فهرست مطالب یحیی ژند

In some patients with a family history of the gender-linked disease, determination of the fetal gender in the first trimester of pregnancy is of importance. In X-linked recessive inherited diseases, only the male embryos are involved, while in some conditions, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia, female embryos are affected; hence early determination of fetal gender is important. The aim of the current study was to predict the gender of the fetus based on the accurate measurement of the fetal anogenital distance (AGD) by ultrasound in the first trimester. To determine the AGD and crown-rump length in this cross-sectional study, 316 women with singleton pregnancies were exposed to ultrasonography. The results were then compared with definitive gender of the embryos after birth. The best cut-off for 11 wk to 11 wk, 6 days of pregnancy was 4.5 mm, for 12 wk to 12 wk, 6 days was 4.9 mm, and for 13 wk to 13 wk, 6 days was 4.8 mm. AGD is helpful as an ultrasonographic marker that can determine fetal gender in the first trimester, especially after 12 wks.

Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases of the brain. Because of the drug resistance, finding new drugs is important. Recently, the beneficial effects of Ursodeoxycholic acid on brain disorders have been considered. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)on the Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced kindling, and related learning and memory impairments on Morris water maze.
This research is an experimental study. In this study animals were divided into 4 groups. The first (n=7) and the second (n=9)groups have received three injections of 0.5 ml NaCl or 50 mg/kg of UDCA respectively and third (n=7) and fourth (n=9) groups have received fifteen injections of 0.5 ml NaCl or 50 mg/kg of UDCA respectively. All injections were given intraperitoneally(ip)(every 48 hours). In all groups, chemical kindling were started after third injections. Twenty-four hour after the last injection, spatial memory was investigated in the Morris water maze.
FINDING: Fifteen injections of UDCA significantly reduced the seizure stage from 3.5±0.17 to 3.08±0.11 and duration of stages five from 12.37±1.21 to 8.43±1.09 and increased time to reach the stage five seizures from 1021.65±72.07 to 1252.41±49.63 as compared to control group. However, three injections of UDCA have no effect on the kindling process. Three and fifteen injections of UDCA had no effect on spatial learning. In contrast to a 15 injections group, three time administration of UDCA significantly increased reference memory from 18.72±1.2 s to 26.11±1.8 s.
Ursodeoxycholic acid inhibits chemical kindling and improves kindling induced memory impairment.

Copper is one of the main micronutrients in the human body. Malfunction in copper homeostasis results in Menkes syndrome and Wilson’s disease, which are associated with complications such as seizure and impairments in learning and memory. Use of high copper concentrations can cause permanent damage to the cells and neurons. The aim of this study was to examine the toxic effects of orally administered copper sulfate on rats’ learning in Morris water maze. In this experimental study, 39 Wistar rats were divided into male (n=21) and female (n=18) groups. These two groups were each randomly divided into three sub-groups. The control group received distilled water, while the other two groups were administrated 1 and 1.5 mM of copper sulfate, dissolved in distilled water for a period of one month. After this period, the Morris water maze was incorporated to evaluate the spatial memory of rats. In male rats, copper sulfate, which was added to drinking water, made no significant changes in the distance traveled to find the platform (24.09%±3.01 in the control group, 26.06%±2.95 in the 1 mm copper sulfate group, and 25.68%±1.82 in the 1.5 mM copper sulfate group), the time spent to find the platform (23.93±2.87 in the control group, 25.54±3.47 in the 1 mM copper sulfate group, and 25.33±1.92 in the 1.5 mM copper sulfate group), or the swimming speed. The comparison of female groups showed that 1 and 1.5 mM concentrations of copper sulfate could not cause any significant impairments in learning of rats. The results showed that the addition of copper sulfate to drinking water have no detrimental impacts on the memory or learning of male and female rats.

Several studies have demonstrated that the levels of inflammatory markers in healthy women are under the influence of menstrual cycle changes. The aim of this study was to compare blood levels of inflammatory markers in women with appendicitis in different phases of menstrual cycle.

In this case-control study, 70 female and 12 male patients with appendicitis, and 61 healthy women were enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inflammatory markers, such as leukocyte count, CRP, ESR, and TNF-α were measured and compared using student t-test and one-way ANOVA based on different phases of menstrual cycle.

