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Background & objectives: Shigella species are one of the most common causes of dysentery and sometimes death, especially in children and those with immunodeficiency. The variety of causative agents (Shigella species) and the development of drug-resistant strains make it difficult to select an appropriate antibiotic for the treatment of shigellosis. One of the most important factors involved in the resistance of Shigella isolates is the presence of extended spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs) genes. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of blaPER, blaGES and blaVEB genes in Shigella sonnei isolated from patients with dysentery using multiplex-PCR method and to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of these isolates.
Methods: A total of 60 isolates of Shigella sonnei were collected from different hospitals and medical ‎diagnostic laboratories in Kerman province. Specimens from different age groups were cultivated in special media ‎and confirmed by biochemical tests. The presence of blaPER, blaGES and blaVEB genes were ‎investigated using specific primers and multiplex-PCR method. Antibiotic susceptibility test was ‎performed by disc diffusion method based on CLSI standards. ‎
Results: Multiplex-PCR results showed three samples had blaPER gene, but none of them had blaVEB or blaGES ‎genes. Also, the results of antibiotic susceptibility test showed the highest resistance for amoxicillin- clavulanic ‎acid (53.3%) antibiotic and the highest sensitivity for tetracycline (85%) antibiotic.‎
Conclusions: The results of the experiments indicated the presence of blaPER gene in Shigella sonnei isolates. In ‎addition, the results showed high resistance of isolates to amoxicillin clavulanic acid and ceftriaxone ‎antibiotics. Therefore, careful medical care and proper and timely use of appropriate antibiotics are essential to ‎prevent the spread of resistant isolates. ‎

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Background & objectives: Vaginal microbial infections are common, and involvement of bacterial agents in genital infection is equal to that of fungal and protozoal agents. Gardnerella vaginalis is an organism that is often thought to play the most important role in bacterial vaginosis. The aim of this study was to compare the value of the diagnostic method of cultivation with Amsel standard in the diagnosis of Gardnerella Vaginalis infection in patients with genital tract infection.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed on 150 women aged 15-55 years who complained of vaginal discharge during the period of the study, Jan 2017 to July 2017, in Alawi Hospital in Ardabil and were examined by a clinical examination. For each of the patients, three of the four diagnostic criteria of Amsel, including homogeneous discharge, PH measurements and whiff test were performed, and if two of them were positive, a questionnaire containing general and clinical information was completed. Using three sterile swabs, samples were taken from vaginal discharge. The first swab was used for culture, the second swab for the whiff testing and the third swab for Papanicolaou staining and verifying the presence of clue cell in the vaginal smear sample as a fourth grade of Amsel to diagnose bacterial vaginosis. In general, if three of the four Amsel criteria were positive in one person, it was considered to be positive in terms of Amsel's standard.
Results: Of 150 participants, 21 were diagnosed with Gardnerella vaginalis infection, of which 14 cases (%66.6) had positive Gardnerella culture. All of 21 patients (%100) with Gardnerella vaginalis had clue cells in Pap smear. The pH of vaginal discharge of 20 samples was 4.5 (%95.23), 18 samples had positive Amine tests (%85.71) and 16 samples had homogeneous secretion (%76.19).
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that culture method in comparison with Amsel diagnostic criteria did not have sufficient accuracy to detect Gardnerella vaginalis infection. In addition, the culture method is costly and time consuming.

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CT
 
Background & objectives: So far, various reports have been presented on the relationship between sex hormones and gender-related differences in pain and analgesia in humans and laboratory animals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of testosterone hormone and spironolactone anti-androgen drug on morphine-induced analgesia in male mice using formalin test.
Methods: In this study, 80 male mice were divided into 10 groups (N=8); normal saline (control), sesame seed oil (as testosterone solvent), testosterone (5 and 10 mg/kg body weight), spironolactone, morphine, sesame seed oil + morphine, testosterone (5 and 10 mg/ kg body weight) + morphine and spironolactone + morphine. Formalin test was performed in all the mice, and data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA.
Results: The results showed that sesame seed oil + morphine (p<0.001), morphine (p<0.001), testosterone (5 mg/kg) + morphine (p<0.01) and testosterone (10 mg/kg) + morphine (p<0.001) significantly reduced acute  pain, and testosterone (5 mg/kg) (p<0.05), testosterone (10 mg/kg) (p<0.01), sesame seed oil + morphine (p<0.001), morphine (p<0.001), testosterone (5 mg/kg) + morphine (p<0.001) and testosterone (10 mg/kg) + morphine (p<0.001) significantly reduced chronic pain compared with control group. Spironolactone had no effect on pain relief in the presence and absence of morphine compared to control group.
Conclusions: It can be concluded that testosterone has analgesic effects on the chronic phase of the pain. On the other hand, spironolactone may have hyperalgesic effects due to its anti-androgenic properties.

