Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal
Volume:14 Issue: 3, Mar 2012

Cardiovascular diseases are among the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in the world. One of the important risk factors of cardiovascular disease is hyperlipidemia especially high levels of serum cholesterol. Due to the importance of hypercholesterolemia, being a serious condition, various treatments are used to control it, regardless of the cause, most of treatments, focused on reducing the level of serum lipids. This study aims to determine various view points for hypercholesterolemia in Iranian traditional medicine.. We used several Iranian traditional medicine resources and literatures; then based on these texts; a pilot study was designed to assess their effects in 10 patients with high plasma cholesterol. The sign and symptoms in main digestive organs (Stomach and liver) were also evaluated.. Some patients showed hepatic temperament but all patients had gastric temperament.. With reference to Iranian traditional medical texts and literatures, the organs involved in the process of digestion, particularly the stomach and the liver play the most important role. Yet the proper function of stomach as the first step involved in the digestion chain should be emphasized.

The restoration of disc space height (DSH) is essential in anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF), while it is unclear whether the reduction of DSH may alter the mechanical status and adversely affect adjacent segment, and few literatures focused on the subject.. Ninety five patients who had undergone ALIF for degenerative disc disease at our institution between March 2004 and March 2007 were retrospectively reviewed and 76 patients were enrolled in this study. Preoperative, postoperative and the final follow-up segmental lordosis (SL), whole lumbar lordosis (WLL) and DSH were measured and compared in adjacent segmental degeneration (ASD) group and non-ASD group, and the relationship between DSH, SL, WLL and ASD were investigated retrospectively.. In 76 patients, the radiographic ASD was proven in 25 (32.9%) and symptomatic ASD in 2 patients. There was a significant correlation between DSH and SL, but was insignificant between DSH and WLL, and a significant correlation was noticed between ASD and SL, WLL and DSH at final follow-up.. The normal DSH and SL is important for preventing ASD and an anterior cage with appropriate height and lordotic angle to be used in ALIF to maintain the proper DSH and SL.

It is important to examine scale and scope of the reproductive health among socially-vulnerable women. The study was aimed at testing the hypothesis that as compared to general population, reproductive health is poorer among socially-vulnerable women.. We enrolled 100 cases and 203 controls conducted from January 2010 to January 2011. Cases were socially-vulnerable women seeking care from Tehran’s Center for Improving Social Health of Socially-Damaged Women (Specific Center for Socially-Vulnerable Women). Controls were women referring to health centers of Tehran.. Mean age of cases and controls were 34.1 years and 33.8 years, respectively. Unwanted pregnancy was reported by 62.9% of cases and 33% of controls. Among socially-vulnerable women, 50.6% of abortions were reported to happen during the period in which they were using drugs. Among cases, 45.7% reported to give birth to low birth weight newborns and for controls was 11.7%. Among cases with low birth weight child, 64.9% used drug during pregnancy. Birth control was reported by 81.5% of cases and 92.8% controls. The most common method of contraception was condom among both cases (66%) and controls (31.2%). At least one screening test for cervical cancer was reported by 82.8% of controls and for 47% of cases. Mean age at first sexual intercourse was 15.7 years among cases and 20.9 years among controls. Mean Sexual Performance Scale score was lower among cases (22.3) than controls (25.9) and sexual dysfunction was more prevalent among cases (80.6%) than controls (59.1%).. A high prevalence of reproductive health disorders was documented among socially-damaged women as compared to the women from general population.

Sjogren Larsson Syndrome (SLS; OMIM: 270200) is an autosomal recessive neuro­cutaneous disorder characterized by mental retardation, congenital ichthyosis and spastic paraplegia. SLS is caused by mutations in aldehyde dehydrogenase 3A2 isoform 2 (ALDH3A2), which encodes fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH). This enzyme metabolizes the NAD-dependent oxidation of long chain aldehyde derived from lipid metabolism. Up to now, more than 72 mutations have been reported in SLS patients.. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of all the five patients, one healthy sibling and their parents using standard procedures. SNP genotyping was performed using the GeneChip®. Multipoint linkage analyses and non-parametric linkage analysis was performed too.. Here, we report an interesting family with five affected individuals with a novel splice site mutation (c.1107+1delGTA) in ALDH3A2.. In absence of capability to measure FALDH activity in Iran, DNA sequencing of the ALDH3A2 gene could lead to the identification of causative mutation and confirm the diagnosis.

