Comparative Evaluation of the efficacy of Laser Therapy and Fibroblastic Growth Factor Injection on Mucosal Wound Healing in Rat Experimental Model

Introduction: The aim of present study was to compare the effects of laser and bFGF treatment on operative wound healing in a rat model.Methods: 66 male Wistar rats were employed in this study. 10millimeter surgical wound was created on buccal mucosa of each rat ,under anesthesia, and then the rats were divided into 3 groups of 22 each: 1- GF group (received subcutaneous injection of bFGF), 2- laser group (treated with low level laser irradiation) and 3- control group (received no treatment). On day 5 half of rats in each group and on day 10 the other half, were sacrificed. Then, samples were taken from rats' buccal mucosa for histological assay and scoring. The data was analyzed with Mann-Whitney test (α=5%).Results: On day5 there was not any significant difference between GF and control group; however laser group showed delayed wound coverage clinically, compared to other groups(p<0.05). On day 10, histological examination demonstrated marked vascular granulation tissue in GF group. Collagen production was significantly prominent in laser group compared to GF treated samples (p=.004). Inflammation of granulation tissue in GF and laser groups was significantly less than that in control samples (p=.005 and .001, respectively). Conclusion: The components of wound matrix induced by GF and laser treatment were significantly different. Although bFGF or laser treatment of oral wounds, under conditions of present study, did not accelerated wound healing but showed some other notable effects on the quality of healing

Effect of pregnancy on sexual function of couples

Objective: Sexual function is an important part of each human being’s personality and in the general couple relationship, with an obvious impact on quality of life and safe sexual performance during pregnancy is important for couples. The objective of this study was to assess effects of pregnancy on sexual function of couples.Materials: In a prospective cohort study 123 couples were enrolled in the study when women were first diagnosed to be pregnant. During their pre-natal visits, Sexual function of couples was evaluated using the Iranian Version Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) in men and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in women in three trimesters. Statistical analysis was performed.Results: Indices of sexual function showed significant regressions over time during pregnancy. The greatness of the problem was highest during the third trimester. Female sexual arousal and sexual satisfaction domain scores had the major correlation to IIEF total score. On the other hand, male intercourse satisfaction domain score had the maximum correlation to FSFI total score. A strong correlation between male and female sexual function was observed.Conclusion: Sexual function is a widespread problem during pregnancy among Iranian couples. Therefore, pregnant women and their husbands need counseling about healthy sexual function in pregnancy.Keywords: Sexual activity, pregnant woman, husband

The efficacy of photodynamic therapy in rat tongue dysplasia

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has previously shown promising results in cancerous cell destruction. The present study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of this treatment option on oral epithelial dysplasia in Wistar rats. Furthermore, microscopic effects of systemic versus topical administration of ALA before laser illumination was assessed. Thirty male Wistar rats (200- 250 grams) were used in the present study. Tongue dysplasia was induced by a daily delivery of a 20 ppm solution of 4-nitroquinoline -1- oxide (4NQO) for 3 months. Then, rats were divided into 3 groups of 10 including, group 1 that was received systemic ALA-based PDT (30 mg/kg ALA), group 2 that was received topical ALA-based PDT (20% ALA solution) and group 3 (control) which was left untreated. Tongue specimens were fixed for histopathological evaluation and dysplasia was graded at microscopic level. Data was compared between various treatment groups using Mann Whitney test (p<0.05). The rate of atypical dysplastic cells was decreased significantly in both topical (p= 0.006) and systemic (p= 0.001) treatment groups compared to control group. Furthermore, systemic use of ALA resulted in a remarkable destruction of dysplastic cells compared to its topical application (p=0.045). Nevertheless, some evidence of muscle destruction was documented in systemic ALA group. It seems that ALA mediated PDT is an effective treatment option for the destruction of dysplastic cells. However, the extent of this effect depends on the mode of ALA administration before light illumination

