Journal of Kerman University of Medical Sciences
Volume:26 Issue: 2, March-April 2019

Stem cell therapy has been developed as an effective treatment method for the heart failure. Also, extracellular matrix has shown the positive effects in stem cell differentiation and myocardial tissue organization. Cardiogel is a native cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from cardiac fibroblasts. In the present study the role of cardiogel is examined for its cardiomyogenic potential on mouse bone marrow- derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs).
The BM-MSCs were isolated from six-week-old mice. Cardiac fibroblasts were collected from neonatal heart mice and the cells were seeded on 0.2% gelatin pre-coated plates for up to 21 days. Then, the decellularization was performed via enzymatic digestion. For cardiomyocyte differentiation, the BM-MSCs were plated on matrix-coated plates (Cardiogel, CCP), Matrigel-coated plates (MCP) and gelatin-coated plates (GCP) as a control group at a density of 1 × 104 cells per cm2 in CM containing 3 mM 5-azacytidine.
The results proved that cardiogel is capable to promote the cardiomyogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs. Cardiogel had a great influence on cellular adhesion, gene expression and cardiomyocyte differentiation compared to MCP and GCP. Gene expression analysis showed that cardiac specific markers were expressed in BM-MSCs has grown in CCP that represented the cardiac-specific differentiation.
Our results suggest that cardiogel is an effective ECM that can improve the cardiomyogenic differentiation of BM-MSCs, and it can be used as a possible therapeutic approach in cardiac tissue regeneration.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity, which is highly invasive. Verrucous carcinoma (VC) is the low-grade form of SCC. Epithelial dysplasia (ED) also has a malignant potential. This immunohistochemical (IHC) study aimed to assess angiogenesis and the presence of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in SCC, VC and ED to determine the role of these factors in the progression of dysplastic lesions to neoplasia.
Two 4 µ-thick sections were made of 43 paraffin blocks (14 SCC, 14 VC and 15 ED lesions confirmed by two pathologists) for IHC staining. The mean microvessel density (MVD) and the number of TAMs were determined by assessing the expression of CD34 and CD68, respectively in each group of lesions. Data were analyzed using the Fisher’s Exact Test, Chi-square, Kruskal Wallis tests and one-way ANOVA with the aid of SPSS version 21.
Expression of CD34 in ED was higher than that in VCand SCC (ED>VC>SCC). Expression of this marker in more severe forms of ED was higher than that in mild forms. This expression was lower in high-grade SCC in comparison to low-grade SCC. Expression of CD68 in SCC was slightly higher than that in VC and ED. Expression of this marker in severe ED was less than that in mild ED. Its expression in high-grade SCC was higher than that in low-grade SCC, but these differences were not significant for CD68. No significant association was noted between the expression of CD68 and CD34 in these lesions.
The increase in the number of TAMs in malignant oral epithelial lesions was related to the type of tumor and its histopathological grade, but no association was found between TAMs and MVD.

The prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus is rising. Myocardial hypertrophy is the most common cardiac disorder in the infants of diabetic mothers, which hypothetically can cause fatal arrhythmias. This study investigated prolonged QT in the newborns of diabetic mothers in Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman City, in 2015.
This case-control study was conducted on 49 neonates of diabetic mothers and 30 babies of healthy mothers. Routine echocardiograms and Tissue Doppler Imaging (TDI) were performed for all the newborns. QTc values were computed from randomly selected beats on ECG.
Twenty-nine (59%) newborns in case group had septal hypertrophy which was higher than control group (P < 0.05). There was no difference between case and control groups in QTc values (P > 0.05), and there was no relationship between septal hypertrophy and QT prolongation. Twenty-one percent of the infants in control group, had septal hypertrophy. Although parameters of M-Mode Echocardiography were similar, TDI showed differences between the two groups. (TDI) is applicable for the measurement of both systolic and diastolic functions.
Findings revealed that the screening and treatment of diabetes during pregnancy need a revision in our context. In addition, there is a paucity of studies concerning the evaluation of TDI in the newborns of diabetic mothers. We recommend conducting studies to compare the routine echocardiograms with TDI in these high risk infants.

