مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی قم
سال هشتم شماره 2 (پیاپی 32، خرداد و تیر 1393)

Varicocele (VCL) not only has functional and structural effectson the male reproductive system, but also affectsotherbody tissues such as liver. Therefore, dexamethasone (DEX) and vitamin E (VE) co-administration is recommended invaricocele patients. The present study was conducted with the purpose of evaluating the effect of experimentally-induced varicocele on liver andthe protective effects of VE and DEX.In this study, 30 male rats were divided into five groups.The experimental group were assigned to 4 groups:Varicocele;varicocele+VE (150mg/kg);varicocele+DEX (0.25mg/kg); and varicocele+VE+DEX. The control group underwent a simple laparotomy. After 60 days, the rats were anesthetized and blood was taken for serum isolation. Simultaneously with taking blood samples,the serum levels of glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) were evaluated. The hepatocytes’ cytoplasmic carbohydrate level was assessed by periodic acid shiff staining. Statistical analysis was performed by analysis of variance and Tukey’s test. The significance level was considered as p<0.05.The levels of blood glucose, ALT, and AST were significantlyreduced in VE and DEX groups compared to varicocele group. Also, tissue necrosis, central venous dilatation,and lymphatic cells infiltration decreased.According to the findings of this study,varicocelecauses liver damage at the biochemical and histological levels, and co-administration of VE and DEX could significantly reduce the VCL-induced complicatios and also DEX-induced side effects as well.

Many herbal medicines have been recommended for the treatment of diabetes. The genus Artemisia has always been of great botanical and pharmaceutical interest, and is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. The present study was performed aiming at investigating the effect of alcoholic extract of the aerial parts of Artemisia desertiin normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. To induce diabetes, the rats received a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (70mg/kg).Ethanolic extract of Artemisia desertiin amounts of (50, 100, 200, and 400mg/kg body weight) were administrated orally for 28 days in normal and diabetic rats. At the end of treatment, the animals were anesthetized and blood samples were collected from their heart. Then, serum levels of glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, triglyceride, urea, uric acid, and creatinine were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s test. The significance level was defined as p<0.05.Oral administration of ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Artemisia desertifor 28 days significantly decreased serum levels of glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, urea, uric acid, and creatinine in the diabetic rats. Also, oral administration of the plant extract significantly increased serum insulin level in diabetic rats.Oral administration of the extract caused no significant change in the levels of the above mentioned parameters in normal rats.The results of the present study showed that Artemisia desertihas antidiabetic effect in rats and can be considered for therapeutic purposes.

Dialysis patients experience problems related to sexual function due to the nature of their disease and its complications. The present study carried out to determine sexual function in dialysis patients in Kashan city. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 72 hemodialysispatients referred to dialysis unit of Akhavan Hospital in 2013 were evaluated. Research instruments were demographic questionnaire and Golombok Rust Inventory of Sexual Sate (GRISS). Data were analyzed using statistical tests, such as chi-square, Fisher’s exact, Mann-Whitney, independent sample t-test. In this study, 94.4% of the hemodialysis patients had sexuality dysfunction. Sexual dissatisfaction (79.2%) and decreased sexual contact (76.4%) were the most frequent in both genders. "Lack of erection" and premature ejaculation were observed in men, each one (92.2%), and anorgasmia (90.5%) in women. In this study, there was not a significant difference between sexual dysfunction and age, gender, drug group, and duration of dialysis (p>0.05), while, a significant difference was obtained between sexual dysfunction and education level and cause of dialysis (p<0.05).The majority of hemodialysis patients suffer from sexual dysfunction, which this problem can seriously affects the patients’ quality of life. Thus, sexual dysfunction should be considered as a major health related concern in these patients. Hence, paying attention to sex function in these patients is of importance.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Breast self-examination (BSE), mammography, and clinical breast examination (CBE) are three effective methodsforsecondary preventionof thisdisease. This study was carried out with the purpose ofprediction of breast self-examination in a sample of nursing and midwifery students using health belief model.This descriptive cross-sectional studywas done on the nursing and midwiferystudents ofQomUniversityof Medical Sciences and Islamic Azad University from March2013toJune2013. Data were collected by quotasampling. The Persian questionnaire of Champion’s health belief model was used for the evaluation of the participants. Data analysis was done usingindependent t-test and logistic regression at the significance level of 0.05. The mean age of 113 studied students was 22.5±3.7.Of this number, 54% were Midwifery students and 46% Nursing students. Results showed that 63.2% of the students performed breast self-examination and in 36.8%,it was not done at all. There was a significant differenceinconstructs of perceived susceptibility, perceived obstacles, and self-efficacy (p<0.05) between cases who perform self-examination andthe ones who did not.In the prediction of breast self examination, only construct ofperceived susceptibility and self-efficacyplayed a role in the self-examination. The findings of this study indicated that self-efficacy and perceived susceptibility are the most important predictors of performing breast self-examination practice. Therefore,in training programs, we can increase breast self-examinationbyincreasing self-efficacyand sense of danger in training programs.

