مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی بابل
سال هفدهم شماره 5 (پیاپی 92، اردیبهشت 1394)

Abdominal colic during infancy is a common complaint of parents within the first three months after the child’s birth. As the intestinal microflora in these infants is different from non-colic newborns, we aimed to determine the effects of probiotics on the balance of intestinal microflora and reducing restlessness in infants with colic. This randomized clinical trial was performed on 44 breastfed infants (20-60 days old), with a birth weight of > 2500 g, suffering from colic, based on Wessel’s definition. These infants received 1-5 drops of placebo (label 1) per day for five consecutive days. Afterwards, they were administered 2-5 drops of Lactobacillus reuteri (label2) (17938 DSM) per day for 14 consecutive days. The parents were contacted twice on a daily basis and the duration of cramps and restlessness in infants was recorded and evaluated (IRCT=2014012713489). Among 44 infants, 36 cases completed the study. The mean period of restlessness after 5 days of receiving placebo and L. reuteri was 275±142.8 and 172±88.3 min, respectively (p<0.001). Also, after 14 days of L. reuteri administration, the mean period of restlessness was 106±53.67 min. The results showed that probiotic L. reuteri reduced crying and restlessness duration in infants with colic.

Female physicians, especially gynecologists and pediatricians, have a comprehensive knowledge of the complications caused by Cesarean section. These specialists play a pivotal role in raising maternal awareness, providing prenatal care, performing screening tests and delivery of healthy infants. Given the significant correlation between the type of delivery and the mental development of neonates, this study aimed to compare the rate of Cesarean section among female gynecologists and pediatricians with other specialists. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 179 female physicians with at least one living, healthy child in 2012. Data were collected using questionnaires including the degree of specialty, mode of delivery and the reason (medical or non-medical), maternal age at birth time and the employment status of the subjects. In total, more than 60% of the studied specialists chose Cesarean delivery for non-medical reasons, and the rate of C-section among gynecologists and pediatricians was 2.36 times higher compared to other specialists. In addition, the possibility of C-section declined to 42% with the increasing number of childbirths, and the risk of C-section increased between 25-30% with the age. Gynecologists and pediatricians preferred C-section 4.2 times than other specialists, and no significant differences were observed between the employment status of the subjects (faculty members vs. Others) and the choice of delivery mode. According to the results of this study, the preference of C-section for non-medical reasons was noticeably higher among gynecologists and pediatricians compared to other specialists. Therefore, these two groups could not be considered as a proper model to reduce the rate of C-section.

Eye examination for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening is a painful procedure, which may cause changes in the facial expression and behavior of premature neonates. Multi-sensory stimulation is a non-pharmacological and anti-pain formulation known to affect the behavioral norms of neonates during painful procedures. This study aimed to determine the effects of multi-sensory stimulation on the facial expression of premature neonates undergoing eye examination for ROP screening. This single-blinded, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 80 premature neonates randomly divided into two groups: The intervention group, who received multi-sensory stimulation including the stimulation of taste, touch, sight and smell, and the control group, who received standard care. The facial expression of each neonate was recorded based on the scoring criteria of Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) before, during and after performing the eye examination (IRCT:1N2014100119359). The mean gestational age of the neonates in the intervention and control groups was 30.4±1.7 and 30.6±1.8 weeks, respectively. The mean scores of facial expression changes during the eye examinations were 2.8±2.6 and 6.4±2.5 in the intervention group and control group, respectively (p<0.001). Immediately after performing the eye examinations, facial expression scores of the studied neonates in the intervention group and control groups were recorded as 2.2±2.1 and 5.2±2.9, respectively. According to the results of this study, multi-sensory stimulation was able to reduce the manifestations of facial expression in the studied neonates. Therefore, this method could be used to diminish these manifestations in neonates during painful examinations.

Otitis externa in children is defined as the inflammation of the external ear canal and it is a common clinical issue in general medicine. This study aimed to determine the main causes of otitis externa in children in Babol, Iran. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 56 children diagnosed with otitis externa referring to the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Clinic of Rohani Hospital of Babol, Iran. Demographic data of the subjects including age, gender and duration of symptoms were recorded, and earwax was removed using a speculum. Afterwards, the obtained samples were evaluated microscopically, and were partly inoculated on media such as chocolate agar, blood agar and Sabouraud dextrose agar with Chloramphenicol. Eventually, the effective organisms were detected using different laboratory methods. In this study, the most frequent symptoms of ear infection among children were inflation (76.8%) and secretion (75%), while the most common clinical manifestations were inflation of channel (82.1%) and secretion (69.6 %), respectively. Moreover, direct observation of the studied patients indicated bacteria as the most frequent organisms (42.9%). The most commonly isolated bacteria included Bacillus, coagulase-negative Staphylococci and Streptococci, while the most frequent fungi were Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus and Candida albicans. According to the results of this study, otitis externa in children could be caused by fungi, bacteria or the combination of both these organisms

Escherichia-coli is one of the major causes of urinary tract infection (UTI). The strains of this bacterium have a variety of virulence factors, such as iron acquisition systems, that provide the energy for iron transport in bacterial membranes. This study aimed to determine the frequency of pathogenic Aerobactin genes among the UTI-causing strains of E. coli isolated from patients referring to Baghiatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran. This study was conducted on 50 isolates of E. coli provided from UTI patients within the age range of 9 months to 87 years from May 2014 to November 2014. E. coli strains were identified via standardized microbiology and biochemical lab techniques, and the frequency of Aerobactin genes in the isolates of the bacterium were measured via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. In this study, PCR was successfully able to create the proper band size of 602 bp, and the presence of aerobactin was confirmed in 44 isolates of E. coli (88%). According to the results of this study, the frequency of virulent aerobactin genes among the UTI-causing strains of E. coli was considerably high, which is an alarming signal of the prevalence of virulent strains among different patients.

Helicobacter pylori infection is the most common worldwide human infection, affecting approximately half of the world’s population. One of the most important causes of failure in the treatment of helicobacter pylori infection is its resistance to antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic resistance of helicobacter pylori, isolated from patients, referring to Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Shiraz, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, biopsy samples were obtained from 80 patients, referring to the endoscopy department of Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Shiraz. Biopsy samples were transferred to the laboratory in thioglycollate broth. After conducting biochemical tests for final confirmation, PCR tests were performed. In order to perform an antibiotic resistance test, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) method was applied. Out of 80 cases, 59 samples (73.75%) were infected with helicobacter pylori. Among these cases, 36 samples (61%) were resistant to metronidazole, 19 samples (32.2%) were resistant to amoxicillin, and 14 samples (23.72%) were resistant to tetracycline. As the results indicated, resistance to clarithromycin was the lowest, reported in two cases (3.35%). Considering the high resistance of samples to metronidazole, it is necessary to replace this antibiotic with clarithromycin or other antibiotics in therapeutic regimens.

Human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) is a member of the retrovirus family, which often leads to the asymptomatic infection of individuals. Transmission of this virus is possible through breast-feeding, sexual contact, transfusion of contaminated blood products and use of contaminated needles. This study aimed to review the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in high-risk patients, particularly those with thalassemia, hemophilia and hemodialysis in Iran and other countries.

In order to find related articles, we searched in different sites including Google, Yahoo, PubMed, Irandoc, IranMedex, Magiran and SID using keywords such as HTLV-1, high-risk, transfusion, thalassemia, hemodialysis, Iran and world.

In total, 45 articles were found in relation to the subject of the study. Based on the specified criteria of the study in the Iranian population, 17 papers conducted in relation to the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in patients with thalassemia major and hemophilia were collected, 14 cases of which were about patients with thalassemia alone or those with a combination of hemodialysis and hemophilia. As for the studies conducted in other countries, 12 articles were found, 7 cases of which were about thalassemia patients; therefore, they were selected and studied.

