Gluten sensitivity enteropathy in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis.

BACKGROUND: Gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE) is an autoimmune enteropathy triggered by the ingestion of gluten-containing grains in susceptible individuals. Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) may be the sole manifestation of GSE. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gluten sensitivity enteropathy (GSE) in a large group of patients with RAS and assess the efficacy of gluten free diet (GFD) on the improvement of aphthous lesions in those who were diagnosed with GSE. METHODS: Two hundred and forty seven patients with RAS were included. The patients had at least three aphthous attacks per year. Patients were screened by IgA anti-endomysial antibody (EMA), IgA anti tissue transglutaminase (TTG) and serum IgA level. Those with a positive serology underwent endoscopic biopsies of the duodenal mucosa and patients with negative serology were excluded. The diagnosis of GSE was based on a positive serological test and abnormal duodenal histology. For patients with GSE, gluten free diet was recommended. RESULTS: Six out of 247 RAS patients had positive TTG test alone, and one had positive EMA and TTG. All 7 patients with positive serologic tests underwent duodenal biopsies. Histological findings were compatible with GSE in all of them (Marsh I in four patients, Marsh II in two patients and Marsh IIIB in one another.). The mean age of GSE patients was 27.42 +/- 10.56 (range, 13 to 40) years old. They were suffering from RAS for an average duration of 4.5 years. All of the 7 GSE patients had not responded to the routine anti-aphthae medications, including topical corticosteroids, tetracycline and colchicine. Four patients who adhered to a strict gluten-free diet showed noticeable improvement in their aphthous lesions over a period of 6 months. CONCLUSION: A significant minority (e.g. 2.83%) of RAS patients have GSE. This could be compared with the 0.9% prevalence of GSE in the general population of Iran. This study suggests that evaluation for celiac disease is appropriate in patients with RAS. Additionally, the unresponsiveness to conventional anti-aphthae treatment could be an additional risk indicator.

Inhibitory effect of corcin on aggregation of 1N/4R human tau protein in vitro.

OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disorder. One of the hallmarks of AD is an abnormal accumulation of fibril forms of tau protein which is known as a microtubule associated protein. In this regard, inhibition of tau aggregation has been documented to be a potent therapeutic approach in AD and tauopathies. Unfortunately, the available synthetic drugs have modest beneficial efficacy with several side effects. Therefore, pipeline drugs from natural sources with anti-aggregation properties can be useful in the prevention and treatment of AD. Among medicinal plants, saffron (Crocus sativus, L.), as a traditional herbal medicine has different pharmacological properties and can be used as treatment for several nervous system impairment including depression and dementia. Crocin as a major constituent of saffron is the glycosylated form of crocetin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of crocin on aggregation of recombinant human tau protein 1N/4R isoform using biochemical methods and cell culture. RESULTS: Results revealed that tau protein under the fibrillation condition and in the presence of crocin had enough stability with low tendency for aggregation. Crocin inhibited tau aggregation with IC50 of 100 µg/ml. Furthermore, transmission electron microscopy images confirmed that crocin could suppress the formation of tau protein filaments. CONCLUSION: Inhibitory effect of crocin could be related to its interference with nucleation phase that led to increases in monomer species of tau protein. Based on our results, crocin is recommended as a proper candidate to be used in AD treatment.

Evaluation of urinary enzymes in newborns treated with gentamicin.

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of study on early diagnosis of kidney injury through sensitive and specific biomarkers. We examined the practical applicability of the urinary levels of NAG (N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase), AP (alkaline phosphatase), and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) as renal dysfunction screening biomarkers in full and pre-term newborns treated with gentamicin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen pre-term and fifteen full-term newborns who received gentamicin for suspected infections were enrolled. Serum and urine specimens were obtained before the zero days and after gentamicin infusion on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th days of treatment. RESULTS: In full-term newborns a significant increase in urinary NAG, LDH, AP after 5 days of gentamicin administration compared with control group was noted (P<0.05, P<0.001 and P<0.01; respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that urinary enzymes may be useful in full-term newborns as a non-invasive method for evaluation of tubular function.