فهرست مطالب maryam ghiasi

Medicinal leech therapy using Hirudo medicinalis is widely used in plastic surgery and is commonly applied for the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency. In this treatment, the blood-sucking leeches are applied at the affected site. Traditionally, leech therapy has been most often used in dermatological disorders. However, modern leech therapy is often used in the treatment of venous congestion associated with flap reconstructions and surgical replantation. It has also been used in traditional Persian medicine to treat dermatological diseases.Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved leech therapy for use in microsurgeries and plastic surgeries. Although some complications have been reported, such as bleeding, infection, allergic and inflammatory reactions, and anemia, cutaneous pseudo-lymphoma has only been described in rare cases following hirudotherapy. In this study, we report a woman who had undergone leech therapy for her acne, and a few weeks later, multiple red papules appeared at the sites of leech therapy. Histology confirmed that these lesions were pseudolymphoma.

The aim of the study was to determine the quality of the inlet and outlet water of five selected rainbow trout breeding farms in Mazandaran Province (Haraz, Chalous, Tonekabon, and Sari) based on environmental parameters during four seasons in 2021-2022. Forty samples were collected and measured based on standard methods. According to the results, the range of water temperature (3.0-24.0°C), air temperature (2.0-25.0°C), DO (6.16-12.24 mg/l), BOD5 (0.24-2.76 mg/l), COD (2.40-93.70 mg/l), EC (284-783 µs/cm), turbidity (1.12-220-0 NTU), TSS (2-288 mg/l), pH (7.44-8.62), total phosphorus (0.2-2.12 mg/l), phosphate (0.01-0.206 mg/l), ammonium (0.012-0.538 mg/l), ammonia (0.001-0.018 mg/l), nitrite (0.001-0.426 mg/l), nitrate (0.52-6.10 mg/l), fecal coliform count (6-1000 CFU/100ml) and water quality index (WQIIR) (62.0-91.0) were registered. The water quality of this river was placed in class III (low pollution) based on the average parameters of organic pollution (BOD5 and COD) and human activities were not one of the main factors in the increase of organic matter in the river. The concentration of ammonium and nitrite was within the threshold limit, but the concentration of phosphate in all the inlet and outlet stations and in different seasons was more than the maximum limit of unpolluted rivers. The results showed that the WQIIR was in the range of 62-91. 7.5% of the total data and the mean of this index indicated the relatively good quality of the inlet and outlet water of the rainbow trout breeding farms. The highest quality of water, i.e. very good quality, is recorded in 12.5% of all data, which is observed at the inlet water of rainbow trout breeding farms. The outlet quality index of the farms was lower than its inlet, but it was categorized as good quality. The overall WQIIR (77.4±6.6) in all inlet and outlet stations indicates that the water of this farm is suitable for fish and wildlife and also suitable for rainbow trout breeding.

The aim of this study was to investigate the physiological response of young beluga to different levels of sodium butyrate in the diet. For this purpose, 360 young beluga (average weight of 15 ± 0.56 g) with 6 experimental diets containing 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5% sodium butyrate were fed for 8 weeks. The number of red blood cells (RBC) and MCV, MCH and MCHC indices were significantly higher in the 0.3% treatment than in the other treatments (p <0.05). The number of white blood cells (WBC) and the amount of hemoglobin and hematocrit in fish fed with 0.3% sodium butyrate in the feed were higher than other treatments, although there was no significant difference with the treatment of 0.4% and the control group (p >0.05). Lysozyme activity and IgM level in 0.3% treatment was significantly higher than other treatments (p <0.05). Cortisol and glucose levels in fish fed diets containing 0.3% sodium butyrate increased slightly less than other groups after acute density stress and a significant difference was observed between treatments (p <0.05). Overall, this study indicates that including 0.3% sodium butyrate in the diet of young beluga can improve fish health, innate immune response and resistance to density stress.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease of hair follicle. Osteopontin is an early T lymphocyte activator that may play a role in some immunological diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum level of osteopontin in patients with alopecia areata and compare it with the level in normal subjects.

