Antihypertensive effect of Nigella sativa seed extract in patients with mild hypertension

Hypertension (HT) is a lifestyle-related disease and dietary modifications are effective for its management and prevention. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of treatment with an oral Nigella sativa (NS) seed extract supplement in patients with mild HT. Subjects were randomized into three groups: a placebo and two test groups that received 100 and 200 mg of NS extract twice a day. After 8 weeks, systolic blood pressure (SBP) values in both case groups were found to be significantly reduced when compared with the baseline values for each group. In addition, the decrease in SBP in the two case groups was statistically significant relative to the placebo group (P < 0.05-0.01). Meanwhile, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) values in the case groups were found to be significantly reduced from the baseline and a significant reduction was also observed in these groups (P < 0.01) when compared with the placebo group. In addition, extract administration reduced both SBP and DBP in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, NS extract caused a significant decline in the level of total and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol relative to baseline data. No complications caused by NS were observed. The results suggest that the daily use of NS seed extract for 2 months may have a blood pressure-lowering effect in patients with mild HT

The effect of quinapril on the aortic contractile response of streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors appear to correct many of the abnormalities associated with the vascular dysfunction found in diabetic patients. In this respect, quinapril is a unique ACE inhibitor with multiple protective effects. The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal administration of quinapril on the aortic reactivity of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats. For this purpose, male Wistar rats received one injection of streptozotocin (STZ), 60 mg/kg, to induce diabetes. Three days after STZ injection, rats were treated with quinapril (2 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks, after that aortic reactivity to vasoactive agents were compared with those of untreated diabetic rats or non-diabetic control rats. For this purpose, contractile response to phenylephrine (PE) was obtained from aortic rings. Concentration-response curves from quinapril-treated diabetic rats to PE in the presence and absence of endothelium were attenuated as compared to vehicle-treated diabetics. Therefore, the 4-week treatment of diabetic rats with quinapril could prevent the functional changes in vascular reactivity in diabetic rats

An in vitro evaluation of antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles on Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis

Bovine mastitis is the most costly disease affecting dairy cows and milk production. As Staphylococcus aureus is considered as a major pathogen due to its prevalence in dairy herds, contagious nature of infection, economic impact of treatment and control and its resistance to antimicrobial agents is a well-documented challenge in dairy cows. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate and determine the antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles against S. aureus isolated from subclinical mastitis cows. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) distribution of the silver nanoparticles tested for S. aureus field isolates were determined by a broth dilution method. The results show MIC values ranging from 1.25 to 10 μg/ml. The MIC values that inhibited 50 and 90% of the population of the isolates tested of silver nanoparticles were 5 and 10 μg/ml for S. aureus, respectively. In addition, the results of this study demonstrated that the mean time of the antimicrobial action of silver nanoparticles against S. aureus is 7 min. This in vitro result clearly indicates that the silver nanoparticle might have a good activity against S. aureus with mastitis origin.Key words: Bovine mastitis, silver nanoparticles, Staphylococcus aureus

Antinociceptive effect of Teucrium polium leaf extract in the diabetic rat formalin test

This Study was designed to evaluate the analgesic effect of Teucrium polium leaf extract in the diabetic rat formalin test. For this purpose, streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats received intraperitoneal injection of this extract (100 and 200 mg/kg per day) for a period of 2 weeks. It was found out that Teucrium polium-treated diabetic rats exhibited a lower nociceptive score as compared to untreated diabetics. The results may suggest therapeutic potential of Teucrium polium extract for the treatment of diabetic hyperalgesia. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved

Quinapril attenuates the effect of long-term L-NAME administration on the vascular reactivity of diabetic rats

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors including quinapril could exert a protective effect on cardiovascular system through endothelial system in normoglycemic and diabetic rats. The present experimental work was designed to study the vascular reactivity of aortic ring segments isolated from streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats treated for 4 weeks with nitro-L-arginine- methyl ester (L-NAME; 50 mg/100 ml) or L-NAME plus quinapril (10 mg/100 ml) in drinking water. The results showed that quinapril treatment significantly attenuated the augmented contractile response to phenylephrine and KCl in diabetic rats. In addition, quinapril treatment partially restored the reduced contractile response in diabetic animals treated chronically with L-NAME. It can be concluded that quinapril could partly counteract the effect of long-term L-NAME administration on vascular reactivity in STZ-diabetic rats

