Urinary polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of urogenital tuberculosis

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate diagnostic value of urinary polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in urogenital tuberculosis (UTB). Materials and Methods: In 33 patients with confirmed diagnosis of UTB by urine culture and/or acid-fast staining, clinical symptoms and laboratory and radiological findings were evaluated. For each patient, 3 consecutive urine samples were examined by PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the results were compared with the standard microbiological methods and radiological findings. Results: The mean interval between the appearance of the symptoms and the diagnosis was 12.3 ± 12.2 months. Symptoms were irritative bladder symptoms such as dysuria and diurnal or nocturnal frequency (51.5%), flank pain (27.3%), microscopic hematuria (18.2%), gross hematuria (9.1%), and suprapubic pain (9.1%). The laboratory findings included hematuria (27.3%), pyuria (12.1%), and hematuria with pyuria (48.5%). Diagnosis of UTB was made in 19 patients by positive urine culture for MT in 19 patients (57.6%), positive acid-fast staining in 6 (18.2%), and both in 8 (24.2%). Intravenous urography showed abnormal findings in 16 patients (61.5%), including pyelocaliceal dilatation (26.9%), ureteral stricture and hydroureter (23.1%), multiple small caliceal deformities (15.4%), severe parenchymal destruction (11.5%), autonephrectomy (11.5%), and calcification (7.7%). Urinary PCR was positive in 16 patients (48.5%) and in 10 (62.5%) with abnormal findings on intravenous urography. Conclusion: A high index of suspicion is necessary for diagnosis of UTB even in patients with nonspecific manifestations. Urinary PCR is recommended for instant diagnosis and screening before further examinations, but it cannot be the sole diagnostic modality for diagnosis of UTB

A systematic review of iranian medicinal plants effective on female infertility

Infertility is one of the common and rising problems of women. To treat female infertility, medicinal plants may be used in addition to chemical drugs and assisted reproductive technology. To conduct this review, the terms Fertility and Pregnancy in combination with Medicinal plants, Herb, and Phyto were used to search for and retrieve relevant publications indexed in international databases ISI and PubMed and domestic databases Iran Medex and ISC. The articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were analyzed. In this systematic review article, the medicinal plants that were found to be effective on female infertility indices were reported. These plants, according to this review article, are Nigella sativa, Panax ginseng, Phoenix dactylifera L., salep, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Apium graveolens L., and Foeniculum vulgare Mill. The medicinal plants used by Iranian people have been reported to exert optimal effects on female fertility in animal studies through antioxidant properties, increasing follicogenesis, hormonal compounds, and other effective compounds on hormonal system as well as enhancing sex cells viability. © 2009-2016, JGPT

Evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Mothers Visiting Dental Clinics in Isfahan about Two-Five-Year-Old Children’s Dental Care

Introduction: Since many deformities, oral diseases, and oral hygiene habits are formed in two-five-year-old children, mothers have a critical role in promoting their children's oral health. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers toward dental and oral care of two-five-year-old children. Method: This descriptive-analytic study was conducted in 2013-14. Mothers who visited dental clinics in Isfahan (Iran) were selected through stratified multistage sampling. Three questionnaires were administered to assess mothers' knowledge, attitude, and performance regarding their children’s oral health. Five other items were also included to evaluate the participants’ personal and family characteristics. The collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Spearman’s correlation analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS 17.0. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Low (0-5), moderate (6-10), and high levels of knowledge about oral health were found in (8.6%), (47.4%), and (44%) mothers, respectively. While none of the mothers had negative attitudes (0-23), neutral (23-69) and positive (69-88) attitudes were present in (40.1%) and (59.9%) participants, respectively. There was a significantly relationship between knowledge and employment status (P < 0.001). Low, moderate, and high levels of performance were found (27.2%), (68.4%), and (4.4%) individuals, respectively. A significant relationship was detected between women’s attitude and employment status (P = 0.012). Moreover, employed mothers had a better performance toward the oral health of their children compared to other mothers (P = 0.031). Mothers’ education and economic status were also significantly related with their knowledge, attitude, and performance toward their children's oral hygiene. Conclusion: Mothers’ knowledge and performance toward their children’s oral health was undesirable. Therefore, health education programs are required to promote the knowledge of mothers in this regard

