مجله دانشگاه علوم پزشکی ایلام
سال سی‌ام شماره 3 (پیاپی 134، امرداد 1401)

Type 2 diabetes is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Endurance training and empagliflozin were reported to have notable effects on heart structure and function. This study aimed to investigate the effect of six weeks of endurance training and empagliflozin intake on some structural and functional indicators of the heart in diabetic male rats.

In this study, a total of 40 male Wistar rats (mean±SD weight: 253.09±12.92 g, aged: 8-10 weeks) were randomly divided into five equal groups, 1) healthy control, 2) diabetic control, 3) diabetic+empagliflozin, 4) diabetic+endurance training, and 5) diabetic+endurance training+empagliflozin and kept in laboratory conditions. Induction of diabetes was performed in rats after completion of the familiarization protocol for two weeks and after 12 h of food deprivation by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin  (STZ) solution at a dose of 50 mg /kg. The glucose level of 300 mg/dL was considered diabetic. The training groups practiced endurance training, five days per week for six weeks. The drug groups also received empagliflozin (10 mg/kg) daily by gavage. The animals were anesthetized 48 h after the end of the protocol and cardiac function was recorded using echocardiography. Subsequently, cardiac tissue was isolated and dissected. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis of data in SPSS software (version 27) and Graph Pad Prism software (version 9).

The results showed significant differences between study groups in terms of left ventricular end-systolic thickness (P=0.011) and left ventricular end-systolic volume (P=0.008). The results of the post-hoc test showed that left ventricular end-systolic thickness in the diabetic control group was significantly higher, compared to the healthy control group (P=0.012). On the other hand, left ventricular end-systolic thickness in diabetes+exercise+empagliflozin was significantly lower, compared to the diabetic control group (P=0.020). Moreover, left ventricular end-systolic volume in the diabetic control group was significantly higher, compared to healthy controls (P=0.006), and left ventricular end-systolic volume in the diabetes+exercise+empagliflozin group was significantly lower than that in the diabetic control group (P=0.017). No significant differences were observed in other structural and functional indices of the heart (P≥0.05).

The results of the present study showed that the combination of empagliflozin use and endurance training has a positive impact on the structure and function of the heart compared to the adoption of each (empagliflozin use and training) alone.

Abortion is a common complication that refers to the early termination of pregnancy with the death of the fetus before the 20th week of pregnancy. Previous studies show that many genes are involved in this disease, including the CX3CR1 gene, which is one of the inflammatory response genes in the immune system. The pathogenicity of these variants was determined in this study using bioinformatics analysis.

In this study, the effects of rs3732378 and rs3732379 mutation were predicted using bioinformatics tools including SIFT, PolyPhen2, PROVEAN, Predict SNP, and Exome Variant Server. Changes in the stability of mutant proteins were investigated using I-Mutant and DynaMut tools. Moreover, modeling of the protein structure, docking, and protein-ligand interaction were performed using SWISS-MODEL, SwissDock, and FRODOCK tools as well as PyMOL, Hawkdock, and MolSoft software, respectively.

Many polymorphisms related to the CX3CR1 gene have been known to date. Out of 244 missense mutations in the dbSNP database, two variants (rs3732378 and rs3732379) have been reported in association with recurrent pregnancy loss related to the CX3CR1 gene. The results of bioinformatics analyses showed that both variants were predicted as pathogenic mutations and changed the stability of the protein structure and played a key role in interaction with the ligand.

The findings of this study indicate that two missense mutations in the CX3CR1 gene are an important candidate for recurrent miscarriage and their identification in patients with recurrent miscarriage can be regarded as a risk factor.

Janthinobacterium. lividum (J. lividum) is a bacterium that can produce a secondary metabolite with antimicrobial properties called violacein. Violacein is produced in this bacterium under special conditions, such as food stress, lack of oxygen, changes in pH or ambient temperature, and even in the presence of a chemical. Bacteria use these production factors as agents for greater survival. This pigment can be used to dye hospital textiles with antibacterial properties. This study aimed to determine the appropriate conditions for the maximum production of violacein pigment by bacteria to save production time and cost.

In this study, the effects of different treatments were tested quantitatively and qualitatively to achieve the best conditions for the production of violacein by J. lividum. Other evaluations included the effect of aeration on the production of color biofilm, the effect of temperature on the production of violacein, glycerol concentration test and its effect on pigment production, the effect of glycerol, sodium sulfate, tryptophan, meat extract and peptone on production optimization, optimization in a solid and liquid medium and color spectrum, and violet dye resistance at different pHs. The SPSS software and t-test were used for quantitative analysis and comparison of the treatments.

