The biotoxic effects of heavy metals exposure in miners and non-miners.

Since little is known about the comparison of the biotoxic effects of heavy metals exposure on biochemical and hematological parameters in miners and non-miners, the current study aimed to compare the effects of arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) in both groups. Demographic information and blood samples were collected from all participants and measures of As, Pb and Cu were obtained using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. As and Pb mean concentrations in miners and Cu concentration were greater in non-miners. Miners also showed significantly higher level of RBC, HBG and HCT. In the adjusted model, cholesterol showed a positively association with Pb and Cu levels. Triglycerides, GGT, ALP, WBC and PLT positively and HDL-cholesterol negatively were associated with Cu. Creatinine was negatively associated with group variable. In conclusion, miners' high blood heavy metals concentrations can impact biochemical and hematological indices. These observations make monitoring of heavy metals necessary in miners.

The Prevalence of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in Patients with Beta Thalassemia Major.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a concern in patients with Beta thalassemia major (TM). However, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of PAH in TM patients in Kerman City placed in the south of Iran. In this cross-sectional study on 271 IranianBeta-thalassemia patients (mean age 19.8 ± 7.9 in the range 10-60), Age, sex, weekly deferral taking, the number of blood transfusion in a month, and last echocardiography report data was gathered from every patient's file. SPSS for Windows (version 21) was used for analysis. According to the results, the prevalence of PAH was 10.3% (28 patients). PAH had significant associations with weekly deferral consumption (P = 0.028), ferritin serum level (P = 0.001), and ejection fraction (EF) (P = 0.001). PAH is positively associated with deferral consumption and is negatively associated with EF (respectively, P = 0.031, P = 0.001). It is very important to consider prevention and treatment for decreasing the mortality and morbidity of PAH patients in health planning and policy.

Comparing the association between heavy metals and cognitive status and depression in miners and non-miners: A study from southeast of Iran.

Heavy metal toxicity is a major public health crisis worldwide, especially in mining environments. The association between chronic heavy metals exposure and cognitive impairment has not been studied broadly in adults and mining fields. This study aimed to compare the association between arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) concentration in blood and cognitive status and depression in copper miners and non-miners. Participants were selected from the Rafsanjan cohort study (RCS) as non-miners and miners from Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex. For evaluation of cognitive performance and creativity, comprehensive neurological tests were performed as follows: Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), creativity tests including remote association task (RAT) and alternative uses task (AUT). Beck Depression Inventory-II was used to evaluate depression. Standard laboratory tests were also performed. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used to estimate the blood's concentration of As, Pb and Cu. We observed a significant difference between arsenic, lead, copper, and depression scores (all P < 0.001) in the two groups (miners and non-miners). Miners had a better performance in cognitive fields except in MMSE and PVT tests. Linear regression analyses showed that the lead had a negative association with the PVT test and depression score. The results suggest that the development of depression, cognitive impairments, and other health problems is possible in chronic heavy metal exposure, especially lead (Pb). Confirmation of our claim requires further study in the coming years.

Association between metabolic syndrome and stroke: a population based cohort study.

Both metabolic syndrome (MetS) and stroke are associated with increased risk of mortality. Here, we aimed to assess the prevalence of MetS among adults using three definitions (Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and IDF ethnic specific cut-off for Iranian criteria) and its association with stroke. We performed a cross-sectional study of a total of 9991 adult participants of Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS), as part of the Prospective epidemiological research studies in Iran (PERSIAN cohort study). The MetS prevalence was evaluated in participants according to the different criteria. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between three definitions of MetS with stroke. We found that MetS was significantly associated with higher odds of stroke according to NCEP-ATP III (odds ratio (OR): 1.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.30-2.74), international IDF (OR:1.66, 95% CI: 1.15-2.40) and Iranian IDF (OR:1.48, 95% CI: 1.04-2.09) after adjusted for variables confounders. Furthermore, after adjustment, in receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the AUROC was 0.79 (95% CI = 0.75-0.82), 0.78(95% CI = 0.74-0.82) and 0.78(95% CI = 0.74-0.81) for presence of MetS according to NCEP-ATP III, international IDF and Iranian IDF, respectively. ROC analyses revealed that all of these three criteria for MetS are "moderately accurate" for the identification of increased stroke risk.In conclusion, our results showed that MetS was associated with increased odds of stroke. Our findings implicate the importance of early identification, treatment, and ultimately prevention of the metabolic syndrome.

