Contact allergens responsible for eyelid dermatitis in adults.

Allergic contact dermatitis has been established as the most frequent cause of eyelid dermatitis, but it is often misdiagnosed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of patients with eyelid dermatitis who were referred for patch testing. The patients were divided into three subgroups in this retrospective study: patients with only eyelid involvement, patients with involvement of eyelids and other areas, and patients without eyelid involvement. Data was collected on diagnoses, medical history, personal care products and make-up use, occupational dermatitis, and positive allergens. An independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and chi-squared test were used to analyze the data. A total of 427 patients who referred for patch tests were included in the study. Of these, 139 patients had eyelid dermatitis. Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) was the most common diagnosis in all three groups referred for patch tests. Use of shaving cream and hair conditioner was significantly higher in patients with only eyelid involvement and nickel sulfate was the most common allergen among them. Patch testing is the gold standard tool in the evaluation of eyelid contact dermatitis, and it is a necessity in the treatment of eyelid dermatitis, for the accurate identification of responsible allergens.

The efficacy and safety of other cryotherapy compounds for the treatment of genital warts: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Cryotherapy using Wartner compound that contains a mixture of dimethyl ether (75%) and propane (25%) has been recently reported as an effective treatment for warts. The present study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Wartner in male patients with genital warts. METHODS: A Phase II parallel-randomized clinical trial was performed on 16 Iranian men affected by genital warts who were referred to a dermatology clinic at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Two genital warts of each patient were selected and randomly assigned to receive either Wartner (intervention) or liquid nitrogen (control). RESULTS: Two weeks after the treatment, the sizes of the lesions in control and intervention groups decreased by 17.87 ± 2.14 mm2 and 15.81 ± 1.80 mm2, respectively (p = .299). Fourteen days after a single session of treatment, 81% of lesions in the control group and 50% in the Wartner group were completely eradicated, however, the difference was not statistically significant (p = .063). CONCLUSIONS: The Wartner compound is as effective as the conventional cryotherapy method for treating genital warts. It is particularly valuable when there are contraindications or no access to common treatment options.

Modelling of immiscible liquid-liquid systems by Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics.

Immiscible fluid systems are ubiquitous in industry, medicine and nature. Understanding the phase morphologies and intraphase fluid motion is often desirable in many of these situations; for example, this will aid improved design of microfluidic platforms for the production of medicinal formulations. In this paper, we detail a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) approach that facilitates this understanding. The approach includes surface tension and enforces incompressibility. The approach also allows the consideration of an arbitrary number of immiscible phases of differing viscosities and densities. The nature of the phase morphologies can be arbitrary and change in time, including break-up (which is illustrated) and coalescence. The use of different fluid constitutive models, including non-Newtonian models, is also possible. The validity of the model is demonstrated by applying it to a range of model problems with known solutions, including the Young-Laplace problem, confined droplet deformation under a linear shear field, and a droplet falling under gravity through another quiescent liquid. Results are also presented to illustrate how the SPH model can be used to elucidate the behaviour of immiscible liquid systems.

Lifestyle modification interventions differing in intensity and dietary stringency improve insulin resistance through changes in lipoprotein profiles.

