Jorjani Biomedicine Journal
Volume:9 Issue: 3, Autumn 2021

According to recent studies, oral lesions associated with COVID-19, manifests in various forms which may be as inaugural symptoms for the onset of the disease. However, further investigations are needed to confirm their probable characteristic role in diagnosis of COVID-19. It should be also noted that any oral manifestation in COVID-19 must be considered to avoid neglecting oral changes with more lasting destructive effects such as necrotizing periodontal lesions.

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Human development is influenced by genetic, environmental, and social factors whose foundation is formed from infancy and childhood. Preterm birth and low birth weight are important issues that can affect the development and threaten the public health.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of early exercise interventions on gross motor skills of children with preterm birth aged 3 to 6 years.

In this Experimental study, 30 children with average (2066 ±354g) were selected from among the preterm infants (32 to 37 weeks less than 2500 g) admitted to NICU ward. They were divided into two groups (experimental group n=15 and control group n=15 children).To evaluate the gross motor skills of children, the second version of the Peabody developmental motor scale was used. The results were analyzed by SPSS using ANCOVA test (p≤0.05).

 The results of this study showed that early interventions can have a positive effect on the gross motor skills of these children and the participants in the experimental group were able to obtain higher scores than the control group after participating in the training program.

The results showed that training interventions have a significant effect on both stability and locomotion skills.

As a high-energy demanding tissue, the heart is exposed to a high level of ROS molecules such as H2O2, leading to cardiovascular disorders through damaging macromolecules such as DNA and disrupting ATP production. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the simultaneous effect of aerobic exercise (Ae) and Linum Usitatissimum (Lu) supplementation on DNA damage and ATP synthesis in heart and aorta endothelial tissues in rats poisoned with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

56 male Wistar Albino rats were randomly divided into 7 groups, including HC (Healthy Control), TC (Toxicated Control), Lu1 (Received 5 mg/kg of Lu), Lu2 (Received 10 mg/kg of Lu), Ae (Received only Aerobic Exercise), Ae Lu1, and Ae Lu2. Then, all groups got poisoned by H2O2 except HC. Next, they received Linum Usitatissimum (Lu) supplementation and Low-Intensity Interval Training (LIIT). Finally, 24h after the last treatment session, the level of 6-methylguanine (6MG) and ATP were measured via the ELISA technique in cardiovascular tissue.

The findings determined that Lu supplementation and Ae significantly diminish the 6-methyl guanine level in endothelial (F=111.3, p=0.0008, ƞ=0.9823) and heart cells (F=147.9, p=0.0005, ƞ=0.9867). Also, the ATP level was increased significantly in endothelial (F=342.6, p=0.0003, ƞ=0.9942) and heart cells (F=135.1, p=0.0013, ƞ=0.9854). However, no considerable changes were found for both factors in groups who received Ae or Lu singularly.

The study showed that concurrent administration of Lu and Ae could exert dynamic cardioprotective properties through their antioxidant effects.

Alzheimer's disease is a common cause of dementia and reduces progressive perception, memory, and tasks.  This study aimed was to investigate the effects of interval training and octopamine extract on NLRP-1 and NLRP-3 in brain tissue of rats with Alzheimer's disease.

The research method was experimental with a post-test design. A total of 42 male Wistar rats, all of which were eight weeks old, were obtained. Rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (healthy control, Alzheimer's sham, Alzheimer's+ interval training, Alzheimer's+ octopamine supplementation, Alzheimer's+ interval training+ octopamine supplementation). Alzheimer's induction was performed with beta-amyloid peptide 1-14. The training protocol was intense periodic. Octopamine was supplemented by intra-peritoneal injection. Morris's blue maze test was used for the spatial memory test. Seventy-two hours after the last training session, anesthetized rats and hippocampus were quickly extracted. A one-way ANOVA test was used to estimate intergroup differences after Alzheimer's induction.

The results of one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference between the groups in NLRP-1 and NLRP-3 mRNA. Bonferroni test confirmed significant between the control group and Alzheimer's groups (P≤0.05).

The changes were considered to be synergistic of the beneficial effects of physical activity and octopamine in preventing or reducing the harmful effects of pathological conditions. Exercise and supplementation seem to be effective in the relationship between inflammatory and neurotrophic factors in neurological disorders.

The application of exercise training and herbal supplements is believed to be a typical approach in treating chronic diseases and metabolic disorders. Accordingly, given the healing effects of swimming training and cannabidiol (CBD) oil consumption, the aim of the current study was to reveal if eight weeks of swimming training and CBD oil consumption downregulates the expression of MAPK, PPARα genes in the heart tissue of myocardial infarction rats.

In the present experimental study, 20 myocardial infarction rats were divided into four groups of five animals, including: 1) control, 2 swimming training, 3) CBD, 4) CBD + swimming training, and 5) healthy control. For eight weeks, groups 3 and 4 consumed 50 mg/kg of CBD daily by gavage, and groups 2 and 4 performed swimming training five days a week. Induction of myocardial ischemia was performed by subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (50 mg/kg i.p.), in myocardial infarction rats. Bax and Bcl2 cardiomyocytes were measured by PCR-RT. For data analysis, one-way analysis variance test was used to compare inter-group differences at P<0.05.

