Investigating the prevalence of sleep disorder and the impact of sweet almond on the quality of sleep in students of Tehran, Iran

Background: Insomnia is an important problem in medical sciences students and has implications for their educational progress. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of sleep disorders and investigating the impact of sweet almond on quality of sleep in students of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran who live in dormitories. Methods: This is a before-after study conducted in 2017. At first, using the ISI questionnaire prevalence of sleep disorders was determined. Sweet almond was the study intervention. Each day, 10 almonds were given to 446 students for 14 d. At the end of the second week, again ISI questionnaire was filled. SPSS was used to analyze data. The McNemar, Wilcoxson Signed Ranks, and Repeated Measures tests were used. Results: Out of 442 participants, 217 (49.1) were female. Before intervention, 343 (77.6) had insomnia and 99 (22.4) had normal sleep. After intervention, 306 (69.2) had insomnia and 136 (30.8) had normal sleep. Having sweet almond for two weeks is associated with reducing insomnia (P<0.05). Investigating the almond impact in different categories also showed that it has a reducing impact on severe, mild, weak and normal sleep categories (P<0.05). Conclusion: Sweet almond has impacts on quality of sleep of those students of the TUMS that are living in dormitories. Intervention programs to improve quality of sleep are necessary and with regard to the high prevalence of insomnia, students must be protected, guided and consulted. © 2019, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

Interventions of Iranian traditional medicine for constipation during pregnancy

Background:Constipation is a common complaint during pregnancy. Iranian Traditional Medicine (ITM) has some recommendations for this complaint. Objective: In this study, interventions of constipation in pregnancy have been presented and their efficacy and safety evidence were reviewed from modern literature. Methods: Interventions selected based upon the chapters related to health protection of pregnant women from ITM literature. Then a literature search was performed in the scientific databases including articles from inception up to March 2014. Articles with a focus on safety or efficacy of the selected herbs during animal or human pregnancy were selected. Results: Folus (Cassia fistula), Shir-khesht (Cotoneaster numularia Fisch.), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica), Taranjabin (Alhagi camelorum), Damask rose (Rosa damascene) and almond oil are the most recommended medications for constipation in pregnant women. For all of these herbs, there is some efficacy evidence in animal or human studies. Folus is forbidden during pregnancy due to its anthraquinones ingredients. Shir-Khesht was safe in a study to treatment of constipation in pregnant women. The other mentioned herbs have not been evaluated during pregnancy. There is limited evidence to provide safe advice for consuming these herbs for constipation during pregnancy. Conclusion: Although there are some animal and human study suggesting the laxative effect of ITM interventions, their safety are not sufficiently documented in modern literature. Scientific studies regarding these herbal remedies during pregnancy and pregnancy outcome are warranted to determine safety

Peritoneum as an origin of epilepsy from the viewpoint of Avicenna

There are studies that show that the concepts of epilepsy have been rooted in Persian medicine; Avicenna �Ibn-e-Sina��one of the great Persian physicians in the Islamic golden age (9th�12th century AD)�has considered some types of epilepsy with the association of the stomach, the spleen, the �Maraqq,� and the whole body which has not been reviewed properly. These organs influence on the brain and can cause epilepsy. This article presents concept of Maraqq-related epilepsy; according to Avicenna�s view, �Maraqq� is a membranous structure which is located in the abdomen (equivalent of parietal peritoneum in current nomenclature). We discuss his viewpoint about the diagnosis and treatment of Maraqq-related epilepsy with focus on herbal remedies. The concept of a relationship between the �Maraqq� and the brain is well discussed in the old Persian medicine texts; however, it seems that further studies in this area are required to clarify Avicenna�s view about the pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and treatment strategies. © 2018, Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., part of Springer Nature

Peritoneum as an origin of epilepsy from the viewpoint of Avicenna

There are studies that show that the concepts of epilepsy have been rooted in Persian medicine; Avicenna �Ibn-e-Sina��one of the great Persian physicians in the Islamic golden age (9th�12th century AD)�has considered some types of epilepsy with the association of the stomach, the spleen, the �Maraqq,� and the whole body which has not been reviewed properly. These organs influence on the brain and can cause epilepsy. This article presents concept of Maraqq-related epilepsy; according to Avicenna�s view, �Maraqq� is a membranous structure which is located in the abdomen (equivalent of parietal peritoneum in current nomenclature). We discuss his viewpoint about the diagnosis and treatment of Maraqq-related epilepsy with focus on herbal remedies. The concept of a relationship between the �Maraqq� and the brain is well discussed in the old Persian medicine texts; however, it seems that further studies in this area are required to clarify Avicenna�s view about the pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and treatment strategies. © 2018, Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l., part of Springer Nature

Application of solvent-assisted dispersive solid phase extraction as a new, fast, simple and reliable preconcentration and trace detection of lead and cadmium ions in fruit and water samples

In this research, a new sample treatment technique termed solvent-assisted dispersive solid phase extraction (SA-DSPE) was developed. The new method was based on the dispersion of the sorbent into the sample to maximize the contact surface. In this approach, the dispersion of the sorbent at a very low milligram level was achieved by injecting a mixture solution of the sorbent and disperser solvent into the aqueous sample. Thereby, a cloudy solution formed. The cloudy solution resulted from the dispersion of the fine particles of the sorbent in the bulk aqueous sample. After extraction, the cloudy solution was centrifuged and the enriched analytes in the sediment phase dissolved in ethanol and determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limit for lead and cadmium ions was 1.2 μg L-1 and 0.2 μg L-1, respectively. Furthermore, the preconcentration factor was 299.3 and 137.1 for cadmium and lead ions, respectively. SA-DSPE was successfully applied for trace determination of lead and cadmium in fruit (Citrus limetta, Kiwi and pomegranate) and water samples. Finally, the introduced sample preparation method can be used as a simple, rapid, reliable, selective and sensitive method for flame atomic absorption spectrophotometric determination of trace levels of lead and cadmium ions in fruit and water samples. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved