Letter to Editor
Mehran Farzaneh; Ayda Bahmanjahromi; Ali Abbasijahromi; Vahid Zarean; Saeid Nikooei
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-2
Abstract
We found the recent original article published in theIranian Red Crescent Medical journal by Miladinia Mojtabaet al. entitled “The Comparison of the Effect of Two Complementary Medicine Methods (Music Therapy and Massage Therapy) On Postoperative Acute Pain After Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized ...
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We found the recent original article published in theIranian Red Crescent Medical journal by Miladinia Mojtabaet al. entitled “The Comparison of the Effect of Two Complementary Medicine Methods (Music Therapy and Massage Therapy) On Postoperative Acute Pain After Abdominal Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial Study” (1). Theauthors expertly detailed an interesting investigation onthe complementary methods to reduce postoperative painand postoperative opioid requirement in patients receiv
Research articles
Mohsen Nafar; Tahereh Sabaghian; Alireza Khoshdel; Behrang Alipour; Shiva Samavat
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-9
Abstract
Background: Mineral bone disorder is one of the major factors affecting mortality and morbidity in dialysis patients, which iscalled chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD).Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the laboratory parameters of mineral bone disorder in hemodialysis patients ...
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Background: Mineral bone disorder is one of the major factors affecting mortality and morbidity in dialysis patients, which iscalled chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD).Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the laboratory parameters of mineral bone disorder in hemodialysis patients in Iran andtheir relationship with malnutrition and inflammation.Methods: This multicenter observational study was conducted in 2016 in 58 dialysis centers in Iran. Data of a total number of 7191chronic hemodialysis patients aged older than 18 years with a dialysis duration of > 3 months were collected. Idiopathic hypercalcemia and history of parathyroidectomy were considered as the exclusion criteria. The serum levels of calcium (Ca), phosphorus(P), and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were measured over a period of three months, and the findings were compared withthe K/DOQI (National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative) guidelines. Moreover, the serum level of C-reactiveprotein (CRP) and nutritional status based on geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) were assessed.Results: The percentage of the patients who had a serum iPTH level of < 150 pg/mL was 46% while that of patients with iPTH of >300 pg/mL was 29.3%. Hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia were observed in 20.6% and 34.2% of the patients, respectively. Moreover, 51.7%, 61.3%, 24.7%, and 84.7% of the patients, respectively, reached the K/DOQI target range of Ca, P, iPTH, and Ca × P product.The percentages of mild-to-severe malnutrition based on GNRI in patients whose iPTH level was within, below, and above the recommended range of K/DOQI guidelines were 30.7%, 34.1%, and 25.9%, respectively (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the serum level of CRP wassignificantly higher in low-serum PTH patients than in the other two groups. In total, only could 8.3% of the patients reach the fourKDOQI target levels of CKD-MBD.Conclusions: The findings showed a significant percentage of patients had a low serum PTH level, which might be attributed toinflammatory and nutritional factors. Only had a small percentage of patients reached all the K/DOQI targets. Therefore, the effectsof inflammatory and nutritional factors should also be considered, particularly in developing countries
Research articles
Maryam Sefidgar Tehrani; Malihe Amirian; Mohsen Jalali; Armin Attaranzadeh; Alireza Fazel; Alireza Ebrahimzadeh-Bideskan
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-9
Abstract
Background: Male infertility rate has increased over the recent years across the globe. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) ismainly used to treat male infertility; however, in this method, sperm selection plays a critical role in improving ICSI outcome.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate ...
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Background: Male infertility rate has increased over the recent years across the globe. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) ismainly used to treat male infertility; however, in this method, sperm selection plays a critical role in improving ICSI outcome.Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of three sperm selection techniques on ICSI outcomes in oligoasthenozoospermic men.Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was performed on 80 oligoasthenozoospermic (OAS) couples receiving ICSI in MiladInfertility Center, Mashhad, Iran from October 2016 to June 2017. The couples were randomly assigned to the three groups of control,hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) and hyaluronic acid (HA) according to the sperm selection technique for ICSI. Fertilization rate,embryo development (ED), embryo quality (EQ) and implantation rate (IR) were evaluated and compared among the groups.Results: Our results showed that there was no significant difference in fertilization rate between the studied groups. ED rate wasincreased in the HOST and HA groups compared to the control group, but this difference was not significant. EQ was increased inthe HOST (P = 0.001) and HA groups (P = 0.001) compared to the control group. IR was enhanced in the HA group in comparison withthe control group (P = 0.021), but there was no significant difference between the HOST and HA groups.Conclusions: The results of this study showed that for achieving successful clinical outcomes and improved embryo quality and implantation rate in oligoasthenozoospermic males undergoing Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, effective sperm selection througheither the HOST or HA technique is necessary
Research articles
Nina Brki´c-Jovanovi´c; Sanela Slavkovi´c; Mila Beljanski; Ivana Mihi´; Milica Lazi´c
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-7
Abstract
Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects everyday functioning of individuals with MS, and their family dynamics. Furthermore,MS is a chronic disease with unpredictable course imposing a stressful experience on the entire family. Changes in family functioning patterns are necessary so that they can ...