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Background & objectives: Mesenchymal stem cells have been known as hypo-immunogenic and immunosuppressive cells. Exposure of mesenchymal stem cells to interferon γ (IFN-γ) may influence their immunomodulatory properties. In the present study, the expression level of adenosine producing CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotides as an immunosuppressant were evaluated in Wharton’s Jelly- derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs) in the presence and absence of IFN-g.
Methods: In this experimental study, MSCs were isolated, cultured, and propagated from Wharton's jelly obtained from human umbilical cord. The phenotypic characterization of these cells was performed via analysis of their surface markers using flow cytometry. Then, the cultured mesenchymal stem cells were treated with IFN-g. After 24 hours, the expression levels of CD39 and CD73 genes were analyzed using qPCR in control and IFN-g-treated cells.
Results: Flow cytometric analysis of stem cells revealed morphological similarity to fibroblastic cells and expression of CD105 and CD73 markers in these cells. The results of qPCR showed that the expression level of CD39 was significantly increased in IFN-g-treated cells compared to non-treated cells, while there was no significant difference in CD73 expression level between control and IFN-g - treated cells.
Conclusion: The results indicated the possible role of IFN-g in development of the immunoregulatory capacity of mesenchymal stem cells through expression of target genes. However this should be studied precisely.

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Background & objectives: Curcumin has antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of curcumin on bax, bcl-2, antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation of sperm after freezing procedure.
Methods: In this experimental study, semen samples were collected from four mature Holstein bulls, twice a week in eight innings. Semen samples were divided into four groups. Zero (control), 10 (Experimental group one), 20 (Experimental group two) and 30 (Experimental group three) mg/ml of curcumin with diluents were added to the semen samples. After thawing, Bax, Bcl-2 and malondialdehyde levels as well as superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase enzymes were measured in sperm samples using ELISA.
Results: According to the results, Bcl-2, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase levels  in sperm samples treated with 20 and 30 mg/ml curcumin significantly increased and Bax and malondialdehyde levels significantly decreased compared to control groups (p<0.05). This difference was not significant for sperm samples treated with 10 mg/ml curcumin.
Conclusion: Dose-dependent administration of curcumin decreased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation and increased anti-apoptosis proteins in freeze-thawing sperms.

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Background & objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder that is common throughout the world. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique in which the results of two or more independent studies, with similar objectives, are mathematically combined in order to improve the reliability of the results. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of metformin and linagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: To identify relevant studies, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Embase, Cochran library, Scopus and Ovid databases were searched from January 2000 to August 2016. Mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for efficacy were calculated and pooled analysis was performed using Stata V.12 and RevMan V.5.3 software.
Results: Four studies recruiting1260 patients with DM (682 patients in group linagliptin and 578 patients in metformin group) were included in this study. The MD of HbA1C outcome of 0.5 mg linagliptin was effective (0. 7295, % CI = 0. 69 - 0. 75). The MD of fasting blood sugar (FBS) test revealed that linagliptin was effective at 0.5mg (MD = 36.79, 95% CI = 35.20 - 38.38) and 5 mg (MD = 12.65, 95% CI = 2.68 to 22.63) doses.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that some doses of linagliptin versus metformin may be an effective treatment for DM2. However, the number of studies was limited, and further research is needed.
 

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Background & objectives: The spontaneous abortion, loss of the fetus until the twentieth week of pregnancy, is one of the most common medical problems in reproductive age. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of all clinically recognized pregnancies lead to abortion. Failure in pregnancy involves economic costs, physical and mental problems for the family and the society. Recurrent spontaneous abortion is a multifactorial phenomenon and this study analyzed chromosomal abnormalities and the prevalence of consanguineous marriages in parents with recurrent spontaneous abortions in Ardabil province.
Methods: A total of 350 patients with at least two spontaneous abortions were analyzed using GTG-banding cytogenetic technique.
Results:  Parental chromosomal abnormalities were found in 18 cases (10.28% of couples). Most of abnormalities were structural (72.2%). chromosomal aberrations were found in 10 (55.6%) females and 8 (44.4%) males. Translocations were the most common chromosomal abnormalities (55.6 %) diagnosed in this study. Also, there was a significant correlation between recurrent spontaneous abortion due to consanguineous marriage and chromosomal abnormalities (p<0.05).
Conclusion: According to the significant correlation between recurrent spontaneous abortion and chromosomal abnormalities in this study and previous studies, and also the high rate of consanguineous marriages in Ardabil province population, analysis of chromosomal abnormalities is necessary after genetic counseling for both parents with recurrent spontaneous abortions.
Keywords: Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion; Chromosomal Abnormalities; Consanguineous

