Effects of diode low-level laser therapy on healing of tooth extraction sockets: a histopathological study in diabetic rats

Lasers in Medical Science - Diabetes mellitus is mostly interrelated to deficiency in wound healing. Low-level laser therapy has been shown to exert reliable effects on the acceleration of wound...     

Genetic variant association of PTPN22, CTLA4, IL2RA,as well as HLA frequencies in susceptibility to alopecia areata

ABSTRACT

Alopecia areata (AA) is characterized by a genetically complex inheritance. HLA frequencies, as well as the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in PTPN22, CTLA4, and IL2RA genes, have been described to be associated with AA susceptibility. So far, no independent replication of these studies has been reported, and no data exist on a possible association between AA disease and these SNPs or influence of HLA frequencies in Iranian population. A possible association between HLA-DRB1*11 alleles as well as a single variation in PTPN22, CTLA4, and IL2RA genes and patchy AA disease have been investigated in a cohort from Iran. Patient and control subjects were genotyped for PTPN22 (rs2476601), CTLA4 (rs3087243), and IL2RA (rs3118470) variations as well as HLA frequencies. Gene expression levels were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. In contrast to PTPN22 and CTLA4 gene polymorphisms, a significant association was found between IL2RA SNP and susceptibility to AA in Iranian cohort. While gene expression levels of IL2RA and PTPN22 were higher in the patients than that of controls, CTLA4 expression levels found significantly lower in the patients. Despite a significant association between AA and HLA-DRB1*11 frequencies, the presence of DRB1*11 is not associated with PTPN22, CTLA4, or IL2RA gene SNPs. Although the minor allele in IL2RA SNP can be a significant determinant of AA disease development in Iranian population, reported an association between the PTPN22 and CTLA4 variations was not confirmed by our study. Furthermore, these genetic risk factors might act independently from HLA alleles.     

EFFECT OF PRE-COOLING ON PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH DENTAL INJECTIONS IN CHILDREN: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

ObjectivesSeveral methods, including cooling of the injection site, have been proposed for pain control during the dental local anesthetic injection. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the scientific evidence on the precooling of the injection site to reduce pediatric dental injection pain.Data SourcesThe search terms were selected according to the Medical Subject Headings and non-Medical Subject Headings. The main keywords included dental injection, cooling, pain, and children. Potentially eligible studies involved the subjective or objective pain evaluation in children receiving any dental injection. Risk of bias assessment was carried out using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. An electronic search was carried out for published studies in the English language up to March 2020 on Scopus, Cochrane, and PubMed databases. Of 761 articles retrieved initially, 14 were eligible to be included in the systematic review, of which 6 articles were excluded. Regarding the type of intervention, 6 articles used cooling agents in the intervention group, and 2 studies used the Buzzy device (a combination of cold and vibratory stimuli). All studies included in the systematic review except one considered that the use of intra- or extra-oral cooling could reduce pain during anesthesia injections in children significantly.ConclusionOverall, the evidence presented in this review was limited and had low quality. It may be concluded that application of cold agents before dental anesthesia can be more helpful than the traditional dental injection in reducing pain in children. Besides, the use of the Buzzy device showed promising results, as shown by 2 studies.     

The Effect of Lavender Aroma on Anxiety of Patients Having Bone Marrow Biopsy

Introduction: Bone marrow biopsy is a common procedure for the diagnosis and treatment of hematologic diseases and tumors, which are associated with anxiety. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of lavender aroma on anxiety of patients having bone marrow biopsy. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 80 patients referred to Vali-e-Asr Hospital for bone marrow biopsy. Samples were selected by convenience method and were assigned into intervention and control groups using randomized blocks of 4. Random sequence was generated by RAS software. Several drops of distilled water on a cotton ball was used in the control group and same amount of lavender essential oil on a cotton ball was used in the intervention group. Then, participants in both groups were asked to smell the cotton ball for 15 minutes and then, their anxiety level was measured immediately. The results were analyzed by SPSS software version 25 using covariance analysis and rank regression. Results: The results showed that, the mean scores of anxiety in the control and intervention groups were 6.3 ± 1.92 and 3.75 ± 1.05, respectively. There was a significant difference (p <0.05) between the two groups in terms of anxiety score.The results showed that there was a significant difference in anxiety score between two groups in terms of variables such as age, gender, physician experience, biopsy history and biopsy site (P <0.05). The results also showed no significant difference between the (p >0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that bone marrow biopsy is associated with anxiety, and smelling of lavender aroma is effective in reducing anxiety in patients undergoing this procedure. This fragrance can be used by treatment team in hematology and oncology clinics to reduce anxiety caused by bone marrow biopsy.     

