Comparison anti-giardia activity of Satureja hortensis alcoholic extract and metronidazole in vitro

Background and aims: Giardiasis is known as intestinal infection and created by the flagellate protozoan Giardia lamblia. Some studies showed that phenolic components, present in plant extracts and essential oils, have anti-Giardia activity. The current study was performed to compare anti-Giardia activity of Satureja hortensis (SH) alcoholic extract and metronidazole in vitro. Methods: In this Laboratory-experimental study, it was separated cysts from the feces by Bingham procedure with minor modification. The numbers of cysts were calculated with Hemusytumetr and the purified cysts of Giardia lamblia (500 µl) were exposed with 500 µl of extract at concentrations of 10, 100 and 200 mg/ml and 125 mg/kg of metronidazole for 30, 60 and 120 min. The numbers of dead and live cysts was enumerated with a microscope. Results: Findings in the currnt studyshowed an increase in anti-Giardia activity of extract at high concentrations with increasing time. SH, at 100 mg/ml killed 53 in 30 min, 68 in 60 min and 78 in 120 min. Also, the extract killed by 62 in 30 min, about 88 in 60 minutes and 92 in 120 minutes. The drug had similar effects in 60 and 120 minutes, but it killed 83 in 30 minutes. Conclusion: SH alcoholic extract showed anti-Giardia activity at high rates and more time. Thus, SH extract at 200 mg may be suitable alternative for Metronidazole, without side effects. However, anti-Giardia activity of SH needs to more attentions, especially clinical investigations

Antimicrobial effects of folk medicinal plants from the North of Iran against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background: Medicinal plants have been used traditionally in Golestan province (north of Iran), against Mycobacterium tuberculosis or the clinical signs of tuberculosis (TB). Objectives: This study aimed to define the inhibitory effects of ethanolic extracts of six of these medicinal plants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Peganum harmala (seed extract), Punica granatum (peel extract), Digitalis sp. (leaf extract), fruit extract of Citrus lemon, Rosa canina and Berberis vulgaris were extracted in ethanol and their activity against M. tuberculosis isolates were determined by the agar diffusion method. The zone of inhibition (at 200 to 1.6 mg/mL) was measured and the results were compared with isoniazid and rifampin as standard positive controls. Also the concentration of vitamin C of each the extracts was evaluated. Results: The ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala seed and Punica granatum peel exhibited potential activity against all M. tuberculosis isolates with mean inhibitory zone of 18.7 and 18.8 mm, at 200 mg/mL concentration. The mean inhibitory zone around isoniazid and rifampinwere 19.2 and 18.8 mm. Ethanolic extract of Citrus lemon showed moderate inhibitory activity only against sensitive (non MDR; non multi drug resistant) strains of M. tuberculosis, and Digitalis sp. showed inhibitory effects on five isolates. Ascorbic acid content was 43.3 mg/dL in Punica granatum and Digitalis sp. and only 9.1 mg/dL in ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala. Conclusions: The highest content of vitamin C was observed in the extract of Punica granatum, which was observed to be highly active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while the P. harmala must have contained other phytochemical constituents that contributed to the anti-tuberculosis effects of this plant. Our findings showed that ethanolic extracts of P. granatum and P. harmala had anti-TB effects comparable to isoniazid and rifampin and can be good candidates for novel and safe natural products against tuberculosis. © 2015, Pediatric Infections Research Center

Острый холецистит как первое проявление первичного плоскоклеточного рака желчного пузыря: клинический случай

Background. SCC of the gallbladder is characterized by more rapid and invasive growth with infiltration of the adjacent organs and less spread to the lymph nodes compared to adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder. It is a rare neoplasm that accounts for 1.4–12.7 % of gallbladder tumors. SCC of the gallbladder has a poor prognosis. symptoms usually appear later when the disease has progressed and the malignancy has reached advanced stages. therefore, usually, the patients expire soon following the diagnosis. the etiology of the SCC of the gallbladder is complex and is mostly associated with gallstones. Case description. We report a case of a 56-year-old man that had been suffering from colicky abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant for about two weeks before his admission. He did not have nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, fever, lack of appetite, or weight loss. after evaluation, a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was established and antibiotic therapy was initiated. However, he did not respond to medical therapy and underwent surgery. A tumor mass was detected during surgery. therefore, cholecystectomy and extended right hepatectomy were performed. The pathological evaluation of the biopsy specimen revealed squamous cell carcinoma. consequently, he underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy and was followed up for two years. He acquired complete tumor remission. Conclusion. The present case highlights the requirement of considering further investigation on the histogenesis of SCC of the gallbladder.Актуальность. По сравнению с аденокарциномой плоскоклеточный рак желчного пузыря (ПРЖП) характеризуется более быстрым и инвазивным ростом с инфильтрацией соседних органов и более редким поражением лимфатических узлов. Это редкое новообразование, на долю которого приходится 1,4–12,7 % опухолей желчного пузыря. ПРЖП имеет плохой прогноз. Симптомы обычно появляются на поздних стадиях заболевания, в связи в чем пациенты часто умирают вскоре после постановки диагноза. Этиология ПРЖП сложная и в основном связана с наличием конкрементов в желчном пузыре. Описание случая. Пациент, 56 лет, поступил в стационар с жалобами на коликообразные боли в правом подреберье, которые возникли примерно за 2 нед до госпитализации; тошноты, рвоты, одышки, лихорадки, отсутствия аппетита или потери веса не отмечал. После обследования установлен диагноз острого холецистита и начата антибактериальная терапия, которая не дала положительных результатов, и пациенту была выполнена операция, при ревизии обнаружена опухоль желчного пузыря, что явилось показанием для холецистэктомии и расширенной правосторонней гемигепатэктомии. При гистологическом исследовании биопсийного материала выявлен плоскоклеточный рак. После операции назначена лучевая терапия и химиотерапия. При динамическом наблюдении в течение 2 лет отмечается полная ремиссия опухоли. Заключение. Представленный клинический случай подчеркивает необходимость дальнейшего изучения гистогенеза плоскоклеточного рака желчного пузыря

