Tehran University Medical Journal

Background: Congenital heart diseases are the second group of congenital anomalies in infants. These disorders are a major cause of death in the first year of a child's life. Early detection helps to treat these diseases better. In this study cardiology consultations of hospitalized infants in the neonatal intensive care unit were evaluated.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, two hundred and fifty pediatric cardiology consultations conducted in Shahid Beheshti Hospital in the year 2012 were reviewed. Information such as the cause of consulting, delivery type, age of parents, relative couples, family history of congenital heart disease, maternal medications, maternal background diseases, the final diagnosis, and prognosis follow-up of the patients were recorded in a designed questionnaire. Finally, the data were entered into the SPSS software, version 16 (IBM SPSS, Armonk, NY, USA) and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The mean age of the consulted neonates was 4.845±5.14 days with a gestational age of 33.933±3.65 weeks. Male sex and cesarean section were the most frequent. Fifty-six percent of consulted infants were male. The present study revealed that prematurity (76%), murmurs (30.8%), respiratory distress syndrome (14.4%) and cyanosis (13.2%) were the most common causes of the cardiac consultation seeking among infants. Seventy-six percent of infants were consulted due to prematurity. Eighty-four percent of infants had a normal conditions. Septal defects (ventricular or atrial septal defect) and patent ductus arteriosus were the most common disease diagnosed with the prevalence of 27.5 and 17.5%, respectively. There was a significant relationship between preterm labor and congenital heart disease (P<0.001). Additionally, prematurity associated with respiratory distress syndrome and using assisted reproductive techniques.
Conclusion: The higher prevalence of congenital heart disease in the present study, compared with other studies, reflects the fact that cardiology consultation based on clinical suspicion leads to the more identification of congenital heart disease that means the right referral of newborns for consultation was accompanied with a higher incidence of heart failure.

Behçet's disease (BD), also known as the Silk Road disease, is a multisystemic and rare inflammatory disorder primarily prevalent in populations along the Mediterranean Sea. Today, BD is defined as a crossroad between autoimmune and auto-inflammatory syndromes. Variety of syndromes including mucocutaneous manifestations such as oral and genital ulcers, papulopustular lesions and erythema nodosum as well as ocular, vascular, gastrointestinal and nervous system occur. The disease etiology has not yet been elaborated, though researchers have reported several reasons that can increase the likelihood of the disease occurrence including a genetic factor, human leukocyte antigen HLA-B51 (B51) antigen, infectious conditions such as herpes simplex virus (HSV), those involved in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions such as imbalance of various cytokines and immune cells levels as well as existence of various gene variants. Among the various immuno dysfunctions that are found in BD, patients have increased neutrophil motility and superoxide production, as well as elevated production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and decreased production of interleukin-10 (IL-10). Since vasculitis and tissue damage is usually seen with Behcet disease, unusual concentrations of chemokine and adhesion molecules can also help us understand the causes of disease. Among the functional deficiencies of the immune system, increased concentrations of neutrophils and monocytes are of importance leading to an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Behcet's disease has common characteristics with some immune-mediated diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which suggests that they may share similar etiologies and genes. Genetic and epigenetic modulations have also been proposed as involved in the pathogenesis of BD. Modifications in DNA methylation have been found in BD patient monocytes and lymphocytes, leading to the adverse function of these cells. The positive replies to classical immunosuppressive agents like cyclosporine and azathioprine and participation of autoantigens at the beginning of the illness are the chief BD features that reflect the autoimmune nature of the disorder. This review article attempts to introduce the BD disease and its contributing factors with emphasis on the role of different cells and cytokines based on updated studies.

Background: Prostate cancer has been reported as a worldwide important kind of cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality among men. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum level is one of the most important markers of prostate cancer diagnosis. While PSA level helps predict the risk of prostate cancer development, researchers still looking for ways to increase the accuracy of prognostic models. To increase the specificity of PSA and decrease of unnecessary biopsies and morbidity, PSA-related parameters such as PSA doubling time (PSADT) have been used. In this study, the relationship between this factor and the severity of prostate cancer was evaluated.
Methods: In this retrospective study, the data of patients who were subjected to transrectal ultrasound-guided (TRUS) biopsy of the prostate and referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, between 2009 and 2017 were reviewed. We enrolled the men with at least two consecutive elevated PSA level within three months to calculate PSADT. Based on the pathology report, primary and secondary Gleason score (GS) were determined. Correspondingly, considering GS, the patients were divided into two groups with high-grade and low-grade tumor (GS<7 considered as low-grade and GS>7 considered as high-grade tumor).
Results: Totally, 1712 cases of TRUS biopsy of the prostate were studied. Among them, 547 (32.3%) had prostate cancer, of whom 73 cases were eligible based on inclusion criteria and were consented to enroll in the study. According to the data obtained, we found a significant difference in PSADT between the two groups of patients with high-grade and low-grade malignancy (mean±SD PSADT, 9.8±14.2 vs. 16.1±14.9 respectively, P=0.004). Considering the seven months as the cut-off point for PSADT in determining malignancy, there was a significant difference between the two groups according to Fisher's exact test (P=0.01).
Conclusion: In our study, PSADT cut-off of 7 months provided the greatest accuracy for differentiation between low-grade and high-grade malignancy, and PSADT has acceptable accuracy for the diagnosis of high-grade tumors.