Tuberculosis in renal transplant recipients in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

سابقه و هدف : عفـونت با مایکـوباکتـریـوم توبرکولوزیس یکـی از علل مهم بیمارگنـی و مرگ و میـر در دریافتکنندگان پیوند کلیه میباشد. شیوع توبرکولوزیس در این افراد به مراتب بیشتر از افراد عادي میباشد و در کشورهاي در حال توسعهو مناطق آندمیک از نظر B.T ،باز هم شیوع آن بیشتراست. مواد و روشها: در این مطالعه که از نوع مرور پرونده بود، 700 بیمار دریافتکننده پیوند کلیه بررسی شدند و 10 مورد ابتلاي قطعی به توبرکولوزیس، از نظر اطلاعات دموگرافیک، فاصله بین پیوند کلیه تا تشخیص سل، محل درگیري، پیآمد(Outcome ،(بقا(Survival (گرافت مورد مطالعه قرار گرفتند. یافتهها: شیوع توبرکولوزیس پس از پیوند کلیه در این مطالعه 4/1 درصد بود. میانگین سن بیماران 9/37 سال و متوسط فاصله بین پیوند کلیه تا تشخیص B.T 7/15 ماه بود. شایعترین نوع درگیري، B.T برونکوپولمونري(60 درصد) و پس از آن B.T منتشر(20 درصد) و B.T مفصل هیپ(20 درصد) بود. استنتاج: شیوع B.T در بیماران پیوند کلیه بیشتر از افراد عادي است. تظاهرات آن غیرمعمول است و اثر زیادي روي سلامت فرد و عضو پیوندي دارد، در نظر داشتن بیماري و دقت و توجه کافی در پیگیري درازمدت این بیماران باعث تشخیص ودرمان صحیح و بهموقع و کاهش عوارض بیماري خواهد شد

Retroperitoneal fibrosis associated with propranolol: a case report; is corticosteroid administration necessary after ureterolysis?

INTRODUCTION Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease. It can be primary (Ormond's disease) or secondary to inflammation, malignancy or some drugs. Beta-adrenergic blockers including propranolol can cause the retroperitoneal fibrosis disease. CASE A 44-year-old woman who was taking propranolol for 13 years came to our center with complaints of oliguria and uremia symptoms (malaise, nausea and vomiting). After some investigations, it was found that the disease was retroperitoneal fibrosis. In the first step, she was treated with corticosteroids and then because of inadequate response, bilateral ureterolysis was performed. Then, an additional course of corticosteroid therapy was required after surgery. CONCLUSION Retroperitoneal fibrosis is an unknown cause disease that can involve ureters and can cause obstructive symptoms. The imaging procedure of choice for diagnosis is abdominal CT scanning with oral and intravenous contrast agents. Corticosteroids are the first option for treatment, however, if they are not effective and in case of severe obstruction, ureterolysis can be performed. Beta- adrenergic blocker drugs that are widely used in heart diseases can be a cause of retroperitoneal fibrosis

Use of Iranian medicinal plants effective on male fertility indices

This systematic review article was conducted to report medicinal plants that are effective on male fertility indices. To conduct this review, search terms fertility or pregnancy combined with medicinal plants, herb, and phyto were used to retrieve relevant publications indexed in ISI, PubMed, and Iranian scientific databases. Escanbil, Fumaria parviflora L., Apium graveolens L., Achillea millefolium inflorescence, Urtica dioica L., Withania somnifera L., Phaleria macrocarpa, Satureja khuzestanica, Achillea millefolium, Malva sylvestris, Humulus lupulus L., Allium cepa, Petroselinum crispum, Carthamus tinctorius, and Zingiber officinale were reported to be medicinal plants with fertility indices-promoting properties. Medicinal plants that are used in Iran affect hormonal compounds and other effective compounds on hormonal system as well as the proliferation and viability of sex cells due to their antioxidant properties, and therefore enhance fertility in human and animals. © 2009-2016, JGPT

New Methods in Treatment of Renal failure in Patients with Multiple Myeloma: A Review with Immunological Approach.

