A. vera/olive oil cream was at least as effective as betamethasone 0.1% in the treatment of sulfur mustard-induced chronic skin complications and might serve as a promising therapeutic option for the alleviation of symptoms in mustard gas-exposed patients.

The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAT) after coronary stenting remains poorly define. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of longer than 24 months DAT in patients who received drug-eluting and bare-metal stents.A total of 1010 individuals who underwent elective, urgent or emergency coronary angioplasty with intended stent implantation at reference or specialized cardiac hospitals were randomized to receive long-term and short-term DAT to determine the benefits and adverse effects of long-term DAT. Total of 508 patients were randomized to long-term and 502 patients to <1 year DAT, and all of them were followed for more than 36 months for major adverse cardiac and cerebvascular events and bleeding major adverse cardiac and cerebvascular events (MACCE)Mean age of the 1010 patients (364 women and 646 men) was 60 years. Stent reocclusion occurred in 15 patients. Mean Syntax score was 23.00 ± 5.08 for whole samples, 25.00 ± 5.27 in 28 patients with MACCE and 23 ± 5.00 in 982 patients without MACCE (P = 0.057). According to all specified bleeding definitions, clopidogrel therapy for >12 months was not associated with a greater risk of hemorrhage. A regimen of >12 months of clopidogrel therapy in patients who had received drug-eluting or bare-metal stents did not differ significantly from a regimen of <12 months on clopidogrel with regard to MACCE.Long-term DAT might not significantly affect the reduction in the risk of death from any cause, myocardial infarction, or stroke, and not associated with minor or major bleeding events.

Heracleum persicum Desf. Ex Fischer (Apiaceae) is a native medicinal plant in the Iranian traditional medicine and also a safe and common dietary spice. The present pilot study aimed to investigate the impact of supplementation with H. persicum fruits on serum lipid concentrations in a group of patients with minimal coronary artery disease. Subjects who were diagnosed with <50% luminal narrowing in any of the major coronary arteries in coronary angiography were recruited for this trial and were randomized to receive either H. persicum hydroalcoholic fruit extract (n=15; 300 mg/day) or placebo (n=12) for a period of 6 months. Serum concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides were measured at baseline and at the end of study. No significant difference in concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was observed between H. persicum extract and placebo groups (p>0.05). However, serum triglycerides levels were reduced after H. persicum extract supplementation in a borderline significant manner (p=0.063). Short-term supplementation with H. persicum fruit extract might be used as an adjunctive treatment for patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

Background Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is still a concerning issue in developing countries. Among delayed RHD presentations, rheumatic mitral valve stenosis (MS) remains a prevalent finding. Percutaneous transvenous mitral commissurotomy (PTMC) is the intervention of choice for severe mitral stenosis (MS). We aimed to assess the mid-term outcome of PTMC in patients with immediate success. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, out of 220 patients who had undergone successful PTMC between 2006 and 2018, the clinical course of 186 patients could be successfully followed. Cardiac-related death, undergoing a second PTMC or mitral valve replacement (MVR) were considered adverse cardiac events for the purpose of this study. In order to find significant factors related to adverse cardiac outcomes, peri-procedural data for the studied patients were collected.The patients were also contacted to find out their current clinical status and whether they had continued secondary antibiotic prophylaxis regimen or not. Those who had not suffered from the adverse cardiac events were additionally asked to undergo echocardiographic imaging, in order to assess the prevalence of mitral valve restenosis, defined as mitral valve area (MVA) < 1.5 cm2 and loss of ≥ 50% of initial area gain. Results During the mean follow-up time of 5.69 ± 3.24 years, 31 patients (16.6% of patients) had suffered from adverse cardiac events. Atrial fibrillation rhythm (p = 0.003, HR = 3.659), Wilkins echocardiographic score > 8 (p = 0.028, HR = 2.320) and higher pre-procedural systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (p = 0.021, HR = 1.031) were three independent predictors of adverse events and immediate post-PTMC mitral valve area (IMVA) ≥ 2 cm2 (p < 0.001, HR = 0.06) was the significant predictor of event-free outcome. Additionally, follow-up echocardiographic imaging detected mitral restenosis in 44 patients (23.6% of all patients). The only statistically significant protective factor against restenosis was again IMVA ≥ 2 cm2 (p = 0.001, OR = 0.240). Conclusion The mid-term results of PTMC are multifactorial and may be influenced by heterogeneous peri-procedural determinants. IMVA had a great impact on the long-term success of this procedure. Continuing secondary antibiotic prophylaxis was not a protective factor against adverse cardiac events in this study. (clinicaltrial.gov registration: NCT04112108).

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