Employing hyaluronic acid-based mesotherapy for facial rejuvenation.

BACKGROUND: Mesotherapy is a method of treatment in which biocompatible substances are injected in small aliquots into different levels of skin. This technique can be used for facial rejuvenation. AIM: To comprehensively evaluate efficacy of different hyaluronic acid (HA) materials for skin rejuvenation, and discuss longevity of these products, potential adverse effects, and different injection techniques. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We searched Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science, Google Scholar, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Science direct until April of 2022. Thirty-four articles were selected including 23 articles about non-cross-linked HA and 11 articles about cross-linked HA. RESULTS: Eleven and five different non-cross-linked HA and cross-linked HA materials were utilized, respectively. Treatment sessions for non-cross-linked HA were between 1 and 6 at weekly-to-bimonthly interval, and for cross-linked HA were 1-3 at 4-36 weeks apart. In most of the studies, serial micropuncture technique with 23-32 gauge needles was used for injection. Other injection techniques were Nappage (picotage), depot and micro-linear. CONCLUSION: Mesotherapy with HA-based fillers is a favorable method for restoring youthful appearance, rejuvenation, and revitalization of skin. Proper selection and precise placement of HA in desired level of dermis is an essential key to optimize improvement and minimize side effects including skin irregularities and Tyndall effect. Adjuvant therapy with additional rejuvenation procedures to enhance esthetic results is required especially in elderly individuals with severe photodamaged skin. Moreover, preservation of esthetic results requires maintenance therapy every few months.

Comparison of Pregabalin and Ketotifen in treatment of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis patients.

This study aims to compare the efficiency of Pregabalin and Ketotifen in treatment of uremic pruritus in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Thirty HD patients were randomly divided into two groups: A (Pregabalin 50 mg three times a day) and B (Ketotifen 1 mg twice a day). Efficacy of treatment and quality of life were weekly evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) and Itchy Quality of life, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding demographic features, laboratory data, quality of life, and VAS before treatment. In the second week of treatment, the pruritus intensity was significantly lower in the Pregabalin group than the Ketotifen group (p = 0.026). The mean of life quality was significantly lower in Ketotifen than Pregabalin group in weeks 1, 2, and 4 (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, and p = 0.036, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding the side effects of drugs. This study showed that a higher dose of Pregabalin could be a more effective treatment than Ketotifen without additive side effects in improving the quality of life in dialysis patients.

Efficacy and safety of traditional and surgical treatment modalities in segmental vitiligo: A review article.

BACKGROUND: Segmental vitiligo (SV) is a distinctive variant of vitiligo that is usually resistant to traditional treatments. Therefore, surgical therapies are mainstay of treatment in this type of vitiligo. To date, there is no review article or systematic review that evaluates specifically efficacy of treatment modalities on SV. AIM: To evaluate current evidence regarding efficacy and safety of traditional and surgical treatment modalities in SV. METHODS: We conducted a search in PubMed, Embase, Web of science, and Google Scholar for key words of "vitiligo" AND "segmental" AND "treatment" OR "therapy" OR "surgical treatments" OR "medical treatments" OR "laser" OR "phototherapy". Inclusion criteria were English literature that investigated efficacy of different treatments on three or more cases on SV from January 2000 until July 2021. RESULTS: A total of thirty-four articles were selected for detailed assessment. Different treatment modalities include medical treatment [systemic corticosteroid (SCS), topical CS (TCS), and topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCI)], phototherapy [narrow band-ultraviolet B (NB-UVB), psoralen and UVA (PUVA) and psoralen+solar exposure (PUVASOL)], laser/lights [helium-neon and Excimer laser/light (EL)] and surgical treatments [punch graft (PG), follicular graft, suction blister epidermal grafting (SBEG), spilt-thickness skin graft (STSG), and cultured/non-cultured-melanocytes-keratinocytes transplantation (MKTP)]. CONCLUSION: There were few randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating the efficacy of treatments in SV. Therefore, future high quality studies are required for better assessment of various treatment modalities in SV. Results of current evidence indicate resistance of SV to traditional therapies unless in patients with short duration of vitiligo. Therefore, surgical interventions are the first-line of treatment in refractory cases, long-standing disease, or presence of leukotrichia in depigmented patches.

Treatment protocols and efficacy of light and laser treatments in post-acne erythema.

