Journal of Clinical and Basic Research
Volume:2 Issue: 2, Spring 2018

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is one of the common causes of thrombocytopenia in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy. Herein, we report a pregnant woman with ITP with the aim to review the latest evaluation and treatment methods for ITP in the third trimester of pregnancy. Case description: The patient was a 23-year-old G2 P1 woman with gestational age of 33 weeks and 4 days, who was referred to hospital due to reduced platelet count (21,000) in the pregnancy screening tests. The patient was subjected to splenectomy after 3 weeks at gestational age of 36 weeks and 4 days, and cesarean section was performed concurrently to terminate the pregnancy. The patient was transferred to the ICU after surgery and was stable. The wound site was normal. Within a few days after the surgery, platelet levels increased to 80,000. Finally, the patient was discharged in a good general condition two weeks after the cesarean section, and was prescribed to take 5 mg prednisolone daily. ITP should be considered in all patients who are first diagnosed with single thrombocytopenia during pregnancy, especially if the condition is detected before the third trimester and with platelet count of less than 50,000. Depending on the course of the disease, patients should be thoroughly monitored for platelet levels for timely treatment

Intense exercise may cause immunological changes and muscle damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of one session of resistance training with and without blood flow restriction on serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in female athletes. In this semi-experimental study, 30 female basketball players were randomly divided into a traditional resistance training group (without blood flow restriction), a resistance training group (with blood flow restriction) and a control group. Blood samples were taken before the first session and 30 minutes after the last training session. T-test and one-way analysis of variance were used for evaluation of within group and between group differences, respectively. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS (version 23) at significance level of 0.05. Serum level of CK increased significantly in all group, while serum LDH increased significantly only in the experimental groups when compared with pre-test levels (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in serum levels of CK and LDH between the experimental groups and the control group. Resistance training with blood flow restriction and high-intensity resistance training without blood flow restriction have similar effects on markers of muscle damage

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which both genetic and environmental factors could be involved. Peptidyl arginine deiminase type IV (PADI4) is an enzyme responsible for the posttranslational conversion of arginine residues into citrulline. The association between PADI4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and RA susceptibility have been reported. Here, we aimed to assess the association of PADI4-104 (rs1748033) variant with the susceptibility to RA in an Iranian population in northeast of Iran. A total of 130 RA patients and 128 age- and sex-matched healthy donors were recruited. The amplification-refractory mutation system with allele specific primers was used to detect PADI4-104 SNP. Disease activity was calculated using Disease Activity Scale 28a. SPSS 22.0 and SNPstat online software were used to analyze data using relevant statistical tests. The CC genotype was more frequent in healthy subjects compared to RA patients. Setting the CC genotype as the reference, the TT genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of RA [OR = 2.11, 95% CI (1.45–3.07), P-value = 0.0001]. Moreover, no significant association was observed between genotypes and the disease activity score (P=0.154). The present study suggests that the PADI4-104 genetic variants are associated with RA susceptibility but not with the disease activity. While this is the first time to report such association in an Iranian population in northeast of Iran, further studies are required to confirm these findings

Menopause is an important event accompanied with significant hormonal changes that have permanent and irreversible effects on women’s lives. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life and psychological profile of postmenopausal and non-menopausal women in Gorgan, Iran. This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 120 women (60 non-menopausal and 60 postmenopausal women) who were selected via randomized sampling. Data were collected using a quality of life questionnaire and the Minnesota multifaceted questionnaire. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to analyze the data. The mean age of postmenopausal women and non-menopausal women was 56.53 ± 1.32 years and 57.43 ± 1.02 years, respectively. The vasomotor and physical function and psychological profile of postmenopausal and non-menopausal women were significantly different (P<0.05). Education had no effect on the quality of life and the psychological profile of postmenopausal and non-menopausal women (P<0.05). The present study showed that common menopausal symptoms affect the quality of life and psychological profile of postmenopausal women. Relieving symptoms of menopause can promote quality of life of postmenopausal women and prevent complications and adverse psychological effects of menopause in these individuals

