Intrahippocampal 5-HT1A receptor antagonist inhibits the improving effect of low-frequency stimulation on memory impairment in kindled rats.

In addition to its anticonvulsant effect, low frequency stimulation (LFS) improves learning and memory in kindled animals. In the present study, the role of 5-HT1A receptors in mediating LFS' improving effect on spatial learning and memory was investigated in amygdala-kindled rats. Amygdala kindling was conducted in a semi-rapid kindling stimulations (12 stimulations per day) in male Wistar rats. LFS (4 trains of 0.1 ms pulse duration at 1 Hz, 200 pulses, 50-150 µA, at 5 min intervals) was applied after termination of kindling stimulations. NAD-299 (a selective 5-HT1A receptor antagonist; 2.5 and 5 µg/µl) was microinjected into the hippocampal CA1 before applying LFS. The Morris water maze, and novel object recognition tests were conducted after the last kindling stimulation. Hippocampal samples were also prepared, and 5-HT1A receptor gene expression levels were assessed using quantitative RT-PCR. In kindled animals, LFS reduced impairments in spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests. Microinjection of NAD doses of 5 µg/µl reduced the effects of LFS on learning and memory. The gene expression level of 5-HT1A receptors increased significantly in the hippocampus of amygdala-kindled rats. However, LFS applied after kindling stimulations inhibited this effect. It seems that activation of 5-HT1A receptors in the CA1 field is necessary for LFS' improving effects on spatial learning and memory in kindled animals; although surprisingly, LFS application prevented the elevation in gene expression of 5-HT1A receptors in kindled animals.

The role of 5-HT1A receptors of hippocampal CA1 region in anticonvulsant effects of low-frequency stimulation in amygdala kindled rats.

Low frequency stimulation (LFS) has been proposed as a method in the treatment of epilepsy, but its anticonvulsant mechanism is still unknown. In the current study, the hippocampal CA1 region was microinjected with NAD-299 (a selective 5-HT1A antagonist), and its role in mediating the inhibitory action of LFS on amygdala kindling was investigated. Male Wistar rats were kindled by amygdala stimulation in a semi-rapid kindling manner (12 stimulations per day). LFS (0.1 ms pulse duration at 1 Hz, 200 pulses, 50-150 µA) was applied at 5 min after termination of daily kindling stimulations. NAD (a selective 5-HT1A antagonist) was microinjected into the CA1 region of the hippocampus at the doses of 2.5 and 5 µg/1 µl. An open field test was also run to determine the motor activity of animals in different experimental groups. The application of LFS following daily kindling stimulations reduced the behavioral seizure stages, afterdischarge duration, and stage 5 seizure duration and increased the latency to stage 4 seizure compared to the kindled group. However, microinjection of NAD at the doses of 5 µg/1 µl, but not 2.5 µg/1 µl, blocked the inhibitory effect of LFS on behavioral and electrophysiological parameters in kindled animals. It could be presumed that 5-HT1A receptors in the CA1 area are involved in mediating the antiepileptic effects of LFS.

Oral versus written feedback delivery to nursing students in clinical education: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Feedback delivery is deemed as a key element during a students' clinical education. It keeps students on track to meet their goal and increase students' motivation and confidence. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the quality of feedback delivery in oral versus written feedback delivery to nursing students in clinical education. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted between February and August 2012 in the city of Bojnurd in Iran. Using purposive sampling, last semester's nursing students (n=44) had been randomly assigned to oral and written feedback delivery groups. Three Instructors received orientation and training on methods of feedback delivery before study initiation. Then, they gave necessary oral and written feedback to the students. Clinical settings of the study included coronary care, surgical, and neonatal units of hospitals. Data collection tools were quality of feedback delivery, students' satisfaction questionnaire and students' reactions checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 11.5 with chi-square test and the t-test. RESULTS: Most of the students (52%, n=23) were male. There were no significant differences between the scores of quality of oral and written feedback delivery (p>0.05). The study did not show a difference of satisfaction level between the oral and written feedback groups. The relationship between students' reactions and feedback type at the confidence level of 90% was significant, so that students who received oral feedback showed more severe reactions as compared to the written feedback group. CONCLUSION: According to the results, the type of feedback is not an important factor in clinical education quality and satisfaction level. They may achieve a better outcome by focusing on the other aspects of quality of feedback delivery rather than feedback type. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at the Iranian Registration Center for Clinical Trials with the Irct id: (IRCT: 201111128076N1). FUNDING: North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences (permission no. 89/p/209).

