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پیاپی 2 (زمستان 1378)

Introduction. Attenuated Salmonella strains, such as S. typhimurium G30 have a great potential as live carriers for the de livery of heterologous ant igens to the immune system. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major cause of diarrhea among children in developing countries as well as travelers to this area. Heat-l abi le toxin (LT), one of the most important pathogenesis factors of ETEC, is comprised of one A subu nit (LT-A) and five identical B subunit (LT-B). LT-B is responsible for bin ding the toxin to ganglioside GMI-receptor on the surface of int estinal epithelial cells and is a strong immunogen against ETEC mediated diarrhea. The aim of this study was to examine expre ssion of LT-B in S. typhimurium G30 under the control of two various promoter and examina tion of th at as oral live delivery system to elicit antibody resp onse in mice. Materials and Methods. Th e LT-B en coding gene in pTUCLTB and pTRCLTB plasmids were transformed into S. typhimurium G30 and named G30ULTB an d G30TLTB, respectively. Produced level of LT-B by each constructs were measured and structural and immunological characteristics of produced LT-B were studied by GMI ELISA and SDS-PAGE. Finally, ability of these construct s in indu ction of antibody response in C57/BL6 were compared. Results. The results confirmed th at the Salm onell a str ain could produce rLTB with correct conformati on and conserved the main char acteristic including pentameri c form, re ceptor binding ability and interaction with monoclonal antibodies. Our finding also showed an increasing level of antitoxin antibody in mice orally immunized with both G30TLTB and G30ULTB. Conclusion. In conclusion, S. typhimurium G30 could express LT-B in vivo, where the chemical induction is impractical and subsequently induce the antibody response. Modification of this system can result into development of an oral live vaccine against ETEC.

Introduction. Evaluation plays an important role in quality improvment of education. The aim of this study was self-evaluation of the internal medicine department in Semnan university of medical sciences. Materials and Methods. The internal evaluation has been used to evaluate the department activities. In May 1998, six different sets factor of department includ ing educational, therapeutic, research, organization, teaching process and logistic elements were evaluated. In educational objectives; the first 3 years of residentship, trainee and intern periods, in therapeutic objectives; prognostic facilities (such as labrat ory, phototherapy X-ray and endoscopy), in research objectives; research activities of the members of department (such as number of published articles, participation in congress), in organizational objectives; management of department, committee and members of department and in logistic elements equi pments, working rooms and staff of department were evaluated. Data collection was carried out by 31 questionnaires and 550 critria. According to the Gourman definition, the obtained dat a classified between 1 to 5 and then analyzed. The scores lower than 2.6 were called "unsatisfactory". Results. In educational objectives, the maximum score was 3.45 and was gained in the first year of residentship, while the minimum one was 2.85 belongs to the trainee period. In general, the educational objectives with 3.14 score classified at the level of "more than satisfactory". The therapeutic objectives had the maximum score of 4 for endoscopy department and the average of 4.1 score as "high level". The results of evaluation for organization led to the score 3.42 for management, 3.8 for committee and 2.9 for members of department. Research objectives was classified as "satisfied" with 2.67 and finally the logistic elements were located in "good" level with 3.1 score. Conclusion. The results showed that internal medicine department with 3.34 specified in the level of "more than satisfa ctory" which indicates its satisfactory activities.The overall evaluation shows success in the department but the results indicate some weaknesses in the members, research and health activitis. Based on these, development planning has been considered to improve the department

Introduction. Obesity is a serious risk factor which cause s development of diabets mellitus, hypertension, heart diseases, gall bladder disease and certain forms of cancer. The aim of this study was to estimate prevalence of obesity and to consider some factors associated with in Semnan. Materials and Methods. 1921 residents of Semnan, aged 20-55 years were selected through cluster sampling. Pregnant women and persons with obvious diseases were omitted. Height was measured without shoes with a plastic meters and weight was measured with minimal clothing by a portable scales. Body mass index (BMI) was used for evaluating of obesity. Results. 35.7% of our samples were overweight (25:5BMl<30) and 19.8% were obese (BMI", 30). Also 12.6% of males and 27.1% of females were obese. This difference was statistically significant. There was positive and negative correlation betwee n BMI and age and BMI and education, respectively. Conclusion. High prev alence of obesity in Semnan, need a supervised and widesprea d program for promoting awareness among population about obesity hazar ds

Introduction. The present experiments examined the role of glucocorticoids in de nta t gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus on retention of passive avoida nce learning. Materials and Methods. Male wistar rats were implanted bilaterally with ca nnulae a imed at DG and were trained in one trial step-through passive avoidance task (1 rnA footshock, 1.5 s). Glucocorticoids receptor agonist dexamethasone (2.5, u g/ul per side) was injected bilaterally into DG immediately and 60, 90 or 120 min after training. Retention test was done two days later. Results. The dat a indicated that infusion of dexamethasone immediately and 60 min but not 90 or 120 min after training into DG significantly enhanced retention performance. Conclusion. The above results show that gluco corticoids play an important role in consolida tion of emotional memory in DG of the hippocampus at least 60 min after training.

