Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Volume:21 Issue: 3, Jul 2019

Measles, Rubella, and Hepatitis B are vaccine-preventable infectious diseases that cause several complications and impose a burden on health systems worldwide. Medical students are exposed to these viruses during their clinical training period and are more susceptible to these infections. Therefore, it is imperative to assess their immunity against these three viruses. In this cross-sectional study in 2013, 75 blood samples were collected from the medical students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The sample included 53 female and 22 male students with a mean age of 22 years. The IgG levels against measles, hepatitis B, and rubella were measured by the ELISA method. To analyze the data, chi-square test was applied using SPSS 22 software. The protective levels of IgG against measles, rubella, and hepatitis B were detected in 88%, 97.3%, and 94.7% of the students, respectively. We found a significant correlation between a positive history of measles and hepatitis B vaccination and protection against these two viruses (P value = 0.016 and P value = 0.000, respectively). A significant correlation was detected between the number of hepatitis B vaccination doses and immunity against this virus (P value = 0.016). Immunity of medical students to measles, hepatitis B, and rubella was at an acceptable level. However, it is prudent to address any possible problems in measles vaccines. It is suggested that health planners evaluate medical students regarding their immunity to these viruses before they start their clinical training at hospitals.

Beneficial effects of life style modification (exercise training and nutritional interventions) on improving the quality of life and health status, and preventing age-related pathologies is proven in epidemiologic studies. The current randomized, double-blind, clinical trial aimed at evaluating the effects of a 12-week turmeric intake and Pilates training on serum level of SIRT 1, weight, and body fat percentage in postmenopausal females. The current clinical trial with a four-group design was conducted on 44 sedentary overweight females with the mean age of 50.3  3.8 years randomly assigned to one of the groups receiving 1.5 mg/kg turmeric powder or placebo daily with or without Pilates training for 12 weeks. Serum SIRT1 level, body weight, and body fat percentage changes were analyzed before and 24 hours after the intervention. Pairwise t-test and one-way ANOVA were used for data analysis (P < 0.05). According to the results, a 12-week PilatesandPilates-turmeric intervention reduced weightandbody fat percentage by~ 8% and 6% respectively, and increased serum SIRT1 content by ~ 2.9 fold (P < 0.01) in the training groups compared with the control group. There were significant differences between the training groups in comparison with the control or turmeric groups in all dependent variables. There was no significant difference between the Pilates and Pilates-turmeric groups. Moreover, no significant difference was observed in dependent variables in the turmeric supplementation group compared with baseline measures or the control group (P 0.05). Three months of Pilates training with and without turmeric supplementation seemed effective in increasing SIRT1 and improving body composition in middle-aged females. However, the results did not support the hypothesis that turmeric intake alone has potential exercise like effects on healthy middle-aged females.

Stem cell-based tissue engineering approaches have opened a new perspective in clinical practice. Site-specific migration of stem cells is one of the main challenges in stem cell therapy. Researchers have focused on the development of scaffolds mimicking the extracellular matrix of animal tissues for guided implantation of stem cells. Enhanced cellular viability using scaffolds is a continuous quest in stem cell-based tissue engineering. The current study aimed to investigate the viability and migration of blastema stem cells (BSCs) cultured on the micronanofiber chitosan/gelatin scaffold (CGS). A force-spinning device was used to prepare the CGS. This scaffold was then inserted into the blastema loop of rabbit’s pinna under anesthesia. The loop and scaffold were removed on the 6th, 9th, and 15th days post-scaffold implantation, followed by fixing and preparing for histological examination. Thin and semi-thin sections were taken off and the morphology of blastema stem cells on scaffolds was examined using light and electron microscopy. The results of the histological examination showed that the adhesion, migration, division, and survival of BSCs on CGS were progressively increased. According to the obtained results, CGScould provide a suitable viableenvironment for inducing changes in cellbehavior and morphology. Comprehensive molecular characterization and genomics analysis would help identify the exact mechanisms and pathways involved in cell viability and interaction with the scaffold.

Acute pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory disease of the pancreas characterized clinically by upper quadrant pain and elevated levels of enzymes in the blood. Although The pathogenesis of pancreatitis is not fully understood, gallstone and chronic alcohol abuse is considered for two-thirds or more cases in the united stated. In this case report, the researchers present a 29-year-old pregnant female G3P2 with 31 w, 2 d of gestational age, who was referring to maternity ward with upper quadrant pain, nausea, and vomiting. Her ultrasound, examination, and blood analysis showed acute pancreatitis due to hyperlipidemia. The patient underwent six plasmapheresis and medical treatment and was discharged with complete cure at 34 weeks of gestational age. Accurate assessment of the incidence and mortality of acute pancreatitis is difficult as mild pancreatitis may be subclinical and deaths may occur before the diagnosis of sever and fulminant attacks. Mortality rate is three percent in patients with interstitial pancreatitis and 17% in patients with pancreatic necrosis.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known as an important predictor of cardiovascular mortality, which has recently increasing among professional drivers. The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of MetS and some related components among taxi and bus drivers in Zahedan, because they have the working conditions and unusual lifestyles that can increases the risk of Mets. In a cross-sectional study, 500 male taxi and bus drivers were randomly selected. Waist circumference (WC), blood pressure, lipid profile and fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels were measured. The MetS was defined using criteria of Iranian National Committee of Obesity (INCO). The prevalence of MetS among taxi and bus drivers was 20% and 29.5%, respectively. The most frequent components contributing to MetS in taxi drivers were high triglyceride (81.4%), low HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol) (81.4%) and central obesity (64.4%); while in the bus drivers were central obesity (75%), high fasting blood glucose (73.3%) and high triglyceride (76.7%). By increasing age, driving duration and decreasing physical activity, odds ratio of MetS was increased. The findingsshowthat drivers are in high risk population groups for MetSandits complications. Thus, the substantial changes in lifestyle and educational programs implementation for promotion of their public health may be able to reduce the MetS risk and disease consequences.