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Background & objectives: Due to the widespread use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and their possible unwanted effects in biological environments, we made an attempt to investigate the effect of ZnO-NPs on the blood lipid profile.
Methods: In this study, 24 male Wistar rats were used. The rats were randomly divided into three groups: control group, the group receiving ZnO-NPs at 25 mg/kg (ZnO-NPs 25 mg/kg) and the group receiving ZnO-NPs at 50 mg/kg (ZnO-NPs 50 mg/kg). The duration of the test was two weeks. The blood samples were taken and the serums were separated. Serum levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, VLDL, LDL and HDL were determined using standard kits and methods.
Results: Based on the findings of this study, serum levels of triglyceride and VLDL in both ZnO-NPs receiving groups were significantly increased in comparison with the control group (p<0.05). Also,  the serum levels of HDL , LDL and LDL/HDL ratio decreased significantly in both ZnO-NPs receiving groups compared to the control group (p<0.05), while the  serum cholesterol levels did not change compared with the control group.
Conclusion: Our results showed that 25 and 50 mg/kg doses of ZnO-NPs had both harmful (increase triglyceride and VLDL and reduction of HDL) and beneficial (reduction of LDL and LDL/HDL ratio) effects on the blood lipid profile.

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Background & objectives: 10 year survival rates for thyroid cancer is about 90%, but papillary thyroid cancer often spread to regional lymph nodes resulting in survival rate falls below 90%. In patients with thyroid cancer, cervical lymph node metastasis risk is about 20 to 50 percent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ultrasound results and the involvement of lymph nodes before thyroidectomy and compare it with the pathologic response after thyroidectomy in patients with non-medullary thyroid cancer.
Methods: 60 patients with thyroid cancer were randomly selected and entered into the study. Ultrasonographic examination of cervical lymph nodes was performed by two radiologists using an ultrasound machine in all patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Patients underwent total thyroidectomy and neck lymph node dissection by surgeon.
Results: In papillary thyroid cancer, there was a significant relationship between ultrasonographic results and pathologic outcomes in determining the presence of cervical lymph node metastasis before thyroidectomy. And also, there was a significant relationship between the results of ultrasonography and pathologic findings in determining the location of affected lymph nodes.
Conclusion: Compared to histological examination, ultrasonography can be a useful tool in determining the location of affected cervical lymph node in thyroid cancers before surgery.

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Infertility, especially in the last decade, has been rising as a global problem, affecting approximately 10-15% of the world's population. The abundance and origin of various types of infertility are different. Studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in infertility, in particular in male infertility. Although ROS is essential for normal physiological functions of sperm such as capacitation, hyper activation, acrosome reactions, and binding to the oocyte, excessive levels can be one of the main causes of defective sperm function, which not only impairs the health of sperm DNA, but also affects fertilization via oxidation of proteins, in particular the fatty acids of the sperm cell membrane. Also, the elevated ROS levels facilitate sperm DNA damage, which leads to activation of apoptotic pathway and cell death. Therefore, the quality of semen is functionally reduced. Since the oxidative damage to sperm DNA is associated with both miscarriage and development abnormalities in the offspring, it is essential to find new strategies to recognize the cellular and molecular biology of sperm. Therefore, considering different mechanisms of oxidative stress affecting sperm can contribute significantly to the etiology of male infertility

