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 Efficacy of Gabapentin versus Stabilization Splint in Management of Sleep Bruxism

Purpose : This study aimed to determine if the use of gabapentin is more efficacious than a stabilization splint with regard to the intensity of masseter muscle contractions and/or sleep quality for patients experiencing sleep bruxism (SB). Materials and Methods : Twenty patients with SB participated in this clinical study. They were randomly divided into two treatment groups: stabilization splint group (n = 10) and gabapentin group (n = 10). The first polysomnographic examination was performed before the beginning of the experiment for all the participants. At the end of a 2‐month period of stabilization splint therapy or gabapentin usage, a second polysomnographic recording was made. Results : Statistically significant reductions in the number of SB episodes per hour and per night, bruxism time index, total duration of SB episodes per night and number of SB episodes in stages NR I and NR II (p < 0.05) were observed in both groups after treatment. Both treatments significantly reduced the mean intensity of masseter muscle contractions during SB episodes. Moreover, the participants treated with gabapentin showed a significant improvement in total sleep time, slow wave sleep (stage III), and sleep efficiency (p < 0.05). Conclusions : Gabapentin could be an effective treatment modality in SBs, especially in those with poor sleep quality.     

Molecular detection of Leptospira spp. in the urine of cattle in northern Iran

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution, caused by Leptospira interrogans and is considered as an emerging global public health problem. Transmission usually results from direct or indirect exposure to the urine or other body fluids of leptospiruric animals which may become a source of infection for human or other animals. Having a humid climate with plenty of annual rainfall, Guilan province is a suitable environment for maintaining Leptospira spp. Hence, early detection of Leptospira spp. in the host prompts control and protection, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a suitable method. The present report aimed to demonstrate the PCR analysis of bovine urine for detection of leptospiral DNA. A total of 98 urine samples were randomly collected from cattle bladder in Rasht abattoir of Iran and the presence of leptospiral DNA was assayed by PCR amplification of rrs (16S rRNA) gene and the results confirmed by nested PCR. Out of 98 urine samples in 42 samples leptospires DNA was identified with the frequency of 43%. The high presence of the organism in the urine of carriers is a serious threat to the dairy farms and to the public health which requires an effective control measure in the north provinces of Iran.Key Words: Leptospira spp., Nested PCR, Urine, Cattle, Rasht     

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.