Backgroundand Considering the high prevalence of diabetes and the important role of insulin resistance andinflammation in type 2 diabetes pathogenesis and its resulted cardiovascular diseases, the present study was conducted with the objective of investigating the effect of oligofructose-enriched inulin on the levels of glycemic indices and inflammation in patients with type 2 diabetes.In this clinical trial, 52 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to two groups. The subjects of experimental group (n=27) received 10g oligofructose-enriched inulin and the control group (n=25) 10g maltodextrin for 8 weeks. Dietary intakes, anthropometric measurements, glycemic indices and inflammation were measured at the baseline and at the end of the study. Statistical analysis was done usingpaired and independent t-tests, and analysis of covariancefor comparison of quantitative variables. In this study, a significant decrease was observed in fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, IL-6 and TNF-α in oligofructose-enriched inulin group compared to the maltodextrin group. Decreases in HOMA-IR, QUICKI, hs-CRP were not significant in oligofructose-enriched inulin compared to maltodextrin group. The results revealed that oligofructose-enriched inulin supplementation can improve glycemic indices and inflammation in women with type 2 diabetes.

Helicobacter pylori is a helix-shaped, gram-negative and microaerophilic bacterium. This bacterium is one of the main causes of peptic ulcer disease. Nowadays, multidrug therapy is used to eliminate the bacterium. Unfortunately, drug resistance to these drugs has difficulty in the treatment. The use of nanotechnology in medicine can be the solution of this problem in the future. Among nanometals, gold nanoparticles have exclusive features, which can be used in medical applications. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of gold nanoparticles on the Helicobacter pylori isolates, which are sensitive or resistant to conventional drugs. Firstly, the gold nanoparticles were synthesized by Turkevich method, and then, spectroscopic and electron microscopic characteristics were analyzed. Anti H. pylori activity of pure gold nanoparticles was determined using disk diffusion method according to CLSI standards. The size of gold nanoparticles was 10-12 nm and the maximum wavelength of the nanoparticles was obtained to be 522 nm. In the disk diffusion method, no inhibition zone was observed around gold nanoparticles discs for susceptible and resistant isolates. Findings of this study showed that low concentrations of gold nanoparticles has no effect on Helicobacter pylori isolates.

Menstrual cycle is one of the most important experiences of adolescents during puberty and reproduction, and its disorders can cause many problems at various stages of reproductive life. This study was carried out aimed to determining the menstrual cycle pattern, its associated disorders, and some related factors in female students in Zanjan city. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 876 guidance and high school female students of Zanjan city were selected using multistage cluster sampling. Data collection method was a questionnaire containing demographic characteristics, menstrual cycle status and some of its related factors. Data were analyzed by descriptive and deductive statistical methods at the confidence level of 95%. The significance level was considered to be p<0.05.In this study,almost 63% of the research units had a regular menstrual cycle. The prevalence of menstrual cycle length was 37.7%, which was mostly (60.4%)oligomenorrhea. Also, 67% of students with moderate physical activity had regular menstrual cycle (p=0.002). The relationship between underweight, overweight, and obesity and amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea was significant (p=0.01).Concerning the relationship between menstrual disorders and physical activity and weight of the students and its high importance in their physical and reproductive health, it seems necessary to increase awareness of students and families about this issue.

