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Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by plaques covered with silvery scales. Psoriasis is highly prevalent in different countries in the world, including Iran. Several studies have reported a significant association between psoriasis and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between psoriasis and cardiac disease using echocardiography.Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran during 2013-2014 on patients with clinical diagnosis of psoriasis confirmed via biopsy. In addition, healthy volunteers homogenous in terms of age and gender were selected as the control group. Echocardiography was performed on patients and control subjects. Size of the left and right ventricles, left ventricle ejection fraction, diastolic function, and pulmonary artery pressure were recorded. In addition, patients were assessed in terms of the presence of valve regurgitation and disease severity.Results: In total, 23 patients with psoriasis and 23 control subjects were enrolled in this study. Mean duration of psoriasis was 7.0±9.1 years (range: 1-25 years), and disease severity ranged between moderate and severe. Left ventricular end-diastolic and systolic diameters were significantly higher in patients with psoriasis (P=0.030 and P=0.016, respectively). Moreover, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction was observed in 14 psoriasis patients (60.8%) and 3 control subjects (13.4%) (P

Objective: Body hair removal plays an important role in beauty standards, particularly for women. Finding a method that is easy to use, cheap, and can be done without supervision can significantly affect long-term hair reduction and reduce the side effects of hair removal. The present study investigated the impact of a containing 20% broad bean ( Vicia faba ) extract cream on axillary hair removal., Materials and Methods: Twenty-five female volunteers were randomly divided into A (right axillary intervention - left axillary placebo) and B (right axillary placebo - left axillary intervention). Depending on the group, each person used a cream containing 20% broad bean extract )"The extract made from the seeds and pods of broad beans.") on one side and a placebo on the other twice a day for three months. Volunteers shaved their axillary hairs three days before each visit and took pictures of both sides on the day of the visit with a trichoscope (to check the diameter and thickness of the hairs)., Results: We found a decrease in thickness on the intervention group (the axilla where a cream containing broad bean extract was applied); however, this difference was not significant between the intervention side and the placebo. In terms of the number of hairs, the difference between the two groups was significant only in the second month despite the decrease on the intervention side. Evaluation based on the personal judgment of the volunteers showed that there was a substantial difference in terms of the number of hairs (p=0.012) and thinning of hair (p=0.02)., Conclusion: Our findings showed that 20% broad bean extract cream could potentially reduce axillary hair growth., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that there is no conflict of interest.

Objective(s): Lichen Planus is a common disease with unknown etiology which affects the skin and mucosa. Recent studies have focused on the possible role of the virus in the pathogenesis of Lichen Planus. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 and Lichen Planus., Materials and Methods: This case control study was conducted on a total of 200 patients. The case group consisted of 100 patients with a confirmed histopathological diagnosis of lichen planus disease, and the control group consisted of 100 healthy blood donors without any signs or symptoms of skin diseases, and who were similar in age and sex to the case group. Blood samples of both participants in the case and control groups were examined for the presence of anti -HTLV-I antibodies using the ELISA method. The polymerase chain reaction for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 was conducted in cases in which the findings for antihuman T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 antibody test was positive, and statistical analysis was conducted on the obtain results., Results: One case in the case group was infected with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1; however, no infection was observed in the control group. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 1)., Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, no association was observed between the human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infection and Lichen Planus.