Output-only Modal Identification of beams with different boundary condition

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) evaluates the integrity of a structure by observing its dynamic responses by an array of sensors over time to determine the current health state of the structure. The most important step of SHM is system identification which in civil structures is the identification of modal parameters of structures. Due to numerous limitations of input-output methods, system identification of ambient vibration structures using output-only identification techniques has become a key issue in structural health monitoring and assessment of engineering structures. In this paper, four beams with different boundary conditions and with arbitrary loading have been modeled in finite element software, ANSYS, and the responses (Acceleration of nodes) have been achieved. By using these data and the codes written in MATLAB software, the modal parameters (natural frequencies, mode shapes) of the beams are identified with FDD (frequency Domain Decomposition) and PP (Peak Picking) methods and then justified with the results of input-output method which was determined by frequency relation function (FRF). The results indicate a good agreement between the three methods for determining the dynamic characteristics of beams.Comment: Conference paper. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2010.0749

Insights into galvanic corrosion behavior of Ti-Cu dissimilar joint: Effect of microstructure and volta potential

The effect of microstructure on corrosion behavior of a solid-state explosion welded Ti-Cu bimetal is investigated by means of alternating current-direct current (AC-DC) electrochemical measurements, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM). The results indicate that the titanium regions in the welding interface, local melted zone (LMZ), and LMZ-Cu interface are potential sites for initiation of corrosion attacks. SKPFM mapping clearly shows that before exposure of the sample to a 3.5% NaCl corrosive solution and at the beginning of the exposure, the Cu side of the bimetal has a higher Volta potential in comparison to that of the Ti region, and thus acts as a cathode. Electrochemical measurements also confirm that titanium acts as an anode and copper as a cathode, in the first moments of immersion, in accordance with macroscopic observations and SKPFM results. However, by growing a passive layer of titanium oxide and titanium hydroxide on the Ti side after about 1 h exposure to the corrosive medium, the titanium side becomes nobler and the polarity arrangement in the galvanic couple reverses

Effect of substrate grain size on structural and corrosion properties of electrodeposited nickel layer protected with self-assembled film of stearic acid

In the present study, the impact of copper substrate grain size on the structure of the succeeding electrodeposited nickel film and its consequent corrosion resistance in 3.5% NaCl medium were evaluated before and after functionalization with stearic acid. Nickel layers were electrodeposited on two different copper sheets with average grain size of 12 and 25 \u3bcm, followed by deposition of stearic acid film through self-assembly. X-ray diffraction analysis of the electrodeposited nickel films revealed that the deposition of nickel film on the Cu substrate with small (12 \u3bcm) and large (25 \u3bcm) grains is predominantly governed by growth in the (220) and (111) planes, respectively. Both electrodeposited films initially exhibited a hydrophilic nature, with water-contact angles of 56\ub0 and <10\ub0, respectively. After functionalization with stearic acid, superhydrophobic films with contact angles of ~150\ub0 were obtained on both samples. In a 3.5% NaCl medium, the corrosion resistance of the nickel layer electrodeposited on the copper substrate with 25 \u3bcm grains was three times greater than that deposited on the copper substrate with 12 \u3bcm grains. After functionalization, the corrosion resistance of both films was greatly improved in both short and long immersion times in 3.5% NaCl medium

Predation rate of Hippodamia variegata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) feeding on different densities of Aphis gossypii (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Predation rate is basic to any investigation of prey-predator interaction and a major component in the selection of predators for biological control. The predation rate of variegated lady beetle, Hippodamia variegata (Goze), fed on different densities (20, 40, 60, 80 and 100) of third instar nymphs of cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, was studied under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1 °C, 65 ± 5% RH and a photoperiod of 16L: 8D h). The net predation rates (C0) using age-stage, two sex life tables for 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 aphids were calculated as 1547.50, 4011.91, 4450.78, 5300.20, 5305.73 prey nymphs, respectively. The mean consumption rates for male and female predators increased as prey density increased. The predation rate for both sexes also increased with increasing prey density. The lowest and highest predation rates for female were 1547.50 and 5305.73 prey nymphs at densities of 20 and 100 aphids, respectively. The transformation rate from prey population to predator offspring (Qp) decreased as prey density increased. It was concluded that any increase in the density of third instar nymphs of A. gossypii will result in significant effects on predation parameters of H. variegata

Electrospun Shape Memory Polymer Micro-/Nanofibers and Tailoring Their Roles for Biomedical Applications

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) as a relatively new class of smart materials have gained increasing attention in academic research and industrial developments (e.g., biomedical engineering, aerospace, robotics, automotive industries, and smart textiles). SMPs can switch their shape, stiffness, size, and structure upon being exposed to external stimuli. Electrospinning technique can endow SMPs with micro-/nanocharacteristics for enhanced performance in biomedical applications. Dynamically changing micro-/nanofibrous structures have been widely investigated to emulate the dynamical features of the ECM and regulate cell behaviors. Structures such as core-shell fibers, developed by coaxial electrospinning, have also gained potential applications as drug carriers and artificial blood vessels. The clinical applications of micro-/nanostructured SMP fibers include tissue regeneration, regulating cell behavior, cell growth templates, and wound healing. This review presents the molecular architecture of SMPs, the recent developments in electrospinning techniques for the fabrication of SMP micro-/nanofibers, the biomedical applications of SMPs as well as future perspectives for providing dynamic biomaterials structures