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Background: Influenza is a contagious respiratory infectious disease out breaking in cold seasons of the year. The outbreak of the new influenza A (H1N1) virus in 2009 involved large populations of the world with considerable mortality. Hemagglutinin (HA) molecule, the main surface glycoprotein of the influenza virus, is one of the key factors for serological diagnostic kits and vaccine development. Thus establishment of HA gene bank of the circulating influenza viruses is essential in gaining quick access to large amounts of protein. Materials and Methods: The first step in providing such a bank is detection and isolation of HA full genome and its subunits by using specific primers and cloning them in proper vectors. For this purpose, using standard virus genome (A/New Caledonia/20/99(H1N1)) cultured on MDCK cell, HA coding gene was proliferated by RT-PCR using specific primers. Results: Isolation and cloning of the HA gene was verified by RT-PCR, enzyme digestion and determining nucleotide synonymy. Through the use of specific cloning primers, different HA gene constructs were propagated for expression of the gene in insect cells and E.coli bacteria. Conclusion: The results indicated the complete compatibility of the extracted HA gene with the influenza (A/New Caledonia/20/99(H1N1)) hemagglutinin. It makes it possible to use the gene as a source of cloning in a variety of eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems

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Background: Eating and drinking according to health instructions is a major factor in health. Islam recommendations regarding nutrition ensure not only physical health but also mental health. While advising Muslims to consume meat as much as their body requires, Islam forbids certain types of meat. This study is to investigate the effect of pork consumption on human health from the perspective of Quran and medicine. Materials and Methods: Relevant Quranic verses and Hadith and the existing literature were reviewed and described through the use of specific keywords. We utilized relevant materials from the Holy Quran and Hadith and also conducted a literature search through specific related keywords. Results: In four Surahs of Quran and Hadith from the infallible Imams, pork consumption is forbidden. The presence of a group of amines, carcinogenic agents, high fat, and a high level of growth hormones turns pork into a sutoxin product. In addition, the presence of significant zoonotic diseases, quick decay, and easy contamination are other reasons which make pork consumption harmful for human. Conclusion: Noticing the significant role of nutrition in physical and mental health, divine religions have pronounced recommendations on using decent and healthy nutrition and refraining from using the unhealthy materials. Pork is one of these unhealthy and unusable materials which unfortunately, due to lack of sufficient awareness, is still consumed by some.

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Arterial baroreceptors are located in the carotid and aortic arteries and play a pivotal role in rapid control of cardiovascular system. The purpose of this article is to review the effects of baroreceptors stimulation on heart rate at rest and during exercise and cerebral blood flow rate in young and middle aged male and female individuals. There is ample evidence indicating that the arterial baroreflex remains functional during exercise by readjustment which is in direct relation to the intensity of exercise. These adjustments might be done through somatosensory afferents from peripheral regions of the body, pathways obeying central command neurons, or vasopressin and oxytocin pathways that converge into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS). Cerebral blood flow autoregulation is a process by which cerebral blood flow is maintained at a fixed rate despite fluctuations in cerebral perfusion pressure. Similar to that in young individuals, this mechanism, despite fluctuations in baroreceptors sensitivity, stabilizes cerebral blood flow rate in a certain range in middle-aged individuals, although with aging the absolute cerebral blood flow rate decreases in both genders. In addition, it has also been shown that after termination of carotid baroreceptors stimulation, heart rate increases which is known as postvagal tachycardia (PVT). It seems that two components, adrenergic and non-adrenergic, are involved in PVT.

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Background: Morphine is one of the derivations of opium alkaloids. Contradictory reports exist on hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic effects of morphine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of opioid receptors involved in blood glucose changes in morphine-treated Balb/c mice. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was carried out on 8 groups of male Balb/c mice (n=6), including group1(morphine), group 2 (naloxone (morphine antagonist) + morphine), group 3 (naltrindole ( receptor antagonist) + morphine), group 4 (norbinaltorphimine ( receptor antagonist) + morphine), group 5 (CTOP ( receptor antagonist) + morphine), group 6 (saline), group 7 (saline + saline), and group 8 (saline + morphine). Blood samples were obtained from retro-orbital sinus at 0, 1, 2, and 3 hours after injection. Blood glucose level was measured by enzymatic technique. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The application of morphine resulted in significant hypoglycemia in comparison with the control group which was significantly compensated by naloxone compared to the morphine group. The application of naltrindole could significantly inhibit hypoglycemia induced by morphine compared to the control group, whereas norbinaltorphimine and CTOP failed to do so. Conclusion: Since naltrindole could compensate for hypoglycemia due to morphine, hypoglycemia caused by morphine is likely to be mediated by opioid receptors

