Background & Objectives: Clostridium difficile as an etiologic agent of pseudomembraneous colitis and major cause of nosocomial antibiotic-associated diarrhoea is typed by phenotypic and molecular methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of ribotypes of the organism in the given region and time.

  Methods: In this study 18 strains isolated from patients from different hospital wards of Poland in 2002 and 2003, were examined and identified by susceptibility to vancomycin and metronidazole. The samples were re-identified using UV and latex agglutination to ensure the existence of A and B toxins. DNA was extracted and after amplification by PCR and electrophoresis, the strains were ribotyped.

  Results : The findings showed that all the strains were susceptible to vancomycin and metronidazole and all the colonies showed greenish-yellow fluorescence under UV. Moreover, all the strains were positive in terms of latex agglutination. Seven strains were toxin A positive and all were toxin B positive except one strain. In molecular ribotyping it was found out that these strains belonged to seven ribotypes, namely 12, 14, 17, 18, 29, 70 and 90 most of which were ribotype 17 (61%).

  Conclusion: Our observations imply that in each area a particular ribotype of c.difficile is of higher prevalence and ribotyping of this clostridium is necessary for epidemiologic studies. Identification and PCR-ribotyping of common strains of this organism in Iran are recommended for epidemiologic follow-ups.

 Background & Objectives: In spite of extensive advances in diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous diseases, cutaneous fungal infections are still one of the important reasons to refer to dermatology centers. Incidence of dermatophytosis species is different in various regions. Recognition of these agents has important role in its treatment and eradication. The aim of this study was to determine the various species of dermatophytes in patients referring to Haft-e-Tir Hospital, Tabriz.

 Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was done on 518 patients referring to Haft-e-Tir hospital from 1997 until 1998. Direct examination in their cutaneous and nail lesions was positive for dermatophytosis. All the samples from their lesions were cultured in special culture media including dextrose agar and sabouraud's dextrose agar plus chloramphenicol and cyclohexamide. The collected data were analysed by SPSS software.

 Results: There were positive cultures in 70.3% of the cases. Trichophyton verrucosom was the most common agent in all of cutaneous and nail infections. Involvement was more common among the subjects under 15 as well as among males and villagers. Tinea corporis was the most common clinical form of the disease.

 Conclusion: The findings indicated that zeophilic species and anthropophilic respectively are the most common dermatophytosis species in the region under study. Culture was positive only in ³/₄ of the samples.

  Background & Objectives :�Prematurity is still one of the main causes of neonatal mortality and morbidity that makes a lot of financial, psychosocial and emotional problems.

  Although the main cause of preterm labor is unknown but understanding of its risk factors is important for planning health policies for preventing and decreasing the rate of preterm labor. This study aimed to compare lifestyle of women with term and preterm delivery.

  Methods :�This research is a case-control study. Subjects of this study were 132 women with preterm labor and 264 women with term labor that referred to Educational and Medical Center of Alzzahra. The subjects were selected by convenience method and matched in age and educational level. Data were collected by questionnaire containing two sections, demographic characteristics and woman's lifestyle including,�nutrition, exercise, smoking and use of alcohol and substance abuse, social support, stress management and self care. Data were analyzed by SPSS with descriptive statistics and statistical tests of t Test, Man Witny U, χ 2 and Fisher's Exact Test.

  Results : The results of this study showed significant differences in nutrition, smoking, use of alcohol, substance abuse, social support, stress management and self care between two groups, but the mean score of exercise in term and preterm birth was not statistically significant.

  Conclusion: The findings of our study suggest that there is a relation between lifestyle in pregnancy and preterm birth. Lifestyle is changeable and achieving this aim is possible by efforts to increase health education .

  Background & Objectives: Pregnancy accompanies with physical and psychological alternation during woman's life. These changes effluence the overall dimensions of couple’s life especially sexual relation. The aim of this study was to investigate the women’s attitude and sexual function during pregnancy.

  Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted among 329 healthy pregnant women aged 15-45 years. The attitude and sexual function of the cases were studied based on their gestational age (the last fourth weeks of each pregnancy trimester) in three groups. Data were collected using an instrument. The instrument has three parts including demographic characteristics, attitude assessment and Arizona Sexual Scale Experience (ASEX). One way ANOVA, Post hoc, chi square and Spearman correlation were used for data analysis and the differences were considered to be significant at the p<0.05 level.

  Results: The results showed that the score of sexual dysfunction, sexual desire disorder and orgasmic disorder increase with gestational age development. Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant relation between total score of sexual function disorder and decrease of sexual attraction in all three trimesters (p=0.01, p=0.04, p=0.03 respectively) and fear of prematurity in the second trimester (p=0.01).

