[Treatment and outcome of malignant external auditory canal and middle ear tumor in Ghaem hospital - Mashhad]

External Auditory Canal and Middle Ear tumor are rare. Its unspecific symptoms make the physician confuse and has not a good prognosis. The aim of this study was to access the prevalence and comparing of middle and external ear carcinoma [Squamous Cell Carcinoma or Basal cell Carcinoma] in demographic factors and kind of management. In this cross sectional study we evaluated the patients with squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma of external and middle ear who treated in ENT ward of Ghaem hospital Mashhad during 1995- 2009. We randomly selected 63 patients and followed them up for 2-24 months. Our findings showed that of total 47 patients with external auditory canal malignant tumors had either SCC [46.81%] or BCC [53.19%]. In the other hand of 16 patients with middle ear malignant tumor showed either SCC [93.75%] or BCC [6.25%]. Two- year survival in external auditory canal malignancies was much better than middle ear malignancies. The rates of recurrence in external auditory canal malignancy and in middle ear malignancy were 13% and 50% respectively. The best management in this malignancies is en block resection

[Prevalence of refractive errors in different ages and gender, in patients examined in optometry clinic of rehabilitation of Shahid Beheshti Medical University in 2008/2009]

Since no study on the prevalence of refractive errors had been performed in this optometry clinic, this study was designed to determine the prevalence rate of refractive errors among the patients examined in this clinic in 2008/2009. In this cross-sectional study, the files of the patients examined in optometry clinic in 2008/2009 were reviewed. Variables included age, sex, rate and type of refractive errors and health of anterior and posterior eye segments. The prevalence rates of myopia, hypermetriopa, astigmatism and emmetropia were 11.83%, 15/38%, 45%, 27/34% respectively. The respective prevalence rates of refractive errors in men and women were: 10.3% and 13.1% for myopia, 16.7%, 15.1% for hypermetropia, 45.6% and 44.5% for astigmatism, and 27.4% and 27.3% for emmetropia. The mean ages of the patients with myopia, hypermetropia and astigmatism were 36.1 +/- 19.36, 41.27 +/- 22.06 and 32.16 +/- 20.98. Respectively Difference of the ratios of the patients with different ages suffering from refractive errors was significant [P<0.0001]. There was no significant difference in the male to female ratio in the patients with refractive errors [P<0.741]. This study showed that the prevalence rate of myopia increased up to the age of 20-30 years but that of hypermetropia decreased, and prevalence rates of myopia and hypermetropia in some age groups increased after the age of 40. In addition, the prevalence rates of refractive errors in different age groups were not similar and gender had no effect on the prevalence of refractive errors. These results are compatible with the results of other studies

[Determination of reservoir[s] and vector[s] of cutaneous leishmaniasis by nested-PCR in Marvdasht District, Fars Province, Southern Iran]

Cutaneous leishmaniasis [CL] is an increasing public health problem in several parts of Iran. In southern parts, the incidence of CL has been doubled over the last decade. This epidemiological study was done for determination of reservoir[s] and vector[s] of cutaneous leishmaniasis in rural regions of Marvdasht, Fars province, southern Iran during 2003 and 2004. A total of 126 rodents were collected from three villages using live traps and their Giemsa-stained smears were studied for leishmania infection. After DNA extraction from positive smears, Nested-PCR was used for the identification of parasite species. In another procedure, 200 sand flies were collected by aspirator and after species identification DNA extraction and PCR was done. The collected samples included Meriones libycus [75.4%], Cricetulus migratorius [14.3%] and Microtus arualis [10.3%]. Eight out of 95 Meriones libycus [8.4%] were found to be infected with Leishmania major. None of the other species were positive. Among the collected female sandflies 75% were identified to be Phlebotomus papatasi and 2.7% of them were found with L.major infection. Only 2.7% of Phlebotomus papatasi were found naturally infected with Leishmania major. This is the first report of detection of L.major by Nested-PCR in P.papatasi as a proven principal vector of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Fars province, south of Iran

[Relation between salivary aspartate aminotransferase and periodontal disease]

The previous studies demonstrated that there is a strong relationship between the levels of Aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and the progression of the periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of this enzyme in various stage of the periodontal disease. Sixty volunteers participated in this historical cohort study. They were divided in three groups of 20 each; group 1 [healthy periodontium], group 2 [early periodontitis], and group 3 [advanced periodontitis]. Following periodontal examination including plaque index, bleeding on probing, pocket depth, and attachment level, 1ml of unstimulated saliva was collected and evaluated for the differences by means of Kruskal Wallis and student t tests. There was a higher level of the enzyme in the saliva of the subjects with advanced periodontitis [67.95 16.4] compared to periodontally normal [36.8 13.5] and early periodontitis [43.45 18.4] patients, and the difference was highly significant [P<0.0001]. There seems to be a positive relationship between periodontal disease severity and the higher value of the AST enzyme in saliva. The results should be confirmed by longitudinal studies evaluating the various parameters of the periodontal disease

Ameloblastic odontoma

A case of odontoameloblastoma affecting the left maxilla that was treated by radical excision [removal of 2-3 mm of the unaffected bone] is reported. A permanent dental obturator was clasped onto the remaining teeth providing complete replacement of the excised hard palate and lost dentition. This permanent obturator will allow the patient to speak normally and eat all kinds of food three months after surgery