Breast cancer research in Iran: a scientometric analysis of publications output from 1991 to 2015 in Scopus.

INTRODUCTION: As a common type of malignancy, breast cancer is one of the major causes of death in women globally. The purpose of the current study was to analyze Iran research performance on Breast Cancer in the context of national and international studies, shown in the publications indexed in Scopus database during 1991-2015. METHODS: Data were retrieved from the Scopus citation database in this scientometric study. The following string was employed; "breast cancer OR breast malignancy OR breast tumor OR mammary ductal carcinoma" keywords in the main title, abstract and keywords and Iran in the affiliation field were the main related keywords. The terms used were searched in Scopus using the tab specified for searching documents. Time span analyzed was 1991 to 2015 inclusive. Using the analyzing software of Scopus, we analyzed the results. RESULTS: Iran's increasing publication production during 1991-2015 in breast cancer research which indexed in Scopus, consists of 2,399 papers with an average of 95.96 papers per year, and achieved an h-index of 48. Iranian cancer research articles have received 15,574 citations during 1991-2015, and average citations per paper were 6.49. Iran ranked 27th among the top 30 nations with a worldwide stake of 0.67 %, the 20 top publishing journals published 744 (31%) Iranian research articles on breast cancer, among them, there were 15 Iranian journals. CONCLUSION: The number of Iranian research papers on breast cancer and also the number of citations to them, is increasing. Although the quantity and quality of papers are increasing, regarding the prevalence of breast cancer in Iran and also the ineffectiveness of screening programs in the early detection of the cases, more effort should be made, and Iranian policy makers should consider more investment on breast cancer research.

Efficacy of Multidetector-Row Computed Tomography as a Practical Tool in Comparison to Invasive Procedures for Visualization of the Biliary Obstruction.

INTRODUCTION: Recently, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) has been introduced into clinical practice. MDCT has become the noninvasive diagnostic test of choice for detailed evaluation of biliary obstruction. AIM: the main objective of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of MDCT compared to invasive procedures for detecting biliary obstruction causes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Since February 2009 until May 2011 fifty biliary obstruction patients based on clinical, laboratory or ultrasonographic findings, were evaluated by Multidetector-row computed tomography. The causes of biliary obstruction, which was identified using. MDCT were classified into three categories: calculus, benign stricture, and malignancy. Final diagnosis was conducted based on percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, biopsy, or surgery. The MDCT diagnosis and were compared with the final diagnosis. RESULTS: A correct diagnosis of causes of biliaryobstruction was made on the basis of MDCT findings for 44 of the total 50 patients. Two patients with chronic pancreatitis were incorrectly diagnosed with a pancreatic head adenocarcinoma on the basis of MDCT findings. One patient with biliary stone was incorrectly diagnosed with a periampullary adenocarcinoma on the basis of MDCT findings. The Sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MDCT in the diagnosis of causes of biliary obstruction were 94.12% and87.87% and94.6% respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study MDCT has an excellent image quality, providing valuable information about the biliary tree and other abdominal organs. The use of advanced image processing, including maximum intensity projection and multiplanar reconstruction (especially coronal or sagittal reformatted images), allows superior visualization of the biliary tree and vascular structures. Three-dimensional reconstruction images complement axial images by providing a more anatomically meaningful display of the lesion and its relationship to adjacent structures, and accurate determining the craniocaudal extent of the lesion. High accuracy, wide availability and ease of use, make the MDCT the imaging modality of choice for evaluation of biliary obstruction.

Scientific Production of Medical Universities in the West of Iran: a Scientometric Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to compare scientific production by providing quantitative evaluation of science output in five Western Iranian Medical Universities including Hamedan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan and Lorestan University of Medical Sciences using scientometrics indicators based on data indexed in Scopus for period between the years 2010 to 2014. METHODS: In this scientometric study data were collected using Scopus database. Both searching and analyzing features of Scopus were used to data retrieval and analysis. We used Scientometrics indicators including number of publications, number of citations, nationalization index (NI), Internationalization Index (INI), H-index, average number of citations per paper, and growth index. RESULTS: Five Western Iranian Universities produced over 3011 articles from 2010 to 2014. These articles were cited 7158 times with an average rate of 4.2 citations per article. H- Index of under study universities are varying from 14 to 30. Ilam University of Medical Sciences had the highest international collaboration with an INI of 0.33 compared to Hamedan and Kermanshah universities with INI of 0.20 and 0.16 respectively. The lowest international collaboration belonged to Lorestan University of Medical Sciences (0.07). The highest Growth Index belonged to Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (69.7). CONCLUSION: Although scientific production of five Western Iranian Medical Universities was increasing, but this trend was not stable. To achieve better performance it is recommended that five Western Iranian Universities stabilize their budgeting and investment policies in research.

