Background: Family function is a necessary factor that influences older people’s health. The Family APGAR has been widely used to study family functions. However, there has been no Persian version of this instrument to assess family function in older people. The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Family APGAR Scale to evaluate the perception of family functions. Methods: The “forward-backward” procedure was applied to translate the scale from English into Persian. The translated version was checked in terms of validity and reliability, with a sample of 281 older people selected from retirement centers. The factor structure of the scale was also tested using a confirmatory factor analysis. To test reliability, internal consistency and test–retest analyses were performed. Results: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good structural model. Criterion-related validity was strongly supported by the pattern of association between the APGAR Scale and the social support survey. Cronbach’s α of the scale was 0.88 and test–retest reliability ranged from 0.96 to 0.98, indicating a good range of reliability. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that the Iranian version of the Family APGAR is a valid and reliable scale to evaluate family functions in health intervention programs.

PURPOSE: Kidney stones (nephrolithiasis) are a widespread disease. Thus, blocking stone formation and finding new therapeutic methods is an important area of study. Diosmin (a major component of the bile) is known to have antioxidant as well as renoprotective effects. The present investigation aimed to evaluate the effect of diosmin on renal tissue protection in rats with ethylene glycol-induced nephrolithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were randomly divided into three groups. Group one (control) did not receive any treatments. In groups two and three, nephrolithiasis was induced by 2.5% (V/V) ethylene glycol + 2.5% (W/V) ammonium chloride (2 mL/d). The second and the third groups received distilled water or diosmin (80 mg/kg/d) by gavage for 21 days. RESULTS: Stereological estimation of the renal structures revealed that the average volume of calcium oxalate (CaOx) in the nephrolithiasis+diosmin rats was -63% less than in the rats with untreated nephrolithiasis (p<0.01). The volume of the glomeruli, proximal and distal convoluted tubules, Henle's loop, collecting ducts, and vessels was reduced -32% to 58% after the induction of nephrolithiasis (p<0.001). In the nephrolithiasis+diosmin rats, on average, -70% to 96% of the glomeruli, proximal convoluted tubules, Henle's loop collecting ducts, and vessels remained intact (p<0.01). Degeneration of the cortical tissue was 5-fold that of the medulla. In the nephrolithiasis+diosmin rats, degeneration in the renal cortical tissue and medulla was reduced -70% and 44%, respectively, compared with that in the untreated nephrolithiasis group (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Diosmin reduces CaOx deposition and the degeneration of glomeruli and tubules in a rat model of nephrolithiasis.
Ammonium Chloride ; Animals ; Calcium ; Calcium Oxalate ; Diosmin ; Ethylene Glycol ; Ethylenes ; Kidney Calculi ; Nephrolithiasis ; Rats ; Water

In neonates, bilirubin tends to be deposited in body tissues, especially the skin and mucous membranes. Jaundice is an early symptom of bilirubin excretion disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of clofibrate on reducing neonatal jaundice. In this systematic review, international databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, and Google Scholar, were searched without time and language restrictions. The reference lists of all studies ultimately included were manually searched. In the 17 articles reviewed, with a sample size of 665 people published between 2005 and 2019, the average weight of the neonates varied from 2,186 g to 4,000 g. Furthermore, the average age of neonates varied from 2 days to 9 days. Four doses of clofibrate (25, 30, 50, 100 mg/kg of neonatal body weight) were used. The bilirubin level of neonates significantly decreased in the intervention group 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours after the start of treatment. Clofibrate administration decreased total serum bilirubin, especially from the second day onwards, and also reduced hospitalization time, hospital costs, and side effects from hospitalization.

Objective: Sleep deprivation (SD) is a common problem in today’s stressful lifestyle and have physiological consequences, including reproductive dysfunction and infertility. As an antioxidant, olive oil may be effective in reducing testicular and spermatological damage by decreasing the production of free radicals. Methods: This study investigated the effects of olive oil on sperm quality and testicular structure using stereological methods to assess rats with SD. Results: When comparing SD group to grid floor+distilled water (GR) group, we found that the sperm count and motility, as well as the percentage of slow progressive sperm was significantly lower in SD group (p<0.05), but the percentage of immotile sperm was higher (p<0.01). However, no improvement was observed in sperm count or motility after concomitant treatment of SD group with olive oil. Stereological examinations revealed no significant change in the total volumes of the seminiferous tubules, interstitial tissue, and germinal epithelium in the study groups. Conversely, the total number of testicular cell types was significantly lower in SD group than in GR group. Although the total number of Sertoli and Leydig cells was significantly higher in the SD+olive oil group than in the untreated SD group, no significant difference in the total number of other testicular cell types was observed between the two groups. Conclusion SD potentially induced structural changes in testis that affected sperm count and motility. However, olive oil only improved the total number of Sertoli and Leydig cells in the animals with SD and did not improve sperm count and motility.

Objective: Hypothyroidism (HT) influences spermatogenesis and is associated with male infertility. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biological product rich in growth factors, promotes tissue repair. In this study, the likely protective effects of PRP on testicular tissue damage in carbimazole (CBZ)-induced HT were evaluated. Methods: Forty male rats were divided into four groups. HT was induced by administering CBZ (1.35 mg/kg orally, for 45 days). Two doses of PRP (40 μL each, locally injected into the testis on days 15 and 30) were also given. After 45 days, blood samples were taken from the heart to measure triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and testosterone levels, and semen analysis was performed. For stereological assessment, the left testis was removed, fixed, embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The right testis was excised to evaluate antioxidant levels. Results: CBZ was demonstrated to induce HT, characterized by significant reductions in T3 and T4. HT was associated with decreased testicular weight, impaired sperm parameters, reduced testosterone concentration, diminished antioxidant activity, reduced volumes of testicular components, and lower total numbers of testicular cells of various types. When HT samples were treated with PRP, improvement was observed for all of these changes. This protective effect could be attributed to the growth factors present in PRP. Conclusion PRP appears to prevent the structural changes in the testes and the deterioration in sperm quality caused by CBZ-induced HT. This protective effect is likely due to mitigation of oxidative damage and elevation of testosterone levels.

Objective: Hypothyroidism (HT) influences spermatogenesis and is associated with male infertility. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biological product rich in growth factors, promotes tissue repair. In this study, the likely protective effects of PRP on testicular tissue damage in carbimazole (CBZ)-induced HT were evaluated. Methods: Forty male rats were divided into four groups. HT was induced by administering CBZ (1.35 mg/kg orally, for 45 days). Two doses of PRP (40 μL each, locally injected into the testis on days 15 and 30) were also given. After 45 days, blood samples were taken from the heart to measure triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and testosterone levels, and semen analysis was performed. For stereological assessment, the left testis was removed, fixed, embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The right testis was excised to evaluate antioxidant levels. Results: CBZ was demonstrated to induce HT, characterized by significant reductions in T3 and T4. HT was associated with decreased testicular weight, impaired sperm parameters, reduced testosterone concentration, diminished antioxidant activity, reduced volumes of testicular components, and lower total numbers of testicular cells of various types. When HT samples were treated with PRP, improvement was observed for all of these changes. This protective effect could be attributed to the growth factors present in PRP. Conclusion PRP appears to prevent the structural changes in the testes and the deterioration in sperm quality caused by CBZ-induced HT. This protective effect is likely due to mitigation of oxidative damage and elevation of testosterone levels.

Objective: Hypothyroidism (HT) influences spermatogenesis and is associated with male infertility. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biological product rich in growth factors, promotes tissue repair. In this study, the likely protective effects of PRP on testicular tissue damage in carbimazole (CBZ)-induced HT were evaluated. Methods: Forty male rats were divided into four groups. HT was induced by administering CBZ (1.35 mg/kg orally, for 45 days). Two doses of PRP (40 μL each, locally injected into the testis on days 15 and 30) were also given. After 45 days, blood samples were taken from the heart to measure triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and testosterone levels, and semen analysis was performed. For stereological assessment, the left testis was removed, fixed, embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The right testis was excised to evaluate antioxidant levels. Results: CBZ was demonstrated to induce HT, characterized by significant reductions in T3 and T4. HT was associated with decreased testicular weight, impaired sperm parameters, reduced testosterone concentration, diminished antioxidant activity, reduced volumes of testicular components, and lower total numbers of testicular cells of various types. When HT samples were treated with PRP, improvement was observed for all of these changes. This protective effect could be attributed to the growth factors present in PRP. Conclusion PRP appears to prevent the structural changes in the testes and the deterioration in sperm quality caused by CBZ-induced HT. This protective effect is likely due to mitigation of oxidative damage and elevation of testosterone levels.

