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Introduction: Diabetes is the most important metabolic disease in human. The prevalence of both types of diabetes is rapidly increasing ocross the world. Diabetes causes many complications including End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Diabetes is responsible for 30% of ESRD. The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in Iran is also high. Many of these patients are becoming dialysis dependent. Many studies have shown the changes of trace metals’ levels in diabetic patients including Copper, Zinc, Manganese and Chromium. This study evaluates the correlation between urinary Copper and diabetic nephropathy Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study. Samples were selected among type 2 diabetic patients attending to diabetes clinic in Vali-e-Asr hospital in Arak. Diabetic patients were divided in two groups based on microalbuminuria, 42 patients in case and 40 patients in control group. Then the patients were classified based on duration of diabetes into 4 groups and based on the HbA1c into two groups. Then urinary Copper was determined with atomic absorption spectophotometry and compared. Independent t-test was used to analyze data. Results: Patients were 28.1% male and 69.9% female in case group and 37.5% male and 62.5% female in control group. The mean Copper level was 36.14µg /L (14.54-57.74) in case group and 14.77% µg /L (10.17-19.37) in control group. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p=0.003). Conclusion: The results show a positive relation between urinary Copper and diabetic nephropathy and confirmed the results of other studies that reported the elevation of Copper in microalbuminuria. This study also showed that age, gender, duration of diabetes and HbA1c level have no effect on urinary Copper.

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Background: Mycobacterium Tuberculosis usually infects the lungs but organs other than the lungs may also be involved. This study is an analysis of the situation of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in the central province of Iran.

Methods and Materials: In this cross-sectional study, the information in the registration software of tuberculosis in health centers collected and for analyzing of data statistical software SPSS16 was used.

Results: In the survey a total of 1787 TB patients were identified, of which 24.2% were diagnosed with extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and 1.9% of patient with extra-pulmonary TB were associated with HIV infection. Female to male sex ratio is equal to 1.3. The 82.5% of the patients were Iranian citizen and mean age of patients were 43.3 years. Tuberculosis of the lymph nodes, skletal and pleural tuberculosis had the highest prevalence. Also extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in females, age 15-55 was more and the diagnosis delay was more in extra-pulmonary tuberculosis and relapse was more in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Conclusion: Because of more diagnosis delay in extra-pulmonary tuberculosis it is necessary to train physicians and other healthcare workers in the field of extra-pulmonary TB diagnosis and more planning to do about learning of it.

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Background and Aim: Recently, there is increasing concern about the declining of male reproductive health. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a possible mechanism contributed in reproductive system failure. Dorema aucheri that is being used in Persian folk medicine has been supposed to have male fertility-enhancing properties. Present study was done to evaluate the impacts of Dorema aucheri on oxidative status and reproductive parameters in male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, healthy adult male Wistar rats were treated with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of ethanolic D. aucheri leaves extract via gavage for 70 days. Blood samples were collected for analysis of testosterone, LH and FSH serum levels. Reproductive organs weight, density, motility and morphology of spermatozoa, seminiferous tubules diameter, germinal epithelium height and also testicular levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were evaluated. Findings: Significant (p<0.05) increases were seen in the testis and epididymis weights of male rats treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg D. aucheri extract. In rats treated with D. aucheri extract sperm density and percent of morphologically normal sperm were significantly (p<0.05) higher. No significant differences were seen in serum testosterone, FSH and LH levels between D. aucheri extract-treated groups and controls. D. aucheri significantly (p<0.05) reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and also increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in testicular tissue of rats. Conclusion: Present study indicates that D. aucheri leaves extract has beneficial effects on reproductive parameters in male rats which might be a consequence of its antioxidant properties.