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Background & objectives: Artemisia absinthium (known as wormwood) is used as an antihelminthical, antimalarial, antiseptic and  anti-inflammatory agent, and is used for treatment of gastric pain in the traditional medicine. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of A. absinthium on the ovary tissues and pituitary_gonadal axis of the adult female NMRI mice.
Methods: In this experimental study, intraperitoneally (IP) injections of hydroalcoholic extract of A. absinthium, were performed over 30 days on 50 mice with 50 (first group), 100 (second group), and 150 mg/kg.bw (third group) doses.  The sham group was received distilled water and control group received no injection. After 30 days of injections, the animals were dissected, and blood samples were collected by heart aspiration.  The levels of LH, FSH, estrogen and progesterone of serum were measured by ELISA method. Seven µm sections of ovary were prepared by a microtome and stained by H&E method. Data were analyzed by One-Way ANOVA and Tukey post- hoc test. The Significance level was set at p<0.05.       
Results: Our findings indicated a significant reduction (p<0.05) in the body weight in all experimental groups compared with sham and control groups. In parameters such as: large and small diameters of the ovary , number of primary, secondary, growing, graafian follicles, and corpus luteum, a significant decrease was observed in 100 and 150 mg/kg doses (p<0.05). In all experimental groups, no significant changes were observed in estradiol and progesterone levels. However, FSH and LH showed a significant decrease in 100 and 150 mg/kg doses (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that Artemisia absinthium hydroalcohlic extract in high doses has damaging effects on the process of oogenesis, which may be due to α and β Thujoun, Alkaloid and Saponin constituents in this plant. 
 

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Background & objectives: the interaction of albumin- the most important plasma protein- with various drugs leads to variations in the pharmacokinetics of drugs. Since interaction of different pharmaceuticals with albumin is determinant in the estimation of dose and prediction of drug-drug and drug-food interferences, studying the binding ability of different drugs with albumin is an active area of research.
Methods: Docking studies were performed by Lamarckian Genetic Algorithm of AutoDock 4.2 program. The three-dimensional structures of albumin were obtained from Brookhaven protein data bank (2BXD & 2BXF; www.rcsb.org). Pre-processing of molecules was done using AM1 method and AutoDock Tools 1.5.4 software. AM1 optimization method was performed using Polak-Ribiere (conjugate gradient) algorithm with termination condition as RMS gradient of 0.1 Kcal/Å mol. Schematic representation of drug-albumin complexes were obtained by Ligplot.
Results: Oxiconazole and fenticonazole were top-ranked drugs in binding to site 1 (subdomain IIA) and 2 (subdomain IIIA) of albumin, respectively (∆G_b -9.01 and -9.89 kcal.mol^-1). Leu238 and Ala291 were the key residues of site 1 due to hydrophobic contacts with all of the antifungals, while Ile388, Asn391 and Leu430 were the key residues of site 2. A few structure binding relationship rules could be extracted from the binding pattern of antifungal drugs.
Conclusion: It was found that antifungal agents might have higher affinity toward site 2 of albumin rather than site 1. Estimated high albumin affinities of antifungals provided the possibility of drug-drug or drug-food interactions. It seemed that hydrophobic contacts were more significant in binding antifungals to albumin.
 

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Background & objectives: In recent years، Computed Tomography (CT scan) has become the Gold Standard for detecting urinary stones. This study was conducted to predict the size of possible passage of ureteral stones based on clinical signs, lab data (e.g. Ultrasounds) in patients with small passable stones and to prevent CT scan, which requires high costs and x-ray exposure.
Methods: In this cross- sectional study, fifty consecutive patients from emergency room who had clinical symptoms of renal colic and urinary tract stones were recruited by simple non-random sampling. After obtaining the primary data, all of them underwent sonography (US), and in those without sings of stone in US، CT scan was performed. Based on the CT scan, the patients were divided into two main groups: 1) patients who had no ureteral stones or had ureteral stones <5mm, and 2) patient who had ureteral stones ≥5mm. All gathered data were analyzed by t-test and chi-square test.
Results: Among our proposed variables, previous history of urinary stone (p=0.05), irritative urinary symptoms (e.g. dysuria, frequency and urgency) (p=0.001), gross hematuria (p=0.049) and degree of hydronephrosis (p=0.029) had statistically significant relationship with the presence, size and spontaneous expulsive potential of ureteral stones.
Conclusion: Based on our results, negative history of urinary stones, absence of irritative urinary symptoms and gross hematuria and absence or mild degree of hydronephrosis in sonography were in favor of small (<5mm) or passable ureteral stones for which CT scan can be omitted.
 