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Background: Brucellosis is caused by brucella which is a facultative intracellular pathogen invading both professional and nonprofessional phagosytic cells. Eucalyptus globulus is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in folk medicine throughout the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effects of Eucalyptus globulus extracts on intramacrophage Brucella melitensis 16M. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, after preparing aquatic, ethanolic, and acetonic extracts of Eucalyptus globules, the effect of the extracts on intramacrophge survival of B. melitensis 16M obtained from cell culture of Balb/c mice peritoneal macrophages was studied. In order to do this, after lysis of macrophages, through preparation of serial dilutions and culture on Mueller Hinton agar medium, the number of colonies grown was counted. Results: The maximum antimicrobial activity of Eucalyptus globulus extracts on intramacrophage B. melitensis 16 M were in 1:40 dilution (21.62 mg/ml) of the aquatic extract, 1: 640 dilution (1.26 mg/ml) of the ethanolic extract, and 1:320 dilution (2.59 mg/ml) of the acetonic extract after 24h. Conclusion: Aquatic, acetonic, and ethanolic extracts of Eucalyptus globulus possess antimicrobial properties against intramacrophage B. melitensis 16M and ethanolic extract has the most effective antimicrobial activity on intramacrophage Brucella melitensis therefore, these extracts can be useful in treatment of brucellosis.

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Background: Prevention, control, or eradication of brucellosis in a country or region needs policy-making, decision-making, and possessing accurate epidemiological data and information. Therefore, this study was done to review the epidemiology and some factors affecting the interval between the onset and diagnosis of brucellosis in Markazi Province, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, data on patients diagnosed with brucellosis during 2010-2011 in Markazi Province were studied. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics as well as chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test using SPSS software. Results: Out of all cases (907), the interval between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis was more than a month in 363 cases (41.7%). The interval between the onset and diagnosis was significantly associated with location (urban or rural) (P=0.001), city of residence (P=0.001), career (P=0.002), and type of disease (new or failure case) (P=0.008). Conclusion: Since the interval time between the onset and diagnosis of brucellosis among rural residents, ranchers, housewives, and farmers is more, greater attention should be paid to this new class.

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Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli bacterium is the most important bacterial agent causing diarrhea. Specific virulence factors, such as enterotoxins and colonization factors, distinguish ETEC from other classes of diarrheagenic E.coli. In this study, heat-labile toxin was purified which could be utilized for anti-toxin assay in GM1 gangelioside receptor-ELISA based method and for identification of ETEC producing toxin. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, bacterial strain producing heat-labile toxin was first cultivated for production and purification of toxin. Then supernatant soluble proteins were precipitated with ammonium sulfate and purified using biochemical methods. Finally, purified protein was dialyzed against Tris 0.02 mM pH 8 and analyzed on gel electrophoresis. GM1 gangelioside receptor-ELISA based method was used for detection and assessment of the purified toxin. Through this method, the effect of anti-recombinant heat-labile toxin B subunit neutralization on heat-labile toxin was investigated. Results: Toxin purification was revealed by the presence of 12 and 28 KD protein bands. This study demonstrated that anti-recombinant heat-labile toxin B subunit antibody can detect the purified toxin and can inhibit its binding to GM1 receptor up to 80%. Conclusion: Purification of heat-labile toxin and gangelioside receptor-ELISA assay can be used for accurate detection and epidemiological study of clinical isolates.

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Background: Infantile colic is a behavioral syndrome characterized by severe crying without a specific cause in healthy under three-month-old infants. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of infant massage and rocking on the duration and frequency of crying time in colicky infants. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial involved 100 infants 1-2 weeks of age with colic who referred to Amir Kabir Hospital, Arak, Iran, in 2010. The infants were randomly assigned to massage group (n=50) and rocking group (n=50). In the massage group, mothers were recommended to massage their child three times a day for 7 days. In the rocking group, mothers were recommended to rock their child during crying every day for 7 days. In both groups, mothers recorded infant crying durations during one week in a checklist. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The mean difference of total crying times and durations were 8.34 and 4.12 during the first day and 4.26 time/day and 1.32 hour/day during the last day in the massage group, whereas in the rocking group, these values were 7.50 and 2.42 in the first day and 6.94 and 2.14 hour/day in the last day, respectively. The means of crying times and durations in the massage group were more than those of the rocking group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Infant massage can reduce the duration of crying in colicky infants and it can enhance the relationship between mother and child and their relaxation

