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Abstract: Zinc deficiency could be a cause of growth retardation in children with insulin dependent diabetes. In this study 20 diabetic children (11-15 years old) who were under 5th percentile of weight and height for their age were enrolled. None of this group of patients had the signs of sexual maturity. Not any underlying disease such as urinary tract infection or hypothyroidism was detected. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 10 patients. 10 patients were treated with daily zinc sulfate equal to 25mg. Height, weight, blood sugar and HbA1C were measured at the onset of study, three and six months after treatment with zinc. The other 10 patients were followed as the control group. Mean blood sugar and HaA1C at the onset of study, followed by three and six months later are as follows: (150±30mg/dL, 6.7±3.4%), (140±28 mg/dL, 7±2.3%) and (158±25mg/dL and 6.4±3.8%). According to SDS* formula the velocity of increase of weight and height was significantly more in the treated group compared with the control group (P<0.001). Oral zinc therapy is recommended in growth retarded diabetic children to accelerate the growth velocity.

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Introduction: Type 1 diabetes is believed to be an autoimmune disease. Pancreatic islet cell destruction occurs by infiltration of T lymphocytes. BCG vaccine modulates the development of type 1 diabetes in animal models. Based upon the studies in animals and man a clinical trial using a single dose of BCG vaccine was carried out in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients. Material and methods: Ten newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients 4-14 years of age, were enrolled in this study. All patients had been vaccinated with BCG at birth. PPD positive patients and those with other autoimmune diseases were excluded from this study. Single dose of BCG (0.1 ml of 1 mg/ml) was administered intracutaneously to all patients. Ten newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic patients matched for age and sex were also followed as the control group. All patients were followed with fasting blood sugar, HbA1c and the needed insulin per kg of body weight for nine months. Results: There was no significant difference in fasting sugar, insulin dose & HbA1c levels at any time between the BCG-vaccinated and control groups. Conclusion: Our study does not support the effect of BCG therapy in this group of diabetic patients.

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Introduction: Nowadays with the current treatments, survival and life expectancy has increased in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and hence researchers have focused more on long term quality of life in these patients. Some of the long-term problems of ALL patients include biochemical disturbances of vitamin D and minerals, reduction in mineral content of bone and pathological fractures due to osteoporosis. The aim of the current study is to establish and compare biochemical indices of mineral and bone metabolism in ALL patients before and after chemotherapy. Material and Methods: The patient studied were children between one to ten years of age with ALL who visited the Department of Pediatric Oncology of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in two consecutive years, and received the same chemotherapy regimens. Blood samples (to measure serum calcium, phosphorous, albumin and alkaline phosphatase) as well as urine samples (for calcium and creatinine) were collected immediately after the diagnosis and before the beginning of chemotherapy. Similar samples were also collected and tested four to eight months after the completion of induction of chemotherapy. Results: Total number of 20 patients aged 8±2.4 years (50% boys and 50% girls) were studied. Average serum calcium level was 9 mg/dL before chemotherapy, and 9.4 mg/dL after it (p<0.05). Average difference of phosphorous (p>0.4) and Alkalin phosphatase (p>0.3) before and after chemotherapy were not significant. Sixty five percent of patients had hypercalciuria before chemotherapy but this proportion declined to 25%, four to eight months after completion of chemotherapy. Conclusion: It seems that disturbances of mineral and especially calcium metabolism are common in ALL patients. On the other hand, chemotherapy has not had a considerable effect in long term on indices of mineral and calcium metabolism and moreover it seems that with induction of chemotherapy, and hence, control of the disease process (after four to eight months) the above mentioned indices improve, i.e reduction of rate of hypercalciuria and significant increase in serum calcium so, the role of the disease process itself in the disturbances observed in mineral and bone metabolism is probably greater than the effect of chemotherapy.

