Histologic evaluation of pulpal response to MTA and capsaicin in cats

Introduction: In direct pup capping, the exposed pulp is directly capped with a capping material to provoke a dentinal bridge formation to seal the exposed area.The aim of this study was to evaluate the pulpal response to MTA and capsaicin in cats. Methods: The sample for this experimental study consisted of 24 canines of cats, weighed approximately 3-4kg. After sedation, the teeth were cut and exposed at 3mm above cementoenamel junction, then divided into two groups: 1) direct pulp capping with MTA 2) direct pulp capping with Capsaicin. The cavities were filled with glass ionomer cement (Fuji IX). The cats were sacrificed in the first, second, and fourth weeks 4 canine teeth were extracted for the purpose of histologic analysis. 6Serial sections were cut parallel to the longitudinal axis of the canines. The sections were stained with hematoxylin & eosin, and were observed and analyzed using a light microscope. Results: In both groups treated with MTA and capsaicin, the inflammation decreased during weeks1, 2, and 4. Less inflammation was seen in MTA group but there was no statistical difference between the two groups (p=0.22). In the group treated with capsaicin, necrosis was observed in every 12 samples, but in the other group treated with MTA, only 1 pulp necrosis was seen in the first week (p=0.000). There was no significant difference in dentinal barrier formation, inflammatory response, and soft tissue changes between the two groups. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that capsaicin can decrease the severity of inflammation, but it is ineffective in dentinal barrier formation

Evaluation of pretreatment with gelofen and novafen on pain relief after endodontic treatment; A double-blind randomized clinical trial study

Introduction: Feeling pain after root canal therapy has always been a major problem for patients and dentists. One of the suggested methods to manage the pain is using the prophylactic medication before treatment process. This study aimed at investigating the comparison of pretreatment with novafen versus gelofen on reducing the pain after root canal therapy. Materials &Methods: This double-blind randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 60 patients aged 18-65 who were indicated for root canal therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to receive gelofen capsules (400mg), novafen capsules (200mg) and placebo two capsules by every patient of these groups one hour prior to sampling. Pre/post-treatment pain was measured using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before treatment and 4, 8, 12, 24 and 48 hours after treatment. Results: Both novafen and gelofen indicated significant analgesic effect during the study period (p<0.001). Pain severity within 8 hours after treatment was significantly lower in novafen group than two other groups (p=0.03). The difference between the severity of pain did not show any association to their place of life and gender in any groups. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the prophylactic novafen in comparison to gelofen had a better analgesic effect in short-term and could be a good candidate for the management of post-endodontic treatment pain

Muco-bioadhesive containing Ginger officinale extract in the management of recurrent aphthous stomatitis a double blind clinical study

Background and objectives: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common oral mucosal lesions in the general population. Various treatment modalities have been used but no specific therapy proved to be definitive. Ginger Officinale (ginger) indicated to have anti-inflammatory properties in herbal medicine. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Gingerginger containing bioadhesive in treatment of aphthous ulcers. Material and Methods: This was a double-blinded placebo randomized controlled trial. Fifteen patients enrolled in this study. The clinical efficacy of the mucoadhessive on pain, inflammatory zone and ulcer's diameter in the test period was compared with that of the base treatment and no treatment periodss during 10 days of study. Results: Significant reduction in pain as observed on day 5 between placebo (using base bioadhesives) and no-treatment periods at the first phase of the study (4.53 vs. 3.27 p=0.038.( Reduction in inflamed halo diameters was significant on day 1 between no-treatment and ginger containing bioadhesives )46.73 vs 28.67 p=0.044). Other variables such as ulcer's diameter did not indicate any significant differences in both periods. Conclusion: This study indicated that ginger bioadhesive is capable to relieving pain of RAS. However, its efficacy on ulcer diameter, inflamed halo and healing time was not significantly different compared to the results of the placeb received period

Cadmium toxicity and treatment: An update

Cadmium poisoning has been reported from many parts of the world. It is one of the global health problems that affect many organs and in some cases it can cause deaths annually. Long-term exposure to cadmium through air, water, soil, and food leads to cancer and organ system toxicity such as skeletal, urinary, reproductive, cardiovascular, central and peripheral nervous, and respiratory systems. Cadmium levels can be measured in the blood, urine, hair, nail and saliva samples. Patients with cadmium toxicity need gastrointestinal tract irrigation, supportive care, and chemical decontamination traditional-based chelation therapy with appropriate new chelating agents and nanoparticle-based antidotes. Furthermore it has been likewise recommended to determine the level of food contamination and suspicious areas, consider public education and awareness programs for the exposed people to prevent cadmium poisoning

