[Evaluation of long-term effect of adding low-dose daclizumab to standard protocol on kidney rejection in kidney recipients]

Daclizumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against CD25 subunit of interlukin 2 receptor. Several studies have shown the effectiveness of daclizumab on reduction of acute rejection in renal transplantation with regular or limited dose. The present study assessed the outcomes of 3 and 5 years follow-up of a prospective case-control trial comparing safety and efficacy of induction therapy with two doses of daclizumab, compared with no induction treatment, in renal transplant recipients. This clinical-trial study was started in 2006 on 140 living donor kidney recipients admitted to kidney transplant ward of Kerman Afzalipour hospital, Iran. These patients were randomly assigned into two 70 patients, intervention and control groups. All patients received cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil and prednisolone. Intervention group recieved daclizumab at a dose of 1 mg/kg before transplantation and then two weeks later, also. All patients were followed up for 3 and 5 years for graft and patient survival and side effect of daclizumab, so.After 3 years, 58 patients remained in case and 61 in control group. Function of transplanted kidney was evaluated on base of calculated glomerular filtration rate [GFR], and after 3 and 5 years, were same between two groups. Rate of sepsis was same between two groups but infection with varicella zuster, in first 6 months after transplantation, was significantly more in intervention group [P = 0.04].Daclizumab did not have any effect on patient or graft survival. It did not increase the rate of sepsis but might increase the rate of varicella zuster infection

[Effect of bio-stimulators compounds on quantitative and qualitative yield of German chamomile [Matricaria recutita L.]]

In order to ecological agriculture, application of bio-stimulators compounds can be increase the quantitative and qualitative yield of crops in company with reducing environmental stresses. To determine the effects of bio-stimulators compounds on quantitative and qualitative yield of German chamomile [Matricaria recutita L.], this experiment was conducted. This study was done in research farm of ACECR, Institute of Medicinal Plants in a randomized complete block design with three replications and ten treatments in 2010. The treatments were C [Control/no fertilizer], CF [Chemical fertilizer], A[1] [Aminolforte 0.75 L.ha[-1]], A[2] [Aminolforte 1.5 L.ha[-1]], K[1] [Kadostim 0.75 L.ha[-1]], K[2] [Kadostim 1.5 L.ha[-1]], H[1] [Humiforte 0.75 L.ha[-1]], H[2] [Humiforte 1.5 L.ha[-1]], F[1] [Fosnutren 0.75 L.ha[-1]], and F[2] [Fosnutren 1.5 L.ha[-1]]. The results showed that the different treatments had significant effects on plant height, capitule diameter, capitule number per plant, fresh and dry matter yield of capitule per hectare, essential oil yield per hectare, chamazulene content, total flavonoid content [p<0.01] and plant harvest index [p<0.05]. Also, the treatments didn't have significant effects on plant water content. Application of bio-stimulators could be increased the quantitative and qualitative yield of German chamomile. However, treatments of A[2] and F[2] [Aminolforte and Fosnutren 1.5 L.ha[-1]] were the best treatments in respect of yield of capitule and essential oil per hectare. Also, the application of the bio-stimulators can lead to increasing crop production in company with minimizing of environmental pollution and sustainable agriculture

effect of finishing and polishing time on microleakage of composite restorations

Composite resins require time to complete their polymerization. This process usually reaches its maximum rate after 24 hours. On the other hand, immediately after restoration, water sorption results in hygroscopic expansion of composite resins and the mentioned two factors usually reachequilibrium after a week. Considering the effect of mentioned processes on the microleakage of composite restorations, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of finishing and polishing time on the mean microleakage of composite restorations. In this in-vitro experimental study, 60 sound human premolar teeth were selected. A standard Class V cavity was prepared measuring 1.5 mm in depth, 3 mm in width and 2 mm in length on the buccal surface of each tooth and incrementally restored with composite resin. Next, the teeth were randomly divided into 4 groups. The teeth in groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 were finished and polished immediately, 15 min, 24 h and one week after storage in distilled water at 37°C, respectively. Specimens in each group were subjected to 500 thermal cycles. The teeth were then coated with adhesive wax and nail varnish and immersed in 2% fuchsin solution for 24h. The specimens were washed and each sample was longitudinally sectioned in half by a diamond saw. Both halves were evaluated in terms of dye penetration under a stereomicroscope at 28X magnification. For each sample, the section with greater degree of microleakage was selected. Kruskal Wallis test and Mann Whitney U test were used for data analysis with a 99.1% confidence interval. The lowest mean microleakage was observed in the occlusal margin of group 3 teeth; while the highest mean microleakage belonged to the occlusal and gingival margins of teeth in group 2. A significant difference was noted between the 4 groups in occlusal margin microleakage [P<0.009]. However, no such difference was found in gingival margin. This study showed that the finishing and polishing timewas effective on the mean microleakage in the enamel margin of composite restorations. The best time of finishing and polishing was 24h after the restoration. Time of finishing and polishing had no effect on microleakage in dentin margins of restorations. Key words: Composite resins, polishing, microleakage

