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  Background & Objectives : Sinusitis is inflammation of perinasal sinuses. Gold standard for diagnosis and etiology of bacterial sinusitis is a positive culture of punctured samples in sterile conditions, which is invasive procedure. This study was designed to compare the effects of clarithromycin versus amoxicillin on treatment of acute community acquired bacterial sinusitis in children.

  Methods: This study was conducted as a single-blind clinical trial, with 30 randomly selected patients in each of two groups (case and control). Acute sinusitis was defined as sinusitis not lasting more than 4 weeks. Inclusion criteria were defined as existence of post nasal septic drip or nasal prulent secretions plus at least 3 out of 4 conditions as follows: unilateral local pain on face or head, halitosis, deterioration of symptoms in recent 5 to 7 days and axillary temperature equal to or greater than 38 degrees centigrade. For one group of patients (group A) clarithromycin (KLACID) 15 mg/kg in two divided doses, and for another group (group B) amoxicillin 40 mg/kg in three divided doses, were administered. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS (rel 9) using Chi-square and t-test.

  Results: In view of response to treatment, 9 persons in group B (30%) and 26 persons in group A (86%) felt healthy on tenth day of therapy. The difference was statistically significant (P=0.001) using Chi-square test. Mean days before patients’ improvement was calculated to be 10 ± 0 (mean ± SD) days for group B and 6±1.9 days for group A. The difference was statistically significant (P=0.001).

  Conclusion: Despite relatively small sample size, the difference found between effectiveness of two drugs was significant (p=0.001). Thus clarithromycin can be used as one of the effective drugs in treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis.

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  Background & Objectives: University is the center in all fields of scientific developments which heightens the knowledge in the society. Investigating the effective factors on the quality of research and education in the faculty of medicin from the students planning to increase the quality and quantity of research and education status.

  Methods: This was a descriptive-analytic study which was done during the period April 2005 –April 2006 in two faculties of medicine in the state and Azad University of Ardabil. The samples included all the medical students, faculty members and employees of faculties of Medicine at Ardabil University. Data were collected through a questionare. In total, 308 status, 44 faculty members filled out the queitionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 11. Education and Research, educational Status, educational facilities and educational spaces of both faculties were compared and with the desirable standard of 80%.

 Results: There was a significant difference in is education and research in both faculties from thr instructors point of view. However, in students, view this defference was not significant. In comparing the research status in both faculties with the desirable standard of 80%, the faculty of Medicine in Ardabil state University of Medical Sciences showed a significant difference whith this difference in Azad University was not significant. In comparing the educational Apace. The faculties with the desirable standard of 80%, there was a significant differency in Azad University where as it was not significant in state University.

 Conclusion: In terms of Education the faculty of medicine in state Universy was more desirable and in terms of research. Azad University was more desirable.

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  Background & Objective: Yersinia spp is from Enterobacteriacea family. The members of this group are all gram negative bacilli or cocobacili and non-spore and negative heme-oxidase which casuses a vast spectrum of diseases in humans the commonest one of which is gastroenteritis. Other diseases and clinical syndromes are septicemia, mesenteric lymphadenitis, Appendicitis, pharyngitis and rarely Reiter's syndrome. Due to frequent reports of febrile gastro-enteritis from Health centers of Ardebil, the probability of gastroenteritis resulted from Yersinia in this cold province is predictable. Thus this study was done to determine the role of Yersinia spp in the diarrhea of children under 5 in the cold seasons of the year in Ardebil.

  Methods: Stool samples from 490 children under 5 with diarrhea in a 7-month period were collected, and transferred in carry-Blair to the laboratory. Stool samples were cultured on Mac-Conkey agar and Salmonella-Shigella agar and Yersinia selective agar, TCBS agar and selenate agar. After adequate incubation, the growing colonies were identified according to the standard biochemical methods.

  Results: of 490 samples, only 405 were suitable to be cultured of which 9.38% pathogenic bacteria were isolated. The frequency distribution of the separated bacteria were as follows Y.enterocolitica, 13 species vibrio, 11 species Enteropathogenic E.coli, 6 species Salmonella, 5 species Shigella, 2 species and plesiomonas, one species.

  Conclusion: The findings of this study are the indicator of the role of Yersinia spp in diarrhea in the cold seasons of the year in the cold and mountainous province of Ardebil. On the other hand, the frequency of isolated vibria was due to simultaneous cholera epidemy in this area.

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  Background & objectives: Wound infection is a predominant cause of death in burned patients who are clearly at increased risk of nosocomial infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common cause of burn infections and is difficult to treat because of having high level of resistance to antibiotics. The aim of this study was to perform isolation, identification and determination of antibiotics resistance pattern of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from wounds of hospitalized burn patient.

  Methods: Biochemical and molecular tests were used for identification of the P. aeruginosa and antibacterial susceptibility test was performed using disk diffusion (Kirby- Bauer) methods. Then, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was performed for four representatives of different groups of antibiotics.

  Results: Among 94 evaluated strains of P. aeruginosa, 83 isolates (88.3%) were multi drugs resistant. Based on Kirby-Bauer method, the most resistance was seen to cefepime (89.5 %) and among the antibiotics studied to determine the MIC, the most resistance was observed to ciprofloxacin (89 %).

