[Investigation of temporal pattern of scorpion sting and snakebite incidence in patients referred to Masjedsoleiman's main hospital, during 24 months from 21 March 2008 to 20 March 2009]

Scorpion sting and snakebite are the important problems in some area such as Iran that must be addressed. This study was to investigate temporal pattern of scorpion sting and snakebite incidence in patients referred to Masjedsoleiman's main hospital, during 24 months from 21 March 2008 to 20 March 2009. It was an analytical study to scrutiny of monthly and seasonal procedure of scorpion sting and snakebite. Data were analyzed by SPSS and Minitab. To identify the goodness of fit model for monthly and seasonal incidence of scorpion sting and snakebite, autoregressive integrated moving average [ARIMA] models were used to explore time series analysis. Of all 9457 scorpion sting and snake-bite cases in patients referring to hospital, 45% [n = 4253] were men. Mean age of them was 28.26 +/- 0.36 years. Significant numbers [27%] of these patients had 21-30 years old, and were bitted in urban [93%], at their home [99.7%]. The auto regression suggested that monthly average incidents model have a moving average. The analyses through Anderson- Darling test provide evidence that the distribution of residuals was normal [P = 0.125]. Weather variables can be as the predictors of scorpion sting and snake-bite incidence for Masjedsoleiman.

[Evaluation of correlation between lifestyle and morbidity of Ischemic heart disease]

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of 17,000,000 worldwide deaths annually. If the current trends continue, the number of deaths will increase to 25,000,000 by the year 2020. Lifestyle contributes to many chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between lifestyle and ischemic heart disease. This case-control study was carried out in Damavand sevvom sha'ban hospital. The sample of the study consisted of 65 cases [patients suffering from coronary artery disease] and 65 healthy controls. Data were collected by three questionnaires: General Health Questionnaire [GHQ], FFQ [Food Frequency Questionnaire] and physical activity questionnaire . These questionnaires were completed by interviewing the participants. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. There was a significant correlation between Age, Marital status, Smoking, Physical activity, diet and Mental health and ischemic heart disease. Insufficient physical activity, high fat and low fiber diet, inappropriate mental status were risk factors and major causes of in heart ischemia incidence

[ effect of conjugated linoleic acids and omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on some inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in atherosclerosis]

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of morbidity, mortality and disability in the world and Iranian population. Inflammation and oxidative processes are major risk factors of atherosclerosis. Some evidence demonstrated antinflammatory effect of conjugated linoleic acids [CLA] and omega-3 fatty acids [omega -3 fatty acids]. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CLA and omega -3 fatty acids supplementation on inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in atherosclerotic patients. In this study 90 volunteers who referred to Emam Reza Heart Clinic of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected if they fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Participants were classified into 3 groups receiving 3g/d CLA, 1920mg/d omega 3 or placebo for 2 months. C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin -6[IL-6], malondialdehyde [MDA] and glutathione peroxidase [GPx] were measured before and after supplementation. CRP measurement was done by a high sensitive Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay and IL-6 assay was performed by Radioimmunoassay methods. GPx enzyme activity and MDA was measured by spectrophotometery. Data processing and statistical analysis were done using SPSS19 software and a p-value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. hs-CRP level decreased significantly in both the omega 3 and CLA group during the study [4.43 +/- 4.13 vs 1.6 +/- 1.41 and 7.48 +/- 5.64 vs 5.95 +/- 5.87][p = 0.01]. IL-6 reduced significantly in omega 3 group relative to control [18.59 +/- 11.12 vs 13.37 +/- 9.44][p=0.04] but in CLA group reduction in IL-6 levels was not significant [16.13 +/- 10.21 vs 12.95 +/- 8.1][p=0.06]. GPx increased in CLA and omega 3 groups [144.57 +/- 56.89 vs 174.61 +/- 62.8 and 125 +/- 46.06 vs 171.4 +/- 68.90] [p=0.001]. MDA level decreased significantly in both the omega 3 and CLA group [3.98 +/- 1.50 vs 2.87 +/- 1.55 and 3.7 +/- 1.77 vs 2.4 +/- 0.8] [p = 0.001]. Supplementation of diet with CLA and omega 3 can have a beneficial effect on some indices of inflammatory and oxidative stress

Effects of silymarin on cadmium-induced toxicity in rats

Cadmium has toxicological significance and there is no effective therapy for its poisoning. The effects of silymarin on the parameters indicative of cadmium-induced toxicity were studied in rats. 130 adult male Wistar rats were divided into 13 groups each comprising 10 rats. 1 group as control group was not administered neither cadmium nor silymarin. Cadmium chloride [3mg/kg/week] was administered intraperitoneally to 12 groups for 6 weeks. The 12 groups were divided into two sets of 6 groups. In the first set, one group was kept as control and silymarin in the doses of 15, 30, 60, 120 and 240 mg/kg/week was administered orally to each group for 6 weeks. In the second set, one group was kept as control and the aforementioned doses of silymarin were administered orally to each group for 6 weeks after 6 weeks of cadmium administration. Blood samples were taken after 6 weeks from the first set and after 12 weeks from the second set to determine AST [aspartate aminotransferase], ALT [alanine aminotransferase] and ALP [alkaline phosphatase] levels and catalase activity. In the first set in all silymarin treated groups, ALP level significantly decreased compared with control and in the second set, AST level decreased significantly compared with control only in groups treated with high doses of silymarin. Different doses of silymarin except the dose of 15 mg/kg significantly increased serum catalase activity compared with control in both sets. Silymarin prevents and reverses cadmium-induced toxicity possibly through its antioxidative property in rats

Rapid, cost-effective, sensitive and quantitative detection of Acinetobacter baumannii from pneumonia patients

