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Background The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of folic acid (FA) on withdrawal following nicotine (Nic) administration in adolescent male rats. Aims and Methods Adolescent male rats were divided into two groups: (1) vehicle and (2) Nic (Nic-2 mg/kg), and were under treatment from 21 to 42 days of age. After that, they continued the experiment without treatment and returned to a regular diet, except for one of those who received Nic. The rats were divided into four groups where they were treated with different doses of FA (5, 10, and 15 mg/kg) and bupropion (Bup) by oral gavage, and the final group included normal rats that received only FA (15 mg/kg) from 42 days of age for three weeks during which withdrawal occurred. Results Results showed that adolescent Nic exposure exacerbated the behavioral indices of anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, while FA attenuated the effects of Nic withdrawal on anxiety and depression as well as Bup. In support, the biochemical results demonstrated a balance between oxidant and antioxidant mediators in addition to the increase and decrease of serotonin and monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in cortical tissue. TNF-α as an inflammatory agent was decreased, whereas IL-10 as an anti-inflammatory parameter was increased. Conclusions The present findings suggest anxiety and depression caused by Nic withdrawal were attenuated by FA more likely through the reduction activity of MAO, the important enzyme responsible for serotonin metabolism along with balance between oxidant/antioxidant and pro-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory mediators. However, various mechanisms might be involved, which requires further investigation. Implications Nic withdrawal-induced depression and anxiety like behavior in rats followed by neuro-oxidative damage and neuro-inflammation. FA supplementation as well as Bup improved cognitive disorders induced by Nic withdrawal by increasing neuro-inflammation and neuro-oxidative damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. This paper reports a case where the patient developed Stevens - Johnson syndrome (SJS) following the use of phenytoin. Case description. The case was an 85-year-old male admitted to the 9-Dey Hospital in Torbat-Heydariyeh city, Iran with a diagnosis of cardiovascular accident (CVA). On Day 2 of hospitalization, phenytoin medication was started to control the patient’s seizures. On Day 10, the patient developed a 39.2°C fever and also a generalized rash starting from the upper limbs and spreading to the whole body. The dermatologist diagnosed SJS and recommended replacing phenytoin with an alternative drug for seizure control. From Day 15 onwards, his rashes started to decrease and almost entirely disappeared a week later. Conclusion. Considering the range and severity of the adverse effects of SJS, physicians need to be familiar with the symptoms of these reactions so that the drug can be replaced as soon as such symptoms emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pulmonary embolism is one of the leading causes of mortality in patients. The mortality rate of this disease can be significantly reduced with appropriate treatment. Surgical intervention can be highly effective for the treatment of acute massive pulmonary embolism. This article presents a report on the experience of acute pulmonary embolectomy. Materials and Methods: Demographic data, rate of mortality, as well as surgical and post-operative complications were recorded and analyzed. Results: In general, 12 patients with mean age of 60±13.39 year were included in the study. None of the patients had significant arrhythmia during the surgery, but 25% suffered from post-operative arrhythmia. Moreover, electrical cardioversion was administered to 8% of the patients, 8% received pharmaceutical interventions, and the rest of the patients sustaining arrhythmia (9%) survived with specific metabolic correction. The diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism was correct in 100% of the patients, with 33.3% of the cases suffering from this disease due to recent surgeries. In 41.6% of the patients, blood clots were observed in the pulmonary artery, right atrium, and right ventricle. The three-month follow-up of the patients showed that 83.3% of the cases were alive. There were two cases of mortality, one of which occurred at the end of surgical procedure and the other one happened in the intensive care unit. The results of independent t-test did not indicate any significant relation between mortality and ejection fraction of the patients (P=0.189). Moreover, there were not any significant differences between the patients' pre- and post-operative laboratory tests (P 0.05). Nonetheless, hemoglobin and hematocrit levels were significantly different pre- and post-operation (P=0.0001). Conclusion: Our data suggest that acute pulmonary embolism can be treated successfully with favorable outcome and a mortality rate of approximately 16.6%, if evaluation and diagnosis are done as soon as possible in patients who require surgical intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]