Journal of

Background and Aim: The heterogenous population of memory T lymphocytes is distinguished based on surface markers and effector functions such as cytokine secretion. Recently, two subsets of memory T cells are defined by expression of chemokine receptor CCR7 and CD45RA designating as "central memory" T cells (T_CM) and "effector memory" T cells (T_EM). The objective of this staudy was to evaluate the phenotype and function of these lymphocytes in healed cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Methods: The phenotype of lymphocytes were determined in blood samples of 13 volunteers with history of self healing cutaneous leishmaniasis (HCL) and in 6 healthy controls.
Results: No significant difference was found in memory T cell subsets between HCL volunteers and healthy controls using flow cytometry. However, following sorting of different memory subsets, a significantly higher proliferation was seen in cells of HCL volunteers comparing to the control group. A significantly higher IFN-γ response in T_EM and a significantly higher IL-2 response in T_CM were observed in cell culture of HCL volunteers comparing controls.
Conclusion: The responses were elicited when the cells were stimulate with SLA in vitro, it is concluded Leishmania-specific T_EM and Leishmania-specific T_CM subsets exist in HCL volunteers and since the volunteers with history of CL presumed to be protected against reinfection, it seems that both T_CM and T_EM play role in the protection against Leishmania infection in these individuals.

Background and Aim: Trichomonas vaginalis infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases of women and men in the world. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous report of the prevalence and complications of trichomoniasis in women of Qom.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the prevalence of T. vaginalis in women whom were admitted to a referral gynecology clinic in the city of Qom. For this purpose, two diagnostic methods, wet mount and ITS-PCR, were used to examin the vaginal swabs taken from the participants. Microscopic examination of cellular morphology and bacteria was also conducted on the stained smear.

Results: Three hundered volunteers were enrolled. Of 300 specimens, 7 (2.67%) by wet mount and 34 (11.3%) by ITS-PCR method were positive. The positive results of ITS-PCR were confirmed by sequencing of PCR products. In comparison with women without T. vaginalis infection, infection with T. vaginalis was associated with increased the risks of low birth weight (OR=43.3; 95% CI=2.8-671.9), in women with history of abortion (OR=91.8; 95% CI=15.5-544.2), and in women with premature rupture of membrane (PROM) (OR=21.6; 95% CI=2.1-22.9). Probability of finding of epithelial cells (OR=36.9; 95% CI=6.9-197.3) and white blood cells (OR=43.3; 95% CI=2.8-665.1) in stained smear were higher in women with T. vaginalis compared to those without T. vaginalis.

Conclusion: Comparing with wet mount, ITS-PCR seems to be a more sensitive and reliable technique in detection of T. vaginalis infection in women. The high prevalence of trichomoniasis emphasizes the need for screening of women in Qom. Early examination and accurate diagnosis of T. vaginalis, especially in middle-aged women, could prevent pregnancy-related complications of T. vaginalis.

Background and Aim: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disorder. This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of Ramadan fasting on acne healing in patients admitted to the dermatology clinic, Razi Hospital, Tehran.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 10 fasting persons (9 women and 1 man) and 10 non-fasting persons (9 women and 1 man) with acne were studied. Their baseline acne severities were recorded and acne improvement was evaluated in both groups after Ramadan month.

Results: Acne improvement was 71% in fasting persons and 49% in non-fasting persons. Improvement in fasting persons i.e. was 1.4 times of non-fasting ones (P=0.158). However, no significant statistical difference was detected. Also, it was determined that improvement was different according to acne grading. Improvement in acne lesions in patients with grade 2 severity was 100%, in those with grade 3 acne was 78%, and in patients with grade 4 acne was 35 % (P=0.025). But in non-fasting patients there was not a statistical difference between acne severity and improvement rate. Furthermore in patients younger than 24, improvement rate of acne was 1.6 fold more than non-fasting persons and in patients older than 24, this ratio was 1.3 (P=0.011).

Conclusion: This study did not show any statistically significant difference in acne improvement between who were fasting and who were not during Ramadan. Studies with larger sample size are recommended.

Background and Aim: Body image is one of the main factors of self efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between body image and self-efficacy among female students in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 408 female students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2017 with a stratified sampling method. To gather data, we used Multidimensional Body Self-Relation Questionnaire (MBSRQ) and general self-efficacy questionnaire and recorded demographic variables. Data were analyzed with SPSS-21 software using Pearson correlation and linear regression tests.

Results: The dimensions of body areas satisfaction and illness orientation were evaluated at relatively desirable and moderate levels, respectively. Students' self-efficacy was also estimated at 60.05% of the mean score of the maximum achievable score at the moderate level. The results of regression analysis showed that the dimensions of the illness orientation, overweight preoccupation, fitness orientation, self-classified weight and appearance evaluation predicted the self-efficacy among the female students. In total, different dimensions of body image explained 14.1% of the variance of self-efficacy.

Conclusion: We suggest providing training packages about body image dimensions improvement to enhance the self-efficacy of university female students.

Background and Aim: Considering the high role of psychological factors in somatic disorders, especially in dermatologic disorders, the prevalence of personality disorders in psoriatic patients was studied.

Methods: Among patients referred to Dermatology Clinic of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ardabil, 81 patients with psoriasis (case group) and 80 without skin disease (control group) were evaluated. The two groups were matched in terms of age and sex. The severity of psoriasis was determined based on the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) index as mild, moderate and severe by the dermatologist. The traits and personality disorders were assessed and compared between two groups using MCMI-III questionnaire.

Results: There was a significant difference in depressive, dependent, obsessive and hystrionic personality traits or disorders between two groups. There was a reverse correlation between the severity were more common psoriasis and obsessive and dependent personality disorders, so they among  mild and moderate psoriasis patients.

Conclusion: This study emphasized the role of psychological factors in course of psoriasis. Better strategies for prevention and treatment of psoriasis will be achieved by a careful examination of the behavioral, cognitive and emotional patterns of cluster C personality. It is also necessary to provide psychotherapy services to these patients along with drug therapy.

Background and Aim: Cicatricial (scarring) alopecia is a group of disorders in which permanent hair loss results from replacement of hair follicles by fibrosis or hyalinized collagen, which includes two types: primary such as discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), lichen plano pilaris (LPP), frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA), Folliculitis decalvans, and secondary like kerion and burn. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of different types of scarring alopecia in patients referred to Imam Reza Dermatology Clinic in Ardebil in 1397.

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 96 patients referred to the dermatology clinic of Imam Reza Hospital, Ardebil, Iran, were evaluated. Epidemiologic and pathologic causes of primary and secondary cicatricial alopecia were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS version 16 software.

Results: The most common causes among patients with primary cicatricial alopecia were DLE (51.16%), LPP (6.25%), acne keloidalis (4.16%), folliculitis decalvans (2.08%), FFA (2.08%) and pseudopelade of Brocq 1.04%). In patients with secondary cicatricial alopecia the most common causes were kerion (55.2%), followed by morphea cutaneous lymphoma and burn (1.04%).

Conclusion: Considering that the majority of patients in rural area had kerion (92.45%), we can prevent the spread of the disease by improving hygiene standards as an important factor in controlling this disease in order to early diagnosis and treatment.