It was found that a culture medium containing meat extract (0.3%) and peptone (0.5%),  glycerol (1%), and tryptophan (1%) on a solid culture medium containing nutrient agar was selected as the best culture medium for the production of violacein. The amount of biomass and dye production in the solid medium was twice that in the liquid medium. The optimum condition for the production of violacein pigment in this strain included pH 7 and a temperature of 25 °C. The purple color of this pigment was stable for a long time (24 h) at acidic pH (up to pH 11).

Modified nutrient agar solid culture medium was introduced for optimal production of violacein. Optimal bacterial culture conditions (temperature 25 °C and pH 7) were obtained for the best pigment production. It can be concluded that natural dyes can replace harmful chemical dyes if produced in a product with high efficiency and quality. In this study, the production of violacein with more efficacy was tried through the enhancement and improvement of culture medium composition and maintenance of the optimal production conditions.

Medicinal plants are valuable sources of different antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds. In this study, the effects of different extraction methods with aqueous and methanolic solvents were investigated on the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Teucrium hyrcanicum L.

In this basic experimental study, aqueous and methanolic extraction was carried out using three methods, including a magnetic stirrer, a Bain-Marie bath, and Shaker. The antioxidant effects were then determined using DPPH and RP methods along with the determination of total phenol and total flavonoid. The antibacterial effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Escherichia coli was determined through the disk diffusion method.
(Ethic code: IR.ausmt.rec.1398.11.34)

The evaluation of antioxidant properties showed that methanolic extract had a stronger effect than aqueous extract. Moreover, it was demonstrated that the magnetic stirrer method was superior to the other two extraction methods. The same results were obtained for total phenol and total flavonoid as well. Evaluation of antibacterial properties revealed that methanolic extract had antibacterial activity, while aqueous extract did not show antibacterial activity.

The results of this study showed that Teucrium hyrcanicum L. was more effectively extracted through the magnetic stirrer method than other extraction methods. Both aqueous and methanolic extracts had antioxidant properties, while only methanol extracts showed antibacterial properties. Therefore, this plant can have good therapeutic application in the treatment of diseases due to its antioxidant properties.

Epidemics and deaths caused by influenza viruses are an important concern worldwide. The use of neuraminidase inhibitors such as oseltamivir is an effective and valuable way to treat the diseases caused by these viruses. However, the mutation in several parts of the gene leads to the emergence of drug-resistant strains, and an ever-increasing rise in drug-resistant strains is a global problem. Histidine-to-tyrosine mutation at position 275 (H275Y) of neuraminidase protein is one of the most common oseltamivir resistance mutations. This study aimed to detect H275Y mutation in influenza A (H1N1) virus circulating in the Hamadan province of Iran using real-time polymerase chain reaction  (RT-PCR).

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 110 swab samples isolated from patients with suspected influenza virus infection between 2015 and 2016. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from samples and the RT-PCR method was used to determine virus types and subtypes. The positive samples were evaluated for detection of H275Y mutation using RT-PCR.

Out of 110 patients in this study, 50 (45%) were females and 60 (55%) were males. The mean±SD age of participants was 40.74±2.42 years. Influenza A (H1N1) virus was found in 22 (20%) out of 110 patients, including 9/50 (18%) females and 13/60 (21.7%) males. There was no significant relationship between the virus and gender (P=0.81). No drug resistance related to H275Y mutation was observed in 22 positive cases.

The findings indicated that no drug resistance mutations have occurred, and oseltamivir is still an appropriate option to treat infections caused by the influenza virus in Hamadan province, Iran. However, due to the increasing number of resistant strains, an annual review of oseltamivir resistance is recommended and further studies are needed in this regard.

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of neurofeedback exercises on executive performance, cognitive flexibility, and attention in students with learning disabilities.

In this study, a total of 30 male students with learning disabilities were referred to the Movafaghiat Clinic in Tehran, Iran, and were randomly assigned to two groups (each including 15 students). The first group (experimental group) received 16 sessions of neurofeedback training (two sessions per week) and the second group (control) did not receive any intervention. The study instruments included the Wisconsin cognitive flexibility test and the Stroop attention test. The data were analyzed using the univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software (version 24).

The results showed that the experimental group had superiority in terms of the indicators of the Stroop Attention test and Wisconsin Cognitive Flexibility test.

Based on the obtained results, neurofeedback training is effective in improving the executive functions of students with learning disabilities. Accordingly, this method can be used to improve the executive functions of these groups of students.
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Studies have shown that an increase in carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is associated with the progression of colorectal cancer and is considered a sensitive diagnostic factor for CRC. Moreover, the role of peroxisome proliferators (PPARs) has recently been considered in colorectal cancer. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the expression level of PPARs and CEA level in patients with colorectal cancer.