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic dysfunction characterized by insulin resistance (IR) is an important risk factor for type-2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to determine if clinical lifestyle interventions differing in scope and intensity improve IR, defined by the lipoprotein IR (LPIR) score, in individuals differing in the severity of metabolic dysfunction. METHODS: Subjects with diagnosed type-2 diabetes, CAD or significant risk factors participated in one of two clinical lifestyle modification interventions: (i) intensive non-randomized programme with a strict vegetarian diet (n = 90 participants, 90 matched controls) or (ii) moderate randomized trial following a Mediterranean-style diet (n = 89 subjects, 58 controls). On-treatment and intention-to-treat analyses assessed changes over 1 year in LPIR, lipoprotein profiles and metabolic risk factors in intervention participants and controls in both programmes. RESULTS: In the on-treatment analysis, both interventions led to weight loss: [-8.9% (95% CI, -10.3 to -7.4), intensive programme; -2.8% (95% CI, -3.8 to -1.9), moderate programme; adjusted P < 0.001] and a decrease in the LPIR score [-13.3% (95% CI, -18.2 to -8.3), intensive; -8.8% (95% CI, -12.9 to -4.7), moderate; adjusted P < 0.01] compared with respective controls. Of the six lipoprotein parameters comprising LPIR, only large very-low-density lipoprotein particle concentrations decreased significantly in participants compared with controls in both programmes [-26.3% (95% CI, -43.0 to -9.6), intensive; -14.2% (95% CI, -27.4 to -1.0), moderate; P < 0.05]. Intention-to-treat analysis confirmed and strengthened the primary results. CONCLUSION: A stringent lifestyle modification intervention with a vegetarian diet and a moderate lifestyle modification intervention following a Mediterranean diet were both effective for improving IR defined by the LPIR score.

Structure, Chaperone Activity, and Aggregation of Wild-Type and R12C Mutant αB-Crystallins in the Presence of Thermal Stress and Calcium Ion - Implications for Role of Calcium in Cataract Pathogenesis.

The current study was performed with the aim to evaluate the chaperoning ability, structural features, and aggregation propensity of wild-type and R12C mutant αB-crystallins (αB-Cry) under thermal stress and in the presence of calcium ion. The results of different spectroscopic analyses suggest that wild-type and mutant αB-Cry have dissimilar secondary and tertiary structures. Moreover, αB-Cry indicates slightly improved chaperone activity upon the R12C mutation. Thermal stress and calcium, respectively, enhance and reduce the extent of solvent-exposed hydrophobic surfaces accompanying formation of ordered and non-ordered aggregate entities in both proteins. Compared to the wild-type protein, the R12C mutant counterpart shows significant resistance against thermal and calcium-induced aggregation. In addition, in the presence of calcium, significant structural variation was accompanied by reduction in the solvent-exposed hydrophobic patches and attenuation of chaperone activity in both proteins. Additionally, gel mobility shift assay indicates the intrinsic propensity of R12C mutant αB-Cry for disulfide bridge-mediated protein dimerization. Overall, the results of this study are of high significance for understanding the molecular details of different factors that are involved in the pathomechanism of cataract disorders.

Post-traumatic stress disorder: a neglected health concern among commercial motor vehicle drivers.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may develop following a trauma. Iranian commercial motor vehicle drivers experience many road traffic accidents during their working life; this may increase the probability for developing PTSD, which in turn may lead to increased human errors as well as decreased work efficiency. OBJECTIVE: To examine the prevalence of PTSD and its associated factors among a group of Iranian commercial motor vehicle drivers. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 424 drivers who referred to participate in an annually training program were selected using a simple random sampling technique. They were requested to complete the Persian version of PCL-C and a data collection sheet about their occupational and demographic features. RESULTS: 385 (90.8%) of 424 studied drivers completed the study. 265 (68.8%) of the drivers had first-grade driving license. The mean±SD on-the-job daily driving was 10.2±2.8 h. 74 of 385 (19.2%; 95% CI: 15.3%-23.2%) met the PTSD criteria. Higher age and job experience as a professional driver, and having past history or past familial history of psychiatric disorders, were independent predictors of developing PTSD. The disease was more prevalent among drivers with first-grade driving license. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of PTSD among Iranian commercial motor vehicle drivers is higher than the figures reported elsewhere. Measures to diagnose of such drivers and to ensure optimum follow-up of victims before return to professional driving should be considered.

