Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Volume:18 Issue: 3, 2014

kyphosis deformity affects postural control. Muscular fatigue is one of the factors that can impair the mechanism of body balance. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of local fatigue on the myoelectrical activity of erector spine muscles and the center for pressure displacement of the feet during balance recovery following postural perturbation in kyphotic subjects. In this quasi-experimental study، 12 male students with>40 degrees thoracic kyphosis and 12 controls were selected to participate in the study. A flexible ruler was used to measure thoracic kyphosis. For postural control assessment، each subject underwent unexpected، forward-backward perturbations while standing on a foot scan mounted on a movable plate triggered by a weight equivalent to 10% of the subjects’ body weight. Experimental procedure was measured before (3 trails) and after (3 trials) the fatigue protocol. The myoelectric activity of the erector spine and multi fidus was compared in the groups using repeated measures of ANOVA and independent t-test (P<0. 05). There was no significant difference in the foot center of pressure displacement in both groups after muscular fatigue. After fatigue، there was an increase in the activity of longissimus thoracis (P=0. 001) and iliocostalis thoracis (P= 0. 001) in control group، while no significant difference was reported for the muscular activity of multifidus (p=0. 084). The activity of langisimus thoracis was significantly increased (P=0. 028) in kyphtic group after fatigue. erector spine muscles fatigue could not significantly affect the postural control in both groups، but the electrical activity of erector spine muscles during balance recovery following postural perturbation in kyphotic subjects was different than the controls.

The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of saffron hydroalcoholic extract against tissue damages induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion. In this experimental study، 40 male rats were randomly divided into 5 groups; 1. sham group which underwent surgery with no vessel occlusion and passed equivalent reperfusion period، 2. Ischemia/reperfusion group which received solvent of extract and went through surgery، bilateral renal ischemia for 30 min and 24-h reperfusion period (I/R). The other three groups underwent ischemia/reperfusion receiving saffron extracts of 5، 10 or 20 mg/kg/ip، respectively. At the end of reperfusion period، the left kidney tissue was collected and stained with hematoxylin-eosin for histological studies. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA and Mann-Whitney tests. Following ischemia/reperfusion، the size of Bowman''s space increased significantly (P<0. 001). In addition، cell necrosis in the tubules of the cortex and outer medulla، vascular congestion and tubular casts in the outer and inner medulla increased. However، the number of RBCs in glomerular capillaries decreased. Administration of saffron extract could significantly improve all the injuries by all three doses. Nevertheless، the effect of 20 mg dose was smaller. Intraperitoneal administration of saffron hydroalcoholic extract has protective effects against tissue damages induced by 30 min ischemia and 24-h reperfusion in the rat’s kidney.

The cardiovascular diseases are as a chronic diseases. can naturally decrease the patients'' mental health. Subjective well-being is one of the main components of life quality whose existence is essential for having a happy life and mental health. The present study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy in the subjective well-being of the patients with cardiovascular diseases. Among all patients with cardiovascular diseases who had been admitted in Imam Ali Hospital of Kermanshah in May and June، 2013، 32 patients were selected through voluntary sampling and randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The intervention consisted of 10 weekly sessions (each session for 1. 5 hours) of cognitive behavioral therapy for the experimental group while the control group received the routine medical care. For data collection، the life satisfaction tools (Diner 1985) and positive and negative affect schedule (Watson 1988) were used. The results were analyzed by the statistical test of covariance analysis. The results showed a significant increase in life satisfaction and positive affect for the experimental group compared to the control group (P<0. 05) and a significant decrease in negative affect (P<0. 05). The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) increased the subjective well-being of the patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Nitrate is a pollutant of groundwater resources which can results health risks such as methemoglobinemia and formation of nitrosamine compounds in higher concentration limits. The present study was aimed to determine the nitrite level، causes of pollution and zonation of nitrite concentration in drinking water resources in the villages of Sonqor. In this descriptive-analytrical study، 73 samples of all groundwater resources of Sonqor plain were taken in، high water (March 2010) and low water (September 2011) periods. Water nitrate levels were then determined by spectrophotometry. Results were compared by national standards and analyzed by SPSS and Arcview GIS 9. 3 software. Finally، the concentration distribution mapping was carried out in GIS environment and the factors affecting nitrite changes were analyzed. nitrate concentration of water resources of Sonqor plain was fluctuating at 3. 09-88. 5 mg per liter. In one station، nitrite concentrations in the high (88. 5 mg/liter) and low (71. 4 mg/liter) water seasons were higher than the maximum limit. Based on the maps، a relatively high concentration of nitrite was observed in the Eastern and Southeastern regions. The findings indicated a reverse correlation between nitrite concentration changes and changes of static surface depth. Low thickness of alluvium، location of wells in the downstream farmlands، farming condition of the region، nitrate leaching from agricultural soils and wide application of nitrogen fertilizers in agriculture were considered as the causes of the pollution in one station.