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Background & objectives: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Much attention has been given to nutritional supplements that can alter intestinal flora as factors preventing colon cancer. Research has shown that lactic acid bacteria in foods are potentially capable of inducing apoptosis. In this regard, the most focus has been on Lactobacillus genus. This study, investigated the cytotoxic effect of metabolites of isolated strain from Azerbaijan traditional cheeses on HCT116 colorectal cancer cells.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study, after collecting samples of traditional "Lighvan" and "jug" cheeses in the region of Azerbaijan, MRS medium was used for isolation of lactobacilli. The isolates were identified by biochemical and molecular approaches after primary confirmation. The metabolites were produced in MRS broth, and their supernatants were separated. The inhibitory effect of the supernatants of the isolates on HCT116 cancer cells was studied and their effects were evaluated by microscopy and MTT assay.
Results: In this study, three isolates of "Lighvan" and sixteen isolates of "jug" cheeses were obtained. The results of anticancer activity showed that the supernatants of the isolates CT2 and JT1 had a significant anticancer effect on HCT116 cancer cells (p˂0.05). Identification of the isolates CT2 and JT1 showed 99% and 96% similarity with Lactobacillus brevis, respectively.
Conclusion: Lactobacilli in Azerbaijan traditional dairy products have a significant value in terms of anticancer properties.
 

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Background & objectives: Azathioprine is widely used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. It has negative effects on the function of kidney. Therefore, considering the protective effects of ginger on nephrotoxins, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of ginger on renal changes induced by azathioprine in rats.
Methods: In this experimental study, 56 female rats were divided into 7 groups including control, sham and 5 experimental groups receiving azathioprine (50mg/kg), ginger (200mg/kg), azathioprine plus ginger (200,100 and 50 mg/kg). In this study, ginger was administered by gavage and azathioprine intraperitoneally in 21 consecutive days. At the end, serum levels of urea, uric acid and creatinine were measured and the histological structure of the kidneys was examined. The results were analyzed by ANOVA and Duncan tests at significance level of p≤0.05.
Results: The results showed that azathioprine caused the destruction of structure along with cell necrosis, tubular degeneration, glomerular atrophy, urinary space enlargement, hyperemia and inflammatory cell infiltration in the renal tissue, as well as an increase in the serum level of urea, uric acid and creatinine at p≤0.05. However, simultaneous use of ginger and azathioprine reduced the serum levels of urea, uric acid, creatinine and improved the kidney structure compared to the azathioprine group.
Conclusion: The results showed that ginger had a protective effect on kidney tissue, due to its antioxidant properties, by inhibiting free radicals produced by azathioprine and decreasing the severity degradation effects of azathioprine on kidney tissue and function.
 

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Background & objectives: Several studies have shown that pentoxifylline is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Pentoxifylline (PTX), has been shown to exert protective effects on autoimmune disorders. The objective of the present study was to examine the effect of pentoxifylline on histopathology of pancreas in diabetic mice.
Methods: Diabetes was induced by multiple injection of low-dose streptozotocin (40 mg/kg/day for 5 consecutive days) in male C57BL/6 mice. After induction of diabetes, mice were treated with pentoxifylline (100 mg/kg/day i.p.) for 21 days. The nitric oxide levels were evaluated in spleen cell culture supernatant. Pancreases were isolated and stained by hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) and Gomori aldehyde fuchsin (GAF).
Results: Pentoxifylline treatment significantly inhibited the production of nitric oxide (p<0.05). In addition, PTX improved the pancreas tissue. It increased the mean diameter of islets and the number of islets and beta cells. (p<0.05).
Conclusion: These findings indicated that pentoxifylline might have a therapeutic effect against the autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta-cells during the development of STZ-induced type 1 diabetes in mice.
 

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Background & objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver is one of the most common diseases. Nutrition and exercise are recommended for the patients with this disease, and chicory is considered due to its protective effects on the liver. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of chicory extract along with treadmill walking on the hepatic transaminases levels and tissue changes in rats with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Methods: In this experimental study, 56 mature male rats were divided into control (without treatment), sham (treatment with high-fat diet 10 ml/kg) and 5 experimental groups receiving high-fat diet (10 ml/kg) with 200 and 100 mg/kg chicory extract alone and with treadmill walking. Chicory was administered as gavage in 28 consecutive days. At the end, after anesthetizing the animals and collecting blood from their hearts the Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes were measured. The their livers were removed and after preparing the tissue sections, the results of hepatic enzymes measurements were analyzed by ANOVA and Duncan tests and P≤0.05 was considered significant.
Results: The results showed that high-fat diet increased AST, ALT and ALP enzymes and hepatic tissue damage compared to the control group at p<0.001. Treatment with chicory and treadmill walking alone and together resulted in a significant reduction of the above enzymes at p<0.001 and improvement of hepatic tissue compared to the high-fat diet group.
Conclusion: The results showed that high-fat diet increased the levels of ALT, AST and ALP, and hepatic tissue damage. Treadmill walking and chicory extract alone and together reduced the above enzymes and improved the hepatic tissue structure.

