[ investigation of the effect of stuttering on personality characteristics in adult men]

Deficit in fluency of speech is named stuttering. Stuttering could influence the personality characteristics. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of stuttering on personality characteristics in male individuals. In this study, 31 stuttered men aged upper than 18 years old were compared with another 32 unstuttered men of the same age and education in terms of their personality characteristics by applying the Neo-FFI test. Results from student t test showed that the mean score of mental racial, extraversion and agreeableness of personality was statistically different between two groups. The present findings indicate that individuals with stuttering problem have different personality compared with fluent speakers; however, this different does not mean abnormal personality

[Epidemiology of human parechovirus type1 in clinical samples from children with gastroenteritis using RT-PCR]

Human parechovirus type-1 [HPeV-1] is a genus of picornaviridea with a single stranded positive sense RNA genome. In general it seems to be responsible for more gastrointestinal and respiratory syndromes and less responsible for central nervous system [CNS] symptoms. Since there is no accurate information about diagnosis and epidemiology of HPeV-1 in Iran and it is very important to distinguish between viral and bacterial diarrhea to decrease the unnecessary use of antibiotics, this study aimed at rapid detection and epidemiology of HPeV-1 in stool samples from children with gastroenteritis using specific RT-PCR. Viral RNA was isolated from 472 stool samples from children [under 4 years old] with diarrhea; CDNA was prepared and amplified using specific primers from 5?untranslated region [5' UTR] of HPeV-1 genome by nested RT-PCR. Amplified DNA product was electrophoresed on 1% agarose gel and a single band of 265 bp was obtained. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. We also performed a comparison between the cell culture [Vero] and RT-PCR method for HPeV1 detection. Out of 472 samples examined during two years, 112 samples were HpeV-1 positive [23.7%]. The results showed that the prevalence of this virus was in children under one year [6-12 months] old with diarrhea [p=0.036] in spring and autumn [p<0.001]. Boys had more positive cases than the girls [p<0.001]. Out of 20 samples which were found positive by HPeV1 RT-PCR only three of them showed CPE on Vero Cells after a week. The results revealed that RT-PCR is a more practical and sensitive technique for HPeV-1 detection directly from clinical samples, which is valuable for epidemiology. Also, the rapid detection of HPeV1 by RT-PCR can decrease both the unnecessary use of antibiotics and the costs in clinical practice

Therapeutic effect of bone marrow stromal cells and coenzyme Q10 on rat models of parkinson's disease

The assessment of the ability of combined treatment of bone marrow stromal cells graft [BMSCs] and oral administration of Coenzyme [CoQIO] in rat model of Parkinson disease as a good substitute for common current Parkinson treatments, and the comparison of this combined treatment method with alone application of these treatments. In this experimental study of male Wistar rats were used. They were divided into six groups: control, sham, lesion, treatment groups with oral administration of CoQIO, treatment with graft BMSC and combined treatment with graft BMSC and oral administration of CoQIO. Oral administration of CoQIO with 200 mg/kg/daily dose started a week before the model creation procedure and continued throughout the whole treatment period. The laboratory model of Parkinson disease in rats was performed by injecting 2.5 microlitre saline solution 0.9% containing 8 micrograms 6-hydroxy dopamine [6-OHDA] and 0.2% ascorbic acid in substantia nigra pars compacta. Also in sham group the same volume solution saline-ascorbic was injected. BMS Cells were labeled by 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine [Brdu] before transplantation. Behavioral assessment before creating the model, two weeks after creating the model and eight weeks after cell transplantation was performed. At the end of second month of treatment, Immunohistochemistry and histology Studies were performed. Behavioral assessment of two groups of alone treatments indicated the equal recovery in comparison with lesion group [p<0.01] while combined treatment of BMSC and Co Q10 showed a considerable recovery compared with lesion group [p<0.001]. In addition according to histological studies, no sign of gliosis and graft rejection was seen. Immunohistochemistry studies of Brdu indicate that the cells are alive after two month of application in host tissue. Cell count assessment showed that the number of neural cells in combined treatment of BMSC and Co Q10 was significant difference with others experimental groups [p<0.001]. The combined use of two neuroprotective treatment and replacement therapy can have a more effective role in the treatment of Parkinson's disease in comparison of alone treatment protocols