  Conclusion: According to the results sexual function disorder has a high frequency in pregnancy. The findings emphasize the need for educational programs to improve the Sexual functions during prenatal care.

  Background & Objective: Advances in public health and control of infectious diseases have led to increased number of elderly people in the world including Iran. Thus serious concerns exist in terms of age-related diseases . Consequently, Iran’s ministry of health has chosen “ageing and health” as the theme for 2012 along with WHO. Psychological disorders�are among the most prevalent diseases in elderly people. Recent studies suggest a two-way relationship between some psychological disorders and insomnia. Also there is evidence implying magnesium role in improvement of aforementioned disorders. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary magnesium supplementation on mental health in insomniac elderly subjects.

  Methods: A double-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 46 insomniac elderly subjects randomly allocated into the magnesium or the placebo group, receiving daily for 8 weeks either 500 mg magnesium or a placebo, respectively. SCL-90-R and ISI questionnaires were conducted at baseline and at the end of the intervention period. Serum magnesium and cortisol levels were also determined in the patients. In addition, information was obtained on anthropometric confounding factors and daily intake of magnesium, calcium, potassium and caffeine using 24-hr dietary recall questionnaire for 3 days. The N4 and SPSS19 were used for data analysis.

  Results: No significant differences were observed in assessed variables between the two groups at baseline. As compared to the placebo group, in the experimental group, dietary magnesium supplementation brought about statistically significant decreases in GSI, PST, PSDI, ISI scores as well as somatization , anxiety, psychoticism , and depression symptoms and serum cortisol concentration. While the obsessive-compulsive , interpersonal sensitivity, hostility , phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation scores and serum magnesium concentration were not different between the experimental and the placebo groups.

  Conclusion: In this study dietary magnesium supplementation resulted in improvements in insomnia severity index and some indices of mental health.

  Introduction and objective: Dicrocoelium dendriticum is a worldwide spread parasite of liver, bile ducts and gallbladder of especially ruminants and humans as well. Identification of specific antigens is useful for early diagnosis of the infection. The goal of this study was the isolation and identification of excretory-secretory and somatic antigens from D. dendriticum by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-PAGE and evaluation of humoral immune response against these antigens.

  Methods: The parasites were collected and washed by phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and supplemented by antibiotic for several times. For preparing somatic antigens, parasites were sonicated and centrifuged prior to collect supernatant. For preparing excretory-secretory antigens the viable parasites were transferred to the sterile medium. The samples were centrifuged and supernatants were collected. The sera of infected sheep with different infection degrees were collected too. Somatic and excretory-secretory proteins were isolated with SDS PAGE and stained with coomassie blue. Immunogenicity properties of the resulting proteins were determined using western blot analysis.

  Results: The total extract of somatic antigens analyzed by SDS-PAGE revealed 21 proteins. In mild infection, bands of 130 KDa were immune dominant. In moderate infections 48, 80 and 130 KDa and in heavy infections 48, 60, 80, 130 KDa were detected as immune dominant bands. In excretory- secretory antigens seven bands of protein were detected. In mild infection 130 KDa, in moderate infection 100, 120 and 130 KDa and in heavy infection 45, 80, 85, 100, 120 and 130 KDa were immune dominant bands.

  Conclusion: Probably the most immunogenic protein band during different degrees of infection was 130KDa that can be used for vaccination and inducing immunity.

  Background & objectives: The leishmaniases are considered among the major infectious diseases affecting public health in several regions. There are many chemical agents which are effective in treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. But, overall treatment of visceral leishmaniasis is often difficult. Thus, identification of new chemotherapeutic agents is important for treatment of disease. Since targeting of the ergosterol synthesis pathway of Leishmania may be useful therapeutically, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alone or in combination of amiodarone and ketoconazole on Leishmania infantum.

  Methods : To obtain logarithmic promastigotes of L. infantum, the parasites were cultured in BHI medium with FCS 10% together with antibiotics of penicillin and streptomycin and incubated at 24° C. Amastigote forms were obtained in BHI medium supplemented with 20% FCS at pH of 5.5 which incubated in 37° C. L.infantum susceptibility to amiodarone and ketoconazole was evaluated by proliferation of parasites in the absence or presence of these drugs with MTT assay. For evaluation of antiproliferative synergism against promastigotes and axenic amastigotes, fractional inhibitory concentrations (FIC) were calculated. An isobologram curve was constructed too.

