Novelty in Biomedicine

Background: Recognition of imaging findings in pulmonary emboli and their association with homodynamic factors is important for prompt diagnosis, treatment, and reduction of its morbidity. The main objective in current study was to determine the correlation between CT obstructive index in pulmonary thromboembolism and systolic blood pressure at the time of diagnosis.

Materials and Methods: In this observational cross-sectional comparative study, 70 consecutive patients with pulmonary emboli admitted in Modarress Hospital (Tehran, Iran) among 2013-17 were enrolled and correlation between CT obstructive index on pulmonary CT angiography and systolic blood pressure at the time of diagnosis was determined.

Results: The correlation between CT index and hypotension (systolic blood pressure≤90) in our studied patients was significant (P=0.0001) and the mean CT index in hypotensive and normotensive patients was 56.4% and 27.5%, respectively. The CT obstructive index cut-off point of 53.75% resulted in sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% and 96.3%, for hypotension prediction.

Conclusion: According to the obtained results it may be concluded that there is significant correlation between CT obstructive Index in patients with pulmonary thromboembolic and systolic blood pressure at the time of diagnosis and be calculating the CT obstructive index the possibility of hypotension related to massive emboli could be predicted.

Background: Healing bone involves osteoconductive and osteoinductive components as well as a scaffold with adequate porosity to allow good cell infiltration.

Materials and Methods: Herein, cytocompatibility and osteogenic induction potential of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibrous electrospun scaffold with different electron microscopy, MTT assay, DAPI and alizarin porosities (35%-90%) and chemical bonding was assessed through scanning red S staining, calcium content and alkaline phosphatase assay. Moreover, the relative expression of three important osteogenic-related genes Col I, RUNX 2 and osteocalcin was studied.

Results: Covalent bonding played a more significant osteogenic role in scaffolds in scaffolds with lower porosity, namely H35cov. Although low porosity limits cell infiltration, substrate with lower porosities were easier to handle. On the other hand, substrates with higher porosity showed higher levels of cell proliferation, mineralization as well as osteogenic differentiation.

Conclusion: Results indicated that PCL scaffold with higher porosity degree up to 90%, covalently functionalized by collagen, and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles was a good candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and a major cause of death from cancer in women. Understanding the factors, which can predict directly and indirectly the final fate of patients, can be useful in clinical decision-making and treatment choices.

Materials and Methods: In a retrospective descriptive-analytic study, 108 pathological samples of patients with primary breast cancer collected during 2011-2017 from the department of pathology in Imam Hossein Hospital (Tehran Iran). Classified regarding the association of stromal reactions in tumor tissue including necrosis rate, lymphocyte infiltrating rate, and tumor desmoplasia with different types of breast tumors including four groups of Basal like, HER2/neu, Luminal B, and Luminal A based on biological biomarkers.

Results: Mean age of the patients was 50.84±13.25 years. No significant relationship was found between age and type of groups. Majority of patients (60%) were in the pathological grade 2. A significant relationship was observed between three groups of Luminal B, and Basal-like with Grade 2 (p<0.05). Most patients suffered from intermediate desmoplasia which was significant only between three groups of Luminal B, HER2/neu and Basal-like (p<0.05). In terms of tumor necrosis, the majority of patients in the HER2/neu and Basal-like groups indicated non-extensive necrosis, which was significant (p>0.05). In both groups of Luminal A and Luminal B, most patients had no necrosis while the relationship between necrosis and pathological type of tumor was significant only in the Luminal B group (p>0.05). No significant relationship was found between the number of lymphocytes and the type of tumor.

Conclusion: This study indicated the relationship between pathological types of breast cancers based on biomarkers with pathological grade, necrosis ratio and tumor desmoplasia. Determination of the pathological type of tumor based on the status of biological markers (HER-2/neu PR, ER, Ki67) in patients with breast cancer is recommended for making decision about therapeutic plan.

Background: Adolescence is known as a stressful period in the process of growth which they experience a lot of emotional, physical and cognitive changes at the same time. It is important to develop life skills in this age group. The goal of the study was whether life skills training affect the social and coping skills and aggression in high school students.

Materials and Methods: A total of 100 high school students entered the study using a pretest-posttest assessment. All received life skills training (including coping skills, social skills and aggression control) during four sessions that each lasted 120 minutes. To compare the results before and after life skills training, four questionnaires including the individual characteristics of the study samples, the aggression test, the social skills test, and the coping skills checklist were used.

Results: Life skills training had a positive and significant effect on social and coping skills. The results also showed there was a significant decrease in aggression among students.

Conclusion: It is necessary to implement life skills training programs for a better and comprehensive development in students. Moreover, considering the formation of personality at an early age and the current situation of society, learning these skills at an early age seems more desirable.

Background: Disease-related cancer pain is a multidimensional phenomenon. Psychological factors that may alter pain perception in cancer patients have not been well studied. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral stress therapy on distress in patients with cancer.

Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study of consecutive patients (32-70 years), progression of their disease was at levels 1 to 3, high cycle education, and 3 months of chemotherapy, of which 40 were randomly available to the study and allocated to two groups (20 in experimental and 20 in control groups). The instrument was a McGill pain questionnaire (1997). Data were analyzed using two methods of Kolmogorov-Smirnov inferential statistics and multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS Ver.17.

Results: Correlation analysis showed that the experimental group had a significant reduction in perception of pain, in the posttest after the experiment compared with the control group.

Conclusion: The short-term cognitive-behavioral stress management program could reduce the perception of pain in cancer patients.

Background: Almost everyone experiences low back pain at some point in his or her lives. Low back pain is becoming more prevalent in low-income and middle-income countries much more rapidly than in high-income countries. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of melatonin on pain control and quality of life in patients with chronic low back pain.

Materials and Methods: Sixty patients with low back pain aged 45 and 75 years, with a history of back pain more for than 12 weeks and visual analogue scale (VAS) score more than three, who were referred to pain clinics of Akhtar Hospitals (Tehran, Iran) during June to August 2018. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the melatonin or control groups. Control group received diclofenac sodium 25mg tablet two or three times daily and the experimental or melatonin group, in addition to receiving diclofenac sodium 25mg tablet twice a day, received melatonin tablet (3mg) 30 to 40 minutes before bedtime for four weeks. Before the beginning of the study, at the end of the fourth week, both groups underwent VAS test and the levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were measured in these groups and they were asked to complete the quality of life questionnaire. Analysis of the data done by using covariance and Shapiro-Wilk tests through SPSS 22.

Results: Melatonin consumption reduced the pain and level of IL-1β and TNF-α in the experimental group compared to the control group (p<0.05). However, use of melatonin did not have a significant effect on quality of life (p>0.05).

Conclusion: In general, it can be stated that use of melatonin, in addition to reducing the pain, reduces the anti-inflammatory factors in patients with chronic low back pain. Based on the results of this study, melatonin can be recommended as a supplement for treatment of chronic low back pain.

Background: Since healthy psychological condition, influence the quality of life and social function. Infertility can be one of the stressful situation for every human. Therefore, in this study we assessed some psychological factors such as stress and depression in women who are candidates for taking ART with donated oocytes or autologous oocytes.

Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was done in Tehran, Mahdieh hospital, during the 2016-2017. Patients who came one day before replacement of embryos, filled Beck and STAI questionnaires and their demographic information.

Results: The incidence of severe degrees of depression and state anxiety and trait anxiety in patients treated by donated oocytes is more in patients who treated by autologous oocytes.

Conclusion: Psychological situation was worse in patients treated by donated oocytes.

Background: Knee medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain is common in athletes, which keeps them away from trainings. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection is used as an adjunct for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries. This study was supposed to define effect of PRP injection on high-grade MCL sprain healing, in comparison to rehabilitation alone.

Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 46 healthy athletes with high-grade MCL sprains who came to sports medicine clinic of Taleghani Hospital, Tehran over a one-year period (2017-2018). In first visit injury grade, its location, baseline pain, Lysholm score and joint stability was determined. Participants randomly allocated to 2 groups (n=23), “group A” had 12-week functional rehabilitation and “group B” had the same rehabilitation plus a single PRP injection. At 4-week intervals valgus stress testing, pain and Lysholm scores was reassessed. The scores of 4^th, 8^th and 12^th weeks was compared to the baseline scores.

Results: Mean baseline pain score in control and intervention group was 5.09±0.949 and 5.26±0.810 respectively that in the fourth week of study reduced to 1.30±0.765 and 2.43±0.507 (p<0.001). In intervention group, fourth week pain was significantly reduced while stability and Lysholm scores of the groups had no significant difference.

Conclusion: PRP injection had a short-term statistically significant pain reduction effect that may assist in faster rehabilitation progress, shorter return to play and less detraining which is crucial to professional athletes.

Background and Aim: During the past few years, social networking has become very popular. Currently, there is a lack of information about the uses, benefits, and limitations of social media for health communication in society.

Material and Methods: This paper will review some of challenges and opportunities to use social and their impact on psychological health. In this review we searched all valuable and relevant information considering the social media impact on psychological health. We referred to the information databases of Medline, PubMed, Scopus and Google scholar.

Conclusion: Social media brings a new dimension to health care, offering a platform used by the public, patients, and health professionals to communicate about health issues with the possibility of potentially improving health outcomes. More study is required to establish whether social media has impact on mental health in both the short and long terms.

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic disease that occurs usually via animal bites. Rabies is currently an economic health problem in Iran and almost all of the provinces are more or less involved in this. For nearly a century, many researchers have tried to control rabies in Iran. To date, Iran has played a major role in the new scientific advances in the rabies treatment field. The Pasteur Institute of Iran was established in a 2.2 ha land to provide public health services for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Since then, the official activity of the Pasteur Institute of Iran has begun. The operations of the Institute are still being developed quantitatively and qualitatively. The aim of this study is to introduce One-Hundred-Year Efforts by the Pasteur Institute of Iran as a Part of the Rabies Infectious Control Puzzle in the World.