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Background: Nowadays, cancer is one of the main causes of death in the world and mutagens cause death in millions of patients. Noticing the side effects of the drugs used to treat cancer, scientists are looking for drugs with fewer side effects and more therapeutic effects. Accordingly, the number of studies in this field is rapidly increasing. This study was done to evaluate the effects of antimutagenesis of aqueous and alcoholic extracts of A. vera leaf gel and latex by Ames test against the mutagenic substance named sodium azid in the presence and absence of microsomal homogenates of rat liver (S9). Materials and Methods:In this experimental study, after preparing different extracts of A. vera gel and latex, the antimutagenic effect of different extracts was assessed by Ames test, within which a mutant strain was grown on a culture containing mutagen substance (NaN3). Antimutagen (A. vera extract) reduced reversed mutation. The difference between the mean number of revertants per plate in relation to the mutagens was analyzed through one-way ANOVA using SPSS software. Results: The results showed that the ethanol extract of latex and aqueous extract of gel had the maximum (91%) and minimum (56%) percentages of inhibition, respectively. Conclusion: This assessment revealed strong antimutagenicity effect for all of the extracts due to the presence of different kinds of antioxidants substances such as various anthraquinones, flavonoids, and vitamins A, C, and E. The maximum inhibition of mutation was observed in ethanol extract of latex. This observation supports the results obtained from the application of microsome mixture as well as those reported by other researchers.

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Background: Previous studies in Iran and around the world have indicated the high rate of medicines use. In recent years, medicine use has continued to rise in spite of attempts made by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education in Iran. Therefore, it seems that in addition to the reasons considered in previous studies, there are other reasons for this problem in Iran. One of the parameters involved in this problem is the high medicine use among the clinical staff. Thus the aim of this study is to compare medicine use among clinical and non-clinical staff members. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, information about the monthly use of medicines was obtained by means of a questionnaire administered to eight groups of clinical and non-clinical members: first-year medical students, first-year non-medical students, interns of medicine, forth-year non-medical students, general physicians, specialists, academic members with M.Sc, and academic members with PhD degrees. Results: The results showed that medicine use decreased with increase in education level in both groups. In addition, the comparison of medicine use between clinical and non-clinical groups showed that there is not a significant difference for most medicines among the first- and second-year students but medicine use significantly increased among general physicians and specialists compared to the control groups. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that medicine use among clinical staff should be considered in controlling medicine use in Iran.

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Background: Heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the leading causes of poor quality of life and iron deficiency anemia in women of reproductive age. This study was conducted to investigate the therapeutic effect of tranexamic acid (TA) on menorrhagia. Materials and Methods: In this before and after clinical trial, 46 women with menorrhagia were selected and, after a control cycle for evaluation of the volume and duration of primary bleeding, were subjected to tranexamic acid treatment (500mg every 6 hours from day 1 to 5 of bleeding) for 3 consecutive cycles. Data on the duration of bleeding, amount of bleeding (PBAC chart), quality of life (SF-36 and MQ questionnaires), and hemoglobin and ferritin values were checked and compared before and after treatment using SPSS software. Results: Tranexamic acid reduced mean PBAC score from 242.86 (160.47) in control cycle to 101.50 (72.67) after the third cycle (p<0.001). Hemoglobin increased from 11.85 (0.84) to 13.08 (0.97) g/dl and ferritin increased from 15.9 (20.39) to 22.13 (2.03) ng/dl (p<0.001). Duration of menstrual bleeding decreased from 7.6 (1.23) days to 6.86 (0.84) days (p=0.001). Tranexamic acid reduced mean MQ score from 70.26 (17.64) to 11.64 (6.49) (p<0.0001). Quality of life scores increased in all aspects (except for bodily pain scale) (p<0.001). Conclusion: TA due to its short course of prescription, fewer side effects, especially on the pattern of bleeding and menstrual cycle, and not having hormonal effects, seems to be an effective drug for menorrhagia in women of reproductive age.