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the important causes of severe infections in hospital and community, and the methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA) of the bacterium have high prevalence and mortality. This study aimed to isolate Actinomycete strains producing antibacterial agents for antibiotic therapy and control of infection spread. After sampling from the soils of different regions of Astara city, Starch Casein Agar (SCA) medium was used for isolation and purification of Actinomyces spp. In the next step, investigation of antimicrobial characteristics was done by primary screening via spot inoculation method on 96 isolates. Then, the ISP-2 medium was used for the isolation of Streptomyces at the secondary screening stage, and by determination of the antimicrobial activity against MRSA, the strong isolates in terms of producing antimicrobial agents were selected by well diffusion method and based on the diameter of inhibition zone. In the final step, various biochemical tests, such as sugar tests, urease, citrate consumption, etc. were used to identify the active isolates. 96 Actinomycetes isolates were isolated from 51 soil samples of different areas of Astara. In primary screening, 9 isolates showed anti-MRSA activity, of which, 3 isolates of AS22, FS38, and AS13 were active in the secondary screening, and showed inhibition zones with the diameters of 28, 17, and 15 mm, respectively. The results of this research indicated that soils of Astara are rich in active isolates producing antibacterial agents, which needs further investigations.

Tooth impaction is a frequent phenomenon, and its prevalence and distribution have significant variation in different communities. This study was done with the objective of determining the prevalence of impacted teeth and its pattern in patients referred to the selected dental clinics in Qom city. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a total of 260 panoramic radiographs and recorded data of patients referred to 3 selected private dental clinics in Qom (2013), were studied. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistical tests and chi-square or exact Fisher’s tests. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. Among 260 patients, 108 ones (41/5%) had at least one impacted tooth, and the most common impacted teeth were mandibular third molars, especially region of the left mandible. The most prevalent impaction of the third molar was type B impaction in terms of depth, and angulation was mesioangular in mandibule and vertical in maxilla. The prevalence of impaction was higher in females than males, which was not significant (p=0.06). According to the results of this study, the prevalence of impaction was relatively high in the patients referred to dental clinics in Qom city, which shows the importance of timely screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Backgroung and The relationship between optimistic view in life and health variables has been confirmed in many studies. In the majority of researches, the relationship was studied in non-clinical populations. Given the few researches in clinical groups, this study was carried out aiming at evaluating the correlation between the optimistic views and general health in a group of cardiac patients. This study was conducted as a descriptive-correlational study. The statistical population comprised all cardiac patients of the Mustafa Khomeini Hospital in Tehran during 2010-2011. In this study, 110 patients as research units were selected by random sampling from the patients of Mustafa Khomeini Hospital in Tehran and research instruments were administered on them. For data collection, general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and optimism (LOT) were used. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, Mann-Whitney test, and regression analysis. In this study, there was a correlation between optimistic view and general health (r=0.77, p<0.001), and both subscales of optimistic view had significant predictive power for general health. According to the results of this study, results showed that by increasing hope for the future, optimism and a positive attitude to events (positive thinking), and general health increased in the cardiac patients and anxiety, depression, and social dysfunction decreased.

Rupture of uterus is a life-threatening complication with high fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality. Hysteroscopy, traumatic abortion, inappropriate use of oxytocin, manipulations, hydramnios, multifetal pregnancy, etc. are causes of rupture of uterus.Case Report:A31-year-oldwoman G4P2A1L2, with 12-week pregnancy and with history of two cesarean deliveries and one traumatic abortion two months before the current pregnancy, presented to hospital with abdominal pain and bleeding. In clinical examination, whole abdomen had tenderness and patient complained of difficulty in breathing, nausea, and vomiting. In vaginal examination, the cervix was closed and the patient’s bleeding was a little more than spotting. Vital sign decreased and the patient's dyspnea deteriorated.Hemoglobinlevel decreased from 13 to 4/5mg/dl. During vaginal sonography, the sonologistreported that there was no possibility of evaluation due to the fullness of abdominal cavity with fluid and blood, and there was a probability of ruptured ectopic pregnancy along with intrauterine pregnancy.The patient was transferred to operating room after the sonography. In the operating room, the fetus with gestational sac was seen in abdomen after laparotomy. The diagnosis of the rupture of uterus was from the previous site of incision, which was repaired by gynecologist.