Maternal aerobic running during mid or late gestation improves the quality of oogenesis and folliculogenesis in the ovary of neonatal rats: An experimental study

Background: Regular maternal exercise in pregnancy enhances the physiological, metabolic, and psychological health of mother and fetus. Objective: To determine the effect of maternal aerobic running during mid or late gestation on plasma levels of estrogen and progesterone and the histological alterations in the ovary of neonatal rats. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one female Wistar rats were randomly divided into experimental groups to exercises during the 2nd or 3rd wk of pregnancy (n = 14) and a control group (n = 7). After birth, the neonate’s blood was obtained and the estrogen and progesterone levels were evaluated. The ovaries were then removed and used for histological investigations and apoptic assessment. Results: Higher concentrations of estrogen and progesterone were found in the neonates of the experimental groups (p = 0.001) compared to the control group. The experimental groups had a large ovarian diameter (2nd wk: p = 0.044; 3rd wk: p = 0.005) and angiogenesis (2nd wk: p = 0.003; 3rd wk: p = 0.001). In addition, significant enhancements were seen in the the experimental groups in terms of the number (2nd wk: p = 0.017; p = 0.035) and diameter (2nd wk: p = 0.046; 3rd wk: p = 0.004) of primordial follicles, as well as in the diameter of primary oocytes (2nd wk: p = 0.073; 3rd wk: p = 0.019) compared to the control group. Moreover, rats that exercised had a lower number of apoptotic primordial follicles than the control group (2nd wk: p = 0.001; 3rd wk: p = 0.001). Conclusion: It was shown that maternal aerobic running can lead to increased plasma levels of estrogen and progesterone, also improved histological characteristics of the ovary in neonatal rats. Key words: Apoptosis, Exercise, Neonatal, Oogenesis, Ovary, Rat

The Effect of Language Barrier and Non-professional Interpreters on the Accuracy of Patient-physician Communication in Emergency department

Introduction: Patients’ relatives commonly play the role of interpreters in medical interviews. These non-professional interpreters are prone to potentially-dangerous translation errors. Objective: The present study was conducted to evaluate these errors in the emergency department (ED). Method: Twenty interviews with Azeri patients were recorded. They were unable of speaking Persian and therefore accompanied by a relative as a Persian interpreter. These records were presented to two physicians as native Azeri speakers to determine the clinical importance of the interpreters' errors according to their medical expertise. Results: The total omission and addition errors observed in Azeri to Persian translation were significantly more than in Persian to Azeri translation, while mistranslation errors were almost the same. The relatives with higher levels of education made fewer errors, and those living with the patients made significantly more addition errors. Conclusion: Non-professional interpreters cannot effectively facilitate patient-physician communication, as their translation is error-prone, especially in terms of translating their native language into official languages. These errors can have important clinical ramifications

Clinical Results of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Frozen Shoulder

Background: Frozen shoulder is a common cause of shoulder pain and disability. Several treatments are utilized to reduce patients' pain and improve range of motion (ROM). Recent researches have been conducted on Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. In this study, the clinical results of PRP injection for patients with frozen shoulder was assessed. Materials and Methods: Forty-four patients in phases I or II of frozen shoulder were treated with PRP. During the first session, two syringes of PRP were injected in the subacromial bursa and intra-articular space; this process was repeated after four weeks. In the second stage, PRP was injected only in the glenohumeral joint. Results: The average pre-treatment flexion was about 65°; abduction was 70°while external rotation was 22°. Also, baseline scores for VAS, DASH, and SF-12 Health Survey questionnaire were 8.4, 65.9 and 26, respectively. After 25 weeks follow-up, all patients showed significant improvement in shoulder ROM, pain, and function (p˂0.001). Patients reported 66.7% improvement in pain, 51.6% in DASH score, and 100% in SF-12 Health Survey questionnaire. They were also 65% satisfied with the treatment protocol. Conclusion: This case series study demonstrated clinically and statistically significant improvement in patients' pain and disability outcomes following PRP injection. These results provide support for PRP as a safe treatment protocol that decreases pain and increases upper limb function. In addition, it can also improve shoulder range of motion

Investigation of Three-Dimensional Axisymmetric Unsteady Stagnation-Point Flow and Heat Transfer Impinging on an Accelerated Flat Plate

