Evaluation of Lethal Effect of Pergularia Tomentosa and Priploca aphylla on Trichomonas Vaginalis In Vitro

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis protozoan is one of the causes of human vaginitis. The selective medicine for treatment is metronidazole. However, it has some adverse outcomes including increasing drug resistance and having numerous side effects. Pergularia tomentosa is a desert plant with some antifungal and anti-Plasmodium properties. Interestingly, the anti-dermatophytic effect of Priploca aphylla is more powerful than conventional antifungal drugs such as griseofulvin. In this study, we aimed to use its ingredients to introduce a new medicine for the treatment of Trichomonas vaginalis infections. Materials and Methods: Pergularia tomentosa and Periploca aphylla were collected, cleaned and dried. Then, plants main ingredients were extracted by using water, methanol, dichloromethane and n-hexane solvents. Then, herbal extracts with concentrations of 50, 100, 200, 400, 600, 800 µg/ml were prepared by adding normal saline and glycerin. Trichomonas vaginalis trophozoite with the concentration of 106 /100 µl was mixed with 100 ml of an herbal extract of Pergularia tomentosa and Priploca aphylla. The mixture incubated for 24 hours at 37°C. The mortality rate of the protozoa was measured by using the MTT test, and the effect of extracts was evaluated on Vero cells. The phytochemical evaluation was performed using the HPTLC technique to determine the composition of the extract. All tests were repeated three times and SPSS software, version 16 was used for data analysis. Results: Anti-Trichomonas aqueous, methanol, dichloromethane and n-hexane extracts of Pergularia tomentosa in 800µg/ml concentration was % 64, % 72.4, %95.2 and % 95.4 respectively. Lethal effect on Trichomonas for Priploca aphylla with the same concentration was 70.8%, 67%, 93.4% and 93.2% respectively. Cytotoxic effect of methanol extracts of Pergularia tomentosa and Priploca aphylla at 800µg/ml concentration against Vero cells was %50.3 and %63 respectively. Phytochemical screening of herbal extracts showed that both have the same ingredients including alkaloid, flavonoid, terpenoid, saponin, sterol, phenol, iridoid, tannin, phenylpropanoid, and anthocyanins. Conclusion: The results showed that for Pergularia tomentosa and Priploca aphylla, the dichloromethane and n-hexane extracts were more effective against Trichomonas vaginalis than methanolic and water extracts in all concentrations. For the future research, identification of the mechanism of anti-Trichomonas vaginalis effect of these herbal ingredients is necessary

Antioxidant Activity of Iranian Echium amoenum Fisch & C.A. Mey Flower Decoction in Humans: A cross-sectional Before/After Clinical Trial

Medicinal plants are recognized as sources of natural antioxidants that can protect from biological system oxidative stress. The present cross-sectional before/after clinical trial was carried out to investigate the antioxidant properties of the decoction of the flowers of Echium amoenum Fisch & C.A. Mey in humans. A group of 38 healthy subjects was invited to use the E. amoenum (7 mg kg(−1)) twice daily for 14 days. Blood samples before and after entering the study were measured for lipid peroxidation level (LPO), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total thiol (SH) molecules. A significant reduction of blood LPO (24.65 ± 11.3 versus 19.05 ± 9.7, P = 0.029) was observed after 14 days of E. amoenum consumption. Blood TAC (1.46 ± 0.51 versus 1.70 ± 0.36, P = 0.018) and total thiol molecules (0.49 ± 0.11 versus 0.56 ± 0.12, P = 0.001) increased after 14 days of E. amoenum consumption. In conclusion, this antioxidative stress potential of E. amoenum may be due to its bioactive antioxidant components, especially rosmarinic acid and flavonoids. In recent years the importance of oxidative stress in the pathophysiology of many human disorders has been confirmed, thus use of this plant as a dietary supplement is highly recommended

