TREATMENT OF INFANTILE SPASMS; TETRACOSECTIDE OR VIGABATRIN? A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Objective:Infantile spasms (IS) is an age specific epileptic syndrome. Due to poor response of IS to conventional antiepileptic drugs, scientists are always on the lookout for newer, more effective drugs to treat the condition.Materials & Methods:In this study, 50 infants with IS symptoms, aged between 2-24 months, were randomly divided into two equal groups, each treated either with Vigabatrin or ACTH (long acting   Tetracosectide); the results for clinical efficacy of medication and drug side effects were compared.Results:After the sixth week of treatment, in the Vigabatrin group, 28% complete remission and 40% reduction in seizure frequencies was seen, while in the Tetracosectide group there were 40.9%  complete remission and 45.5% reduction in seizure frequencies, showing no significant difference between the clinical responses found in the two groups (P=0.44).Conclusion:Vigabatrin effeciacy is similar to Tetracosectide, but since it is impossible to evaluate visual field constriction, a probable irreversible side effect of Vigabatrin , It's better to use Tetracosectide for the first line in the treatment of IS .Keywords:Infantile spasms,Hypsarrhythmia, Vigabatrin,Tetracosectide

"CONGENTIAL PANHYPOPITUITARISM ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED LIVER FUNCTION TESTS AND CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE"

The term congenital hypopituitarism defines deficiency of all of the pituitary hormones. Hypoglycemia and microphallus (in males) are common findings, and some infants have shown evidence of the neonatal hepatitis syndrome. We report a case of congenital panhypopituitarism with deficiency of six major hormones and association with severe hypoglycemia, impaired liver function tests and congenital heart disease

"The effect of fluid supplementation on serum bilirubin level during phototerapy in term infants "

Background: Jaundice is a common and benign problem in neonatal period. Several therapeutic procedures for decreasing of serum bilirubin level has been recommended. phototherapy is most common them. Our goal Form this study is the evaluation of serum therapy effects in decreasing of serum bilirubin concentration in icteric infants that are treated with phototherapy. Methods: This is a prospective clinical trial in Najmeih Hospital in 2002. In this study 80 term icteric infants with bilirubin level greater than 17 mg/dl were randomized in two groups, both groups underwent phototherapy and in the case group intravenous fluid supplementation was added. There were no significant differences in the mean gestational age, birth weight, hemoglobin, and also in total serum bilirubin level at admission in the two groups. Results: There were no significant differences in the mean rate of of serum bilirubin level decline during first 24 and 48 hours of hospitalization and also the time of bilirubin decreasing to less than 15 mg/dl and the length of hospitalization in two groups. Conclution: Our study showed intravenous fluid supplementation could be limited to special cases of neonatal icter such as moderate to severe dehydration

A new species ofBienertia(Chenopodiaceae) from Iranian salt deserts:A third species of the genus and discovery of a fourth terrestrial C4plant without Kranz anatomy

Bienertia is a very interesting genus with its unique C4 photosynthesis in a single cell. Recent investigations on the taxonomy of the genus using a multidisciplinary approach revealed the existence a third species of this genus from the margin of Dasht-e Kavir (desert plain) in central Iran, thus adding a fourth terrestrial C4 plant lacking Kranz anatomy. The flattened leaves, the semi-inferior ovary resulting from adnation of the perianth with the ovary, in addition to cotyledon morphology and hypocotyl length, provide evidence for the existence of a new species. The new species is here described as Bienertia kavirense Akhani spec. nov., after its locality at the margin of the Kavir. The gametic chromosome complement of the new species is n = 9. The carbon isotope values (δ13C) showed a C4 photosynthesis which is remarkably less negative than in the two other species of Bienertia. Detailed information on the morphology, leaf anatomy, and ecology of the new species is provided, and the new association “Bienertio kavirense–Cornulacetum aucheri” is described as a unique plant community occurring at the margin of the Dasht-e Kavir. Only a few species, such as Salsola annua (Bunge) Akhani comb. nov., associate with B. kavirense

Iconic relationships in some halophytic Iranian Chenopodiaceae and their rhizospheres

Matinzadeh Z, Breckle S-W, Mirmassoumi M, Akhani H. Iconic relationships in some halophytic Iranian Chenopodiaceae and their rhizospheres. Plant And Soil. 2013;372(1-2):523-539.Previous studies on the identification of ion relations in halophytes have revealed that many members of Chenopodiaceae accumulate high amounts of sodium and chloride even in soils with low salinity, indicating a typical pattern which is genetically fixed. In this study, we followed up with the question of ion relations in different halophyte species with different photosynthetic pathways and different salt tolerance strategies over a complete growing season. Soil and plant samples from five species Climacoptera turcomanica (Litv.) Botsch. (leaf succulent-C-4), Salicornia persica Akhani subsp. rudshurensis Akhani (stem succulent-C-3), Halimocnemis pilifera Moq. (leaf succulent-C-4), Petrosimonia glauca (Pall.) Bunge (leaf succulent-C-4) and Atriplex verrucifera M. Bieb. (recreto-halophyte-C-3) were collected over a complete growing season from a salt flat 60 km W of Tehran. The contents of main cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+) and chloride were determined in plant and soil samples. Na+ and Cl- concentration in the shoots of two hygro-halophytes Climacoptera turcomanica and Salicornia persica subsp. rudshurensis were constant over the period of the growing season. In contrast, sodium and chloride in the shoots of Halimocnemis pilifera and Petrosimonia glauca showed respectively an increasing and, in the shoots of Atriplex verrucifera, a decreasing, trend. We did not notice any decreasing trend of K+ together with increasing trend of Na+ in the shoots of the studied species; however K+ in the shoots of all examined species was considerably lower than Na+ and Cl-. It was observed that Climacoptera and Salicornia could absorb and retain calcium even in high salinity conditions, while Halimocnemis and Petrosimonia could not. Na+, K+, Cl-, Ca2+, and Mg2+ contents in the shoots of different types of halophytes (stem-succulent, leaf-succulent and excreting halophyte) or different type of photosynthesis (C-3, C-4) are independent of those in their rhizosphere. We concluded that it is controlled by the genetic characteristic of the specific taxon rather than by the environment