Efficacy of melaleuca alternifolia essential oil in the treatment of facial seborrheic dermatitis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Melaleuca alternifolia [tea tree] essential oil has been traditionally used in the ayurvedic system of medicine for healing burns, infections and seborrheic dermatitis. But yet, no controlled human study has determined its efficacy. The goal of the current study was to compare the efficacy of 5% tea tree essential oil [TTO] gel with placebo in the treatment of mild to moderate facial seborrheic dermatitis. Fifty four patients with mild to moderate facial seborrheic dermatitis reffered to Skin Diseases Research Center, in the Qazvin city, Iran, were randomly divided into two groups and treated with either 5% TTO gel or placebo three times daily for 4 weeks. The patients follow-ups were conducted in both groups after 2 and 4 weeks with evaluating of erythema, scaling, itching and greasy crusts. Forty two patients completed the treatment course. There were significant differences between the TTO and placebo groups in the improvement of erythema, scaling, itching and greasy crusts [p < 0.05]. Allergic side - effects were seen in neither group. 5% TTO gel is effective in the treatment of mild to moderate facial seborrheic dermatitis

[Factors influencing the cure rate in the corneal graft rejection with survival analysis]

Immunologic rejection of the transplanted cornea is the major cause of human allograft failure with several risk factors contributing to it. Since in the corneal graft, most individuals do not reject the graft, we used the survival analysis with cure rate for the assessment of the factors influencing the cure rate at the time of data analysis. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the cure rate and assess the risk factors for corneal graft rejection in the keratoconus disease in Labafinejad Hospital, Tehran, Iran. This was a routine data base study in which the data were gathered from keratoconus patients' files that had undergone penetrating keratoplasty operation. In the survival analysis, individuals who didn't reject corneal were considered cured. To study the factors influencing the cure rate, we used the Weibull distribution for survival function and the logistic link function for the cure rate because of their tractability and accuracy. Out of 119 patients 31 patients [26%] rejected grafts. Among the factors influencing cure rate, only in vascularization and in persons older than 25 years of age was ameaningful effect on decreasing cure rate. With this cure model, the expected cure rate in the non-vascularization and less than 25 year- old patients was 81, in non-vascularization and more than 25 year- olds it is 64, in the vascularization and less than 25 year- olds, the cure rate is 19 and in the vascularization and more than 25 years of age, the cure rate is 9 percent and the observed cure rate for Kaplan-Meier product limit estimator was 79, 61, 27 and 0 percent, respectively. The results showed that the estimate of cure rate in the survival analysis was near the Kaplan-Meier product-limits estimator One of the benefits of modeling is its ability to generalize the results; using them in the prediction. According to the results obtained from the fitting cure model the vascularization is a major risk factor for decreasing cure rate in the keratoconus disease. We could use the cure rate model in the analysis of survival data with cure fraction

[ presence of insulin catalytic antibodies in plasma of two type 2 diabetes patients]

Recent studies have reported the role of catalytic antibodies in the pathogenesis pattern of some diseases. Autoimmune reactions playing a role in some type 2 diabetic patients and the p- cell autoimmune markers were found to be present in some of these patients. The presence of such antibodies was assessed in the plasma of patients suffering from type 2diabetes. Antibodies in 3 diabetic patients and 7 non-diabetic control subjects were purified using protein-G sepharose affinity column chromatography and S-300 gel filtration methods; purity of the IgG antibodies was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and in western blot analysis and proteolytic activity of electrophoretically homogenous IgG antibodies was confirmed with zymogram analysis. The purified antibodies were incubated with insulin at 37°C for 6 days and the effect of antibodies on insulin degradation was assessed by Acetic Acid-Urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Insulin degradation effect was observed only in purified antibodies in the 2 diabetic patients and it was not seen in the 7 control subjects and the remaining diabetic patients. Our data revealed, for the first time, insulin degradation by isolated IgG from 2 diabetic patients. This finding may not only explain the insulin resistance observed in some diabetic patients, but may most likely propose also a new mechanism for occurrence of the disease

[ survey on some effective factors on the duration of breastfeeding using survival analysis [Mazandaran province]]

The recent studies have shown that breastfeeding is beneficial for both physical and mental health of baby. In addition, it is very important with respect to the socio-economical status of family life and the society. The aim of this study is to identify the influence of some factors on duration of breastfeeding in Mazandaran province with survival analysis. This cross-sectional study was performed on 480 mothers who had at least one baby aged 2-3 years. A questioner was completed for all mothers by interview. Data analysis was carried out using the Cox Proportional Hazard Regression model. The results of study showed that the breastfeeding median was 22 month and mean [SD] was 21[4.6] months. In addition, the results showed that 1.9% of babies who had breastfeeding were less than 6 months old, 5.6% between 6 and 12, 17.9% between 12 and 18, 65.1% between 18 and 24 and 9.5% more than 24 months old. To detect effective factors on the duration of breastfeeding, the Cox regression was used and then significant factors were entered in a multiple Cox regression to remove the potential confounders. It was found that residencey place [urban or rural], having twin babies, mother jobs, the type of pregnancy, using other milk, drinking tea or water to babies before the age of 4 months, number of breastfeeding per day, and finally supporting and promoting by husband were among the significant effective factors on the breastfeeding duration. On the basis of the final model the probability of continues breastfeeding at 6, 12, 18, 22 and 24 months were 99.2, 95.0, 79.5, 50.0 and 8.2 percent respectively