Evaluation of antioxidants, nitrosative, and oxidative stress before & after acute brucellosis treatment.

BACKGROUND: In vivo studies of antioxidants, nitrosative, and oxidative processes in Brucella infection have not been comprehensive. This research looked at these critical concerns before and after treating individuals with acute brucellosis. METHODS: A total of 50 individuals with acute brucellosis were studied before and after treatment in Babol, Iran. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, plasma total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT) activity, protein carbonyl, oxidative stress markers like malondialdehyde (MDA), and nitrosative stress markers such as nitrite oxide metabolites (NO3, NO2) were all assessed. RESULTS: The individuals were 44.15 ± 13.5 years old on average. Before therapy, protein carbonyl and plasma MDA were 0.887 ± 0.12 and 0.725 ± 0.33, respectively, and after treatment, they were 0.697 ± 0.17 and 0.467 ± 0.48 (p < 0.05). After treatment, the average TAC level was greater (870.1 ± 88.64 mol/l vs. 670.13 ± 133.96 mol/l) (p < 0.001). Before and after therapy, CAT activity was significantly different (8.53 ± 2.70 vs. 6.94 ± 2.84, p < 0.001). In addition, SOD activity was 41.79 ± 9.79 before treatment and 28.95 ± 8.11 after treatment (p < 0.001). The difference in plasma nitrite oxide levels before and after therapy was substantial (50.89 ± 17.74 vs. 28.68 ± 15.97, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The findings revealed that in acute brucellosis, nitrosative and oxidative stress, as well as antioxidant depletion, were all elevated. The addition of appropriate natural antioxidants to therapy regimens may improve their effectiveness.

Management of diabetic foot ulcer in Babol, North of Iran: an experience on 520 cases.

BACKGROUND: Foot ulcers (FU) are a significant complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) and a preceding factor leading to lower extremity amputation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the management of diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) in Babol, north of Iran. METHODS: Five hundred twenty cases of diabetic foot ulcer that were hospitalized in two main teaching hospitals of Babol University of Medical Sciences from March 2005 to September 2011 were evaluated. Glycemic control, wound and foot care, ulcer treatment and site of amputation were determined and the collected data were analyzed. RESULTS: Four hundred forty seven (84%) had inappropriate glycaemic control. Three hundred-sixty-four (70%) received oral anti-diabetic drugs. Ulcer care was proper and improper in 46% and 54% of cases, respectively. Quality of foot care was inappropriate in 66% of patients. Most patients were treated surgically (85%) including debridement (28%) and amputation (57%). Major amputations were the most common (63%) and below knee amputation was more predominant (61%). CONCLUSION: The results show that diabetic foot ulcer management is not appropriate in this region, and the rate of amputation is relatively high. Improvement and organization of existing facilities are recommended.

Association of human leukocyte antigen polymorphism with outcomes of hepatitis B virus infection.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Host genetic and environmental factors are viewed as a common basis of the different outcomes of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) plays an important role in immunological reaction to HBV infection. In this study, we aimed to determine the association between HBV infection and HLA-A, B, and DRB1 alleles in northern Iran. METHODS: HLA-A, B, and DRB1 alleles in 33 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and 31 healthy carriers as the persistent group, and 30 subjects who had spontaneously recovered from HBV infection were analyzed by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP) technique. RESULTS: The frequency of the HLA-A*33 allele was higher in the persistent group than in the recovered group (10.16% vs 0%, P < 0.008); the frequency of the DRB1*13 allele was lower in the persistent group than in the recovered group (3.13% vs 11.67%, P < 0.03). The frequency of the B*52 allele was higher in CHB patients than healthy carriers (7.58% vs 0%, P < 0.05). The logistic regression model showed that the presence of the HLA-DRB1*13 allele was the significant factor associated with protection against the persistency of HBV. There were significant differences between the HBV recovered group, CHB patients, and healthy carriers regarding age, hepatitis B e antigen, and anti-hepatitis B e positivity. CONCLUSION: HLA-A*33 was closely related with susceptibility to persisting hepatitis B infection, and HLA-DRB1*13 was closely related with protection against persisting hepatitis B in an Iranian population. These findings emphasized that the host HLA polymorphism is an important factor in determining the outcome of HBV infection.