The prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and related factors in 188 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: One of the most important concerns about systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the presence of oral lesions, which in turn is one of the diagnostic criteria for SLE. Regarding the wide range of oral lesions and the absence of comprehensive data in Iran, this study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions and related factors in patients with SLE at three rheumatology clinics in Tehran. METHODS: This descriptive study was performed on 188 patients by observation, clinical examination, completing questionnaire and also evaluating patients' medical records. The lesions explored were ulcer, erythema, erythematous center with white striae or spots, and white plaques. Related factors taken into consideration were age, sex, smoking, frequency of pregnancy, oral health status, duration of disease, medications taken daily dosage of corticosteroid drugs, and the state of disease control. Sampling was done by the continuous method and data obtained were analyzed by SPSS version 16.0 and ordinal regression tests. FINDINGS: Out of 188 patients, 102 (54.3%) patients had oral mucosal lesions. The most prevalent lesion was ulcer (28.1%) and the most common region involved was the buccal and labial mucosa. CONCLUSION: With regard to the high prevalence of oral mucosal lesions in patients with SLE, it is of paramount importance to emphasize early detection of these lesions as a mean of diagnosis of disease and faster initiation of treatment.

Hydrogen sulfide removal by Thiobacillus thioparus bacteria on seashell bed biofilters.

The aim of this research is to achieve an efficient and cheap methods to remove H2S from the factories emissions. Four serial cylinders are designed, 40 cm in height and 15 cm in diameter each. They are filled with bivalve seashells with 63% porosity which contains Thiobacillus thioparus bacteria to the maximum height of 27.5 cm. By mixing phosphoric acid and sodium sulfide, H2S gas is released and its concentration is measured as mg m(-3) before injecting into the cylinders. A permanent measuring instrument is equipped to control the gas coming out of the cylinders. In order to prevent the outdoor environment from pollution, first the gas is sent through two activated carbon columns and then sent through a ferrous chloride scrubber. Finally it is burnt directly by flames. There were 550 sample readings in 15 weeks. The changes in the discharge of the air which carries the gas are considered between 1-12 L min(-1) and the concentration of the influent pollutant is considered between 1-140 mg m(-3). Also the humidity in the atmosphere is fixed between 77-93% and the optimum temperature required for growing of the microorganisms is retained between 20.5-30 degrees C. After feeding the system for three weeks the efficiency started to increase so that by the end of the final week of this research the efficiency reached to 90% with the discharge of 6 L min(-1) of the carrier gas. The results achieved from this research show that because of not using Filamentous bacteria, clogging did not occur in the biological system in biofilters. The amount of head loss in cylinder was only 2 mm water and during this research, head loss was the same due to unclogging of filter. On the other hand the traditional methods are expensive in terms of using chemicals, carbon recycling and using fuel and etc. Therefore researchers have started new studies in this field. The above mentioned method, according to high efficiency, inexpensiveness and easiness of control and maintenance is considered one of the best methods.

[Rheumatoid purpura and intravenous immunoglobulins]. / Purpura rhumatoïde et immunoglobulines intraveineuses.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura is a vasculitis usually with a benign course. Abdominal symptoms occur in 70% of cases, with possible intussusception or intestinal perforation. There is no clear evidence of the efficacy of a treatment in complicated cases of Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Corticosteroids improve abdominal pain but they do not have any effect on renal involvement or prevention of relapses. Intravenous immunoglobulins have been efficient in some cases with recurrent abdominal symptoms or progressive renal lesions. We report the case of a 19-year-old patient with severe abdominal involvement and early renal manifestations of Henoch-Schönlein disease, rapid and sustained improvement was obtained by intravenous immunoglobulins given during 48 hours.