Quality of sleep in women with menopause and its related factors

Background: Menopausal period is one of the most critical stages of a womans life. Complications of the menopausal period including sleep disorders can affect the physical and mental state of women. As sleep disorder has a determinant role in the quality of life, this study was conducted to evaluate postmenopausal womens quality of sleep and its related factors. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional-analytical study was conducted on 323 postmenopausal women based on convenience and consecutive sampling. The data-gathering tool consisted of two parts; sociodemographic characteristics and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests at a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Sleep disorder was determined in 49.9% of participants. The mean PSQI score was 5.32 ± 3.881. There was a significant correlation between PSQI and age (ß = 0.29, p < 0.001) indicating that sleep disorder increased with an increase in age. There was a significant correlation between body mass index (ß = 0.599, p < 0.001) and undesired sleep quality. Conclusions: Regarding the presence of sleep disorder in almost half of the study participants, and the relationship between sleep quality and body mass index and age, it is recommended that decision and policymakers design educational consultation interventions to improve the quality and quantity of sleep in menopause women

Convulsion Associated with Gastroenteritis

Convulsion with mild gastroenteritis is an afebrile seizure associated with viral gastroenteritis in a healthy child without fever, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, meningitis, or encephalitis. Convulsion with mild gastroenteritis is more common in children aged 1 to 2 years. Usually, Convulsions are brief generalized tonic colonic type. Most convulsions occur within first 24 hours of illness onset. Rotaviral gastroenteritis is known as the most common type of gastroenteritis associated with Convulsion. Laboratory investigations are normal. Also EEG and neuroimaging are usually normal. Long term antiepileptic treatment is not necessary. It is usually a benign condition with good prognosis and no risk for developing epilepsy in future. Considering this etiology of seizure could prevent supernumerary evaluations and long-term antiepileptic treatment

Utility of Modeling End-Stage Liver Disease in Children with Chronic Liver Disease

Abstract Introduction: Chronic liver diseases consist of wide spectrum disorders that may be complicated by cirrhosis and therefore need to transplantation. The pediatric end-stage liver disease (PELD) score and model of endstage liver disease (MELD) score has been used as predictors of mortality chronic liver diseases listed for liver transplantation. The aim of this study is evaluation of relation between PELD\MELD score and evidence of cirrhosis in children with choronic liver disease. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study conducted on 106 patients of chronic liver disease referred to Ghaem haspital, Mashhad university of medical science, Iran during 24 months period (2010)(2011)(2012)(2013). PELD and MELD score were calculated for all patients. Clincal and patholoogical findings of cirrhosis were recorded. Results: Mean age of patients was 68/3 ± 41.8 months. Mean PELD\MELD score was -1/59± 9/64. There was significant correlation between PELD\MELD score and clinical icter, spelenomegaly, evidence of hepatopulminary syndrome, esophageal varices, evidence of cirrhosis in tissue specimences. Conclusion: PELD\MELD score appear to be benefit for detection of cirrhotic children among paients with choronic liver disease

The Impact of Silymarin on the Symptom Severity in Pediatric Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a multifactorial disease, posing significant challenges to public health. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of silymarin on the symptom severity in pediatric patients with IBD.Methods & Materials: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on children aged 5-18 diagnosed with IBD referred to the GI clinic at Akbar Children's Hospital in Mashhad. Those who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into either the intervention or placebo group, each group consisting of 20 participants. In the intervention group, silymarin was administered three times daily in divided doses for three months. The control group received a placebo. To assess the efficacy of silymarin, PUCAI and PCDAI were evaluated for all patients at three different time points: before the intervention, during the first visit, and after the intervention. Data were analyzed utilizing the SPSS version 25, with a significance level set at p 0.05). However, a statistically significant difference was observed in the disease activity index score between the two groups during the second, and third evaluations (p<0.05)

Gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with autism spectrum disorder

