Effects of butyric acid and arsenic on isolated pancreatic islets and liver mitochondria of male mouse

Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the different doses of Butyric acid [BA] and Arsenic [As] in liver mitochondria oxidative stress and pancreatic islet insulin secretion of male mouse

Background: BA is found in many foods and As as a toxic metal is present in drinking water. They can induce oxidative stress in tissues

Methods: In this experimental study, Liver mitochondria were isolated by administration of the different centrifugation method and pancreatic islets were isolated by collagenase method. Mitochondria were incubated by BA [35, 75, 150, 300 microM] and As [20, 50, 100, 200 microM] as the islets were incubated by BA [250, 500, 1000, 1500 microM] and As [50, 100, 200 microM] for 1 hour. At the end of the experiment, mitochondrial viability and membrane potential, ROS, MDA, GSH and islets insulin secretion were measured by their specific methods

Results: BA and As administration increased mitochondrial levels of ROS, MDA and decreased GSH and pancreatic islet insulin secretion in a dose dependent manner [p<0.05]. The doses of BA 75microM and As 100microM have been revealed the most mitochondria toxic concentrations. Also, the doses of 1000microM for BA and 100microM for As were considered as reducing concentrations for islets insulin secretion. Additionally, co administration of them intensified more these effects

Conclusion: Alone or in combination administration of BA and As induced oxidative stress in liver mitochondria and decreased insulin secretion of pancreatic islets

Efficacy of clarithromycin containing bismuth-based regimen as a second-line therapy in helicobacter pylori eradication

The eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection, commonly prevailing in the stomach, has been important since its introduction. Adequate preparations should be made in finding alternatives when faced with first-line treatment failures. Currently, ideal second-line treatments are indistinct and varied among countries as result of different antibiotic resistance patterns. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a clarithromycin-containing bismuth-based quadruple regimen as a second-line treatment. Forty-eight H.pylori-positive patients with proven gastric or duodenal ulcers and/or erosions who had previously failed to respond to furazolidone-containing regimens were enrolled. They received pantoprazole [40 mg-bid], amoxicillin [1gr-bid], bismuth subcitrate [240 mg-bid], and clarithromycin [500mg-bid] for 10 days. Eight weeks after treatment, a 14C-urea breath test was performed for the re-evaluation of H. pylori eradication. Forty-three patients completed the study. H.pylori eradication rates were 79.2% [95% CI=65.00-89.53] and 88.4% [95% CI=74.91-96.11] according to intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses, respectively. All patients had excellent compliance to treatment and one did not continue therapy because of adverse effects. In developing countries such as Iran, a ten-day clarithromycin-containing bismuth-based quadruple regimen is encouraged as a second-line treatment because of the acceptable rate of eradication and low adverse effects

Malaria elimination in Iran, importance and challenges

The aim of study is to assess the importance and challenges of Malaria elimination [ME] in Iran's health system. Opinion of experts from Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the chancellors of medical universities affected by malaria were gathered using Focus Group Discussions and in-depth interviews. We asked them about the importance and main challenges of ME in Iran. Main factors on importance of ME were: it's a struggle to reach to equity in the poorest regions of county, prevention of emerging disease in susceptible regions, lowering the cost of control and its effects on the region's socioeconomic condition. Main challenges were Iran's long border with malaria-endemic countries Pakistan and Afghanistan and illegal immigrants, underdevelopment in rural areas, system's insensitivity and diagnosis problem due to reduction of cases. Quantitative and holistic researches are needed for assessing the consequences of ME

effects of three sessions of running on a negative slope on serum levels of liver enzymes in adult male rats

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three sessions of running on a negative slope [eccentric contraction] on changes of the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alanin aminotransferaze [ALT] in adult male rats. 20 adult male rats were divided randomly into two equal groups [exercise and control]. Levels of AST and ALT in both groups were measured in a fasting state, 24 hours before and 24 hours after the last session of training. Exercise increased the levels of serum AST and ALT enzymes, significantly [p<0.05]. Eccentric exercise, without allowing enough time for returning to the pre-exercise state, leads to the damage of some body organs such as the liver

Advanced cardiac life support training by problem-based method: effect on the trainee's skills, knowledge and evaluation of trainers

Cardiopulmonary-cerebral resuscitation [CPCR] training is essential for all hospital workers, especially junior residents who might become the manager of the resuscitation team. In our center, the traditional CPCR knowledge training curriculum for junior residents up to 5 years ago was lecture-based and had some faults. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a problem-based method on residents' CPCR knowledge and skills as well as their evaluation of their CPCR trainers. This study, conducted at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, included 290 first-year residents in 2009-2010 - who were trained via a problem-based method [the problem-based group] - and 160 first-year residents in 2003-2004 - who were trained via a lecture-based method [the lecture-based group]. Other educational techniques and facilities were similar. The participants self-evaluated their own CPCR knowledge and skills pre and post workshop and also assessed their trainers' efficacy post workshop by completing special questionnaires. The problem-based group, trained via the problem-based method, had higher self-assessment scores of CPCR knowledge and skills post workshop: the difference as regards the mean scores between the problem-based and lecture-based groups was 32.36 +/- 19.23 vs. 22.33 +/- 20.35 for knowledge [p value = 0.003] and 10.13 +/- 7.17 vs. 8.19 +/- 8.45 for skills [p value = 0.043]. The residents' evaluation of their trainers was similar between the two study groups [p value = 0.193], with the mean scores being 15.90 +/- 2.59 and 15.46 +/- 2.90 in the problem-based and lecture-based groups, respectively. The problem-based method increased our residents' self-evaluation score of their own CPCR knowledge and skills