Multiple myeloma (MM), as one of a variety of autoimmune diseases, affects the immune system and, on the other hand, is considered to be a hematologic impairment. One of the most common and important complications of MM is renal impairment (RI), which is associated with an increase in serum Cr levels. Although RI is one of the major complications of MM, the routine therapies for MM patients practically lack acceptable efficacy for the improvement of RI patients, and as a result, RI remains a deadly disease with high mortality rate and very bad prognosis; therefore, new treatments have been proposed for the improvement of nephropathy in patients with MM, and extensive research is ongoing in various phases, including clinical trials. Attempts were made in this study to review common and advanced treatments (immunotherapy, cell therapy, new therapies based on genetic engineering) in these patients and to consider this disease from an immunological viewpoint

The effect of serum levels of vitamin D in stone recurrencein patients with urinary tract stone

Introduction: The role of vitamin D in kidney stone disease and its effect on stone formation is still controversial. Objectives: To find out the possible role of 25(OH) D3 as an intrinsic factor in urinary calcium stone formers (SFs; individuals with one episode during the last 5 years and individuals with more than one episode during the last 5 years), we investigated the effect of serum levels of vitamin D on recurrence of urinary stones in SFs and control subjects (non-SFs). Patients and Methods: A total of 30 patients with first episode of urolithiasis (group A) and 30 patients with more than one episode of urolithiasis during the last 5 years (group B) aged 18 or older enrolled in this study and underwent metabolic evaluation including the measurement of serum level of 25(OH)D3, parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium and uric acid. Thirty age and sex-matched patients who had never urinary stone episode (non-SFs) were considered as control group. The patients in this study were selected among those admitted in Urology Department of Kashani hospital during the last year. Individuals excluded from the study were subjects with hyperparathyroidism or with the previous history of hyperparathyroidism. Results: Mean level of 25(OH) D3 was positively correlated with recurrent stone (mean 19.89±7.6 in the control group versus 47.21±19.77 in the group with the recurrent stone disease). The recurrent stone group (SFs) had the higher serum level of 25(OH) D3 than the control. No correlation was observed between the serum levels of PTH and 25(OH) D3 (r =0. 13, P =0.11) in both control and urinary SFs group. Conclusion: High serum level of vitamin D has an important effect on the pathogenesis of repeated urolithiasis. High serum levels of 25(OH) D3 were detected in the group with recurrent kidney stone disease. But it seems there was no relation between serum level of vitamin D3 and one episode of urolithiasis. Based on the results of this study, the high level of vitamin D3 may have a significant role in inducing the recurrence of urinary stone

A review for discovering hepatoprotective herbal drugs with least side effects on kidney

The liver is a vital organ which plays a major role in the metabolism and excretion of xenobiotics from the body, and liver disease is a worldwide health problem. The currently available synthetic drugs to treat liver disorders cause further damage to the liver and kidney so it is imperative to find new drugs with least side effects. There are a number of treatment combinations which are derived from medicinal plants and commonly administered as tonic for the liver. In this review, we have introduced most important medicinal plants that are used in liver disorders and have least side effects on kidney. In this regards, we have focused on their active constituents, effects and trial studies, mechanisms of action, pharmacokinetic characteristics, dosages, and toxicity. Amaranthus spinosus L., Glycyrrhiza glabra, Cichorium inthybus L., Phyllanthus species (amarus, niruri, emblica), Picrorhiza kurroa, and Silybum marianum have been extensively administered for the treatment of liver disorders. The introduced medicinal plants can be used for production of new drugs via antioxidant-related properties, hepatoprotective activities and least side effects on kidney for the prevention and treatment of liver disorders