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Introduction: Studies show that the plaus a role hormone oxytocin in the control of pain, sexual behavior, anxiety and love. The mechanism of this neuropeptide is not completely understood in the CNS. This study aimed at researching the effect of oxytoxin administered in the locus coeruleus (LC) nucleus on pain and its interaction with opioid system, because LC influences the nociception and also contains oxytocin and opioid receptors. Materials and Methods: Male wistar rats weighing 270±20 grams were used. Animals divided to the in control group, receiving only oxytocin (3nmol/2µl) and the group receiving oxytocin (3nmol/2µl) with naloxone as an opioid receptor antagonist (3nmol/1µl) in LC nucleus. Hot plate and tail flick tests were used for pain response evaluations. Results: Oxytocin injection in locus coeruleus nucleus induced analgesic effect significantly in two analgesiometer tests (p<0.001). Naloxone prevented the analgesic effect of oxytocin significantly (Hot plate p<0.001, Tail flick p<0.05). Conclusion: Oxytocin exerts part of its antinociception effect via LC nucleus and probably by excitation of the opioid system because of the inhibiting effect of naloxone.

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Abstract

Introduction: Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is the most prevalent preventable cause of mental retardation. Since it is impossible to determine the etiology of CH by biochemical tests per se, imaging modalities of thyroid gland are used to evaluate the morphology and function of this gland and among them radionuclide scanning is currently the gold standard. Considering the limitations of time and accessibility of radioisotope scanning and benefits and faults of ultrasonography in determination of etiology of CH, the aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of sonography as compared to the gold standard imaging method of scintigraphy, in the diagnosis of etiology of primary congenital hypothyroidism in the screening program of Isfahan. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted from May 2002-February 2007. In order to compare ultrasonography to thyroid scintigraphy for etiologic diagnosis of CH, 102 CH newborns examined by both thyroid scintigraphy and ultrasonography were included in this study. The ultrasonographic findings were compared with the standard-of-reference scintigraphic findings and the sensitivity, specificity of the ultrasonography were determined. Results: According to results of the ultrasonography 63, 27, 3 and 9 infants had normal thyroid glands, agenesia, ectopia and hypoplasia respectively and based on scintigraphic results 57, 36 and 9 of them had normal thyroid gland, agenesia and ectopia respectively. Ultrasound detected sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, LR+ and LR- were 86%, 86%, 90%, 90%, 6.1 and 0.16 respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography compared with thyroid scintigraphy in diagnosis of thyroid gland ectopia was 33% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: Although calculated sensitivity and specificity of this method was not equal to those of thyroid radioisotope scanning but had an acceptable range, thyroid ultrasonography is a relatively appropriate imaging tool for diagnosing thyroid dysgenesia. Hence ultrasonography can be used as the first imaging tool for diagnosing CH, especially when the family prefers not to have the infant scanned.

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Introduction: Adiponectin is involved in breast cancer development, and data available suggest that exercise increases plasma adiponectin, but little is known about the effect of exercise on plasma adiponectin in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. The purpose of this study therefore was to examine the effects of 12 weeks of walking on plasma adiponectin in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Materials and Methods: Nineteen postmenopausal women with breast cancer (aged 55 ± 2.7 years mean ± SD) who had undergone surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, with hormone therapy by letrozol, were divided into the training (n=11) and control (n=8) groups. Subjects in the experimental group walked 25 to 45 minutes with intensity of 45 to 65% of target heart rate, 4 days for 12 weeks. Results: The results showed that maximum oxygen uptake increased and fasting insulin decreased significantly after 12 weeks in the training group, as compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, after 12 weeks walking no significant differences were observed in the plasma adiponectin, fasting glucose and insulin resistance between the two groups. Conclusion: Although 12 weeks walking improves aerobic capacity, it does not affect plasma adiponectin concentration in postmenopausal women with breast cancer.

