Journal of

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Background and Aim: Irritant contact dermatitis of hands is a chronic and recurrent cutaneous disorder following the contact with detergents and chemicals. Obsessive compulsive disorder is highly frequent among dermatologic patients, and may be presented with signs of irritant contact dermatitis of hands. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency and relationship between obsessive compulsive disorder and irritant contact dermatitis, among women with chronic and recurrent irritant contact of hands dermatitis in Haj Daie Dermatology Clinic in Kermanshah.
Methods: This case-control analytic study was carried out on 139 females with irritant contact dermatitis of hands and 102 female patients without any history of irritant contact dermatitis of hands. Obsessive compulsive disorder was determined based on the clinical interview using DSM-IV-TR (SCID) by a psychiatrist. Data analysis was performed using chi-square and z-test.
Results: The mean age in the case group was 28.2±8.4 and in the control group was 28.4±6.3 years. Fifty-eight (41.7%) of hand dermatitis patients and 5 (4.9%) of control group had obsessive compulsive disorder (P<0.05). Obsessive compulsive disorder was seen in 29 and 14 patients with moderate and severe irritant contact dermatitis, respectively.
Conclusion: Obsessive compulsive disorder is common in irritant contact dermatitis of hands. Psychiatric evaluation in female patients with chronic irritant contact dermatitis of hands especially moderate and severe forms is suggested.

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Background and Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate various aspects of the treatment in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran in the first half of 2014. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on the existing data of 3684 patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis, whom were registered at the Disease Management Center of the Iranian Ministry of Health in the first half of 2014. Version 11 of Stata was used for statistical analysis and the level of significance was considered equals to 0.05. Results: Of 3684 patients entered into the study (%55.1) were male and the mean age of the patients was 27±18 years. More than 34% of patients were treated with intralesional injections of meglumine antimoniate (MA) and 25% of patients recieved systemic MA injections. There were statistically significant correlations between the size and number of the lesions and the chosen treatment regimen (P<0.001). Thirty-five percent of patients treated with systemic MA between 7 to 10 days and 43.3% of patients recieved intralesional MA injections for 5 to 8 weeks. Conclusion: More than %99 of patients fully recovered without complication or treatment failure. It seems that Iranian patients suffered milder CL in comparison with some other coutries.

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Background and Aim: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, influenced by genetic and immune-based factors that is associated with skin inflammation. Aloe vera gel is traditionally used to treat skin diseases including psoriasis.
 

Methods: In this study, ethanolic extract of aloe vera gel was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity in skin-derived A431 cells. First, after preparing the extract and then the green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using the extract, their effect on the expression of inflammatory genes as well as their antioxidant properties were investigated. 
 

Results: The use of different concentrations of aloe vera extract caused a relative increase in EGFR and Nrf2 expression levels and decreased expression of NF-κB, TNF-α and IL-6 inflammatory genes in A431 skin cells. But the effect of synthesized nanoparticles was greater than aloe vera extract in altering the expression of signaling and inflammatory genes.
 

Conclusion: The synthesized extracts and nanoparticles had antioxidant properties and also reduced the expression of inflammatory genes in cells. However, the effect of nanoparticles was much greater than that of extracts in reducing inflammatory genes.