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 Background and Objectives: Iodine deficiency disorders have been one of the main health-nutritional problems in Iran for many years. Prior to the iodine-supplementation program, Ardabil province was one of the regions with endemic goiter in Iran. The program of control and prevention of iodine deficiency has been performed here since 1989 through production, distribution and consumption of iodized salt. This study was performed in 2001 on 7-10 years-old pupils of Ardabil as a part of national monitoring survey of iodine deficiency control.

 Methods: In a cross sectional- descriptive study, 1200 students (equal number of boys and girls) were selected randomly. The prevalence of goiter was determined by clinical examination and according to WHO classification. Urinary iodine content was determined in one tenth of the cases using digestion method.

 Results: Total goiter rate was 9.3 in all the subjects (10.7% in girls and 7.9% in boys). Median urinary iodine was 18.8µg/dl. In 80.7% of the cases urinary iodine was above 10µg/dl and was less than 5µg/dl in 4.2%. Urinary iodine below 2µg/dl was not observed.

 Conclusion: The results showed that the rate of goiter among pupils has significantly decreased since 1996 and urinary iodine levels in schoolchildren of Ardabil complied with WHO index. So, Ardabil province can be considered as an “iodine deficiency free” zone.

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Background & objectives: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) - induced peptic ulcer disease is a common gastrointestinal disorder affecting many people worldwide. Rosa canina L. is a member of Rosa species that has been widely used as an herbal medicine in many countries. Rosa canina has therapeutic effects against various disorders through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the potential beneficial effect of Rosa canina on indomethacin-induced ulceration in mice.
Methods: Experiments were performed on male Swiss albino mice. Indomethacin (80 mg/kg, orally) was used to induce gastric ulceration. The extract of Rosa canina fruits (200 and 400 mg/kg/day) was given orally five days before the administration of indomethacin. Normal mice were used as a normal control group.
Results: Macroscopic evaluation of gastric mucosa revealed that indomethacin administration (80 mg/kg) produced apparent gastric mucosal ulcers, while pretreatment with Rosa canina (200 and 400 mg/kg) effectively protected gastric mucosa against indomethacin induced ulcers. Rosa canina significantly increased the level of glutathione (GSH) and decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the gastric tissues compared with those in the control group.
Conclusion: Oral treatment with the Rosa canina fruit extract decreased the gastric ulcer induced by indomethacin through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms

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Background & objectives: Due to the increasing prevalence of bacterial resistance, there is a growing attention to application of auxiliary treatment of pharyngitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of honey throat spray in the auxiliary treatment of patients with a diagnosis of pharyngitis.
Methods: At the start, different physicochemical quality parameters of the honey sample were evaluated. Then, the bottles of honey and the placebo throat spray were prepared. The numbers of 70 patients with the diagnosis of pharyngitis were included in a one-step and double-blinded study. In addition to standard treatment, each patient received either one of the honey or placebo throat spray. The clinical symptoms of the patients were compared between the two groups at baseline and then at 24 hours, 48 hours, 5 days and 10 days after the starting the treatment procedure.
Results: As per results, the quality of honey sample was met to the standard honey criteria. The treatment and placebo groups were statistically similar in terms of demographic specifications or clinical symptoms at the time to enter the study. Pharyngitis recovery was better in treatment group than in the placebo group; this positive effect was statistically significant for symptoms of morning phlegm and painful swallowing, 24 hours after the starting treatment. In treatment group, after 48 hours, symptoms of fever and painful swallowing were resolved, while this indicator was 23% in placebo group. Also, throat pain of 85.71% of patients in treatment group and 17.14% of patients in placebo group was relieved. Overall, the mean recovery time in treatment group was shorter than placebo group.
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the use of honey throat spray as auxiliary treatment of pharyngitis can improve the clinical symptoms of pharyngitis and reduce recovery time.