Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences
Volume:20 Issue: 3, 2013

Hepatitis B infection is a global health problem. Hepatitis B virus can escape from the innate immune system, however adaptive immune system mainly acts against it. Transforming growth factor? (TGF-?) has three isoforms in mammals. Several studies have recently shown that TGF-?1 suppresses replication of hepatitis B virus. Moreover, high expression of this factor is effective in liver fibrosis. In this study, association of promoter polymorphism of TGF-?1 with chronic hepatitis B was investigated. In this case-control study, 109 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 109 healthy control subjects formed the study population. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP method. First polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for amplification and then its product was digested with Eco81I enzyme. Fifteen samples were sequenced to confirm the results. Genotype frequency of CC, CT, TT in patient group were respectively 19.3%, 59.6% and 21.1%. The corresponding values in the control group were respectively 30.3%, 52.3% and 17.4%. The C and T allele Frequencies in the patient group (49.1% and 50.9%) and in the control group (56.4% and 43.6%) showed no significant difference. There was no significant difference in genotypes of -509C>T polymorphism between control and patient groups, therefore, it can be concluded that this polymorphism is not a prognostic factor for chronic hepatitis B in Iranian patients.

Changing the hormonal output of endocrine glands, diabetes leads to the occurrence of secondary metabolic disorders. Neuropathy, on the other hand, is the most common neurological complication of diabetes which affects the neuroendocrine system, in addition to peripheral and autonomic nervous system, contributing to exacerbation of disease severity. In this line, the present study was conducted to comparatively evaluate the effects of hyperglycemia, induced by experimental type 1 and type 2 diabetes, on micro-anatomical changes of adrenal gland in male Wistar rats. Eighteen male Wistar rats were allocated into three groups including control (healthy), experimental type 1 diabetes (subcutaneous injection of 135mg/kg alloxan), and experimental type 2 diabetes (treated with drinking water containing 10% fructose for 8 weeks). Two months after the induction of both types of diabetes, levels of blood biochemical factors such as glucose, insulin, cortisol, triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL and HDL were measured. One of the adrenal glands was randomly removed from each rat and, following tissue preparation and staining, was evaluated in terms of structural changes of the adrenal cortex and medulla using stereological techniques. Serum biochemical and hormonal analysis indicated a significant difference in levels of glucose, triglycerides, insulin and cortisol between control and experimental groups. The results achieved by the evaluation of adrenal volume showed increased volume of adrenal cortex in type 1 and type 2 diabetes and also reduced volume and neuronal density of adrenal medulla in type 1 diabetes compared with control. Due to increased activity of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, enhanced ACTH secretion in diabetes-induced hyperglycemia leads to increased growth of adrenal cortex and secretion of adrenal hormones. Reduced volume and neuronal density of adrenal medulla in diabetic condition may be resulted from the development of abnormal metabolic pathways such as those in hyperglycemia-derived oxidative stress. Late incidence of structural and functional impairments in type 2 diabetes can be ascribed to occurrence rate of hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, and, thus, the disease complications largely depend on the disease duration.

It is well-recognized that endogenous opioidergic system plays an important role in pain sensitivity, pain perception, and response to some stressing situations. The present study examined the probable role of endogenous opioidergic system in effects of food deprivation on formalin-induced nociceptive behaviors in male and female rats. To make short-term food deprivation, the rats did not receive food for 48 hours prior to the formalin test. However, they could freely access water. Afterward, 50 µl formalin 2% was injected into the bottom of the rats’ right paw. Naloxone was injected to evaluate the involvement of the endogenous opioidergic system in effects of food deprivation on formalin-induced nociceptive behaviors. Formalin injection caused nociceptive behaviors in two phases. The first and second phases were separated by a brief interphase where nociceptive behaviors decreased. As a result of 48-hour food deprivation, nociceptive behaviors in male and female rats were increased and the second phase was finished with delay. Naloxone administration blocked the pronociceptive effect of the 48-hour food deprivation in the interphase of male rats and in the first phase of female rats. The present study indicated that food deprivation increased formalin-induced nociceptive behaviors through affecting the opioidergic system.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. The clearance of the HCV is dependent on cytokines control led by genetic. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of Lymphotoxin? (LT-A) polymorphism at +252 in susceptibility to chronic hepatitis C.

In this case-control study, 120 individuals infected by HCV and 120 healthy controls were investigated. The Genotyping was carried out by PCR then PCR products were utilized for RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism). The distribution of LT-A gene +252 G>A polymorphism was compared in the two groups.

The Frequency of LT-A gene +252 for GG, GA and AA genotypes was respectively 45.5%, 47.9% and 6.6% in the case group and 49.2%, 45.8% and 5% in the control group. There was no significant difference in genotyping frequency between HCV and healthy control groups.

In this study, we observed no significant relationship between +252 polymorphism of the LT-A gene and susceptibility to chronic hepatitis C. Therefore, polymorphism in LT-A gene is not a prognostic factor for susceptibility to chronic HCV in Iranian population.

Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), due to its simple and clinical nature, is frequently used to measure fatigue level in patients. Since fatigue is a common symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) disorder, the present study aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of FSS in patients with MS. This study was descriptive and of a validation type, in which 162 patients were selected by consecutive sampling. Internal consistency reliability and construction, concurrent and predictive validity of this scale were examined. Subjects completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Physical Dimensions of 36-item Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). Internal consistency of FSS was excellent (Cronbach's Alpha =0.93). Coefficient of item-total correlation for each item was in acceptable range of 0.43 to 0.85. Results of the concurrent validity showed that FSS has a good correlation with all structures associated with research tools, based on the expected directions (P< 0.0001). Also scores of fatigue scale predicted a significant proportion of the variance in scores on measures of depression, anxiety, and physical dimensions of quality of life, even after controlling confounding effects of age, sex, marital status and educational level. Findings suggest that Persian version of FSS has satisfactory psychometric properties and is applicable in research and clinical activities relating to MS patients.

Teucrium polium (TP) is amongst the commonly used remedies in traditional medicine. Some reports have claimed hepatotoxicity of TP but other reports have not supported it. This study was designed to evaluate the probable hepatotoxicity of TP.

Petroleum ether fraction of TP was dissolved in DMSO and the final concentration was adjusted by diluting in physiologic saline. TP was administered intra peritonealy one time a week for 3 weeks at doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg. Five mg/kg Paclitaxel was used in positive control group and 0.5% DMSO was administered in negative control group. The weight gain was assessed every other week. By the end of the treatment period, the animals were deeply anesthetized and blood samples were obtained from the left ventricle for biochemical analyses. Liver function tests as well as triglyceride, cholesterol and glucose was assessed later. The left lobe of the liver was removed, fixed and stained for histopathologic evaluations.

Weight gain was significantly lower in animals that received 400mg/Kg TP compared with negative controls. No significant histopathologic changes were detected among the various experimental groups. Also, no significant differences were detected considering inflammatory cells in liver. ALT, AST, glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride was comparable among the groups but gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and ALP differed significantly between control and some treated animals.

It can be concluded that high doses of TP affect weight gain and also some liver parameters but do not affect the histologic structure of the liver.

Based on an experimental trial, we tried to test the effects of opium addiction through different administration routes on inflammatory and Coagulation Factors. This study was performed on 30 adult male Syrian golden hamsters allocated to one of three groups: control group which received no opiate; the first study group received oral opiate; and another study group received inhaled opiate. After 4 weeks, all hamsters were anesthetized with diethyl ether and their blood samples were obtained from their hearts for laboratory assessment. The blood level of hs-CRP was significantly higher in group used opium orally compared with the group used opium orally (P < 0.001); other markers were not different between the two experiments groups. The level of hs-CRP was higher in the two study groups than the controls. Blood hemocysteine levels following oral and inhaled opium use were comparable with the controls. Our study confirms the triggering role of opiate dependence through different administration routes on inflammatory process, especially through its oral usage.

The interpretation bias which is an important factor in the pathology of social anxiety disorder, has been recently considered in therapeutic approaches. Given the importance of interpretation bias in the treatment of social anxiety, and despite the ambiguity in the relationship between social anxiety and interpretation bias, we compared the interpretation bias in individuals with social anxiety and without it. In this casual-comparative study, 60 volunteer students were selected from the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. Data was collected using the fear of negative evaluation scale, Depression questionnaire, and computerized interpretation bias assessment task. Data were analyzed via SPSS-19 software. Compared to the controls, individuals with social anxiety interpreted the ambiguous social information significantly more negatively and less positively, even after controlling for the effects of depression. Based on research findings, it can be concluded that individuals with social anxiety showed negative interpretation bias and lack of positive interpretation bias in the interpretation of ambiguous social information.

Noise pollution is one of the prominent environmental problems affecting human health especially in developing countries. The impacts of noise on health should not be underestimated. Exposure to acoustical stimuli impairs not only the function of auditory system but also that of many other systems of human body. Previous investigations revealed that noise exposure could result in sleep disturbance, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine disorders, cognitive deterioration and mental health problems. Although in an overall view, some of these effects can be more confidently attributed to the noise, but - in other cases - the influence of psychophysiological, social, occupational, personal characteristics, … is caused to ambiguous points and lack of expected coordination in previous findings. Cardio-vascular and cognitive changes due to noise exposure, particularly in different age and sex groups, are still unclear. Indeed, given the current conditions of simultaneous exposure to noise and other environmental contaminants, especially in large cities, formation of a new field of research based on the potential combined effects should be considered. These serious and chronic non-auditory complaints have recently come under specific scrutiny by investigators. The present study was conducted to review the existed scientific evidences in order to identify the state of the current knowledge about the non-auditory field of noise consequences and to determine the future direction for further researches.

Ifosfamide is one of the most important chemotherapeutic agents used for the treatment of numerous types of malignancies. Neurotoxicity is one of its life-threatening complications and is potentially fatal. In this paper we present a case of severe ifosfamide- induced encephalopathy in an adolescent with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in whom treatment with methylene blue led to complete improvement of neurologic symptoms.