Fragrance contact allergy in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Fragrances are considered as one of the most common causes of allergic contact dermatitis. About 1-4% of the general population suffer from fragrance contact allergy (FCA). OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency of FCA and its clinical relevance in a sample of Iranian patients with history of contact and/or atopic dermatitis from January 2004 to December 2008. METHODS: Standardized patch testing with 28-allergen screening series recommended by the German Contact Dermatitis Research Group and European Standard Series was used at six dermatological clinics in Iran. Fragrance allergens comprised of fragrance mix I (FM I), Myroxylon pereirae (MP; balsam of Peru), Lyral, turpentine and FM II. RESULTS: Fragrance contact allergy was detected in 7.2% of the patients. The frequency of positive reactions to FM I, MP and FM II were 3.7% (41/1105), 2.8% (32/1135) and 1.1% (3/267) respectively. 82.4% of the reactions to fragrance allergens were clinically relevant. The most common involved areas were hands (68.4%) and face (35.4%). Fragrance allergy predominantly affected women aged more than 40 years (P=0.008). Positive reaction to more than two allergens was significantly higher in FCA patients compared with other contact dermatitis patients (P<0.0001), and FM I, nickel and MP were the most frequent allergens in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite less frequency of FCA in comparison with some European countries, its clinical relevance in Iranian patients seems to be high. It mostly affects the hands and the face predominantly in women aged more than 40 years.

Plasma sCD26 and sCD30 levels in cutaneous leishmaniasis.

CD26 and CD30 are surface molecules expressed on activated Th1 and Th2 cells, respectively. It is, therefore assumed that plasma levels of CD26 and CD30 (sCD26 and sCD30) correlate with Th1 and Th2 response, respectively. In this study, plasma levels of sCD26 and sCD30 in patients with non-healing form of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) were measured and compared with the levels of sCD26 and sCD30 in patients with healing form of CL and healthy control volunteers. The results indicate that the plasma levels of sCD26 and sCD30 are significantly (p<0.05) higher in patients with non-healing form of CL than patients with healing form of CL or healthy control. No significant difference is seen in the levels of sCD26 and sCD30 in patients with healing form of CL in comparison with healthy control group. It is concluded that sCD30 might be used as an indicator of a Th2 response in patients with non-healing form of CL.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of itraconazole in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND: Several modalities have been used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) with various results. In vitro and in vivo studies have shown inhibitory effects of azole drugs on Leishmania parasites. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of oral itraconazole in the treatment of CL caused by L. major. METHODS: A total of 200 patients with parasitologically confirmed CL with a duration of less than 45 days from a well known L. major endemic area were included in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The patients received either itraconazole 200 mg daily (100 patients) or placebo (100 patients) for 8 weeks. The primary outcome measures were clinical cure (complete re-epithelization of all lesions) and parasitological cure at the end of the treatment. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients in the itraconazole and 75 patients in the placebo group completed the treatment course. After 8 weeks of treatment, clinical cure was observed in 59% and 53% and parasitological cure was observed in 83% and 76% of patients in the itraconazole and placebo groups, respectively, which were not significantly different. There was no difference in the rate of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: An 8-week course of oral itraconazole was not more effective than placebo in the treatment of CL.

A copper ion-selective electrode with high selectivity prepared by sol-gel and coated wire techniques.

A sol-gel electrode and a coated wire ion-selective poly(vinyl chloride) membrane, based on thiosemicarbazone as a neutral carrier, were successfully developed for the detection of Cu (II) in aqueous solutions. The sol-gel electrode and coated electrode exhibited linear response with Nernstian slopes of 29.2 and 28.1 mV per decade respectively, within the copper ion concentration ranges 1.0 x 10(-5) - 1.0 x 10(-1) M and 6.0 x 10(-6) - 1.0 x 10(-1) M for coated and sol-gel sensors. The coated and sol-gel electrodes show detection limits of 3.0 x 10(-6) and 6.0 x 10(-6) M respectively. The electrodes exhibited good selectivities for a number of alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The proposed electrodes have response times ranging from 10-50 s to achieve a 95% steady potential for Cu2+ concentration. The electrodes are suitable for use in aqueous solutions over a wide pH range (4-7.5). Applications of these electrodes for the determination of copper in real samples, and as an indicator electrode for potentiometric titration of Cu2+ ion using EDTA, are reported. The lifetimes of the electrodes were tested over a period of six months to investigate their stability. No significant change in the performance of the sol-gel electrode was observed over this period, but after two months the coated wire copper-selective electrode exhibited a gradual decrease in the slope. The selectivity of the sol-gel electrode was found to be better than that of the coated wire copper-selective electrode. Based on these results, a novel sol-gel copper-selective electrode is proposed for the determination of copper, and applied to real sample assays.

