Serum thyroxin level during the first-trimester of pregnancy

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the requirement of serum thyroxin levels during the early stage of the first trimester of pregnancy. Methodology: Serum thyroxin levels of 120 apparently healthy women were evaluated in Gorgan in northern Iran during 2007-08 by the enzyme linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). Results: According to the reference intervals of our standard kit, 48% of the pregnant women in this study had elevated thyroxin levels. Conclusion: The findings of this study can be misleading, because it was based on the laboratory standard kit, women normal range, as general. Pregnant women require higher levels of thyroxin and therefore, a specific normal range for the first trimester of pregnancy should be established in each particular region

Efficacy of DOTS strategy in treatment of respiratory tuberculosis in Gorgan, Islamic Republic of Iran

We carried out a follow-up cohort study of 260 smear-positive patients (178 on directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS); 82 on non-DOTS] over a 2-year period to evaluate the efficacy of the DOTS strategy in treatment of tuberculosis (TB). All the patients had had cough for > 3 weeks; 91.9% had fever, 60.8% of them with sputum; and 27.7% had a positive family history. The rate of treatment failure with DOTS was 9.0% at the end of the 2nd month and 1.7% at the beginning of the 5th month. In the control group these rates were 18.3% and 7.3% respectively. The DOTS strategy significantly increased the success rate of TB treatment (P < 0.05)

The prevalence of the elevation serum alanine amino transaminase at gorgan in Northern Iran

The elevation of serum alanine aminotranferase levels is associated most commonly with some forms of liver diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of elevated serum alanine aminotransferase levels and the possible liver damages in this region. This was a clinical laboratory based study. The data was obtained from the Danesh Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at Gorgan in northern Iran. The aminotransferase activity was measured by the pyridoxal -5-phsphate reaction. Values over 31 and 41 U/L were considered as indicative of elevated enzyme activity in females and males respectively. The findings of this study indicated that 16% of our population in general and of those who were aged 18-40 years in particular, had a form of liver disorder due to elevated enzyme, with a higher incidence among the female subjects, which seemed to be slightly higher than that reported by other studies earlier. The incidence was slightly higher among females. It seemed that high proportions of people (16%) in this region had an elevated serum enzyme activity of alanine amino-tranferase and according to well-documented reports, it might probably be associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. A comprehensive study is recommended to elaborate carefully the state of liver diseases in this region of Iran

Anti-influenza antibody level after vaccination in north of Iran

Objective:Influenza is a highly transmitted disease and about 10% of the world's population is affected by this disease annually. The aim of this research was to study the variation of serum antibody levels among subjects who had already been vaccinated against influenza. Methods And Materials:This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 196 subjects who had influenza vaccination (influvac 2005/2006) and on 200 subjects who were matched with the vaccinated subjects by their ages in Gorgan which is located in the northeast of Iran. The subject's sera were prepared seven weeks after the influenza vaccination. Their serum antibody levels were determinated by the heamaglutination inhibition test. Results:The antibody titre in 81 subjects of the vaccinated group and in 175 subjects of the control group was less then 1/40. The mean antibody titre of the vaccinated subjects and the control group was 143.4±10.89 and 18.34±3.2, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P value=0.000). Conclusion:The findings showed that the mean titre of the antibodies in the vaccinated and control groups was statistically different. This means that the influenza vaccine has good efficacy in our population

Serum copper concentration in newborns with neural tube defects in northern Iran; A case control study

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the eventual association between copper deficiency in newborns with neural tube defects (NTD) in Northern Iran. A high prevalence of neural tube defects has been reported from this region. Methods: This hospital based case control study was carried out on 13 newborns having neural tube defects and 35 healthy controls in Northern Iran during 2005-2006. Serum copper was measured by spectrophotometery. Findings: Serum copper level in newborns with NTD and healthy normal newborns was 16.5 (±7.2) μmol/l and 16.7 (±6.6) μmol/ l, respectively. In case group 38.5% of newborns and in control group 28.6% had copper deficiency. Logistic regression analysis showed no association between the presence of NTD and copper deficiency (OR:1.6, 95% CI=0.3-7.1, P=0.5). Conclusion: This study showed no association between NTD and copper deficiency in newborns. © 2009 by Center of Excellence for Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, All rights reserved

Effect of peppermint oil on serum lipid peroxidation and hepatic enzymes after immobility stress in mice

This study was undertaken to determine the influences of various doses of peppermint oil on the hepatic enzymes, alanine transaminase, apartate tranaminase, alkaline phosphotase and gamma glutamyl transferase and the level of malondialdehyde in the serum of mice with and without immobility stress. The mice exposed to drink water, 0.9, 27 and 60 mg/kg peppermint oil from the days 1 to 5 for a period of 4 h before and after immobility stress. Serum MDA increased in treatment group II, III and IV after immobility stress. There was a significant decrease in ALT in treatment group III and IV after immobility stress. There were also significant decreases in ALP and GGT in treatment group IV after immobility stress. This result may suggest that, MDA level is higher in immobilization stress group than in the un-immobilized animals in serum and this results show that enzyme activities decreased after immobilization stress. © Marjani et al

Lipid peroxidation in the serum of hypothyroid patients (In Gorgan-South East of Caspian Sea)

