious causes are also incriminated, such as Coxsackie B virus epidemic myositis. Treponemal myositis or syphilitic myositis is, however, exceptional. Its localization or predominance on the facial muscles is even rarer.

We report a case of a facial form of syphilitic myositis with clinical and radiological study in a 25-year-old patient of Malian origin, presented to the neurology department with a painful facial diplegia thathadbeen evolving for one month. Infectious myositis is a rare entity. Its symptomatology (myalgia/muscle weakness) may be diffuse or localized, as in the case of our patient. The infectious syndrome may be absent and limited to a flu-like syndrome. Furthermore, direct involvement of a skeletal muscle is rarely reported in the literature. The evolutionary profile is, therefore, little known.

Syphilitic myositis can have complex clinical aspects and constitute a real diagnostic challenge, as reported in our patient’s case.

Every year, more than 64 million people suffer from traumatic brain injury that can cause psychological disorders.

The patient is a 21-year-old man with behavioral and emotional changes since 5 years ago after multiple traumas. He was referred to the Bioresonance Center and treated with electromagnetic complements for 6 months. After using the complement, speech comprehension and aggressive behaviors improved.