The prevalence and associated factors of overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in South-eastern of Iran: a cross-sectional study based on Rafsanjan cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity has become a major health issue in both high and middle-income countries, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and all-cause mortality. Risk of obesity is related to both unchangeable factors such as genetics and gender, and modifiable lifestyle factors. Most importantly, finding the major modifiable lifestyle factors which contribute to obesity may provide valuable benefits to every society. This study aimed to determine the association of demographic and lifestyle parameters with overweight/obesity and abdominal obesity in a population of Iranian adults. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, adult participants of Rafsanjan Cohort Study (RCS) (as one of the district areas of the PERSIAN cohort (Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IrAN) included the study population. RCS is a population-based prospective cohort of men and women aged 35-70 years, launched in August 2015. Individuals were recruited from four urban and suburban areas of Rafsanjan, south-eastern of Iran. Trained experts interviewed each participant and completed the related questionnaires about his/her socioeconomic status, demography, anthropometric features, personal habits, physical activity and medical history. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the relationships between overweight/obesity/abdominal obesity and associated factors. RESULTS: From 9980 participants, 1974 (42.42%) males and 2115 (39.70%) females were overweight, 784 (16.85%) males, 2223 (41.73%) females were obese and 1895 (40.73%) males and 989 (18.57%) females were normal weight. Also, 832 (17.9%) males and 4548 (85.4%) females had abdominal obesity and 3819 (82.1%) males and 778 (14.6%) females didn't have abdominal obesity. Based on the adjusted multiple logistic regression, overweight/obesity (BMI > 25) was associated with age > 45, female gender, education ≥ 13 years, heavy physical activity, wealth status index (WSI), alcohol consumption, current cigarette smoking and opium consumption compared to reference group. Also, odds of abdominal obesity displayed a significant association with age > 45, female gender, education > 5 years, physical activity, WSI, current cigarette smoking, alcohol and opium consumption compared to reference group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results recommend local public health strategies that promote training the society on the health benefits of avoiding alcohol, getting more physical exercise and gaining more personal education on the health-threatening lifestyle.

Cytogenetic Studies of 608 Couples with Recurrent Spontaneous Abortions in Northeastern Iran.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: One of the major genetic causes of recurrent spontaneous abortions is parental chromosomal abnormalities. The objectives of the study were to determine, compare and analyze the incidence and distribution of chromosomal abnormalities in couples with recurrent miscarriages from Northeastern Iran. METHODS: This study was conducted at Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. We evaluated karyotype results of 608 couples with history of recurrent spontaneous abortion. The standard method was used for culturing peripheral venous blood lymphocytes. RESULTS: Chromosome aberrations were detected in 43 patients (3.54%), including 25 females and 18 males. Structural chromosomal abnormality was detected in 40 cases, including balanced translocations (25 cases), robertsonian translocations (4 cases), inversions (10 cases) and numerical chromosome aberrations (3 cases). Polymorphic variants were observed in 22 individuals. CONCLUSION: The frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in couples with Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion (RSA) in our study is 3.54%. Reciprocal translocation, pericentric inversions, robertsonian translocations, and numerical abnormality observed among couples who had experienced recurrent spontaneous abortions and that these couples might benefit from cytogenetic analysis.

Smoking, alcohol and opioids effect on coronary microcirculation: an update overview.

Smoking, heavy alcohol drinking and drug abuse are detrimental lifestyle factors leading to loss of million years of healthy life annually. One of the major health complications caused by these substances is the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which accounts for a significant proportion of substance-induced death. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are related to the higher risk of acute myocardial infarction. Similarly, opioid addiction, as one of the most commonly used substances worldwide, is associated with cardiac events such as ischemia and myocardial infarction (MI). As supported by many studies, coronary artery disease (CAD) is considered as a major cause for substance-induced cardiac events. Nonetheless, over the last three decades, a growing body of evidence indicates that a significant proportion of substance-induced cardiac ischemia or MI cases, do not manifest any signs of CAD. In the absence of CAD, the coronary microvascular dysfunction is believed to be the main underlying reason for CVD. To date, comprehensive literature reviews have been published on the clinicopathology of CAD caused by smoking and opioids, as well as macrovascular pathological features of the alcoholic cardiomyopathy. However, to the best of our knowledge there is no review article about the impact of these substances on the coronary microvascular network. Therefore, the present review will focus on the current understanding of the pathophysiological alterations in the coronary microcirculation triggered by smoking, alcohol and opioids.

Cytogenetic Study of Patients with Primary Amenorrhea in the Northeast of Iran.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Primary amenorrhea refers to the absence of menstruation in females of reproductive by age 16 when the development of secondary sexual characteristics is evident (breast development, pubic hair) or by age 14 when there are no secondary sexual characteristics are present. Primary amenorrhea can occur in several quite different reasons. Common hormonal causes of primary amenorrhea include constitutional delay, hypothalamic or pituitary disorders, chronic systemic disease, and primary ovarian insufficiency, some endocrine gland disorders, and other causes. Previous studies suggested that chromosomal abnormality is the second most common cause of amenorrhea. This report aims to measure the prevalence of the chromosomal abnormality in primary amenorrhea (PA) patients in the northeast of Iran. METHODS: Chromosomal study was carried out on 200 patients with clinical features. The standard method for culturing peripheral venous blood lymphocyte was to prepare metaphase chromosomes and perform routine GTG band analysis. RESULTS: The results revealed that 71% of PA had normal female karyotype (46,XX) and 29% showed different chromosomal abnormalities. The chromosomal abnormalities can be categorized into seven primary groups with or without mosaicism. 1- The most common karyotype was X chromosome aneuploidy (10.5%, n=21), 2- Male karyotype with or without structural abnormality of Y chromosome (5.5 %, n=11), 3- Mosaicism of turner karyotype and structural anomalies of X chromosome (4%, n=8), 4- Structural anomalies of the X chromosome (3.5%, n=7), 5- Mosaicism of turner karyotype and normal karyotype (3%, n=6), 6- Mosaicism of turner karyotype and male karyotype (1.5%, n=3) and 7- Super female karyotype (1%, n=2). CONCLUSION: The present study has emphasized that early cytogenetic and timely investigation can be necessary for the evaluation of primary amenorrhea.

