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Background and Objective: Hyperbilirubinemia is a common neonatal abnormality. Severe hyperbilirubinemia is a risk factor for auditory system injury. Auditory brainstem responses (ABR) are important in early diagnosis of hearing impairments in healthy term infants with elevated bilirubin levels requiring exchange transfusion.
Materials and Methods: During a two- year- period (2007 – 2009), in a prospective descriptive analytical study, in Tehran Milad Hospital, 64 (32 female, 32 male), healthy term (> 37 weeks) infants, who required treatment or were treated with phototherapy or received exchange transfusion for elevated bilirubin levels or jaundice, were studied. After obtaining a written consent from their parents, the infants were tested with auditory brain responses and results were analyzed using SPSS 16 software.
Results: No significant correlation was found between ABR and age, weight, bilirubin level or ABO blood group. Nineteen out of 64 infants received exchange transfusion. Three out of 19 infants (16%) exhibited abnormal ABR and 16 infants (84%) had normal ABR. There was no significant correlation between exchange transfusions and ABR (P>0.05).  
Conclusion: The results pointed out that 14% of the infants with elevated bilirubin who required exchange transfusion had abnormal ABR. This indicates that elevated bilirubin levels even without inducing kernicterus should be considered as risk factors for hearing impairments. Further studies are needed on how long these tests may remain abnormal.

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Background and Objective: One of the most important complications of utilization of anti-epilepsy drugs in pregnancy is an increase of fetal abnormality. There is not enough information about the role of phenytoin on teratogenic effects on pregnancy and on fetal organogenesis. Hence, this study was designed to determine the macroscopic abnormalities created by continuous use of phenytoin during organogenesis of fetus. Materials and Methods: Forty pregnant mice (NMRI type) were divided into three experimental groups (I, II, III) and one control group. Three experimental groups I, II, III received 60mg/kg, 75 mg/kg, and 90 mg/kg per day with 0.2 ml volume from the day 6.5 (GD6/5) to day 14.5 (GD‌14/5) of pregnancy intraperitoneally (i.p.). The control group received the same volume of normal saline instead. The mice on the day 18.5 of pregnancy were sacrificed, and their tail lengths, weights, and abnormalities were studied. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey tests. Results: In the experimental groups, the mean weight and tail length was reduced significantly compared to the control group (P<0.05). In all three experimental group (I, II, III) abnormalities such as absorption of same fetal, hemorrhage in different organs and follicular thyroid was increased significantly compared to the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our results show that utilization of the drug phenytoin in mouse during organogenesis not only induces absorption of some fetuses, weight loss, and tail length reduction, but it can also induce abnormalities such as hemorrhage and follicular thyroid.

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Background and Objective: Hypothyroidism decreases cardiac contractility and heart rate. Since cardiac function is also modulated by diazepam, the aim of this study was to investigate the direct effect of diazepam on the isolated hypothyroid rat heart. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 30 rats in four groups (control, hypothyroid, control diazepam and hypotyroid+diazepam). According to Langendorff method, isolated hearts were retrogradly perfused with Krebs solution and passed 3 stages of baseline, ischemia and reperfusion. Cardiac parameters including left ventricular developed pressure, Heart Rate (HR) and Rate Pressure Product (RPP) were calculated. Results: At baseline, heart function significantly decreased in hypothyroid group compared with control and control diazepam groups (P=0.01 & P=0.001 respectively). Percentage decline of HR and RPP at baseline stage after diazepam administration, was significantly different in the control diazepam and hypothyroid+diazepam groups (P=0.001 & P=0.002 respectively). Recovery percentage of RPP in reperfusion stage significantly increased in hypothyroid group (% 60±5) compared with control (% 38±5) and in hypotyroid+diazepam group (% 87±8) compared with hypothyroid group (%60±5), (P<0.0001 & P=0.02, respectively). Conclusion: Administration of diazepam exacerbates the effect of hypothyroidism at baseline and reperfusion stages in rats. In other words, diazepam perfusion leads to greater decline of hypothyroid rat heart function at baseline and higher recovery percentage at the reperfusion stage. These effects can be due to the common effects of hypothyroidism and diazepam on the L-type calcium channels or the amount of oxygen consumption in rats.