54 patients with alopecia areata who presented to the Razi Hospital in Tehran in 2017 and 2018 were enrolled. Half of the patients had severe disease and half of them had mild disease. Also, 52 healthy subjects were selected as control group (age and sex matched). The severity of disease was determined using SALT Score. Serum osteopontin levels were measured by ELISA method.

The results showed that serum osteopontin levels were significantly higher in patients with alopecia areata than healthy subjects. There was no significant relationship between osteopontin level and SALT score or duration of the disease.

The level of osteopontin is higher in AA patients than normal subjects but it does not correlate with the severity of disease.

In this study, dry leaf powder of nettle and dwarf elder in two combinations and three treatments including treatment 1 (dwarf elder 50 g + nettle 60 g/ kg diet), treatment 2 (dwarf elder 50 g + nettle 120 g g/ kg diet) and control (normal diet) were used  and 180 carp (52.64 ± 2.74 g) were fed during 8 weeks. The blood samples were taken in the 4 and 8 week of the trial. At the end of week 8, the fish were challenged to Aeromonas hydrophila. The results showed that the final weight, body weight gain and specific growth rate in treatment 2 and the food conversion factor of this treatment significantly increased and decreased, respectively, compared to the control. The levels of MCV, MCH, MCHC, glucose, cholesterol, albumin, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were not shown any significant difference between the treatments and the control. In the 4th and 8th week, the amount of red blood cells, hematocrit and hemoglobin of the treatments were significantly higher than the control. At the end of week 4, the amount of white blood cells was significantly different between treatment 2 and the control, but at the end of week 8, this index increased significantly in the treatments compared to the control. The percentage of neutrophil cells, total protein and total IgM in the treatments in weeks 4 and 8 were increased significantly compared to the control. The amount of triglycerides of the treatments in the 8th week had a significant decrease compared to the control. During the 4th and 8th week, the lysozyme activity of the treatments increased significantly compared to the control, and the highest activity was in treatment 2. In week 4, the oxygen free radical production of treatment 2 had a significant increase compared to the control, but in week 8, a significant increase were seen in the treatments compared to the control. The percentages of survival after challenging to Aeromonas hydrophila were 71.6%, 69.9% and 22.6% in the treatment 1, 2 and control, respectively. The results of this study showed that using the combination of nettle and dwarf elder in both treatments can improve the growth and safety of carp fish, but treatment 2 had better results.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of replacing biosilage from chicken intestine with fish meal in the diet on serum indices, muscle quality and digestive system bacterial flora of Rainbow trout (Raised in two farms of Karkandeh village with well water and dam farm with river water-Sari city). For this purpose, after producing biosilage from the waste, diets containing 50 and 100% biosilage were prepared and the findings were evaluated along with the control. The results of serum indices in both farms showed an increase in total protein, IgM and lysozyme in 100% treatment, and 50% and control treatments were in the next order (p<0.05). The amount of albumin in the fishes of Karkandeh village was not significantly different between the treatments (p>0.05), but in the dam fishes, the highest amount was recorded in the 100% biosilage treatment (p<0.05). The amount of free oxygen radicals in the fishes of Karkandeh village in the control treatment was more than the two treatments containing biosilage (p<0.05), but in the dam fishes, the highest level of the mentioned index was reported in the 100% treatment (p<0.05). The results of carcass qualitative analysis showed that in both farms the amount of protein and ash in the treatment containing 50% of biosilage was higher than other treatments (p<0.05). But the amount of fat in the mentioned treatment was less than the others (p<0.05). In the study of bacterial flora of fish gastrointestinal tract, it was found that the population of aerobic and lacticacid bacteria was significantly higher in 50% biosilage treatment than the other two treatments, and 100% and control treatments were in the next rank, respectively (p<0.05). According to the findings, the use of biosilage is a desirable alternative to fish meal in the Rainbow trout diet and helps to improve serum indices, muscle quality and bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract.

