BackgroundOral mucositis is one of the common complications of cancer chemotherapy and about 40% of the patients who take chemotherapy protocols, experience this irritating problem. The purpose of this study was to draw comparison between the therapeutic effects of our treatment modalities (topical steroid, honey, honey plus coffee) in patients suffering from oral mucositis.MethodsThis was a double blinded randomised clinical trial of a total of 75 eligible adult participants which they randomly fell into three treatment groups. For all the participants a syrup-like solution was prepared. Each 600 grams of the product consisted of “20 eight-mg Betamethasone solution ampoules” in the Steroid (S) group, “300 grams of honey plus 20 grams of instant coffee” in the Honey plus Coffee (HC) group, and “300 grams of honey” for the Honey (H) group. The participants were told to sip 10 ml of the prescribed product, and then swallow it every three hours for one week. Severity of lesions was clinically evaluated before the treatment and also one week after the initiation of the intervention. This study adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and guidelines of Good Clinical Practice.ResultsThis study showed that all three treatment regimens reduce the severity of lesions. The best reduction in severity was achieved in HC group. H group and S group took the second and third places. In other words, honey plus coffee regimen was the most effective modality for the treatment of oral mucositis.ConclusionOral mucositis can be successfully treated by a combination of honey and coffee as an alternative medicine in a short time. Further investigations are warranted in this field.Trial registrationIranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT: 201104074737N3, (9 May 2011).

Cough is a common symptom of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI).1 Generally, the cough reflex is triggered by mechanical or chemical stimulation of sensory nerve receptors which are mainly present in the pharynx, larynx, trachea, and bronchi.2 According to one theory, the main cause of cough is hypersensitivity which can be provoked by many factors. AbstractBackground: Persistent post-infectious cough (PPC) is a cough that remains after a common cold or an upper respiratory tract infection for more than three weeks or perhaps for many months. Two of the suggested treatments for PPC are systemic steroid and honey plus coffee.

During septoplasty, especially in patients with severe deviation of the nasal septum, there is the risk of septal instability, which may result in a saddle nose deformity. Therefore, prevention of this unwanted outcome is very important and removes surgeon's anxieties. This article describes a simple technique during septoplasty to prevent the development of this serious complication. In this surgical technique, the dislocated nasal septum is lifted and stabilised with a temporary traction suture. This traction suture holds the mobile septal cartilage in the proper position to restore and support the nasal dorsum and provides it with a normal contour. The advantages of this technique are that it is (i) easy to perform, (ii) not time-consuming, (iii) is less traumatic compared to other methods, (iv) is comfortable for the patient and (v) provides long-term stability.