Summary Background More than half of all people diagnosed with cancer receive chemotherapy, and approximately 65% of these develop chemotherapy-induced alopecia (CIA), a side-effect that can have considerable negative psychological repercussions. Currently, there are very few animal models available to study the mechanism and prevention of CIA. Aim To develop a clinically relevant adult rat model for CIA. Methods We first tested whether neonatal pigmented Long–Evans (LE) rats developed alopecia in response to the chemotherapeutic agents etoposide and cyclophosphamide. We then determined whether the rats developed CIA as adults. In the latter experiment, rat dorsal hair was clipped during the early telogen stage to synchronize the hair cycle. and starting 15 days later, the rats were treated with etoposide for 3 days. Results Neonatal LE pups developed CIA in response to etoposide and cyclophosphamide, similar to other murine models for CIA. Clipping of the hair shaft during early telogen resulted in synchronized anagen induction and subsequent alopecia after etoposide treatment in the clipped areas only. Hair follicles in the clipped areas had the typical chemotherapy-induced follicular dystrophy (dystrophic catagen). When the hair in the pigmented alopecic areas regrew, it had normal pigmentation. Conclusions A novel, pigmented adult rat model has been established for CIA. By hair shaft clipping during early telogen, synchronized anagen entry was induced that resulted in alopecia in response to chemotherapy. This is the first clinically relevant adult rat model for CIA and will be a useful tool to test agents for the prevention and treatment of CIA.

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Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis is a common oral mucosa disease, with no specific etiology. Atopy has been implicated in the development of this disease. In this study, the salivary levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) were measured as allergy-related biomarkers in patients with aphthous stomatitis. Material and Methods: In this case-control study, non-stimulated saliva was collected from 85 participants and IgE and ECP were measured. Data were analyzed in SPSS 20 through the Mann-Whitney test, and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The salivary levels of IgE and ECP were 1.11±0.65 Iu/ml and 26.93±6.95 ng/ml in the case group and 0.73±0/39 Iu/ml and 21.97±6.72 ng/ml in the control group. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of salivary levels of IgE and ECP (p=0.001). Conclusions: The results showed that patients with oral aphthous had higher levels of salivary IgE and ECP than controls. Therefore, measurement of these biomarkers may be useful in the initial evaluation of patients with aphthous stomatitis.

Background: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure for the return of spontaneous circulation in patients with cardiac arrest. Many factors can affect the success of CPR. Objective: This study aims to investigate the success rate of CPR and its related factors in patients referred to Dr. Heshmat Hospital in Rasht, Iran. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, participants were 1008 patients who had underwent CPR in Dr. Heshmat Hospital in Rasht, Iran. Data were collected from April 2016 to March 2019 using the Utstein style standard form, which assesses related factors and the times related to CPR. The association between CPR outcome and demographic/clinical factors was examined using independent samples t-test, chi-square test, and multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: The CPR success rate was 34.8%. The CPR success rate was higher in patients with no asystole rhythm, short CPR duration, and in-hospital cardiac arrest. Compared to patients in CCU ward, those received CPR in other wards (except ICU) were more likely to have successful CPR. Furthermore, in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest, the odds of successful CPR decreased with the increase of age. Conclusion: Since patients with asystole rhythm had the lowest success rate of CPR and this rhythm occurs due to delay in initiation of treatment at the end of cardiac arrest, early treatment of patients with cardiac arrest caused by ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation can increase the chances of a successful CPR.

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