Haraz River has an important role in the development of aquaculture and the production of rainbow trout in Mazandaran province. Since 2015, the production of rainbow trout has been decreased in the farms along the river and almost halved. This study have been investigated the microbial indices and heavy metals in water as well as the identification of common bacterial pathogens and their resistance to antibiotics and used them as effective factors in the fish health and production. This study was conducted during four seasons (summer, autumn and winter 2017 and spring 2018) in 6 rainbow trout farms along the Haraz River. The results showed that the amount of the water mercury in all seasons was from minimum 2 to maximum 12 times the allowable limit but the arsenic level was standard in all sampling times. The most important clinical symptoms were observed in the fish including fin rot, erratic swimming, inflammation and hyperemia of the liver and kidneys. From 420 fish with clinical signs, 12.15% and 87.85% of fish were positive and negative bacterial culture respectively. The all of bacterial isolates were gram-negative and no gram-positive bacteria were isolated. The bacterial agents identified were including, Yersinia (37.25%), Aeromonas (33.35%), Eduardzilla (11.76%), Vibrio (7.84%), Pasteurella (5.88%) and Citrobacter (3.92%). The highest and lowest antibiotic resistances were found against amoxicillin and trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole respectively. In evaluation of the microbial water indices including total bacterial count, coliform count, fecal coliform count and E. coli, the results showed that the all of microbial indices were not allowable level in the most of the sampling time.

Psoriasis is a chronic and recurrent inflammatory disease that involves skin, joints and different organ systems. It is associated with Multiple morbidities such as cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Due to the high importance of the association between psoriasis and CKD which results in major side effects the aim of this study was to evaluation of CKD and associated factors in Psoriasis patients at Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran.

This retrospective study was conducted as a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study to evaluate the frequency of CKD and associated factors in psoriatic patients admitted to the Razi Hospital whose last time of admission was from June 2018 to January 2019. According to the K/DOQI guideline, CKD is defined as the GFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m² during at least a period of three months. GFR was calculated based on the MDRD formula. The sample size was equal to 265. The hospital documents of inpatients who have been admitted to Razi Hospital wards or follow-up clinics during 2017-2019 were used for collecting information and data. This information has been extracted based on the initial checklist for data collection. Collected data has been analyzed and performed by using SPSS 25 software.

The study found that 18 (6.8%) of psoriasis patients had CKD. Patients were in the age range of 3.5-92 years, the majority of them were in the age range of 18.65–79.7 years. 171 (64.5%) patients were male and 94 (35.5%) were female. 41 (15.5%) patients had diabetes, 94 (35.5%) had hyperlipidemia and 41 (15.5%) had hypertension. History of NSAID, Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, Acitretin, Infliximab, and Adalimumab medication use among 9 (3.4%), 205 (77.4%), 56 (21.1%), 147 (55.5%), 30 (11.3%), and 28 (10.6%) patients were observed, respectively. Also, 54 (20.4%) had a history of phototherapy. 217 (81.9%) of the psoriatic patients had CPP (Chronic Plaque Psoriasis) and 48 (18.1%) had PP (pustular Psoriasis) and finally, 21 (7.9%) of the patients had psoriatic arthritis.

The prevalence of CKD was shown to increase by age. The other correlated factors are diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. On the other hand, there was not found any significant correlation between drugs (NSAIDs, Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, Acitretin, Infliximab, Adalimumab) and CKD prevalence. There was also no significant correlation between phototherapy, psoriasis type and psoriatic arthritis, duration of psoriasis and CKD prevalence.

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by an inflammatory process stimulated by Th2 cells. Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. It is associated with an increase in sebum secretion, unusual pilosebaceous keratinization and an increased inflammatory immune response. Propionibacterium acne can induce IL-17 production and Th1/Th17 response. The present study was designed to determine the prevalence of atopic dermatitis in patients with acne.

In this case-control study, the case group consisted of 75 individuals with acne and the control group consisted of 75 individuals without acne matched in age and gender. Both groups were interviewed for atopic dermatitis, asthma and allergic rhinitis symptoms in the past and present. 

