فصلنامه یافته
سال بیست و چهارم شماره 4 (پیاپی 94، زمستان 1401)

Type 2 diabetes is one of the main causes of death and its treatment is one of the clinical priorities. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Satureja khuzistanica essential oil (SKEO) and carvacrol on lipid peroxidation index (MDA), plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and also the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

The study was experimental in nature. Diabetes was induced in male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of 70 mg/kg alloxan. The rats were randomly divided into 5 groups of 10. After the treatment period (20 days), the indices of lipid peroxidation and the activity of antioxidant enzymes were measured in the hemolysates of all groups. SKEO was analyzed by the GC-Mass method. Data analysis was performed in SPSS 23 software using one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests.

The results of our study showed that the average values ​​of glutathione and TAC of the diabetic groups under treatment in both doses increased compared to the diabetic control group, while the MDA level decreased compared to the diabetic control group (P<0.05). The activity of antioxidant enzymes in the treated groups showed a significant increase compared to the group of diabetic rats (P<0.05). SKEO analysis by GC-Mass method showed that carvacrol (percentage) constituted the main compound of this extract.

According to the results, the main compound of SKEO is carvacrol and it has antioxidant properties. The groups treated with SKEO and carvacrol both showed a significant decrease in the amount of MDA and an increase in its antioxidant defense indices.

Lack of energy and insulin leads the body to catabolism. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of combined training with taurine supplement consumption on some indicators of heart atrophy in diabetic rats. 

40 male Wistar rats aged 10 weeks old and weighing between 200 and 250 grams were prepared. The animals were randomly divided into 5 groups of 8 including training (T), training and supplement (T+S), supplement (S), diabetes control (C), and healthy control (CH). The rats of the diabetic groups were considered diabetic by injecting a single dose of streptozotocin (35 mg/weight) and sugar levels higher than 250 mg/dL before the start of the exercise. The rats were anesthetized 24 hours after the last day of the training protocol (eight weeks of combined strength/endurance training) with an intraperitoneal injection of a combination of ketamine and xylazine. The Western blot laboratory method was used to check the changes, and the one-way analysis of variance was employed at significance level of 0.05.

The results showed that the FOXO3a protein decreased in the T+S, group compared to the C and T groups (P>0.001). Moreover, taurine supplement, combined training, as well as combined training+taurine supplement led to a significant change in the level of MURF-1 protein expression (P>0.001).

It seems that the combination of taurine supplement with combined training can have effects on the indicators related to heart atrophy caused by diabetes by reducing FOXO3a. Accordingly, the consumption of taurine supplement along with exercise is recommended for diabetic people.

Uncontrolled diabetes often leads to complications such as kidney diseases. This study aimed to investigate the effect of four weeks of aerobic training with beetroot supplementation on some kidney damage biomarkers in elderly diabetic rats.

In this experimental-fundamental study, 32 diabetic rats were divided into groups (1) diabetic control, (2) aerobic training, (3) beetroot supplement, (4) aerobic training and beetroot supplement. Moreover, eight healthy rats were considered as a healthy control group. Groups 2 and 4 were trained at a maximum speed for four weeks, and rats in groups 3 and 4 received 10 mg/kg beetroot juice daily for four weeks. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test were used to examine the differences between and within groups.

The findings of this study showed Blood Urea Nitrogen, creatinine and albumin values ​​in the diabetic control group were significantly higher than the healthy control group (P=0.001). Additionally, the values ​​of BUN, creatinine and albumin in the training + beetroot group were significantly lower than the diabetic control group (P=0.05). The BUN, creatinine and albumin tests have favorable diagnostic value in diagnosing kidney disease following beetroot consumption and aerobic exercise in diabetic rats (P=0.05).

It seems that training and beetroot supplements alone could improve kidney damage biomarkers.

Fine dust includes dust and particles suspended in the air, which reduce visibility and have different origins. The present study aimed to investigate the abundance of air bacteria during micro dust storms in Lorestan province using classical methods.

In this study, sampling was performed in three cities of Lorestan province. Air bacteria were isolated by classical methods, and data analysis was carried out using the Chi-square test. The relationship between the abundance of bacteria and meteorological parameters was investigated and analyzed by Spearman's correlation coefficient test.

The results of the present study demonstrated that 96 colonies grew on the TSA medium. Moreover, %55.2 of these colonies were bacteria, and %44.8 were yeast. Poldakhtar and Khorramabad stations showed the highest (%25) and lowest (%8.33) frequencies. On the R2A medium, 184 colonies grew. In addition, %69 of these colonies were bacteria, and %31 were yeast. Kohdasht and Khorramabad stations had the highest (%34.8) and lowest (%4.3) frequencies. In TSA and R2A environments, the most and least frequently observed isolates were Bacillus and Actinomycetes, and the highest microbial frequency was related to Kohdasht and Poldakhter. According to Spearman's correlation test, there was a direct relationship between the amount of fine dust and the abundance of bacteria (P=0.637, r=0.026), and a significance inverse linear relationship was observed between wind speed and the number of colonies (P=0.048, r = -0.569).

