A mini-review on the most important effective medicinal plants to treat hypertension in ethnobotanical evidence of Iran.

Nowadays, cardiovascular diseases are highly prevalent in human communities. Hypertension is a multifactorial disease which causes a mortality twice higher than general population. Given the fact that medicinal plants have long been used to treat hypertension and are currently being administered for this disease, we sought to report the mostly effective and important medicinal plants on hypertension therapy in ethno-botanical evidence of Iran. In this study, hypertension, Iran, ethno-botany, medicinal plants, and traditional medicine were used as key words to search in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO and EMBASE to select relevant articles. The findings of this study indicated that in Iran 40 plants in various provinces are used to treat hypertension. Because medicinal plants in this study contain effective compounds and have long been used to treat and reduce hypertension, they could provide suitable research arrangements for controlling hypertension, while effective natural drugs could be developed to control hypertension if their properties are confirmed in pharmacological studies

Contrasting actions of various antioxidants on hyperlipidemia: A review and new concepts

Hyperlipidemia can lead to disorders that result in the onset of various diseases, including cardiovascular diseases which are the leading cause of death in many industrialized countries. Antioxidants are recommended in the treatment of various diseases, particularly atherosclerosis. However, the results of the studies are inconclusive and do not provide strong evidence that antioxidants have a substantial effect on disease. From the results of the studies presented in this paper it might be concluded that although antioxidants might be beneficial in patients with atherosclerosis or other cardiovascular diseases, however, single or even combination of a few antioxidants are not reliable agents for this purpose. This might be due to the complexity of free radicals which are produced and work as a continuous chain. It is known that after scavenging electron, if an antioxidant is not restored by the following antioxidant in the chain, it usually changes to a pro-oxidant. In this situation, the final effect of such supplementation would be no or a damaging effect. In this review study, other than presenting and discussing the studied antioxidants on hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular diseases, the possible reasons for the opposing actions of different antioxidants are discussed in detail

Overview of medicinal plants used for cardiovascularsystem disorders and diseases in ethnobotany of differentareas in Iran

Background and Aims: Today, cardiovascular diseases are the prominent cause of death in industrialized countries which include a variety of diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, thromboembolism, coronary heart disease, heart failure, etc. Recent research findings haveshown that not only the extent of cultivation and production of medicinal plants have not beenreduced, but also day-to-day production and consumption have increased. In traditional botanicalknowledge, herbal medicines are used for the treatment of cardiovascular disorders. In this study,we sought to gather and report medicinal plants used to treat these diseases in different regionsof Iran.Methods: The articles published about ethnobotanical study of cardiovascular diseases in variousregions of Iran, such as Arasbaran, Sistan, Kashan, Kerman, Isfahan Mobarakeh, Lorestan andIlam were prepared and summarized.Results: The results of ethnobotanical studies of various regions of Iran, such as Arasbaran, Sistan,Kashan, Kerman, Isfahan Mobarakeh, Lorestan and Ilam were gathered. The results showed thatsumac plants, barberry, yarrow, wild cucumber, horsetail, Eastern grape, hawthorn, wild rose,spinach, jujube, buckwheat, chamomile, chicory, thistle, Mary peas, nightshade, verbena, sorrel ,cherry, citrullus colocynthis, Peganum harmala, sesame and so many other plants are used for thetreatment of cardiovascular diseases and disorders.Conclusion: Herbal medicines are used effectively for some cardiovascular diseases. Rigoroustraining of patients to take precautions and drug interactions into account and to avoid thearbitrary use of medicinal plants is very important

Staphylococcus phytotherapy: An overview on the most important Iranian native medicinal plants effective on Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus exists everywhere such as respiratory tract and skin of adults and it is considered as one of the important factors for nosocomial and outpatient infections such as Endocarditis, Osteomyelitis, Toxic shock syndrome, Abscess, Pneumonia, Meningitis, etc. The aim of this study was presenting an overview on the most important Iranian native medicinal plants affecting on Staphylococcus aureus. All required information was obtained by searching key words such as S. aureus, medicinal plant extracts or essential oils of published articles in authentic scientific databases such as PubMed, Sciencedirect, Blackwell Wiley, Springer , Google scholar , Scientific information database (SID) and Magiran. Plantago psyllium (Fleawort), Aloe vera, Zataria multiflora (thyme), Achillea wilhelmsii (yarrow), Avicennia marina (mangrove), Nerium oleander (oleander), Allium sativum (garlic), Trigonella foenum (fenugreek), Teucrium polium (Poleigamander), Cichorium intybus L. (chicory), Lavandula stoechas (lavender) and Salvia leriifolia Benth (common sage) are the most important plants which have antibacterial effects on staphylococcus aureous. Results of this study showed that antioxidant compounds and flavonoids such as Thymol, Carvacrol, Camphor, Cineol, Tannins, Allicin and Tripenes are active antimicrobial and antifungal compounds. Many antimicrobial properties of plant extracts are due to presence of phenolic compounds, polyphenolic acids, terpenoids, essential oils, alkaloids, sulfuric compounds and so on, in different parts of plants such as roots, leaves, buds, seedlings and skin. Since the use of these compounds as anti-staphylococcal effect has been proved, specific tests can be performed for production of bioactive herbal drugs against this bacterium

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants administered for the treatment of hypertension.

