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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of central nervous system which has different clinical manifestations. Noticing the role of vitamin B12 in synthesis of myelin tissue and the existence of different views about its pathogenesis and causes, we decided to evaluate B12 serum levels in MS patients. Materials and Methods: In a case-control study, 40 patients with definite clinical diagnosis of MS and 80 traumatic patients hospitalized in the emergency ward of Vali-asr Hospital of Arak (the control group) were chosen. The level of blood vitamin B12 was measured for all the subjects through the same type of kit and clinical checklist. Data were analyzed through t-test. Results: The mean vitamin B12 serum level in case and control groups were, respectively, 295±133.3 pg/dl and 257.73±91.3 pg/dl which did not indicate a significant difference(p> 0.05). However, in terms of the type of clinical manifestations, the mean vitamin B12 serum level in MS patients showed at least one sensory, motor, or sphinctery symptom lower than the control group. This difference turned out to be significant(p< 0.05). In terms of MRI findings, patients with brainstem and vertebra plucks respectively had the maximum and minimum vitamin B12 serum levels. Conclusion: Although a significant difference was not observed between the mean vitamin B12 serum levels, based on the significant decreases in the serum levels of this vitamin in some of the patients with subtypes of MS, further studies with larger sample sizes and over longer periods of time are suggested.

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Background: Gentamicin (GM) is one the aminoglycoside antibiotics which isroutinelyused to treatinfections gram-negative, either alone or insynergistic withbeta-lactamantibioticsused. However, frequent useleads toserious side effectssuch asrenal toxicity, ototoxicity. Coenzyme Q₁₀ has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and vasodilatory properties. According to these properties of Coenzyme Q₁₀ and tissue damage mechanism in GM induced-nephrotoxicity, in this study, the effects of these two substances for the co-treatment and post -treatment on renal injury induced by gentamicin were investigated.

Materials and Methods:  Experiments has been done on 77 male Wistar rats in weight range of 200 to 250 g. Animals were divided randomly into 5 groups of 7 numbers. Renal nephrotoxicity induced by i.p injection of gentamicin (100mg/kg) Therapeutic effect of coenzyme Q₁₀ (10mg/kg)in the two protocols co-treatment  and post-treatmentwas investigated.The animals after the last injectionon the ninth day of co-treatment andthe seventeenth day of post-treatmentwere placed into individual metabolic cages so as to collection urine and urine volume was measured gravimetrically. Afteranesthesia, systolic blood pressure and renal blood flow was measured. Then blood sampling was done. Amount of urea, creatinin, sodium, potassium and osmolarity was measured in plasma and urine samples. Left kidney, for doing histological experiments in 10% buffered formaldehyde and right kidney for biochemical experiments in fluid nitrogen was preserved.

Results: Co-treatment with Coenzyme Q10 significantly decreased fractional excretion of sodium (6.37±1.33 %; p<0.001) and decreased fractional excretion of potassium(219.14±83.8 %; p<0.001) MDA levels (2.13 ±0.24µmol/gkw; p<0.001), and significantly increased renal blood flow (6.38 ±0.1ml/min: p<0.01) and FRAP levels (24.44±0.42mmol/gkw; p<0.001). Post-treatment with coenzyme Q10 significantly decreased fractional excretion of sodium (3.58 ±0.57 %; p<0.001), potassium (111.77±29.4%; p<0.001) and MDA levels (3.08 ±0.12µmol/gkw; p<0.001) and significantly increased renal blood flow (6.74±0.15ml/min: p<0.001) and FRAP levels (24.34±0.75mmol/gkw; p<0.001) that is reduced by gentamicin.

Conclusion: According to the results, this study showed thatpost- treatment with coenzyme Q₁₀more protective effect on the kidney tissue andAnda greater increase inantioxidant defensecreated.