Background: Skeletal muscle mass, which is regulated by a balance between muscle protein synthesis and degradation, is an important factor for movement to meet everyday needs, especially in pathological conditions and aging. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare the alterations of the gene expression involved in muscle protein synthesis and degradation signaling pathways induced by two exercise training protocols.
Methods: Eight weeks old Wistar rats have been assigned to the present experimental study, which was conducted from August 2018 to October 2018 at the animal laboratory of Tehran University. They were randomly divided into two resistance and endurance training groups and one control group, and run on a treadmill, 5 sessions per week for 8 weeks. 48 hours after the last exercise session, the rats in the two groups were anesthetized, and the dissected soleus muscles from euthanized animals were stored at -80° for RT-PCR and Western blot analysis later. Between-group differences were analyzed by the parametric and non-parametric tests for normally and non-normally distributed data respectively, at the significance level of α˂0.05.
Results: Compared with the control group, mTORC1 gene expression was increased significantly just in the endurance group (P=0.022), whereas both endurance and resistance exercise protocols caused a significant increase in Rps6kb1 (P˂0.001 and P=0.001 respectively). In protein degradation pathway, although, FOXO3a did not alter significantly (P=0.463), eIF4Ebp1 gene expression was inhibited by both endurance and resistance exercise training protocols (P˂0.001 and P=0.001 respectively). The alterations of Rps6kb1 and FOXO3a gene expression were confirmed by Western blot analysis.
Conclusion: The results showed that the exercise training protocols of the present study had approximately similar effects on alterations of gene expression involved in skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation pathways. Therefore, application of the protocols may be considered to prevent or reduce the muscle atrophy in pathological conditions such as motor neuron disease, aging, and/or muscle strength improvement in athletes.

Background: Botulism is mostly caused by Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin which has been described as a bilateral symmetric descending flaccid paralysis. Preventing and responding to botulism outbreaks is a public health emergency. In this study, the disease is reported in a family.
Methods: In a case series study, during an outbreak, four members of a family with symptoms including paralysis, ptosis, blurred vision, diplopia, weakness, dysphagia, dry mouth, respiratory problems, vertigo, and lethargy, referred to Loghman Hospital of Tehran. Among the patients was an elderly woman and a pregnant woman. All clinical signs and symptoms of the patients were recorded daily in a researcher-made questionnaire from 27 August to 3 September 2018. At the time of admission, vital signs (pulse rate, respiration rate, and body temperature) of patients were stable and within normal limits. Following clinical suspicion of food-borne botulism in these patients, samples of the first two patients, including serum, stool, gastric secretions, and homemade whey were sent to the Botulism Laboratory of Microbiology Department of Pasteur Institute of Iran for the mouse bioassay.
Results: Type A neurotoxin was detected in homemade whey after the mouse bioassay. Therefore, foodborne botulism was confirmed in patients with laboratory results. Patients included two men and two women with a mean age of 52.7 years old. The length of hospitalized days was between 2 and 6 days. Two of the patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Patients under study were fully recovered with timely diagnosis of the disease, treatment with antitoxin, and supportive care.
Conclusion: When conscious patients referred to the hospital with symptoms of paralysis, foodborne botulism is an important differential diagnosis. On-time diagnosis and antitoxin treatment can prevent serious complications.

Background: Common treatment for infertile couples is the use of controlled ovulation hyperstimulation (COH) with intrauterine inseminations (IUI). IUI is used in cases such as ovulatory dysfunction, cervical factor infertility, male subfertility, and unexplained infertility. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between IUI outcome and special causes of infertility.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and a sampling method was available in this study, from January 2014 to August 2016, 994 cycles in 803 infertile couples referred to Royan Research Institute in Tehran were analyzed. Inclusion criteria were: male factor infertility, combined causes, ovarian disease, and infertility of unknown cause. To evaluate pregnancy, 12-16 days after IUI, it was considered positive if pregnancy test followed by transvaginal ultrasound at week 4 after IUI were positive.
  Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 20. T-test and chi-square were used to compare the case and control groups. Linear-by-linear test was also used to calculate the relationship between female age and clinical and multiple success rates. P<0.05 was considered significant for the results of these tests.

