Thrita
Volume:3 Issue: 10, Dec 2014

Todays, methadone and buprenorphine maintaining treatment (MMT/BMT) is considered an effective method for opioid-dependent patients. It seems that lack of enough information among health care specialists including cardiologists about such treatments could result in some problems for patients such as relapse into addiction.. This study aimed to investigate knowledge and attitude of cardiologists in Tehran, Iran, about MMT/BMT for opioid-dependent patients with a clinical picture of acute coronary syndrome.. In a multicentric analytical-observational study on clinical cardiologists of five teaching hospitals in Tehran, knowledge and attitude about MMT/BMT in patients with cardiovascular complains were assessed by an investigator-made self-reported questionnaire.. Of a hundred invitation contacts, 55 cardiologists participated in the study (missing rate of 45%). The mean age of respondents was 42.23 ± 3.13 and 76.4% were female. Only 49.1% of cardiologists answered to all the five questions correctly and most (92.7%) declared to have a little or moderate information about MMT/BMT.. It seems that physicians have low to moderate levels of knowledge regarding the treatment of patients receiving BMT/MMT. It is recommended to train physicians during some study courses about MMT/BMT to improve their knowledge in this field. Of course, participation in seminars and conferences about MMT/BMT can be another effective strategy to increase the level of awareness in health care professionals..

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory demyelinating disease of human central nervous system. Although experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is the most commonly used method to induce MS, there are unexpected results in the modeling outcomes, which led to inappropriate clinical score scaling. Recent studies focused on the possible factors that may affect the final outcome of EAE modeling. Some of these factors were observed and discussed in our experiment on C57BL/6 model.. The present research was carried out to find the possible effects of environmental factors, including transfer, handling, housing, and dark-light cycle on EAE modeling scoring.. Twenty female mice (C57BL/6) were used that divided into two groups (n = 10) by random. The routine method of MS induction in mammals was used in both groups. Following induction, animals of group one were placed in a separated room with the least local translocation and handling, whereas animals of the second group were placed in the same room as the other animals with normal local allocation as others. The animals were observed and scored using routine clinical scoring for EAE.. Our data showed that the EAE induction in group one was significantly more successful than group two (with the mean score > 3).. Although the EAE is still a scientific method to induce MS in rodents, it requires more attention to environmental factors that might influence the result. The mechanisms of these factors are unknown, but it seems that the role of housing environment should be taken into consideration..

Cellular level of enzyme activity can serve as a reliable biomarker in the event of environmental/chemical insults.. The present study investigated time-dependent alterations of erythrocyte glutathione S-transferase (Ery-GST) activity of non-malarious guinea pigs (Cavia tschudii) administered with pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine and artemether/lumefantrine combination therapies.. Eighteen guinea pigs were divided into three groups of six, composed of the control (C1) and two test groups- T1: pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine treated group and T2: artemether/lumefantrine treated group. Accordingly, single dose intra-peritoneal injections equivalents of mixture of pyrimethamine = 3.7 mg/kg bw and sulfadoxine = 0.7 mg/kg bw was administered to T1, whereas a mixture of artemether = 0.3 mg/kg bw and lumefantrine = 1.8 mg/kg bw was administered to T2. The animals were not fed for 16 hours prior to treatment and blood samples were drawn at time intervals of three, six, nine and 24 hours and measured for GST activity using spectrophotometric methods.. The Ery-GST activity of group C1 (C1GST) within 0 ≤ t ≤ 24 hours was fairly constant and did not exhibit significant alterations (P > 0.05); whereas the Ery-GST activity profile of the test groups (T1 and T2) were biphasic. Ery-GST activity of group T1 (T1GST) varied with a range of 5.04 ± 0.98 to 5.60 ± 0.59 IU/gHb with peak enzyme activity at t = 0. At t = 9 hours, T2GST activity was not significantly different (P > 0.05) from T1GST activity.. The Ery-GST activity profile indicated perturbation of erythrocyte physiochemistry, which could be of relevance from toxicological and therapeutic standpoints..

