Osmotic fragility of red blood cells of hypothyroid, hyperthyroid patients and control subjects

Many hypo and hyperthyroid patients are anemic. Changes in concentration of thyroid hormones can affect Na+- K+ ATPase number and activity and also phospholipid composition of the cell membranes leading to changes in the surface to volume ratio and strength of membrane. In this study, the osmotic fragility of the red blood cells from non-treated hypo and hyperthyroid patients diagnosed on the basis of clinical examinations and paraclinical data were compared to that of control subjects. Written consent was obtained from all subjects. After washing three times with normal saline, red blood cells were placed in varying sodium chloride [NaCl] concentrations [0-0.9 gr%], following which, fragility was assessed with routine colorimetry methods. To do this, after the incubation period, tubes were centrifuged and the optical densities of the tubes was measured. Hemolysis percent in tubes was calculated on the basis of 100% hemolysis in the tubes containing 0 gr% of NaCl. The results indicate that the osmotic fragility of the cells from hyperthyroid patients in 0. 45gr% NaCl [74.6% +/- 30.2] was significantly [p < 0.01] lower than control subjects [93.8% +/- 9.1]. Osmotic fragility of red blood cells in 0. 5 g percent concentration of sodium chloride in hyperthyroid patients [27.8% +/- 26.0] was significantly less [p < 0.001] compared to the controls [63.5% +/- 27.5]. It appears that this change cannot be explained by changes observed in red blood cell indices [micrococytosis hypochromia]. According to the results of this study one can conclude that anemia reported in hypo- or hyperthyroid patients is not due to high osmotic fragility of the red blood cells and other causes need to be investigated

Efficacy of barberry aqueous extracts dental gel on control of plaque and gingivitis

Herbal extracts have been successfully used in dentistry as tooth cleaning and antimicrobial plaque agents. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical effects of a dental gel containing barberry extracts [from Berberis vulgaris] on gingivitis and microbial plaque control. A double blind clinical trial study was conducted in a dormitory on 45 boys aged 11-12 years having the same socioeconomic conditions. These students were divided into 3 groups; the first group [25 students] using barberry gel, and the second group [10 students] using placebo gel without active ingredient. To compare the activity of our gel with an active antiplaque, a third group of 10 students using Colgate antiplaque toothpaste was also considered. At the beginning all subjects were examined for plaque index [PI] and gingival index [GI]. These tests were re-evaluated after 21 days of using the above mentioned dentifrices. The results showed that barberry gel has reduced the PI for about 56%. This reduction was 18.5% for placebo and 44% for Colgate antiplaque groups. Considering means of PI [API] and GI [AGI] of different groups, there was significant difference between barberry and placebo gel's groups and between placebo and Colgate groups, but the difference between barberry and Colgate groups was not significant. This study indicates that the barberry dental gel effectively controls microbial plaque and gingivitis in the school aged children; therefore, the use of barberry dental gel is strongly recommended

Evaluation of in vitro methods for the determination of sun protection factor of the homosalte standard sunscreen lotion

Exposure to the sunlight can have harmful effects on the human skin; such as, skincancers, hyperpigmentation and photoaging. Therefore, it is essential to use sunscreen productsto prevent these adverse effects. The photoprotection provided by a sunscreen product isassessed in terms of its sun protection factor [SPF]. There are in vivo and in vitro methods forthe SPF determination. In vivo methods have some problems; therefore, in vitro methods areused more often. In this study we compared 3 in vitro methods for the determination ofSPF of homosalte PDA standard sunscreen lotion. The SPF of the homosalte standard lotion by the method of solution in ethanol was8.23 +/- 0.13, by the method of solution in methanol method was 6.17 +/- 1.02 and by transpore tapemethod was 5.88 +/- 0.12. According to these results and statistical tests, transpore tape was the best method