Swimming training, CBD consumption and swimming training with CBD consumption had a significant effect on reducing MAPK gene expression in cardiac tissue (P≤0.05). Also, swimming training with CBD consumption had a greater effect than swimming training and CBD consumption alone on reducing PPARα gene expression in cardiac tissue (P≤0.05).

It appears that application of swimming training with CBD oil consumption has more positive impacts on improving MAPK and PPARα gene expression levels in the heart tissue of rats with myocardial infarction than using each one alone. Besides, swimming training with CBD oil consumption plays a role in the rehabilitation process and improves key factors involved in cardiovascular health.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important case of nosocomial infections and a major health problem. The increased emergence of resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants among these bacteria, necessitates the production of new antimicrobials with wider activity and low toxicity. This study was carried out to evaluate inhibitory effects of chlorhexidine gluconate and extract of Peganum harmala on multi-drug resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa.

39 P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from 114 environmental samples. After identifying MDR strains, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of chlorhexidine gluconate (20%) and P. harmala extract against the isolates was determined by broth microdilution method. 

Overall, 27 (69.2%) P. aeruginosa isolates resistant to quinolones, aminoglycoside, cephems and carbapenems were reported as MDR strains. The MIC of chlorhexidine gluconate was ≥ 1000μg/ml, which was 4-fold higher than the MIC of P. harmala extract (MIC=500μg/ml). MIC of chlorhexidine gluconate and P. harmala extract against P. aeruginosa isolates differed significantly (P=0.01).

Compared to chlorhexidine gluconate, P. harmala extract has a higher antibacterial effect on MDR P. aeruginosa isolates from environment. Further research is required to verify the efficacy of this plant extract for disinfection of equipment in clinics and local kitchens.

Cancer is one of the most serious diseases. Doxorubicin is a type of chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers. Doxorubicin is a type of chemotherapy drug used to treat a variety of cancers. However, its side effects have limited its use. The aim of this study was to synthesize and evaluate polymer micelles containing doxorubicin and evaluate its toxicity on MCF7 breast cancer cells and HepG2 liver cancer cells.

For this purpose, PBMA-b-POEGMA diblock copolymer was first synthesized using the RAFT method and confirmed by GPC. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to observe the morphology, size, and polydispersity of the micelles. In addition, in vitro cytotoxicity of DOX-loaded polymeric micelles against MCF7 cells and HepG2 cells were assessed. Furthermore, cell uptake and apoptosis assay of DOX-loaded polymeric micelles against MCF7 cells were evaluated.

The TEM image revealed that the nanoparticles were spherical and uniform. The particle size and polydispersity measured by DLS were 35 nm and 0.13, respectively. The drug encapsulation efficiency and drug loading contents were 50±3.46 % and 4.53±0.29 %, respectively. The drug release rate was reported 69% in saline phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) within 24 hours. The results showed that micelles containing doxorubicin had a greater effect on MCF7 cell viability than the free drug. The MTT assay demonstrated that micelles were biocompatible to HepG2 cells while DOX-loaded micelles showed significant cytotoxicity. The IC50 of doxorubicin-loaded micelles against MCF7 cells were obtained to be 0.5 μg/ml. It was further shown that micelles containing doxorubicin had higher cell uptake and apoptosis than free drugs on MCF7 cells.

These polymeric micelles are an ideal candidate to deliver anticancer agents into breast cancer cells.

Alpha-thalassemia (α-thal) appears to be the most common monogenic disorder worldwide. The diagnosis of α-thalassemia depends on the detection of Hemoglobin Bart (Hb Bart's) in newborns, which indicates one or more defective or absent α-globin genes. In addition, in patients with Hemoglobin H (Hb H), the Hb H range usually varies between 7-10 g / dL. Therefore, tracking Hb Bart's and Hb H can be useful in diagnosing thalassemia α. This study was performed to evaluate Hb Bart's and Hb H in infants with α thalassemia in Ardabil province, northwestern Iran.

In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 33 infants with alpha thalassemia mutation, including infants born in Ardabil province, Iran in the years 2020 to 2019. Hemoglobin analysis was performed by capillary electrophoresis system.

Hb H and Hb Bart's were detected in only two cases (6%) and three cases (9%). In this study, only 5 patients (15.15) were observable by detection of Hb Bart's and Hb H levels by electrophoresis. In cases of Hb Bart disease, -α3.7 was the most common genotype. Therefore, most infants with alpha thalassemia were lost when electrophoresis alone was used.

This study showed that molecular analysis of Hb Bart's newborns is necessary to confirm α-thalassemia. Capillary electrophoresis is a way to prevent the diagnosis of rare Hb H and Bart's disease.