Journal of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
Volume:18 Issue: 7, 2014

Non-enzymatic glycosylation of proteins is the major cause of diabetic complications. The inhibition of glycation process can reduce complications of diabetes. In the Iranian traditional medicine, the decoction (boiled extraction) of Cerasus avium stalk is used as a hypoglycemic agent. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro inhibitory effects of decoction and ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Cerasus avium stalk on albumin glycation reaction. In this experimental study, first, the ethanolic, aqueous and decoction extracts of Cerasus avium stalk were prepared. Then, different concentrations of these extracts were prepared and added to albumin and glucose solutions. Finally, compared to control group that was not treated with any extracts, the albumin glycation rate in the groups treated with various concentrations of extracts was evaluated using TBA (thio-barbituric acid) method. The results showed that compared to control group, decoction of Cerasus avium stalk in the concentrations of 20, 10 and 2 mg/dl could reduce albumin glycation to 85.10±1.55, 72.35±1.75 and 51.25±1.22 %, respectively (P>0.001). Moreover, in the concentration of 20 mg/dl, the inhibitory effect of decoction of Cerasus avium stalk on the albumin glycation reaction was higher than those of aqueous (P=0.021) and ethanolic (P=0.009) extracts. The findings showed that the extracs of Cerasus avium stalk, in particular in the decoction form, could significantly reduce the rate of albumin glycation; therefore, it can be used for decreasing diabetes mellitus complications.

Infection constitutes the most important complication caused by biomaterials. Bioactive glasses have properties such as osteoconductivity and good restorability, some of which have revealed antibacterial effects. Therefore, these biomaterials are appropriate candidates for orthopedic and dental applications. The present study was conducted to analyze the antibacterial effect of bioactive glass nanoparticles. In this experimental study, 37S and 58S glass compositions were synthesized via sol-gel technique. Characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescent (XRF) were used for the prepared powders. The antibacterial activity of these compounds was studied using Escherichia coli as gram negative and Staphylococcus aureus as gram positive bacteria. The antibacterial effect of samples was evaluated at concentration of 25, 50 and 100 mg/ml. The particle size of the samples was mainly less than 100 nm. The 37S glass showed the highest antibacterial activity and the minimum bactericidal (MBC) at 25 mg/ml concentration against both bacteria. At broth concentrations below 100 mg/ml, 58S showed no antibacterial activity; however, it completely eliminated Escherichia bacteria and reduced the growth of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. These bioactive glass nanopowders can be regarded as good candidates in orthopedic application for the treatment of bone and dental defects but need supplementary and more evaluation considering their antibacterial effect on two important bacteria.

Annually, acetaminophen poisoning causes probable acute liver and renal failures in different societies. N-acetyl cystein (NAC), first suggested as an effective antidote to fight against acetaminophen poisoning in 1970, prevents the binding of NAPQI to hepatic cells. In the present study 30 patients with the average age of 27 and acetaminophen poisoning who referred to the poisons unit of Sina hospital in Tabriz were selected as the study sample. During the 24 hours of hospitalization, the blood samples of the patients were taken and collected in heparinized tubes. The plasma was separated by centrifuge and kept in tubes in -70°C until it was analyzed by a high performance liquid chromatography method (HPLC) and laboratory analytical kits. the glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity difference between the patients and control group was significant at first (P<0.05) but this significant difference disappeared following the treatment. A significant difference was observed in urea level after 24 hours of treatment between the patients and control group (P<0.05). However, at the beginning of the treatment and before administration of NAC, no significant difference was reported between the plasma levels of urea (P>0.05). The activity level of GPX changed before a tangible change in regular liver enzymes. Urea level increased after 24 hours of treatment despite serum therapy and hydration condition.

