Association of serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor and thrombospondin-1 to body mass index in polycystic ovary syndrome: a case-control study

PURPOSE: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a gynecological endocrine disorder that is characterized by disturbances in ovarian blood flow and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to determine the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) serum levels with the body mass index (BMI) in patients with PCOS compared with healthy subjects. METHODS: The study was conducted with 80 subjects in 3 PCOS groups, including normal weight, overweight, and obese PCOS groups, and a control group of healthy subjects (n=20). The participants in all groups completed a questionnaire comprising sociodemographic and obstetric questions. The PCOS diagnosis in the study subjects was confirmed based on the Rotterdam criteria, BMI was determined according to the World Health Organization guidelines, and the lipid accumulation product index was calculated for all groups. Venous blood samples were collected from all participants after fasting to measure the serum levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), lipids, insulin, VEGF, TSP-1, and leptin. RESULTS: Our findings showed that the serum VEGF level was significantly higher in the normal BMI PCOS group than that in the control group (P=0.03), and the TSP-1 level was significantly lower in the obese PCOS group than that in the control group (P=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that alterations in VEGF and TSP-1 concentrations are dependent on BMI. Because abnormal ovarian angiogenesis is considered to be the main feature of PCOS, the study of ovarian angiogenic imbalance is proposed as a new tool for PCOS diagnosis and management.

need for reviewing of log books in Birjand University of Medical Sciences clinical wards

Clinical education can be taken as a facilitating activity for learning in the clinical settings in which students gain experiences from patients' bedside and apply their previously learned concepts through their interactions with their teachers and routine works. Clinical education provides an opportunity for students to transform their theoretical knowledge into diverse intellectual and psychomotor skills essential to patient care. The evaluation process of teaching and learning is one of the noticeable activities in educational institutions because the training of skilled and competent manpower, to a large extent, is dependent on this process. The use of modern educational techniques, increasing productivity, and ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of educational centers is the goal followed all over the world but, this is more emphasized in the field of medical sciences that are directly connected with maintaining and improving the health of people and society. This is why for more effectiveness of medical education applying new methods is necessitated. One of the evaluated and structured methods focusing on learning experiences in education is "logbook". Logbook is a simple means for learners, a framework for organizing various educational activities and recording them. One of the unique characteristics of a logbook is that it requires students acquire a certain number of skills. This causes the students to do their tasks as planned and objectively too; and thanks to repetition and practice they would prevent probable errors. At present, a lot of clinical education aspects are different than in the past. Technology development, changes in the pattern of people's lifestyle and higher exposure to environmental risk factors [Such as the development of chemical industry, natural or synthetic chemicals, biological agents including viruses and other microorganisms, behavioral factors including psychological stress and drug addiction] cause changes in the pattern of diseases in general and particularly in the domain of communicable and non-communicable diseases. Therefore, in accord with these changes, the graduates and scholars are expected to promote their skills and abilities. Since, identification and analysis of the effectiveness of educational needs are prerequisite for a successful educational system, revision and continuous reviewing of educational programs based on the possibilities, conditions, and new needs are inevitable. Thus, the results of a study on 233 medical students passing their clinical stage [externs or interns] in Birjand University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2016-2017 showed that 24.5% of them knew high or very high helpful completion of their log books activities in attaining of clinical wards skills and 74.5% expressed the necessity of reviewing available log books in clinical wards. According to the obtained results the necessity of reviewing log books used in clinical wards of BUMS considering the latest clinical issues, diseases- including emerging and reemerging ones- and diagnostic - therapeutic methods in accordance with changes in diagnostic - therapeutic guidelines using the newest resources is critically felt. Furthermore, due to the pervasive use of electronic log books in recent years in medical universities across the country that are in line with developments and innovations in medical education, it is recommended that the log books at this university too, should be presented and evaluated electronically. Electronic log books with ongoing record of activities and clinical techniques based on educational objectives, in addition to learning consolidation, determine unavailable measures to achieve clinical objectives and, thus, cause regular monitoring and evaluation on the part of students

[Epidemiological study of self-medication and its associated factors in visitors to Birjand pharmacies, 2015]

Background and Aim: Nowadays, scientific and industrial advances in medical field and pharmaceutics have provided access to various types of medications which, without proper monitoring, can lead to willful drug use. The present study aimed at determining self-medication epidemiology and its related factors in pharmacy visitors in Birjand in 2015

Materials and Methods: This analytical descriptive study was conducted on 944 Birjand pharmacy visitors, using stratified randomized sampling in the winter and spring of 2015. The necessary data was obtained by means of a validated and reliable questionnaire. Then, it was fed into SPSS [V:19] software and was analysed using the statistical testes X[2] ,independent T, Mann Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis ,and Tukey at the significant level P<0.05

Results: Mean age of the participants was 32.8 +/- 10.8 years. Among them, 84.5% from whom 58% were men, expressed their inappropriate self-medication. Common cold, allergy [61.4%] and analgesics [43.9%] had the highest rate of use. Unavailability of physicians [33%], easy access to medications in pharmacies [44.5%] and similar prescriptions [30.6%] were the main reasons for inappropriate self- medication

Conclusion: It was found that the inappropriate use of drugs, mainly in common cold, analgesic and antibiotic drugs, was high in the study population. The easy access to medicines pharmacies is probably the most important factor of the self medication

[Breast cancer: a preventable disease]

With regard to high cancer incidence, as one of the major mortality causes worldwide, following human societies industrialization in recent years breast cancer, dealt with in the present article, has got a particular impact on women who possess a pivotal role in family and society. Thus, adoption of effective diagnostic procedures in the early stages of the disease is very important, which must be considered as a substantial component of the strategies aimed at women's health promotion and decreasing of breast cancer mortality rate. Meanwhile, women's education and their awareness promotion and advising them to carry out different methods of breast cancer screening in the early stages of the symptoms, as preventive measures, play important roles. The present review article attempts to study prevalence and epidemiology of breast cancer, its risk factors and its different stages of prevention

Imbalance of angiogenesis in diabetic complications: the mechanisms

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a complex disease and a chronic health-care problem. Nowadays, because of alteration of lifestyle such as lack of exercise, intake of high fat diet subsequently obesity and aging population, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing quickly in around the world. The international diabetes federation estimated in 2008, that 246 million adults in worldwide suffered from diabetes mellitus and the prevalence of disease is expected to reach to 380 million by 2025. Although, mainly in management of diabetes focused on hyperglycemia, however, it is documented that abnormalities of angiogenesis may contribute in the pathogenesis of diabetes complications. Angiogenesis is the generation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. Normal angiogenesis depends on the intricate balance between angiogenic factors [such as VEGF, FGF[2], TGF-[registered sign], angiopoietins] and angiostatic factors [angiostatin, endostatin, thrombospondins]. Vascular abnormalities in different tissues including retina and kidney can play a role in pathogenesis of micro-vascular complications of diabetes; also vascular impairment contributes in macrovascular complications e.g., diabetic neuropathy and impaired formation of coronary collaterals. Therefore, identifying of different mechanisms of the diabetic complications can give us an opportunity to prevent and/or treat the following complications and improves quality of life for patients and society. In this review, we studied the mechanisms of angiogenesis in micro-vascular and macro-vascular complications of diabetes mellitus