Prevalence of atopic dermatitis at present in patients who had acne was significantly lower than those who did not have acne. There was no significant difference between case and control groups in frequency of atopic dermatitis in the past and frequency of asthma and allergic rhinitis in the present and past time.

The inverse relationship between prevalence of acne and atopic dermatitis can be related to activation of different immune responses (Th1 versus Th2), but more studies should be done to confirm this relationship.

Vitiligo is a stigmatizing, chronic, and usually progressive skin disorder that affects patients' quality of life and can interfere with their social participation. There are no studies in developing countries focusing on this aspect. Hence, we assessed social participation in patients with vitiligo and its associations with Vitiligo Quality of Life (VitiQoL), Vitiligo Area Score Index (VASI), and demographic and clinical characteristics. This cross-sectional study was conducted between 2013-2014 on 170 patients, in Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran. In the pilot phase, the Persian version of the Participation Scale (P-scale) and VitiQoL questionnaire were validated with the backward-forward translation method. Among 173 vitiligo patients, the mean participation score was 15.12 (SD=13.88, median=11). Overall, 91 patients (52.6%) had no significant restriction, 38 (22%) suffered from mild, 23 (13.3%) moderate, 20 (11.6%) severe, and 1 (0.6%) suffered from extreme restriction in participation. The association between VitiQol and P-scale was highly significant (r=0.58; p <0.001). This association was also observed with the three subscales of VitiQol, namely participation limitation (r=0.59, p <0.001), behavior (r=0.43, p <0.001), and stigma (r=0.23, P=0.002). We did not find a significant association between P-scale and demographic characteristics, overall VASI, and face, genitals, and exposed areas VASI. Although the majority of our patients perceived no or mild limitation in their social participation, the P-scale score was highly correlated with their quality of life and its components.

Implant-supported restorations are generally used for the replacement of the lost teeth. Stability against masticatory forces and proper retention are critical for optimal durability of restorations. The aim of this experimental study was to compare the retention of cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) copings made by different techniques.

Twenty-four solid abutment analogs were mounted and scanned with a desktop scanner. They were divided into two groups (n=12) and received metal copings fabricated by either soft or hard Co-Cr alloy. Soft Cera mill Sintron Co-Cr patterns were milled and sintered. Hard Co-Cr blocks were milled in a milling machine. The copings were sandblasted, polished, adjusted, and placed on the respective abutments. The frequency of adjustments was recorded for each abutment. The copings were cemented with zinc phosphate cement and underwent tensile test by a universal testing machine. The Mann-Whitney test and t-test were used to compare the two groups (α=0.05).

There was no significant difference in retention of copings between the experimental groups. The mean retentive force was 559.58±115.66 N and 557.13 ±130.48 N for the soft and hard metal groups, respectively (P=0.96). Considering the non-normal distribution of adjustment frequency data, the Mann-Whitney test showed that the frequency of adjustments was significantly higher in the hard metal group than the soft metal group (9.5 versus 0.1667; P<0.001).

Although hard metal copings required more adjustments, retention of soft and hard Co-Cr copings was not significantly different.

In this study has been attempted to evaluate some hematological, serological and immunological indices to determine the baseline for determining the health of SPF brood stock. For this purpose, during three sampling stages, before, simultaneously and after breeding time, the blood samples were collected from brood stock fish at the SPF center in the Cold water fisheries research Center (Tonekabon) and two elected farms (F and S). The fish of SPF center were supplied of the two others farms (F and S) and sampling were conducted from same folk at the SPF center and elected farms. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate amino transferees (AST), certain phosphokinase (CPK), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total IgM and lysozyme were measured. The results showed that before the breeding season, the levels of hemoglobin, ALT and total IgM were not significantly different among the fish in the three centers, but the lysozyme levels of SPF center were significantly and numerically higher than S and F fish farms respectively. Statistical analysis of data showed that there were no significant differences in hematocrit, hemoglobin, total protein, albumin, IgM, AST, ALT and lysozyme levels among the three groups during the breeding season. The results after the breeding season showed that the hematocrit and weight of SPF fish were significantly higher than those two other groups but  hemoglobin, IgM and lysozyme levels were significantly and or numerically higher than those two other groups. Based on the results, it seems that the use of blood and serum indices can be used as a tool for health assessment condition, nutrition, rearing and hygiene managements. It seems that the health and nutrition management of the SPF center had been better than two other farms and it caused to improve the hemato- serological and immunological parameters of the SPF fish in compared to the other elected farms fish after breeding time.