BACKGROUND: Post-acne erythema is described as erythema due to release of inflammatory cytokines, dilatation of microcapillaries within papillary dermis and thinning of epidermis. The erythema usually fades; however, it can persist for months. AIM: In this review, we decided to evaluate efficacy of light and laser treatments in acne-induced erythema. METHODS: We searched PUBMED, Embase, Cochrane, and Google Scholar for relevant key words. Inclusion criteria were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated efficacy of laser or light in PAE until September 2021. RESULTS: Twelve RCTs were selected for the final assessment. Light and laser treatments included pulsed dye laser (PDL), intense pulsed light (IPL), Q-switched neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (QS Nd:YAG), fractional photothermolysis, alexandrite, solid-slate 589-1319 nm, and pro-yellow laser. CONCLUSION: Light and laser treatments are effective treatment modalities in reduction of acne-induced erythema along with active acne lesions and atrophic acne scars.

Employing microbotox technique for facial rejuvenation and face-lift.

BACKGROUND: Microbotox technique, intradermal injection of microdroplets of botulinum toxin, is a favorable rejuvenation approach in subjects who prefer more natural appearance. AIM: To determine the best injection techniques (dosage, concentration, as well as number and location of injection points), efficacy and side effects of this innovative technique for facial rejuvenation. METHODS: We conducted a search in Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases from conception until October 2021 with keywords "microbotox" OR "mesobotox" OR "intradermal injection" AND "botulinum toxin" AND "rejuvenation" AND "wrinkle" AND "face-lift." RESULTS: Twenty articles were included in this review article. Different types of formulation including onabotulinum toxin A (OBA), abobotulinum toxin A (ABO), and incobotulinum toxin A (IBA) were used. The most used concentrations were 10-20 u/cc of OBA. Number of injection points varied from 4 (forehead and periorbital areas) to 999 (entire face) with 2 mm to 2 cm apart. Adjuvant treatment modalities were cross-linked hyaluronic acid, intense pulsed laser, and Fraxel laser. Most studies reported the initial results appeared after 5-14 days of procedure, lasting for nearly 3-6 months. CONCLUSION: Microbotox is an efficient and attractive method for facial rejuvenation, mid-lower face-lifting, and fine wrinkles reduction in forehead, periocular, and cheek regions, especially in younger-aged subjects. Furthermore, it is a suitable treatment for neck rejuvenation and recontouring of lower mandibular border, particularly in older subjects with marked skin laxity.

Treatment protocols and efficacy of combined laser with medical treatment modalities in vitiligo.

BACKGROUNDS: Nowadays, lasers are used for treatment of vitiligo in difficult-to-treat areas and refractory lesions. Combination of lasers with other medical modalities can provide higher efficacy, faster response rate, and higher compliance of patients to treatment. AIM: In this article, we reviewed articles regarding safety, efficacy, and treatment protocols of combined laser with other medical modalities. METHODS: We searched articles with relevant key words in Google scholar and PubMed. Inclusion criteria were articles in English language since January 2000 until March 2021that evaluate combination of laser with other topical or systemic medical treatments. RESULTS: A total of 42 articles evaluated efficacy of lasers [excimer, carbon dioxide (CO2 ), erbium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG), and non-ablative resurfacing laser] combined with topical or systemic medical treatment modalities. Effective response rate (more than 50% improvement) varied between 7.7% and 92%. Initial repigmentation observed between 4 and 13 weeks after beginning of treatment. CONCLUSION: Combination of laser with medical modalities leads to more rapid repigmentation, superior efficacy, and better compliance of patients with localized non-segmental type of vitiligo compared to monotherapy. Combination of excimer laser with topical therapy might be suggested for recalcitrant vitiligo lesions in face and neck. Combination of fractional ablative resurfacing lasers with topical therapy, especially 5-flurouracil, can be recommended particularly in recalcitrant acral and bony prominent areas. Further studies are required to achieve conclusive evidence in order to define the best stage of vitiligo for laser therapy and most effective combined treatment regimen.

Combination of carboxytherapy with narrowband-ultraviolet B in the treatment of recalcitrant areas of vitiligo: A randomized clinical trial.

