Kiana Amani; Payam Sarraf; Alireza Abkhoo; Abbas Tafakhori; Farzad Fatehi; Sama Bitarafan; Elmira Agah; Mamak Shariat
Abstract
Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic neuromuscular disease, which physically and mentally affects the patient’s life, with depression being one of the most important psychological complications in these patients. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression and its associated ...
Read More
Background: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic neuromuscular disease, which physically and mentally affects the patient’s life, with depression being one of the most important psychological complications in these patients. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression and its associated factors in a group of Iranian patients with MG. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which consecutive patients diagnosed with MG who referred to two referral neuromuscular clinics affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, were evaluated for eligibility. Patients with a previously known psychiatric disorder and those with a family history of mental disorders were excluded. Eligible patients were interviewed and screened for depression through the administration of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Iranian version of Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Results: A total of 62 patients participated in this study. The total prevalence of depression according to the HDRS and BDI-II scores was 64.5% and 53.2%, respectively. The mild depression was the most frequent level of depression based on the HDRS (33.9%) and BDI-II (22.6%) scores. None of the variables, including age, sex, duration of the disease, and dosages of prednisolone, pyridostigmine, and azathioprine, were correlated with the severity of depression. The number of academic years was the only variable associated with the lower HDRS score (P = 0.037). Conclusion: Based on the current findings, depression was common among Iranian patients with MG. The severity of depressive symptoms was unrelated to age, sex, marital status, duration of the disease, the daily dosage of medications, and thymectomy status. Further investigations are needed to reveal the exact burden of depression in patients with MG and address the importance of preventive interventions for improving the quality of life (QOL) in these patients.
Laleh Habibi; Abbas Tafakhori; Rasoul Hadiani; Maryam Maserat-Mashhadi; Zeinab Kafrash; Shahla Torabi; Mohammad Azhdarzadeh; Seyed Mohammad Akrami; Morteza Mahmoudi; Rasoul Dinarvand
Volume 16, Issue 4 , October 2017, , Pages 192-200
Abstract
Background: Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are categorized as multifactorial conditions with different molecular and environmental causes. Disturbance of important signaling pathways, such as energy metabolism and inflammation induced by environmental agents, is involved in the pathophysiology of ...
Read More
Background: Neurodegenerative disorders (NDs) are categorized as multifactorial conditions with different molecular and environmental causes. Disturbance of important signaling pathways, such as energy metabolism and inflammation induced by environmental agents, is involved in the pathophysiology of NDs. It has been proposed that changes in the lifestyle and nutrition (metabolism) during mid-life could trigger and accumulate cellular and molecular damages resulting in NDs during aging.Methods: In order to test the hypothesis, we investigated the expression level of two energy metabolism-related [forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) and forkhead box O3 (FOXO3A)] and two pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-6] genes, using quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, changes in the ionic concentration of three essential heavy metals [iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn)] by atomic absorption spectroscopy in patients with NDs, depression, obesity, and diabetes type II, were evaluated and compared with the results of normal individuals.Results: More than half of the participants in obesity, depression, and ND groups had significant up-regulation of FOXO1 and FOXO3A, down-regulation of IL-1β and IL-6, and higher levels of Fe and Cu in their blood. This pattern of gene expression was not repeated in diabetic patients.Conclusion: It could be concluded that individuals affected with different levels of obesity and depression have increased risk of developing NDs later in life, probably through changes in energy metabolism, inflammatory pathways, and ionic concentrations.
Neda Soveyd; Mina Abdolahi; Sama Bitarafan; Abbas Tafakhori; Payam Sarraf; Mansoureh Togha; Ali Asghar Okhovat; Mahsa Hatami; Mohsen Sedighiyan; Mahmoud Djalali; Niyaz Mohammadzadeh-Honarvar
Volume 16, Issue 4 , October 2017, , Pages 210-217
Abstract
Migraine is a common chronic inflammatory neurological disease with the progressive and episodic course. Much evidence have shown a role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of migraine. Omega-3 fatty acids are an important components of cell membranes phospholipids. The intake of these fatty acids is ...
Read More
Migraine is a common chronic inflammatory neurological disease with the progressive and episodic course. Much evidence have shown a role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of migraine. Omega-3 fatty acids are an important components of cell membranes phospholipids. The intake of these fatty acids is related to decrease concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), proinflammatory eicosanoids, cytokines, chemokines and other inflammation biomarkers. Many of clinical trials have shown the beneficial effect of dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in human, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS) and migraine headaches. Therefore, omega-3 fatty acids as an alternative therapy can be potentially important. This review focuses on the pathogenesis of a migraine, with an emphasis on the role of omega-3 fatty acid and its molecular mechanisms.
Jalal Bakhtiyari; Payam Sarraf; Noureddin Nakhostin-Ansari; Abbas Tafakhori; Jeri Logemann; Soghrat Faghihzadeh
Volume 14, Issue 3 , July 2015, , Pages 119-124
Abstract
Background: Dysphagia is common after stroke. The onset time of swallowing rehabilitation following stroke has an important role in the recovery of dysphagia and preventing of its complications, but it was either highly variable or was not stated in previous trials. The aim of this study was investigation ...
Read More
Background: Dysphagia is common after stroke. The onset time of swallowing rehabilitation following stroke has an important role in the recovery of dysphagia and preventing of its complications, but it was either highly variable or was not stated in previous trials. The aim of this study was investigation effects of onset time of swallowing therapy on recovery from dysphagia following stroke.Methods: Sixty dysphagia patients due to stroke range of age 60-74 (67.1 ± 3.8), participated in this randomized clinical trial study. The patients allocated in Early, Medium and Late groups, on the base of initiation of swallowing therapy after the stroke. After basic clinical and video fluoroscopic swallowing study assessments, traditional swallowing therapy was initiated 3 times per week for 3 months. The outcome measures were North-Western dysphagia patient check sheet, functional oral intake scale, video fluoroscopy, and frequency of pneumonia. Statistical analysis was done by repeated measure ANOVA, Bonferroni and χ2 tests.Results: Three groups of patients in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics were similar in the pre-treatment P > 0.050. Onset time of swallowing therapy after stroke was effective on swallowing recovery on the main outcome variables. So that in first group patients, recovery was rather than other groups P < 0.050. Furthermore, the frequency of pneumonia in the early group was less than other groups and in the early group no patients experienced pneumonia P = 0.002.Conclusion: Our data suggested that early interventions for dysphagia in stroke have an important role in recovery from dysphagia and prevention of complications like aspiration pneumonia.
Mohammad Hossein Harirchian; Somayeh Nasergivechi; Marzieh Maddah; Alipasha Meysamie; Homayoun Amini; Ehsan Esmaelii Shandiz; Abbas Tafakhori
Volume 12, Issue 1 , March 2013, , Pages 32-34
Abstract
Background: Fatigue, a major cause of disability in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of the Persian version of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) in Iranian patients with MS.Methods: ...
Read More
Background: Fatigue, a major cause of disability in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of the Persian version of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) in Iranian patients with MS.Methods: This study included 15 subjects with clinically definite MS, 15 hospitalized patients with MS, and 15 hospitalized patients with other chronic illnesses (as controls). They filled in the Persian version of the MFIS twice with a three-day interval. MFIS items were analyzed and the correlation coefficient was calculated.Results: There was a good correlation between the scores of the two measurements (correlation coe9cient: 0.984, P < 0.001) especially in physical and cognitive subgroups. The reproducibility of psychosocial subscale was lower than physical and cognitive subscales.Conclusion:According to our findings, the Persian version of the MFIS has a good reliability and reproducibility for assessment of fatigue in patients with MS.