Insulin within the Arcuate Nucleus Has Paradoxical Effects on Nociception in Healthy and Diabetic Rats

Introduction: Broad neural circuits originate from the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and project to many parts of the brain which are related to pain perception. Insulin receptors are found in the arcuate nucleus. Since nociception may be affected in type 1 diabetes, the present study aimed to investigate the intra-arcuate nucleus insulin role in pain perception in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic and healthy rats. Methods: Regular insulin was microinjected within the arcuate nucleus and the pain tolerance was measured using the hot plate and the tail-flick apparatus in diabetic rats. Results: The results showed that the arcuate nucleus suppression with lidocaine could increase thermal nociception in non-diabetic animals. Also, insulin within the arcuate nucleus decreased the acute thermal pain perception in these animals. STZ-induced diabetes produced hypoalgesia which the latency of these tests, progressively increased over time after induction of diabetes. Also, in the same animal group, intra-arcuate injection of insulin reduced the latency of nociception. Conclusion: Intra-arcuate insulin has paradoxical and controversial effects in healthy and diabetic rats’ nociception. These effects seem to be due to the insulin effect on releasing pro-opiomelanocortin and its deri

Comparison of Pyridostigmine and bisacodyl in treatment of refractory chronic constipation.

Background: Treatment of chronic constipation is creating one of the major problems for doctors and patients. Pyridostigmine increases the gastrointestinal motility through the effects on cholinesterase. It seems that this mechanism can reduce chronic constipation. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of pyridostigmine and bisacodyl on chronic constipation. Methods: This study was conducted on 68 patients who suffered from chronic constipation. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of Pyridostigmine and bisacodyl in which each consisted of 34 patients, respectively. Bristol stool form score, straining defecation, the time of defecation, the number of defecation per week, sense of incomplete evacuation and self-digitation were collected by means of questionnaires and the data were compared. Results: Sixty-eight patients with the mean age of 68.12±84.49 were studied. The mean difference in the frequency of defecation per week, VAS score, the time to defecation and the Bristol Stool form Scale in pre and post-treatment were 4.33±1.88, 5.96±2.29, 12.30±7.95 min and 2.10±0.95 in pyridostigmine group and 2.96±1.81, 4.06±2.22, 6.67±5.23 min and 1.41±0.84 in bisacodyl group, respectively. The significant difference was observed in both pyridostigmine and bisacodyl groups (P=0.005, P=0.002, P=0.002 and P=0.005, respectively). 60% and 32.3 of patients in pyridostigmine and bisacodyl groups recovered from self-digitations, respectively. In pyridostigmine and bisacodyl groups, 66.7% and 32.3 of them had improvement in the sense of incomplete defecation, respectively. Conclusion: Pyridostigmine and bisacodyl significantly improved the symptoms of chronic constipation similarly

A comparative study of antifungal activity of Lavender brew, Lavender essential Oil, and Clotrimazole: an in vitro study

Introduction: Vaginal yeast infections (candidiasis) are among the most common gynecologic infections in women. Due to the high prevalence of vaginal candidiasis and its recurrence, followed by such chemical treatment as Clotrimazole, this study was performed with the broad aim of comparing the in vitro effects of Lavender brew, Lavender essential oil, and Clotrimazole on the growth of the standard strains of Candida albicans.  Methods: The fungus cell count was done through Thoma counting chambers and Hemocytometer slide. Having prepared the dilution (6 × 106 of standard Candida albicans, S.C.a-PTCC-2657) in the Sabouraud Agar liquid medium, the essential oil and brew of Lavandula angustifolia and Clotrimazole were added to different dilutions (½ , ¼ , ⅛) (in 4 stages) before the fungus cell count was done. Having obtained the necessary information, the data were analyzed through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), and a general linear model was used for the analysis of the data. The test results were then compared.  Results: The number of fungi cells in Lavender brew (14 × 106) and Lavender essential oil (35× 106) decreased significantly compared with those of Clotrimazole (93 × 106) and fungus control (188 × 106) (p<0.01). Also, the fungus cell count in dilutions of ½ and ¼ of the drugs in the brew, and in dilutions of ⅛ in essential oil were less than those of other proportions. The highest antifungal efficacies of the drugs were observed in higher dilution (p< 0.01), and Clotrimazole had the least antifungal effect. Conclusion: Lavender brew and Lavender essential oil had more antifungal effect on the standard Candida albicans when compared with Clotrimazole