Diabetes Research in Iran: a Scientometric Analysis of Publications Output.

INTRODUCTION: In the developing countries, diabetes mellitus as a chronic diseases, have replaced infectious diseases as the main causes of morbidity and mortality. International Diabetes Federation (IDF) recently estimates 382 million people have diabetes globally and more than 34.6 million people in the Middle East Region and this number will increase to 67.9 million by 2035. The aim of this study was to analyze Iran's research performance on diabetes in national and international context. METHODS: This Scientometric analysis is based on the Iranian publication data in diabetes research retrieved from the Scopus citation database till the end of 2014. The string used to retrieve the data was developed using "diabetes" keyword in title, abstract and keywords, and finally Iran in the affiliation field was our main string. RESULTS: Iran's cumulative publication output in diabetes research consisted of 4425 papers from 1968 to 2014, with an average number of 96.2 papers per year and an annual average growth rate of 25.5%. Iran ranked 25th place with 4425 papers among top 25 countries with a global share of 0.72 %. Average of Iran's publication output was 6.19 citations per paper. The average citation per paper for Iranian publications in diabetes research increased from 1.63 during 1968-1999 to 10.42 for 2014. CONCLUSIONS: Although diabetic population of Iran is increasing, number of diabetes research is not remarkable. International Diabetes Federation suggested increased funding for research in diabetes in Iran for cost-effective diabetes prevention and treatment. In addition to universal and comprehensive services for diabetes care and treatment provided by Iranian health care system, Iranian policy makers should invest more on diabetes research.

Epilepsy Research in Iran: a Scientometric Analysis of Publications Output During 2000-2014.

AIM: The aim of this study is to analyze the epilepsy research output of Iran in national and global contexts, as reflected in its publication output indexed in Scopus citation database during 2000-2014. METHODS: This study was based on the publications of epilepsy research from Iranian authors retrieved Feb. 2015 from Scopus Citation database [www.scopus.com]. The string used to retrieve the data was developed using "epilepsy OR epilepsies" keywords in title, abstract and keywords and Iran in affiliation field was our main string. RESULTS: Cumulative publication output of Iran in epilepsy research consisted of 702 papers from 2000 to 2014, with an average number of 46.53 papers per year. The total publication output of Iran in epilepsy research increased from 2 papers in 2000 to 88 papers in 2014. Hence, with 702 paper, Iran ranked 25(th) among the top 25 countries with a global share of 0.82 %. Iranian publication average citation per paper increased from 0 in 2000 to 7.88 in 2014. Overall, the received citations were 3184 citations during those years. CONCLUSION: Iran is collaborating with 36 countries with no more than 244 of its papers (35% of its total papers). It is necessary to prepare conditions for epilepsy researchers to collaborate more with international scientific societies in order to produce more and high quality papers.

Diagnostic value of CD117 in differential diagnosis of acute leukemias.

C-kit receptor (CD117) and its ligand, stem cell factor, play a key role in normal hematopoiesis. It has been demonstrated that its expression extremely increases in leukemias with myeloid commitment. We analyzed findings on CD117 expression together with other myeloid related markers in 203 de novo acute leukemias, referred to Iranian immunophenotyping centers: Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization (IBTO) and Baghiatallah Hospital (BH). All cases were characterized based on the French American British cooperative group (FAB) and European Group for Immunological Classification of Leukemias (EGIL). The cases comprised of 111 acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), 86 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and 6 acute undifferentiated leukemia (AUL). CD117 was positive in 75 % of AML and 50 % of AUL, whereas none of the ALL cases was positive for this marker. Although CD117 was positive in 100 % of M5a cases, no M5b positive was found (p = 0.036). The calculated specificity for myeloid involvement was 100 % for CD117 and CD33, and 98 % for CD13 and CD15 (p < 0.001). The calculated sensitivity for myeloid involvement was 83, 76, 64, and 41 % for CD13, CD117, CD33, and CD15, respectively (p < 0.001). We concluded that CD117 expression is a specific and rather sensitive marker for differential diagnosis between AML and ALL, and except for M5 subtypes, it fails to determine FAB subtypes; lack of expression in M5 can identify M5b. Therefore, it should be included in the routine primary panel for diagnosis of acute leukemias.