Arch Iran Med
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Evaluation of the efficacy of zinc sulfate in the prevention of chemotherapy-induced mucositis: a double-blind randomized clinical trial.
Oral mucositis is a serious complication of chemotherapy that results in painful debilitating inflammation, necessitating the administration of analgesics. There is no cure for mucositis. Some studies have evaluated the effect of zinc sulfate on mucositis. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of oral zinc sulfate on prevention of mucositis, xerostomia, and pain induced by chemotherapy. ⋯ It can be concluded that zinc sulfate might decrease the intensity of mucositis.
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Mutations in the GJB2 gene are the most common causes of hereditary hearing loss. This study reveals some facts about the inheritance pattern of M163V in the GJB2 gene. This study was performed on two different families with non-syndromic hearing loss. ⋯ These data in addition to the high conservation of methionine residue in mammalian species suggest that M163V is inherited with an autosomal dominant pattern. Therefore, the risk of inheritance will increase. Genetic counselors and otologists should prioritize the evaluation and prevention of this disorder in patients.
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Primary intestinal NK/T cell lymphoma is extremely rare and early diagnosis is frequently difficult. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinicopathological findings, immunophenotype, and T cell receptor (TCR) γ gene rearrangement of primary intestinal NK/T cell lymphomas in 25 Chinese cases. ⋯ Primary intestinal NK/T cell lymphomas most frequently favor young people and have a poor prognosis. Due to the nonspecific clinical and endoscopic findings, it is difficult to distinguish intestinal NK/T cell lymphomas from inflammatory and infectious disorders. Histopathology, immunophenotype, and DNA study play key roles in differential diagnosis.
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Identifying people at higher risk of having squamous dysplasia, the precursor lesion for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), would allow targeted endoscopic screening. ⋯ Our models were able to discriminate between ESCC cases and controls in about 77%, and between individuals with and without squamous dysplasia in about 70% of the cases. Using risk factors to predict individual risk of ESCC or squamous dysplasia still has limited application in clinical practice, but such models may be suitable for selecting high risk individuals in research studies, or increasing the pretest probability for other screening strategies.
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Scientific progress is an important indicator for the social and economic developments of any country. According to various reports, worldwide, Iran has the most growth in the field of science due to a high increase in the numbers of publications during the past decade. The aim of this study is to assess not only the quantity, but also the quality of publications of indexed Iranian journals and compare them to Turkey, as an Islamic neighboring country, in addition to the contributions of these two countries to our knowledge. A number of international journals with high impact factors were selected to assess the contributions of scientists from Iran and Turkey to the medical sciences. ⋯ Despite high numbers of published articles, both countries have medical journals with very low comparable citation rates and IF. Only one out of three Turkish articles is cited once by authors outside of Turkey and one of five Iranian articles is cited by authors outside Iran. The few high-cited articles address new therapies and interventional studies or diseases commonly encountered regionally, and are the results of the efforts of a few individuals in highly specialized fields. Turkish scientists are inclined to publish their scientific works more than Iranians in distinguished international journals. These articles deal more with regional diseases that are not common in Western countries. Developing countries can only contribute to world science when they focus their efforts on teamwork in order to research ways to solve country-specific diseases and their own health problems.