Severity of contact dermatitis symptoms was set as the primary outcome measure. Edema, papules and erythema were evaluated by a physician using standard color atlas. Secondary outcomes included symptoms such as burning, itching, pain, thickness and skin sweating evaluated by a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS A significant improvement was observed in the symptoms of contact dermatitis including skin edema, itching, sweating, skin thinning and pain (p-value less then 0.05) in the henna group compared to the placebo group. Skin burning decreased more in the henna group compared to the placebo group, but this was not statistically significant (p-value = 0.052). Moreover, skin redness significantly increased in the henna group (p-value = 0.001). CONCLUSION Topical formulation of henna might be a complementary choice for improving contact dermatitis in patients using lower limb prosthetics.  https://www.selleckchem.com/ALK.html  OBJECTIVES The roots and rhizomes of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) are used in traditional Persian medicine for the treatment of numerous diseases. A chronic cough is a non-specific reaction to irritation anywhere in the respiratory system. It usually lasts for more than eight weeks. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of a modified traditional Persian medicine preparation, licorice pastille, in healing a chronic cough. METHODS Through a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial was performed in a respiratory disease clinic in Shiraz, Iran; between October 2016 and December 2017. Seventy participants with a chronic cough took part in the trial. The outcome measures were as the daily cough scores (the score being logged via patient symptoms, diary, and the visual analogue scale) and the quality of life measure of chronic cough according to the Leicester Cough Questionnaire. RESULTS At baseline, there were no significant differences in the demographic or clinical (cough score) characteristics between the two groups. There was complete adherence to protocol in both groups but, the drop-out rate was 4 patients in the placebo and 6 ones in the intervention groups. The results at the end of the trial (Week 2) and follow-up (Week 4) demonstrated the efficacy of the licorice pastille in terms of the cough severity score against the placebo group. This item showed a significant decrease in the intervention group (1.2 ± 0.93) comparing to the placebo one (1.8 ± 1.03) at follow-up time. No major side effects were reported during the study and follow-up time. CONCLUSIONS Licorice pastille could be a promising choice in the treatment of a chronic cough of unknown origin. BACKGROUND Post-operative pain control and narcotic over-utilization are challenging issues for surgeons in all fields. While virtual reality (VR) has been increasingly applied in various fields, its feasibility and efficacy in the peri-operative period has not been evaluated. The aim of this study was to examine the experience of an integrated VR protocol in the perioperative setting. METHODS Patients undergoing minimally invasive foregut surgery at a single institution were randomized to receive a series of VR meditation/mindfulness sessions (VR) or to standard care after surgery (non-VR). Post-operative pain levels, narcotic utilization and patient satisfaction were tracked. RESULTS Fifty-two patients were enrolled with 26 in each arm. Post-operative pain scores, total narcotic utilization, and overall satisfaction scores were not significantly different between the two groups. For patients in the VR arm, sessions were able to be incorporated into the perioperative routine with little disruption. Most (73.9 %) were able complete all six VR sessions and reported low pain, anxiety, and nausea scores while using the device. A high proportion responded that they would use VR again (76.2 %) or would like a VR program designed for pain (62.0 %). There were no complications from device usage. CONCLUSION VR is a safe and simple intervention that is associated with high patient satisfaction and is feasible to implement in the perioperative setting. While the current study is underpowered to detect difference in narcotic utilization, this device holds promise as an adjuvant tool in multimodal pain and anxiety control in the peri-operative period. OBJECTIVE Neonates are exposed to multiple painful invasive procedures. Pain management in neonates is an ethical and important task for nurses. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of familiar olfactory stimulation with lavender scent and glucose on the pain of blood sampling in term neonates. DESIGN A randomized, single blind clinical trial. SETTING Hashemi Nezhad Hospital (Mashhad, Iran). INTERVENTION Before and during blood sampling, one group was exposed to the scent of lavender (n = 40), the second group received 2 ml of edible glucose 30 % (n = 40), two minutes before the blood sampling, and the third group received no specific intervention (n = 40). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Simultaneously with needle insertion, the Douleur Aigue du Nouveau-ne (DAN) scale was used to calculate the pain score. The duration of crying (in seconds) was measured from start to end (silence). RESULTS The study participants' mean age was 5.49 ± 2.13 days; 60 % of them were girls, and 65.8 % had the gestational age of 38-39 weeks. The mean pain scores were 4.47 ± 1.81, 4.80 ± 1.92, and 5.97 ± 1.94 in the aromatherapy group, the glucose group, and the control group respectively (p less then 0.001). No significant difference was recorded between the groups regarding the crying time (P = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that use of aromatherapy with lavender and edible glucose as easy and applicable nursing care can reduce the pain of blood sampling in term neonates and can be considered as effective interventions in neonate pain management, although more research is recommended. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a highly complex inherited disorder of hemoglobin structure. Although the molecular lesion is a single-point mutation, the sickle gene is pleiotropic in nature causing multiple phenotypic expressions that constitute the various complications of the disease. Its manifestations could be acute, chronic, nociceptive, neuropathic that could occur singly or in various combinations. Pain continues to be the major factor of SCD phenotypic complications and the most common cause of admissions to the Emergency Department and/or the hospital. Although progress has been made in understanding the pathophysiology of SCD as well as in developing curative therapies such as hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy, effective pain management continues to lag behind. Palliative therapies continue to be the major approach to the management of SCD and its complications. The advent of hydroxyurea made partial success in preventing the frequency of vaso-occlusive crises and l-glutamine awaits post-trial confirmation of benefits.