Journal of Advances in Medical and Biomedical Research
Volume:28 Issue: 130, Sep Oct 2020

Allergies are manifested with a variety of signs and symptoms. In this study, the frequencies of asthma symptoms, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and related factors among 6- to 7-year-old schoolchildren were investigated.

Materials & Methods

This cross-sectional study was carried out among schoolchildren of 35 elementary schools of Zanjan by using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISSAC) questionnaire consisting of the following:  asthma symptoms, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, sex, weight, height, feeding, paracetamol and antibiotic use, maternal education, physical activity, exposure to pets or farm animals, heavy traffic exposure, and parental tobacco use. Data were gathered and analyzed by SPSS software.

In this study, 800 children (383 girls and 417 boys) were recruited. The prevalence of wheezing was 28.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] [27, 36]), rhinitis 20% (95% CI [19, 27]), and dermatitis 16.8% (95% CI [13.1, 17.5]). However, the rates of physician-diagnosed asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema were 1%, 8.9%, and 4.1%, respectively. The prevalence rates of asthma symptoms and atopic dermatitis were significantly higher in girls than in boys (P=0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). The weight of children with asthma was significantly higher than children without asthma (P=0.01). 

The frequencies of wheezing, rhinitis, and dermatitis among 6- to 7-year-old children were high. Thus, symptoms and history should be considered for the accurate diagnosis and management of children.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) represent serious chronic auto-inflammatory conditions, affecting the alimentary tract. The beneficial effect of dexpanthenol has been observed on some inflammatory conditions. Here, the therapeutic potential of combined dexpanthenol and prednisolone in alleviating the symptoms of the animal model of IBD was investigated.

Materials & Methods

Luminal instillation of 4% acetic acid (2 ml for each rat) was used to induce IBD. Rats in the treatment groups received dexpanthenol (500 mg/kg), prednisolone (2 mg/kg), or a combination of both (half doses of each drug) by oral gavage for 11 consecutive days. 

Dexpanthenol could regress the clinical scores of the IBD model more than prednisolone. More importantly, combination therapy with half doses of dexpanthenol and prednisolone caused more considerable improvement in the disease activity index (DAI) compared to IBD rats received monotherapy. Both monotherapies promoted a remarkable decrease in the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of NF-κBp65, as well as the levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and TNF-α activity in the inflamed colon. Dexpanthenol could regress the intensity of malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and nitric oxide (NO) in the inflamed colon more than prednisolone. More importantly, our results demonstrated that combination therapy resulted in a much more prominent decrease in the level of TNF-α and NF-κBp65, as well as the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total gut protein content, than monotherapy. Conversely, combination therapy resulted in a much more pronounced decrease in NO and MDA levels than those recorded in IBD rats received individual treatment. Finally, the mRNA level of IκBα did not show any remarkable discrepancy between the experimental groups.

The combination of dexpanthenol and prednisolone could be used as a promising strategy to alleviate the signs of IBD.

Background and Objectives:

Zanjan is reported as the hot spot region of  Brucellosis infection in Iran. This longitudinal study aimed to determine the epidemiologic pattern as well as the risk of Brucellosis using geospatial estimation in Zanjan province.

Materials and Methods:

The data used in this study were collected from the Health Center of the cities of Zanjan province during 2012-2017 and after the approval of the disease control unit of the province, entered the study. This longitudinal study was used to determine the annual pattern of the disease and to identify high-risk areas using Moran statistics and then analyzed using the temporal spatial cox model.

Results:

The results of the research show that the number of affected people in the province was increased after 2012 and the maximum number was observed from 2013 to 2014, however, from 2015 to 2016 it showed a significant decrease. Spatial variations show that the incidenceof the disease was increased in all areas over the six years. the temporal variations shows that during the years 2012 to 2017 the incidence of brucellosis in spring and summer was higher than other seasons; thereafter the incidence peak was witnessed in Khordad, Tir and Mordad.

The results of this study can be used to determine the starting point of future programs and to evaluate their effectiveness.

 The present study aimed at exploring the structure of global knowledge, hidden patterns, and emerging Coronavirus events using co-word techniques. Co-word analysis is one of the most efficient scientific methods to analyze the structure and dynamics of knowledge and the general state of research. 

Materials & Methods:

 This applied research performed using Co-word analysis. The statistical population is 4102 keywords from Web of Science Core Collection indexed documents on Coronavirus retrieved through advanced search (1970-2019). To identify the keywords used to design a search strategy, the Medical Subject Heading browser was utilized. After the keyword editing process, the threshold identified, and UCINET, VOSviewe, and SPSS 16 were used to analyze the data.

 The highest frequent keyword was "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)" with a frequency of 276. Nineteen subject clusters were the result of a hierarchical clustering analysis by the Wardschr('39') method. Clusters 4 and 15 were the biggest ones with nine keywords. Strategic diagram analysis showed that the most prominent Coronavirus clusterschr('39') most prominent clusters are in Quadrant III of the strategic diagram.