Introduction. The growth of infants after the birth can be affected with different factors. Feeding method is one of the most important factor which affect on the statu s of the infant's growth. The aim of this study was to compare the mean growth indices (weight, height and head circumference) between 0 to 9 months old breast fed and formul a fed infants. Materials and Methods. This study is a prospective research that was per formed on 797 infants who were born since September to March 1995 in Semnan. These infants were followed up for 9 months. The measurements of the growth indices were done in health center and health house. Results. At birth, there was not significant difference in the mean growth indices between breast fed and formula fed infants. The weigth and head circumference of breast fed infants in 1.5, 3,4.5 and 9 months was significantly (P

Introduction. Adolescent educati on especially to girls is one of the importa nt health care priorities. The aims of this study were to determine educati on al needs a nd th e appro priate strategies of adolescent health education of 12-14 years old girl s of Sernnan, Materials and Methods. This intervention al study was done in three stag es: before, during and afte r ed ucational intervention. Two groups were participated in th is st udy: contro l group consists of 370 girls from city of Damghan and case group consi sts of 370 girls from city of Semnan. Results. Comparison of the results before and after educational intervention between two groups showed that gril's knowledge of puberty before intervention was insu fficiant and joined with fa lse beliefs and ide as as well as incorrect imagin ati on, but th e project has re ctifed and de epened the informati on. Also,it has been shown th at th e pro per and effective method of adolescent education information is the strategy of training them via their family espici ally through their mothers. This strategy was accepted by families a nd 85 percent of girls emphasized on this method. According to th e need asse ssment, educa tion al modules prepared for early adolesce nce age group girls. Conclusion. The re sults show th at the cultural obsta cles and difficulties co ncerning family life education can be diminishe d to its minimum, in respect to cultural issues and predisposition and beliefs of pe op le so th at the project su ccess fully implemented. Based on these, to begin girl's eduaction before age 9-10, inclusive educati on to girls in late ado lescence age using the same stra tegy, search to find proper strategy to ed ucate ado lesce nt boys were recommended

Introduction. Refrective errors are the most frequent causes of poor vision. Physicians are often asked about the casual relation of near tasks with refractive errors. On time diagnosis and proper management of refractive errors prevents amblyopia and poor vision. In this study, the relationship between occupational factors and refractive errors in individuals of 10 to 30 years old was investigated. Materials and Methods. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. Refractive errors of 300 patients between 10-30 years of age who were refered to opthalmic clinic of Amiralmomenin hospital during the first six months of 1996 were evaluated. Result. Among 300 patients, 143 were women and 157 were men. 201 individuals were myopic, 86 hyperopic and 13 astigmatic. 45% of patients were school children and their most refractive error was myopia (67%). There was a significant relationship between age and refractive error as follows: from 10 to 25 years, myopia cases increased and hyperopia decreased and after 25 years, this situation reversed. There was also a significant direct relation between higher education and refractive error. Conclusion. The results show that individuals who have higher education and whom need more near vision for their work such as school children, college students and employees suffer more from myopia.

Introduction. The high prevalence of thyroid nodules combined with low incidence of malignancy has created a need for an effective screening test. Thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) has proved to be one of the most reliable although not perfect preoperative methods for identifiying patients with thyroid disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of thyroid FNA in speciemens refered to department of pathology of Semnan medical school from 1991-1998. Material and methods. After papanicola staining of previously fixed FNA glassy slides, light microscopic studies were performed. Presence of at least six groups of thyroid epithelial cells which each group composed of 15 to 20 cells was considered as critria of specimen adequancy. Results. 93 out of 240 received speciemen were satisfactory for microscopic examination. 24 cases were diagnostic or suspecious for neoplastic lesions and in 67 cases diagnosis was suggestive for non neoplastic lesions. Conclusion. Numbers of satisfactory speciemens for microscopic examination were much lower than that of others medical centers

Introduction. There is some evidence that the fish oil containing omega-3 fatty acid prevent certain int1ammatory process. In previous study, we have found that local fish oil improve rate of wound healing in experimental animals. In this research, we studied tl.e effects of local fish oil on post burn edemain rat. Materials and Methods. The animals were anesthetized and experimental burns2 produced on the shaved back of anesthetized rat skin. Two series of standard 1 em burns were made using 2 sec contact with a methal rod heated to 105' c. 10 minutes before inducing burn, Evans Blue (E.B) dye was given through a femoral venous catheter. Immediately after induction of burns, betamethasone lotion and fish oil were applied. Vascular permeability changes were assessed by calculation of water content and extravasation of E.B. Results. The results show that fish oil effectively decreased E.B. extravasation in test group in comparison with control group (P<0.05). Conclusion. The data suggest that fish oil may be an effective drug in the treatment of burn wounds and int1ammatory process