Arch Iran Med
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A large body of evidence suggests that the cannabinoid CB1 receptor plays a key role in the regulation of emotional behaviors. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of CB1 agonist and antagonist on anxiety-like behaviors in the lateral septum (LS) region of the rat brain using elevated plus maze test. ⋯ The results suggest that the cannabinoid system of the lateral septum modulates anxiety-like behavior through CB1 receptor.
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Following recent sanctions on foreign trade, financial and banking services, Iran has faced major difficulties for importing medicines (both finished products and pharmaceutical raw materials) and medical devices. Problems with money transfer have made it extremely lengthy in time to import medicine and medical devices and these have negatively affected access to and affordability of medicines. Quality of pharmaceuticals and treatment of patients have also been affected due to changing the sources of imported medicines and raw materials for locally produced pharmaceuticals. ⋯ It is also suggested that defining a white list of Iranian pharmaceuticals and medical device companies together with their foreign counterparts would facilitate this process. It appears that, in a public health prospective, ordinary people and patients are hurt and paying the cost for current sanctions. It remains the responsibility of the public health and international communities to separate public health from politics and to ease the pain of public from sanctions.
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Botulism is a serious neuroparalytic disease caused by toxins of Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin is produced under anaerobic conditions and is one of the most dangerous toxin in the world. Rapid diagnosis of botulism is very essential for successful therapy. In this study, we reviewed data of cases of botulism in Iran from April 2004 through March 2010. ⋯ Accurate and rapid diagnosis of botulism is very important because every case of botulism can be a public health emergency. During the study period, the median number of positive cases per year was 2.7 (range: one to18). Therefore, it is suggested that all clinicians are required to submit the collected samples from patients with botulism symptoms to the botulism reference laboratory for specific diagnosis and confirmation of botulism.
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Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, has a pivotal role in the regulation of body weight through acting on its specific leptin receptor (LEPR). The 223A/G polymorphism of the LEPR gene is one of the most common polymorphism in all populations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of the 223A/G polymorphism of the LEPR gene on serum levels of leptin in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in a sample of Iranian population. ⋯ The mean serum levels of leptin in T2DM patients were significantly higher than that of healthy control subjects; 22.90 ng/ml (95 % confidence interval [CI] = 20.79 - 25.23) vs. 8.70 ng/ml (95 % CI = 7.87 - 9.63). The genotypes (AA, AG, and GG) distributions of the 223A/G polymorphism were 55.5 %, 41 %, and 3.5 % in T2DM and 54.4 %, 42.2 %, and 3.4 % in healthy controls. The results showed no significant differences in the 223A/G LEPR genotype and allele frequencies between T2DM and control subjects (χ2 = 0.043, P = 0.979 and χ2 = 0.003, P = 0.957), respectively. In addition, the serum leptin levels were markedly higher in subjects with GG genotype than those with AG or GG genotype only in T2DM CONCLUSION: The 223A/G LEPR gene polymorphism is associated with markedly increased serum leptin levels in T2DM. However, no differences were determined in genotype and allele frequencies between T2DM patients and control subjects.
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Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) commenced its activities as a member of WHO registry network on fourth of December 2008. We explored the progress it has made within its first four years both in terms of quantity of registrations as well as its timeliness. ⋯ IRCT has made an outstanding progress within four years from its establishment both in terms of quantity and timeliness. Registration movement has succeeded in getting the message across to the research community and clinical trial registration has now become an integral part of research sphere in Iran.