Genetic determinants of obesity heterogeneity in type II diabetes

Background: Although obesity is considered as the main cause of Type II diabetes (T2DM), non-obese individuals may still develop T2DM and obese individuals may not. Method: The mRNA expression of PI3K/AKT axis from 100 non-obese and obese participants with insulin sensitivity and insulin resistance states were compared in this study toward the understanding of obesity heterogeneity molecular mechanism. Result: In present study, there was no statistically significant difference in gene expression levels of IRS1 and PTEN between groups, whereas PI3K, AKT2 and GLUT4 genes were expressed at a lower level in obese diabetic group compared to other groups and were statistically significant. PDK1 gene was expressed at a higher level in non-obese diabetic group compared to obese diabetic and non-obese non-diabetics groups. No statistically significant difference was identified in gene expression pattern of PI3K/AKT pathway between obese non-diabetics and non-obese non-diabetics. Conclusion: The components of PI3K/AKT pathway which is related to the fasting state, showed reduced expression in obese diabetic group due to the chronic over-nutrition which may induced insensitivity and reduced gene expression. The pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the absence of obesity in non-obese diabetic group could be due to disturbance in another pathway related to the non-fasting state like gluconeogenesis. Therefore, the molecular mechanism of insulin signalling in non-obese diabetic individuals is different from obese diabetics which more investigations are required to study insulin signalling pathways in greater depth, in order to assess nutritional factors, contribute to insulin resistance in obese diabetic and non-obese diabetic individuals

Thermal and mechanical properties of hemp fabric-reinforced nanoclay-cement nano-composites

The influence of nanoclay on thermal and mechanical properties of hemp fabric-reinforced cement composite is presented in this paper. Results indicate that these properties are improved as a result of nanoclay addition. An optimum replacement of ordinary Portland cement with 1 wt% nanoclay is observed through improved thermal stability, reduced porosity and water absorption as well as increased density, flexural strength, fracture toughness and impact strength of hemp fabric-reinforced nanocomposite. The microstructural analyses indicate that the nanoclay behaves not only as a filler to improve the microstructure but also as an activator to promote the pozzolanic reaction and thus improve the adhesion between hemp fabric and nanomatrix

The effect of type of femoral component fixation on mortality and morbidity after hip hemiarthroplasty:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Hip hemiarthroplasty is a well-established treatment of displaced femoral neck fracture, although debate exists over whether cemented or uncemented fixation is superior. Uncemented prostheses have typically been used in younger, healthier patients and cemented prostheses in older patients with less-stable bone. Also, earlier research has suggested that bone cement has cytotoxic effects and may trigger cardiovascular and respiratory adverse events. Questions/Purposes: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare morbidity and mortality rates after cemented and uncemented hemiarthroplasty for the treatment of displaced femoral neck fractures in elderly patients. Methods: Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched seven medical databases for randomized clinical trials and observational studies. We compared cemented and uncemented hemiarthroplasty using the Harris Hip Score (HHS), as well as measures of postoperative pain, mortality, and complications. Data were extracted and pooled as risk ratios or standardized mean difference with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals in a meta-analysis model. Results: The meta-analysis included 34 studies (12 randomized trials and 22 observational studies), with a total of 42,411 patients. In the pooled estimate, cemented hemiarthroplasty was associated with less risk of postoperative pain than uncemented hemiarthroplasty. There were no significant differences between groups regarding HHS or rates of postoperative mortality, pulmonary embolism, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, acute cardiac arrhythmia, or deep venous thrombosis. Conclusions: While we found that cemented hemiarthroplasty results in less postoperative pain than uncemented hemiarthroplasty in older patients with femoral neck fracture, the lack of significant differences in functional hip scores, mortality, and complications was surprising. Further high-level research is needed