COVID‐19 from the perspective of dentists: A case report and brief review of more than 170 cases

A novel coronavirus which has appeared from China, has been circulating hastily around the world. We summarized the publications including oral manifestation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) cases based on PubMed and Google Scholar data bases, and also present a case that highlights oral lesions 2 days prior to the first COVID‐19 general symptoms. Two authors independently reviewed the papers, 17 studies of more than 170 confirmed cases between ages of 9 and 90 were included. The most common oral manifestation was dry mouth followed by dysgeusia and pseudomembranous fungal structure. Change in tongue sensation and ulceration, muscle pain during mastication, swelling in oral cavity, and herpetic lesions were other common symptoms. Associated symptoms, latency time, treatment, and prognosis have also been meticulously reviewed. We hope that careful clinical intraoral examination on all COVID‐19 positive patients and equally on any patients who need dental care will pave the way for further studies.     

Preparation and characterization of metoprolol controlled-release solid dispersions

In recent years, great attention has been paid to using solid dispersions to make sustained-release drugs. The objective of this study is to produce sustained-release systems of metoprolol tartrate using solid dispersion techniques and to evaluate their physicochemical characteristics. The solid dispersions were produced by melting and solvent methods, containing 7%, 15%, or 25% of the drug and different ratios of Eudragit RLPO and RSPO in ratios of 0:10, 3:7, 5:5, 7:3, and 10:0. Drug release profiles were determined by USP XXIII rotating paddle method in phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.8). XRD, DSC, IR, and microscopic observations were performed to evaluate the physical characteristics of solid dispersions. Results showed that the drug release from dispersions was at a slower rate than pure drug and physical mixtures. Moreover, the formulations containing greater ratios of Eudragit RSPO showed slower release rates and smaller DE_8% but larger mean dissolution time than those containing greater ratios of Eudragit RLPO. Dispersions with particle size of less than 100 μm containing 7% of metoprolol and Eudragit RL:RS 5:5 (solvent method) and those with the ratio of 3:7 (melting method) had similar release pattern to Lopressor® sustained-release tablets by zero-order and Higuchi kinetics, respectively.     

The Efficacy of an Herbal Medicine, Carmint, on the Relief of Abdominal Pain and Bloating in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Carmint contains total extracts of Melissa officinalis, Mentha spicata, and Coriandrum sativum, which have antispasmodic, carminative, and sedative effects. As abdominal pain/discomfort and bloating are commonly observed in patients with irritable bowel syndrome, we decided to evaluate the effectiveness of Carmint in relieving these symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome patients. We randomly assigned 32 irritable bowel syndrome patients to receive either Carmint or placebo, plus Loperamide or psyllium (based on their predominant bowel function), for 8 weeks. T-test analysis of the results showed that the severity and frequency of abdominal pain/discomfort were significantly lower in the Carmint group than the placebo group at the end of the treatment (P=0.016 and P=0.001, respectively), as were the severity and frequency of bloating (P=0.02 and P=0.002, respectively). This pilot study suggests that Carmint plus loperamide or Carmint plus psyllium (depending on the irritable bowel syndrome subtype) might be effective in these patients.     

Preparation and Characterization of Metoprolol Controlled-Release Solid Dispersions

In recent years, great attention has been paid to using solid dispersions to make sustained-release drugs. The objective of this study is to produce sustained-release systems of metoprolol tartrate using solid dispersion techniques and to evaluate their physicochemical characteristics. The solid dispersions were produced by melting and solvent methods, containing 7%, 15%, or 25% of the drug and different ratios of Eudragit RLPO and RSPO in ratios of 0:10, 3:7, 5:5, 7:3, and 10:0. Drug release profiles were determined by USP XXIII rotating paddle method in phosphate buffer solution (pH 6.8). XRD, DSC, IR, and microscopic observations were performed to evaluate the physical characteristics of solid dispersions. Results showed that the drug release from dispersions was at a slower rate than pure drug and physical mixtures. Moreover, the formulations containing greater ratios of Eudragit RSPO showed slower release rates and smaller DE_8% but larger mean dissolution time than those containing greater ratios of Eudragit RLPO. Dispersions with particle size of less than 100 μm containing 7% of metoprolol and Eudragit RL:RS 5:5 (solvent method) and those with the ratio of 3:7 (melting method) had similar release pattern to Lopressor® sustained-release tablets by zero-order and Higuchi kinetics, respectively.