Objective: Hypothyroidism (HT) influences spermatogenesis and is associated with male infertility. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biological product rich in growth factors, promotes tissue repair. In this study, the likely protective effects of PRP on testicular tissue damage in carbimazole (CBZ)-induced HT were evaluated. Methods: Forty male rats were divided into four groups. HT was induced by administering CBZ (1.35 mg/kg orally, for 45 days). Two doses of PRP (40 μL each, locally injected into the testis on days 15 and 30) were also given. After 45 days, blood samples were taken from the heart to measure triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and testosterone levels, and semen analysis was performed. For stereological assessment, the left testis was removed, fixed, embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The right testis was excised to evaluate antioxidant levels. Results: CBZ was demonstrated to induce HT, characterized by significant reductions in T3 and T4. HT was associated with decreased testicular weight, impaired sperm parameters, reduced testosterone concentration, diminished antioxidant activity, reduced volumes of testicular components, and lower total numbers of testicular cells of various types. When HT samples were treated with PRP, improvement was observed for all of these changes. This protective effect could be attributed to the growth factors present in PRP. Conclusion PRP appears to prevent the structural changes in the testes and the deterioration in sperm quality caused by CBZ-induced HT. This protective effect is likely due to mitigation of oxidative damage and elevation of testosterone levels.

Background: Sitagliptin is an antidiabetic drug that inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme. This study aimed to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of sitagliptin in formalin and carrageenan tests and determine the possible mechanism(s) of its antinociceptive activity. Methods: Male Swiss mice (25–30 g) and male Wistar rats (180–220 g) were used for formalin and carrageenan tests, respectively. In the formalin test, paw licking time and in the carrageenan test, paw thickness were considered as indexes of pain behavior and inflammation respectively. Three doses of sitagliptin (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) were used in these tests. Also, several antagonists and enzyme inhibitors were used to evaluate the role of adrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, and opioid receptors as well as the NO/cGMP/K ATP pathway in the antinociceptive effect of sitagliptin (5 mg/kg). Results: Sitagliptin showed significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in the formalin and carrageenan tests respectively. In the carrageenan test, all three doses of sitagliptin significantly (P < 0.001) reduced paw thickness. Pretreatment with yohimbine, prazosin, propranolol, naloxone, and cyproheptadine could not reverse the antinociceptive effect of sitagliptin (5 mg/Kg), which indicates that adrenergic, opioid, and serotonin receptors (5HT 2 ) are not involved in the antinociceptive effects. L-NAME, methylene blue, glibenclamide, ondansetron, and sulpiride were able to reverse this effect. Conclusions NO/cGMP/K ATP , 5HT3 and D2 pathways play an important role in the antinociceptive effect of sitagliptin.Additionally significant anti-inflammatory effects observed in the carrageenan test might contribute in reduction of pain response in the second phase of the formalin test.

Background: Sitagliptin is an antidiabetic drug that inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme. This study aimed to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of sitagliptin in formalin and carrageenan tests and determine the possible mechanism(s) of its antinociceptive activity. Methods: Male Swiss mice (25–30 g) and male Wistar rats (180–220 g) were used for formalin and carrageenan tests, respectively. In the formalin test, paw licking time and in the carrageenan test, paw thickness were considered as indexes of pain behavior and inflammation respectively. Three doses of sitagliptin (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) were used in these tests. Also, several antagonists and enzyme inhibitors were used to evaluate the role of adrenergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, and opioid receptors as well as the NO/cGMP/K ATP pathway in the antinociceptive effect of sitagliptin (5 mg/kg). Results: Sitagliptin showed significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects in the formalin and carrageenan tests respectively. In the carrageenan test, all three doses of sitagliptin significantly (P < 0.001) reduced paw thickness. Pretreatment with yohimbine, prazosin, propranolol, naloxone, and cyproheptadine could not reverse the antinociceptive effect of sitagliptin (5 mg/Kg), which indicates that adrenergic, opioid, and serotonin receptors (5HT 2 ) are not involved in the antinociceptive effects. L-NAME, methylene blue, glibenclamide, ondansetron, and sulpiride were able to reverse this effect. Conclusions NO/cGMP/K ATP , 5HT3 and D2 pathways play an important role in the antinociceptive effect of sitagliptin.Additionally significant anti-inflammatory effects observed in the carrageenan test might contribute in reduction of pain response in the second phase of the formalin test.