Therapeutic effects of oral zinc supplementation on acute watery diarrhea with moderate dehydration: a double-blind randomized clinical trial

Background: To assess the therapeutic effects of oral zinc supplementation on acute watery diarrhea of children with moderate dehydration

Methods: All 9-month to 5-year-old children who were admitted with acute watery diarrhea and moderate dehydration to the Children Ward of Motahari Hospital, Urmia, Iran in 2008 were recruited. After the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the patients were randomly allocated to two groups: one group to receive zinc plus oral rehydration solution [ORS] and the other one to receive ORS plus placebo. All the patients were rehydrated using ORS and then receiving ORS for ongoing loss [10 ml/kg after every defecation]. Additionally, the patients in the intervention group received zinc syrup [1 mg/kg/day] divided into two doses. A detailed questionnaire was filled daily for each patient by trained pediatrics residents; it contained required demographic characteristics, nutrition and hydration status, and disease progression. The primary outcome [frequency and consistency of diarrhea] and the secondary outcomes [duration of hospitalization and change in patients' weight] were compared between the two groups

Results: The mean diarrhea frequency [4.5 +/- 2.3 vs. 5.3 +/- 2.1; P=0.004] was lower in the group receiving zinc +ORS; however, the average weight was relatively similar between the two groups [10.5 +/- 3.1 vs. 10.1 +/- 2.3; P=0.14]. The qualitative assessment of stool consistency also confirmed earlier improvement in the treatment group in the first three days of hospitalization [P <0.05]. The mean duration of hospitalization was significantly lower in the patients receiving zinc supplements [2.5 +/- 0.7 vs. 3.3 +/- 0.8 days; P=0.001]

Conclusion: Our results imply the beneficial effects of therapeutic zinc supplementation on disease duration and severity in patients with acute diarrhea and moderate dehydration in Iran

Clinical outcomes of Torque teno virus-infected thalassemic patients with and without hepatitis C virus infection / 대한혈액학회지

BACKGROUND: Although a marked proportion of thalassemic patients acquire Torque teno virus (TTV) through blood transfusion, its clinical importance is unclear. This study was designed to investigate the clinical importance of TTV infection in thalassemic patients with and without hepatitis C virus (HCV) co-infection in Iran. METHODS: In this case-control study, 107 thalassemic patients on chronic transfusion and 107 healthy individuals were selected. According to HCV and TTV infection status (detected by semi-nested PCR), patients were categorized into 4 groups: TTV and HCV negative, TTV positive, HCV positive, and TTV and HCV positive. Blood ferritin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in these 4 groups were assessed. RESULTS: Approximately half of the thalassemic patients (50.5%) and 27.1% of controls had TTV infection. Thalassemic patients had a greater chance of TTV infection compared to the control group with a sex-adjusted OR of 4.13 (95% CI=2.28-8.13). The increased levels of ALT, AST, and ferritin in the TTV and HCV-infected group were not significantly different from those in the TTV and HCV negative group. Co-infection with TTV and HCV did not significantly increase ALT, AST, and ferritin levels compared to infection with TTV alone. CONCLUSION: Although common in thalassemic patients, TTV infection appears to have a negligible role in increasing the severity of liver disease, even when co-infection with HCV occurs.

protective effect of vitamin E on locus coeruleus in early model of parkinsons disease in rat: immunoreactivity evidence

Free radical formation and oxidative stress might play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease [PD]. In vitro data indicate that neuromelanin [NM] pigment is formed the excess cytosolic catecholamine that is not accumulated into synaptic vesicles via the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 [VMAT2]. We designed this study to investigate the neuroprotective effects of vitamin E in the early model of PD. Male rats [n = 40] with unbiased rotational behavior were randomly divided into five groups: sham operated group [SH, n = 8], vehicle-treated SH group [SH + V, n = 8], vitamin E-treated SH group [SH + E, n = 8], vehicle-treated lesion group [L + V, n = 8] and vitamin E-treated lesion group [L + E, n = 8]. Unilateral intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine [12.5 micro l] lesioned rats were treated intramuscularly with alpha-tocopherol acid succinate [24 I.U/kg, intramuscular [i.m.]] 1 h before surgery and three times per week for 2 month post-surgery. To evaluate the vitamin E pretreatment efficacy, tyrosine hydroxylase [TH] immunoreactivity and immunostaining intensity [ISI] for monoamine transporter 2 were used. TH immunohistochemical analyses showed a reduction of 20% in locus coeruleus [LC] cell number of vitamin E pretreated lesioned group but the cell number dropped to 60% in the lesioned group. The ISI of the cells was measured for VMAT2 in LC. Lesioned groups: 1] had the lowest VMAT2 ISI of all neurons; 2] There was an inverse relationship between VMAT2 ISI and NM pigment in the locus and 3] Neurons with the highest VMAT2 ISI also had high TH ISI. The data support the hypothesis that repeated i.m. administration of vitamin E exerts a protective effect on the LC neurons in the early model of PD