مجله طب جنوب
سال بیست و ششم شماره 3 (امرداد - شهریور 1402)

With the emergence of SARS CoV-2, we have witnessed numerous deaths and injuries. Due to the possibility of emergence of new strains, there is a need to improve treatment approaches. There are reports on the application of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (p-MSCs) as a therapeutic approach. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of these cells in patients with COVID-19.

Nine patients with severe and critical COVID-19 and severe inflammatory condition admitted to the ICU were candidates for cell therapy. For each subject, three 1 x 106 injections of p-MSC (cell/kg) were administered intravenously. The clinical manifestations of the patients and the occurrence of potential early complications as well as the levels of blood and inflammatory and anti-inflammatory parameters before and after cell therapy were investigated.

All treated patients tolerated the p-MSC injection and no acute side-effect was reported for the treatment. The PaO2/FiO2 level increased significantly in the patients after cell therapy. The analysis of the blood, inflammatory and anti-inflammatory parameters of the patients before and after cell therapy showed a significant decrease in the level of RBC and CRP, D-dimer, IL-6 and TNF-α and an increase in platelets and IL-10. The changes in WBC, lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, Hb and PT and biochemical parameters in the serum, fibrinogen coagulation, PH, PCO2, Po2, HCO3 and O2 sat (%) were not statistically significant.

Based on the results, three intravenous injections of p-MSCs in severe and acute patients improved their inflammatory condition and clinical symptoms and had a significant effect on their inflammatory and blood parameters including RBC and platelet.

The MisMatch Repair (MMR) system is a conserved system with a key role in genetic stability and replication integrity. The MLH1 gene is one of the four main components of the MMR complex. This study was conducted to assess the association of MLH1 (rs63749795 C>T) gene polymorphism with the risk of breast cancer among women in the northwest of Iran.

A case-control study was conducted on 100 women with breast cancer and 100 healthy controls with no family history of cancer. The association of single-nucleotide polymorphism of MLH1 (rs63749795 C>T) was examined by Tetra-ARMS-PCR assay and the resultant data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 24. Single-nucleotide polymorphism association with clinical symptoms was examined in the patients.

CC genotype was not observed in the patient and control groups. The frequency of TC and TT genotypes was 40% and 60% in the case group, and 41.84% and 58.16% in the control group. The frequency of C and T alleles was 20% and 80% in the case group, and 20.91% and 79.09% in the control group. The statistical analysis of the data showed no association between genotypic and allelic distribution and breast cancer in northwestern Iran. The results also showed no significant association between clinical characteristics and breast cancer.

The findings of this research showed that there is no significant relationship between the genotypic and allelic distribution of the rs63749795 C>T polymorphism of MLH1 gene and the increased risk of breast cancer or clinical characteristics of the studied patients in northwest Iran.

Wounds are one of the most crucial health issues, especially when they are infected with pathogenic microbes. Nowadays, nanofibers have been designed with antibacterial properties to serve as an effective solution for wound healing.

In this research, a polyethylene oxide/copper/peptide nanocomposite was
designed using electrospinning at a ratio of 98/1/1 mg. Then, the characteristics of the nanocomposite were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), tensile testing and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In addition, the antibacterial properties of the prepared nanofibers were evaluated against standard strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, and the antioxidant effects of the said composite were evaluated.

The SEM results showed that copper and peptide nanoparticles were well spread on the surface of the polymer and the tensile test results revealed that this sample has relatively high tensile strength. Also, the designed nanocomposite was resistant to heat according to the DSC and had antibacterial effects against standard microbial strains and antioxidant properties.

The results of this study showed that the designed nanofibers can be used as a compound with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties in the healthcare and hygiene industries to produce wound dressings.

Listeria monocytogenes leads to listeriosis in humans through the consumption of ready-to-eat foods. Older adults, immunocompromised patients, pregnant women, and newborns are at the highest risk for this infection. To detect probiotic bacteria with an inhibitory activity against L. monocytogenes, we evaluated the inhibitory effect of Lactococcus lactis on the growth and invasion of L. monocytogenes.

In this study, we used the L. monocytogenes ATCC 7644 strain and the L. lactis PTCC 1336 probiotic strain. To investigate the inhibitory effects of L. lactis on the growth of pathogenic L. monocytogenes, we employed the well diffusion agar method, and to investigate its inhibitory effect on invasion by this bacterium, we conducted a co-culture with Caco-2 human enterocyte cells.

The results showed that L. lactis in concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, and 1 had antimicrobial properties against L. monocytogenes. With increasing concentration, the inhibitory effect on this pathogen increased. In addition, L. lactis showed an inhibitory effect on the L. monocytogenes invasion of Caco-2 cells. Therefore, in the concentration of 1, L. lactis decreased the number of bacteria by reducing the invasion of the cells by Listeria from log 108 to log 102; in the concentration of 0.5, from log 108 to log 103; and in the concentration of 0.25, from log 108 to log 105.

L. lactis has antimicrobial and inhibitory properties against the invasion of L. monocytogenes and can be considered an option to inhibit invasion and gastrointestinal infections caused by this bacterium.

Considering the importance of primiparous women’s condition in the postpartum period and the need to recognize various physical, psychological, cognitive and social factors in order to address their health status, the present study was designed to determine the relationship of sense of coherence and quality of sleep with symptoms of postpartum depression and mother-infant attachment in primiparous women referring to Lamerd maternity wards in 2021.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 156 primiparous women selected by consensus sampling. Data were collected using a demographic information form, Antonovsky’s sense of coherence scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, and the mother-infant attachment scale. The collected data were entered into SPSS, version 24, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and linear regression tests at the significance level of P<0.05.

The mean age of the mothers participating in the research was 27.10±5.25 years; 62.8% of them had vaginal deliveries, and most of them had bachelor's degrees. Mothers’ quality of sleep was rated as very poor in 65.4% of them. The mean score of the overall sense of coherence was 132.53±18.78, depression symptoms 12.09±2.79, the mean score of mother-infant attachment was 65.19±11.60. The multiple linear regression showed that for one unit increase in the sense of coherence score, the mother-infant attachment score increases by 0.19, and one unit increase in the level of household income towards optimal income is associated with an increase of 3.78 in the mother-infant attachment score. Also, for one unit increase in the sense of coherence score, the depression symptoms’ score decreases by 0.04 and the mother’s being employed is associated with a decrease of 0.86 in the score of depression symptoms.

The results of this study suggest that there is a relationship between the sense of coherence and the symptoms of depression and mother-infant attachment in primiparous women referring to maternity wards in Lamerd. Future studies are recommended to implement appropriate interventions to improve the sense of coherence in this group of mothers.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary hypertension, but its incidence during pregnancy is rare and less than 80 cases in pregnancy have been reported in literature to date. Here, we present a pregnant woman who delivered her first child in the presence of PA four years before, but in her second pregnancy, she developed severe hypertension associated with hypokalemia, and was admitted with preeclampsia. She lost her infant and received a diagnosis of PA due to an adrenal adenoma. After adrenalectomy, her blood pressure was normalized.