Based on WHO reports, smoking is an epidemic in developing countries. One of important issues about this behavior is its distribution pattern in family members. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate if cigarette smoking had a tendency to cluster or aggregate in the families and what the determinants were.. Using a multi-stage random cluster sampling approach, a household survey was conducted in Kish Island in 2009. We used the Alternating Logistic Regressions algorithm to model to show the familial aggregation.. The odds ratio for the aggregation of cigarette smoking between family members was 1.63 (1.29-2.06) which increased to 1.96 (1.50-2.55) after adjustment for demographic factors. There was no significant correlation between sibling's cigarette smoking nor was between spouses but the pairwise odds ratio for parents-offspring was significant. In other words, cigarette smoking in at least one of the parents increased the odds of being a smoker in offspring significantly.. The study showed that the smoking behavior aggregated in families significantly. The inter-parent offspring aggregation was the main component of the familial aggregation. Higher education and age-gender interaction were determinants of smoking in the families. The programs for prevention and cessation of this behavior in the community might be more successful if they were designed in a family-based rather than an individual-based approach

As a serious neuropsychiatric disease, hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a clinical condition with several types regarding chronicity and clinical diversity that can develop as a complication of both acute and chronic liver failure. This study evaluates changes in thioacetamide (TAA)-induced acute hepatic encephalopathy (AHE) in rat as an animal model.. Both genders of C57BL6, BALB/C mice and Sprague Dawley rats; (10 animals in each group) were compared for induction of AHE to clarify which animal and gender were appropriate. The animals (10 male rats in each group) were categorized in 4 groups according to the dose of the TAA administered (200, 300 and 400 mg/kg of TAA at 24 h intervals for 4 days). A control group was treated with solvent of TAA which was water (5 ml/kg/day). The behavioral, biochemical markers of hepatic failure and histological aspects of thioacetamide (TAA) induced AHE and the correlation between the clinical severity and liver failure biomarkers were evaluated.. Rat was shown to be an animal model of choice for AHE while the optimum dosage of TAA to induce AHE was 300 mg/kg/day at 24 h intervals for 4 days. The behavioral score was partially correlated with the rising of some biomarkers and pathological findings.. Rat can be introduced as the animal of choice for AHE to study the pathophysiology, pharmacology and the survival rate of disease in liver transplant patients.

Hypoxemia is common in patients with cirrhosis but the natural history of this syndrome is unknown. This study was conducted to evaluate the natural history of arterial oxygenation in patient with end stage liver cirrhosis..

Sixty eight patients with liver cirrhosis were followed up for 6-12 months. Arterial blood gas (ABG) and pulse oximetry were obtained on day of presentation and follow up..

There were no significant changes in the oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry (SpO2), partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and alveolar arterial oxygen gradient (A-a O2) after 6-12 months. Mean arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) in 46 patients was 95.42±1.92, and after follow up changed to 95.45±2.96. Thirty eight patients had SaO2 > 94% (mean 96.12±1.08 after 6-12 months changed to 95.66±2.58); 8 patients had SaO2 ≤ 94 (mean 92.08±1.44 after 6-12 months changed to 94.46±4.47)..

There were no significant changes in the SpO2, PaO2 and A-a O2 after 6-12 months.

The history of epilepsy and its treatments dates back to at least 4 millennia. Avicenna, c. 980 AD in Bukhara, Khorasan – 1037 in Hamedan was a Persian-speaking Iranian physician, who has many recommendations and suggested various therapies for epilepsy in his book, The Canon of Medicine.. We first reviewed the most important ancient treatments for epilepsy mentioned by Avicenna and considered those as the key words for our next step. Then, we made a literature search (medline and scopus) with those key words to find out new scientific findings in modern medicine about the Avicenna’s suggestions.. Among the Avicenna’s recommended therapies for epilepsy, only Rue has been tested for anticonvulsant activities in modern medicine. Interestingly, it had a dose dependent anticonvulsant effect.. It is worthwhile to consider the Avicenna’s recommended therapies for epilepsy and to design future scientific studies based on his suggestions.

Premature neonates are at risk for severe anemia and erythropoietin is the most important hormone in erythropoiesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of oral recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) in proving erythropoiesis in neonates.. This was a randomized clinical trial study. Thirty neonates were enrolled from September 2007 to September 2008. The first group received oral rhEPO and Fe and the second, subcutaneous rhEPO and Fe. The patients’ Hb, HCT and the need to blood transfusion were recorded. We included all infants with gestational age <34 weeks, birth weight <1500 gr, without respiratory distress (O2 Saturation> 85%, FiO2 of 30%), full feeding tolerance so that oral Fe can be administrated.. In first group (oral=PO), 65% of neonates were female and 35% were male, mean weight was 1140 g and mean GA was 32.6 weeks. In the second group (subcutaneous=SC), 42% were female and 58% were male. The mean weight was 1245 g and mean GA was 31.2 weeks and this was not statistically significant. In the first group, the mean Hb and HCT were 9.7±1.9 and 29.6±5.9 g/dl. In the second group, the figures were 12.5±1.7 and 38.8±5.1 which were statistically significant. There was no difference in the weight gain between two groups. In the first group, 3 neonates (20%) and in the second one, 1 neonate (15%) needed blood transfusion.. rhEPO administration either PO or SC could prevent anemia of prematurity but SC rout was more effective.