  Results: Amiodarone produced a marked reduction in the viability of L.infantum promastigotes and axenic amastigotes. On the other hand ketoconazole induced a dose dependent effect on the parasites proliferation for promastigotes and axenic amastigotes. When the drugs were used in combination, the results indicated clear synergistic as shown by a concave isobologram and FIC value.

  Conclusion: The present study represents the evidence that the combination of amiodarone plus ketoconazole acts synergistically in controlling L. infantume in vitro. It is possible that amiodarone could be used in combination with ketoconazole to combat infection at low doses, thus reducing its side effects such as cardiotoxicity, thyroid dysfunction and pulmonary fibrosis.

Background & objectives: Hyoscine (scopolamine) as an anticholinergic and antinociceptive drug, has some side effects. Recently, it has been received much attention to the interactions between synthetic drugs and herbal extracts and their pharmacological responses which made the possibility of using the minimum dose and low side effects. In this study, we evaluated the effect of Salvia officinale extract, hyoscine and their combinationin management of pain in rats.

Methods: In this experimental study animals were divided randomly into eight groups (n=6). Hyoscine (0.5, 1 and 5 mg/kg) administrated by intraperitoneal injection and extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) was administered by gavages one hour before administration of hyoscine. Thirty minutes after treatment, rats were subjected to tail-flick test and data were recorded. Statistical significance was considered at p<0.05.

Results: Administration of hyoscine at doses of 0.5, 1 and 5 mg/kg created significant analgesic effects compared to control group in the Tail-flick test (p<0.05, p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). The combination of S.officinale extract (100 and 200 mg/kg) and hyoscine (1 mg/kg) significantly increased the pain threshold than the groups receiving only extract or hyoscine.

Conclusion: Our data showed that hydroethanolic extract of Salvia officinale has an important antinociceptive effect which can lead to decreased pain in rats. Sincehyoscine as an analgesic drug has some side effects, combination of Salvia officinale extractand hyoscine can decrease the needed dose of hyoscine and itsside effects.

Background & objectives: One of the most important zoonotic parasitic diseases, hydatidosis, is caused by the larval stage of Echinococcous granulosus. Investigations have shown that plants secondary metabolites, such as essential oils have anti parasitic properties. Based on previous reports on antiparasitic properties of Lepidium sativum, in this study we investigated the scolicidal effects of the essential oil (EO) extracted from this plant.

Methods: Lepidium EO was obtained by hydrodistillation method. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was employed to determine the chemical composition of the EO. Protoscolices were exposed to various concentrations of EO (1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 mg/ml) for 10, 20, 30 and 60 min. Viability of protoscolices was confirmed by 0.1% eosin staining.

Results: A total of 19 compounds representing 95.5% of the total oil, were identified. &alpha;-Thujene (88.86%), Myrcene (2.9%) and P-cymene (1.67%) were found to be the major EO constituents. Based on the results, protoscolices mortality rates at 1, 3 and 5 mg/ml of EO didn’t have a significant relationship with the control group. While, the difference in mortality rate at a concentration of 10 mg/ml of EO in 30 and 60 min was significant. Also, the concentration of 15 mg/ml of EO at all times of incubation had significantly higher protoscolicidal effect. In the present study there was a significant relation between the amount of protoscolicidal activity of different EO concentrations and different incubation times. In other words mortality rates enhanced with increasing concentrations and incubation times.

Conclusion: The results of present study revealed that the EO of Lepidium is rich in &alpha;-Thujene and has a high scolicidal power. This plant may be used as a natural scolicidal agent

Background & objectives: Polyamines such as putrescine, spermidine, and spermine are ubiquitous in all eukaryotic cells and play an essential role in cell division and differentiation. One way of polyamine biosynthesis is done by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) which catalyzes the transformation of ornithine to putrescine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the level of putrescine, spermidine and spermine in protoscolices, hydatid fluid and germinal layer and also to evaluate ODC activity.

Methods: In the present study putrescine, spermidine and spermine levels were investigated in germinal layers, hydatid fluids and protoscolices. To evaluate the activity of ODC, protoscolices were incubated with ornithine and changes in polyamines level were assayed. The samples were homogenized and liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for polyamines measurement.

Results: Based on the results, putrescine was the lowest polyamine and since its level was not increased in protoscolices incubated with ornithine, ODC activity was not detected. Spermidine was the highest polyamine and the results showed that germinal layer contained the highest level of polyamines.

Conclusion: Overall, the results showed that ODC activity was not detected in hydatid cyst and level of polyamines in germinal layers  which contained rapidly proliferating cells was higher than other parts.