Evaluation of the effect of Echium amoenum on pain control after clinical crown lengthening surgery.

Background: Pain after periodontal surgeries is one of the most common complications. Echium amoenum is among the important therapeutic herbs in Iranian traditional medicine. Various studies have shown its pain control properties. This study aimed to evaluate this herb's efficacy in controlling pain after periodontal surgeries. Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 50 patients referred to Tabriz Dental School for clinical crown lengthening surgery were divided into two equal groups: control and test. In the test group (using E. amoenum), 24 hours before surgery, E. amoenum was administered to the patient at home every 12 hours, and a dose of E. amoenum was administered one hour before the procedure. The postoperative pain was assessed using VAS 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 3 hours after the surgery and verbal rating scale (VRS) 24, 48, and 72 hours postoperatively. A chi-square test was used to compare the pain severity between the two groups. Results: The VAS index was significantly lower in the E. amoenum group compared to the control group (30 minutes, 1 hour, and 3 hours after the procedure) (P<0.05). In both groups, pain severity increased significantly up to 3 hours postoperatively (P<0.05). In the first 24 hours, the VRS index of the E. amoenum group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05), with no significant differences between the two groups at 48 and 72 hours (P>0.05). Conclusion: The E. amoenum herb reduced the pain severity after clinical crown lengthening surgeries.

Validity and reliability of tooth color selection by smartphone photography and software applications.

Aim: This study assessed the validity and reliability of color selection by smartphone photography using two smartphone applications and Adobe Photoshop software. Settings and Design: In vitro comparative study. Materials and Methods: The validity and reliability of dental tooth shade recognition (DTSR), Chromatcher, and Adobe Photoshop were evaluated for color selection of shade tabs. The iPhone 7 camera in automatic mode was used for photography. Images were captured using Smile Lite with/without polarized filter and with camera flash. To assess the reliability, nine Vita Lumin Vacuum shade tabs were chosen and each was photographed for 10 times using Smile Lite. The reliability of DTSR, Chromatcher, and Photoshop in shade-taking was calculated. To assess their validity, 16 shade tabs of Vita Lumin Vacuum and 26 shade tabs of Vita 3D Master were photographed using the aforementioned lighting conditions. The color of photographs was calibrated and shade-taking was performed and compared with the shade suggested by SpectroShade as reference. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using Two-way analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test. Results: The reliability of Photoshop, DTSR, and Chromatcher was 98.88%, 63.3%, and 100%, respectively. The validity of Photoshop was significantly higher than other software programs (P < 0.05). Chromatcher had higher validity than DTSR (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Shade-taking by calibrated smartphone pictures and Adobe Photoshop has high validity and reliability.

Electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy is not associated with increased in-hospital adverse events in patients with first Non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction: A single center study.

BACKGROUND: There is conflicting data about prognostic implication of electrocardiographic (ECG) left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in patients with first non- ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). We aimed to examine the association of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) on admission electrocardiogram with adverse outcomes in patients with NSTEMI. METHODS: In the present study, 460 patients (77.5% males with mean age of 65.44±13.15 years) with first NSTEMI were evaluated. ECG left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) was diagnosed based on Sokolow-Lyon voltage criteria. Baseline laboratory and clinical results, angiographic data, as well as in- hospital adverse events were compared between the patients with and without LVH. RESULTS: Electrocardiographic LVH was observed in 74 (16.1%) patients. Patients with LVH had higher admission systolic blood pressure (132.91±21.08 vs 125.80±21.78; P=0.01) and higher peak troponin (6.42±1.03 vs 4.41±0.28; P=0.004), but less likely to undergo coronary angiography (54.1% vs 66.8%; P=0.03) .Patients with electrocardiographic LVH had similar in-hospital mortality (5.4% vs 3.6%, P=0.5) and heart failure/ pulmonary edema (2.7% vs 2.07%, P=0.6) compared to patients without LVH. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that among the patients with first NSTEMI, electrocardiographic LVH was not associated with increased in-hospital adverse events.

Ursolic Acid Mediates Hepatic Protection through Enhancing of anti-aging Biomarkers.

BACKGROUND: Age-associated loss of liver function has been recognized for decades. But, the mechanism driving liver regeneration and its decline with age remains elusive. OBJECTIVE: Hence, to support of our previous studies about anti-aging effects of Ursolic Acid (UA), a compound which is extensively present in apple peels. The aim of this study is to address whether UA might alter sensors of the cell metabolic state such as SIRT1, SIRT6, PGC-1ß and Klotho proteins. METHODS: To evaluate the effect of UA on hepatic indicated proteins, mice were administrated with UA twice daily for 7 days. The involvements of these proteins in the UA-mediated effect harmony hepatic protection were investigated by immunofluorescence microscopy technique. RESULTS: Our findings clearly illustrated that UA enhanced SIRT1 (~ 5 ± 0.2 folds) and SIRT6 (~ 8 ± 0.5 folds) proteins levels in hepatic, p<0.001. In addition, the data showed that UA increased PGC-1ß (~ 7 ± 0.4 folds) protein overexpression, p<0.001. Moreover, we showed that UA upregulated Klotho (~ 3.5 ± 0.2 folds) protein in order to improve hepatic performance, p<0.01. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that UA through increasing of SIRT1 up-regulation ameliorate reverse cholesterol transport, fatty acid use and oxidative stress defense. In addition, it seems that UA by enhancing of SIRT6 expression promotes cholesterol homeostasis through repressing SREBP1 and SREBP2. Reciprocally, UA might be involved in VLDL synthesis and exportation through PGC-1ß up-regulation. Finally, UA might be as key regulators of mineral homeostasis and bile acid/cholesterol metabolism, by inducing Klotho overexpression.

A randomized clinical trial to compare levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (Mirena) vs trans-cervical endometrial resection for treatment of menorrhagia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the acceptability, efficacy, adverse effects, and user satisfaction of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) and trans-cervical resection of the endometrium (TCRE) for the treatment of menorrhagia. METHOD: 104 women with menorrhagia were divided into 2 groups: 52 women had the LNG-IUS inserted and 52 underwent TCRE. Menstrual pattern, pictorial blood loss assessment chart score, adverse effects, and rates of acceptability and satisfaction, were recorded at 6 and 12 months after the procedure. RESULTS: After a year there were reductions of 93.9% and 88.4% in menstrual blood loss in the TCRE and LNG-IUS groups, respectively. Amenorrhea was more common in the TCRE group and spotting and systemic effects in the LNG-IUS group. Satisfaction rates of the TCRE group were higher than the LNG-IUS group (80.8% vs 69.2%), but the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Although both treatments were found to be equally effective, LNG-IUS was less invasive and can be advised for younger women with a desire to preserve fertility.