This study was designed to determine if lipid peroxidation can be modified by hypothyroidism. Twenty eight subjects with hypothyroidism and 33 euthyroid subjects participated in this study (2007). Blood samples were collected and serum malondialdehyde, T3, T4 and TSH were measured. An increase in lipid peroxidation (expressed as Malondialdehyde, MDA) and TSH levels and also a decrease in T4 level were observed in the hypothyroid patients when compared with control groups (p<0.001). The level of T3 was not changed when compared with control groups. The results shows that hypothyroidism may not modulate the free-radical-induced oxidative damage and that hypothyroidism may not present some protection against lipid peroxidation. Thus, the enhancedlipid peroxidation may play a role in the free-radical-induced oxidative damage of some tissues in hypothyroidism. These may show that there is an important relation between hypothyroidism and lipid peroxidation. © 2008 Academic Journals Inc

Genetic polymorphism of cytochrome p450 (2C19) enzyme in Iranian Turkman ethnic group

Objective: Different findings indicate that CYP2C plays a clinical role in determining interindividual and interethnic differences in drug effectiveness. The ethnic differences in the frequency of CYP2C19 mutant alleles continue to be a significant study topic. The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of allelic variants of CYP2C19 in Turkman ethnic groups and compare them with the frequencies in other ethnic populations. Methods: The study group included 140 unrelated healthy ethnic Turkman subject referred to the Health Center. Genotyping of CYP2C19 alleles (CYP2C19*1, CYP2C19*2, and CYP2C19*3 alleles) was carried out by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism technique Results: The allele frequency of CYP2C19*1, CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 were 56.43%, 23.57% and 20%, respectively. The result also showed that 39.7% of subjects expressed the CYP2C19*1/*1 genotype. While 42.1%, 9.3%, 9.3% and 1.4% expressed CYP2C19*1/*2, CYP2C19*1/*3, CYP2C19*2/*2 and CYP2C19*3/*3 genotypes, respectively. The genotype CYP2C19*2/*3 was not expressed in this study population. The findings suggested that 10% of subjects were poor metabolizers by expressing CYP2C19*2/*2 and CYP2C19*3/*3 genotypes. Fifty one percent of subjects were intermediate metabolizers having CYP2C19*1/*2, CYP2C19*2/*3 and CYP2C19*1/*3 genotypes and 37.86% were found to be extensive metabolizers expressing CYP2C19*1/*1 genotype. The frequency of intermediate metabolizers genotype was high (51%) in Turkman ethnic groups. Conclusion: This study showed that the determined allelic variants of CYP2C19 (CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*3 mutations) in Turkman ethnic group are comparable to other populations. These findings could be useful for the clinicians in different country to determine optimal dosage and effectiveness of drugs metabolized by this polymorphic enzyme. © OMSB, 2013

Altered levels of nodal excitability by rate-dependent inhibitory effects of essential oil of Citrus aurantium on the electrophysiological properties of isolated perfused rabbit AV-Node. Protective role in the prevention of ouabain toxicity [Alteración de los niveles de excitabilidad nodal por efectos inhibitorios velocidad-dependiente del aceite esencial de Citrus aurantium sobre las propiedades electrofisiológicas del nodo AV aislado y perfundido de conejo. Papel protector en la prevención de toxicidad por ouabaína]

Treatment of supraventricular arrhythmia includes a wide range of medical interventions. Herbal remedies are suitable alternatives to synthetic drugs due to their availability, minimal side effects and lower price. Pharmacological studies and traditional medical literature point to the cardiovascular effects of Citrus aurantium L. (Rutaceae) in many instances. In the present study we used isolated perfused AV-node of rabbit as an experimental model to determine the effect of various concentrations of essential oil of C. aurantium (0.1-0.3 v/v) on the nodal conduction time and refractoriness of an isolated rabbit AV-nodal preparations. Selective stimulation protocols were used to independently quantify AV nodal recovery, facilitation and fatigue in 18 rabbits. Our results showed concentration-dependent and rate-independent suppressive effects of essence of C. aurantium on the Wenchebach cycle length (WBCL), AV Conduction Time (AVCT) and effective and functional refractory periods (ERP & FRP). Functional properties such as facilitation and fatigue were significantly increased by this plant. Citrus aurantium plays a protective role against the toxic effects of ouabaine by increasing AV nodal conduction time and refractoriness. The above results indicated differential effects of C. aurantium on slow and fast pathways, with a dominant role on fast pathways. This research has explained the protective role of C. aurantium on ouabaine toxicity. All results indicated the potential anti-arrhythmic effects of C. aurantium in treating supraventricular tachyarrhythmia

Serum zinc levels in newborns with neural tube defects

Neural tube defects (NTD) comprise of a group of congenital malformations that include spina bifida, anencephaly and encephalocele. Reports have implicated zinc deficiency as one of the causative factors of NTDs. We compared the serum zinc level of 23 newborns having neural tube defects with 35 healthy controls by spectrophotometery during 2003-2004. Zinc deficiency was documented in 43.5% of the cases and 8.6% of the controls (P = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the presence of NTDs and zinc deficiency (OR = 8.2, 95% Cl: 1.9-34.7)