مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بابل
سال هفدهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 88، دی 1393)

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Iran with a diverse geographic distribution. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of colorectal cancer and assess the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of survivors in the city of Babol، Iran.

In this cross-sectional study، all new cases of colorectal cancer، recorded by the Cancer Registry Center of Babol، were included for the assessment of the incidence of colorectal cancer during 2007-2012. Clinical and epidemiologic features of patients were investigated via interview in 2013.

A total of 237 patients were registered during the specified period، although only 120 subjects had survived until 2013. Age-standardized rate was 7. 7 per 100،000 people in 2007، which increased to 14. 6 in 2012. Overall، 54% of subjects were urban residents، 46% were illiterate، 30% were smokers، 16% used hookah، and 10% consumed opium. Family history of colorectal cancer was reported in 27 patients (22. 5%). The average age of survivors was 56. 74±14. 14 years; about a third of patients were younger than 50 years at the time of diagnosis. The mean interval between the presentation of symptoms and diagnosis was 10±13. 3 months، and the most common symptoms of the disease included altered bowel habits، rectorhalgia، abdominal pain، constipation، and weight loss، respectively.

The obtained results showed the increased incidence of colorectal cancer in Babol city. Considering the significant number of young people and the long interval between the onset of symptoms and definitive diagnosis، it is recommended that training courses on the warning signs and screening of colorectal cancer be planned.

Natural background radiation has been an interesting subject among scientific studies for many years. The effective radiation dose of human from natural sources is about 2.5 mSv/y but it is higher in some regions of the world. Ramsar in Mazandaran, Iran is one of the most important areas and it has the highest natural background radiation among whole residential areas of the world. Background radiation is an ionizing radiation in the environment that its source could be natural or man-made. Its natural sources are cosmic radiations, terrestrial radiation, internal radiation and radon and its man-made sources could be the nuclear power plants and the scatter radiations of atomic bomb tests. There are a lot of studies about the effects of natural background radiation on the biological systems and even humans. Most of these studies confirmed the harmless and even useful effects of the certain doses of natural background radiation. Also there are reports on the decrease, increase or even equality in risk of some cancers between low and high doses of radiation. Nevertheless extensive epidemiological studies are needed to confirm the effect of low dose radiation on carcinogenesis and other factors and even decrease or increase of the risk in different types of cancers is possible too.

In the patients diagnosed with abnormal uterine bleeding, if the patient does not respond to drug treatment or is not a good candidate for hysterectomy, endometrial destruction is recommended. The aim of this study was to evaluate complications, blood loss and patient satisfaction regarding this method of treatment. This retrospective study was performed on 56 women who admitted to Ayatollah Roohani Hospital of Babol and Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Upon the diagnosis of abnormal uterine bleeding, they underwent a treatment called "endometrial destruction by thermal balloon". A questionnaire including the following items was completed after the sugery: demographic characteristics, menstrual status, postoperative complications, treatment success and a 12-month post-surgery patient satisfaction. In order to assess the patients’ satisfaction, 4 questions were asked (excellent, good, fair, poor). Successful treatment was defined as 6 months of amenorrhea after treatment with cavaterm and a reduction in the menstrual blood loss in the form of spotting or volume degression. Of the 56 patients who were treated with balloon thermal endometrial destruction, 4 were excluded due to the lack of follow-up. The mean age of the patients was 91/5±38/43 years. No complications occurred in any of the new patients, and the percentage of amenorrhea was 23 after the treatment. Twelve months after the surgery, the success of treatment was reported in 46 patients (5/88%) and patient satisfaction was also rated in 45 of the patients (5/86%). The results of the study showed that the thermal balloon treatment had no major side effects. Thus, it could be inferred that the study was a success in terms of the outcomes and high patient satisfaction. This method could be taken into consideration before a hysterectomy.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders in children. Nutritional deficiency may play a role in the etiology of this disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the nutritional status (dietary intake and anthropometric indices) of boys with and without ADHD. This case-control study was conducted on 36 boys with ADHD (case group) and 37 normal children (control group), aged 6-12 years. The case subjects were assesssed by an expert psychiatrist via clinical evaluations and psychiatric questionnaires. Height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) of the subjects were measured. Dietary intake was recorded, using a three-day food record (three non-consecutive days including one holiday and two weekdays) and analyzed using Nutritionist IV software. The mean weight, height, and BMI values were higher in children with ADHD, compared to the control group (p<0.05); the mean±SD of BMI was 17.28±2.44 in the case group and 15.14±2.34 in the control group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in terms of energy, macronutrient, or micronutrient intake between the two groups. However, folate and selenium intake in the two groups was lower than the recommended dietary allowance. The results showed no signifcant difference between the energy intake of children with ADHD and healthy boys. However, boys with ADHD were taller and heavier than healthy subjects, and their BMI was higher.

OCT4B1, as one of the variants of OCT4 gene, is expressed at higher levels in cancer tissues and cancer cell lines, compared to other OCT4 variants. Recent studies have revealed the anti-apoptotic role of OCT4B1. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of OCT4B1 suppression on the expression profile of anti-apoptotic genes in three human tumor cell lines. In this in-vitro study, three human tumor cell lines including AGS (stomach adenocarcinoma), 5637 (bladder cancer), and U87MG (brain tumor) were purchased from the National Cell Bank of Iran (Pasteur Institute) and cultured in test and control groups. In order to suppress OCT4B1 expression, the cultures were transfected, using siRNA technology and lipofection method. After confirming the suppression process, total RNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized. Finally, the expression rates of anti-apoptotic genes were determined, using specific primers and real-time PCR technique. Our data revealed an almost similar pattern of alteration in the expression profile of anti-apoptotic genes in all three cell lines. Also, BCL2, BRAF, and BFAR genes exhibited the most significant down-regulation by 20.87, 18.33, and 15.11 folds, respectively. The expression of at least 20 genes (out of 26 genes) decreased, while the expression rates of CASP2, IGF1R, TNF, and MCL1 were up-regulated or remained unchanged. Also, the expression of CFLAR gene was up-regulated in U87MG and down-regulated in other cell lines (5637 and AGS). Based on our findings, OCT4B1 suppression by blocking the expression of anti-apoptotic genes may result in the induction of apoptosis in cancer cell lines.

Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) is one of the most common symptoms reported among women with breast cancer and is the most prominent side effect of cancer treatments. This complication leads to a number of problems in the patient. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of humor therapy on the fatigue in breast cancer patients undergoing external radiation therapy. This study was a clinical trial with parralel planning and before and after. The experiment was conducted on 58 cancer patients receiving radiation therapy in 5 weeks -from the beginning of July 2013 until early October 2013 for a period of 3 months. The research was assigned to two groups of humor therapy and control group (each group consisting of 29 subjects who were randomly assigned to their group). The patients in the experimental group attended the humor therapy sessions twice a week for a month (a total of 8 sessions). The sessions were held using approaches like playing comedy clips, telling jokes and taking part in fun games. Fatigue questionnaires were completed at the end of the first, second and the fifth week as the post-test. The control group patients received routine care. Ultimately, the two groups were put to comparison. Fatigue in the laughter therapy group rose from 0.93±0.74 in the first week to 3.36±1.35 in the fifth. In the control group, on the other hand, it went from 1.01±0.96 in the first week to 7.29±2.67 in the fifth week (p=0.001). Thus, fatigue in the first, second, third, fourth and the fifth week was of significant statistical difference. (p=0.001). The results of this study indicated that humor therapy is largely effective in reducing cancer-related fatigue. The health system could enhance cancer patients’ well-being and improvement by providing them with a delightful, joyous environment.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a main cause of mortality throughout the world. CVD is related to life style. Legumes are one of the dietary factors that have nutritional and functional factors and play an important role in attenuating CVD risk factors. Legume consumption (at least 4 times a week) is associated with 22% lower risk for CHD and 11% lower risk for CVD. In this paper, we reviewed the presented articles about non soy legumes and CVD risk factors. We used PubMed search engine for this review and searched words including legume intake/consumption, bean/pea consumption, CVD/cardiovascular risk factors and inflammation in All Field. We achieved 346 papers. After limiting repeated articles and studies about soy and soy isoflavonoids, peanut, nuts, animal studies, children studies, cancer, renal disease and allergy, finally we reviewed 30 papers in this issue. Legume consumption can improve blood lipid profile. In addition, legume ingestion has positive potential effect on blood glucose levels, blood pressure, inflammation status and anthropometric indices. It seems that legumes have more beneficial effects on lipid profile than other CVD risk factors. However, the effects of legumes on other risk factors are important and needs more investigations. Increasing non soy legume consumption is an appropriate approach for improving CVD risk factors and thus can reduce the incidence of CVD events among societies.

