Relationship Between Level of Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma in an Iranian Population.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between vitamin D and skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is not well defined. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and the incidence of skin SCC for the first time in Iran. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: In this case-control study, 126 subjects were enrolled (63 in each group) out of referents to Razi Skin Hospital in Tehran in 2014. The risk factors for cancer gathered by self-reported questionnaires and blood samples were obtained to measure the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Multivariate logistic regression was used to neutralize the effect of confounding factors. RESULTS: Cases of SCC were more likely to be in men, older than 49 years and working in an outdoor environment, and with longtime exposure to sunlight and a personal history of skin cancers. Family history of skin cancer and of cigarette smoking were not significantly related to SCC. In the SCC and control groups, 69.8% and 31.7%, respectively, had sufficient levels of vitamin D (P < 0.001). Mean level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was 40.99 ng/mL in the SCC group and 26.34 ng/mL in the control group (P < 0.05). In the unadjusted model, the level of vitamin D as a continuous variable was positively related to SCC risk. In the adjusted model, vitamin D did not independently predict the likelihood of SCC. CONCLUSION: Vitamin D level and SCC risk are directly related, although not in an independent fashion. Indeed, this relation is severely confounded by exposure to sunlight, which was evidenced by an increased vitamin D level in the people working outside and the higher prevalence of SCC in the same population.

Guided imagery effects on chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in Iranian breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of guided imagery on chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients. DESIGN: This was a quasi-experimental study in which a group of sample was evaluated pre and post intervention. A convenience sample of 55 eligible breast cancer patients enrolled to participate in this study after giving informed consent. They completed the Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Vomiting, before and after the intervention. The intervention consisted of listening to the two guided imagery tracks. FINDINGS: After the intervention, patients at the third session of chemotherapy had significantly lower mean scores in the frequency and severity of nausea and vomiting pre and post chemotherapy (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Guided imagery, as an inexpensive and noninvasive method, is particularly appealing option to alleviate chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. It can be used in addition to pharmacological strategies and can be implemented by patients independently with sufficient training. Therefore, this therapy will considerably improve severity and frequency of chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting.

Dyslipidemia after kidney transplantation and correlation with cyclosporine level.

BACKGROUND: Dyslipidemia after kidney transplantation is a frequent finding and is multifactorial. Immunosuppressive agents such as cyclosporine (CsA) can cause hypercholesterolemia. OBJECTIVES: As there were few reports with conflicting evidence on whether CsA related dyslipidemia is dose related and that CsA monitoring assays (trough level, C0, or two hour post dose level, C2) is a better predictor for dyslipidemia development; hence, the current study, in a large sample size, was designed to answer these questions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the current retrospective cross sectional study, 1391 kidney transplant recipients were enrolled. All patients received CsA plus mycophenolatemofetile or azathioprine and prednisolone. Serum creatinine, CsA blood levels and lipid profile were measured after 12-14 h fasting. Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson`s test and logistic regression were used for data analyses. RESULTS: Mean age of 1391studied population was 38.7 ± 15 years old. Hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia were observed in 58.9% and 86.6%, respectively and they were more significantly detected in cadaveric kidney transplantation. Dyslipidemia had weak correlation with age of recipient, serum creatinine, C0 and C2 levels of CsA. At logistic regression, serum creatinine was the only risk factor for hypercholesterolemia development after kidney transplantation (OR = 1.6, CI 95%: 1.4 -1.8). CONCLUSIONS: Dyslipidemia is a common finding after kidney transplantation and has no correlation with CsA level. According to conflicting data on the precise effect of different factors in inducing dyslipidemia, prospective large sample size studies should consider better control of dyslipidemia.