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Background and Objective: Increasing evidence has shown that diabetes induces cognitive dysfunction and impairs learning and memory. Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid and vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant with multiple pharmacological effects on diabetes. Thus, we investigated the effect of Berberine hydrochloride and vitamin E on diabetes-induced cognitive dysfunction in rats. Materials and Methods: 48 male Wistar rats were randomly selected and allocated in 6 control groups: control treated with vitamin E (30mg/kg), diabetic and Berberine-treated diabetic group (100mg/kg), vitamin E-treated diabetic group (30mg/kg) and a diabetic group treated with both vitamin E and Berbrine. Diabetes was induced by STZ administration at dose of 55mg/kg through Intraperitoneal injection route. Berberine hydrochloride and vitamin E were administered per os, respectively at doses of 100 and 30 mg/kg/day 1 week after STZ injection for a period of 6 weeks. Blood samples were taken from the tail vein 1, 3, 5, 7 weeks after STZ injection to measure blood glucose levels. Behavioral tests including spatial recognition and objective recognition were performed at the end of the study. Results: Diabetic group treated with both drugs demonstrated significant behavioral differences as compared to diabetic, vitamin E-treated diabetic (30mg/kg), and Berberine -treated diabetic (100mg/kg) groups. In the meantime, cognitive test value demonstrated an increase in this group. Conclusion: Berberine hydrochloride and vitamin E administration for 6 weeks improve cognitive dysfunction in streptozotocin -induced diabetes in rats. References 1- Pop-Busui1 R, Sima A, Stevens M, Diabetic neuropathy and oxidative stress. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2006 22: 257-273. 2- Galer BS, Gianas A, Jensen MP. Painful diabetic polyneuropathy: epidemiology, pain description, and quality of life. 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Free Radic Res. 2002 36(12): 1331-6. 23- Ziaei S. A randomized placedbo controlled trial to determine the effect of vitamin E in treatment of primary dysmenorrheal. BJOG. 2001 108(11): 1181-30. 24- Calfee Mason KG, Lee EY, Spear BT, Glauert HP. Role of the p50 subunit of NF-kappa β in vitamin E-induced changes in mice treated with the peroxi some proliferator, ciprofibrate. Food Chem Toxicol. 2008 46: 2062-2073. 25- Kuznetsova LP, Sochilina EE, Faddeeva MD, Iagodina OV. Effect of some isoquinoline alkaloids on enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase and monoamine oxidase. Ukr Biokhim Zh. 2005 77: 147-153. 26- Peng WH, Lo KL, Lee YH, Hung TH, Lin YC. Berberine produces antidepressant-like effects in the forced swim test and in the tail suspension test in mice. Life Sci. 2007 81: 933-8. 27- Peng WH, Wu CR, Chen CS, Chen CF, Leu ZC, Hsieh MT. 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Background and Objective: Macular edema is an important cause of visual loss in diabetic patients which can lead to permanent vision loss in untreated cases. This study compares the efficacy of intravitreal injection and the sub-tenon capsule of triamcinolone on the visual acuity in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

Materials and methods: In this randomized clinical trial study, 82 diabetic retinopathy eyes were randomly assigned to intravitreal triamcinolone injection group and 74 eyes to sub tenon capsule injection. In terms of visual acuity and intraocular pressure, patients were followed up after first week, first month, and 3^rd month. The collected data were analyzed using ANOVA with repeated data (Repeated ANOVA) and  Stata software (version 13).

Results: Crude comparison between groups  did not exhibit significant differences. However, by controlling the confounding baseline effect, level of visual acuity, logMar[d1]  of the visual acuity in the  intravitreal injection group (-0.78) was significantly less than the sub-tenon capsule group (-0.67). Also, after controlling for other confounding variables (age and sex), the mean IOP was significantly higher in the intravitreal injection group.

Conclusion: [d2] Visual acuity in intravitreal injection group was significantly less than the sub-tenon capsule group and also the mean IOP was higher in the intravitreal injection group. Therefore, sub-tenon capsule of triamcinolone stands out as a superior approach.

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Background and Objective: Diabetes causes fertility disorders by interfering with the endocrine gland function. There are reports that, green tea and catechins could have anti-oxidant and hypoglycemic properties. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of green tea aqueous extract and catechin influence on pituitary-gonadal axis in rat models of type 1 diabetes.
Materials & Methods: Six groups of Wistar rats (8 in each group), including control, diabetic control (intraperitoneal injection (IP) of 0.5 mL saline solution for 30 days after induction of diabetes), diabetic treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of green tea aqueous extract (IP injection of 0.5 mL green tea extract for 30 days), and diabetic treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of catechin (IP injection 0.5 mL of catechin for 30 days) were used. The induction of diabetes was conducted through an IP injection of 240 mg/kg alloxan. At the end of the treatment course, the serum levels of LH, FSH, estrogen, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and cytoplasmic HOdG-8 in testicular tissue were measured by ELISA method. ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test (P<0.05) were used to perform the data analysis.
Results: The incorporation of 200 mg/kg green tea extract and 100 and 200 mg/kg concentrations of catechin, in comparison with the diabetic control group, led to a significant dose-dependent increase in the serum level of LH, FSH, estrogen, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone. A dose-dependent significant decrease was observed in HOdG-8 in the testicular tissue of diabetic rats (P<0.05).  
Conclusion: Based on the obtained data, compared to green tea, catechin considerably enhanced the hormonal parameters and reduced HOdG-8 in testicular tissue of diabetic rats.