Background: spacecrafts rotate around the Earth every 90 minutes, so the 24-hour cycle turns to 90 minutes. Retinoic acid, an active metabolite of vitamin A, plays a role in regulating the circadian rhythm and its deficiency can impair the biological clock function and consequently impair the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity. The goal of the study was to assay the effects of simulated spaceship conditions on serum and hippocampal retinoic acid levels in rats.
Methods: The tail-hanging, hindleg-weightlessness rat model was applied to mimic the microgravity conditions from June to September 2017 in the zoo of the Aja University of Medical Sciences. Thirty-two male Wistar rats weighing 200-250 gr/in an experimental study were randomly assigned into 4 groups (n=8): 1) control animals with 12/12 h day-night rotation, 2) animals with 12/12 h day-night rotation under 14 days unloading, 3) control animals with 45/45 min day-night cycle, and 4) animals with 45/45 min day-night cycle under 14 days unloading. At the termination of the simulation step, rats were anesthetized, and blood samples were collected and the entire brain was removed and each brain was segmented into Hippocampus. ELISA assays were used to detect retinoic acid in the serum and homogenized hippocampus. Data were statistically assayed using two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni as a post hoc test. P<0.05 was considered significant.

Background: At present, in nuclear medicine to calculate the cumulative activity of various organs, different techniques are being used to correct the background radiations in the conjugate view method. Each of these techniques considers the effect and weight of background radiations to a different extent. These background radiations can cause errors in cumulative activity calculations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare different techniques of correcting background radiations to each other in calculating kidney cumulative activity during the nuclear scan of the bladder in children.
Methods: This study was Cross-sectional and performed for patients who were referred to Isfahan Shahid Chamran Hospital between December 2019 and June 2020. In this study using Foley, 1 mCi of TC-DTPA radio-pharmaceutical that was diluted with normal saline was injected into the patient's bladder, then images recorded by gamma cameras were extracted at 2, 5, 10, and 20 minutes, Finally with ROI drawing around kidney with having vesicoureteral reflux, Cumulative renal activity was calculated with four correcting background radiations techniques such as without correction of background radiation, conventional method, Buijs method, and Kojima method Eventually, the data was Eventually, the data was compared to each other to determine how much weight each of these techniques consider for background radiations.

Background: Training of airway management and tracheal intubation skill in emergencies for resuscitation of patients are basic skills for medical students. However, the success rate of beginners in this skill is low. Video laryngoscopes are new devices that can increase the success of endotracheal intubation training.
Methods: This clinical trial was conducted with 30 medical students who came to learn anesthesia care at Sina Hospital in 2020. After dividing the students into two groups (n=15) of glide scope and Macintosh, the glide scope group first performed laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation with a glide scope on the manikin 10 times. Then, in the operating room they were trained for endotracheal intubation on 5 patients by glide scope. The Macintosh group first got trained for intubation on the manikin, 10 times and then on five patients in the operating room with a Macintosh laryngoscope. Then all students in the operating room intubated two patients with a Macintosh laryngoscope and their performance was assessed and scored by an anesthesiologist. They evaluated the training course with a questionnaire. The duration of laryngeal access and the time spent for tracheal intubation were compared in the two groups.