According to the results of this study, the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in high-risk patients with thalassemia, hemophilia and hemodialysis in endemic areas was higher than non-endemic areas

Salivary secretion is almost entirely regulated by the nervous system. This secretion is mostly increased in response to gustatory sensations and jaw movements during chewing. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dominant chewing side on amylase enzyme activities. Overall, 48 healthy individuals within the age ranges of 6-12 and 41-61 years, with no history of cell phone use, took part in this experimental study. The saliva samples of both chewing sides were obtained separately from the Stensen's foramen, using a capillary tube. The level of amylase activity (U/L) was evaluated, based on the dominant chewing side. As the results indicated, 28 subjects preferred the right side for chewing and 20 subjects frequently chewed on the left side. The mean amylase activity in the former group was 27901±38141 U/L on the right side and 60954±51325 U/L on the left side (p=0.000). The mean amylase activity in the latter group was 52995±39857 U/L on the right side and 25464±22344 U/L on the left side (p=0.000). There was a significant relationship between amylase activity and the dominant chewing side (p<0.001). The results of this study showed that the activity of amylase enzyme, secreted from the parotid glands, decreases in the dominant chewing side.

Pimpinella anisum is a medicinal herb widely used in the traditional Iranian medicine to cure digestive, inflammatory, and spastic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic effects of methanol extract of Pimpinella anisum.L in mature male Wistar rats. In this study, 48 male Wistar rats were divided into 8 groups of control, treated with the Pimpinella anisum.L extract (50, 100, 200 mg/kg), treated with morphine, aspirin, extract with naloxone and extract with aspirin. Extraction was performed via maceration, rating and tail flick tests. In addition, formalin tests were conducted to evaluate the analgesic effects of the extract, and all the injections were performed intraperitoneally. Co-administration of 200 mg/kg of Pimpinella anisum.L extract combined with aspirin was observed to produce significant analgesic effects (p<0.05) compared to aspirin alone, with a one-second reduction of time delay in the tail flick test. In the rating test, 200 mg/kg of the extract resulted in more significant analgesic effects compared to aspirin alone (p<0.01), reducing the number of abdominal contractions to 10. The acute toxicity of the extract was determined as 2125 mg/kg. According to the results of this study, the methanol extract of Pimpinella anisum.L could exert analgesic effects in both the acute and chronic phases of pain.

Arrhythmia is considered as a leading cause of sudden death among patients with cardiac diseases. Since antioxidant agents play a pivotal role in cardiac protection, many of them are used in the form of medicinal plants in traditional medicine. Rosmarinus Officinalis L., commonly known as Rosemary, is a medicinal herb with potent antioxidant properties. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of the hydro-alcoholic extract of Rosemary on ventricular arrhythmias in rats. In this experimental study, 32 Sprague-Dawley rats weighing between 250-200 g were divided into two main groups of control and receivers of hydro-alcoholic rosemary extract. The rats received the hydro-alcoholic extract of rosemary (50, 100 and 200 milligrams per kilogram per day via gavage) or Saline (1 ml/kg per day via gavage) for 14 days. Cardiac lead II was recorded in both groups after fourteen days of saline or rosemary extract administration. To induce arrhythmias, CaCl2 (140 kg) solution was injected intravenously, and the incidence of premature ventricular beats (PVB), ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) were also calculated. The anti-arrhythmic effects of the hydro-alcoholic extract of rosemary (doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg) were observed following a significant decrease in the occurrence of PVB (75% and 50%, respectively), VT (71.4% and 42.9% %, respectively), and VF (50% and 25%, respectively) compared to the control group. In addition, the highest rate of this reduction occurred in the dosage of 200 mg/kg. According to the results of this study, the hydro-alcoholic extract of rosemary could be used as a protective substance providing cardiac pre-conditioning against ventricular arrhythmias