Efficacy and safety of 1440-nm Nd:YAG laser on lower face and neck rejuvenation

Lasers in Medical Science - Reviewing the literatures, we did not found—to our knowledge—any study using the Nd:YAG laser with wavelength 1440 nm in assisted liposuction and...     

Evaluation of serum cardiac troponin I and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with alopecia areata

Alopecia areata (AA) is a recurrent, immune‐mediated, hair‐loss disorder. It is associated with other autoimmune disorders that carry a high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, there is a lack of reports on the association of cardiovascular comorbidities and AA. Cardiac troponin I is a biomarker of myocardial ischaemia and inflammation, while N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide is used in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure. This study was conducted to assess the serum level of both markers by ELISA in 44 patients with AA compared with 44 healthy controls (HCs). None of the participants had CVD, CVD risk factors or other diseases associated with elevation of either marker. The study revealed that serum levels of both markers were significantly higher in patients with AA compared with HCs (P < 0.001). The inflammatory milieu encountered in AA may be associated with subtle myocardial inflammation that causes elevation of levels of both of these cardiac markers.     

Size Estimation of People Who Inject Drugs and Their Geographical Distribution in Dogonbadan,Iran, During 2018: a Mapping Method

The aim of this cross-sectional study was investigation of geographical distribution and size estimation of people who inject drugs (PWIDs) in Dogonbadan, Iran, in 2018 using geographical mapping method. Data was obtained through interviewing primary and secondary key informants as well as field team observations. Population size was estimated by median in Stata software (version 14). GIS software (version 10.6.1) was used to prepare the density and distribution maps of the hotspots. We identified 52 hotspots of drug users; injection of drugs occurred in 31 of the hotspots. The prevalence of injecting drugs was 232.4 per 100,000 adults, while it was 21.9 and 441.8 among females and males, respectively. A large number of identified hotspots are not covered by harm reduction services. Increasing outreach teams, equipping of harm reduction centers, and moving them to the nearest location to hotspots are suggested.

     

Cardioprotective effect of hemin in isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction: role of ATP-sensitive potassium channel and endothelial nitric oxide synthase

Ischemic heart disease is a common cardiac health problem. Despite the significant advances in prevention and treatment of this disorder, its incidences and complications are very serious. So, the search for more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents with cardioprotective effects is an urgent task. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) inducer, hemin (HEM), on isoprenaline (ISO)-induced myocardial damage. Forty-five Wistar albino rats were used. Animals were treated with HEM (25 mg/kg/day) i.p. for 5 days and injected with ISO (150 mg/kg/day) i.p. on 4th and 5th day of the experiment. Detection of the role of ATP-sensitive potassium channel (K_ATP) was performed by administration of glibenclamide (GP) (5 mg/kg/day) orally 2 h before HEM. Moreover, the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) was detected by coadministration of Nitro- ω-L-arginine (L-NNA) (25 mg/kg/day) for 5 days. The ISO group showed increase in heart weight, cardiac enzymes, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and malondialdehyde (MDA) with decrease in reduced glutathione (GSH), HO1, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). In addition, there were increases in Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) and cleaved caspase-3, but decreases in B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and eNOS. Moreover, the histopathological examination of the ISO group showed degeneration of the cardiac muscle fibers and marked infiltration of the inflammatory cells. The biochemical and histopathological changes induced by ISO were markedly ameliorated in the HEM plus ISO group. This protective effect was diminished with coadministration of GP or L-NNA; thus, K_ATP and eNOS might mediate HEM cardioprotection.     

Effects of second-hand smoking on lung functions in athlete and non-athlete school-aged children – observational study

BackgroundSecond-hand smoking or environmental tobacco smoke is a critical health risk. Children are the most vulnerable to second-hand smoking because of their small bronchial ducts, less developed immunity, and low-physical activity.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of second-hand smoking on lung functions in athlete and non-athlete school-aged children.MethodsThis observational study included forty-six school-aged children, their age was 8–15 years, assigned to three groups; 2 study groups and 1 control group (n=15). The study groups comprised of 16 football players, and of 15 cyclists. Lung functions were evaluated recording forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and peak expiratory flow using digital spirometer.ResultsAll measures were recorded in definite values and the children were also classified into second-hand smoking (SH), or non-exposed to tobacco smoking (NE). The findings presented a significant increase (p<0.05) of the study groups in forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume in 1 sec and peak expiratory flow solely for the non-exposed children. However, there were non-significant differences between the cyclists and football players or between the passive smoking children and non-exposed children in any of the two study groups (p>0.05).ConclusionThe outcomes of this study suggest beneficial influences of the sports activity on the lung functions, without different influences of the cyclists and football players on the lung functions.