Carboxytherapy has been used in the treatment of autoimmune skin diseases such as psoriasis and morphea. Carboxytherapy has antioxidant effects, and leads to better tissue oxygenation, and release of growth factors. In this article, we decided to evaluate efficacy of combined carboxytherapy and narrowband-ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) compared to NB-UVB alone in the treatment of vitiligo. This is a prospective, split-body double-blind comparative study performed in patients with generalized stable vitiligo in acral areas and extremities referred to dermatology clinic of Afzalipour hospital in Kerman University of Medical Sciences. NB-UVB was performed three times a week in non-consecutive days for 4 months. In each patient, one lesion was randomly treated with carboxytherapy (weekly sessions for total of 16 sessions). Efficacy of treatment was evaluated by percentage of repigmentation of the lesions. Chi-square test and analysis of variance test (ANOVA) were used to compare efficacy of treatment based on demographic features of the patients and clinical features of the lesions, respectively. Twenty-eight patients with mean age of 32.35 ± 7.37 years old completed the study. At the end of the treatment, 37% of the patients in combination therapy group demonstrated more than 75% improvement compared to 0% in the monotherapy group (p = 0.001). There was no significant difference between either demographic features of the patients (age, sex, and skin phototypes) or duration of disease with efficacy of the treatment in both groups. Combination of carboxytherapy with NB-UVB leads to higher percentage of repigmentation and patients' satisfaction compared to monotherapy with NB-UVB.

The efficacy of energy-based devices combination therapy for melasma.

Melasma is a recalcitrant pigmentary disease with a complex pathogenesis. Monotherapy often results in unsatisfactory results with high recurrence rate. In this review article, we evaluate efficacy of energy-based devices combination therapy for melasma. We reviewed published literature since 2010 up to November 2020 regarding adjuvant therapy of energy-based devices with other treatment modalities in the treatment of melasma. After final selection, we assessed 49 articles. Energy-based devices include lasers, non-coherent lights, radiofrequency, iontophoresis, sonophoresis, microneedling, and microdermabrasion. Adjuvant therapies other than energy-based devices were lightening agents, chemical peels, platelet rich plasma (PRP) and mesotherapy. Combination of Q-switched neodymium-doped: yttrium, aluminum, and garnet (QSNY) with either intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) or pulsed-dye laser (PDL) are recommended in recalcitrant melasma in patients with light skin photo types and with dilated skin vessels (especially with PDL). Combination of fractional microneedling radiofrequency or microneedling with QSNY leads to promising results and is a safe treatment modality, especially in darker skin types. Application of topical lightening agents in combination with laser therapy leads to higher efficacy with less adverse effects (post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) and rebound of melasma. Combination of ablative techniques with QSNY is not recommended, due to the high risk of permanent adverse effects such as guttate hypopigmentation and exacerbation of melasma.

Evaluation of some acute phase proteins in cattle naturally infected with Babesia bigemina.

Bovine babesiosis due to Babesia bigemina infection induces systemic inflammation, evidenced by increased sialic acid (SA) levels and declined cholinesterase activity. The current study was undertaken to assess further indicators of the systemic inflammation in the naturally infected cattle. To this end, serum levels of some selected acute phase-proteins (APPs) including serum amyloid A (SAA), haptoglobin (Hp), ceruloplasmin (Cp), and fibrinogen were measured. Additionally, sensitivity and specificity of the APPs were calculated by receiver operating characteristic curve. The correlation among APPs, SA and cholinesterase activity were also assessed. Our previous blood specimens were used to measure APPs. Briefly, the diseased animals were divided into two groups according to the parasitemia: 12 mildly (20 % <) and 8 severely (20 %>) infected animals. Moreover, 10 healthy animals as the control were included. The levels of all APPs were measured to be significantly elevated in a parasitemia burden-dependent fashion as compared to the control. Furthermore, all the APPs showed 100 % specificity, but only SAA and Cp had 100 % sensitivity. A strong and positive correlation was calculated between the APPs and SA; however, cholinesterase activity was inversely correlated with AAPs and SA. In conclusion, inflammatory reactions play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of bovine babesiosis and APPs can be considered as the potential indicators of inflammation.

Cutaneous and histopathological features of coronavirus disease 2019 in pediatrics: A review article.

