Efficacy of combination therapy of pimecrolimus 1% cream and mometasone cream with either agent alone in the treatment of childhood vitiligo

Objective: to evaluate the efficacy of the combination therapy of mometasone and pimecrolimus in the treatment of vitiligo in children

Methods: in this double-blind randomized controlled trial, 50 patients were enrolled. Based on the planned treatment protocol, three lesions with approximately identical size at similar anatomic sites were selected in each patient. Lesions were divided to three groups: pimecrolimus cream 1 % [twice a day], mometasone furoate ointment 0.1 % [every night], and combined therapy group [pimecrolimus twice a day on weekdays and mometasone every night on weekends], all being applied for three months. They were followed up for three months

Results: forty patients [with 46% of cases being male] with a mean age of 10.6 years completed the study. There was no significant difference in response rate between three groups at the end of the treatment

Conclusion: our study results did not demonstrate significant difference in the response rate and adverse effects between combined treatment group and either alone

Assessment of serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in Iranian children with atopic dermatitis, in Kerman city, an area with high sun exposure

To determine the association between the severity of AD and serum level of 25[OH] vitamin D in Kerman, a desert area in southeast of Iran, that was performed for the first time in Iran. In this cross-sectional study 57 AD subjects and 19 healthy children under the age of 18 years old were enrolled. The serum levels of 25[OH] vitamin D were measured in the both groups. The severity of AD was evaluated according to SCORAD. According to our study, there was a significant association between serum level of vitamin D and severity of AD especially in moderate and severe forms of AD [p<0.001]. Our study revealed vitamin D deficiency in AD patients, thus, it is recommended to take vitamin D supplementation in AD patient. Additional research is needed in order to evaluate dysfunction of vitamin D receptor in AD patients

survey on Helicobacter pyloriseropositivity status in Iranian children with atopic dermatitis

To evaluate the presence of Sinti-Helicobacter pylori antibody in the sera of children with and without atopic dermatitis [AD] in Kerman province, Iran. In the current study the cases consisted of 128 patients with AD, aged from 6 month to 16 years. One hundred and twenty eight healthy children matched for sex and age were chosen as control subjects. The enrolled patients were selected consequentially from the cases referred to the dermatology and pediatric clinics of Afzalipour hospital, an academic medical referral center in the capital of Kerman province. The diagnosis of AD was made based on the UK working party's diagnostic criteria for atopic dermatitis. The control subjects were chosen randomly among children who were referred to the center for periodic vaccination program and before receiving the vaccines. The subjects in control group who had a personal or family history of allergies [including asthma, atopic dermatitis or allergic rhinitis] were excluded as well. A sample consisting of 3 milliliters of blood was obtained from each subject in the study [including the cases and the controls] for H. pylori serology. In children under 1 year of age, the amount of collected blood samples we reduced to the minimum in the acceptable range. The status of infection with Helicobacter pylori was determined in all subjects quantitatively by measurement of specific IgG antibody via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] method [Trinity Biotech Monbind Captia[tm], USA]. The mean age of the cases with AD and the controls were 5.74 +/- 4.05 and 6.05 +/- 3.36 years, respectively. Of all the children in both cases and controls 45.5% and 55.8% were females, respectively and the remaining were males. Anti-H. pylori IgG antibody was positive in the cases with AD and the control group 25.2% and 24%, respectively that was not statistically significant. The results of this study showed no association between H. pylori infection and AD

survey on the habit to change the answers in multiple choice questions [MCQ] exams: Does the examinee benefit?

Nowadays multiple choice questions [MCQs] are amongst the most accredited type of examination tools. Examinees [students] change their selected answers with the hope to get higher scores, whereas it may decrease their final scores on the contrary. This study evaluates such a habit in medical students. The medical students' exam papers in dermatology ward during the past nine years were reviewed to check their answer sheets for changing the answers to MCQs. Frequency of changes in changing answers to MCQs, and total effect of these changes in the final scores were evaluated and analyzed. this study, 614 medical students were considered. At the end of their course in dermatology ward, 472 MCQs were used as the standard examination. Totally 45.5% of the students [41.7% males and 46.5% females] had changed their answers to the MCQs, which had no meaningful difference in terms of gender. Mean total score of both of groups, who had changed and who had not changed their answers, were compared and no changes were seen. Based on the direction of changes, this study showed that 36% of students had corrected their wrong answers, 30.2% had changed their correct answers to wrong ones and 38% had changed wrong answers to other wrong ones. Statistically no meaningful changes were seen. In 40% of students these changes had led to higher scores, 31.5% had got lower scores and 28.5% had no change in their final scores. Medical students who had taken part in this survey had changed their answers less than what literature explains, and fewer students had corrected their wrong answers and as a result had got lower scores. It seems that temptation to change answers based on the fine attention to MCQs and logical thought might lead to higher scores, but the change by itself had not led to better results, blind change works just by chance as in our students

survey on effect of health education on health volunteer performance and knowledge in prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Yazd

Cutaneous leishmaniasis [CL], is one of the health priorities in many of the tropical areas of the world, and is also very common in Iran, especially in urban areas of the country. The best way of prevention of the disease is to increase knowledge in terms of prevention and early referral of suspected cases to physician, as well as suitable treatment for patients. To define the influence of education on health volunteer performance and knowledge about CL in Yazd. In this semiempirical survey, knowledge and performance of 74 randomly selected health volunteers in Yazd were assessed via questionnaire before and after the education. The resulting data were processed and analyzed by SPSS software and with ANOVA and paired t test exams. This survey showed that knowledge and performance of health volunteers after the training course increased by 44% and 56%, with mean of 7.53 before education to 10.84 after the course, and from 1.12 to 1.75 respectively. The effect of the training course in terms of level of literacy and age group were assessed resulted in meaningful differences, as well. It seems that the education has a significant influence on increase of knowledge and performance of health volunteer, and as these personnel have essential role in people's knowledge and health situation in community, so continuous use of these educational courses may result in a decline in prevalence of the disease