Background: One of the acute effects of snakebite is injury to vital organs including kidneys. This study examines the effects of snake (Najanajaoxiana) venom on renal function.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, six male Dutch rabbits with average weight of 1.5± 0.3 kg were selected. Before injection of the venom, blood samples were collected for serum analysis and then the snake (Najanajaoxiana) venom (140µg/kg) was injected intramuscularly. Following venom injection, blood sampling from each rabbit was carried out at hours 1, 3, and 24. All serum samples were separated within two hours and the amounts of creatinine, urea, albumin, and glucose were determined by quantitative detection kits. Statistical analyses were carried out by SPSS software version 21. Obtained information was compared by one-way ANOVA and F and Tukey tests. p value<0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Following venom injection at hours 1, 3, and 24, some serum parameters showed slight changes which were not statistically significant. However, glucose showed a significant increase (71%) at hour 1 (p<0.05). Following venom injection, this returned to normal at hour 24.

Conclusion: Based on the results obtained in the present study, it seems that the Najanajaoxiana venom, unlike the viper species, have no severe effects on the kidney.

Background: Considering the increased activity of hypothalamic orexinergic neurons due to morphine administration, and its extensive projections to the hippocampus, it is probable that morphine effect on CA1 neuronal function is mediated by orexinergic system. So the effect of hippocampal orexin-1 receptors (OX1R) blockade on CA1 baseline synaptic response and short term synaptic plasticity was investigated.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, animals received morphine 10 mg/kg/12h/(SC) for 10 days. SB-334867-A, OX1R antagonist (0.5&mug/0.5 &mul), was microinjected intrahippcampally for OX1R inhibition before each morphine injection. Baseline synaptic response and short term synaptic plasticity were evaluated by field potential recording. fEPSP was recorded from CA1 following Schaffer collaterals stimulation. After Input/Output construction, short term synaptic plasticity was induced by paired pulse stimulations.

Results: Chronic use of morphine did not affect the baseline synaptic response (p>0.05). SB- 334867-A microinjection in CA1 did not have any effect on baseline synaptic response in morphine dependent rats. Morphine increased paired pulse index (PPI) at 80 ms inter pulse interval (IPI, p<0.05). SB-334867-A pretreatment did not affect this morphine induced PPI change.

Conclusion: The results suggest that orexin-1 receptors (OX1R) do not mediate the effect of morphine on baseline synaptic response and short term synaptic plasticity in CA1 area of the hippocampus.

Background and Aim: Echogenic Intracardiac Foci (EIF) are non-structural markers identified during the routine 18-20-week fetal anomaly ultrasound scan yet their maternal and neonatal risk factors is unclear. At present, there are few data on the effect of hypothyroidism on fetal cardiovascular structure and function. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of maternal hypothyroidism in women with fetal echogenic foci.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study which carried out from September 2022 to September 2023, 100 clinical records of pregnant women who referred to the Amir-Al-Momenin Hospital and their fetal echogenic foci were diagnosed and confirmed using echocardiography, were assessed. Demographic characteristics, including maternal age, gestational age, underlying disease, and also fetal gender, were recorded. Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS software version 24.
Results: The mean ± SD of maternal age and gestational age were 34 ± 41.55 and 21.4 ± 3.65 years, as well as delivery frequency was 2.36 ± 1.41. Seven (7%) pregnant women have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Five (5%) pregnant women had a history of blood hypertension, 2 (2%) cases suffered from systemic lupus erythromatose, 1 (1%) had a history of epilepsy, while the rest (92%) had no history of any underlying disease. Totally, 54 (53.5%) of fetus were male. A significant association was found between maternal hypothyroidism and fetal EIF (P= 0.00). Further significant association was also found between maternal hypothyroidism and underlying disease and fetal gender (P= 0.00). However, there was no statistically significant association between maternal hypothyroidism with mothers age and gestaional age (P= 0.761 and 0.916, respectively). Fetal EIF was also significantly associated with maternal underlying disease and fetal gender (P= 0.00).
Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of hypothyroidism in pregnant women with fetal EIF. Moreover, maternal hypothyroidism and fetal EIF were also associated with underlying disease and fetal gender. Further investigation is warranted to develop strategies to optimize the outcome of these fetuses.