Effect of ascorbic acid on the right and left coronary arteries of male rabbits fed with high-cholesterol diet

Atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death in western countries. The beneficial effect of ascorbic acid on various organs has been reported. The present study was conducted to determine the effect of ascorbic acid on the right and left coronary arteries of male rabbits fed with high-cholesterol diet. Twenty white male rabbits [mean weight: 950 g] were weighed and randomly divided into two groups. For 40 days, group 1 [n=10] was given a high-cholesterol [1%] diet, group 2 [n=10] was fed with a high-cholesterol diet and ascorbic acid [100 mg/kg]. Then both of the groups were weighed and the animals were sacrificed. The right and left coronary arteries were dissected and then fixation, tissue processing, histological sectioning and H and E staining were carried out and sections were studied by light microscopy. The results were analyzed by using the Mann Whitney test. Group 2 which received ascorbic acid had no fatty streaks in their coronary arteries. Significant difference in mean weight was observed before and after the diet in both groups [P<0.05]. Histopathological study of the coronary arteries showed that the rabbits which received ascorbic acid diet did not develop fatty streaks. Thus ascorbic acid exerts an apparently inhibitory effect on fatty streak formation and may slow down or prevent atherosclerosis by countering the side effects of a high-fat meal

study of 17 patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis in Mashad

Thirty patients with bilateral lymph node enlargement with or without parenchymal infiltrates on the chest x-ray suspected to have sarcoidosis were studied between June 1980 and December 1989 in our institution. Eleven of these patients who were free of parenchymal infiltrates did not have a biopsy performed and the diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made based on self-limited regression and clearing of the chest X-ray findings. However, these cases were excluded from our study along With two other cases which upon transbronchial lung biopsy [TBLB] failed to show the disease. Seventeen of our cases had sarcoidosis, fourteen proven by TBLB, two by skin biopsy and one by parotid gland biopsy. Our study shows that sarcoidosis is not a rare disease in IRAN. TBLB is a good way to diagnose sarcoidosis especially when parenchymal involvement is present on the chest X-ray. Although stage I of the disease was more common in our series, it is probable that this is a false finding and if TBLB were repeated more cases of stage III of the disease would be found

diagnostic yield of transbronchial lung biopsy in diffuse infiltrative pulmonary diseases by plain cup forceps: a study of 54 cases in Iran

The technique of transbronchial lung biopsy [TBLB] has expanded the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy. In this article we are presenting 54 patients with diffuse pulmonary parenchymal involvement who underwent this procedure during six years between June 1980 and December 1989. The diagnostic yield of this technique in diffuse pulmonary parenchymal disease is great and was 66 percent excluding nonspecific pulmonary fibrosis. Compared with other literature this is a good way of diagnosing interstitial lung disease which obviates the need for transcutaneous lung biopsy and thoracotomy

Report of four cases of familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

A 25 year old male and his 46 year old aunt presented with shortness of breath and a dramatic response to steroids. The other two patients are sisters with more advanced disease. One of these responded partially to steroids, while the other died within 4 months of treatment. The genetic basis and pathogenesis are discussed