Identification of the water contaminated with Legionella is one of the most important steps to be taken for the control of infections associated with Legionella. This research investigated the water contaminated with Legionella in three selected military hospitals in Tehran. One hundred and fifty samples with 4 Liters of cold and hot water were collected from the selected hospitals. After determining the residual chlorine, pH and temperature, the samples were transported to the laboratory for filtration. BCYE culture medium containing necessary ingredients was prepared based on the protocol and the interfering bacteria were eliminated by thermal treatment and GVPC supplement. Legionella colonies were identified via biochemical and morphological tests. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney and χ2 tests. Fifty-six samples (%37.33) were contaminated with Legionella pneumophila. The highest rate of contamination was observed in the air conditioning systems and endoscopy ward (100%) and the lowest rate of contamination was detected in hemodialysis, neuro-psychology, nuclear medicine ward and kitchen (%0), respectively. Air conditioning system had the highest bacterial density (122000 CFU/L) and orthopedic, pediatrics and sonography wards had the lowest bacterial density (1000 CFU/L). The mean values of chlorine residual, pH and temperature were not significantly different in the presence and absence of Legionella (P>0.05). The results of χ2 test revealed no significant difference between type of water system (hot and cold) and bacterial or lack of bacterial growth (P>0.05). In spite of consuming treated water, 37.33% of the samples were contaminated with Legionella pneumophila. Since Legionella pneumophila is resistant to the conventional concentrations of chlorine residual, more effective disinfection procedures should be applied to eliminate Legionella contamination in hospitals’ water systems.

Maternal mortality is one of the most important indicators that is indicative of the status of development of countries. This study was aimed to investigate the rate and causes of maternal mortality in Kermanshah province. In this cross-sectional study, the maternal mortality records including demographic information, indicators of pregnancy and delivery, and mortality causes from 2001 to 2012 were extracted via census from the family health unit of the health deputy. To determine mortality rates, maternal deaths in every year were divided by the number of live births. Data were analyzed by Stata software. The maternal mortality rate in Kermanshah was 25.9 deaths per one hundred thousand live births. The highest rate was reported in 2003 (53.4) and the lowest rate in 2012 (14.6) per one hundred thousand live births. Most deceased mothers were urban residents (66.7%) with the age range of 18-35 years (64.6%), and high-risk pregnancies (65.3%). The most common cause of maternal death was bleeding (23.2%). There was a significant relationship between cause of death and urban-rural status, so that the most common causes in urban areas were complications of obstetric interventions whereas the most common cause in rural areas was bleeding (P= 0.008). Based on the results, the mortality rate of pregnant mothers is declining in Kermanshsh. However, given the most common cause of death (bleeding) and high percentage of high-risk pregnancies, immediate and effective measures by healthcare personnel to prevent postpartum maternal mortality and adequate and appropriate care during pregnancy and after delivery are required to considered.

Access to health care facilities and healthcare services is one of the most influential factors in the maintenance and promotion of health in society. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the cities of Kermanshah province in terms of access to healthcare facilities. The present study was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was performed using 16 indices of health care facilities in 2011. Numerical taxonomy technique and TPSIS method were used to determine the level of development in access to health care facilities. Also, Shannon entropy technique was used to determine the weights of healthcare indices. according to the results of numerical taxonomic technique, the Qasr-e Shirin and Salas-e Babajani towns had the highest and lowest access to health care facilities, respectively. Shannon's entropy technique introduced the number of beds per 10000 people as the most important index. According to the findings of TOPSIS technique, Qasr-e Shirin and Salas-e Babajani towns obtained the highest and lowest ranks in terms of access to health care facilities. There was a gap in access to the health facilities between the towns of Kermanshah and health tesoiurces were not evenly distributed. Therefore, health resources should be distributed according to the level of development and the allocation priorities should be determined based on scientific evidence.

Career success is an evaluating and relational concept between someone's current progress and his/her future ideals of occupation. Researchers have shown personality characteristics are one of the main predictors of success and favorable job performance. Thus, the aim of present study was to determine the relationship between extraversion and introversion personality types and subjective and objective career success among nurses of selected private hospitals in Tehran. This research was a descriptive correlational study in which 230 nurses were selected from five private hospitals in Tehran as the study sample through Cochran sampling technique. Proportional to the number of nurses at each hospital, samples were selected via convenient random sampling. Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Golparvar and Ghazavi career success scale and personal information form were utilized to collect the data. The collected data wereanalyzed by SPSS-19 software using Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The results indicated a significant relationship between personality type and subjective and objective career success of the nurses. Further, there was a negatively significant relationship between subjective and objective career success and introversion personality type (sig=0/004, r=-0.391 and sig=0.001, r=-0.415, respectively). However, there was a positively significant relationship between subjective and objective career success and extraversion personality type (sig=0.001, r=0.473 and sig=0.001, r=0.545, respectively). It is essential to take into account the relationship between career success and related factors such as personality in the planning, decisions and technical choices. Besides, favorable environmental factors and effective factors such as knowledge, attitudes and cognitive, emotional and behavioral skills, activity level and the situation of the organization should also be taken into consideration.