[Repairing effects of Iran flora on wound healing]

The skin is the largest and the heaviest organ in the human body which, in addition to its important roles in the protection, waste removal, and contribution to vitamin D synthesis. As an important sensory organ, it can play a major role in the maintenance of homeostasis in the body. Total loss of the skin integrity can cause harms and diseases that lead to physical disability and even death. Therefore, one of the main problem faced by medical science so far, is the question of wound healing in the shortest possible time and with minimal side effects. Increasing the wound healing rate leads to positive financial and health results. Thus, several studies on new therapeutic techniques such as use of chemical drugs, herbal medication and homeopathy have been done. Moreover, physical methods such as laser therapy and other treatments have been constantly improving. In recent decades, the use of herbal medicine, as an effective method, has been progressing in most countries including Iran. In the traditional medicine of Iran various methods of using plants for the treatment of diseases are common. This is actually justifiable due to the geographic diversity of the flora in Iran. In the present paper the effectivity of the cut healing properties of some medicinal herbs in Iran is discussed

[Novel advancements in wound healing]

Maintaining skin integrity is vital in humans and animals to protect the organisms against dehydration, bleeding, and ingress of microorganisms. In order to do this, in Man and other evolved animals a sophisticated mechanism of wound healing occurs. At first the gap is quickly filled with a thin layer of fibrinous exudate, re-epithelialized, and rapidly replaced by new matrix. It is obvious that the speed of wound healing depends upon many factors such as the size of the wound, blood supply to the area, presence or absence of foreign bodies and microorganisms, age, health and nutritional status of the patient of the patient. Acute and chronic wounds care has extremely changed in recent years. Recenly, some traditional medications] honey and other herbal medications [and new procedures are available that can be used to accelerate the healing of skin wounds. In the present article the most novel advances made in wound care and management in recent years were reviewed

Urinary melatonin levels and skin malignancy

Melatonin inhibits tumor genesis in a variety of in vivo and in vitro experimental models of neoplasia. In industrialized societies, light at night, by suppressing melatonin production, poses a new risk for the development of a variety of cancers such as breast cancer. This effect on skin has been previously studied only in animals and not in humans. Our goal was to examine the relationship between 24-hour 6-sulphatoxymelatonin levels and skin cancer in a case-control study of 70 patients with skin cancer and 70 healthy individuals. The level of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin was measured in 24-hour urine by the ELISA method. In the case group, 55 [78%] patients had basal cell carcinoma and 15 [22%] had squamous cell carcinoma. The mean level of 24-hour urine 6-sulfatoxymelatonin was significantly higher in the control group [P<0.001]. Also, sleep duration had a significant difference between the two groups [P=0.001]. It seems that a low level of 24-hour urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin renders human beings prone to skin cancer. This association, however, requires further investigation

MSX1 mutation in witkop syndrome: a case report

The Witkop syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the absence of several teeth and abnormalities of the nails. This is the first report of a rare genetic tooth and nail syndrome diagnosed in a 2.5-year-old boy with early exfoliation of the primary canine, absence of the primary incisors, and nail dysplasia. A homozygous mutation was identified in 3'-UTR of MSX1 gene in the proband. The parents of the patient had no dental and nail anomalies

Effect of breast-feeding on the development of atopic dermatitis

Atopy can be defined as the genetically determined risk to develop allergic disease. Avoidance of one specific allergen may decrease the risk for sensitization against this allergen, but it will not affect atopy. Our aim was to investigate if exclusive breastfeeding is associated with atopic dermatitis during the first 5 years of life. Data on 200 children were taken from parental-administered questionnaires from a case control study in Birjand - Iran [recruited 2003] comprised of a case [100 children with atopic dermatitis [and a control [100 normal children] subgroup. Outcomes were physician-diagnosed atopic dermatitis [AD] and itchy rash. Data were analyzed by using SPSS package, Chi square and Exact Fisher tests. Thirty-four of the case and 50 of control group were exclusively breast-fed, whereas 6 of the case and 2 of control group were exclusively cow milk-fed. These differences were statistically significant. [P<0.05] Duration of breast-feeding in case and control group was different. These differences were statistically significant [P<0.001]. Duration of cow's milk formula feeding in case and control group was different, but these differences were not statistically significant. [P=0.6] Positive family history of allergy in case and control group was 63% and 23% respectively and this difference was statistically significant [P<0.001]. These findings support the hypothesis that exclusive breast-feeding is a protective factor for development of atopic dermatitis if compared with conventional cow's milk formula

Immunohistochemistry assessment of p53 protein in basal cell carcinoma

The most frequently mutated tumor suppressor gene found in human cancer is p53. In a normal situation, p53 is activated upon the induction of DNA damage to either arrest the cell cycle or else induce apoptosis. However, when mutated, p53 is no longer able to properly accomplish these functions. Our aim was to investigate p53 protein alteration in cases of basal cell carcinoma [BCC] and compare it with the control group. We investigated P53 gene expression in 41 cases of basal cell carcinoma and 20 patients with benign skin disease as control group. The alteration of p53 protein was investigated by immunohistochemistry method. The Data were analyzed using SPSS package, T and Chi- Square tests. Twenty eight out of 41 basal cell carcinoma and 3 out of 20 control were p53-mutated, and there was a statistically significant difference in cases of BCC in comparison with controls [CHI[2] test; p= 0.0001]. Taken together, showing alteration of p53 protein, our findings could add to the knowledge that might contribute to the self-maintenance of cancer cells and development of basal cell carcinoma