Results: In this study, from 144 patients with penetrating trauma in the upper extremities, 56 patients were suspected with nerve injuries and 50 patients were suspected with tendon injuries. After evaluation with an ultrasound probe, 21 out of 23 cases suspected of nerve injuries were confirmed by local exploration. Local exploration confirmed that 27 out of 28 cases were suspected of tendon injuries. The accuracy of ultrasound in the assessment of nerve damage was estimated at 99.64% and in tendon damage at 92%, and the sensitivity of ultrasound in the diagnosis of nerve damage was 91.30% and in the diagnosis of tendon damage was 96.42%. Conclusion: By the results of this research it can be concluded, that ultrasound leads to a faster diagnosis. It provides a wider field of view, can reduce possible secondary injuries and increases the accuracy of the diagnosis.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of birth defects. The main screening tests used to identify babies with congenital heart defects include prenatal echocardiography and postnatal clinical assessment. Routine pulse oximetry has been reported as an additional screening test that can potentially improve the early diagnosis of critical congenital heart disease (CCHD).
Methods: This study is a multi-stage evolutionary study that was conducted for 12 months from March 2021 to March 2022 at Pediatric Cardiovascular Research Center in Cardiovascular Institute, Isfahan, Iran. In the first phase, after identifying the topic and aims of the present study, questions were designed through the PICO method including (population, intervention, control, and outcomes). Then conducting systematic searches, the quality of all existing clinical guidelines (CG) of this field were evaluated using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument and a committee consisting of pediatric cardiologists and neonatologists in the field. Next, based on the opinions of experts, the quality of 1 out of 6 clinical guidelines for early detection of critical congenital heart disease at birth by pulse oximetry was assessed as optimal. Finally, the clinical guidelines draft was evaluated using the Delphi method and the panel of experts. After expert panel meetings and consensus between members, the final version of the guideline for early detection of critical congenital heart diseases at birth by pulse oximetry was developed.

Results: In the present study, criteria of clinical practice regarding the stages of newborn screening by pulse oximetry at birth were determined based on the evidence and health conditions and were presented in twenty-eight recommendations and six sections. The final recommendations were presented in the results section. Conclusion: The finding of the present study showed that physicians, nurses, and midwives can apply the recommendations of this clinical guideline for the early detection and referral of neonates with critical congenital heart disease.

Methods: Our study was an interventional study from January 2015 to January 2018 on 16 lacrimal systems of 11 patients (5 males and 6 females) with congenital obstruction of the lacrimal duct (CNLDO) and a history of unsuccessful probing and stenting, in Farabi Hospital of Tehran (affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences). Children who presented to our hospital and had previously been probed with or without intubation by another surgeon first underwent reprobing and re-intubation with a Crawford tube. Endoscopy of the nasolacrimal system was performed in suspected cases of false stent passage or in the presence of a history indicating nasal pathology. Crawford's Monoka tube was removed after two months. Balloon dacryoplasty with intubation was performed as the third surgery in cases who did not respond to probing and stenting after 3-6 months. The success after six months was evaluated using fluorescein dye disappearance test (FDDT) and also the resolution of the patients' symptoms.

Results: The age of the patients was 67±35.01 months (range: 26-121). The site of the canalicular stenosis in our patients was in the common canaliculi or within 2-3 mm from it. After 6 months, surgery was successfully performed in 13 lacrimal systems (81.25%). One patient with congenital lacrimal duct obstruction and Down syndrome and two other patients did not respond to balloon dacryoplasty and stenting and subsequently underwent dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR).

Conclusion: Balloon dacryoplasty combined with Monocrawford intubation is an effective surgical procedure that should be considered in cases of congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction who have not responded to the probing and stenting of the lacrimal system.

 

Background: Syncope is a temporary loss of consciousness with a loss of postural tone. Medicinal treatment of reflex syncope has shown to have no significant effect in reducing the recurrence of syncope. A 36-month follow-up of our pilot cohort showed that non-pharmacological treatments alone were effective in reducing relapse rates. The purpose of this study is to investigate long-term results and 8-year follow-up of previous patients.
Methods: The current study is a continuation of a prospective pilot cohort which was done between August 2013 and 2014 in two academic hospitals in Isfahan (Dr. Chamran heart center and Imam Hossein children hospitals). This current study examines the 8-year follow-up results of children with reflex syncope who were treated with non-pharmacological treatments alone or with drugs. Therefore, the patients who participated in the pilot study were enrolled (30 patients in the pharmacologic group and 40 patients non-pharmacological group). Finally, on 26 patients in the pharmacologic group and 31 patients in the non-pharmacological group (after applying the exclusion criteria), the incidence of syncope and pre-syncope attacks was compared between these two groups of patients using the Chi-square test.

Results: Our study showed that within 5 years after the last follow-up, the incidence of syncope and pre-syncope in patients with a history of vasovagal syncope who did not continue the diet or tilt exercises was different between the two groups of patients (without medication and drug recipient) was not significantly different, even the incidence of presyncope increased significantly again in both groups. The incidence of syncope in the period of 5 years after the last follow-up from the previous study was slightly increased in the group of patients without medication compared to the previous periods, but in the group of patients receiving medication, this incidence decreased slightly. Conclusion: In order to prevent recurrence, the use of non-pharmacological methods is effective, but for the stability of this recovery, follow-up and continuation of these methods is necessary.