INTRODUCTION The incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is very high in human societies and their prevention and treatment are the most important priority in many countries. Hypertension makes an important contribution to the development of CVDs. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to collect the ethno-medicinal knowledge of the traditional healers of Shiraz on medicinal plants used in the treatment of hypertension. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ethno-medicinal data were collected from September 2012 to July 2013 through direct interview. Twenty-five healers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires and their traditional ethno-medicinal knowledge was recorded. Questionnaires were included apothecary personal information, plant local name, plant parts used, method of preparation, season of harvest and traditional use. Data collected from surveys and interviews were transferred to Microsoft Excel 2007 and analyzed. RESULTS Analysis of data showed that, 27 medicinal plants from 22 families are used for the treatment of hypertension. The families with most antihypertensive species were Apiaceae (8%), Rosaceae (8%) and Papaveraceae (8%). The most frequently used plant parts were leaves (36%) followed by fruits (30%), aerial part (17%) and branches (7%). The most frequently used preparation method was decoction (95%). Borago officinalis (51.85%), Berberis vulgaris (51.58%) had the highest frequency of mention. CONCLUSION The ethno-medicinal survey of medicinal plants recommended by traditional healers for the treatment of hypertension provides new areas of research on the antihypertensive effect of medicinal plants. In the case of safety and effectiveness, they can be refined and processed to produce natural drugs

Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in patients with coronary artery disease

Background: Several common metabolic risk factors contribute to development of both non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and coronary artery disease (CAD). The &nbsp;aim was to determine prevalence of NAFLD in patients with CAD. Methods: This prospective study was carried out from December2011 to June2012. All patients with documented diagnosis of CAD with stenosis of one of the main coronary arteries or their branches were included in the study. Ultrasound examination of liver was performed in all patients to diagnose hepatic steatosis. Accordingly the severity of steatosis was graded from 0 (absence of steatosis) to 3 (severe steatosis). Finally, prevalence of NAFLD was determined in the studied patients. Results: Among 170 patients with CAD included in the study, 63 and 17 cases respectively, had grade 1 and grade 2 hepatic steaotosis in ultrasound examination providing prevalence of 47% in studied population.&nbsp; There was no significant differences between patients with NAFLD and those without NAFLD regarding gender (p= 0.12), presence of diabetes mellitus (p=0.27), hyperlipidemia (p=0.21) and hypertension (p=0.87).&nbsp; There was no association between involvement of left anterior descending artery and hepatic steatosis (p=0.87). Conclusions: The present study indicated a high prevalence of NAFLD in patients with documented CAD.</p

Erectile Dysfunction as a Predictor of Early Stage of Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) in early stages is vital in decreasing mortality by reducing the risk factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between erectile dysfunction (ED) and CAD. Methods: A total of 200 patients were divided into four groups according to their angiography results: Group 1 (G1, n = 59): patients with one-vessel disease (1-VD); Group 2 (G2, n = 40): patients with two-vessel disease (2-VD); Group 3 (G3, n = 50): patients with three-vessel disease (3-VD); and controls (C, n = 51) without any coronary disease. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) was completed for all the patients to assess their sexual function and ED in the last 6 months. Results: Mean age of the participants was 57.69 ± 12.466 years. The prevalence of ED in the CAD patients was significantly higher than that of the controls (75.16% vs. 60.8%; p value = 0.041). There was a significant direct correlation between the number of involved vessels in the CAD patients and ED severity (r: 0.183; p value = 0.010), and the ED rate increased with age. Conclusion: In conclusion, ED severity correlated with the number of involved vessels documented by coronar

Comparison of the effects of the time of home-based cardiac rehabilitation program on the changes in cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with phase-IV myocardial infarction: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: It seems that the time of performing cardiac rehabilitation is important in determining the risk of cardiac complications in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program (HCRP) conducted in either the morning or evening on cardiometabolic risk factors in phase IV (maintenance) MI patients. METHODS: In this randomized controlled clinical trial, 80 patients with MI were divided into 2 groups of intervention and control (40 individuals per group). Patients in each group were categorized into morning and evening subgroups (20 individuals per subgroup). The therapeutic regimen in the intervention group included HCRP, routine medications, and exercise and walking programs for 8 weeks. Patients in the control group received routine treatments for 8 weeks. Cardiovascular risk factors comprising of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), mean platelet volume (MPV), C-reactive protein (CRP), and cardiometabolic indicators including cholesterol (Cho), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride (TG), and the maximum rate of oxygen consumption (VO2 max) were measured for all patients before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Our results showed significant reductions in Cho, TG, HDL, LDL, VO2 max, CRP, and MPV (P < 0.05) in the group performing HCRP in the evening compared with the morning group. CONCLUSION: Performing HCRP in the evening, compared with morning, can be significantly more effective in improving the levels of cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with MI. Therefore, it is recommended that rehabilitation programs be implemented in these patients in evening shifts

A Fresh look at the male-specific region of the human Y chromosome

The Chromosome-centric Human Proteome Project (C-HPP) aims to systematically map the entire human proteome with the intent to enhance our understanding of human biology at the cellular level. This project attempts simultaneously to establish a sound basis for the development of diagnostic, prognostic, therapeutic, and preventive medical applications. In Iran, current efforts focus on mapping the proteome of the human Y chromosome. The male-specific region of the Y chromosome (MSY) is unique in many aspects and comprises 95% of the chromosome's length. The MSY continually retains its haploid state and is full of repeated sequences. It is responsible for important biological roles such as sex determination and male fertility. Here, we present the most recent update of MSY protein-encoding genes and their association with various traits and diseases including sex determination and reversal, spermatogenesis and male infertility, cancers such as prostate cancers, sex-specific effects on the brain and behavior, and graft-versus-host disease. We also present information available from RNA sequencing, protein-protein interaction, post-translational modification of MSY protein-coding genes and their implications in biological systems. An overview of Human Y chromosome Proteome Project is presented and a systematic approach is suggested to ensure that at least one of each predicted protein-coding gene's major representative proteins will be characterized in the context of its major anatomical sites of expression, its abundance, and its functional relevance in a biological and/or medical context. There are many technical and biological issues that will need to be overcome in order to accomplish the full scale mapping.17 page(s