BACKGROUND Methanol is a highly toxic,non-potable alcohol.Outbreaks of methanol toxicity occur due to its fraudulent addition to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper substitute for ethanol.Recently,alongside the coronavir...BACKGROUND Methanol is a highly toxic,non-potable alcohol.Outbreaks of methanol toxicity occur due to its fraudulent addition to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper substitute for ethanol.Recently,alongside the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,rumors circulated on social media that consuming alcohol can prevent or cure the virus,leading to a COVID-19 and methanol-induced optic neuropathy(MON)syndemic.AIM To investigate the impact of erythropoietin(EPO)on the outcomes of patients diagnosed with MON.METHODS In this prospective study,105 patients presenting with acute bilateral visual loss secondary to methanol intoxication were enrolled from March to May 2020 at Farabi Eye Hospital.A comprehensive ocular examination was conducted for all participants.Recombinant human EPO and methylprednisolone were administered intravenously to all patients for three consecutive days.RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 39.9 years(±12.6).Ninety-four patients were male and eleven were female.The mean pre-treatment best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)improved from 2.0±0.86 to 1.39±0.69 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution post-treatment(P<0.001),with significant improvement observed in all age categories and genders(P<0.001).Visual acuity improvement was also significant regardless of whether the patient presented before or after 72 h(P<0.001),and the post-treatment BCVA remained significant at all monthly follow-up visits(P<0.001).CONCLUSION EPO and methylprednisolone therapy have been shown to be effective in improving visual outcomes in patients with MON when administrated within the first month of exposure.Public awareness efforts are necessary to prevent further outbreaks of methanol toxicity in the current COVID-19 era.展开更多
Objective:To evaluate whether the use of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)with alginate increases oocyte maturation following in vitro maturation.Methods:This experimental study was performed on 150 immature oo...Objective:To evaluate whether the use of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)with alginate increases oocyte maturation following in vitro maturation.Methods:This experimental study was performed on 150 immature oocytes(germinal vesicle oocytes)from females who were candidates for assisted reproductive technology.The germinal vesicle oocytes were randomly placed in the control,alginate,and VEGF plus alginate groups.The basic culture medium for oocytes culture(tissue culture medium 199,follicle-stimulating hormone 0.075 IU/mL,and fetal bovine serum 10%)was used in the control,alginate,and VEGF plus alginate groups.For the treatment groups(alginate,and VEGF plus alginate groups),alginate(8%)and VEGF(5 ng/mL)were added to the basic culture medium.After culture,immature oocytes were considered as oocytes unchanged in the nucleus whereas oocytes with a polar body were considered as mature oocytes(metaphaseⅡstage).The mature oocytes in each group were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and formed embryos were evaluated by reverse microscope.Results:The oocyte maturation rate(metaphaseⅡ)significantly(P<0.05)increased in the alginate plus VEGF group as compared with the alginate alone and control groups during in vitro maturation.On day 2,the cleavage rates were significantly different in the matured oocytes between the treatment groups and the control group.The percentage of the two-cell stage,four-cell stage and eight-cell embryos was significantly higher in the treatment groups compared with the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions:Supplementation of VEGF with alginate can improve oocyte maturation in culture media.VEGF with alginate may promote the quality of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of human oocytes in vitro.展开更多
Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called P...Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called Papaveracea and contains almost 80 types of alkaloids. Drug addiction causes physiological dependency and its withdrawal lead to some disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of opium consumption and its withdrawal on some blood biochemical factors in addicted people. Methods: We enrolled fifty-six opium addicted people according to the especial criteria to this study. Biochemical blood parameter levels such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), urea, Creatinine (Cr), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes levels were measured and urine analysis was also performed before and 3 months after withdrawal. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: our finding showed that opium withdrawal reduces FBS and increases AST but these changes were not significant. Nevertheless opium withdrawal significantly increased blood urea level (P < 0.0001). We didn’t find any significant difference in Cr, ALP, AST and Urea specific gravity (SG). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study we can concluded that opium increases FBS, which is in contrast to the most previous studies and withdrawal has opposite effects.展开更多