Over-expression of anti-CD75 reactive proteins on distal and collecting renal tubular epithelial cells in calcium-oxalate stone-forming kidneys in Egypt.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the nature, distribution and expression pattern of CD75, a neuraminidase-sensitive lymphocyte cell surface differentiation antigen, in calcium oxalate (CaOx) stone disease, as cell-surface sialic acid might be involved CaOx crystal binding, and lectin-binding assays suggest that sialic acid in the alpha2,6 position is upregulated in stone-forming kidneys. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human CaOx stone-forming and normal kidneys (13 each) and primary kidney epithelial cells (CAKI-1, three samples) were analysed. The protein pattern, distribution and expression of CD75 were analysed using Western blotting, immunohistology and semi-quantitative confocal laser scanning microscopy (cLSM). Production was investigated by alpha2,6-sialyltransferase specific reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Western blotting showed one strong band at approximately 43 kDa that reacted with anti-CD75 when renal epithelial and CAKI-1 tumour cell extracts were analysed. However, in renal tissue extracts of CaOx stone formers there were additional bands at 120 and 205 kDa. Image processing after cLSM showed that anti-CD75 reactivity was significantly greater on E-cadherin-positive distal and collecting tubular cells from CaOx stone-forming kidneys, at a mean (sd) intensity of 87 (7), than on those from normal kidneys, at 41 (5) (P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: CD75 expression in human kidney was primarily on the luminal surface of distal tubules and collecting ducts. Whether increased epithelial CD75 expression in CaOx stone disease is a cause or result of the disease remains to be clarified.

Cell-surface matrix proteins and sialic acids in cell-crystal adhesion; the effect of crystal binding on the viability of human CAKI-1 renal epithelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of sialic acids and cellular matrix proteins as crystal-binding molecules in human calcium-oxalate nephrolithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The well-defined human renal cancer cell line CAKI-1 was used a standard cell culture system. After enzymatic digestion of various cell surface molecules, the binding of alpha2,6 (Sambucus nigra, SN-) and alpha2,3 (Maackia amurensis, MA)-specific lectins to CAKI-1 cells was analysed. Simultaneously, the effect on adhesion and release of calcium oxalate monohydrate crystals was investigated (eight replicates). The effect of crystal adhesion on cell viability was assessed using Trypan blue exclusion (five replicates). RESULTS: Neuraminidase decreased MA-lectin binding of CAKI-1 cells by 39% (P < 0.05) but elevated SN-lectin binding by 812% (P < 0.05). Simultaneously, crystal binding to CAKI-1 cells was increased by 28% (P > 0.05). Pretreatment with collagenase type I, trypsin and dispase II reduced crystal-binding by 61-74% (P < 0.05) with no effect on sialic acid-specific lectin-binding. However, only collagenase type I and dispase (ratio 4 : 1) were also able to release crystals from their receptor-binding sites (P < 0.05). An increase in the number of cell surface-bound crystals correlated significantly with a decrease in cell viability (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: alpha2,3-linked sialic acids protect cells from crystal-binding. Much greater SN-lectin binding associated with only moderately increased crystal binding argues against alpha2,6-linked sialic acids as a main target structure of crystals. In contrast, collagen type I, type IV and/or fibronectin seem to be potent crystal-binding molecules on human renal epithelial cells, with collagen type I involved in a potential second step of crystal-cell interaction.

Effects of chronic lithium on ototoxicity induced by gentamicin and amikacin in guinea-pigs.