Saprolegniasis is one of the oldest reported diseases in fish. The first documented report of which back to the mid-eighteenth century. The causative agents are species of the genus Saprolegnia. This group of aquatic fungi is one of the most important fungal pathogens of fish with worldwide expansion. They were reported in fish breeding centers in different parts of the world. The one of the oldest effective compound to the saprolegniasis control was malachite green, which until 2002 in European countries and the United States was used to control this pathogen. When the carcinogenic and toxic effects of malachite green were proven, the use of it was banned worldwide. Although many studies have been done on the treatment and finding effective and alternative medicinal compounds of malachite green in the treatment of this disease, but the important of the role of pathogenesis, predisposing factors and health management have been less considered in raising diseases in hatcheries and farmed fish. In this study, we tried to focus on the importance of the pathogesis of saprolegnia sp. predisposing factors and health management methods that help to prevention and minimize of disease in hatcheries and farmed fish.

Pustular Psoriasis (PP) and Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis (AGEP) clinically resemble each other. There are many patients with generalized pustular presentations like hydroxychloroquine-induced pustular reaction who do not completely fall within PP or AGEP categories and needed to be more evaluated. So we examined a large series of these reactions to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and reviewed the literature in this regard.

Records of 20 patients admitted to Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran with acute onset of generalized pustular eruption following hydroxychloroquine therapy were retrieved, and their demographic and clinical features were reviewed. In the meantime, all related articles in PubMed and Google scholar databases were studied as well.

All 20 patients were female with an Mean±SD age of 48.35±13.76 years. The Mean±SD between the first dose and skin eruption was 3.62±1.42 weeks. HCQ was prescribed for them, mainly for rheumatologic conditions and joint problems other than psoriasis. Treatment was planned according to the first clinical judgment, pathological findings, and clinical behavior of the disease. Eleven patients were treated as PP and 9 as AGEP.

No evident history of psoriasis, drug-related eruption, as well as rapid and complete response to steroids in some patients, favor AGEP diagnosis. However, the long interval of symptoms appearance, prolonged disease course, relapses despite discontinuation of the responsible drug, and no appropriate response to the steroid, favor PP. So, it could be a new entity.

Saprolegnia sp. is the most important pathogenic fungi in fish. Saprolegnia parasitica, S. diclina, S. ferax and S. hypogina are the most abundance of the fungi that caused saprolegniasis in fish and hatcheries. They have global distributions and their presences were reported from fresh water fish farms of the world. Up till 2002, Saprolegnia infections in aquaculture were kept under control with malachite green. However, the use of malachite green has been banned worldwide due to its carcinogenic and toxicological effects and this has resulted in a dramatic re-emergence of Saprolegnia infections in aquaculture. Many investigations have been carried out on the introduction of an appropriate anti-fungal agent alternative to malachite green. Huwa- San TR- 50 is a disinfectant based on hydrogen peroxide. One liter of Huwa-San TR-50 contains 570 g hydrogen peroxide and 0.36 g silver as stabilizer. In this study, the antifungal effects, minimum lethal concentration (MLC) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Huwa- San TR- 50 were conducted and compared to malachite green in vivo several doses including the 0, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900 and 1000 ppm on the isolates saprolegnia sp were isolated from Rainbow trout. The results of MIC and MLC levels on the saprolegnia sp isolate from rainbow trout eggs were 400 and 800 ppm respectively. The results suggest that Huwa- San TR- 50 could introduce as appropriate anti-fungal agent alternative to malachite green.