文摘BACKGROUND Methanol is a highly toxic,non-potable alcohol.Outbreaks of methanol toxicity occur due to its fraudulent addition to alcoholic beverages as a cheaper substitute for ethanol.Recently,alongside the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,rumors circulated on social media that consuming alcohol can prevent or cure the virus,leading to a COVID-19 and methanol-induced optic neuropathy(MON)syndemic.AIM To investigate the impact of erythropoietin(EPO)on the outcomes of patients diagnosed with MON.METHODS In this prospective study,105 patients presenting with acute bilateral visual loss secondary to methanol intoxication were enrolled from March to May 2020 at Farabi Eye Hospital.A comprehensive ocular examination was conducted for all participants.Recombinant human EPO and methylprednisolone were administered intravenously to all patients for three consecutive days.RESULTS The mean age of the participants was 39.9 years(±12.6).Ninety-four patients were male and eleven were female.The mean pre-treatment best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)improved from 2.0±0.86 to 1.39±0.69 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution post-treatment(P<0.001),with significant improvement observed in all age categories and genders(P<0.001).Visual acuity improvement was also significant regardless of whether the patient presented before or after 72 h(P<0.001),and the post-treatment BCVA remained significant at all monthly follow-up visits(P<0.001).CONCLUSION EPO and methylprednisolone therapy have been shown to be effective in improving visual outcomes in patients with MON when administrated within the first month of exposure.Public awareness efforts are necessary to prevent further outbreaks of methanol toxicity in the current COVID-19 era.
文摘Objective:To evaluate whether the use of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)with alginate increases oocyte maturation following in vitro maturation.Methods:This experimental study was performed on 150 immature oocytes(germinal vesicle oocytes)from females who were candidates for assisted reproductive technology.The germinal vesicle oocytes were randomly placed in the control,alginate,and VEGF plus alginate groups.The basic culture medium for oocytes culture(tissue culture medium 199,follicle-stimulating hormone 0.075 IU/mL,and fetal bovine serum 10%)was used in the control,alginate,and VEGF plus alginate groups.For the treatment groups(alginate,and VEGF plus alginate groups),alginate(8%)and VEGF(5 ng/mL)were added to the basic culture medium.After culture,immature oocytes were considered as oocytes unchanged in the nucleus whereas oocytes with a polar body were considered as mature oocytes(metaphaseⅡstage).The mature oocytes in each group were fertilized by intracytoplasmic sperm injection and formed embryos were evaluated by reverse microscope.Results:The oocyte maturation rate(metaphaseⅡ)significantly(P<0.05)increased in the alginate plus VEGF group as compared with the alginate alone and control groups during in vitro maturation.On day 2,the cleavage rates were significantly different in the matured oocytes between the treatment groups and the control group.The percentage of the two-cell stage,four-cell stage and eight-cell embryos was significantly higher in the treatment groups compared with the control group(P<0.05).Conclusions:Supplementation of VEGF with alginate can improve oocyte maturation in culture media.VEGF with alginate may promote the quality of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation of human oocytes in vitro.
文摘Objective: One of the common misinterpretation be- liefs in some societies (especially eastern communities) is the using of opium can reduce serum glucose and lipids. Opium is a derivative from a plant family called Papaveracea and contains almost 80 types of alkaloids. Drug addiction causes physiological dependency and its withdrawal lead to some disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of opium consumption and its withdrawal on some blood biochemical factors in addicted people. Methods: We enrolled fifty-six opium addicted people according to the especial criteria to this study. Biochemical blood parameter levels such as fasting blood sugar (FBS), urea, Creatinine (Cr), Aspartate transaminase (AST), Alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes levels were measured and urine analysis was also performed before and 3 months after withdrawal. Data were analyzed by using SPSS software version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: our finding showed that opium withdrawal reduces FBS and increases AST but these changes were not significant. Nevertheless opium withdrawal significantly increased blood urea level (P < 0.0001). We didn’t find any significant difference in Cr, ALP, AST and Urea specific gravity (SG). Conclusion: According to the results of the current study we can concluded that opium increases FBS, which is in contrast to the most previous studies and withdrawal has opposite effects.