The effects of chronic lithium co-therapy on the expression of gentamicin and amikacin ototoxicity were tested in guinea-pigs. Intramuscular injection of different doses of gentamicin (5, 10 mg/kg/day) and amikacin (150, 300 mg/kg/day) for three weeks, induced hearing loss consistent with the established pattern of aminoglycoside ototoxicity. Lithium salts remains one of the most widely used treatment for depressive illness. Administration of lithium chloride (600 mg/l, 35 days) in drinking water changed auditory brainstem response in a time-dependent manner. Pretreatment of animals with lithium chloride after seven days induced significant alterations in wave latency and interval. The present study assesses the protective effects of chronic lithium on gentamicin-induced ototoxicity in guinea pig. The results suggest that duration of lithium administration may be involved in auditory brainstem response changes and the observations could be accounted for, at least partially, by lithium- and aminoglycosides-induced perturbations of the phosphoinositide cascade within the inner ear.

Expression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT) in fetal, benign hyperplastic, and malignant prostate.

BACKGROUND: Androgen-dependent tissue has been reported to be affected by chemical ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, which heterodimerizes with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator protein (ARNT). METHODS: Fetal (n = 3), benign hyperplastic (BPH) (n = 10), and carcinomatous (CaP) (n = 19) prostate tissues were analyzed using immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis was used to confirm the identity of the recognized proteins. RESULTS: Immunoblotting of enriched prostatic epithelial cells (EC) and stromal cells revealed constitutive expression of bands at around 110 kDa and 90 kDa, using anti-AhR and anti-ARNT, respectively. Immunohistology of the fetal specimens revealed heterogeneous cytoplasmic and nuclear AhR expression of immature EC and mesenchymal cells. Constitutive expression of AhR (primarily cytoplasmic) and ARNT (nuclear and cytoplasmic) by the majority of adult basal and secretory EC, CaP, and smooth muscle cells was confirmed in situ. The most intense anti-AhR/-ARNT reactivity was found on smooth muscle cells, followed by EC and fibrocytes. Secretory BPH-EC revealed significantly decreased AhR expression when compared to normal tissue segments. By contrast, anti-AhR reactivity was frequently increased in the more dedifferentiated tumor areas. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that an undefined physiologic AhR ligand(s) as well as environmental factors may exert effects on EC and smooth muscle cells in the prostate through binding to these receptors.

Effect of alpha-tocopherol, taurine and selenium on the attenuation of ischemia/reperfusion injury of splanchnic organs.

BACKGROUND: Splanchnic artery occlusion shock is caused by increased capillary permeability and cellular injury precipitated by oxygen derived free radicals following ischemia and reperfusion of splanchnic organs. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of several well-known oxygen-derived free radical scavengers in ameliorating or preventing this syndrome. STUDY DESIGN: Anesthetized rats were subjected to periods of occlusion of the visceral arteries and reperfusion. Tocopherol, taurine, selenium or a 'cocktail' of these three agents was injected subcutaneously for 4 consecutive days prior to operation. Mean arterial blood pressure was measured throughout the experimental period. Fluorometry and technetium-99m pyrophosphate counting of the visceral organs were performed as well as a histologic grading system for intestinal viability. RESULTS: Final mean arterial blood pressure associated with the 'cocktail' and selenium groups was 79.1 +/- 27.4 mmHg and 83.6 +/- 17.8 mmHg, respectively. These values were significantly higher than the control group, 40.8 +/- 11.4 mmHg (P < 0.05). Similar patterns of the benefit of selenium in contrast with the other groups were obtained with fluorescein perfusion, radioisotopic activity and histologic analysis. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment with selenium of splanchnic ischemia and reperfusion in the rat improves mean arterial blood pressure and microcirculatory visceral perfusion. Further analysis of the precise protective mechanism of selenium for reperfusion injury will enable visceral organs to withstand the consequences of increased capillary leakage and oxidant injury.

Primary adenocarcinoma of the appendix with bilateral Krukenberg ovarian tumors.

An unusual case of a 22-year-old white female with known chronic ulcerative colitis presented with a several-day history of lower abdominal pain and a pelvic mass. Laparotomy revealed a primary carcinoma of the appendix with Krukenberg metastasis to both ovaries. Pathologically this tumor appeared to arise from an appendix which showed no evidence of chronic ulcerative colitis and therefore could not be associated with the above-mentioned entity.