Effect of sour tea (Lipicom) pill versus captopril on the treatment of hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Herbal medicines are traditionally prescribed to manage blood pressure. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to evaluate effect of sour tea pill containing the herb's extract versus captopril on the treatment of hypertension. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In our crossover clinical trial 20 patients were enrolled in the study and advised for life style modification then the participants were randomly divided into 2 groups. Sour tea pills was prescribed at a dose of 500 mg and captopril at a dose of 12.5 mg twice daily. In order to improve precision and final measurement, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) was performed both prior and after measuring the hypertension in 2 successive visits. After 6 weeks of therapy, the methods changed and 6 weeks later ABPM was performed three times (baseline, at end of the 6th and 12th week). The 2 groups were merged together before data analysis. RESULTS: Of the 20 patients, 13 (65%) were male and 7 (35%) were female. No significant difference of sex, age, and job was detected between 2 groups (P ≥ 0.05). Mean decreasing in systolic blood pressure was 7.75 ± 8.3 and 13.3 ± 16.1 mm Hg in the captopril and sour tea groups, respectively. Also, mean decline in diastolic blood pressure decreases was 2.15 ± 4.14 and 5.8 ± 7.8 mm Hg for captopril and sour tea groups, respectively. No side effect was observed in the sour tea pill group in the study. CONCLUSION: According to the effect of sour tea pill on decreasing blood pressure, without giving priority over captopril, sour tea pill containing the herb's extract can be prescribed as an adjuvant therapy for lowering the prescribed dosage of captopril.

Single cotton wool spot as a late manifestation of head trauma.

PURPOSE: To report a patient with a single cotton wool spot (CWS) following head trauma. CASE REPORT: A 37-year-old male electrician presented with painless paracentral blurred vision in his left eye of one month duration together with three transient episodes of obscuration of vision in the same eye lasting for 10 minutes. He reported blunt head trauma due to a fall 40 days before referral. Fundus examination at presentation was normal but after 4 months, revealed the appearance of a white spot along the superotemporal arcade in the absence of other fundus lesions. A comprehensive systemic workup was performed revealing no specific findings. Ophthalmoscopic examination after 6 weeks disclosed resolution of the CWS with no intervention. The patient's complaint of paracentral visual field defect improved and subsequent optical coherence tomography showed retinal thinning in that area. CONCLUSION: Herein, we report a patient with a single CWS near the optic disc four months after head trauma along with normal systemic and paraclinical evaluations. Head trauma may thus be considered as a cause of CWS.

The evaluation of increase in hemodialysis frequency on C-reactive protein levels and nutritional status.

Malnutrition and inflammation are the most important causes of cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of increase in hemodialysis frequency on C-reactive protein (CRP) level and nutritional markers in contrast to previous routine method. 18 hemodialysis patients with a mean age of 53±16 years were randomly selected in this before-and-after clinical trial. The patients under a standard hemodialysis of 3 times/4 h per week were converted to 4 times/4 h for a period of 6 weeks. The CRP, albumin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL serum levels, anthropometric indices and 24-h diet recall intake was assessed before and after of the period. The data were analyzed using paired t-test, and P-value less than 0.05 was considered significant. All patients completed the study. Mean weight, body mass index and serum albumin increased while serum CRP level decreased significantly after the intervention (P<0.03). Triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, as well as energy, protein and fat intake had no significant change before and after the study. Increase in dialysis frequency decreased systemic inflammation and improved the nutritional state of hemodialysis patients. Therefore, it may decrease the risk of cardiovascular events in these patients.