In vitro comparison of the effect of Iranian nystatin and chlorhexidine mouthwashes with foreign samples on standard and local isolated strains of Candida albicans

Chlorhexidine is a mouthwash with known antibacterial effect but its antifungal effect is not clear. The aim of this study was to compare the antimicrobial effects of nystatin and chlorhexidine mouthwashes [one Iranian product and the other, commercial] on Candida albicans under in vitro condition. In this experimental study, the strains of Candida albicans used consisted of one standard strain [PTCC 5027] and ten local isolates. The latter were obtained from patients referred to different dental clinics in Kerman city. The specimens were taken from the gum and palate area by sterile swabs and dipped into Stewards transport medium, transferred to the laboratory within one hour, and cultured on Sabauraud dextrose Agar. Colonies showing the characteristic appearance of Candida were further cultured and routine differential tests including germ tube formation were performed to confirm the diagnosis of C.albicans. These were used to prepare a microbial cell suspension of 0.5 Mc Farland concentration. Each cell suspension was inoculated over duplicate plates of SDA and 4 wells of 5 mm diameter were made using sterile cork borers. Each previously coded mouthwash was placed in corresponding well and incubated for 24-48 hours and the diameter of inhibition zone was measured with ruler. The minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] of each mouthwash for each isolate of Candida albicans was determined using dilution tube technique. Data were analyzed by SPSS package using proper statistical tests with P<0.05 as the limit of significance. There was a significant difference between the antimicrobial effects of the four tested mouthwashes. The results indicated that Iranian nystatin mouthwash had the greatest effect and the average inhibition zone from the highest to the lowest was associated with Iranian nystatin, foreign nystatin, Iranian chlorhexidine and foreign chlorhexidine respectively. The MIC determination revealed that generally nystatin was more effective than chlorhexidine. No statistical difference was seen between the Iranian and foreign samples. Despite the antifungal effects of chlorhexidine, more investigations on different strains of C.albicans is required before recommending its cilinical application

in vitro study of the effects of Yarrow, Chamomile and Rhubarb herbal extracts on candida albicans and common oral bacteria

Herbal mouth washes arc part of the broad spectrum of herbal medicine that is widely used in Iran, especially in recent years. The aim of this experimental study was to evaluate the antifungal and antibacterial effects of Yarrow, Chamomile and Rhubarb and to compare them with Iranian and foreign 0.2% chlorohexidine mouth washes. Microbial samples were purchased from PTCC and herbal extracts were obtained from Gol daroye lsfahan Co. Iranian chlorhexidine was bought from a pharmacy and foreign chlorhexidine [Made in UK] from the Noor center. Bacterial inhibition zone halo was measured and agar dilution was used to evaluate the herbal extracts. The minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] was determined for all specimens. A validity test was administered for each of the microorganisms and the dilution of the extracts were confirmed in the laboratory. Data were subjected to statistical analysis using repeated-measure ANOVA. The three extracts revealed different antifungal and antimicrobial effects. The highest to lowest antimicrobial effects were seen in Rhubarb, Yarrow and Chamomile, respectively. The antifungal effects were weak in all three tested extracts. A significant difference was observed between the antimicrobial and antifungal effects of the 3 extracts and the 2 chlorhexidine solutions [p<0.0l]. The antifungal effects of the UK-made chlorhexidine was higher than the Iranian chlorohexidine and both were higher than the 3 tested extracts, No significant difference in antifungal effects was found between the two studied chlorhexidines, The antibacterial effects of Rhubarb were higher than Yarrow and Chamomile. Further investigation, using more specific laboratory methods along with clinical evaluation is recommended