Study of nonenzymatic glycation of transferring and its effect on iron-binding antioxidant capacity

Nonenzymatic glycosylation [glycation] occurs in many macromolecules in aging and diabetes due to exposure of biomolecules to high level of glucose. Glycation can changes function, activities and structure of many biomolecules. Considering this important role of transferring [Trf] in iron transport and antioxidant activity in plasma this study was carried out to investigate the effect of glycation in these processes. In this study, human pro-Trf [5 mg/ml in sodium phosphate buffer pH= 7.4] was treated with different concentrations of glucose in different period of times [10 days and 20 days]. Rate of glycation was measured using thiobarbituric acid method. The effect of glycation on iron binding antioxidant capacity of apo-Trf was investigated using two methods [RBC hemolysis and fluorescent]. Result showed that rate of glycation of apo-Trf was increased with increase in glucose concentration and time of incubation [P< 0.05]. Lower iron binding antioxidant capacity was observed for glycted Trf as compared to native Trf [P< 0.05]. Impairment of antioxidant capacity of glycated Trf can suggest a relationship between glycation of Trf and oxidative stress that occurs due to hyperglycemia in diabetic patients

Life quality assessment among patients with vitiligo: comparison of married and single patients in Iran.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Vitiligo is known to affect the quality of social and personal life in some countries. This study aims to assess the quality of life (QOL) in vitiligo sufferers among the Iranian population and to evaluate its relation with different variables. METHODS: One hundred vitiligo patients answered a questionnaire based on the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). RESULTS: The mean DLQI score was 8.16. There were statistically significant relationships between DLQI scores and marital status, skin phototype, and disease extension independently. Conclusions: This study shows that vitiligo has a major impact on the QOL of patients in Iran. Hence dermatologists should pay attention to the psychological effects of this cosmetic disease and try to decrease its extension and disfiguring effects by various treatments.

Effects of ubiquinol-10 and beta-carotene on the in vitro susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein to copper-induced oxidation

Dietary antioxidant intake has been reported to be inversely associated with coronary artery disease. To clarify the possible role of lipophilic antioxidants in the prevention of atherosclerosis, we investigated the effects of ubiquinol-10 and beta-carotene on the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotem [LDL] to oxidative modification. In this study, first "ubiquinol-10 and beta-carotene" were added to plasma and incubated for 3hr at 37°C. Then, the LDL fraction was separated by ultracentrifugation. The oxidizability of LDL was estimated by measuring conjugated diene[CD], lipid peroxides and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances [TEARS] after cupric sulfate solution was added. We showed that ubiquinone-10 and P-carotene significantly [p<0.01 by ANOVA] and dose-dependently prolonged the lag time before initiation of oxidation reaction. Also, these two compounds suppressed the formation of lipid peroxides and TEARS more markedly than others. The ability of them to prolong lag time and suppression of lipid peroxides and TEARS formation resulted to be in the following order: ubiquinol-10> p-carotene.LDL exposed to the lipophilic antioxidants in vitro reduced oxidizability. These findings suggest that ubiquinol-10 and p-carotene have a role in ameliorating atherosclerosis

Prevalence and pattern of antimicrobial resistance of Shigella species among patients with acute diarrhoea in Karaj, Tehran, Iran.

The study was carried out to determine the prevalence and pattern of antimicrobial resistance of Shigella species among patients with acute diarrhoea in Karaj, Tehran, Iran. The study included all acute diarrhoea patients who visited the hospitals and treatment centres of Karaj during November 2001-October 2002. Of 734 stool samples collected from patients with acute diarrhoea and analyzed for Shigella spp., 123 (16.8%) yielded Shigella spp. (7.5% Shigella flexneri, 5.2% S. sonnei, 2.6% S. dysenteriae, and 1.5% S. boydii). Of the Shigella isolates, 90.8% were resistant to one or more antimicrobial agent(s), and 87.8% were multidrug resistant. The most common resistance was to tetracycline (73.5%), trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (70.4%), and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (50.0%). Resistance to cefixime, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and nalidixic acid was observed in 6.1%, 3.1%, 2.0%, and 1.0% of the isolates respectively. These findings suggest that Shigella spp. may be an important aetiological agent of diarrhoea with a high rate of drug resistance in this region, which requires further study.