Concentration of Heavy Metals in Bark Samples of Pine Trees in Neishabur, Iran

Background and purpose: Heavy metals in urban air are major health threats and increase the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular, and cancers in humans. An efficient and low-cost method for monitoring these pollutants is using tree bark as a bioindicator. The purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of heavy metals by pine tree bark as a bioindicator in Neishabur, north-east of Iran and the ecological risk of these pollutants. Materials and methods: Twenty seven locations were determined on Neishabour map using GIS. Concentrations of heavy metals, including silver (Ag), arsenic (As), cobalt (Co), cesium (Cs), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and cadmium (Cd) were measured using Inductivity Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Ecological risk potential index, total ecological risk, and Spearman correlation coefficient were examined. Results: In this study, Cr and Zn had the highest average concentrations (34.7 mg/kg and 10.2 mg/kg,respectively) and other heavy metals in the bark were in the following order: Mn>Cu>Co>Pb>As>Ag>Cd>Cs. The average ecological risk potential decreases as Cd>As>Pb>Zn>Cu>Cr. Ecological risk potential index for all heavy metals except As and Cd (medium risk) was found to be at low-risk levels. The total ecological risk index showed that the concentrations of the studied heavy metals are at low-risk levels. Spearman correlation analysis showed that Cs and As had the highest correlation among the elements and there is a considerable relationship between these heavy metals which indicates the same source of pollution. Cr and Cd also have a strong correlation and have the same source of contamination. Conclusion: The present study showed low risk of heavy metal pollution according to the average ecological risk potential in pine bark samples in Neishabour

Evaluation of Glucosamine sulfate and Ibuprofen effects in patients with temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis symptom

Objective: Ibuprofen - a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)- and glucosamine sulfate - a natural compound and a food supplement- are two therapeutic agents which have been widely used for treatment of patients with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. This study was aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of these two medications in the treatment of patients suffering from TMJ disorders. Methods: After obtaining informed consent, 60 patients were randomly allocated to two groups. Patients with painful TMJ, TMJ crepitation or limitation of mouth opening entered the study. Exclusion criteria were history of depressive disorders, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders, asthma, gastrointestinal problems, kidney or liver dysfunction or diabetes mellitus, dental diseases needing ongoing treatment; taking aspirin or warfarin, or concomitant treatment of TMJ disorder with other agents or methods. Thirty patients were treated with ibuprofen 400 mg twice a day, (mean age 27.12 ± 10.83 years) and 30 patients (mean age 26.60 ± 10) were treated with glucosamine sulfate 1500 mg daily. Patients were visited 30, 60 and 90 days after starting the treatment, pain and mandibular opening were checked and compared within and between two groups. Findings: Comparing with baseline measures, both groups had significantly improved post-treatment pain (P < 0.0001 for both groups) and mandibular opening (P value: 0.001 for glucosamine sulfate and 0.03 for ibuprofen). Post treatment pain and mandibular opening showed significantly more improvement in the glucosamine treated patients ( P < 0.0001 and 0.01 respectively). Rate of adverse events was significantly lower in the P value glucosamine sulfate group (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: This investigation demonstrated that comparing with a commonly prescribed NSAID - ibuprofen-, glucosamine sulfate is a more effective and safer therapeutic agent for treatment of patients with TMJ degenerative join disorder

Evaluation of Antibiotic Resistance Pattern in Dental Bacteremia Detected by Multiplex PCR Technique

The aim of this study was to detect oral bacteremia and offer the antibiotic resistance patterns. Bacterial resistance pattern was evaluated in 50 patients. A spectrophotometer device equipped with UV and electrophoresis of the extracted samples on agarose gel for antibiogram test were used. PCR test 15 minutes after tooth extraction showed that bacterial strains were extracted from 16 patients. Lactobacillus, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Streptococcus sanguinis (S. sanguinis), Streptococcus salivarius (S. salivarius), and Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) were extracted from 5, 4, 4, 4, and 6 patients. 100% of Lactobacillus, E. faecalis, S. sanguinis, S. salivarius, and S. mutans were sensitive to tigecycline. Most of the Lactobacillus antibiotic resistance was against tetracycline and ciprofloxacin. Antibiotic resistance in S. salivarius was observed in 75% of the cases against piperacillin-tazobactam, ciprofloxacin, and cefotaxime, while in S. mutans was 84% of the cases against ceftriaxone. The results of the current study showed that tooth extraction causes bacteremia before, during, and after tooth extraction. Generally, the highest antibiotic resistance occurred against tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and ampicillin-sulbactam. In most cases, the bacteria showed partial resistance to these antibiotics; however, tigecycline showed 100% efficacy on all types of bacteria. Streptococcus strains (salivarius, mutans, and sanguinis) were sensitive to most of the antibiotics while antibiotic sensitivity was less evident in Lactobacillus and E. faecalis. Antibiotic resistance has become a critical issue, since it leads to treatment failure when there is a need for antibiotic therapy