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Background: Dysmenorrhea is a common problem in women of reproductive age and despite the current treatments, it still remains a common problem in women’s health. This study was done to determine the effect of aromatherapy on pain severity in primary dysmenorrhea. Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial was done on 108 students with primary dysmenorrhea with pain score of 2 and 3 based on the multidimensional spoken criteria. After random allocation, the participants received massage with almond oil, massage alone, and massage with a mixture of lavender and peppermint essential oil a week before menstrual period until the presence of pain in two continuous cycles. During cycles zero, one, and two, the participants recorded the highest level of pain during the first, second, and third days according to the visual analogue scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: There was a significant difference in the total of the most pain in days 1, 2, and 3 among the groups(p=0.038). A reduction was observed in massage and aromatherapy groups(p=0.014). There were significant differences in within group comparisons (p=0.002) for zero and first cycles(p=0.016) and first and second cycles(p=0.002). Conclusion: Aromatherapy reduces menstrual pain and considering the prevalence of dysmenorrheal, the low price, and harmless nature of this essence, its application in relieving menstrual cramping and pain is recommended.

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Background: In addition to known environmental and acquired factors effective in cardiovascular diseases, polymorphisms of VKORC1 and CYP2C9 genes are identified as the main genetic factors involved in warfarin dosage requirement variations in these patients. With this approach, investigating the frequency of 1639 G>A in VKORC1 gene for determining the specific dosage required for each person was the main aim of this study. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, peripheral blood samples were obtained from 200 patients with cardiovascular disorders in the northwestern areas of Iran (West and East Azarbayjan and Ardabil) and RFLP-PCR technique was used to determine the 1639G> A polymorphism of VKORC1. Results: Using Hardy-Weinberg law‏, polymorphism amounts of 1639G> A gene from VKORC1 in female and male patients with normal, heterozygote, and homozygote were determined 21.6%, 53.7%, 24.5% , and 22.3%, 60.6%, and 17.02% , respectively. Conclusion: VKORC1 genotyping is one of the important parameters that together with other confounding factors reduce the role of trial and error in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Genotypic variety and the high frequency of allele A in the studied population can justify varied responses to warfarin therapy and the importance of investigation before starting treatment with warfarin.

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Background: H.pylori is one of the most common chronic bacterial infections in population so more than 85 percent are infected in Iran. H.pylori can cause different gastrointestinal disease like gastritis, peptic ulcers and even cancer. One of the effective factors in pathogenesis of bacteria is cytotoxin associated with gene A (cagA). Strains with cagA gene are more virulent. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of cagA gene of H.pylori in patients with gastric disorders who were admitted to Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, DNA was extracted from 84 paraffin- embedded tissues using QiaAmp tissue kit. H.pylori was verified with PCR of 16sRNA sequences specific for Helicobacter spices and cagA gene was determined using specific primer by the PCR method. The prevalence of cagA gene in three clinical groups gastritis, gastric ulcer, and atrophic patients was compared. Results: Among 84 H.pylori positive isolates ,72 biopsy samples were positive for 16sRNA (85.7%) and 46 (63.9%) for cagA. The prevalence of cagA positive strains in peptic ulcer patients (43.5%) was greater than in those with gastritis (30%). Conclusion: Results showed that Helicobacter pylori strains with cagA are more common in patients with peptic ulcer and cancer.

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Background: Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of irreversible central visual loss in individuals over 50 years old. The aim of this study was to assess visual loss due to age-related macular degeneration and some of its associated risk factors. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 150 patients with age-related macular degeneration and 150 controls, both aged over 50. A questionnaire on demographic and medical information was completed for each participant and an ophthalmological examination was performed. The results were recorded andthe data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16. Results: Mean age of the subjects in the case and control groups was 78.38 and 79.28 years, respectively.In a multivariable model, hypertension(p=0.003), diabetes(p=0.006), light iris color(p=0.05), hypercholesterolemia (p=0.036), lens opacity (p=0.029), and previous cataract surgery(p=0.029) were significantly associated with age-related macular degeneration. There was not a significant relationship between body mass index (p=0.11) and refractory errors (p=0.94) andage-related macular degeneration. Conclusion: Age-related macular degeneration is associated with hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, light iris color, lens opacity, and previous cataract surgery.

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Background: Urogenital atrophy is a common problem after menopause and quality of life in post-menopauseis seriously affected by the symptoms associated with vaginal atrophy. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the vaginal suppository of hyaluronic acid and vitamin E in atrophic vaginitis treatment. Materials and Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trialwas carried out in Ahvaz (Iran) from August to December 2010. Forty postmenopausal women with symptoms of vaginal atrophy were randomly allocatedto two groups to take vaginal suppositories of either 5 mg hyaluronic acid sodium salt (n=20) or 1 mg vitamin E (n=20) for 8 weeks. The symptoms of vaginal atrophy were evaluated by a self-assessed 4-point scaleand the composite score was determined asnone, mild, moderate, and severe in four periods. Results: The results showed that the symptoms were relieved significantly in both groups (P<0.001).The relief of symptoms was significantly superior in the hyaluronic acid group compared with the vitamin E group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although both hyaluronic acid and vitamin E relieved the vaginal symptoms, improvements were greater in the hyaluronic acid group. Therefore,hyaluronic acid vaginal suppository is suggested for women with vaginal atrophy who do not want to or cannot take local estrogen treatment.

