Financial burden of burn injuries in iran: A report from the burn registry program Le coût du traitement des brûlures en iran: Un rapport du registre des brûlés

Understanding the cost of burn treatment is very important for patients, their families, governmental authorities and insurance companies. It alleviates patient and familial stress, provides a framework for better use of resources, and facilitates better performance between burn centers. Hospital burn costs can provide a basis for authorities to budget for acute burn treatment, for further management of chronic complications, and for planning prevention and public educational programs in Iran. To identify costs we used data from our burn registry program. Over the two-year assessment period, we treated roughly 28,700 burn patients, 1,721 of whom were admitted, with a mortality rate of 5.9. The male to female ratio was 1.7:1 (63 male; 37 female). Flame burns were most frequent (49.8) followed by scalds (35.7). Mean hospital stay was 14.41 days (range 0-64 days). Mean TBSA was 17.39. Skin grafts were carried out in 65.4 of the patients, with a mean of 5.2 surgeries per patient. The total cost of all patient admissions over the two years was US 4,835,000. The maximum treatment cost for one patient was US 91,000. The mean cost per patient was US 2,810 (29,500,000 Rials). The mean cost for each percent of burn was US 162. The mean cost for a one-day stay in hospital was US 195. The mean cost of each operation was US 540. Patients who contracted infections endured longer hospital stays, meaning increased costs of US 195 per day. With comparable outcome and results, the cost of burn treatment in Iran is cheaper than in the US and Europe. © 2015, Mediterranean Club for Burns and Fire Disasters. All rights reserved

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of the extract and fractions of Astragalus hamosus in animal models

The objective of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities of the hydro-alcoholic extract of the pods of Astragalus hamosus (HAAH), a plant used in Iranian traditional medicine, and antinociceptive effects of different fractions in animal models. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by the rat paw edema induced by formalin. Also the analgesic effect was examined by the acetic-acid-induced writhing response and hot plate test. The analgesic effects of chloroform, hexane, ethyl acetate and aqueous fractions were evaluated by the hot-plate method. The hydroalcoholic extract of Astragalus hamosus could reduce the edema in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). In the acute phase, the result of 1000 mg/Kg and in the chronic phase, the result of 100 and 300 mg/Kg of the extract were more significant and comparable with the effect of sodium salicylate. Also application of different doses of HAAH had significant anti-nociceptive effects on both animal models. The findings showed that HAAH at doses of 700 and 1000 mg/Kg produced analgesic effects comparable to sodium salicylate. The hexane and ethyl acetate (but not the other fractions) showed significant analgesic activity in hot plate test, when compared to morphine. The results of this study demonstrated the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of HAAH extract and hexane and ethyl acetate fractions of the extract in animal models and justify traditional use of this plant in the treatment of pain and inflammatory conditions. More studies to clarify the active components are necessary. © 2015 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

Status of Total Antioxidant Capacity and Malondialdehyde Level in Methamphetamine Addicts: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) is an illegal amphetamine-like which stimulate the central nervous system. In recent years, MA has been widely abused worldwide. Previous studies have suggested that oxidative stress (OS) plays an important role in MA-induced toxicity. From this view, antioxidant therapy could be considered as a potential drug therapy in MA abusers. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate OS status in MA abusers.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted on 21 MA abusers who referred to Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies and Congress 60 Humane Revivification Society, and 15 healthy males as a control group. The demographic data and peripheral blood sampling was obtained from both groups. The serum malondialdehyde (MDA) level as a marker of plasma lipid peroxidation and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of plasma were analyzed.Results: Significant decrease in plasma TAC in case group was observed (101.85±12.5 vs. 130.7±16.12 mmol/L). No significant increase in MDA serum level was detected in case group in comparison with control (27.35±2.6 vs. 26.67±2.22 µmol/L, respectively). Neither the serum MDA levels nor the plasma TAC were significantly correlated with the duration and amount of MA abuse.Conclusion: It seems that, MA abuse is associated with prooxidant-antioxidant imbalance, which suggests evaluation the role of antioxidants administration for the prevention and treatment of MA-induced toxicity

Trends in gastrointestinal cancer incidence in Iran, 2001-2010: a joinpoint analysis

OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the time trends of stomach, colorectal, and esophageal cancer during the past decade in Iran. METHODS: Cancer incidence data for the years 2001 to 2010 were obtained from the cancer registration of the Ministry of Health. All incidence rates were directly age-standardized to the world standard population. In order to identified significant changes in time trends, we performed a joinpoint analysis. The annual percent change (APC) for each segment of the trends was then calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of stomach cancer increased from 4.18 and 2.41 per 100,000 population in men and women, respectively, in 2001 to 17.06 (APC, 16.7) and 8.85 (APC, 16.2) per 100,000 population in 2010 for men and women, respectively. The corresponding values for colorectal cancer were 2.12 and 2.00 per 100,000 population for men and women, respectively, in 2001 and 11.28 (APC, 20.0) and 10.33 (APC, 20.0) per 100,000 in 2010. For esophageal cancer, the corresponding increase was from 3.25 and 2.10 per 100,000 population in 2001 to 5.57 (APC, 12.0) and 5.62 (APC, 11.2) per 100,000 population among men and women, respectively. The incidence increased most rapidly for stomach cancer in men and women aged 80 years and older (APC, 23.7 for men; APC, 18.6 for women), for colorectal cancer in men aged 60 to 69 years (APC, 24.2) and in women aged 50 to 59 years (APC, 25.1), and for esophageal cancer in men and women aged 80 years and older (APC, 17.5 for men; APC,15.3 for women) over the period of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of gastrointestinal cancer significantly increased during the past decade. Therefore, monitoring the trends of cancer incidence can assist efforts for cancer prevention and control

Improved HPLC method for determination of four PPis, omeprazole, pantoprazole, lansoprazole and rabeprazole in human plasma

PURPOSE: To develop a simple and rapid HPLC method for measuring of four proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), omeprazole (OPZ), pantoprazole (PPZ), lansoprazole (LPZ) and rabeprazole (RPZ) concentrations in human plasma. METHODS: Following a single step liquid-liquid extraction analytes along with an internal standard (IS) were separated using an isocratic mobile phase of phosphate buffer (10 mM)/acetonitrile (53/47, v/v adjusted pH to 7.3 with triethylamine) at flow rate of 1 mL/min on reverse phase TRACER EXCEL 120 ODS-A column at room temperature. RESULTS: Total analytical run time for selected PPIs was 10 min. The assays exhibited good linearity (r2&gt;0.99) over the studied range of 20 to 2500 ng/mL for OPZ, 20 to 4000 ng/mL for PPZ, 20 to 3000 ng/mL for LPZ and 20 to 1500 ng/mL for RPZ. The recovery of method was equal or greater than 80 and lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was 20 ng/mL for four PPIs. Coefficient of variation and error at all of the intra-day and inter-day assessment were less than 9.2 for all compounds. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that this method is a simple, rapid, precise and accurate assay for determination of four PPIs concentrations in human plasma. This validated method is sensitive and reproducible enough to be used in pharmacokinetic studies and also is time- and cost-benefit when selected PPIs are desired to be analyzed

Anticonvulsant Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Citrullus colocynthis Fruit: Involvement of Benzodiazepine and Opioid Receptors

This study investigated the anticonvulsant activity of Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract used traditionally in the treatment of convulsion. Albino mice were pretreated with extract in different doses (10, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg), prior to injection of pentylenetetrazole. Animals received pretreatments with naloxone and flumazenil to further clarify the mechanisms of anticonvulsant action. The total flavonoid content of Citrullus colocynthis extract was also determined. Citrullus colocynthis hydroalcoholic extract with doses 25 and 50 mg/kg prolonged the onset of seizures and decreased the duration compared with control group. Pretreatment by flumazenil could inhibit the effect of Citrullus colocynthis on latency of seizure to some extent and administration of naloxone significantly inhibited changes in latency and duration of seizure produced by Citrullus colocynthis. This study showed that Citrullus colocynthis has significant anticonvulsant effect in pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in mice, and these effects may be related to its effect on γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic and opioid systems. These results confirmed the traditional use of Citrullus colocynthis in Iranian traditional medicine. © 2015, © The Author(s) 2015

Duloxetine by modulating the Akt/GSK3 signaling pathways has neuroprotective effects against methamphetamine-induced neurodegeneration and cognition impairment in rats

Background: The neuroprotective effects of duloxetine, as an antidepressant agent, and the neurodegenerative effects of methamphetamine have been shown in previous studies. Nonetheless, their exact neurochemical and behavioral effects are still unclear. In the current study, we sought to clarify the molecular mechanisms involved in the protective effects of duloxetine against methamphetamine-induced neurodegeneration. Methods: Forty adult male rats were divided randomly into 5 groups. Group 1 was the negative control and received normal saline, Group 2 was the positive control and received methamphetamine, and Groups 3, 4, and 5 were concurrently treated with methamphetamine (10 mg/kg) and duloxetine (5, 10, and 15 mg/kg, respectively). All the treatments were continued for 21 days. Between days 17 and 21, the Morris Water Maze (MWM) was used to assess learning and memory in the treated groups. On day 22, the hippocampus was isolated from each rat and oxidative, antioxidant, and inflammatory factors were measured. Additionally, the expression levels of the total and phosphorylated forms of the Akt and GSK3 proteins were evaluated via the ELISA method. Results: Duloxetine in all the administered doses ameliorated the effects of the methamphetamine-induced cognition impairment in the MWM. The chronic abuse of methamphetamine increased malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β, while it decreased superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase activities. Duloxetine not only prevented these malicious effects of methamphetamine but also activated the expression of Akt (both forms) and inhibited the expression of GSK3 (both forms) in the methamphetamine-treated rats. Conclusion: We conclude that the Akt/GSK3 signaling pathways might have a critical role in the protective effects of duloxetine against methamphetamine-induced neurodegeneration and cognition impairment. © 2019, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Evaluation of anticancer activity of Camellia sinensis in the Caco-2 colorectal cancer cell line