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Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects everyday functioning of individuals with MS, and their family dynamics. Furthermore,MS is a chronic disease with unpredictable course imposing a stressful experience on the entire family. Changes in family functioning patterns are necessary so that they can appropriately respond to complex demands imposed by the disease.Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate predictive values of family resources in the encounter with stressful life events and familyadaptation. These data are required to provide adequate family support systems.Methods: The sample consisted of 62 people with MS. The following instruments were used: Family Adaptation Scale, Family SocialSupport Index, Financial Well-Being Scale, and Family Problem Solving Communication Scale.Results: The results of this research indicate that subjective assessment of the quality of family relationships, measures of the quality of family communication (β = 0.353, P < 0.001), and measures of perceived family social support (β = 0.272, P < 0.05) are the onlypredictors of successful family adaptation.Conclusions: The results infer that the processes essential for successful adaptation of people with MS occurs within their nuclearfamily. Therefore, adaptation to accidental crisis created by MS onset can be promoted by strengthening support and communication within the nuclear family.
Research articles
Soheila Sedaghat; Abbas Ebadi; Shahnaz Rostami; Malek Fereidooni-Moghadam
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-11
Abstract
Background: Open-heart surgery is a stressful, life-threatening experience inducing fear and anxiety in many patients and theirfamilies.Objectives: The present study was conducted to design an inventory assessing the stressors in open-heart surgery patients andevaluate its psychometric properties.Methods: ...
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Background: Open-heart surgery is a stressful, life-threatening experience inducing fear and anxiety in many patients and theirfamilies.Objectives: The present study was conducted to design an inventory assessing the stressors in open-heart surgery patients andevaluate its psychometric properties.Methods: This study was accomplished in two phases. The first phase involved a qualitative study during which in-depth interviewswere carried out with 21 therapists and patients with a history of heart surgery. In addition, the primary items of the inventory wereextracted by reviewing the literature and available questionnaires through a qualitative approach. In the second phase, the face,content, and construct validities of the inventory were investigated using the exploratory factor analysis with 360 participants. Inaddition, the reliability of the developed instrument was examined using Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC).Results: Based on the findings obtained in the first phase, a pool of items was prepared. The findings of the exploratory factoranalysis revealed a five-factor structure that explained 50.45% of the structural variance with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin value of 0.921 (P< 0.001). The first (12 items), second (13 items), third (seven items), fourth (eight items), and fifth (10 items) factors were namedas “stressors in the intensive care unit”, “stressors related to the fear of uncertain future”, “internal stressors”, “stressors related totreatment team and facilities”, and “preoperative stressors”, respectively. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the final version of theinventory, entailing 50 items, was obtained as 0.87. In addition, the ICC between the test and retest scores was estimated at 0.94.Conclusions: Given the fact that the meaning, concept, and factors associated with any phenomenon are influenced by sociocultural context and they vary from country to country, it is necessary to use a questionnaire designed based on the experiences andconcepts expressed by the individuals living in the same context. According to the findings, the developed 50-item Cardiac SurgeryStressor Inventory is a simple, valid, and reliable tool for the measurement of stressors in open-heart surgery patients.
Case reports
Massimo De Martinis; Maria Maddalena Sirufo; Lia Ginaldi
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-8
Abstract
Introduction: One of the most common forms of physical urticaria is the cold urticaria. It can be a medical emergency, since itcan induce anaphylaxis and edema of the glottis, and in any case, it is a condition that reduces the quality of life of the affectedsubjects forced to significantly limit their ...