Background: Concern about possible GI dysfunction in ASD is intensified by high rates of feeding concerns and consequent medical sequelae in ASD. Etiological factors contributing to the pattern and prevalence of atypical intake in ASD remain elusive, but may involve pathophysiological processes in the GI tract. In this study, we evaluated the gastrointestinal symptoms of patients with autism spectrum disorder in Mashhad, Iran.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study performed during September 2015 and April 2018 on patients referred to pediatric gastrointestinal clinics of Ghaem and Noor Hedayat centers by definite diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). All subjects were interviewed to answer some questions about the gastrointestinal manifestations like constipation, chronic abdominal pain, diarrhea, recurrent vomiting, gastro-esophageal reflux, nausea, and agitation. For each patient a checklist was completed including demographic, history and physical examination variables.Results: During the period of study, 46 definite ASD patients were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the participants was 7.72± 2.80 years (range: 2-16). Most of the patients were male (37, 80.4%). Diarrhea (occasional or chronic) was seen in six patients (13%) and constipation in 21 patients (45.7%).  There was no significant difference between the gastrointestinal symptoms and gender or age of the patients (P>0.05). An important finding in physical examination was tooth decay, which was found in 21 patients (45.7%).Conclusion: GI symptoms, with the high prevalence in ASD patients, should be considered as major problems; and preventive strategies must be taken for resolving them. Constipation was the most prevalent symptom, which can be related to the nature of the disease or other mechanisms

Differentiation of Biliary Atresia from the Intrahepatic Etiology of Infantile Cholestasis with Alagille Criteria

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is an important etiology of liver disease in pediatric patients which manifests as extrahepatic cholestasis. Alagille criterion is a combination of noninvasive findings for the diagnosis of BA. In this regard, the current retrospective study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of Alagille criteria for BA. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Ghaem Hospital, affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences during 2009-2014. All infants less than 2 years old with cholestasis referred to the pediatric gastrointestinal ward were included in this study. Alagille criteria were evaluated for each patient, and BA was confirmed with intraoperative cholangiography. Finally, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of Alagille criteria were determined according to the final diagnosis. Results: In general, 92 patients were included in this study. The male-to-female ratio and the mean age of patients were 54/38 and 42±5 days (ranging between 1 and 5 months), respectively. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of gender, onset time of jaundice, and the presence of the acholic stool (P=0.02, 0.04, and 0.005, respectively). Eventually, the acholic stool had the highest sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the presence of the acholic stool was the most valuable criterion for the diagnosis of BA among all Alagille criteria

The Diagnostic Value of Different Sonography Findings and Color Doppler Sonography in Detecting Biliary Atresia in Infants and Neonates

Background: Biliary atresia (BA) is one of the most common etiologies of cholestasis in infants and toddlers. The most important factor in case of patients’ prognosis is its early diagnosis. There are many diagnostic tools in this field, sonography seems to be the most appropriate and fastest tool in early detecting and differentiating BA from other causes of neonatal cholestasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of new ultrasound and Doppler ultrasound methods in BA in infants and toddlers.Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed during a one-year period on 35 infants and toddlers admitted to the gastrointestinal department of Akbar Children's Hospital with suspicion of cholestasis. These children underwent sonography by a radiologist to diagnose BA. All required information was extracted from the hospital records of these children and analyzed after entering the checklist. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26.Results: Totally, 35 patients including 18 boys (51.4%) and 17 girls (6.48%) with a mean age of 4/29±4/17 months were enrolled. According to the findings of the analysis, 21 patients (60%) had bile duct atresia and 14 patients (40%) had other diseases. Ultrasound sensitivity in the diagnosis of bile duct atresia was 90%, with an accuracy of 74%, specificity of 50% and positive and negative predictive value of 73% and 77%, respectively. The highest diagnostic value was related to the former hepatic capsular flow.Conclusion: Biliary atresia can be accurately diagnosed by ultrasonography. The high sensitivity and accuracy of ultrasound indicate the appropriateness of this method in diagnosing this diseas