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is widespread across the world. While conventional anticancer treatments can help the affected patients, cells of vital organs such as the kidney, lungs, bladder and nervous system may suffer from side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, so that it is necessary to search for alternatives. From ancient times, attention has focused on medicinal plants and natural products. In the current work, Camellia sinensis, whose leaves are used to produce green tea was evaluated for anticancer effects in cell culture. Materials and Methods: A hydroalcoholic extract of Camellia sinensis young leaves was prepared by percolation and compared with Cisplatin as a known anticancer drug for effects on two cell lines: Caco-2, colon carcinoma cells, and mouse normal fibroblasts (L929). Cytotoxicity of 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 μg/ml of Camellia sinensis extract was evaluated by MTT assay and aquaporin 5 (AQP5), detected as a biomarker for surviving cells using immunofluorescence microscopy. Results: MTT assays with hydroalcoholic extract of Camellia sinensis showed considerable inhibition of growth of Caco-2 cells, significant at 800 μg/ml (P < 0.05), with little effect on L929 cells. Levels of aquaporin 5 protein decreased in Caco-2 cell culture following green tea extract treatment. Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, Camellia sinensis is a medicinal plant with potent anticancer influence which might be specific. © 2018, Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention

Evaluation of anticancer activity of Camellia sinensis in the Caco-2 colorectal cancer cell line

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is widespread across the world. While conventional anticancer treatments can help the affected patients, cells of vital organs such as the kidney, lungs, bladder and nervous system may suffer from side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, so that it is necessary to search for alternatives. From ancient times, attention has focused on medicinal plants and natural products. In the current work, Camellia sinensis, whose leaves are used to produce green tea was evaluated for anticancer effects in cell culture. Materials and Methods: A hydroalcoholic extract of Camellia sinensis young leaves was prepared by percolation and compared with Cisplatin as a known anticancer drug for effects on two cell lines: Caco-2, colon carcinoma cells, and mouse normal fibroblasts (L929). Cytotoxicity of 50, 100, 200, 400 and 800 μg/ml of Camellia sinensis extract was evaluated by MTT assay and aquaporin 5 (AQP5), detected as a biomarker for surviving cells using immunofluorescence microscopy. Results: MTT assays with hydroalcoholic extract of Camellia sinensis showed considerable inhibition of growth of Caco-2 cells, significant at 800 μg/ml (P < 0.05), with little effect on L929 cells. Levels of aquaporin 5 protein decreased in Caco-2 cell culture following green tea extract treatment. Conclusion: According to the results of the current study, Camellia sinensis is a medicinal plant with potent anticancer influence which might be specific. © 2018, Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention

Epidemiological study of hospitalized road traffic injuries in Iran 2011

Background: In Iran, Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) is the second-leading cause of deaths, and the first leading cause of disabilityadjusted life year, and has one of the highest rates of death (32.1 per 100 000 population) all over the world. This study's aim was to investigate the epidemiological pattern and underlying components of hospitalized RTIs in 31 provinces of Iran in 2011. Methods: This study conducted on all hospitalized RTIs during one-year period (March 21, 2011 to March 21, 2012). Data extracted from a hospital-based traffic injury registration system. According to a national law passed in 2005, all hospital expenses of traffic injuries should be covered by ministry of health based on governmental tariffs. The medical costs of eligible patients will be paid to the hospitals only if the patient data are sent to the above mentioned database. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v.16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA), and spatial maps are provided using GIS 10.2. Descriptive statistics and t-test were used to compare means. World (WHO 2000-2025) standard population used to calculate age-adjusted incidence rate. All statistical tests were performed at the 5 level of statistical significance. Results: There were 322,064 injured cases recorded in the registration system during the study period. The national age-adjusted incidence rate of RTIs was 405 per 100,000 population. The highest incidence rates were in the age group of 15-29 years (643 per 100,000 population), followed by 30-44 year age groups (401 per 100,000 population). The incidence rate in men was 3.36 times more than women. Motorcyclist were the most frequent type of road users (39.2) who involved in RTIs, followed by passengers (28.9) and pedestrians (20.0). Head injuries were among the most affected part of the body which occurred in 27.2 of the patients. The proportion of urban crashes was 60.7. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the majority of RTI occurred on motorcyclists and head injuries was the most commonly affected body part. Therefore, in order to reduce motorcycle accidents and avoiding head injury among them, stricter law enforcement is urgently needed for helmet use and promotion of safety behaviors among motorcycle riders. © Iran University of Medical Sciences