Vitiligo and social acceptance.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Vitiligo is a chronic skin disease characterized by a total or partial loss of melanocytes from the epidermis and other tissues of the skin. It is placed in the class of secondary psychiatric disorders and can also lead to psychological problems. The main aim of this study was to assess social acceptance in vitiligo patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on all of the patients (n=150) with vitiligo who were referred to dermatology clinics in Rafsanjan, Iran. The patients completed a social acceptability questionnaire (Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale), and information regarding their demographic characteristics was also collected. Data were gathered and analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS-19 software. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 27.56±10.53 years and 65.9% were female. Mean score of social acceptance among the patients was 13.51±7.08. The results showed that the mean scores of social acceptance were significantly lower in women, in those with single marital status, in those with face and neck lesions, and in those with disease duration less than 5 years. CONCLUSION: The results showed that certain groups of patients with vitiligo are at greater risk of experiencing lower social acceptance.

Anxiety leads to up-regulation of CD36 on the monocytes of chronic hepatitis B-infected patients.

Introduction It has been hypothesized that mental disorders including depression and anxiety can affect immune responses. The study was done to evaluate the relation between depression and anxiety and expression levels of CD36, CD68, and CD9 on peripheral blood monocytes of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Methods Sixty CHB patients were selected with various ranges of depression and anxiety. Depression and anxiety were evaluated using a standard questionnaire by an expert psychiatrist according to BECK's Depression Inventory II and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, respectively. The levels of CD36, CD68, and CD9 on the peripheral blood monocytes have been performed using flow cytometry technique. Results The results demonstrated that levels of CD36 were significantly increased on the peripheral blood monocytes of CHB patients when compared with CHB patients with no anxiety. Expression levels of CD68 and CD9 were not significantly altered on the CHB patients with various ranges of anxiety. Expression levels of CD36, CD68, and CD9 were also not significantly altered on the CHB patients with various ranges of depression. Discussion It seems that anxiety induces inflammation in the CHB patients by induction of alteration in several molecules including up-regulation of CD36. CD36 plays important roles in the induction of tissue damage; hence, it may be hypothesized that anxiety may participate in the induction of some hepatitis B complications.

Neuroprotective consequences of postconditioning on embolic model of cerebral ischemia in rat.

OBJECTIVE(S): It has been reported that ischemic postconditioning, conducted by a series of brief occlusion and release of the bilateral common carotid arteries, confers neuroprotection in permanent or transient models of stroke. However, consequences of postconditioning on embolic stroke have not yet been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, rats were subjected to embolic stroke (n=30) or sham stroke (n=5). Stroke animals were divided into control (n=10) or three different patterns of postconditioning treatments (n=20). In the first pattern of postconditioning (PC10, n=10), the common carotid arteries (CCA) were occluded and reopened 10 and 30 sec, respectively for 5 cycles. Both occluding and releasing times in pattern 2 (PC30, n=5) and 3 (PC60, N=5) of postconditionings, were five cycles of 30 or 60 sec, respectively. Postconditioning was induced at 30 min following the stroke. Subsequently, cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured from 5 min before to 60 min following to stroke induction. Infarct size, brain edema and neurological deficits and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was measured two days later. RESULTS: While PC10 (P<0.001), PC30 and PC60 (P<0.05) significantly decreased infarct volume, only PC10 decreased brain edema and neurological deficits (P<0.05). Correspondingly, PC10 prevented the hyperemia of brain at 35, 40, 50 and 60 min after the embolic stroke (P<0.005). No significant difference in ROS level was observed between PC10 and control group. CONCLUSION: Ischemic postconditioning reduces infarct volume and brain edema, decreases hyperemia following to injury and improves neurological functions after the embolic model of stroke.

Shear Bond Strength of an Etch-and-rinse Adhesive to Er:YAG Laser- and/or Phosphoric Acid-treated Dentin.

Background and aims. Er:YAG laser irradiation has been claimed to improve the adhesive properties of dentin; therefore, it has been proposed as an alternative to acid etching. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate the shear bond strength of an etch-and-rinse adhesive system to dentin surfaces following Er:YAG laser and/or phosphoric acid etching. Materials and methods. The roots of 75 sound maxillary premolars were sectioned below the CEJ and the crowns were embedded in auto-polymerizing acrylic resin with the buccal surfaces facing up. The buccal surfaces were ground using a diamond bur and polished until the dentin was exposed; the samples were randomly divided into five groups (n=15) according to the surface treatment: (1) acid etching; (2) laser etching; (3) laser etching followed by acid etching; (4) acid etching followed by laser etching and (5) no acid etching and no laser etching (control group). Composite resin rods (Point 4, Kerr Co) were bonded to treated dentin surfaces with an etch-and-rise adhesive system (Optibond FL, Kerr Co) and light-cured.After storage for two weeks at 37°C and 100% humidity and then thermocycling, bond strength was measured with a Zwick Universal Testing Machine at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. Data was analyzed using parametric and non-parametric tests (P<0.05). Results. Mean shear bond strength for acid etching (20.1±1.8 MPa) and acid+laser (15.6±3.5 MPa) groups were significantly higher than those for laser+acid (15.6±3.5 MPa), laser etching (14.1±3.4 MPa) and control (8.1±2.1 MPa) groups. However, there were no significant differences between acid etching and acid+laser groups, and between laser+acid and laser groups. Conclusion. When the cavity is prepared by bur, it is not necessary to etch the dentin surface by Er:YAG laser following acid etching and acid etching after laser etching.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of their Educational Environment Based on DREEM Model in an Iranian University

Background: The learning climate has been found to be significant in determining students’ academic achievement and learning. The purpose of this study was to measure the viewpoints of nursing students toward their learning environment at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (RUMS). Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 202 nursing students using the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM). The items, as well as scale scores were compared among nursing students. Also, data was analysed by SPSS19 using t test and ANOVA. Results: The total mean DREEM score was 114.3 (SD 20.6) out of 200 (corresponding to 57.15% of the maximum score), which was considered as more positive than negative. The subscale with the highest mean score was Students’ Perceptions of learning. Mean score of this subscale was 27.3/48 0 (SD 5.9) corresponding to 56.87% of the maximum score. The lowest mean score was for the Academic Self-perceptions 20.31/32 (SD 4.51) (53.44%), The total DREEM score for female students was significantly higher than for males (P = 0.01). The total scores of new entry students were significantly higher than the others (P = 0.01). Conclusion: The school’s educational climate was generally perceived positively by students, but specific areas identified by students as needing improvement. It is essential for managers to make a greater effort to create an appropriate educational environment in order to provide and maintain high quality learning environments for students.

Cigarette smoke-exposed saliva suppresses cellular and humoral immune responses in an animal model.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of cigarette smoke (CS)-exposed saliva on cellular and antibody responses in an animal model. METHODS: The stimulatory and non-stimulatory saliva samples were collected from 10 healthy subjects and were then exposed to CS for 20 or 80 minutes. The CS-exposed saliva samples were administrated intraperitoneally (i.p) to male Balb/c mice. Then the delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and antibody responses to sheep red blood cell (SRBC) was assessed. Moreover, the total white blood cells (WBC) counts and the blood lymphocytes counts were determined. RESULTS: The mean of DTH responses of animal groups received 20 minutes or 80 minutes CS-exposed saliva samples was significantly lower than that observed in control group. Moreover, The mean titer of anti-SRBC antibody was significantly lower in animal groups who received 80 minutes CS-exposed stimulatory or non-stimulatory saliva as compared to control group (P < 0.04 and P < 0.002, respectively). The mean counts of blood lymphocytes in 80 minutes CS exposed-stimulatory saliva group was also significantly lower as compared to control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results show that the CS-exposed saliva samples have profound suppressive effects on both cellular and humoral immune response in a mouse animal model.