There were no significant changes in the ESR, CRP, and TNF-α concentrations and the number of peripheral blood leukocytes in different phases of the menstrual cycle in women with appendicitis. The mean number of leukocytes and CRP concentrations were significantly higher in patients with appendicitis compared with the control group.

The findings show that there are not significant differences in the inflammatory markers in women with appendicitis during the different phases of menstrual cycles. It seems that day to day variation of sexual hormones in the menstrual cycle have led to very different conclusions about the change of inflammatory markers in different phases of menstrual cycle. Therefore, studies investigating inflammatory markers in women with acute appendicitis based on day of menstrual cycle, time of sampling in the day, and severity of appendicitis are suggested.

Acute pancreatitis is a common cause of abdominal pain, without any characteristic signs, symptoms, or a gold standard diagnostic modality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of urine trypsinogen-2 strip test in acute pancreatitis. In this cross-sectional study, 76 patients with abdominal pain suspected to acute pancreatitis who were admitted to the Emergency ward of Valiasr Hospital, Arak, were evaluated. In 46 patients, acute pancreatitis was confirmed (pancreatitis group), whereas in 28 patients, acute pancreatitis was ruled out (control group). In both groups serum levels of amylase, lipase, CRP, and urine trypsinogen-2 were measured by quantitative and qualitative methods. Sensitivity and specificity of the tests were determined and data were analyzed using SPSS software. Urine trypsinogen-2 dipstick was positive in 36 of the 45 patients in the pancreatitis group (sensitivity: 80%) and in 2 of the 28 patients in the control group (specificity: 92.8%). Urine trypsinogen-2 ELISA test was positive in 41 of the 45 patients in the pancreatitis group (sensitivity: 91.1%) and in 4 of the 28 patients in the control group (specificity: 89%). Amylase sensitivity and specificity were equal to 82.6% and 75%, respectively. Lipase sensitivity and specificity were 76% and 85.7%, respectively. Urine trypsinogen-2 dipstick can be used to differentiate acute pancreatitis from other causes of abdominal pain. This rapid, easy-to-use, and accurate test can be used in emergency wards and primary health care units with limited diagnostic facilities.

Diagnosis of acute appendicitis is one of the challenges that surgeons face in the emergency ward. Although Alvarado score has been recommended in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis, this criterion has some limitations in terms of age, sex, and race. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Alvarado score in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis based on the age and gender. In this cross-sectional study, 407 patients who underwent operation with the preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis from June 2008 to August 2009 were included in the study. The patients’ data were recorded by the investigators. The data were compared by parametric tests. The sensitivity and specificity were determined by the optimal cut-off point on ROC curve using MedCalc software version 10.2.0.0. The optimal cut-off point for women was lower than men (6 and 7, respectively). The rate of negative appendectomy in the group with Alvarado scores 9 and 10 was 11.8%, while the negative appendectomy rate in the other two groups with Alvarado scores 7 and 8 and 5 and 6 were 29.9% and 52.8%, respectively. The diagnostic value of Alvarado score of 8 and less in physical examination is lower than the abdominal tenderness exam alone. Also, the cut-off point for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis in women should be considered lower than that in men. On the other hand, the cut-off point in adolescents and children is higher than adults

Nowadays, the use of inflammatory biomarkers in the diagnosis of appendicitis is on the rise. On the other hand, the role of oxygen free radicals in various inflammatory states has been verified. Noticing the high prevalence of negative appendectomy (9.3-22.2%), the aim of this study was to investigate the level of blood total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as a biomarker for early diagnosis of acute appendicitis. In this prospective analytical trial, over a one-year period, 407 patients, with preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis who had undergone operation, were studied. After measuring the TAC level, data were analyzed through the analytic ROC curve and parametric mean comparison tests. Of all the patients, 298 were identified with appendicitis. TAC levels in adult female and male groups were respectively 663.9±164.75 and 752.58±167.37 µm/L which revealed a significant difference (p<0.0001). Also, in children, the mean of TAC level in perforated appendicitis sub-group was significantly greater than those in gangrenous and suppurative groups. TAC level can be used as a predictive factor for the diagnosis of perforated appendicitis in children; however, it cannot be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of appendicitis. Because of the significant difference existing between the level of TAC in male and female patients, further studies are suggested to investigate the level of inflammatory biomarkers with respect to menstrual cycle in women.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) of unknown etiology. Vitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) has strong immune modulating potential. Nitric Oxide (NO) has been identified as one of the most destructive products of the immune system and is an important factor in demyelination. The effect of short-term vitamin D3 supplementation on NO level was assessed in MS patients.