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Background: In recent decades, with the increasing use of devices generating electromagnetic fields in modern industrial societies, the study of biological effect of these waves on the many organisms development has been considered by government and scientific organizations all over the world. Many people in all hours of their life are exposed to boarding electromagnetic fields of devices in their life and work places, with different intensities and frequencies. This presence of a significant relationship between the increase of some diseases and genetic aberrations and electromagnetic fields is one of the most important issues for researchers that has created many concerns regarding the adverse effects of electromagnetic fields. The findings of some studies indicate that this field does not have enough energy to damage biological molecules, while other researchers believe that electromagnetic fields by affecting cellular stress response and other protective mechanisms cause genetic cell damage. Some studies express that the electromagnetic field are safe alone, but they enhance the genotoxic function of physical and chemical environmental pollutants.

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Background: Nucleos(t)ide analogues, such as lamivudine and adefovir, are effective drugs for treatment of hepatitis B patients. However, long-term treatment with these drugs leads to the emergence of the nucleos(t)ide analogue resistant strains. The impact of nucleos(t)ide analogues on the emergence of HBsAg escape mutations is not clarified. Hence, the aim of this study was to determine HBsAg escape mutations in chronic hepatitis B patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues. Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was performed on 50 patients with chronic hepatitis B under treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues (lamivudine and/or adefovir) and 50 naive chronic hepatitis B patients. HBV DNA was extracted from plasma and S gene of virus was amplified by Nested-PCR followed by direct sequencing. HBsAg gene sequence of the samples was evaluated for detection of HBsAg escape mutations. Results: Among the 100 patients, the following HBsAg escape mutations were identified: sQ101H, sG119R, sP120S, sP127S, sA128V, sG130N, sG130R, sT131I, sM133I, and sY134N. The frequency of HBsAg escape mutations in patients under treatment of nucleos(t)ide analogues was 16% and in naïve patients was 6% (p=0.2, OR=2.98). Conclusion:According to the obtained results, there seems to be no association between using nucleos(t)ide analogues and emergence of HBsAg escape mutations.

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Background: The presence of oxidant agents yields higher levels of free radical reaction products in erythrocyte membrane proteins and serum proteins. The aim of this study is to investigate the oxidative modifications of recombinant human coagulation factor VIII (rHFVIII) by spectrophotometric analysis. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, rHFVIII was incubated aerobically with vitamin C and ferro ions in metal catalyzed oxidation (MCO) system for 4 to 28 hr. Carbonyl assay was used as an index of protein oxidation. For this purpose, 2,4dinitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH) was used. Reaction of this reagent with carbonyl groups produces dinitrophenylhydrazone derivatives that their concentration was estimated by spectrophotometry. Results: Carbonyl groups in rHFVIII changed in the presence of vitamin C and ferro ions. Dose-dependent effects of vitamin C showed a decrease in carbonyl groups of rHFVIII whileferro ions increased oxidation and carbonyl group formation in this protein. Conclusion: These findings indicate that changes in carbonyl groups in rHFVIII are related to the generation of reactive oxygen species. Also, antioxidant mechanisms are activated in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

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Background: Influenza type A virus is one of the most important viral agents in human respiratory diseases. The genetic variability of the influenza viruses leads to the incidence of new epidemics worldwide. Hence, there is a growing need for rapid and effective new methods capable of detection and differentiation of influenza virus circulating strains. This study was done to develop a method for rapid differentiation of the subtypes of influenza type A virus. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, reverse-transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were performed using a primer set based on M gene of H1N1, H3N2, H5N1, and H9N2 influenza subtypes. Then the amplified fragments were subjected to digestion using subtype specific restriction endonuclease enzymes. Results: The results of PCR reaction showed that the primer pair of the M gene was specific and capable of amplifying all influenza subtypes understudy. Also, different restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns (RFLP) were generated using enzyme digestion reaction on the amplified segment of M gene. Conclusion: RT-PCR and RFLP analysis of the M gene can be employed as a useful method for differentiating influenza virus subtypes