Clinical profile and growth status in patients with cystic fibrosis: a 2-year follow up study

Background: Cystic fibrosis [CF] is a common genetic disorder chiefly characterized by respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation and growth status in CF patients at the time of diagnosis and following conventional treatment

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 67 CF patients who enrolled for at least a two-year follow up period in the CF Clinic of Sarvar Pediatric Hospital. Disease diagnosis was based on a positive sweat test. Growth indicators and initial clinical presentations of patients were registered at the time of diagnosis. Weight and height was measured at each clinical visit during follow up. All patients were treated with enzyme replacement, vitamin and mineral supplements. Other medications were prescribed as clinically indicated. Statistical analyses were performed by SPSS 16.0 for MS Windows

Results: The mean age of patients was 24.9 +/- 37.7 months at the time of diagnosis, whereas it was 3.1 +/- 2.1 months at the onset of CF symptoms. At diagnosis, the majority of CF patients suffered from malnutrition, growth failure, and presented with pulmonary and gastrointestinal symptoms. After conventional and nutritional treatments, significant improvements were seen in weight and height

Conclusion: A delay in the diagnosis of CF as seen in our country causes patients to further suffer from malnutrition and growth failure in comparison to developed countries. This emphasizes the necessity of neonatal screening. The results of this study show the dramatic effects of nutritional treatment on growth status

[Evaluating the effects of Omega-3 on quality of life in children with cystic fibrosis]

Cystic fibrosis [CF] is an autosomal recessive disorder chiefly characterized by respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. This study investigates whether omega-3 fatty acid affects quality of life in children with CF. Materials and This was a single-blind, pilot study undertaken at the Cystic Fibrosis Center of Sarvar Children Hospital, Mashhad, Iran from March 2009 until September 2009. In this study, 11 patients aged 2-12 years were assigned to ingest 3 capsules of fish oil daily for 3 months. Each capsule contained fish oil [1 gr], eicosapentaenoic acid [180 mg] and docosahexaenoic acid [120 mg]. At the beginning of the study and after the treatment period, questionnaires were used to determine the quality of life of all patients, both totally and separately, in four domains [physical [PH], emotional [EM], social [SOC] and school functioning [SCH]]. Wilcoxon test compared the scores before and after treatment intervention. p < 0.05 was considered significant. The difference in total score of the Pediatric Quality Of Life Inventory TM 4.0 Short Form [PedsQLTM 4.0 SF15] before and after intervention showed a significant improvement [p = 0.02] in addition to the physical and social domains [p = 0.01 and p = 0.04, respectively], but was not significant in the other two domains. Fish oil, as a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid could have beneficial effects on improving quality of life in these patients. Other long-term studies including more patients might better clarify omega-3 effects on children with CF

[ efficacy of amlodipine and diltiazem in cyclosporine dose adjustment with respect to trough and 2-hour concentrations in kidney transplant patients]

Hypertension, hyperuricaemia and nephrotoxicity are some common side-effects of Cyclosporine A [CsA] treatment in renal transplant recipients. Previous studies suggest that Calcium Channel Blockers [CCB] can increase serum level of CsA and may improve graft function in patients receiving CsA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Diltiazem and Amlodipine on cyclosporine dose adjustment with respect to trough and 2-hour concentrations in renal transplant recipients treated with CsA. This observer-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on 120 renal transplant recipients treated with CsA. Patients received either Amlodipine [5-10mg/day] or Diltiazem [90-180mg/day] for 3 months and were compared with control group receiving no CCB. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Post Hoc and Correlation tests. Diltiazem significantly decreased CsA dosage [20%] from 162.03 +/- 40.6 mg/dl to 128.5 +/- 25.5 mg/dl [P=0.000] and Amlodipine, too, decreased it to 140.5 +/- 22.3 mg/dl [13%] which was significant [P=0.008]. Trough concentration in patients who had received Amlodipine were significantly higher than control group [P=0.019]. Diltiazem significantly decreased Cholesterol Level [P=0.027] but other parameters were not significantly different between Amlodipine / Diltiazem and control groups. Diltiazem and Amlodipine were well tolerated in co-administration with CsA with no adverse effect on graft function and did not affect blood pressure or heart rate. Our findings support that these two CCBs can be used in clinical settings to reduce the administered dose of cyclosporine