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Background & objectives: Trauma is one of the most common causes of death in  the age range 1 to 44 and the third cause of death regardless of age. Abdominal trauma is one of the most common types of trauma. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of causes of laparotomy in penetrating and blunt abdominal traumas in 2016.
Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 120 medical records of patients hospitalized for penetrating and blunt abdominal traumas in Fatemi Hospital, Ardabil, 2016. The inclusion criterion consisted of all patients undergoing laparotomy due to abdominal trauma. In this study, age, gender, education level, type of trauma (blunt or penetrating), results of laparotomy surgery, physical examination and paraclinical findings of patients before operation were collected by a researcher- made checklist.
Results: The results showed that 80% of the patients were male and 35% were in the age range 20-29years. Of patients, 38.3% had penetrating trauma and 61.7% blunt trauma. The most common mechanism of blunt abdominal trauma was car accident (83.8%). Penetrating object was the cause of all penetrating abdominal traumas. Peritoneal stimulation symptoms were observed in 56.5% of penetrating abdominal traumas and 62.2% of blunt abdominal traumas. Hypotension was observed in 21.7% of patients with penetrating abdominal trauma compared with 62.2% in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. The most prevalent damaged organ in patients with blunt trauma was spleen (51.4%). The most prevalent damaged intraabdominal organ was small bowel (17.4%). Negative laparotomy was significantly higher in patients with penetrating trauma than those with blunt trauma (p<0.0001). Moreover, 9.2% of all patients had died and mortality rate was higher in patients with blunt trauma than penetrating trauma (p<0.05) .
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that: 1. Road traffic accident and penetrating object were the most common causes of laparotomy in patients with blunt and penetrating trauma respectively; 2. Spleen and small bowel were the most prevalent damaged organs in blunt and penetrating abdominal trauma respectively and; 3. Young males were at highest risk of abdominal traumas.

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Background & objectives: Considering the importance of prevalence studies in disease management, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in Ardabil province.
Methods: In this study, 1035 children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 were selected using cluster random sampling and examined with a digital version of the K-SADS in terms of psychiatric disorders. In the present work, 24 types of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents were evaluated.  Sampling was done in the general population and interviews were conducted at the door of the house. Assessments were carried out by experienced psychologists. The point and interval prevalence (with 95% confidence interval) were calculated for disorders. Data were analyzed using SPSS ( v.22) software. 
Results: Hyperactivity, oppositional defiant, enuresis, and separation anxiety disorders had the highest prevalence in the studied sample. In contrast, psychosis, autism and panic disorders had the lowest prevalence. Depression had a moderate prevalence (1.7%) among other disorders. The overall prevalence of disturbances was 31.7%.
Conclusion: The prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Ardabil children and adolescents was high. According to this rate, etiologic studies are necessarily needed  for disorders  with  have high prevalence and health systems should design and manage  preventive plans for the general public.
 

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 Background & objectives: Ultrasonography as a non-invasive, inexpensive and generally available method has been used to measure of the intima-media thickness (IMT) of carotid arteries changes and finding its relationship with cardiovascular risk factors and vascular diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the carotid arterial wall thickness (IMT) changes based on clinical and para-clinical indexes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).
Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 100 patients with type 2 DM were randomly selected from all patients admitted to diabetes clinics and were considered in terms of clinical and paraclinical indexes of systemic atherosclerosis. Both types of IMT (TA and TB) were measured by ultrasonography in six locations of the carotid system. The intensity of these two values was calculated compared with the normal IMT and also, its relationship with clinical and para clinical indexes were determined. The results were statistically analyzed using SPSS software version 19. 
Results: In this study, more than 80% of patients had IMT upper than normal. There was a significant difference between the severe increase of IMT and effective variables such as sex, smoking, physical inactivity, dyslipidemia and poor blood glucose control.
Conclusions: This study showed that the DM and factors such as sex, smoking, physical inactivity had a significant effect on the increasing IMT compared to the normal range.