Background: MRI is the imaging modality of choice for the detection of diabetic pedal osteomyelitis. The aim of this study is to compare the STIR sequence, as the most important fluid-sensitive sequence, with contrast-enhanced images for diagnosing diabetic pedal osteomyelitis.
Methods: Medical images were compared. Moreover, the effect of adding T1W image findings to the STIR sequence was evaluated. This cross sectional study was collected and analyzed at Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, from 20 March 2016 to 22 September 2017.
Results: The final diagnosis of osteomyelitis was confirmed for 47 bones (78%). 13 bones (22%) didn't have osteomyelitis. The specificity of contrast-enhanced and STIR sequences was 92.3% and 53.8%, respectively; whereas the sensitivity of the two sequences was similar (100%). Records of 48 diabetic patients suspected of having pedal osteomyelitis referred to one of the university hospitals, who underwent foot MRI with and without contrast injection, were assessed. Overall, 48 Patient MRIs and 60 separate bony parts were evaluated. Diagnoses were confirmed by clinical correlation. Finally, sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of STIR sequence and contrast-enhanced images were compared. Moreover, the effect of addition of T1W image findings to STIR sequence was evaluated.
Conclusion: This study was performed to suggest a pulse sequence that doesn’t need contrast media injection for diagnosing diabetic pedal osteomyelitis since the previous studies showed that gadolinium-based contrast media shouldn’t be applied in patients with renal failure (glomerular filtration rate<30 ml/min/1.73m². According to the results STIR images had the same sensitivity as T1 post-contrast images; therefore, it can be concluded that contrast media injection can be avoided using this pulse sequence. The specificity of the STIR pulse sequence was lower than that of post-contrast images which was due to the lower ability of this pulse sequence to detect secondary symptoms of osteomyelitis such as cortex disruption, sinus path, and abscess. Using the T1 pre-contrast images, specificity and diagnostic accuracy increased. Finally, it can be concluded that MRI without contrast including STIR and pre-contrast T1W images is a reliable modality for the detection of osteomyelitis in suspected diabetic patients who are more prone to renal disorders.

Background: Ultrasound is widely used to detect renal stones. A no-contrast CT scan is the most accurate modality for stone examination. Considering that determining the size of a stone is the main criterion in treatment planning, the purpose of this study was to compare ultrasound and non-contrast CT scans in determining renal stone size.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 140 patients were assessed from June to October 2017 at Namazi Hospital of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. A radiologist compared the CT scans of patients with their ultrasound images. The ultrasound and CT scan results in terms of stone size were assessed. The correlation rate of stone size in ultrasound and CT scans in different subgroups was assessed by categorizing the stone size into three subgroups. The impact of stone location and the CT window on measuring stone size were evaluated.

Results: The mean stone size measured by ultrasound and CT scan was 11.23±5.26 and 9.48±4.7mm, respectively, which was significantly different. The highest rate of correlation was observed in the stones>10mm (81%) and then in 5-10mm (69.3%). The lowest agreement was observed in stones <5mm (37.5%). Conclusion: Using ultrasonography as a screening test or a primary test for detecting the renal stones is recommended. However, considering the importance of a precise assessment of stone size in choosing the treatment method and the limitations of sonography in the evaluation of small stones, a CT scan should be considered as a standard diagnostic tool if there is no contraindication. In CT images, the application of BW might underestimate the stone size in comparison to SW. Considering the results of previous studies, it is better to use magnified BW to assess the stone size on CT scan images. Although the axial view in a CT scan is more routine, for measuring the stone size it is better to use coronal or sagittal views together with axial views.

Results: In this study, the results showed that out of 100 patients, most of the participants were male (58%)58 and the rest were female, and the average age was 63.71±17.3 years, and 86% were in the age range of 18-80 years, which was the appropriate age to receive or thrombolytics. and the rest were over 80 years old. The fastest visit time was 25 minutes and the latest was 10080 minutes (168 hours). Among these 40 people, only four people (40%) were in the golden time period of thrombolytic drug, i.e. Three hours from the onset of symptoms to the final evaluation. Among the four people who were placed in the golden time, in 50% of the cases there was a history of taking anticoagulants, in 25% a history of head injury, in 50% of the blood sugar less than 50 and finally 1 person (25% of the people placed in the golden time) that is, 1% of all patients were eligible to receive rtPA. About 24% of patients had NIHSS<4 and 2% had NIHSS>25, and the average number obtained was 10. Conclusion: The most important obstacle in the timely initiation of thrombolytic therapy is the delay in visiting the emergency room. Therefore, public education in order to improve the level of general awareness of the society can be effective in reducing this time delay.