Facial wrinkles develop over the natural aging process. The demand to treat these wrinkles is increasing. Several treatment options are available.. We aimed to investigate the effect of fat injection and its combination with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on facial wrinkles..Patients and We recruited 28 patients who were candidates for the treatment of facial wrinkles in this study. Wrinkles were recorded in five areas using standard digital photographs. These areas include nasolabial fold (NL), mouth corners (MC), perioral line (PL), chin (Ch), and marionette line (Mar). Patients were randomly allocated to two groups of 14. The first group received fat injection and the second one received Fat-PRP injection. For this purpose, 15 to 20 mL of fat was harvested from the thigh or abdomen; PRP was driven from blood, centrifuged, and mixed with fat before injection. Patients were followed up at the third and sixth months posttreatment. Wrinkles were evaluated with Wrinkle Assessment Scale (WAS) Index and level of satisfaction was determined on a scale of five.. In comparison to their initial condition, both groups showed improvement in wrinkles. NL wrinkles were reduced significantly in the second group compared to the first group (P < 0.001). The two groups were not different in reduction of MC, PL, and Ch wrinkles (P > 0.05). At the third-month follow-up, Mar wrinkles were more significantly improved in the first group (P < 0.02); however, the results were the same in both groups for Mar wrinkles at the sixth month follow-up. Patients of the first and second groups were more satisfied at the third and the sixth month, respectively; however, this difference did not reach a significant level (P > 0.05).. Although PRP preparation of fat was found to be superior to fat in the treatment of facial wrinkles in some areas, further studies are required to better delineate this difference..

The available options for reconstruction of bony defects of the mandible include free graft, non-vascularized graft, pedicle flap, distraction osteogenesis, reconstruction plate, Titanium-made mesh (Ti-mesh) and allografts. Ti-mesh is a reconstruction method that has the advantage of forming the mandibular shape, which is created, based on prototype and lead to improvement in appearance, activity, swallowing, chewing, speech, mood and mental health. The feasibility of this method is remarkable.. A 35-year-old female whom underwent left mandibular resection due to aggressive central giant-cell granuloma and failure of reconstruction using plate and autogenous bone graft, presented as a candidate for reconstruction with a custom-made Ti-mesh tray using prototype and autologous bone from ilium with allograft, because of gradually developed limitation in the mouth opening, alteration of facial contour, asymmetry and deviation.. Using 3D CT scan to produce a prototype and reconstruct the mandible with a custom-made Ti-mesh tray was useful. Patient was followed up for 14 months. Mandibular deviation was largely corrected. There was no complication in the donor site. No sign of extra or intra oral fistula, dehiscence or infection was detected. Ti-mesh technique has three major advantages over other it can reproduce the natural configuration of the mandible, needs no special surgical experience and can be harvested from the iliac crest with no complication or failure..

Primary malignant esophageal melanoma makes up 0.1% to 0.2% of all esophageal malignancies. Most physicians assume malignant melanoma as a skin originated neoplasm, however this type of melanoma can occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract especially in the esophagus. Thus, it is essential to consider malignant melanoma in differential diagnosis of any esophagus masses.. In this study introduces a case of primary malignant esophageal melanoma and the method of investigation based on the patient’s complains. Then, evaluates the best method of treatment and assess prognosis and survival of our studied case. Macroscopic pathology findings include 5 × 3.5 cm tumor which was located in the one-third distal part of the esophagus. Moreover, pathology investigations reported melanoma tumor cells with melanin granules in squamous epithelium of esophagus with submucosal invasion.. In order to detect malignant melanoma as soon as possible, whole body examinations are required. Besides, the patient’s complaints are important as well. After malignancy exploration, selection of the most appropriate treatment is the ultimate goal. Education of health care providers reduces the burden of such malignancy for both patients and the health care system..

Wound healing process includes complex phases. Many studies have highlighted the importance of sterile wound washing in the healing process. Non-sterile wound cleansing could delay its healing and result in heavy costs for the health system.. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and applicability of a new designed device, Safe Irrigator Syringe, in wound washing.. This interventional study was conducted in the Infectious Disease Ward of the Imam Khomeini General Hospital. Twenty patients with wounds needing sterile washing and 10 medical interns enrolled in the study. Each intern performed wound washing for two patients using Safe Irrigator Syringe. After performing wound irrigation, an interview was performed to assess the applicability and efficacy of the new device and method.. All of the interns stated that the new device is quite applicable for wound washing and is easy to handle. Nine interns believed that Safe Irrigator Syringe is superior to the conventional devices regarding efficacy and performer’s satisfaction, while one intern believed that it is similar to the conventional methods.. The designed Safe Irrigator Syringe seems to be applicable in wound irrigation and superior to the conventional devices regarding efficacy and user comfort..