Endovascular treatment of the common femoral artery in the Vascular Quality Initiative

Objective

Endovascular interventions of the common (CFA) and deep (DFA) femoral arteries are becoming more common. However, there is very little published data for guidance. Our objective was to analyze practice patterns and outcomes from these interventions.

CYP1B1 mutation profile of Iranian primary congenital glaucoma patients and associated haplotypes

The mutation spectrum of CYP1B1 among 104 primary congenital glaucoma patients of the genetically heterogeneous Iranian population was investigated by sequencing. We also determined intragenic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplotypes associated with the mutations and compared these with haplotypes of other populations. Finally, the frequency distribution of the haplotypes was compared among primary congenital glaucoma patients with and without CYP1B1 mutations and normal controls. Genotype classification of six high-frequency SNPs was performed using the PHASE 2.0 software. CYP1B1 mutations in the Iranian patients were very heterogeneous. Nineteen nonconservative mutations associated with disease, and 10 variations not associated with disease were identified. Ten mutations and three variations not associated with disease were novel. The 13 novel variations make a notable contribution to the approximately 70 known variations in the gene. CYP1B1 mutations were identified in 70% of the patients. The four most common mutations were G61E, R368H, R390H, and R469W, which together constituted 76.2% of the CYP1B1 mutated alleles found. Six unique core SNP haplotypes were identified, four of which were common to the patients with and without CYP1B1 mutations and controls studied. Three SNP blocks determined the haplotypes. Comparison of haplotypes with those of other populations suggests a common origin for many of the mutations.     

Effects of Chichorium intybus on bilirubin

Objective  To evaluate the in vitro effects of chichorium intybus on bilirubin levels. Methods  In this study the bilirubin levels in the serum of thirty neonates staying in the NICU and suffering from clinical jaundice was determined three times: first without any alterations, second after adding chichorium intybus extract and third after adding the same amount of distilled water. The results were compared using SPSS statistical software. Results  Of the patients evaluated 76.7% were male and 23.3% were female. The average age was 7.35 days. The mean difference observed in unconjugated bilirubin levels in the specimens containing chichorium intybus extract was 3.84 ± 2.38 mg/dl and in the ones containing distilled water was 2.85 ± 2.00 mg/dl. The mean difference observed in conjugated bilirubin levels was 0.29 ± 0.32 mg/dl in specimens containing distilled water and 0.35 ± 0.26 in the ones containing chichorium intybus. In none of the cases the results were found to be significant. Conclusion  In this study chichorium intybus was found to have no significant in vitro effect on the bilirubin level reported by the laboratory. The in vivo effects of this herbal medicine must be evaluated more closely.     

Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium hydroxide as pulp-capping agents in human teeth: a preliminary report

AIM: To compare mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) with calcium hydroxide when used as pulp-capping materials in human teeth. METHODOLOGY: Eleven pairs of maxillary third molars in subjects between 20 and 25 years of age were subjected to mechanical pulp exposure. The exposed pulps were capped with MTA or calcium hydroxide, covered with ZOE and restored with amalgam. A total of 14 teeth were extracted after periods of 1 week (two molars) 2 months (three molars), 3 months (five molars), 4 months (two molars) and 6 months (two molars). RESULTS: Histological evaluation demonstrated less inflammation, hyperaemia and necrosis plus thicker dentinal bridge and more frequent odontoblastic layer formation with MTA than calcium hydroxide. CONCLUSIONS: Although the results favour the use of MTA, more studies with larger samples and a longer follow up are suggested.