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Introduction: One of the most common forms of physical urticaria is the cold urticaria. It can be a medical emergency, since itcan induce anaphylaxis and edema of the glottis, and in any case, it is a condition that reduces the quality of life of the affectedsubjects forced to significantly limit their normal activities. Moreover, since the symptoms are triggered by exposure to cold, whichis difficult (if not impossible) to avoid in everyday life, a safe and effective therapy appears to be essential. Unfortunately, traditionaltherapies often cannot provide adequate and safe answers.Case Presentation: The current study reported the case of a 52-year-old female patient manifesting the first symptoms after goingto the stadium to watch football games while sitting in the stands. On such occasions, her buttocks would begin to itch, and startedswelling and reddening. These manifestations then occurred on other occasions of exposure to the cold, and in other body areas.The patient visited the outpatient clinic of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit, Teramo General Hospital (Teramo, Italy), andwas treated with sedating and non-sedating H1-blocking antihistamines (Rupatadine, Cetirizine), a leukotriene antagonist, and oralsteroids with no success; therefore, it was decided to treat her with Omalizumab, an anti-IgE antibody.Conclusions: The satisfactory response to Omalizumab in the patient, after the failure of previous standard therapeutic strategies,confirmed the effectiveness of this molecule to treat cold urticaria, which despite what reported in several studies, is not yet recognized and authorized by the competent health authorities in the treatment of this condition.
Research articles
Surena Vahabi; Bahareh Nazemisalman; Mahsa Kalantari; Sepanta Hosseinpour
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-6
Abstract
Background: An imbalance in the expression of matrixmetalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitormetalloproteinases initiatethe destructive process in chronic periodontitis (CP). C-reactive protein (CRP) is a systemic inflammatory mediator that reflects anacute immune response.Objectives: The purpose ...
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Background: An imbalance in the expression of matrixmetalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitormetalloproteinases initiatethe destructive process in chronic periodontitis (CP). C-reactive protein (CRP) is a systemic inflammatory mediator that reflects anacute immune response.Objectives: The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the association between the MMP-1 -1607 1G/2G (rs1799750) and CRP 717A/G (rs2794521) gene polymorphisms and chronic periodontitis in Iran.Methods: This analytical case-control study was performed among 141 participants including 63 CP cases and 78 matched healthyindividuals. Five milliliters of peripheral blood was collected for DNA isolation. Restriction fragment length polymorphism- polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) was performed for single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. The frequencies were analyzedby chi-squared test (95% CI, P < 0.05). In addition, genetic data were assessed by the Hardy-Weinberg principle, linkage disequilibrium, and haplotype analysis.Results: Our findings presented no significant relationship between genotype/alleles of MMP-1 -1607 1G/2G (rs1799750) (0.73: 0.27 -1.95, P = 0.48) or CRP 717 A/G (rs2794521) (0.384: 0.104 - 1.414, P = 0.303) and the presence of CP (P = 0.47 and P = 0.30, respectively).The analysis of genetic distribution among various severities of CP and controls revealed no significant association between variousseverities of CP and MMP-1 -1607 1G/2G (rs1799750) (P = 0.52) and CRP 717 A/G (rs2794521) (P = 0.67).Conclusions: Our results suggest no association between the occurrence or severity of chronic periodontitis and MMP-1 -1607 1G/2G(rs1799750) and CRP 717 A/G (rs2794521) polymorphisms. Further studies with larger sample sizes may provide a more generalizableevidence-based overview of the relationship between these gene polymorphisms and periodontitis.
Research articles
Yalçın Turhan; Mehmet Arıcan; Zekeriya Okan Karaduman; Ozan Turhal; Mehmet Gamsızkan; Davut Aydın; Korhan Ozkan
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-7
Abstract
Background: Various topical treatments are available for skin defects. Chronic and complicated wounds can affect a patient’s quality of life and cause significant economic burden and even mortality. Nigella sativa (NS) oil and silver-containing solutions are separately used to treat various skin ...
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Background: Various topical treatments are available for skin defects. Chronic and complicated wounds can affect a patient’s quality of life and cause significant economic burden and even mortality. Nigella sativa (NS) oil and silver-containing solutions are separately used to treat various skin disorders.Objectives: The current study aimed at examining the healing potential of NS oil, Nano-silver (AgNPs) solution, and their combination to manage skin wounds in a rat model.Methods: The current clinical experimental study was conducted in the Experimental Animal Unit of Abant Izzet Baysal University,Bolu, Turkey, in 2017. Full-thickness skin defects with a 1 cm2surface area were created on the backs of 20 adult Wistar albino rats. Thewounds were covered with 1 cm2of absorbable oxidized regenerated cellulose (SURGICEL). The rats were numbered and assignedto four groups by simple random sampling. The agents to be compared (saline, NS oil, and AgNPs solution) were administered tothe wounds twice daily for 15 days. The wounds were observed for the percentage reduction in original wound size every three days.Scars were harvested on day 15 for histological morphometric analysis.Results: There were no significant differences in the mean vertical scar thickness among the saline (group 1) [1.06 ± 0.18], NS oil(group 2) [0.76 ± 0.14], AgNPs (group 3) [0.98 ± 0.44], and NS oil + AgNPs (group 4) [0.87 ± 0.38] groups (P = 0.556). However, themean collagen density was significantly lower in groups 1 and 3 [56.50 ± 11.18 and 59.60 ± 3.16] compared with groups 2 and 4 [73.57± 6.30 and 80.99 ± 7.19] (P < 0.001).Conclusions: Wounds treated with the combination of NS oil and Nano-silver healed significantly faster, with less scar formation,than the ones treated with NS oil or Nano-silver alone
Case reports
Cheng-Wei Lu; Zhi-Hua Cui; Xiao-Feng Qi; Om Prakash Pant; Cheng-Bo Lu; Ji-Long Hao; Dan-Dan Zhou
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-5
Abstract
Introduction: Keratitis induced by type I hypersensitivity to metronidazole is rarely reported. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM)is a promisingmethod for the investigation of cornealmorphology under pathological conditions. The purpose of the present studywas to investigate the IVCM features of keratitis ...