In this study, a total of 100 samples of primary tumor tissue along with adjacent healthy tissue samples and serum samples of patients with colorectal cancer who underwent surgery were prepared from the tumor bank of Tehran Cancer Institute in Thran, Iran. The expression level of peroxisome proliferator receptors (PRARs) in tissue samples and CEA level in serum samples were measured, and the relationship between these markers was evaluated as well. The financial support for the study was provided by the Islamic Azad University (grant number 132655).

The results of this study showed a significant increase in the expression level of PPARs and serum CEA levels in patients with colorectal cancer (P<0.01). Although the level of these markers had a significant relationship with the progression and spread of disease in patients (P<0.01), no significant relationship was observed between the expression of PPARs and serum CEA in these patients (P>0.05).

Based on the obtained results, the expression level of PPARs and the serum CEA level are associated with the progression and spread of the disease; however, there is no significant relationship between the expression level of PPARs and the serum CEA level in patients with colorectal cancer.

Primary stress can impair the nervous structure including the hippocampus and behavioral functions such as memory; therefore, paying attention to neutralizing the destructive effects of stress on the body has been one of the debatable topics among researchers. Considering the role of physical activity in reducing stress in previous studies, this study aimed to investigate the effect of four weeks of swimming training on learning and spatial memory in neonatal rats separated from their mother.

In this study, 40 male albino Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups (separation from mother, separation from mother and swimming training, swimming training, and control). The method of separating the infants from the mothers was used to make stressful conditions. Rats from separation groups were separated from mothers 6 h per day starting from the day after birth for one month. For physical activity, swimming training was performed for four weeks (five sessions per week) incrementally to measure stress and blood glucose level in mice, and the Morris Water Maze test was used to assess the learning and spatial memory.

The results of the analysis of variance test showed that the blood glucose in the group of rats that were separated from their mothers was significantly higher, compared to the control group (P=0.045), indicating that stress was successfully induced in these rats. Moreover, the results of the multivariate analysis of the variance test showed that although stress had no significant impact on spatial learning, the results of the exploration test showed a significant decrease in the percentage of entering the target quadrant (P=0.05) and the time spent in the target quadrant in the group separated from mother (P=0.029), compared to the control group. Therefore, spatial memory was degraded due to stress in the group of rats that were separated from their mother, compared to the other groups. However, swimming training in the group of rats that was separated from the mother could neutralize the destructive effects of stress on spatial memory and the percentage of entering the target quadrant (P=0.02) as well as the time spent in the target quadrant (P=0.05).

The results showed that although stress did not have a negative impact on spatial learning, it had a destructive impact on memory. On the other hand, swimming training as a treatment method could largely neutralize the negative effects of stress and improve memory.

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion causes complex pathological mechanisms that lead to tissue damage, such as neuronal apoptosis. Usnic acid is a secondary metabolite of lichen and has various biological properties including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of usnic acid on apoptotic cell death and apoptotic-related proteins (Bax and Bcl-2) in the CA1 area of the hippocampus following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

A total of 42 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups (sham, ischemia-reperfusion, and ischemia-reperfusion+usnic acid). Ischemia was induced by occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 20 min. Usnic acid (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) was injected at the beginning of reperfusion time. The expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins were measured using the immunofluorescence method, and the rate of apoptotic cell death was determined using the TUNEL staining method.

In this study, cerebral ischemia increased apoptotic cell death in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. It was demonstrated that usnic acid significantly decreased apoptotic cell death by decreasing the expression of Bax pro-apoptotic protein and increasing the expression of Bcl-2 (anti-apoptotic protein).

It can be concluded that usnic acid has a neuroprotective effect against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion damages by reducing cell death.

Genetic factors affect physical performance, exercise response, as well as elite athletic status; Therefore, the aim of the present study was the investigation of the Frequency and association of SNP rs 8111989 in CKMM A/G gene in weightlifting men with non-athlete men.

In this descriptive study, the subjects were include of all (n=30) elite male weightlifters (league champions, members of national team, and the champions of Asian, world and Olympics) from Isfahan province, age: 21.77±7.11; Height: 179.87±6.98 and weight: 96.87±22.73 (mean±standard deviation) Which compared with 44 non-athletes with similar anthropometric (age, height and weight) characteristics. 4 cc saliva samples were collected from each subject and After DNA extraction, the allelic and genotypic prevalence of CKMM A/G gene was determined by PCR via RFLP and electrophoresis. Independent t-test, chi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze the data via the SPSS software version 20. Also the significance level was considered at P<0.05.

The results showed that the prevalence of AG genotype was significantly higher than AA and GG genotypes in weightlifting, non-athlete and total population groups (P <0.05). Also, there was no significant relationship between CKMM A/G genotype and weightlifting status and there was no significant difference between weightlifters and non-athletes (P >0.05).

The results showed that the selected Iranian weightlifter, which belongs to the Caucasian race group, has potential genetics in endurance abilities as well as strength / power, likely.