General formulation and solution of Navier-Stokes and energy equations are sought in the study of threedimensional axisymmetric unsteady stagnation-point flow and heat transfer impinging on a flat plate when the plate is moving with variable velocity and acceleration towards the main stream or away from it. As an application, among others, this accelerated plate can be assumed as a solidification front which is being formed with variable velocity. An external fluid, along z - direction, with strain rate a impinges on this flat plate and produces an unsteady three-dimensional axisymmetric flow in which the plate moves along z direction with variable velocity and acceleration in general. A reduction of Navier-Stokes and energy equations is obtained by use of appropriate similarity transformations, for the first time. The obtained ordinary differential equations are solved by using finite-difference numerical techniques. Velocity and pressure profiles along with temperature profiles are presented for different examples of the plate velocity functions and selected Prandtl numbers. According to the results obtained, the velocity and thermal boundary layers feel the effect of variations of the plate velocity more than the plate acceleration. It means that the minimum boundary layer thickness happens at the maximum value of the plate velocity and acceleration effect plays a secondary role

Secular trend changes in mean age of morbidity and mortality from an acute myocardial infarction during a 10-year period of time in Isfahan and Najaf Abad

زمینه و هدف: با توجه به گزارشات متفاوت در مورد خصوصیات دموگرافیک بیماران مبتلا به انفارکتوس قلبی حاد در ایران، این مطالعه جهت تعیین میانگین سن رخداد و مرگ و میر از بیماری و تغییرات آن در طول زمان انجام گردید. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه همگروهی گذشته نگر مبتنی بر بیمارستان، 12815 بیمار مبتلا به انفارکتوس قلبی حاد بستری شده در بیمارستان های شهر اصفهان و نجف آباد در طی سال های 87-1378 بررسی شدند. بعد از جمع آوری اطلاعات اولیه بیماران، آنها به مدت 28 روز جهت بررسی پیامدهای بیماری پیگیری شدند. اطلاعات در مورد پیامدهای بیماری از طریق تماس تلفنی یا مراجعه به درب منزل بیماران جمع آوری شد. یافته ها: میانگین سن رخداد بیماری برای مردان 54/12 ± 60 و برای زنان 34/11 ± 72/66 بود (001/0

Study Guides : Effective Tools to Improve Self-Directed Learning Skills of Medical Students

We would like to thank the participants for contribution in this study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seasonal pattern in admissions and mortality from acute myocardial infarction in elderly patients in Isfahan, Iran

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The expression pattern of Immune checkpoints after chemo/radiotherapy in the tumor microenvironment

As a disease with the highest disease-associated burden worldwide, cancer has been the main subject of a considerable proportion of medical research in recent years, intending to find more effective therapeutic approaches with fewer side effects. Combining conventional methods with newer biologically based treatments such as immunotherapy can be a promising approach to treating different tumors. The concept of “cancer immunoediting” that occurs in the field of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is the aspect of cancer therapy that has not been at the center of attention. One group of the role players of the so-called immunoediting process are the immune checkpoint molecules that exert either co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory effects in the anti-tumor immunity of the host. It involves alterations in a wide variety of immunologic pathways. Recent studies have proven that conventional cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or a combination of them, i.e., chemoradiotherapy, alter the “immune compartment” of the TME. The mentioned changes encompass a wide range of variations, including the changes in the density and immunologic type of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the alterations in the expression patterns of the different immune checkpoints. These rearrangements can have either anti-tumor immunity empowering or immune attenuating sequels. Thus, recognizing the consequences of various chemo(radio)therapeutic regimens in the TME seems to be of great significance in the evolution of therapeutic approaches. Therefore, the present review intends to summarize how chemo(radio)therapy affects the TME and specifically some of the most important, well-known immune checkpoints’ expressions according to the recent studies in this field

COVID-19 related stigma among the general population in Iran

Funding Information: GT is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration South London at King’s College London NHS Foundation Trust, and by the NIHR Asset Global Health Unit award. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. GT is also supported by the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity for the On Trac project (EFT151101), and by the UK Medical Research Council (UKRI) in relation to the Emilia (MR/S001255/1) and Indigo Partnership (MR/R023697/1) awards. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD