Lack of association between Helicobacter pylori infection and oral lichen planus

Oral lichen planus is a premalignant chronic inflammatory mucosal disorder with unknown etiology. It is a multifactorial disease and in addition to genetic background, infections, stress, drug reactions are suggested as risk factors. Helicobacter pylori which is involved in development of many gastrointestinal lesions may also be implicated in oral lichen planus induction. This is of clear importance for cancer prevention and the present study was performed to determine any association between H. pylori infection and oral lichen planus in southwestern Iran. Anti H. pylori IgG levels were determined in 41 patients and 82 sex-age matched controls. The results showed no association between H. pylori infection and oral lichen planus (51% in patients vs. 66% in control). or any of its clinical presentations.     

Isolation, identification, and culture of goat spermatogonial stem cells using c-kit and PGP9.5 markers

Introduction

Presently the techniques for making transgenic animals are cumbersome, required costly instruments and trained man-power. The ability of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) to integrate foreign genes has provided the opportunity for developing alternate methods for generation of transgenic animals. One of the big challenges in this field is development of the methods to identify and purify donor SSCs by antibody mediated cell sorting.

Purpose

The present study was aimed to identify goat subpopulations of SSCs using polyclonal antibodies against PGP9.5 and c-kit molecular markers as well as the growth characteristics of SSCs during short term culture.

Methods

One month old goats’ testicular samples were subjected for immunohistochemical and immunocytochemical evaluations. The enzymatically isolated SSCs were cultured in DMEM plus FCS supplemented with (treatment) or without (control) growth factors (GDNF, LIF, FGF, and EGF) for 2 weeks. At the end of culture the morphological characteristics of SSCs colonies and immunocytochemical staining were evaluated.

Results

The number and size of colonies in treatment groups were significantly (P < 0.01) higher than corresponding values in controls. The presence of PGP 9.5 and c-kit antigens was confirmed in immunocytochemical evaluation. In immunocytochemical evaluation, the proportion of c-kit and PGP9.5 positive cells were significantly (P < 0.001) higher in control and treatment groups, respectively.

Conclusions

The presence of PGP9.5 and c-kit antigens was confirmed in goat SSCs. Moreover, culture medium supplementation with growth factors could effectively retain the undifferentiation status of SSCs, reflected as a higher population of PGP9.5 positive cells, after short term culture.     

Menarchal Timing in Type 1 Diabetes Through the Last 4 Decades

OBJECTIVE

We sought to examine whether age at menarche has changed over the past 4 decades by comparing age at menarche by year of diagnosis with type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This work consisted of a cross-sectional study of age at menarche in two cohorts: adolescents (ages 11–24 years, n = 228) and adults (ages 19–55 years, n = 290, enrolled in the Coronary Artery Calcification in Type 1 Diabetes study).

RESULTS

The adolescent cohort reported a younger age of menarche than the adult women with type 1 diabetes (12.69 ± 0.08 vs. 13.22 ± 0.12 years, mean ± SE, P < 0.001). Age at menarche was later in both adolescent girls and adult women with type 1 diabetes diagnosed before menarche (12.82 ± 1.16 and 13.7 ± 2.23 years) than for individuals diagnosed after menarche (12.12 ± 1.25 and 12.65 ± 1.38 years, P < 0.001 for both). Age at menarche was then examined by decade of type 1 diabetes diagnosis (1970–1979, 1980–1989, 1990–1999, and 2000–2009). Age at menarche significantly declined over the 4 decades (P = 0.0002). However, the delay in menarche among girls diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before menarche compared with those diagnosed after menarche was also significant across all decades (P < 0.0001) and did not change significantly over time (P = 0.41 for interaction of cohort and diagnosis premenarche).

CONCLUSIONS

Age at menarche has declined over the past 4 decades among girls with type 1 diabetes, but a delay in age at menarche remains among individuals diagnosed before menarche compared with individuals diagnosed after menarche.Previous studies have demonstrated that the age of menarche is still delayed in girls with type 1 diabetes (1–5). However, none have compared age of menarche of young adolescents with type 1 diabetes with adult women with type 1 diabetes to see if the delay in menarche has decreased over the past several decades. Though there is conflicting evidence as to whether the age at menarche in the general population has remained the same (6) or has declined (7), there has been little research done to look at the effects of type 1 diabetes on menarchal timing since the completion of the landmark Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) (8), which led to widespread use of intensive diabetes treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare age at menarche by decade of diabetes diagnosis, to examine the temporal trends in age at menarche in type 1 diabetes.     