Efficacy of alum for treatment of recurrent aphthous stomatitis

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common painful ulcers of oral mucosal which can cause many sufferings. Treatment of RAS often includes administration of corticosteroids, analgesics and regulators of the immune system. However, considering the side effects of these medications, even their topical application must be done with caution. Alum is used in traditional medicine for treatment of oral ulcers without significant side effect. This study sought to assess the effect of topical application of alum on aphthous ulcers. Methods: This clinical randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted on 50 females aged 21 to 27 years. Mucosal adhesive patches were prepared in two forms of basic and 7% alum-containing patches. Subjects in two groups of case and control randomly received the mucosal adhesive patches containing alum and the basic patches, respectively three times in five days. Duration of recovery, changes in size of lesion and severity of pain were recorded. Data were entered into SPSS Version 16 and analyzed using t-test. Results: The average period of full recovery was&nbsp; 7.52 days in the case and 12.2 days in the control groups; which was significantly different (p<0.001). Size of wound and severity of pain were significantly lower at one, three and five days posttreatment compared to baseline values before treatment in the case group (p<0.001) and the difference in this regard between the case and control groups was statistically significant. Conclusion: Alum can significantly decrease the size of aphthous lesions, severity of pain and expedite the recovery of patients with RAS

Effect of zinc-deficient nutrition on craniofacial bone growth in rats

Background: Zinc (Zn) is an essential nutrient that is required in humans and animals for the growth, development, and maintenance of healthy bones. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of zinc-deficient nutrition on the dental, mandibular, maxillary, and cranial dimensions of rats. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was carried out on 14 male Wistar rats. The rats were randomly divided into two groups. Group I rats were fed with a Zn-deficient (ZD) diet, and Group II rats with a Zn-containing (ZC) diet. All the rats on the experimental diet were killed at the end of the fourth week and their blood samples were taken. The serum Zn levels were measured by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Radiographic assessment of the jaw bone density was done at the end of the study. Subsequently, the final measurements were made on the dry skulls, the mandibles, and teeth in both the groups. Statistical evaluation was performed by the student′s t-test and repeated measures analysis. The difference between the groups was considered statistically significant if P < 0.05. Results: The ZD group showed a significantly lower value in body weight (P < 0.05), serum level of zinc (P < 0.0001), and radiographic bone density of the mandible (P = 0.02). With regard to the craniofacial parameters, a significant difference was observed only in the length of the clinical crowns of the teeth (L13), which were longer in group II as compared to group I (P = 0.03). Conclusion: This study confirmed that changes in zinc intake could not affect the growth of craniofacial structures. Also, it might change the radiographic bone density of the mandible

An epidemiological study of poisoning cases in Babol (northern Iran) from 2015 to 2018

Background: Poisoning is a major public health problem that constitutes a significant share of the global burden of disease. Previous studies conducted in this area indicated the importance of such epidemiological studies. The most critical impact of these studies is their effect on changing current regulations and, therefore, decreasing poisoning cases. We aimed to evaluate all poisoning cases with regard to the patients&#8217; demographics and the involved intoxicants. Methods: The present study was conducted to investigate all poisoning cases who were admitted during a three-year period. Causes of poisoning, hospitalization, management procedures and outcome of the cases were surveyed. &#160;A total of 1448 patients referred to Shahid Beheshti Hospital (Babol, Iran) from 2015 to 2018. Results: More than half of the patients were females (51.7), and the majority of poisoning cases were seen in patients aged between 15 to 25 years (34.2). It was found that suicide made a large part of poisoning cases (65.6), and females tend to attempt suicide more than males (64.3 vs. 35.7, respectively). Also, regular drugs followed by club drugs were the most abundant toxic agents (52.1 and 23.3, respectively). Aluminum phosphide (AlP) was the most lethal intoxicant in our study, accounting for 68.2 of all deaths. Conclusions: According to the results, it is concluded that the existing regulations for drug control and suicide prevention have not been efficient enough and further actions yet to be made to reduce the consequences of drug- and non-drug-related toxicities