 The results showed that Coronavirus researchchr('39')s intellectual structure in the form of 19-topic thematic clusters and determining the degree of cluster cohesion makes it possible to discover complex conceptual relationships of valid international Coronavirus research. The results of this paper could also be used to guide medical researchers, especially coronavirus scientists. Medical policymakers can also more effectively present strategic plans by becoming aware of the global knowledge structure, hidden patterns, and emerging international coronavirus events.

thrombolytic therapy, an appropriate treatment option , if primary angioplasty is not available for the treatment of Acute Myocardial Infarction patients in the early hours after the onset of the symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the tenecteplase drug vs alteplase  in the treatment of STEMI patients. We searched the PubMed, cochrane library, Web Of Science for safety and clinical effectiveness. we hand searched US, european, and iranian cardiovascular journals. Randomized clinical trials that included comparison TNKase with alteplase drugs alone OR with other drugs in STEMI patients in English, Persian and Korean languages were selected in this study. Two review authors  independently assessed RCTs studies eligibility and quality. Finally, the data were analysis with Review Manager v 5.3. there was no statistically significant difference between tenecteplase and alteplase in risk of 30 day mortality(RR=1.01;95% CI:0.89-1.13, p=0.82).the risk of Reinfarction, cardiogenic shock ,ICH, stroke and minor bleeding were similar in AMI patients treated With both drugs. tenecteplase was associated with a statistically significant reduction total bleeding and major bleeding , Respectively (p=0.0003)and(p=0.0003). tenecteplase in comparison with alteplase is recommended due to the easier use and better safety in reducing the risk of bleeding.

Depression and fatigue are common in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). These complications exacerbate the symptoms of MS. This study aimed to determine the effect of self- acupressure on depression and fatigue in MS patients.

In this randomized clinical trial, the 96 participants from MS Patients Support Association in Mashhad completed the demographic form, depression subscale of the DASS-42, and FSS. Then, they were randomly assigned to intervention and sham groups. Participants in the intervention group pressed Shenmen, and Yintang and the sham group pressed 2.5 cm below the Shenmen and three centimeters above the Yin Tang acupoints 15 minutes every day for one month. The depression subscale of the DASS-42 and FSS questionnaires were completed by the participants one hour after the last intervention in each group. In this study, chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test tests were used.

The statistical analysis showed that the mean fatigue and depression scores in the two groups did not have significant differences before the intervention (P > 0.05). One hour after the last intervention, statistical analysis showed that the mean of fatigue and depression scores in the intervention group was significantly reduced compared to the sham group (P < 0.05).

Self-acupressure is a simple and inexpensive intervention that effectively reduces depression and fatigue among MS patients.

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a multi-system inflammatory vascular disorder with auto immunity background. It is a genetic disease that may be affected by environmental factors. Behçet’s disease may involve different organs like urogenital, skin, eyes and gastrointestinal system. According to geographic area and genetic predisposition, prevalence of the disease is different. The aim of this study was the evaluation of some clinical features of muco-cutaneous lesions of Behcet,s disease in 2018.

This cross-sectional study was done on 43 patients with Behçet’s disease (24 men, 19 women). Data about age, sex, duration of the disease, taking medicine was collected. The self-reported questionnaire was completed by participations. Skin manifestations, genital and ocular involvement were alsodocumented.

The male to female ratio was 1.26/1. Oral aphthous commonly localized on the lips. The percent for ocular involvement and skin lesions were 76%,48% respectively. There was a statically significant correlation between ocular lesions and age. Also relationship between skin lesions and frequency of oral aphthous per year was meaningful too. There was a significant relationship between incidence of ocular lesions and incidence of skin lesions. 

Oral aphthous as the most popular manifestation of BD is the hallmark of diagnosis. Thus, patients with oral aphthous require close surveillance for other manifestations of BD for timely diagnosis and refer to Rheumatologist.

Candida species is one of the commensal microorganisms and a member of the oral cavity normal flora. In addition, Candida albicans is a microbiologic member of the oral cavity in children with dental caries. Currently, use of probiotics as a new biologic technique has attracted attention in order to prevent and control diseases. Enterococcus durans has shown useful antioxidative properties and antibacterial and probiotic characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of probiotic Enterococcus durans on adhesion of Candida albicans in in vitro. 

In this in vitro study, the standard strain bacteria of probiotic E. durans (ATCC 6056) and Candida albicans (PTCC5027) and 10 clinical samples of Candida albicans is provided. The adhesive inhibition of Candida albicans via microtiter plate was tested.  Data were analyzed with repeated measure model. Statistical significance was set at P<0.01

This study showed that, Mean OD620 nm were in range of 0.45 to 0.49 and for OD490 nm were 0.33. Therefore, in presence of the probiotic strain, the biofilm of Candida albicans adhesion were reduced.

The first step in infection process is attachment and the adhesion  of Candida albicans can be prohibited by use of probiotic such as E. durans.