Quantitative study of vimentin gene methylation in stool samples for colorectal cancer screening.

Due to importance of screening for colorectal cancer the present study was conducted and aimed at investigating the quantitative methylation of vimentin gene in stool, tumor tissue, and healthy tissue of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) in comparison with healthy individuals. This is a case-control study in which we measures methylation of the vimentin in tumoral tissue, normal tissue and stool specimens were collected from forty-nine CRC patients as case group and stool and normal tissue specimens were collected from thirty healthy individuals as control group. There was no statistically significant difference in methylation of vimentin in normal tissue (P > 0.05) between the two groups. Moreover, the status of methylated or unmethylated vimentin gene in tumor and stool tissues in the case group was not significantly correlated with their mean age and sex (P > 0.05). This study showed that the specificity and sensitivity of vimentin methylation in stool of CRC patients are 100% and 60%, respectively. Furthermore, the methylation of vimentin in stool of CRC patients has a high-positive predictive value (100%). The results of this study suggested that methylation of the vimentin gene in the stool can be used as a specific marker for the detection and screening of CRC.

Heterogeneous effects of cholecystokinin on neuronal response properties in deep layers of rat barrel cortex.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is one of the most studied neuropeptides in the brain. In this study, we investigated the effects of CCK-8s and LY225910 (CCK2 receptor antagonist) on properties of neuronal response to natural stimuli (whisker deflection) in deep layers of rat barrel cortex. This study was done on 20 male Wistar rats, weighing 230-260 g. CCK-8s (300 nmol/rat) and LY225910 (1 µmol/rat) were administered intracerebroventricularly (ICV). Neuronal responses to deflection of principal (PW) and adjacent (AW) whiskers were recorded in the barrel cortex using tungsten microelectrodes. Computer controlled mechanical displacement was used to deflect whiskers individually or in combination at 30 ms inter-stimulus intervals. ON and OFF responses for PW and AW deflections were measured. A condition-test ratio (CTR) was computed to quantify neuronal responses to whisker interaction. ICV administration of CCK-8s and LY225910 had heterogeneous effects on neuronal spontaneous activity, ON and OFF responses to PW and/or AW deflections, and CTR for both ON and OFF responses. The results of this study demonstrated that CCK-8s can modulate neuronal response properties in deep layers of rat barrel cortex probably via CCK2 receptors.

Effects of Dimethyl Sulfoxide on Neuronal Response Characteristics in Deep Layers of Rat Barrel Cortex.

INTRODUCTION: Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is a chemical often used as a solvent for water-insoluble drugs. In this study, we evaluated the effect of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of DMSO on neural response characteristics (in 1200-1500 µm depth) of the rat barrel cortex. METHODS: DMSO solution was prepared in 10% v/v concentration and injected into the lateral ventricle of rats. Neuronal spontaneous activity and neuronal responses to deflection of the principal whisker (PW) and adjacent whisker (AW) were recorded in barrel cortex. A condition test ratio (CTR) was used to measure inhibitory receptive fields in barrel cortex. RESULTS: The results showed that both PW and AW evoked ON and OFF responses, neuronal spontaneous activity and inhibitory receptive fields did not change following ICV administration of DMSO. CONCLUSION: Results of this study suggest that acute ICV administration of 10% DMSO did not modulate the electrophysiological characteristics of neurons in the l deep ayers of rat barrel cortex.

Studying the Balance of the Coper and Non-Coper ACL-Deficient Knee Subjects.

PURPOSE: It seems that there is an association between the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and stability of the knee. This study aimed to evaluate the balance condition of the injured and non-injured sides of the coper and non-coper ACL-D (deficient) subjects during single and bilateral standing conditions. METHODS: This case-control study was carried out on 10 coper and 5 non-coper ACL-D knee subjects and 15 sex-age matched healthy subjects. A Zebris platform pedobarograph tool was used in this study. The subjects were tested barefoot during single and bilateral leg stance conditions. The outcome measurements included measurement of the center of pressure (COP) path line length, confidence ellipse area and sway velocity. RESULTS: In double leg stance, data analysis revealed that the COP path line length, confidence ellipse area and sway velocity all showed a significant increase in the injured leg of the non-coper ACL-D subjects when compared to the injured leg of the coper ACL-D and healthy subjects (P=0.002). During single leg stance, all of the parameters showed significant increase in the injured leg of both coper and non-copers of the ACL-D subjects relative to the healthy subjects (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: This study confirmed a balance deficiency in the injured and apparently healthy leg of the non-coper and coper ACL-D knee subjects. Increased COP path line length, sway velocity and the coinfidence ellipse area clearly showed an impaired body balance. The reduced postural control of the non-coper ACL-D knee subjects in bilateral standing could be more evidence of their poor knee stability status.