Bacterial abundance was higher in the R2A medium. The dominant bacteria in the TSA environment were Bacillus and Micrococcus, and in the R2A environment, Bacillus and Corynebacterium. The results pointed out that the amount of fine dust and wind speed have an effect on the abundance and diversity of air bacteria.

The most common neurological complication of hyperglycemia is neuropathy which leads to changes in the central nervous system. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of six weeks of aerobic exercise with quercetin supplementation on the expression of mitochondrial Ampk and Nrf-1 genes in the hippocampus of diabetic male rats.

This experimental study was performed by the laboratory method. Thus, 35 male Wistar rats were divided into five groups (n=7): Healthy Control, Diabetes Control, Diabetes Exercise, Diabetes Exercise Quercetin Supplement, and Quercetin Supplement. During the course, the supplement and diabetic groups were injected with 15 mg/kg of quercetin per day after induction of diabetes. For the training groups, six weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise was performed on a revolving bar. To evaluate the expression of mitochondrial Ampk and Nrf-1 genes, hippocampal tissue was isolated 24 h after the last training session. The SPSS statistical software (version 23), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey's post hoc test onther significance level of  0.05 were used to analyze the collected data.

The findings of this study showed that after six weeks of aerobic exercise, the expression of mitochondrial Ampk and Nrf-1 genes in the exercise supplement diabetes group significantly increased (P<0.05) compared to diabetes control, exercise diabetes, and quercetin supplementation. A significant increase was observed only for Ampk in the exercise diabetic group compared to the diabetic control and quercetin diabetic groups (P<0.05).

It seems that six weeks of aerobic exercise with quercetin supplementation can positively affect the expression of mitochondrial Ampk and Nrf-1 genes in hippocampal tissue and increase it in diabetic conditions.

Peripheral nerve injuries are among the serious health problems of today's societies. These injuries cause long-term disabilities that last until the end of life. This study aimed to histologically and functionally determine the effect of alpha-tocopherol using allografts in a rat sciatic nerve repair model.

In this experimental study, 45 male rats were divided into three groups (n=15 each). Group 1 was designated as the healthy group without nerve manipulation. In group 2, as the positive control group, the rats received 10 μl of sterile normal saline buffer solution intraperitoneally for one week. In the third group, designated as the treatment group (allografts, alpha-tocopherol), alpha-tocopherol was intraperitoneally injected with the same volume at a dose of 300 mg/kg/day for one week. Subsequently, the rats underwent histological evaluation postoperatively at the 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks following the operation. The collected data were entered into SPSS version 17 software. After evaluating the normality of the data by the Shapiro-Wilks test, the results were reported as mean ± standard deviation, and were analised by One Way ANOVA tests and Tukey,s post HOC test under significance level of 0.05.

The results showed that the morphometric and functional indices of the sciatic nerve in the third group were significantly different from the second group (P<0.05). These indicators were improved in the third group.

Treatment with alpha-tocopherol and allografts resulted in significant differences with the control and allografts groups in terms of axon diameter, the number of nerves, and the thickness of the myelin sheath. These differences imply the beneficial effect of this drug on inflammatory cells in the spinal cord and brain.

Many studies have been conducted in the field on the effects of industrial and chemical antibacterial substance abuse on human health and also the resistance of a wide range of bacterial species to antibiotics. Sea cucumber is one of the important aquatic animals which has therapeutic and nutritional properties. The purpose of this study is to investigate the antibacterial effect of selenium nanoparticles and sea cucumber extract on Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Bacillus cereus bacteria.

The antibacterial activity of sea cucumber extract and selenium nanoparticles was investigated on three types of bacteria using the standard methods of disc diffusion, welling, determining the minimum inhibitory concentration, and determining the minimum lethal concentration. For comparing the antibacterial effects of these bacteria, the one-way ANOVA test and Scheffé test of multiple comparisons were deployed.

The results of this study showed that the methanolic extract of sea cucumber with a concentration of 10 mg/ml, as well as nano-selenium with a concentration of 1 mg/ml, and the combination of a concentration of 10 mg/ml of sea cucumber extract with 1 mg/ml of selenium nanoparticles has the best antibacterial effect on the three bacteria in question.

The combination of sea cucumber extract and selenium nanoparticles has a higher level of antibacterial properties.

Physiological childbirth refers to the natural birthing process that does not involve medical or pharmaceutical interventions. This method is characterized by spontaneous labor, the absence of medical interventions, freedom of movement, and active participation of the mother. Rate of cesarean delivery has been increasing over the past decade in Iran, accounting for approximately 50% of all births in the country as Iranian healthcare officials have also promoted physiological childbirth. In this regard, it is important to recognize that physiological birth is a personal choice; therefore, women should receive the necessary information and support to make informed decisions about their birth experiences. Besides, it is critical to provide the necessary education for healthcare providers and engage with women to address their cultural and social beliefs about childbirth. Additionally, the supportive policies of the government that promote physiological childbirth and educational programs can also be valuable in this regard.