Reviews in Clinical Medicine

50-56

Authors: Farzane Farzam; Masume Safaee; Mahsa Akbari Oryani; Hadi Razmara; Naveed Fathee; Vahide Farzam

Introduction: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are known as putative cells in neovasculogenesis during pathological conditions, which are derived from bone marrow. This study was performed to systematically review the EPCs frequency in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by evaluating the expression of CD133 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) markers. Methods: We search the PubMed and Scopus databases for the following keywords; CD133 AND lung AND VEGF. Inclusion criteria were all the articles studied the expression of both CD133 and VEGF markers in patients with NSCLC. No language and date restrictions were imposed to the search strategy. All the articles that studied only one biomarker or those that investigated the markers expression and EPCs count in patients with other types of tumors except NSCLC were excluded from the study. Result: Totally 51 articles obtained following the primary search of both databases. Only 7 of them had the eligibility to be included in this systematic review. Six articles were case- control and one was a cohort type of investigation. Flowcytometry and immunohistochemistry were the most applied methods for estimating the EPCs count and evaluating the expression of markers in circulating peripheral blood and tumors tissue. The expression of EPCs markers was increased in patients with NSCLC compared to healthy control individuals; however, the frequency of EPCs was low in peripheral blood of patients. Conclusion: Although it is not clear that circulating EPC numbers are associated with lung cancer patients angiogenesis, EPCs and VEGF levels are elevated in patients with operable NSCLC. The ideal method for evaluating circulating endothelia cells (CECs) or EPCs levels in vivo is still a matter of debate and because of the low number of EPCs in peripheral blood, their detection is technically challenging.

62-68

Authors: Najmeh Malekzadeh

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common inflammatory disease affecting approximately 1% of the adult population worldwide. Before new treatments were available, unchecked RA caused notable inability and mortality .It is now accepted that primary diagnosis and treatment are essential and useful. Progress in therapy of RA has made it possible to deeply influence signs and symptoms as the period that joint destructed in inflammatory arthritis. Earlier and more efficient treatment becomes visible to significantly improve the prognosis of this disease. In this article, the old and new methods for treatment rheumatoid arthritis and their limitation and benefits were reviewed. These methods include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs), glucocorticoids(GC) that are a class of steroid hormones, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biological agents that can be divided in two groups of monoclonal antibodies and teeny molecules, bisphosphonate therapy, nanotechnology, oral tolerance, photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, bone marrow transplantation, liposomes, superparamagnetic iron oxide nano particles (SPIONs).

73-77

Authors: Fariba Rezaeetalab; Fariborz RezaeiTalab

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common chronic sensory motor disorder that prevents initiation and/or sleep staying. Patients with this syndrome have uncomfortable sensations in their legs (and sometimes arms or other parts of the body), with moving their legs to relieve this sensations. The symptoms of RLS are usually worse in the evening and at night. The diagnosis of RLS is primarily based on clinical evaluation and clinical history of the patient. International restless leg syndrome group study (IRLSSG) evaluates the symptoms and severity of RLS. RLS can be divided into two groups of primary and secondary. Iron deficiency, Parkinson’s disease, kidney failure, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and pregnancy may cause RLS. Antinausea, antipsychotic drugs, some antidepressants, and antihistamines may also worsen the symptoms. RLS is also observed in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which makes the outcomes worse. COPD is a main preventable health problem that can lead to morbidity and mortality. Thus, RLS in COPD causes excessive daytime hypersomnolence, fatigue, poor quality of life, disability and neuropsychological complications such as social isolation, frequent daytime headaches, anxiety and depression.

83-86

Authors: Aliasghar Moeinipour; Mohamad Abbassi Teshnizi; Babak Manafi; Hadi Yavari; Yasamin Moeinipour; Hamid Hoseinikhah

Herbal medicine is usually safe and popular in Iranian communities. Peppermint herbal products may interact with warfarin, which is an essential lifelong drug used in patients with prosthetic heart valves. Herein, we report a case of possible interaction between warfarin and peppermint herbal tea. We described a 68-year-old woman who was on warfarin treatment due to bileaflet mechanical aortic valve, and mitral valve replacement presented with severe dyspnea in the setting of large obstructive prosthetic mitral valve thrombosis diagnosed by echocardiography. Therefore, cardiac surgery was conducted in the emergent setting. Warfarin was started the day after the procedure. She developed melena with a volatile and elevated international normalized ratio (INR) of 4.8 and prothrombin time > 30 s on the 7th post-operation day. She reported no changes in drug or dietary habits except for drinking high amounts of peppermint tea the day before. After the discontinuation of warfarin and medical consultation for gastrointestinal bleeding, the INR level decreased to 1.8 within two days. Consumption of peppermint herbal products are usually safe; however, caution should be taken with patients under warfarin treatment. Full disclosure for patients on anticoagulant treatment is necessary before discharge and during clinical follow-up