Conclusion: These results indicate high range of resistance to different antibiotics among strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from burn wounds of patients. So, the fast and accurate measurement and evaluation of antibiotic resistance for appropriate antibiotic therapy of burned patients is imperative.

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Background & objectives: Enterococci are among the normal microbial flora in human and animals digestive tract. The nosocomial pathogenicity of enterococci has emerged in recent years and has caused great concern due to developing resistance to many antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to investigate and identify the prevalence of VRE (vancomycin resistant enterococcus) within Enterococci isolates obtained from different parts of the hospital.

Methods: Putative Enterococci (n=120) were isolated on Membrane Filter Enterococcus Selective Agar Medium and supplemented with 2, 4 and 8 µgr/ml vancomycin in medical samples. A total isolates passed the standard biochemistry tests for the genus and species as well as their specific primers. The antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the disc diffusion method for 8 antibiotics. Microbiologically-influenced corrosion (MIC) of vancomycin was also done using Agar-dilution assay by CLSI recommendations.

Results: Results showed that 38 and 84 of the isolates were E. faecium and E.faecalis, respectively. According to antimicrobial susceptibility tests 45, 88, 103, 42, 83, 73, 54 and 95 of the isolates were resistant to vancomycin, tetracycline, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, ampicillin and erythromycin, respectively. MIC test on 70% of the isolates was>256 µgr/ml.

Conclusion: Despite the fact that the prevalence of VRE strains belongs to two species, E. faecium had high resistance to a broad range of antibiotics. The results of this study indicate the important role of medical samples as reservoirs of resistance elements. Early detection of VRE with their virulence trait will help in preventing the spread of vancomycin resistant enterococcus species and urgent infection control is required in hospital setting

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Background & objectives: In recent years, the hypothesis of using anti-androgens has been increasingly addressed in the treatment of acne in women. One of these drugs is flutamide, which there is no strong evidence of its efficacy in treatment of acne in women. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of combination therapy of flutamide-cyproterone compound with flutamide-doxycycline in severe type of acne in women.
Methods: In an interventional study, patients were divided in to two groups. One group (n=30) received flutamide - cyproterone compound and another group (n=30) received flutamide-doxycycline which were followed for six months. Both groups also received 1% topical clindamycin twice a day. Counting the number of lesions, changes in severity index and grading of acne were used to evaluate the patients. Patient satisfaction was also evaluated.
Results: The mean age in the flutamide-doxycycline group was 19.4±4.67 and in the flutamide-cyproterone compound group was 19.06±11.3. This difference was not statistically significant. The mean of the acne severity index at the onset of intervention between the two groups was not significant (p= 0.7). The mean of the acne severity index at the start of treatment in the flutamide-doxycycline group was 306.07±155.46 and at the end of treatment reached to 19.18±19.5, and also in the flutamide-cyproterone compound group, decreased from 293.21±15.21 to 10.5±21.8 at the end of treatment. This difference was not statistically significant (p=0.1).
Conclusion: Both therapeutic regimen were effective in the treatment of severe type of acne and can possibly be used as an alternative treatment for severe acne.

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Background & objectives: There is a direct relationship between the presence of beneficial microbiota in the gut, development immune system functions and maintenance homeostasis. Hence, the consumption of foods or supplements with postbiotic components has been characterized as one of the most important strategies to modify the microbiome balance and improve the health status of the host. In this study, the concept of postbiotics and their clinical role in host health has been reviewed.
Methods: All articles related to the study subject were searched in the Scopus, PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar database and studies that examined the effects of postbiotics on diseases were included.
Results: According to available evidences, postbiotics do not need the viability in comparison with their parent cells and they exert health effects like live probiotic cells. Also, their preparation and application in various delivery system is affordable, which this highlights the importance of postbiotics from technological, clinical and economic aspects. These compounds have biological activities including immunomodulation, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-proliferation, and they can play an important role in modulating the immune system's performance, improving therapies and reducing their possible side-effects in some cases of gastrointestinal disorders and chronic diseases.
Conclusion: The postbiotics as a novel strategy can be used in a wide range of pharmaceutical products for the preventive therapy and improvement of the current therapeutic methods, as well as in food products to delay corruption, increase shelf life, and promote functional foods.
 

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Background & objectives: Endurance activity affects muscles through changes in hormone- secretion and related receptors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of endurance training on Thrap1 gene expression in cardiac tissue and fast and slow twitch skeletal muscles in male Wistar rats.
Methods: The subjects of this experimental study were 14 male rats with a mean and standard deviation of 234±34g, all of which were kept in natural conditions (free access to water and food, cycle of darkness and light, suitable temperature and humidity). They were randomly divided into two groups of control (n=7) and experimental (n=7). The experimental group had endurance activities 6 sessions per week at the speed of 30 meters per minute for 14 weeks. 48 hours after the last training session, they were anesthetized and dissected under sterile conditions, and Real- time RT-PCR method was employed to determine the gene expression. Finally,a t-test was used to evaluate the data.
Results: The results of this study showed that the expression of the Thrap1 gene in the soleus muscle (p=0.001) and heart (p=0.001) of experimental rats increased significantly, while there was not a significant change in the expression of the Thrap1 gene in fast twitch muscles (p=0.508) due to endurance activity.
Conclusions: It seems the expression of the Thrap1 gene in slow twitch muscles is more affected than fast twitch muscles by endurance activity.