Vitiligo is an acquired skin discoloration with melanocytic destruction. Vitiligo is associated with other autoimmune disorders; hence, an autoimmune etiology is among the most important theories for this disorder. The nails can be involved in numerous cutaneous or systemic non-cutaneous disorders. We have taken into consideration previous studies on nail abnormalities in vitiligo and alopecia areata (AA), which are ethologically closely-related, in addition to the few, not well designed studies on nail changes in vitiligo, and lack of similar studies in Iran. This case-control study was conducted to evaluate the autoimmune etiology of vitiligo with a larger number of participants.
In this case-control study, we assessed the nail characteristics of 303 participants at Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran from 2013-2014. These changes were also assessed in terms of diseases properties of the case group and included distribution, duration, and presence of other concomitant cutaneous disorders.
There was a statistically significant odd’s ratio (OR) for leukonychia in the case and control groups. The relationship between the prevalence of leukonychia and disease duration was meaningful (P0.05). There was no other significant difference between each type of nail abnormality in the case and control groups. We observed no association between these abnormalities and disease duration. None of the nail abnormalities, including leukonychia, had an association with distribution pattern of the disorder.
Leukonychia was the most common abnormality in nails of vitiligo patients that had a relation to disease duration.

Being free from human health risk factors is considered as the most important parameter of drinking water sources.The aim of the present study was quantative evaluation and identification of fungi in water of Shahid Rajaeii dam lake, and assessment of its health quality as drinking water source of Sari (Mazandaran province).
In the present study, samples were taken from five stations in six stages from June to February 2012. Every sample was diluted by sterile saline (100 and 10-1) and was cultured on SD and incubated at 27-30°C for 3-5 days. Finally, the number of colonies was recorded as Colony Forming Unit (CFU) per 100 mL. Also, teamperature, BOD5 and COD were measured.
The results showed that the numbers of isolated fungal colonies were significantly highest and lowest in August and February respectively. Moreover, the number of fungal colonies in the dam crown station was significantly higher than other stations. The correlation coefficient between the number of isolated colonies and the temperature, BOD5 and COD were 0.87, 0.60 and 0.66 respectively. The frequency of identified fungi were Aspergillus species (31.4%), various types of yeast (mainly Candida) (24.2%), Penicillium sp. (19.3%), Cladosporium sp.(10.3%), Mucor sp. (5.4%), Fusarium sp. (2.9%), sterile hype (2.8%), Alternaria sp. (2.3%) and Paecilomyces sp. (1.4%).
Summery: The results showed the highest correlation coefficient between the counts of fungi and the changes in temperature, BOD5 and COD correspondingly. These factors play an important role in the fungal colonies counts. Moreover, the most fungal isolates were pathogenic, toxigenic and hazard to public health.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is used to treat many autoimmune and immunodeficiency disorders. The main indications of IVIG in dermatology include treatment for resistant autoimmune bullous diseases, Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Although generally welltolerated, various adverse effects can occur.
We designed a retrospective study to investigate the adverse effects of IVIG in all patients who received this drug in Razi Hospital from 2005-2016. Information was gathered from patients’ medical records.
During the study period, 67 patients received 94 IVIG infusions. The most common underlying dermatologic disease was pemphigus vulgaris (54 patients). The most frequent adverse effect of IVIG therapy was an increase in blood pressure for 17 patients and in 21 infusions of IVIG. Other adverse reactions included fatigue and generalized weakness, fever, chills, tachycardia, dizziness, a decrease in blood pressure, headache, flushing, chest discomfort, hemolysis, leukopenia, and deep vein thrombosis.
Adverse events associated with IVIG therapy are usually mild and self-limiting. The incidence of serious adverse events is low. Identification of risk factors and close monitoring of high risk patients are essential to decrease the occurrence of serious adverse events.

