Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Volume:27 Issue: 4, Dec 2023

 Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) induces gastric mucosal inflammation, which may lead to chronic gastritis and gastric ulcer, gastric adenocarcinoma, or mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Managing H. pylori-related complications requires H. pylori eradication. Probiotics are one of the potential supplements that can be effective against H. pylori infection by stabilizing or restoring endogenous physiological flora and preventing H. pylori growth.

 The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a quadruple regimen for H. pylori eradication plus probiotic supplementation.

 This randomized placebo-controlled trial was at a gastroenterology clinic in Kermanshah, Iran. A total of 142 H. pylori-positive subjects were randomized into either 10-day quadruple therapy (amoxicillin+ metronidazole+ pantoprazole + bismuth salt) plus placebo or quadruple therapy plus probiotic. H. pylori eradication was evaluated using a stool antigen test six weeks after treatment. The side effects of the treatment were recorded in both groups.

 A total of three and five patients in the probiotics and placebo group did not complete the treatment or follow-up, respectively. The rate of H. pylori eradication was 44.1 and 34.8% for probiotic and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.27). At the end of the trial, a lower rate of nausea (P = 0.004), taste disturbance (P = 0.002), headache/dizziness (P = 0.002), and flatulence/epigastric pain (P = 0.004) were recorded in the probiotic group compared to the placebo group.

 Based on the results, probiotics can be somewhat effective in eradicating H. pylori infection. Probiotic adjunctive therapy is suggested to relieve gastrointestinal symptoms when receiving antibiotic therapy.

Identifying patient characteristics that may contribute to significant complications and mortality is essential.

This study was conducted to evaluate the mortality and survival of patients with COVID-19 by blood type.

This study was performedon644 patients with COVID-19 by a retrospective cohortmethodusing recorded data of patients admitted to Farabi and Golestan-Kermanshah hospitals. The data were extracted from patients’ records through a researcher-made checklist. Logistic regression and Cox regression models were utilized in STATA software version 14 to analyze the data.

About 74.53% of patients were male, and the average age was 52.55 ± 16.9 years. The prevalence of blood groups was 22.67% (n = 146) O, 11.49% (n = 74) AB, 24.38% (n = 157) B, and 41.46% (n = 267) A, respectively. Approximately 69.05% of patients were in the intensive care unit, 37.27% experienced intubations, and 18.94% died. The results showed that the chance of death in blood group AB, B, and A was 1.05 (P = 0.910) times, 2.09 (P = 0.022) times, and 2.29 (P = 0.005) times higher than in blood group O. In addition, the survival of patients with blood group A was lower than other blood groups (P = 0.001).

Based on the results, blood groups O and B had a protective role against the death of COVID-19. Blood type O also required less intubation but was hospitalized longer.

Preterm birth is one of the common complications of preeclampsia. Neonatal outcomes seem to be more severe in the presence of preeclampsia in women with preterm birth.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of preeclampsia on morbidity and mortality of neonates under 34 weeks of gestation at discharge.

This retrospective cohort study was conducted on 311 neonates admitted to the Alzahra Tertiary Care Hospital from 2019 to 2021. Data were collected using a data extraction checklistfrom the medical registry. The data analysis included descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact test. Multiple logistic regression was used to identify the neonatal outcomes of preeclampsia.

Logistic regression analysis showed that risk of cesarean section (P = 0.002, OR = 2.81), low birth weight (P = 0.018, OR = 4.04), fetal growth restriction (< 0.001, OR = 3.73), fetal distress (P = 0.005, OR = 2.60), and mortality (P = 0.019, OR = 2.89) was higher in women with severe preeclampsia after adjusting for maternal age, history of In vitro fertilization, neonate sex, and gestational age.

Based on the results, preeclampsia increased the risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality in preterm neonates under 34 weeks. Therefore, early identification of pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia is crucial. Future studies are recommended to investigate the long-term neonatal outcomes of preeclampsia.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) represents the most widespread type of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the head and neck region, comprising 90% of all cases of oral cancer. Treatments based on immunological methods, cell therapy, gene therapy, and nanotechnology-based methods have been performed in addition to conventional treatment methods.

This study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of polyvinyl alcohol/MgO nanocomposite on human oral cancer cells.

In this study, the structure and size of nanoparticles and nanocomposite were identified using scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis after synthesizing PVA/MgO nanocomposite. The anticancer activity of the synthesized nanocomposite was investigated against oral cancer cells of KB type.

SEM analysis confirmed the proper synthesis of PVA/MgO nanocomposite. MTT test showed that the nanocomposite synthesized in the concentration range of 25-200l has maximum anticancer properties against KB cancer cells. In addition, PVA/MgO nanocomposite influenced the apoptosis pathway of KB cancer cells by increasing ROS, decreasing mitochondrial membrane potential, and increasing the activities of caspases 3 and 7.