A number of aromatic medicinal plants used for treating infection disease have been mentioned in different phytotherapy manuals due to their availability, fewer side effects, and reduced toxicity.Dracocephalum L is one of the most important genuses of Lamiaceae.The aim of our study was to evaluate the chemical compositions of Dracocephalum Lindbergii Rech.fand Dracocephalum subcapitatum (O.kuntze) Lipskyand there is antimicrobial activites.
Two species of Dracocephalum (Dracocephalum Lindbergii Rech.fand Dracocephalum subcapitatum (O.kuntze) Lipsky ) were collected at North Khorasan province.Extracting the essential oil of the aerial parts of the plant was done through the method of hydrodistillation using Clevenger, and the identification of the essential oils components were carried out through GC-MS. The antibacterial activity was performed against three human pathogenic bacteria including:Escherichia Coli,Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus atrophaeuse, using disk diffusion method.
Forty-two components were identified in the essential oil of the species Deracocephalum Lindbergii Rech.f., representing 90.69% of the total oil. The highest percentage of the components belongs to β-ocimene with 17.58%. Thirty components were identified in the plant Deracocephalum subcapitatum (O.kuntze) Lipsky, representing 87.24% of the total oil, in which the highest percentage belongs to β-ocimene with 24.45%. The antibacterial effects showed that the bacteria of Bacillus atrophaeus and Staphylococcus aureus with the diameter inhibition zones of 29 and 33 mm were the most sensitive. In addition, the essential oil of D.subcapitatum (O.kuntze) with a diameter of 33 mm inhibition zone had the highest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Based on the results of this study,the chemical variations of the volatile oils  of two Dracocephalum  species might be correlated with geographical regions and enviromental conditions play a significant role in biosynthesis of the components of the oil. Also,The results of the antibacterial examination of the essential oil s of the studied species can lead to the discovery of new antibacterial agents.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of mean platelet volume (MPV) in comparison with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), quick SOFA (qSOFA), and Mortality in Severe Sepsis in the Emergency Department (MISSED) scoring systems in predicting hospital mortality among patients with severe sepsis.
This follow-up study was conducted on patients over 18 years with severe sepsis, who were referred to the emergency department. Complete blood count (CBC) samples were sent to the laboratory for MPV measurement. Also, the required samples for determining SOFA and MISSED scores were collected. A senior emergency medicine resident completed the questionnaires upon patient admission and during follow-ups. Hospital mortality was considered as the outcome of the study. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.
Among 428 patients with severe sepsis, 200 cases were recruited in this study from May 1, 2017, to May 1, 2018. The frequency of hospital mortality was 56 (28%). In the univariate analysis, there was a significant relationship between hospital mortality and age, base excess (BE), MPV, platelet distribution width (PDW), SOFA score, qSOFA score, and MISSED score (P< 0.0001). Based on the backward conditional method in the multivariate analysis, three variables, including SOFA, qSOFA, and MISSED scores, which showed a significant relationship with hospital mortality, remained in the final model.
It seems that MPV plays a less significant role in determining the outcomes of severe sepsis in patients. qSOFA and MISSED scores, especially SOFA score, are of great significance in determining the prognosis of these patients.

Anopheles stephensi is considered to be the main malaria vector in the Middle East area including Iran. We aimed to evaluate the efficiency of a granule 10% formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis against this species under laboratory and semi-field conditions in an endemic malarious area of Iran.
After collecting mosquitos from Hurmudar, in order to find the best effective dose, five dosages (a quarter-dose, half dose, recommended dose, a twice-dose and four times dose) were used for laboratory and semi-field assays in Bandar Abbas.
Recommended dose by factory (0.017 g /0.1 m2) showed the highest mortality rate on An. stephensi larvae in both assays. The efficiency of Bt was very low (21 %) under semi-field condition. According to the results of this study, the use of bacteria alone cannot be a useful and effective way to control the vector of malaria in Iran's geographic conditions. This method can be used (in the case of appropriate efficacy of the tested formulation in field condition) as one of the constituent parts of Integrated Vector Management (IVM) program along with other recommended methods.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is an industrial solvent which is often used as a degreaser for metal parts. Due to adverse health effects and carcinogenic properties of this solvent, knowing its concentration in the workplace atmosphere is really crucial. Nowadays, carbon nanotubes with high efficiency are being used for sampling of this chemical.
Three types of static standard atmosphere with the concentrations of 18, 35, and 53 ppm were produced. Then, sampling tubes which contained 10 mg of functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes were prepared. Subsequently, air standard atmosphere was made inside sampling bags. The mean adsorption efficiency was examined in three sampling flows (0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 L/minute). Finally, desorption was performed by carbon disulfide and analysis was conducted using gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry) GC/MS (according to the instructions of NIOSH 1022 and OSHA 1001.
The highest amount of adsorption occurred in the flow of 0.1 L/minute (81.51±3.72). Furthermore, considering the three studied concentrations of trichloroethylene (18, 35, and 53 ppm); the highest efficiency was recorded at 18 ppm concentration (83.18±11.67). The highest adsorption efficiency with the lowest standard deviation (80.55±3.85) was observed in samples that were immediately injected into the GC/MS machine.
Given that time-lapse had no significant effect on adsorption efficiency, it is argued that the pollutant had suitable stability on the surface of the adsorbent. The results of this study show that multi-walled carbon nanotubes have better performance at lower concentrations of trichloroethylene.

The results of studies on the effects of age on sperm parameters are controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of age and semen parameters. In this study 278 men (32.3±6.5 years, range 19 to 65 years) referred to a private medical laboratory to evaluate couple infertility were included from April 2016 to March 2017. Cases with azospermia were excluded from the current study. In some cases, the cause of the couple infertility was female factor, which is not addressed in this report. Semen samples were collected using standard methods. We analyzed semen parameters using computer-assisted sperm analysis. All semen parameters were deteriorating with increasing age; however, only the correlation of age with sperm motility was statistically significant. This correlation showed a quadratic model with an increasing trend up to a peak at 32 years and then decreasing (R2=0.024, P=0.03). We divided cases into two age groups and repeated the analysis separately for patients younger than 31 years (median age of our population) or patients older than 31 years. We found that the semen parameters including count, volume, total motility and vitality showed a negative correlation with age in older patients, however, this correlation was significant only for the total motility (P=0.02). Age has an insignificant impact on sperm count, whereas, Sperm motility showed an increasing trend up to a peak at 32 years and then decreasing significantly.

The most common congenital and developmental anomaly in teeth is the missing of one or more of them. Congenitally missing teeth (CMT) or teeth agenesis mentions failure of tooth formation due to disturbances during the early stages of tooth germ development. There are several definitive treatment options for these patients including fixed, removable or implant-supported prostheses. Economic limitations and age of treatment prevent us from choosing the most desirable treatment. This clinical report describes a noninvasive approach for full mouth reconstruction of a child with multiple missing teeth besides posterior open bite occlusion.