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Introduction: Glutamine plays a key role in cell protection following stress, by causing a simultaneous increase in hsp72 expression, which is dependent on glutamine metabolism and its relation with cortisol levels and gluconeogenesis. Materials and Methods: To assess the effect of glutamine supplement ingestion on hsp72, cortisol and glucose plasma changes after exercise, 28 soccer players were divided in four groups the control, supplement, supplement-exercise and the exercise groups. 0.5 g/kgBw supplement and placebo consumed 5ml/kgBw volume of water one hour prior to the exercise protocol, which included 3 stages of 20 minutes running (80% HRmax intensity) with 5 minute rest periods between each stage. Baseline, and pre, post and 90 minutes after exercise, blood sampling was done and cortisol, glucose and hsp72 levels were measured using RIA, Enzymatic, and Elisa tests respectively. Data was analyzed with MANOVA and Bonferoni post hoc tests, P≤0.05 values being considered significant. Results: Plasma cortisol and plasma glucose levels showed no significant changes in the groups, hsp72 while expression in the supplement and the supplement exercise groups was increased. Conclusion: Role of glutamine, independent of its relation with cortisol and glocostatic is a stimulator of hsp72 expression which is further increased by combining the supplement with exercise, suggesting that athletes may want to use glutamine prior to taking part in matches or intense exercises.

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Introduction: Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiomyopathy. The expression of HMGB1, a proinflammatory cytokine, and its downstream signaling pathway is upregulated in diabetes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 8 weeks aerobic training on the expression levels of the HMGB1-RAGE/TLR4-NF-kB pathway in cardiac tissue of male rats with hyperglycemia. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six male Wistar rats (mean weight, 231±25g) were randomly divided into three groups (n=12 each): Healthy control, control hyperglycemia and trained hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of strept­ozotocin  and nicotinamide. Forty-eight hours after completion of the training program (eight weeks aerobic training), cardiac tissue was removed under sterile conditions. Gene expression of HMGB1, RAGE, TLR4 and NF-kB were investigated, using Real-time PCR. For data analysis, one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s test were used, with P<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Gene expression levels of HMGB1, RAGE, TLR4 and NF-kB were significantly (P=0.001) increased in the cardiac tissue of the hyperglycemic control group, compared with healthy controls. Eight weeks of aerobic training decreased the expression levels of the studied genes (P=0.001). Conclusion: It seems that aerobic training can prevent the negative effects of hyperglycemia via by attenuating gene expression levels of HMGB1, RAGE, TLR4 and NF-kB in the cardiac tissue of rats with hyperglycemia, and could hence be an important mechanism for cardiac function and preventing diabetic cardiomyopathy.
 

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Introduction: Impairment in the endothelial function starts with aging; however, it can be reduced or prevented by regular exercise. This study aimed to investigate the response and compatibility of endothelial progenitor cells and to evaluate the gene expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after eight weeks of resistance training in the elderly. Materials and Methods: In this semi-experimental study, 24 elderly men were randomly divided into equal experimental and control groups. Blood samples were collected in four stages, that is, before and after one session of resistance training (chest press, calf press, squats, leg curls, leg extensions, and underhand cable pushdowns) and before and after eight weeks of resistance training (bicep, tricep, quadricep, calf, chest, shoulder, and abdomen exercises). The samples were examined for the expression of HIF-1 and VEGF genes, and a flow cytometric analysis of endothelial progenitor cells from the mononuclear cell population of blood tissue was carried out. A mixed-design repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used in SPSS (P<0.05) to investigate the differences between the groups. Results: The number of endothelial progenitor cells in the pretest and the first posttest increased in the experimental group, compared to the control group. Also, the gene expression of HIF-1 in the experimental group increased compared to the control group in the first posttest, pretest, and second posttest. As well as, the expression of VEGF gene increased in the experimental group in comparison with the control group in the first posttest, pretest, and second posttest. Conclusion: The present findings suggested that resistance training could be effective in the repair and regeneration of arteries after injuries, especially in the elderly.