ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a true emergency that must be diagnosed and treated immediately. The purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of treatment with intratympanic dexamethasone plus oral prednisolone daily or every other day with that of treatment with oral prednisolone alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-three patients with SSNHL that had been present for less than 10 days prior to the start of treatment were randomly allocated to three different groups. Patients in group A were treated daily with oral prednisolone 1 mg/kg for 10 days plus intratympanic dexamethasone 2 mg for the first 3 days of treatment. Patients in group B were treated every other day with oral prednisolone 1 mg/kg for 10 days with the addition of intratympanic dexamethasone 2 mg for the first 3 treatments. Patients in group C were treated daily with oral prednisolone 1 mg/kg alone for 10 days. Audiometric parameters including pure tone audiometry (PTA), speech reception threshold (SRT), and speech discrimination score (SDS) were assessed on days 1,5, and 10. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in PTA, SRT and SDS in each group over the 10 days but the greatest improvement was seen in the SRT measurements of group A in comparison with group B (19.81 ± 2.15, P=0.04) and C (26.26 ± 0.08, P=0.01). The difference in SRT between groups B and C was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The administration of intratympanic dexamethasone 2 mg daily for 3 days has an additive effect to that of 10 days of oral prednisolone 1 mg/kg in the treatment of SSNHL.
ABSTRACT
Background. Hibiscus Sabdariffa L. (HS), a member of malvaceae family, is a medicinal plant with a worldwide fame. Its effect on reducing serum lipids is mentioned in several studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of this plant in reducing the serum's lipids in hypertensive patients. Materials and Methods. Ninety hypertensive patients were randomly assigned to receive Hibiscus Sabdariffa (HS) tea or black tea for 15 days. The patients were asked to drink the tea within 20 minutes following its preparation. This process had to be repeated two times, daily. Patient's FBS and lipid profile were collected at the first visit day (day 0) and on the day 30. Results. There was no significant differences between pre and post experiment values within the two groups. An upward trend in total cholesterol, HDL, and LDL cholesterol was evident in both groups. The increase in total and HDL cholesterol in both groups relative to their initial values were significant. Conclusion. Hibiscus Sabdariffa is probably a safe medicinal plant. No significant harmful changes in cholesterol, triglyceride, BUN, serum creatinine, Na and K levels were observed within 15 days after the discontinuation of the medication.
ABSTRACT
Although different treatment modalities have been implemented for pulmonary fibrosis, the results have not been promising and these conditions have been considered untreatable and irreversible. Thus, a plethora of new drugs has been tried for the control of this condition in recent years. This study examined the effects of two angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, captopril and enalapril, on paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats, through biochemical and histopathological parameters. Male albino Wistar rats were divided into eight groups (n = 4-5 each), including control, paraquat, captopril alone, captopril treatment and pre-treatment, enalapril alone, enalapril treatment and pre-treatment. After 21 days of treatment, the lungs were removed and the levels of hydroxyproline, glutathione and lipid peroxidation were determined. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors showed no effect on glutathione and lipid peroxidation. The results also demonstrated that captopril and enalapril improved pulmonary fibrosis as shown by histopathology, as well as a decreased content of hydroxyproline (P < 0.001) in the lung tissue. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that the antifibrotic effect of these drugs may be related to the inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme.