Pneumonia with Acinetobacter baumannii has a major therapeutic problem in health care settings. Decision to initiate correct antibiotic therapy requires rapid identification and quantification of organism. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid and sensitive method for direct detection of A. baumannii from respiratory specimens. A Taqman real time PCR based on the sequence of bla[oxa-51] was designed and used for direct detection of A. baumannii from 361 respiratory specimens of patients with pneumonia. All specimens were checked by conventional bacteriology in parallel. The new real time PCR could detect less than 200 cfu per ml of bacteria in specimens. There was agreement between the results of real time PCR and culture [Kappa value 1.0, p value < 0.001]. The sensitivity, specificity and predictive values of real time PCR were 100%. The prevalence of A. baumannii in pneumonia patients was 10.53% [n = 38]. Poly-microbial infections were detected in 65.71% of specimens. Acinetobacter baumannii is the third causative agent in nosocomial pneumonia after Pseudomonas aeroginosa [16%] and Staphylococcus aureus [13%] at Tehran hospitals. We recommend that 10[4] CFU be the threshold for definition of infection with A. baumannii using real time PCR

[Evaluation of co-administration of omperazole with H[2] blockers and antacids]

Omperazole as a very useful drug in peptic ulcer which needs to be converted to active form and its activation requires acidic environments. H[2] blockers and antacids can prevent this activation by elevation of pH in the gastrointestinal system thus diminishing omperazole effectiveness. In this study, cases of coadministration of omperazsole with H[2] blockers and antiacids has been evaluated. This descriptive study included 1200 prescriptions containing omperazole alone or in combination with other drugs at the Chamran Pharmaceutical Store of Yazd. In 599 cases, omeprazole was administered with other drugs of which 211 cases [35.3%] was with H[2] blockers and l 16 prescriptions with antiacids. Only in 55 cases [4.6%], both antiacids and H[2] blockers were administered in combination with omperazole. On the basis of previous studies and considering the physiology of acid secretion in parietal cells and pharmacological mechanism of drugs used in the treatment of peptic ulcer, coadministration of antacids and H[2] blockers with omperazole decrease its efficacy and must therefore be avoided

[Relation between salivary aspartate aminotransferase and periodontal disease]

The previous studies demonstrated that there is a strong relationship between the levels of Aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and the progression of the periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of this enzyme in various stage of the periodontal disease. Sixty volunteers participated in this historical cohort study. They were divided in three groups of 20 each; group 1 [healthy periodontium], group 2 [early periodontitis], and group 3 [advanced periodontitis]. Following periodontal examination including plaque index, bleeding on probing, pocket depth, and attachment level, 1ml of unstimulated saliva was collected and evaluated for the differences by means of Kruskal Wallis and student t tests. There was a higher level of the enzyme in the saliva of the subjects with advanced periodontitis [67.95 16.4] compared to periodontally normal [36.8 13.5] and early periodontitis [43.45 18.4] patients, and the difference was highly significant [P<0.0001]. There seems to be a positive relationship between periodontal disease severity and the higher value of the AST enzyme in saliva. The results should be confirmed by longitudinal studies evaluating the various parameters of the periodontal disease

Agricultural activities impact on groundwater nitrate pollution

Concern over agricultural diffuse pollution sources in integrated water quality management has been growing recently. High nitrogen fertilizers application rates may increase the potential groundwater pollution. These effects were investigated in Andimeshk and Susa plains that cover an area of 1100 km2 between the Dez and Karkhe rivers in north of Khozestan-Iran. This region divided to 4 sub-regions A, B, C, and D. Additionally 168 groundwater samples were collected from 42 water wells during the months April, May, August, and September of 2004. The Hack-spectrophotometer nitrate test was used to measure the NO3- concentration in water samples. Information about further nitrate data was obtained. A questionnaire procedure was used for collection N-fertilizers application rate data in studied area. The results demonstrated that all of the groundwater samples have NO3- concentration below the EPA MCL [44.27 mg/l] and WHO guideline [50 mg/l]. The mean nitrate concentrations are 16.1, 19.5, 13.3, and 7.9 mg/l in sub-regions A, B, C, and D respectively. There are different amount of N-fertilizers applied in sub-regions A, B, C, and D. Correlation between NO3- concentrations and N-fertilizers rate suggests a inverse correlation between N-fertilizers application rate and ground waters nitrate concentrations in studied area [r=-0.69]

[Measurement of total plasma homocysteine with reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography [RP-HPLC] method without internal standard]

Homocysteine is an amino acid with a free thiol [Sulphydryl] group and is an intermediate formed during the metabolism of methionine to cysteine. Measurement of total plasma Homocysteine may be of value in several clinical conditions including homocysteinuria, atherosclerosis, thrombophilia and folate/vitamin B12 deficiency. The purpose of this study was to measure total plasma Homocysteine using RP-HPLC with fluorescence detection method. Total plasma Homocysteine was measured with reverse-phase HPLC with fluorescence detection after reduction of Homocysteine with tris [2-carboxyetile] phosphine [TCEP] and derivatization of plasma thiols with ammonium 7-fluorobenzo-2-oxa 1,3-diazole-4-sulfonate [SBD-F]. Findings: The limit of detection for Homocysteine was 0.2 micromol/l. The within day coefficient of variation [CV] was 2.67% to 4.56% and the between day coefficient of variation was 5.43% to 8.17%. The mean recovery of Homocysteine was 93% to 103.4%. The results show that the HPLC method with fluorescence detection for measurement of total plasma Homocysteine, is sensitive [The limit of detection 0.2 micromol/l], accurate [CV between 2.67% and 8.17%] and it has acceptable recovery [93% to 103.4%]. Therefore, it is confident method especially for investigate application