Healthcare centers aim to improve the quality of managed care using a diverse range of organizational strategies and through management of patients’ health and behavior. The goal of prenatal care is to ensure the health of future mothers during the prenatal and postnatal periods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the structure of prenatal care in health centers of Gorgan (Iran) based on the Donabedian model. This descriptive-analytical study was carried out in 18 of 22 health centers in Gorgan (Iran) that were selected via multistage probability sampling. Data were collected using a 60-item questionnaire based on the Donabedian model with 5 dimensions (physical infrastructure, waiting room equipment, midwifery unit equipment, human resource infrastructure and access to services). Another questionnaire consisting of 14 questions was used to collect biographic information. Data were analyzed with SPSS (version 16). Normal distribution of variables was assessed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Parametric tests (binomial) and nonparametric coefficient were used for assessment of normal and non-normal data, respectively. All statistical analyses were performed at 95% confidence level (P <0.05). The Friedman test was used for one-way repeated measures analysis of variance by ranks. The average total score of structure was 30.83 in the health centers. The average score for waiting room equipment, midwifery unit equipment, human resource infrastructure, physical infrastructure and access to services was 4.61, 13.94, 1.78, 6.56 and 3.94, respectively. Based on the average structure scores and prioritization, the rankings were as follows: physical infrastructure, midwifery unit equipment, waiting room equipment, access to services and human resource infrastructure. Generally, the low score of quality of services in the present study indicates the need for planning and paying proper attention to non-therapeutic aspects of health services and improvement of services quality.

Mucositis is a side effect of chemotherapy, which affects patients' quality of life. Nurses are the main care providers for cancer patients. Choosing a suitable care strategy is a challenge faced by oncology nurses. Educating patients about management of cancer therapy complications results in optimal use of healthcare services and improves quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate level of health education provided by nurses to the parents of children with chemotherapy-induced mucositis. This descriptive study was conducted in 2016 on 60 children (mean age 86.7 ± 39.16 months) with chemotherapy-induced mucositis at the Children's Hospital of Tabriz, Iran. Demographic information and health education offered in conjunction with the mucositis clinical records were obtained through interviews with the parents. The data were analyzed in SPSS 12, using chi-square test and t-test. Only 3.3% of the subjects received appropriate training in relation to mucositis, whereas 56.6% received no training and 40% received partial training. Our results suggest that the level of training provided for children with chemotherapy-induced mucositis is not satisfactory. Therefore, nursing authorities and planners should prepare the nursing personnel to provide care and special support to these patients.

Attitude is one of the fundamental issues in determining the success of students. It is related to a person’s values and beliefs and promotes or discourages the choices made in both academic career and social life.The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gender and field of study on students’ attitude towards learning the English language. A questionnaire was adopted from a previous study to evaluate attitude of 33 human sciences and medical sciences students selected from the Mazandaran University and Golestan University of Medical Sciences, respectively. Gender had no significant impact on the behavioral, cognitive and emotional aspects of attitude. Field of study had a significant impact on the behavioral and cognitive aspects of attitude but not on the emotional aspect. Since English is an obligatory subject for the majority of EFL learners, teachers are ought to motivate the learners by highlighting the importance of English for their academic achievement. Engaging students in activities that are matched with their needs and interests can also improve the attitude towards English.

Nutritional status of patients with inflammatory bowel disease is estimated to be lower than optimal. This study was designed to compare the serum level of some trace elements in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). This cross-sectional study was performed in 2015-2016, on 60 recently diagnosed UC patients (30 with active UC and 30 with inactive UC) who were recruited from registry of the Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Gorgan, Iran) through simple random sampling. Thirty healthy individuals were also recruited as controls. Demographic data and disease activity index were recorded through a checklist. Serum levels of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se) and magnesium (Mg) were measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. Data were analyzed using SPSS 16 at significance level of 0.05. Mean serum level of Cu in the patients (0.75±0.25 mg/L) was significantly lower than in the controls (1.11±0.3 mg/L) (P=0001). Similarly, mean serum level of Mg in the patients (15.84±4.3 mg/L) was significantly lower than in the controls (19.48±15.7 mg/L) (P=0.001). Mean serum level of Se was slightly higher among the UC patients, while mean serum level of Zn was slightly lower in the UC patients compared with the controls. Our results show that UC patients have significantly lower Cu and Mg levels compared to healthy individuals. However, serum Zn and Se levels do not differ significantly between the UC patients and the control individuals. Further studies are required to confirm the results of this study.