Prevalence of dermatological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is estimated between 0.25% and 3% in children and adolescents. In this review article, we decided to describe the cutaneous and histopathological manifestations of COVID-19 infection in pediatrics. We searched published articles in PubMed database for key words of "children" or "pediatric" and "cutaneous" or "dermatology" or "skin" and "COVID-19" or "SARS-CoV-2" or "Coronavirus disease 2019" in abstract or title from December of 2019 until September 2020. Finally, 38 articles were selected. The majority of patients were between 11 and 17 years old with predominantly male gender. Most of the patients were either asymptomatic or had a few general symptoms. The latency time from appearance of general symptoms to cutaneous ones was between 1 day and weeks. Skin lesions faded between 3 and 88 days without any sequelae, spontaneously or with either topical or systemic corticosteroids. Skin manifestations were chilblain-like (pseudochilblain), erythema multiforme-like, dactylitis, acral erythema, acute urticaria, livedo reticularis, mottling, acro-ischemia, generalized maculopapular lesions, eyelid dermatitis, miliaria-like, varicelliform lesions, and petechiae and/or purpura. Kawa-COVID-19 patients were presented more frequently with cardiogenic shock, neurological symptoms, lymphocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia as compared to classic Kawasaki's disease. Furthermore, more number of cases were resistant to the first-line treatments.

Niosomal Benzoyl Peroxide and Clindamycin Lotion Versus Niosomal Clindamycin Lotion in Treatment of Acne Vulgaris: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: Combination of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) with topical antibiotics can lead to higher efficacy and less bacterial resistance, but it in turn increases adverse effects such as skin irritability and dryness. In this study, the efficacy of combination therapy of niosomal BPO 1% and clindamycin (CL) 1% is compared with niosomal CL in acne vulgaris. Methods: This is a double-blind clinical trial study on 100 patients with acne vulgaris in Afzalipour hospital in Kerman. Patients were randomly divided into 2 groups (case and control). The case group received niosomal combination of BPO 1% and CL 1%.The control group received niosomal CL1%. The efficacy of treatment protocols was evaluated in 2nd, 4th, 8th and 12th weeks of treatment by counting lesions (severity and grading acne lesions) and quality of life (QoL). Furthermore, side effect were evaluated at each treatment visits. Results: The reduction in mean percentage of acne lesions in case group (treated with BPO 1% and CL1%) (64.21%) was higher than control group (treated with niosomal CL 1%) (59.04%), but the statistical difference was not significant. Sum of excellent and good results were found in 80% and 76.1% of case and control groups, respectively (P=0.377). Also adding BPO to the treatment formulation in case group did not increase adverse effects, as statistical difference between 2 groups was not significant. Conclusion: Combination of niosomal BPO 1% and CL 1% in treatment of acne vulgaris showed higher efficacy with no increase in adverse effects in comparison with niosomal CL 1%, but the statistical difference was not significant.

Real life management of chronic urticaria: Multicenter and cross sectional study on patients and dermatologists in Iran.

Recently, advances in understanding the etiology of urticaria and updates of diagnostic and therapeutic management guidelines have drawn attention to chronic urticaria (CU) morbidity. The present study aimed to evaluate Iranian dermatologists' practice and real life management of CU patients. A total of 35 dermatologists and 443 patients were included in the study. Number of female patients was 321 (72.5%). Mean (standard deviation) age of the study patients was 38 (13) years and the median (inter quartile range) of disease duration was 12 (6-48) months. Severity of patients' symptoms was mild for 32.1%, moderate for 38.7%, severe for 18.8%, and 10.4% of them had no evident signs or symptoms. The most common diagnostic methods were physical examination (96.6%), differential blood count (83.5%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (77.4%), and C-reactive protein (62.8%). The number of dermatologists prescribed nonsedating antihistamines (nsAH) in regular dose and high dose mono therapy were 26 (74%) and 6 (17%), respectively. About 66% of dermatologists were familiar with British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) guideline. The most common first-line treatment for CU by Iranian dermatologists was nonsedating antihistamines in regular or high doses. The real-life management of patients with CU in Iran was in accordance with the available practice guidelines.

Evaluation of the efficacy of intralesional Glucantime plus niosomal zinc sulphate in comparison with intralesional Glucantime plus cryotherapy in the treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis, a randomized clinical trial.

