The relation of preeclampsia and serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in mothers and their neonates: a case control study in Iran

The predisposing factors of preeclampsia may endanger the mother's heath as well as her neonate. One hypothesis related to preeclampsia is vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between preeclampsia and the serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) in mothers and their neonates. In this case-control study, we recruited 41 preeclamptic and 50 healthy women from the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran. Venous blood (2 ml) from mothers (in time of labor) and 2 ml of blood from the umbilical cord were taken, centrifuged, stored at -30°C and sent to a laboratory for analysis of 25-OH-D by ELISA. Vitamin D levels<20 ng/ml were regarded as deficiency, levels between 21-29 ng/ml were regarded as insufficiency, and if levels were higher than 30 ng/ml, these were considered normal. Independent t-test, chi-square, Spearman correlation coefficient and logistic regression were used to analyze data. Mean levels of 25-OH-D were significantly lower in preeclamptic women (15.2±13.6 vs. 23.3±15.3 ng/ml, p=0.001) and in their neonates (15.2±13.1 vs. 21.6±12.6 ng/ml, p=0.01) compared to normal pregnant women and their neonates. There was a significant relationship between the levels of vitamin D in preeclamptic women with levels of this vitamin in their neonates (r=0.901, p=0.0001). 25-OH-D deficiency that exist in preeclamptic mothers, may be a health risk for their infants, therefore, early use of vitamin D supplement with higher dose than 400 IU in Iranian women is recommended.

Estimated incidence of cardiac contusion using transthoracic echocardiography in patients suffering from severe blunt trauma to the chest

BACKGROUND

Cardiac contusion (CC) is a known complication of blunt trauma to the chest. There have been debates about its true incidence and there are different reports which claim that it occurs in less than 10% to more than 70% of patients. The goal of this study is to estimate the incidence of CC in patients with severe blunt chest trauma (SBCT) using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE).

METHODS

After defining inclusion and exclusion criteria, all cases with clinical evidences of SBCT from February 2010 until October 2011 were included in this study. Patients were assessed using electrocardiography (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Transient echocardiographic changes, including wall motion abnormalities, valvular or papillary muscle dysfunction, pericardial effusion or tamponade, free wall rupture and interatrial/interventricular septum defects, were considered to be abnormal and trauma-related.

RESULTS

A total of 210 patients were assessed for CC. Fifty-two trauma-related echocardiographic changes in 47 patients were observed, in which 34 cases had simultaneous transient ECG changes. The estimated incidence of CC in these subjects was calculated to be 23.38% and 16.19%, respectively. There was a statistically significant relationship between the presence of both echocardiographic changes and ECG abnormalities, and those subjects without ECG changes (P = 0.03). As we evaluated stable patients without any cardiac-related clinical manifestations and TTE was chosen as our diagnostic modality, we claim that the true incidence must be higher.

CONCLUSIONS

We believe that a comparison of our findings with those presented in the literature shows that the actual incidence of CC in blunt chest trauma is underestimated.

Comparison of Shear Bond Strength of Orthodontic Brackets Bonded to Enamel Prepared By Er:YAG Laser and Conventional Acid-Etching

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to compare shear bond strength (SBS) of orthodontic brackets bonded to enamel prepared by Er:YAG laser with two different powers and conventional acid-etching.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-five human premolars extracted for orthodontic purposes were randomly assigned to three groups based on conditioning method: Group 1- conventional etching with 37% phosphoric acid; Group 2- irradiation with Er:YAG laser at 1 W; and Group 3- irradiation with Er:YAG laser at 1.5 W. Metal brackets were bonded on prepared enamel using a light-cured composite. All groups were subjected to thermocycling process. Then, the specimens mounted in auto-cure acryle and shear bond strength were measured using a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm per second. After debonding, the amount of resin remaining on the teeth was determined using the adhesive remnant index (ARI) scored 1 to 5. One-way analysis of variance was used to compare shear bond strengths and the Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to evaluate differences in the ARI for different etching types.

RESULTS

The mean and standard deviation of conventional acid-etch group, 1W laser group and 1.5W laser group was 3.82 ± 1.16, 6.97 ± 3.64 and 6.93 ± 4.87, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The mean SBS obtained with an Er:YAG laser operated at 1W or 1.5W is approximately similar to that of conventional etching. However, the high variability of values in bond strength of irradiated enamel should be considered to find the appropriate parameters for applying Er:YAG laser as a favorable alternative for surface conditioning.