Prolactin (PRL) appears to play a role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Limited evidence showed an association between serum PRL levels and the activity of pemphigus vulgaris (PV). This study intends to determine PRL level changes in pemphigus patients during therapy and its correlation with disease type and severity.
In this cohort study, we measured serum PRL levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in newly diagnosed PV patients at three time points: before therapy initiation and after two and four months. Concomitantly, we estimated disease severity by the Pemphigus Disease Area Index (PDAI).
We examined 42 new cases of PV. Among 32 cases who completed the study, mean serum PRL levels at the three time points were 15.9±14.1 ng/mL (before treatment), 16.7±9.8 ng/ mL (2 months after initiation of treatment), and 15.2±9.2 ng/mL (4 months after initiation of treatment). Mean PDAI values were 19.3±12.8 (before treatment), 3.7±6.2 (2 months after initiation of treatment), and 0.6±1.5 (4 months after initiation of treatment). Although the disease activity decreased significantly (P The results suggest that no significant association exists between serum PRL concentrations and the severity of PV.

Lichen Planus (LP) is an inflammatory disease with different clinical manifestations.

This study presents a fairly uncommon form of lichen planus following the lines of Blaschko. The lesions were in a whorled pattern on the right side of the trunk with extension to infra-mammary fold and discrete red-to-violaceous lichenoid papules without linear distribution on the left side of the trunk.

An uncommon form of lichen planus is presented that every dermatologist should keep in mind on observing a dermatosis with a Blaschko linear pattern of distribution

Vitiligo is a hypopigmentation disorder of the skin that is associated with depression and an impaired quality of life. There has been conflicting reports on the association between the disease and the serum levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid.In this study,serum levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid were evaluated in patients with vitiligo. Thirty patients with vitiligo and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. Venous blood samples wereobtained from the study subjects and the levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid were measured. Data were analyzedusing non-parametric statistical tests. No significant differences were found in the levels of serum homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid between vitiligo patients and healthy controls. Moreover, there were no associations between these factors and age, body weight, gender,as well as the extent, duration, and type of vitiligo. It seems that vitiligo is not related to serum levels of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folic acid.

Folate plays an important role in metabolism and its deficiency can lead to cardiovascular problems or carcinogenesis. Some studies show that narrow band UVB (NBUVB) causes folate deficiency by photolysis, while others have different opinions or even the contrary. With regard to paradoxes in this context, we decided to study the effect of NBUVB on folate levels in patients with dermatologic disorders.

Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin disease with a genetic predisposition. Prolactin may contribute to psoriasis pathogenesis. However, there has been a debate over the serum level of prolactin in psoriatic patients. The aim of this study was to describe the role of serum prolactin in the pathogenesis of psoriasis The serum prolactin level was measured in 45 patients with psoriasis and in 45 sex- and age-matched healthy individuals using radioimmunoassay. The mean serum prolactin concentration was not different between psoriatic patients and healthy controls (320 ± 179.38 vs. 318.18 ± 191.78 mIU/L, respectively P = 0.95). There was no sexand age-related differences in serum prolactin between the two study groups. Hyperprolactinemia (serum prolactin >324 mIU/L in men, and >496 mIU/L for women) was observed in 11 patients with psoriasis and 12 healthy subjects, which showed no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.81). The serum prolactin was not significantly correlated with the duration of the disease (r = -0.18, P = 0.24) or the PASI score (r = 0.10, P = 0.50). The possible role of pituitary-produced circulating prolactin in the disease process needs further investigations.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of Mentha piperita extract on growth factors, body composition, intestinal bacteria and survival rate of Oncorhynchus mykiss in challenging with Yersinia ruckeri. For this purpose, four groups of fish with mean weight of 32. 2± 0.12 g were raised for 8 weeks in Vniro tanks, 80 fish to each tank and feeding with different levels of M. piperita (with concentrations of % 0, % 1, % 2.0 and % 3.0, 3 replicates for each treatment). At the end of the trial, growth factors, intestinal bacteria and survival rate of fish in challenging with Y. ruckeri were determined in different groups. Results showed that O. mykiss fed on a diet supplemented with 3% M. piperita had significantly higher growth factors, lactic acid bacteria, and survival rate compared to other treatments (P0.05). Based on the results, using of M. piperita extract, especially at the level of 3 % can improve the growth performance and survival rate of O. mykissmykiss in challenging with Y. ruckeri and was recommended in the diet.