Obesity among Iranian Adolescent Girls: Location of Residence and Parental Obesity

This cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and predictors of overweight and obesity by location of residence among randomly-selected 2,577 urban school girls aged 12–17 years in Rasht, Iran. Data on age, frequency of skipping breakfast per week, physical activity, hours of television viewing, self-perception about body condition, and home address were collected. Birthweight of the girls, educational levels of parents, weights and heights of parents, and employment status of mothers were asked to the parents using a self-administrated questionnaire. The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity in this population was 18.6% and 5.9% respectively. Overweight or obesity was more common among girls from low-income areas compared to high-income areas (21.6% vs 17.1%, p<0.001). Maternal education was positively related to overweight/obesity of the girls. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that risk of overweight/obesity was higher in girls whose either parent was overweight or obese. Furthermore, living in low-income areas and skipping breakfast were independently related to overweight/obesity. These data suggest that overweight and obesity are a public-health concern among school girls, especially in low-income areas in Rasht. Knowing risk factors in population subgroups is important for planners in the country because it helps target interventions.Key words: Adolescents, Cross-sectional studies, Obesity, Overweight, Iran     

An Incidental Finding of Ecchordosis Physaliphora in a Case of Abducens Nerve Palsy: Case Report

Ecchordosis physaliphora (EP) is a rare non-malignant mass that originates from remains of the notochord and is typically asymptomatic. A 42-year-old man presented with sudden onset of painless horizontal diplopia and his neurological exam showed sixth cranial nerve palsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) identified a non-enhanced retroclival mass (EP) with increased signal intensity on T2 and decreased signal intensity on T1-weighted sequences. He was treated with methylprednisolone, completely recovered in four weeks and has remained symptom free. Conservative management should be attempted before surgery in all cases since symptoms can resolve spontaneously and EP could be an incidental finding.     

Risk factors of breast cancer in north of Iran: a case-control in Mazandaran Province.

INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Iranian women. This study aimed to determine risk factors for breast cancer in the north of Iran. METHOD: A matched case-control study was conducted in Mazandaran province of Iran in 2004 of 250 biopsy proven cases of breast cancer and 500 neighbor controls that were matched by age within a 3 year period. Statistical analysis was carried out using conditional logistic regression with the backward elimination method and crude and adjusted odds ratios with related 95% CIs were estimated with Stata 8.0 software RESULTS: Multivariate analysis showed that higher education (OR=4.70, 95%CI: 1.71-12.88), late menopause (OR=4.18, 95%CI: 2.54-6.88), history of induced abortion (OR=1.62, 95%CI: 1.13-2.31), positive first-degree family history of breast cancer (OR=3.14, 95%CI: 1.37-7.20), and BMI (OR=1.02, 95%CI: 1.01-1.03) were risk factors for breast cancer. Furthermore, having more episodes of full term pregnancy (OR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.80-0.95), longer duration of breast feeding (OR=0.993, 95%CI: 0.989-0.997) and parity more than 2 were shown to be protective factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed the role of some modifiable determinants of breast cancer that can be focused by public health intervention in the northern community of Iran. Accordingly, the women who have one or more of the following risk factors should take the special attention to risk of breast cancer: obesity, being menopause, positive family history of breast cancer and history of induced abortion. The protective effect of longer duration of breast feeding should be encouraged too.     

Elevation of creatine kinase in acute pancreatitis: A case report

Creatine kinase (CK/CK‐MB) testing is an essential laboratory test approaching a patient with chest or epigastric pain. We report a 38‐year‐old man with acute pancreatitis and elevated CK/CK‐MB level without myocardial involvement. Acute pancreatitis may be considered as a false‐positive cause of CK/CK‐MB test in patients presenting with chest pain.     

Antilithiatic effects of crocin on ethylene glycol-induced lithiasis in rats

In this study, the antilithiatic potential of crocin, a pharmacologically active constituent of Crocus sativus L. (saffron), was evaluated against ethylene glycol (EG)-induced nephrolithiasis in rats. Negative control rats were provided with EG (1 %) in drinking water for 30 days. crocin (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered simultaneously once daily for 30 days (prophylactic regimen) or 14 days after stone induction (therapeutic study). For biochemical analysis, 24-h urine was collected from all experimental animals at the beginning (day 0) and end of the experiment (day 30). The urine output was evaluated during the first 24 h (day 1). Ethylene glycol feeding resulted in decreased hyperoxaluria (P < 0.01) and total protein loss (P < 0.001), along with decreased excretion of citrate and magnesium (P < 0.01) compared with the intact animals. Treatment with prophylactic regimen of crocin (20 and 40 mg/kg) significantly reduced the elevated oxalate, and increased the citrate and magnesium levels of urine. The attenuation of protein loss was only seen with a high dose of crocin in a prophylactic study. Urine volume was not significantly altered after EG or crocin administration. The increased number of calcium deposits in the kidney tissue of lithiatic rats was decreased after prophylactic treatment with 20 and 40 mg/kg of crocin. The urinary ionic parameters and crystal count were not significantly altered after the therapeutic study. A marked increase in malondialdehyde (MDA, a lipid peroxidation product) level was observed in the EG-given group. Treatment with crocin (20 and 40 mg/kg) reduced the elevated levels of MDA. Results indicate that crocin can be effective in preventing urine calculi formation and recurrence of the disease. The mechanism underlying this effect is mediated possibly through balancing promoter and inhibitor factors and an antioxidant effect.