Association between hirsutism and mental health

To ascertain the prevalence of psychiatric disturbances in a sample of hirsute women. This case-control study was carried out on 100 hirsute women referred to a dermatology clinic in Sari, Mazandaran, Iran from 2004 to 2005. One hundred non-hirsute healthy control subjects were case-matched for demographic variables and completed the symptom checklist revised [SCL-90-R] instrument. Data were analyzed using SPSS software [version 11]. Forty-three percent of the women reported psychological distress, with the most common subscales being interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid, depression, and obsessive compulsive. In the control group, 42% were suspicious for mental disorders. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups. No significant difference concerning mental health was reported between the hirsute and non-hirsute women. This maybe due to patients having adapted to their disorder due to the presence of high social stress conditions in Iran

Prophylactic Effect of Theophylline in Renal Contrast Nephropathy after Coronary Angiography

Contrast nephropathy will increase mortality up to 30% following angiographic procedures. Adenosine is a crucial mediator of contrast-induced nephropathy. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the adenosine antagonist Theophylline reduces the incidence of CN after coronary angiography. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial study, carried out from February 2004 to September 2005 at the Fatemeh Zahra Hospital, 70 patients who were undergoing coronary angiography were divided into two groups. Case group [n=35] received oral Theophylline 200 mg bid. 24 h before and for 48 h after angiography. The control group [n=35] received placebo. Serum Na+, K+, blood urea nitrogen [BUN], creatinine, glomerular filtration rate [GFR] were measured before and after angiography. In the case group there were no significant change in serum creatinine [0.90 +/- 0.7 vs. 0.92 +/- 0.3 mg/dl], BUN [17.76 +/- 7.8 vs. 19.35 +/- 9.6mg/dl], GFR [83.01 +/- 26.7 vs. 81.36 +/- 24.9 ml/min] Na+ [139.08 +/- 3.6 vs. 138.54 +/- 2.7 mEq/l] and K+ [4.30 +/- 0.4 vs. 4.19 +/- 0.3 mEq/l]. In the control group, there was a significant fall in GFR after angiography [86.10 +/- 34.8 vs. 80.7 +/- 30.4 ml/min, P=0.03]. Following angiography, there were no significant difference in serum creatinine, BUN, GFR, Na+ and K+ level between the two groups. None of the patients in either group faced contrast induced nephropathy. Theophylline does not appear to add a protective role in preventing against contrast induced nephropathy in patients undergoing angiographic procedures