Effect of Myo-inositol and N-acetyl-L-cysteine on processed human spermatozoa for use in modern methods of fertility treatment

Background and aims: Today, the prevalence of structural and functional disorders of sperm and subsequently the possibility of occurrence of autism, spontaneous abortion, and infertility has increased dramatically. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of myo-inositol and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) on the improvement of processed spermatozoa indices. Methods: In this study, 63 patients with male factor infertility were studied in Hazrat Zahra Infertility Center of Shahrekord. To do liquefaction, the semen sample was incubated at 37°C for 20 minutes. The Density Gradient Centrifugation protocol was used to process sperm. The processed sperm samples were incubated at 37°C for 20 minutes in four groups of control, myo-inositol (2 mg/mL), NAC antioxidant (10 Mm/L) and myo-inositol+NAC. All biological parameters of sperm were evaluated using Makler slide, SQA-V sperm analyzer gold version 2.48, TUNEL assay, and Toluidine blue staining. Results: In the present study, 63 men aged 22-58 years with infertility complaints were studied. The NAC group and the myo-inositol group exhibited significantly higher motility in comparison with the control group (P 0.05). Conclusion: NAC and myo-inositol were able to improve certain indices such as sperm motility and integrity; therefore, the quality of sperm could be improved by these drugs to treat infertility. Keywords: Myo-inositol, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, Infertility treatment, Biological parameters of sperm, IVF, ICS

Comparison of Polyethylene Glycol Powder and Polyethylene Glycol 40% Syrup in Treatment of Chronic Idiopathic Constipation in Pediatrics

Introduction: Constipation is one of the most common gastrointestinal complaints in children that can lead to many complications. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of polyethylene glycol powder and polyethylene glycol 40% syrup to treat constipation. Materials and Methods: This study was a nonrandomized semi-experimental clinical trial. The current study was conducted on 80 patients with constipation, referring to Imam Ali (PBUH) Clinic, Shahrekord randomly assigned to two groups of 40 each. Subjects were children under 15 years old with functional constipation selected by simple sampling since 2015. Group 1 was treated with polyethylene glycol powder and Group 2 was treated with polyethylene glycol 40% syrup for two months. During the treatment, the patients were examined five times with 2-week intervals and their symptoms consisting of defecation frequency, stool consistency, painful defecation, bloody defecation, and stool incontinence were registered in a checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS24. Results: The comparison of patients' total status before and after intervention shows that two groups were assessed in the weak level in the polyethylene glycol powder group 28(0.70%) cases and syrup group 36(0.90%), while after intervention, polyethylene glycol powder group was assessed in the high level 35(87.5%) cases and syrup group 37(92%) cases and most of patients after intervention promoted from weak and intermediate level before intervention to High level. Conclusion: The findings indicated similar efficacy and treatment response of the PEG powder and syrup. However, the PEG syrup can be used instead of its powder because of pleasant taste and ease of use. Keywords Author Keywords:Constipation; functional constipation; polyethylene glycol KeyWords Plus:CHILDHOOD CONSTIPATION; FUNCTIONAL CONSTIPATION; CHILDREN; DISORDERS; LAXATIVES; SPECTRU

Efficacy of some Herbal Medicines in Osteoarthritis with a Focus on Topical Agents: A Systematic Review

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of musculoskeletal disorders that mainly affects the elderly population. Some herbal medicines have the potential to alleviate the pain associated with OA and improve physical activity mostly through anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of herbal medicines, especially topical types, on osteoarthritis. In this systematic review, the keywords "osteoarthritis", "herbal compounds", "herbal medicine", "topical drug", "hydrogels", "cream" and "treatment" were used to search publications published from 2010 to 2019 and indexed in databases including PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar. After screening of titles and abstracts and detection of duplicate publications, 38 eligible articles were included in the main review. We also included herbal formulations in vivo. Bioactive fractions of herbal medicines mostly worked on OA through suppression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), inducing nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation by inhibition of inhibitor of NF-κB (IκBα) phosphorylation, IκBα degradation, p65 phosphorylation, and p65 nuclear translocation, downregulation of NF-κB targets including COX-2 and MMPs, upregulation of collagen type II, cartilage-specific proteoglycans (CSPGs), β1-integrin, and expression of cartilage-specific transcription factor SOX-9 protein. Noticeably, herbal medicines do not produce desirable effects, thereby using their combinations with other therapeutic agents seem to exert substantial clinical outcomes. Herbal gels have demonstrated robustly significant healing effects on knee pain, stiffness and mobility. It is worth considering that because OA is a chronic disease, longer duration of the studies/trials would even lead to obtaining more reliable judgments regarding topical treatment tolerability, safety and efficacy and clarify local or systemic adverse effects. Stability and standardization of a defined amount or concentrations of herbal gels would give promising effects on OA treatment and pain relief. Keywords: Herbal medicine; herbal cream; hydrogels; osteoarthritis; proteoglycans; topical drug

