In vitro development of embryos from experimentally Kerack-addicted Mice

Background: Prenatal drug exposure, as a common public health concern, is associated with an increased risk of adverse effects on early embryo development

Objective: To investigate the in vitro development of - embryo from experimentally Kerack-addicted mice

Materials and Methods: Twenty-five female mice were studied in five groups: control, vehicle, and three experimental groups of Kerack-dependent mice [I, II, and III] which received different doses of Kerack for 14 days. After the establishment of addiction model [7 days], experimental groups I, II, and III were given Kerack intraperitoneally at the doses of 5, 35, and 70 mg/kg, twice a day for a period of 7 days, respectively. The vehicle group received normal saline and lemon juice whilst the control group just received water and food. Morulae were obtained through oviduct flashing. The survived embryos were cultured in T6+ 5mg/ml bovine serum albumin. The developmental rates up to hatched stage daily and embryo quality [differential staining and Tunnel staining] were also assessed

Results: The developmental potential of embryos obtained from the addicted mother was significantly decreased in comparison with control group. There was a significant reduction in the rate of blastocyst formation in the high dose Kerack dependent group. However, in addicted mice there was reduction in the total cell number [40.92% vs. 65.08% in control] and, inner cell mass percentage [17.17% vs. 26.15% in control] while apoptotic cells numbers were increased [7.17 vs. 1.46 in control] [p<0.05]

Conclusion: The Kerack addiction during pregnancy retards preimplantation development and induces apoptosis

Delayed referral in children with speech and language disorders for rehabilitation services

Speech and language development is one of the main aspects of evolution in humans and is one of the most complex brain functions such that it is referred to as one of the highest cortical functions such as thinking, reading and writing. Speech and language disorders are considered as a major public health problem because they cause many secondary complications in the childhood and adulthood period which affect one's socioeconomic status overall. This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was to identify all potential factors influencing delay in referral of children with speech and language disorders for receiving rehabilitation services, based on literature as well as the families' and experts' points of view. In the second phase of the study which was designed in a case-control manner, actual factors influencing the time of referral were compared between two groups of participants. Receiving proper counseling by physicians about importance of the issue had significant impact on the on-time referral for treatment of children with speech and language disorders. After definite diagnosis of speech and language disorders in the child, parents' awareness about the consequences of speech and language disorders had a significant influence on early referral for speech and language pathology services and our hypothesis was confirmed. Discussion: This study highlighted the importance of multiple factors and their relationship with the time of referral, the majority of which were somehow related to one of two major factors: parental awareness and concerns, and physicians' counseling. As described earlier, our study showed that before diagnosis of the child's disorder is definitely given, the physicians' counseling regarding the importance and necessity of early diagnosis, as well as of screening and diagnostic tests play a significant role in the time of referral for receiving speech and language pathology services

Effects of transfer training on musculoskeletal pain in the caregiver of a stroke patient: a case report

The purpose of this case report was to evaluate the effectiveness of training of transfer techniques to a caregiver of a person who had suffered a stroke in decreasing musculoskeletal pain, depression and anxiety. This study adopted a single subject research design to evaluate the effectiveness of transfer-techniques training on musculoskeletal pain, depression, and anxiety in a 25-year-old female caregiver of a person with a stroke. The study was completed in four phases, including a baseline evaluation [1st and 3rd week], training [3rd, 5th and 7th week], post-training [9th week], and follow-up evaluation [11th week]. During the 1st week, demographic and descriptive information [such as age, time since diagnosis, cognition and independence of daily living] were collected from the stroke patient. Also, pain severity, anxiety and depression levels of the caregiver were evaluated. In weeks 3, 5 and 7, transfer training was undertaken. The patient was involved in the training with the caregiver under the supervision of an occupational therapist in their own home. The effectiveness of the training with regard to musculoskeletal pain and depression and anxiety levels of the caregiver was evaluated in the 5th, 9th and 11th weeks. The data were analyzed using a visual analysis of trends and levels. The results showed a decrease in pain severity, anxiety and depression during training and post-training. The changes continued during the follow-up stage. This study suggests promising results for the effectiveness of the transfer-techniques training and justifies further clinical trials. A larger trial is required to confirm the effectiveness of transfer training in improving pain management in caregivers of stroke survivors

[Effects of kerack used in addict Iranian people on fertility of adult mice]

Infertility is one of the most serious social problems. Illicit drug use can be an important cause of male factor infertility. Kerack which its use is rising up in Iran refers to a high purity street-level heroin [heroin Kerack]. Heroin Kerack used in Iran is an opioid and has harmful effects on body organs. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of Kerack used in Iran on fertility adult mice. In this study, 25 male mice were divided into five groups [control, sham and three experimental]. Experimental groups of Kerack-dependent mice [received ascending dose of Kerack for seven days] were divided into three categories, experimental I, II and III. Experimental I was given Kerack at a dose of 5 mg/kg, experimental II 35 mg/kg and experimental III 70 mg/kg, intraperitoneally twice a day for a period of 35 days. The sham group received normal saline and lemon juice [2.6 micro l/ml] whilst the control group just received water and food. Mice were then scarified and sperm removed from cauda epididymis were analyzed for sperm count, motility, morphology [normal/abnormal] and viability. Testes were also removed, weighed and processed for light microscopic studies. The results showed that fertility were significantly decreased in addicted mice compared with control groups [P

Co-morbidity of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome is a disease with vocal and motor tics. This disorder is co-morbid with many psychiatric disorders, among which obsessive-compulsive disorder is the most common. During a one-year period, 30 patients with Tourette disorder were studied at an adolescent psychiatry referral clinic. It was an analytical-descriptive study. Subjects were selected by convenience sampling. The control group was selected from students in Tehran schools similar to the first group in terms of age and gender. K-SADS questionnaire was used to examine the existence of obsessive-compulsive disorder in both groups. The results were analyzed with SPSS software. The apparent co-morbidity of obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome was seen in this study, such that 53% of patients affected with it had obsessive-compulsive disorder. Statistics obtained was higher compared to earlier data. Although this co-morbidity was somewhat different in the two genders, it was not considered statistically significant [80% girls and 48% boys]. More focus should be laid upon the co-morbidity between Tourette and OCD. It is recommended to study patients with Tourette syndrome more extensively in terms of co-morbidity with other psychiatric disorders, especially the obsessive-compulsive disorder