Current treatment modalities in cutaneous leishmaniasis have low efficacy and high toxicity as well as high rate of resistance to treatment. In this study, for the first time we decided to evaluate efficacy of intralesional Glucantime plus niosomal zinc sulphate in comparison with intralesional Glucantime plus cryotherapy in the treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis. This is a case-control study on 64 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kerman-Iran. Patients were categorized in 2 groups A and B whom were treated with weekly intralesional meglumine antimonite plus twice daily niosomal topical zinc sulphate versus weekly intralesional Glucantime plus every other week cryotherapy, respectively. We assessed the efficacy of treatment modalities (as partial and complete response) and their adverse effects by measuring size of the lesions every 2 weeks up to maximum of 12 weeks and 3 months after the end of the treatment. Partial response rate was 16.6% and 12.9% in group A and B, respectively (P = 0.784). Complete response rate was 73.3% and 80.6% in group A and B, respectively (P = 0.784). Complete response rate was achieved in 4.73 ± 0.29 weeks and 4.69 ± 0.28 weeks in group A and B, respectively (P = 0.925). Partial response rate was achieved in 2.92 ± 0.23 weeks and 2.65 ± 0.18 weeks, respectively (P = 0.365). Combination of niosomal zinc sulphate with intralesional Glucantime has equal efficacy versus combination of cryotherapy plus intralesional Glucantime in the treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis. So, it can be used in cases that have resistance to first-line treatments.

Root Canal Anatomy and Morphology of Mandibular First Molars in a Selected Iranian Population: An In Vitro Study.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate root canal anatomy of mandibular first molars (MFM) in a selected Iranian Population using clearing technique. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A total of 150 extracted MFMs were cleared. The root canal morphology (including the root numbers and root length) and the anatomy of the root canal system (including is the number and type of canals based on Vertucci's classification, canal curvature according to Schneider's method and the presence of isthmus) was evaluated using the buccolingual and mesiodistal parallel x-rays and stereomicroscope. The data were analyzed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: Two and three roots were present in 96.7% and 33% of the teeth, respectively (P=0.0001). All the teeth (100%) had two canals in the mesial root, while 61.3% of the samples had one distal root canal (P=0.006). The root canal configuration in the mesial canal included type IV (55.3%) and type II (41.3%) (P=0.0001). In doubled-canalled distal roots, 68.8% and 24.3% were type II and type IV, respectively (P=0.0001). Isthmii were observed in 44.6% of mesial and 27.3% of distal roots (P=0.0001). CONCLUSION: The notable prevalence of type IV configuration in both roots of mandibular first molars, presence of isthmus and root curvature, necessitates the careful negotiation and cleaning of all accessible canal spaces.

Comparison between intralesional injection of zinc sulfate 2 % solution and intralesional meglumine antimoniate in the treatment of acute old world dry type cutaneous leishmaniasis: a randomized double-blind clinical trial.

Zinc sulfate (ZS) has been used for the treatment of acute cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in both forms of in vivo and in vitro recently. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of intralesional injection of ZS 2 % solution with intralesional glucantime in the treatment of acute CL. In this double-blind randomized clinical trial, 80 cases with acute old world dry type CL were enrolled in the study. The treatment protocol in the first group consisted of intralesional injection of ZS 2 % vials once a week for 10 weeks or sooner in case of complete resolution of the lesions. In the second group, intralesional glucantime once a week for 10 weeks or sooner in case of complete resolution of the lesions were used. In both groups cryotherapy was performed once every other week for 10 weeks. In ZS versus second group, partial and complete clinical response was observed with fewer injections although this difference was not statistically significant. In addition, we found that the trend of treatment in second group was faster but again it was not significant [partial treatment: hazard ratio (HR) 1.4, 95 % CI 0.7-2.9; complete treatment: HR 1.3, 95 % CI 0.6-2.8]. The results of this study showed that the intralesional injection of ZS 2 % solution was as effective as glucantime on the healing of the acute old world dry type CL.

Comparison between Combination Therapy of Oral Terbinafine and Cryotherapy versus Systemic Meglumine Antimoniate and Cryotherapy in Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that may lead to a variety of manifestations. In Iran, cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has a high prevalence. There are many treatment modalities for CL. The use of oral terbinafine in the treatment of CL has recently been considered. The aim of this study was to compare combination of oral terbinafine plus cryotherapy versus systemic meglumine antimoniate plus cryotherapy in CL. METHODS: Patients with proven direct smear for CL were divided randomly in 2 groups of 40 cases. For the first group systemic glucantime prescribed (IM, 15 mg/kg/day) for 3 weeks. For the second group oral terbinafine as two folds of usual dose in the treatment of fungal diseases prescribed [125 mg/day for body weight (BW) <20 kg, 250 mg/day for BW 20-40 kg, 500 mg/day for BW>40 kg] for 4 weeks. Both groups received cryotherapy every 2 weeks for 4 weeks. The patients were followed monthly for 3 months after the treatment. RESULTS: Partial (HR= 0.55, CI 95%= 0.3-1.1) and complete (HR= 0.53, CI 95%= 0.3-0.98) clinical improvement in terbinafine group was much slower than glucantime group, although at the end of treatment protocols no significant difference between groups were statistically observed (P=0.27). CONCLUSION: Considering more convenient suitable route of administration and approximately comparable results, it seems that terbinafine can be used as an alternative treatment, especially in the case of allergy or resistance to systemic glucantime.