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Introduction: Keratitis induced by type I hypersensitivity to metronidazole is rarely reported. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM)is a promisingmethod for the investigation of cornealmorphology under pathological conditions. The purpose of the present studywas to investigate the IVCM features of keratitis associated with anaphylaxis to metronidazole and review the literature regardingIVCM application to study drug-related changes in the cornea.Case Presentation: A 50-year-old woman with acute bilateral keratitis induced by anaphylaxis to intravenous metronidazole presented to the Department of Ophthalmology, the first affiliated hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China in Jan 2018. She initially experienced photophobia, moderate conjunctival injection, and watery discharge after infusion of intravenous metronidazole. These symptoms gradually resolved one month after she was administered anti-allergic drugs. Corneal morphology related toanaphylaxis to metronidazole was investigated by IVCM before and after treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first reported caseof IVCM images of keratitis associated with anaphylaxis to metronidazole.Conclusions: In vivo confocal microscopy can allow objective evaluation of treatment response through cellular changes in thecornea and could provide good-quantity images of ocular surface tissues for follow-up
Letter to Editor
Azadeh Kiani; Seyed Mohd Abbas Zaidi; Mojtaba Heydari
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 1-2
Abstract
Although enteral feeding and nutritional delivery byenema are well known to exist since ancient times, the oldhistory of gastric feeding is less investigated. Most reportsof the history of gastric feeding mention Capivacceus asthe first one who reported the use of orogastric feeding in1598 (1, 2)
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Although enteral feeding and nutritional delivery byenema are well known to exist since ancient times, the oldhistory of gastric feeding is less investigated. Most reportsof the history of gastric feeding mention Capivacceus asthe first one who reported the use of orogastric feeding in1598 (1, 2)
Research articles
Mina Eghbali; Majid Baserisalehi; Masood Ghane
Volume 21, Issue 1 , 2019, Pages 2-7
Abstract
Background: Moraxella catarrhalis is an opportunistic bacterium that has pathogenicity in the human respiratory tract. The ratesof colonization and infection of this bacterium are high in the respiratory tract of children and the elderly.Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from ...
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Background: Moraxella catarrhalis is an opportunistic bacterium that has pathogenicity in the human respiratory tract. The ratesof colonization and infection of this bacterium are high in the respiratory tract of children and the elderly.Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study conducted from April 2016 to March 2018, 400 samples were collected from patients with pharyngitis (n = 92), sinusitis (n = 85), otitis media (n = 43), respiratory failure (n = 60), and healthy individuals as thecontrol group (n = 120) in the Northern part of Iran. The isolates were identified by phenotyping methods. Finally, the virulencegenes in the isolates were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique.Results: Out of a total number of 400 samples, 32 samples (8%) were positive for M. catarrhalis. The frequency of this bacterium wasfound to be different in patients with pharyngitis as 5.44%, sinusitis as 8.24%, otitis media as 13.95%, respiratory failure as 15%, andin the control group as 4.16%. Since the P value from the Chi-square test was higher than 0.05, there was no relationship betweenthe prevalence of M. catarrhalis and the type of the disease and control group. The PCR results showed that 100% of the isolates hadmcaP, ompJ, and ompCD genes. However, the distribution of other virulence genes was varied.Conclusions: Overall, our findings verified the existence of M. catarrhalis in patients with respiratory diseases. Therefore, the rapididentification and successful treatment can play an important role in preventing their spread. In addition, the results verified thehigh prevalence of virulence genes in M. catarrhalis isolates from patients compared to controls. Regarding the results of this studyand by comparing with similar studies, it can be concluded that the frequency of pathogenic isolates may be different even in regions that are not geographically different