Infertility has become a serious problem in societies,which may cause inevitable harm to the mental health of individuals.People suffering from their illness may experience increased anxiety if they wait for some time to receive services. The present study was conducted to determine the status of waiting anxiety in infertile women. This descriptive-analytic study was conducted 200 infertile women who consulted the Infertility Center of Yazd for treatmentin 2017. The method of sampling was conducted based on convenience sampling (availability sampling). Data were collectedwith waiting anxiety questionnaire (WAQ). Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS software (version 16.0). The analysis included:(1) descriptive statistics [mean,standard deviation (SD)],(2) chi-square,t-test,ANOVA,Pearson correlation coefficient. The total mean of waiting anxiety in infertile women was 20.695.82. Based on the results,the mean of the dimensionswere as follows: cognitive dimensions (5.31  2.25),physiologic dimensions (5.24  2.55),emotional dimensions (5.01  2.13) andbehavioral dimensions (14.32  2.03). The results also showed that a significant relationship between the total mean of waitinganxiety,cognitive,physiology,behavioral dimensions with duration of infertility exists (P < 0.05). In addition,there was asignificant relationship between the mean scores of behavioral dimensions with the duration of marriage (P,0.04),education(P,0.015). The results of this study showed that infertile women who consulted to the centers were in a moderate condition interms of waiting anxiety. Therefore,designing,performing effective interventions to reduce the anxiety of infertile women isrecommended.

The risk of preterm labor is significantly higher in women with a history of preterm delivery. The current study aimed at investigating the effect of 17 -hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) on preterm labor prevention in pregnant women with a history of preterm labor. In the current randomized control trial, 100 pregnantwomenwith a history of preterm labor were divided in two groups. The 17-OHPC 250 mg was prescribed to the case group from the week 20 of gestation weekly. Sampling was done randomly. The gestational age at birth was measured up and compared with that of previous labor. Data were analyzed using t-test. In the current study, the mean gestational age of previous and present labor were respectively 28.5  5.9 and 33.6  5.2 weeks in the case group (P = 0.001). In the control group, the mean gestational age of previous and present labor were 33.32.7 and 35.3  2.3 weeks, respectively (P = 0.001). The difference between the previous and present gestational age in the case and control groups were 5.14.0 and 3.31.4 weeks, respectively (P = 0.228). The birth weight in the case and control groups were 2.40.1 and 2.70.7 kg, respectively (P = 0.256). The 1-minute Apgar score in the case and control groups were 7.32.3 and 7.81.7, respectively (P = 0.494). Also, the 5-minute Apgar score in the case and control groups were 8.62.2 and 9.11.4, respectively (P = 0.393). In the current study, the number of infants requiring admission to the neonatal intensive care unit in the case and control groups were 16 (32%) and 14 (28%) respectively, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.711). The results of the study indicated that although gestational age at birth was higher in the case group than in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant.

This study was conducted on patients with tuberculosis (TB), based on regional needs and the outbreaks of the contagious disease, particularly those diagnosed with the smear-positive during 2014 - 2016. The regions neighboring this province, low health information, poorly equipped hospitals/medical clinics, high rate of welfare, the illegal entrance of foreigners to the province are necessities that have to be mentioned. Spreading awareness of the disease in the province and the examination of possible ways to control and prevent its spreading are the purposes of this study. First, the information concerning the files of 250 patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was collected in Zahedan’s Tuberculosis Coordinator and the diagnostic criterion for the studied participants was a microscopic observation of the sputum. All patients had a chest X-ray and were examined every two months by an infectious disease specialist who diagnosed them with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. As the observations were incomplete, we could not apply the regular methods and SPSS software to estimate the survival probability (function); instead, we used Generalized Turnbull’s Estimator (GTE) and R software to calculate the non-parametric conditional probability of the patient’s survival and recovery times. For Instance, for the ith person, Li and Ri have been considered based on the last positive result and the first negative result of the disease, respectively. Among 250 studied patients, four patients are right censored and the rest of them are interval censored. The patients’ age ranged from 10 to 91 years, the average age of diagnosis in infected males is 58.54 with a standard deviation (SD) of 19.10 years and females was 55.40 with an SD of 18.09 years. During this period there were no major differences between males and females. Moreover, 49.2% of the patients infected via sexual transmission were males and 50.8% of the patients were females. In this study, the patients’ weight was considered an effective variable in the evaluation of the survival function (the possibility of conditional survival) and we considered the effect of factors such as sex, the previous diagnosis of diabetes/AIDS, the previous history of being in contact with people with TB disease, and a history of imprisonment on the survival probability. As we can see, all the auxiliary variables mentioned above, are significantly effective in the course of the patient’s treatment and recovery (survival) time.