Extended latanoprost release from commercial contact lenses: in vitro studies using corneal models.

In this study, we compared, for the first time, the release of a 432 kDa prostaglandin F2a analogue drug, Latanoprost, from commercially available contact lenses using in vitro models with corneal epithelial cells. Conventional polyHEMA-based and silicone hydrogel soft contact lenses were soaked in drug solution (131 µg = ml solution in phosphate buffered saline). The drug release from the contact lens material and its diffusion through three in vitro models was studied. The three in vitro models consisted of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membrane without corneal epithelial cells, a PET membrane with a monolayer of human corneal epithelial cells (HCEC), and a PET membrane with stratified HCEC. In the cell-based in vitro corneal epithelium models, a zero order release was obtained with the silicone hydrogel materials (linear for the duration of the experiment) whereby, after 48 hours, between 4 to 6 µg of latanoprost (an amount well within the range of the prescribed daily dose for glaucoma patients) was released. In the absence of cells, a significantly lower amount of drug, between 0.3 to 0.5 µg, was released, (p <0:001). The difference observed in release from the hydrogel lens materials in the presence and absence of cells emphasizes the importance of using an in vitro corneal model that is more representative of the physiological conditions in the eye to more adequately characterize ophthalmic drug delivery materials. Our results demonstrate how in vitro models with corneal epithelial cells may allow better prediction of in vivo release. It also highlights the potential of drug-soaked silicone hydrogel contact lens materials for drug delivery purposes.

Design and development of an in vitro tear replenishment system.

Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the corneal tissue and translating them into effective therapies requires organotypic culture systems that can better model the physiological conditions of the front of the eye. Human corneal in vitro models currently exist, however, the lack of tear replenishment limits corneal in vitro models' ability to accurately simulate the physiological environment of the human cornea. The tear replenishment system (TRS), a micro-fluidic device, was developed to mimic the in vivo tear replenishment in the human eye in an in vitro corneal model. The TRS is capable of generating adjustable intermittent flow from 0.1 µL in every cycle. The TRS is a sterilizable device that is designed to fit standard 6-well cell culture plates. Experiments with the corneal models demonstrated that exposure to the TRS did not damage the integrity of the stratified cell culture. Contact lenses "worn" by the in vitro corneal model also remained moist at all times and the cytotoxicity of BAK could also be verified using this model. These in vitro results confirmed that the TRS presents novel avenues to assess lens-solution biocompatibility and drug delivery systems in a physiologically relevant milieu.

Cutaneous malignant melanoma in central iran: a 20-year study.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancers are the most common cancers around the world. Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is the malignancy of melanocytes that are mainly located in the skin and mucous membranes. OBJECTIVE: This study tried to evaluate the incidence and mean survival time of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) in Yazd, Iran. It seems that the epidemiology and clinical aspects of CMM in Iran are different from those in other parts of the world; also due to the limited and scattered studies there isn't lot in the literature regarding CMM in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study used data obtained from the cancer registry center in the province of Yazd for a period of 21 years (1988 - 2008). Population and statistical data were gathered from "National Organization for Civil Registration". Population-based data were analyzed, focusing on the incidence and mean survival time over this 21 year period. RESULTS: The mean incidence rate for CMM in Yazd-Iran between 1988 and 2008 was 0.40 per 100,000 for males and 0.27 per 100,000 for females per year, and the incidence of CMM was relatively constant during this period of time. The mean survival rates for women were better than men (80.5% and 76.3% respectively). CONCLUSIONS: CMM in Yazd is a low-incidence skin tumor that shows a relatively fixed incidence between 1988 and 2008, Higher incidences of CMM were found in sun-exposed areas (especially head and neck areas), with more incidence in men. Skin cancers and CMM incidence in Iran is lower than western countries, most probably due to geographical zone, genetic factors, skin type, society-related customs including clothing styles.