Statistical analysis on “Early auditory skills development in Mandarin speaking children after bilateral cochlear implantation”

[No abstract available

In vitro antibacterial activity of Bunium persicum and Rheum ribes on Acinetobacter baumanii

Introduction: Using antibiotics to control pathogenic bacteria is associated with certain side effects in addition to emergence of drug resistance. Nowadays, researchers are considering using plants as suitable alternatives to antibiotics. The aim of study was to compare in vitro antimicrobial activities of aqueous and hydroalcoholic Bunium persicum and Rheum ribes L. extracts on Acinetobacter baumanii. Materials and methods: Different concentrations of R. ribes and B. persicum were prepared to determine microbial sensitivity of A. baumanii using disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). Results: The highest MIC (256 µg/ml) against A. baumanii was derived for aqueous R. ribes and B. persicum extracts and the lowest MIC (128 µg/ml) for their hydroalcoholic extracts. The highest MBC (512 µg/ml) was derived for aqueous R. ribes extract and the lowest MBC (256 µg/ml) for aqueous and hydroalcoholic R. ribes and B. persicum and hydroalcoholic R. ribes extracts. The extracts exhibited great inhibitory effects against the studied bacteria in disk diffusion; and with increasing the extracts’ concentrations, the inhibitory effect was exhibited more markedly as increased diameter of inhibition zone. Conclusion: Hydroalcoholic R. ribes and B. persicum extracts can be used as nature-based compounds to control A. baumanii. &nbsp

The Role of Job Performance on Career Success and Self-esteem of Staff

Introduction: Human resources are the most valuable assets to any organisation, identifying factors that affect job performance of these resources has become increasingly important. Aim: To determine the relationship between self-esteem and success with job performance in the staff of the Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (SKUMS) Headquarters, Shahrekord, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical (correlational) study, based on structural equation modeling, was conducted in 2015. The study population included 240 of the staff of SKUMS Headquarters, Shahrekord, Iran. From these people, 86 were selected by simple random sampling. A questionnaire of demographic characteristics, Paterson job performance, Radsyp career success and Eysenck selfesteem questionnaire were used to evaluate the concepts of job performance, success and self-esteem. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: A total of 86 out of which 49 were female (57%) and 37 (43%) male, with a mean age of 39.85±7.6 (range 24-55) years. There was no significant relationship between demographic characteristics and job performance, career success and selfesteem. Self-esteem could be predicted positively and career success could be predicted negatively. Job performance and selfesteem had a significant positive correlation relationship (p<0.05). Conclusion: According to the direct relationship between job performance and self-esteem in this study, officials can improve job performance of staff through supporting them and reinforcing their self-esteem and thus providing career success

Polymorphisms in CD14 Gene May Modify Soluble CD14 Levels and Represent Risk Factors for Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Besides the central role of the adaptive immune system, a disturbance of innate immune system is also suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). CD14, a receptor upregulated in activated microglia, is known to be an essential mediator of inflammation in innate immune responses. Therefore, in this study we aimed to assess possible roles of CD14-159 and -260 gene polymorphisms in MS susceptibility and the effects of those polymorphisms to its protein producing capacity in Iranian population. Methods: In this case control study, CD14-159 and -260 polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 200 MS patients and 200 healthy controls matched in age and gender. Serum levels of soluble CD14 (sCD14) was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: There were significant differences in genotype distribution of CD14-159 and -260 polymorphisms between patients and controls (P = 0.01, for-both). Mean serum level of sCD14 was significantly higher in MS patients than in control subjects (3340.30 ± 612.50 ng/ml vs 2353.73 ± 539.07 ng/ml; P < 0.01). Conclusion: In summary, we conclude that CD14-159 and -260 polymorphisms are associated with the risk of MS in Iranian population and affects CD14 promoter activity, thereby regulating CD14 expression. Furthermore, our study provides preliminary evidence for the activation of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of MS. In addition, the findings of the present study suggest serum level of sCD14 as candidate biomarker of MS severity