Wound healing is a complex, regular, and dynamic response to damage, involving interactions between different cell types, structural proteins, growth factors, and proteinase. Caffeic acid for years, and laser since the late 60s have been used for the treatment of skin conditions. This study aimed to review the combined effect of caffeic acid and laser on wound healing in male Wistar rats. In this experimental study, 36 male Wistar rats, weighing 200-250 g, were divided into four groups of 9 rats. The control group received no interventions, the second group was treated by laser, the third group received caffeic acid, and the fourth group was treated by both caffeic acid and laser. The laser-treated groups were locally treated by laser and caffeic acid after ulcer formation. On days 4, 7, and 10 after the intervention, the wound area was measured. For histological evaluation, tissue samples were obtained and the amount of hydroxyproline in urine samples was measured on day 10 via biochemical methods; afterwards, the groups were compared. The obtained results showed that the percentage of wound healing on days 7 and 10 in all treatment groups (groups 1, 2, and 3) was more significant than that reported in the control group. Measurment of hydroxyproline showed increased concentration in the second (8.9±0.4), third (8.3±0.29), and fourth (9.3±0.27) groups, unlike the control group (7±0.36) (p<0.05). In this research, the wound healing effect of caffeic acid and laser, specifically their combination, was confirmed by histological studies and biochemical evaluations; moreover, hydroxyproline concentration increased in all treatment groups.

Pulmonary fibrosis is one of the most common side effects of bleomycin which is used as a chemotherapeutic agent. Reactive oxygen species play a key role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Celery seed contains a variety of flavonoids which are considered as asantioxidants. This study investigated the effects of celery seed hydroalcoholic extract on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats. This empirical study was conducted on 20 Sprague-Dawley rats weighing from 180 to 150 g. The animals were divided randomly into 5 groups of 4 rats. Groups 1 and 2, respectively, received a single dose of saline or bleomycin (7.5 units per kg) endotracheally. Group 3-5 received different daily doses of celery seed extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) intraperitoneally for one week before and two weeks after the bleomycin. The animals were killed after 21 days and their blood and lungs were collected and tested so as to measure the plasma malondialdehyde, lung hydroxyproline and histopathology test. The results showed that the index of lung, hydroxyproline and malondialdehyde in the saline normal group were respectively, 2.02±7.27 milligrams of lung per gram of body weight, 0.24±1.78 mg per gram of lung tissue and 0.17±1.48 micromol per liter of plasma. On the other hand, in the group receiving bleomycin, the figures were 0.99±10.1, 1.5±5.75 and 0.23±3.27, respectively. Treatment with extract, especially in groups 4 and 5, significantly reduced these factors compared to the bleomycin group (p<0.05). Furthermore, the results of histology revealed that bleomycin could lead to lung damage and the thickening of the alveolar. The results showed that celery seed hydroalcoholic extract has a protective effect on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

In traditional medicine, pomegranate is used for the treatment of intestinal worms and diarrhea. This study aimed to examine the antibacterial activities of pomegranate extracts on biofilm structures and planktonic forms of six pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the inhibitory effect of the extracts on planktonic forms was determined, using disc diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.02 mg/ml and maximum inhibitory concentration of 50 mg/ml were determined, using broth macrodilution. Anti-biofilm effects at 5 mg/ml, 10 mg/ml, and 20 mg/ml concentrations were assessed using microtiter plate method. Also, biofilm formation, biofilm degradation, and dehydrogenase enzyme activity were determined by crystal violet staining. Discs impregnated with pomegranate extracts inhibited the growth of test bacteria by 50% (P<0.01). However, no inhibitory effect was detected on streptococcus pneumoniae, pseudononas aeruginosa, or klebsiella pneumonia (p>0.05). In the broth medium of MIC test, the extracts could inhibit the growth of all bacteria (70%). These extracts damaged the biofilm structures by 50% (minimum) and 95% (maximum), respectively. The inhibitory effect of the extracts was dependent on the extract concentration and type of solvent. Pomegranate extracts were most efficient in inhibiting the biofilm formation of staphylococcus aureus (95.84%). The greatest eradication of biofilm structures was observed in the biofilm of pseudomonas aeruginosa (51.48%). Also, the highest decrease in metabolic activity was observed in bacillus cereus (77.13%). In this study, the inhibitory effect of pomegranate extracts on planktonic forms and biofilm structures was confirmed. As it was shown, the inhibitory effect was correlated with the solvent type and extract concentration.