The study included 60 MS patients (male and female). Patients were randomized independently, in a double blind design, into one of two treatment groups. Controls (n=30) received current treatment. Vitamin D treated (n=30) individuals received current treatment plus 300000 IU vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 injection was repeated monthly for 6 months. Nitric oxide (NO) production was estimated by Griess reaction.

NO levels decreased following vitamin D3 treatment but the differences did not reach significance (12.411.1 μmol/L to 9.88.9 μmol/L). Control group was also associated with an increase in NO levels but not statistically significant (18.417.07 μmol/L to 22.0716.8 μmol/L).

Vitamin D3 has not significant effect on the level of nitric oxide. However, further studies should be done to evaluate the potential of vitamin D as an immune modulator in management of MS.

Although the roles of steroid hormones in the activation and maintenance of reproductive function are proved well, emerging evidence indicated that these steroids influence on performance of learning and memory. These effects are complex and vary with task, gender, and age, as well as the regimens of steroid exposure. This study was carried out in order to assess the role of progesterone administration in newborns rats on Morris water maze learning ability after adolescence. Methods and Materials: This experimental study was carried out on 36 newborns Wistar rats. Rats were divided randomly into 6 groups; female progesterone, male progesterone, female sesamoide, male sesamoid rats and male and female control rats. Progesterone groups were treated with a single injection of progesterone (100 mg/kg) and sesamoid groups were received the same volume of sesamoid oil as the progesterone vehicle in day 1 or 2 after brith, 60 days later, spatial memory ability was determined in Morris water maze. The results of this study show that water maze learning can enhance by administration of sesamoid oil in newborn female pups in compared to progesterone and control groups (p<0.05). In addition, adding progesterone to sesame oil reduce water maze learning to control level. The hypothesis that progesterone impaired spatial reference memory in female rats was supported by this experiment.

pentylenetetrazole Kindling is widely used as a model for epileptogenesis. The achievement of kindling criterion is known to require repeated drug injection during time to develop. In this article a series of experiments aimed to examin the hypothesis that after 4 primary injections only time is needed to induced kindling in wistar rats. Methods and Materials: In this experimental research, 32 male Wistar rats were divided in two groups. Control Group were kindled by repeated injections of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ; 37.5 mg/kg;i.p. 48 h interval), in case group were done 4 repeated injections of pentylenetetrazole and have 32 days time lapse, at the end of experiment two groups received same dose of PTZ simultaneously and seizure parameters were assessed. Data were analyzed using student’s t-test and one way ANOVA and Turkey’s test. Results showed there isn’t significant differences in seizure parameters such as seizure stage (control; 4.75±0.26, case; 4.75±0.29), stage 2 latency (control; 165±16.6, case; 216±38.68), stage 5 latency (control; 2.13±0.38, case; 3.47±0.64) and stage 5 duration (control; 21.15±2.42, case; 23.42±1.20) between two groups. Resuits of this experiment introduces the new critical time window for PTZ kindling.

Regarding the high prevalence of epileptic seizures, its complications and the necessity to control them, this study was carried out in order to assess the role of progesterone administration in newborn rats on Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) kindling susceptibility after maturity. This experimental study was carried out on 32 newborn Wistar rats. Rats were randomly divided into four groups, which are as follows: progesterone-injected females, progesterone-injected males, sesamoid-injected females and sesamoid-injected males. Progesterone and sesamoid groups were injected with progesterone (100 mg/Kg) and sesamoid (100 mg/Kg) respectively. Sixty days after injection chemical kindling in the rats was analyzed by PTZ administration. Progesterone significantly increased the susceptibility for PTZ kindling in female rats however it did not have a significant effect on seizure parameters in male rats. The results of this study suggest that chronic administration of progesterone can only increase susceptibility for chemical kindling in female rats and not in the males.