Reversible sclerotic changes of lumbar spine and femur due to long-term oral isotretinoin therapy

We present a rare case of retinoid-induced sclerotic changes of lumbar spine and femur demonstrated by dual energy x-ray absorptiometrie (DEXA). The patient had flowing ossification along thoracic spine resembling diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), but there was no ligament calcification in the lumbar spine or pelvis. After discontinuation of the treatment, gradual decline of bone mineral density at lumbar and femoral sites was detected with serial DEXA measurements. To the best of our knowledge, although various abnormalities of bone due to retinoids have been described before, reversible sclerotic changes have not been reported.     

The beneficial effects of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid following oxidative and neuronal damage in brain tissue caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in a C57BL/J6 mouse model

This study investigated the effects of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) on neuronal damage in brain tissue caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in C57BL/J6 mice. All subjects (n = 40) were equally divided into four groups: (1) sham-operated (SH), (2) I/R, (3) GA, and (4) GA+I/R. The SH group was used as a control. In the I/R group, the bilateral carotid arteries were clipped for 15 min, and the mice were treated with the vehicle for 10 days. In the GA group, mice were given GA (100 mg/kg) for 10 days following a median incision without carotid occlusion. In the GA+I/R group, the I/R model was applied to the mice exactly as in the I/R group, and they were then treated with the same dose of GA for 10 days. Cerebral I/R significantly induced oxidative stress via an increase in lipid peroxidaitons and a decrease in elements of the antioxidant defense systems. However, GA treatment was protective against the oxidative effects of I/R by inducing significant increases in antioxidant defense systems and a significant decrease of lipid peroxidations. Additionally, cerebral I/R increased the incidence of histopathological damage and apoptosis in brain tissue, but these neurodegenerative effects were eliminated by GA treatment. Therefore, the current study demonstrated that GA treatment effectively prevents oxidative and histological damage in the brain caused by global I/R. In this context, GA may be useful for the attenuation of the negative effects of global cerebral I/R and, in the future, it may be a viable and safe alternative treatment for ischemic stroke in humans.     

Hesperidin attenuates oxidative and neuronal damage caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in a C57BL/J6 mouse model

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of hesperidin (HP) on neuronal damage in brain tissue caused by global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in C57BL/J6 mice. For this purpose, a total of 40 mice were divided equally into four groups: (1) sham-operated (SH), (2) global cerebral I/R, (3) HP, and (4) HP+I/R. The SH group was used as a control. In the I/R group, the bilateral carotid arteries were clipped for 15 min, and the mice were treated with vehicle for 10 days. In the HP group, mice were administered HP (100 mg/kg) for 10 days without carotid occlusion. In the HP+I/R group, the I/R model was applied to the mice exactly as in the I/R group, and they were then treated with 100 mg/kg HP for 10 days. Cerebral I/R significantly induced oxidative stress via an increase in lipid peroxidation and a decrease in the components of the antioxidant defense system. Furthermore, cerebral I/R increased the incidence of histopathological damage and apoptosis in brain tissue. HP treatment significantly reversed the oxidative effects of I/R and inhibited the development of neurodegenerative histopathology. Therefore, the current study demonstrates that HP treatment effectively prevents oxidative and histological damage in the brain caused by global I/R. In this context, the beneficial effects of HP are likely a result of its strong antioxidant and free radical-scavenging properties. HP may be an useful treatment to attenuate the negative effects of global cerebral I/R.     

Evaluation of condyle position in patients with Angle Class I,II, and III malocclusion using cone-beam computed tomography panoramic reconstructions

Oral Radiology - This study was performed to compare the positions of the right and left condyles between male and female patients with different Angle malocclusions using cone-beam computed...     

Parotid elastography: a potential alternative to replace labial biopsy in classification of patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome?

Clinical Rheumatology - There has been a substantial improvement in classifying patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS), with the new 2016 ACR/EULAR classification criteria. It...     

Childhood central nervous system tumors at MAHAK’s Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center (MPCTRC), Tehran,Iran

Purpose

As central nervous system (CNS) tumors account for second most common childhood malignancies and the first cause of mortality in children with cancer, improving treatment modalities can lead to increase the health care of patients. In this study, we examined the prevalence of childhood brain tumors in patients who referred to MAHAK’s Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center (MPCTRC) for treatment.

Methods

A retrospective review of all children less than 15 years old with a CNS histologically proven tumor, who presented to MPCTRC from April 2007 to April 2010, was performed. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 19 with Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Chi-square tests.

Results

There were 198 (124 boys) children eligible for the study. The majority of the tumors were infratentorial (n?=?134), and the rest were supratentorial (n?=?60) and spinal (n?=?4) cases. The median age was 6.11?±?3.65 years old. Medulloblastoma (n?=?66), low-grade glioma (n?=?52), and high-grade glioma (n?=?40) were the most common tumors. The mean duration of follow-up was 21 months. At the time of this analysis, there were 105 (53 %) children alive, 82 (41.4 %) deaths, and 11 (5.6 %) lost for follow-up. The survival rate was 51.68?±?5.22 %.

Conclusions

In contrast of high rate of death in this study, other general characteristics can serve as benchmark for improving our care for children with brain tumors in Iran.     

Fetal cerebral hemodynamic in gestational diabetic versus normal pregnancies: a Doppler velocimetry of middle cerebral and umbilical arteries

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications in pregnancies. Evaluating other conditions, including intra uterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia, some studies have shown significant changes in blood flow velocity of fetal middle cerebral artery (MCA). Our study is one of the few that has aimed to assess the effects of GDM on Doppler parameters of the fetal MCA and umbilical artery (UA) and to compare with normal pregnancies. This cross-sectional study was performed on 66 pregnant women, including 33 women with GDM and the others without it, in Akbar-Abadi University Hospital in Tehran, Iran during 2010–2011. Peak systolic and diastolic velocities, pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI) and systolic diastolic ratio (SD) were recorded in UA as well as both right and left fetal MCAs for every recruited pregnant women by means of Doppler ultrasonography. The mean gestational age at the time of examination was 34.45 (SD = 2.62) weeks in GDM group. Although all of the measured Doppler parameters had higher values in GDM pregnancies, the differences were not significant between two groups of study; except for the left fetal MCA-PI, which was significantly higher in GDM group [2.07 (SD = 0.07) vs. 1.85 (SD = 0.74), P = 0.03]. Our results show that gestational diabetes may contribute to an elevated PI in the fetal MCA. Although there is not yet strong proof for the effect of GDM on the fetal brain hemodynamics, the significant higher MCA-PI warrants more attention towards better controlling of the hyperglycemia during pregnancy.     

Review of pharmacological effects of Glycyrrhiza sp. and its bioactive compounds

The roots and rhizomes of licorice (Glycyrrhiza) species have long been used worldwide as a herbal medicine and natural sweetener. Licorice root is a traditional medicine used mainly for the treatment of peptic ulcer, hepatitis C, and pulmonary and skin diseases, although clinical and experimental studies suggest that it has several other useful pharmacological properties such as antiinflammatory, antiviral, antimicrobial, antioxidative, anticancer activities, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective and cardioprotective effects. A large number of components have been isolated from licorice, including triterpene saponins, flavonoids, isoflavonoids and chalcones, with glycyrrhizic acid normally being considered to be the main biologically active component. This review summarizes the phytochemical, pharmacological and pharmacokinetics data, together with the clinical and adverse effects of licorice and its bioactive components.