Based on the results, the PVA/MgO nanocomposite showed considerable potential as a viable contender for novel anticancer interventions.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most considerable long-term outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the leading cause of premature death in RA patients. The pathogenesis of CVD in RA is largely determined by persistent systemic inflammation and its underlying factors, including chemokines. In this regard, C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) has a crucial role in the CVD and RA pathogenesis. For the first time, plasma CXCL12 was related to conventional CV risk and well-established cardiac biomarkers in RA patients.

This study was conducted on 30 RA patients who have been newly diagnosed, 30 under-treatment RA patients, and 30 healthy subjects. The plasma levels of CXCL12 and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The high sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP) concentration was evaluated in plasma samples using the ADVIA 1800 Clinical Chemistry System based on the latex-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay. The CVD risk was measured by calculating the Framingham risk score (FRS) and systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE).

The mean FRS and plasma concentration of high-density lipid (HDL), NT-proBNP, and HS-CRP were significantly different between the three groups (P = 0.029, P < 0.001, P = 0.016, P < 0.001, respectively). A significant positive correlation was found between CXCL12 with disease activity score-28 (DAS-28) (P = 0.024, r = 0.293) and NT-proBNP (P < 0.0001, r = 0.570) in the patients’ group.

Based on the results, there was a significant relationship between the inflammatory mediator CXCL12 and a well-known cardiac biomarker, NT-proBNP

The Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD) Questionnaire is a validated instrument extensively used to diagnose TMD.

This study aimed to determine the reliability and validity of the Persian translation of the DC/TMD.

A team of specialists assessed the questionnaire’s final version for content and form validity after translation. A questionnaire was given to 150 students at the Kermanshah Faculty of Dentistry. The convergent validity was assessed by determining the connection between item scores and computing Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. The test-retest reliability was evaluated by comparing the results obtained in two phases using the correlation and intraclass correlation coefficients of 30 students from the Faculty of Dentistry.

The ICC coefficient of the Persian DC/TMD questionnaire was 0.98. The questionnaire’s overall Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure was 0.62, suggesting that the questions were acceptable. The Bartlett’s test was significant (P < 0.0001). The internal consistency of each question was strong, with a Cronbach’s alpha rating of 0.90 or above. The content validity index (CVI) indicated an appropriate degree of content validity, which was 0.95.

The Persian version of the questionnaire can be utilized in clinical settings to diagnose and assessTMDamongPersian speaking populations.

The use of micronutrients to maintain health, prevent disease, and reduce disease severity is increasing.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the trend of public opinion toward micronutrients in Iran.

An ecological study was conducted in the Google Trend (GT) database. First, users’ specified search terms related to “COVID-19,” “corona (Iranian COVID-19),” “vitamin-D,” “vitamin-C,” and “Neurobion” were searched among all searches performed using GTs from January 2017 to 2023. Then, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to check the correlation between the keywords of Micronutrients with the words COVID-19 during different years.

The trend for all three micronutrients (vitamin D and C and Neurobion) increased significantly since 2020, consistent with the search trend for COVID-19, corona, and the waves of COVID-19 in Iran. Vitamin D peaks were observed in 2020 (first wave of COVID-19), vitamin C in 2021 (fifth wave), and Neurobion in 2022 (seventh and eighth waves). There was a high and objective correlation coefficient between COVID-19, vitamin C (R2 = 0.73, P = 0.001), and Neurobion (R2 = 0.63, P = 0.001). However, no correlation was observed with vitamin D (R2 = 0.18, P = 0.12).

Based on the results, the search for micronutrients in Iran increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public interest might reflect behavior and consumption. GT is a helpful tool for epidemiologists to understand the interests and trends of the general population.

Based on the laboratory assays, there is no definitive decision about embryo selection with the proper embryogenic stage for successful transfer in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) technique leading to live birth.

This experimental study critically aimed to evaluate the efficacy of embryo transfer in cleavage and blastocyst stages based on the Identical Population (IP) concept.

The IP concept was explained based on several critical points, including the strain (Balb/c), weight (30 g), age (six and eight weeks for females and males, respectively), number of previous sexual cycles, and the same generation. All embryos in each group were divided into grades A, B, and C. Finally, the produced embryos were transferred by trans-cervical procedure, and the mortality rate was recorded.

The number of implantation sites and live births increased in all grades of the blastocyst stage compared to the cleavage stage. The number and percentage of implantation sites in blastocysts and cleavage stages were 11 (45.83%) vs. 3 (8.57%) for grade A, 8 (29.62%) vs. 1 (5.26%) for grade B, 2 (10%) vs. 0 (0%) for grade C (P > 0.05), and number and percentage of live births in blastocysts and cleavage stages were 5 (20.83%) vs. 1 (2.85%) grade A, 3 (11.11%) vs. 0 (0%) grade B, and 1 (5%) vs. 0 (0%) grade C (P > 0.05).

Based on the results, the frequency of implantation sites and the live birth was higher in blastocyst transfer than in the cleavage stage in IVF.