Effects of Methylprednisolone on Neuroprotective Effects of Delay Hypothermia on Spinal Cord Injury in Rat

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of delayed hypothermia on spinal cord injuries in rats. In addition, the effect of methylprednisolone on therapeutic window of hypothermia was evaluated. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Several studies have demonstrated that early hypothermia is the most effective neuroprotective modality. However, delayed hypothermia seems to be more practical for patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries. A combination of hypothermia and other neuroprotective methods, such as using methylprednisolone, may help extend the therapeutic window of hypothermia. METHODS: One hundred and twenty male rats were categorized into six groups. The rats in five groups were subjected to spinal cord injury using the weight drop method, followed by treatment, consisting of early hypothermia, late hypothermia, late hypothermia plus methylprednisolone, or methylprednisolone only. Biochemical tests including catalase, malondialdehyde, and superoxide level were evaluated in the injured spinal cord. Behavioral functions of the hind limb were evaluated by Basso-Battle-Bresnaham locomotor rating scale and tail-flick tests. RESULTS: Functional and biochemical evaluation showed both early and late hypothermia had significant neuroprotective effects. The treated groups did not differ significantly from one another in the behavioral tests. Hypothermia had better biochemical results compared to methylprednisolone. Also, methylprednisolone was shown to extend the therapeutic window of delayed hypothermia. CONCLUSIONS: Hypothermia showed a significant neuroprotective effect, which can be improved with further studies optimizing the duration of hypothermia and the rewarming period. Moreover, the therapeutic effect of the delayed hypothermia can be extended by methylprednisolone.

The Association between Cobalt Deficiency and Endemic Goiter in School-Aged Children

BACKGROUND: In Iran, an iodine deficiency control program was initiated in 1989 by iodizing salt. Despite this program, goiters have remained an endemic condition in most parts of Iran. Thus, it is possible that other factors aside from iodine deficiency may contribute to endemic goiter. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between cobalt deficiency and endemic goiter in a region of Iran with a high prevalence of goiter. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school children aged 9 to 11 years in the city of Kerman, Iran. In the first phase of the study, a multistage, proportional-to-size, cluster sampling method was used to screen 5,380 out of 29,787 students. After the screening phase, 170 students (130 goitrous and 40 nongoitrous) were randomly selected, and serum and urine specimens were obtained. We measured thyroid function, serum cobalt level, and urinary iodine excretion. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The prevalence of grade 2 goiters was 34.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31.5 to 42.5), with both sexes being equally affected. The weight and body mass index of goitrous subjects was significantly lower (P<0.001) than those of nongoitrous subjects. The serum cobalt levels were lower in goitrous subjects than in nongoitrous subjects (4.4+/-2.9 microg/L vs. 6.4+/-2.7 microg/L). The urinary iodine levels were also lower in goitrous subjects than in nongoitrous subjects (198.3+/-108.3 microg/L vs. 270.2+/-91.1 microg/L). Multiple regression analysis showed that only cobalt deficiency, not iodine deficiency, significantly contributed to the presence of goiter (odds ratio, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61 to 0.99; P=0.042). CONCLUSION: Cobalt deficiency may be an important independent predicator for goiter in endemic regions, especially areas in which goiters persist despite salt iodization programs.

Risk factors associated with denture stomatitis in healthy subjects attending a dental school in Southeast Iran

There is scant information regarding the multifactorial aetiology of denture stomatitis [DS] in the world and, despite its frequency, associated factors are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors that may be associated with this lesion. A total of 70 edentulous patients, all wearing removable dentures, were divided into two groups. The test group comprised 43 patients with DS and the control group comprised 27 subjects with clinically healthy palatal mucosa. A thorough history-taking and physical examination were carried out; the subjects also answered a questionnaire. The serum level of vitamin A for each subject was assayed from a blood sample taken after the examination. This study showed a significant relationship between the incidence of DS and three major factors: denture age [in terms of years], the practitioner manufacturing the dentures [general dental practitioner versus dental hygienist], and the nightlong wearing of dentures. Also, the vitamin A serum level was low in 94.29% of all subjects [cases and controls]. Although many predisposing conditions were related to this situation, the most important risk factor was the continuous use of the dentures

Inhibitory activity of Iranian plant extracts on growth and biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aims: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a drug resistance opportunistic bacterium. Biofilm formation is key factor for survival of P. aeruginosa in various environments. Polysaccharides may be involved in biofilm formation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities of seven plant extracts with known alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activities on different strains of P. aeruginosa. Methodology and results: Plants were extracted with methanol by the maceration method. Antimicrobial activities were determined by agar dilution and by growth yield as measured by OD560nm of the Luria Bertani broth (LB) culture with or without extracts. In agar dilution method, extracts of Quercus infectoria inhibited the growth of all, while Myrtus communis extract inhibited the growth of 3 out of 8 bacterial strains with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1000 μg/mL. All extracts significantly (p≤0.003) reduced growth rate of the bacteria in comparison with the control without extracts in LB broth at sub-MIC concentrations (500 μg/mL). All plant extracts significantly (p≤0.003) reduced biofilm formation compared to the controls. Glycyrrhiza glabra and Q. infectoria had the highest anti-biofilm activities. No correlation between the alpha-glucosidase inhibitory activity with growth or the intensity of biofilm formation was found. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Extracts of Q. infectoria and M. communis had the most antimicrobial, while Q. infectoria and G. glabra had the highest anti-biofilm activities. All plant extracts had anti-biofilm activities with marginal effect on growth, suggesting that the mechanisms of these activities are unrelated to static or cidal effects. Further work to understand the relation between antimicrobial and biofilm formation is needed for development of new means to fight the infectious caused by this bacterium in future.

inhibitory effect of some Iranian plants extracts on the alpha glucosidase

Diabetes mellitus is manifested by hyperglycaemia. Different treatments such as diets and drugs are recommended for diabetes control. For various reasons in recent years traditional plant [herbal] therapies as prescribed by indigenous systems of medicine with different mechanisms have commonly been used. The digestive enzymes such as alpha glucosidase are among these herbal remedies. One hundred species of plants were collected or purchased from the Medicinal Herbal Markets and botanically identified. Methanolic and aqueous extracts were prepared by the maceration method. The enzymatic activities of alpha glucosidase were determined colorimetrically by monitoring the release of p-nitrophenol from the appropriate p-nitrophenol glycoside substrate, after 30 mins incubation at 37°C in the phosphate buffer [pH= 6.8]. Among 200 prepared extracts, Verbascum kermanensis, Rosadamascene, Rosmarinus officinalis, Levisticum officinale, Zataria multiflora Sanguisorba minor, Alhagi camelorum, Pistacia vera, Vaccinium arcto-staphylus, Zhumeria majdae, Alpinia officinarum, Salvadora persica, and Thymus serpyllum showed more than 50% inhibitory effect on the alpha glucosidase. These active plants have no records in the literature for their anti diabetic effect and might be the new agents for diabetes control. This needs further in vitro and in vivo studies, some of which are under investigation