Traumatic brain injury is one of the most common causes of death among 1-45 year-old people. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between CT scan findings of brain and consciousness level، surgical findings and outcome of the patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. This study was a descriptive-analytical study which was conducted on 41 patients with visible and measurable traumatic intracranial hematoma detected by CT scan who referred to Taleghani hospital in Kermanshah. The patients’ consciousness level was measured and recorded by GCS (Glasco Coma Score) on admission and in intervals of 6 and 24 hours after operation. Data were analyzed by statistical tests run bySPSS software (version 20). Based on the CT scan findings، the hematoma location in 18 patients (43. 9%) was epidural، in 11 (26. 8%) patients was subdural and in 12 (29. 3 %) patients was intraparenchymal. Loss of consciousness on admission in 48. 4% of patients was mild in degree، in 29% of patients was moderate and in 22. 6% of patients was severe. In the operated patients، there was a significant correlation between the patients’ outcome and consciousness level on admission، before surgery، 24 hours after surgery and on discharge time. Also، there was a significant correlation between the outcome of non-operated patients and consciousness level on discharge. The results of this study indicate that the outcome of the patients with brain injury was dependent on the consciousness level and there was a reverse correlation between hematoma volume and amount of midline shift in CT scan.

Toxocariasis is a parasitic infection in dogs and cats، and human gets infected with larva migrants when embryonated eggs are accidentally ingested. Migration of toxocara larvae to tissues causes inflammatory responses (visceral، ocular and cerebral) and eosinophilia increase in blood. This study was aimed to investigate the human toxocariasis، one of the possible causes of hypereosinophilia with an unknown origin. This case-control study was performed on 100 hypereosinophilic patients (cases) and 100 people with normal eosinophil count (controls) that referred to hematology department of laboratories of Arak University of Medical Sciences in 2012. Epidemiological data were collected by a questionnaire and diagnosis was performed using excreted-secreted antigens of Toxocara (TES Ag - ELISA). Positive test for toxocariasis in hypereosinophilic patients was 16% and in patients with normal eosinophil count was zero (P=0. 001). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of gender، age، residential place، occupation and education level (P>0. 05). However، there was a significantly higher history of contact with dogs and consumption of unclean fruits and vegetables in the infected patients (p<0. 05). The mean of eosinophilia in patients with toxocariasis showed a significant difference compared with that of eosinophilia in patients not infected with toxocariasis (p=0. 001). The results confirmed the role of toxocariasis in hypereosinophilic patients with unknown origin، and eosinophilia can be considered to analyze and treat toxocariasis.

Successful outcome of Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) depends on many factors such as sperm preparation methods، embryo quality and factors that may affect implantation. In Intra-cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)، sperm selection is mainly based on sperm motility and morphology; however، studies have revealed that these parameters cannot guarantee the genomic health. Recently، researchers and scientific have focused on new sperm selection methods based on cellular and molecular properties. Therefore، the aim of this review article was to introduce the routine and novel sperm selection methods، advantages and disadvantages of these methods، and their clinical analysis. The papers related to routine and novel sperm selection methods based on function tests and clinical outcomes were retrieved from PubMed and Entrez databases and other ISI-related databases. Novel sperm selection methods which are based on selection of a single sperm (like IMSI and ability of sperm to bind to zona) are time-consuming and costly. In addition، assessment of DNA fragmentation is difficult for the selected sperm. However، methods that select a population of spermatozoa like Zeta are less time-consuming and suitable for assessment of sperm chromatin integrity. In clinical applications، simultaneous use of traditional and novel approaches may improve ICSI outcome. However، further studies are needed to select an appropriate sperm selection procedure.