The impact of chronic low back pain on daily occupations: A qualitative study in Iranian context

Objectives: Low back pain is one of the main health problems which affect many people worldwide. The daily course of life is highly disrupted due to the chronic back pain problem. This study aims to explore the occupational performance of individuals with chronic low back pain. Methods: Fifteen people with chronic low back pain were included in this study using purposeful sampling. The participants were interviewed, and a qualitative content analysis was employed to analyze the data. Results: The three main resulted themes were: 1) Occupational disturbance because of low back pain; 2) Difficulty in moving around and remaining in any given position; and 3) Permanent mind struggle owing to back pain. People with chronic low back pain experience difficulty in all areas of daily occupation including self-care, work, and leisure, plus having trouble with being physically active and being persistent in certain positions. Furthermore, mind struggle with back pain which implies preoccupation with back pain in addition to fear of movement are other findings of present study. Discussion: Chronic low back pain greatly influences the daily occupations of individuals. Mind struggle with back pain, which implies preoccupation with back pain, in addition to the fear of movement are significant findings of the present study. Occupational therapists can play an important role in re-engagement of people with chronic low back pain in their daily occupations

Evaluation of congenital hypothyroidism screening program in urban and rural health centers in Chaharamahal and Bakhtiari

زمینه و هدف: تشخیص و درمان زودرس کم کاری تیروئید در پیشگیری از عقب ماندگی ذهنی ضروری است. این مطالعه به منظور ارزیابی برنامه غربالگری کم کاری تیروئید نوزادی در استان چهارمحال وبختیاری انجام شده است. روش بررسی: مطالعه حاضر از نوع توصیفی- مقطعی در سال 1388 بر روی 100 نوزاد متولد شده انجام شد. داده ها با کمک چک لیست محقق ساخته مبتنی بر دستورالعمل کشوری در خصوص غربالگری تیروئید جمع آوری و در نرم افزارSPSS تحلیل شد. یافته ها: 23 کارکنان از علایم کم کاری تیروئیدی مادرزادی آگاهی خوب و 73 آگاهی متوسط داشتند و تقریباً 79 فعالیت های نمونه گیری در مراکز خیلی خوب انجام می شد. نتیجه گیری: با توجه به یافته های حاصل در 80 مراکز وضعیت خیلی خوب بود. آموزش و نظارت مستمر بر کارکنان ، ارسال دستورالعمل و کتابچه به مراکزی که در این زمینه دچار کمبود هستند، توصیه می گردد

Detection of Toxoplasma gondii in Raw Caprine, Ovine, Buffalo, Bovine, and Camel Milk Using Cell Cultivation, Cat Bioassay, Capture ELISA, and PCR Methods in Iran

This study was conducted to determine the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in animal milk samples in Iran. From a total of 395 dairy herds in three provinces of Iran, 66 bovine, 58 ovine, 54 caprine, 33 buffalo, and 30 camel herds were studied, and from these parts of Iran, 200 bovine, 185 ovine, 180 caprine, 164 buffalo, and 160 camel milk samples were collected from various seasons. Samples were tested for Toxoplasma gondii by cell line culture, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. Only the results of cell line cultivation were confirmed by bioassay in cat. Results indicated that all herds were infected with Toxoplasma gondii. The culture method showed that 51 out of 889 milk samples (5.73%) were positive for Toxoplasma gondii, and all 51 positive culture results were positive with bioassay in cat. The Fars province had the highest prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (6.84%). The ELISA test showed that 41 milk samples (4.61%) were positive for the presence of Toxoplasma gondii, while the PCR showed that 46 milk samples were positive for Toxoplasma gondii. The results showed higher sensitivity of PCR and higher specificity of ELISA. Caprine had the highest (10%) and camel had the lowest (3.12%) prevalence rate of parasite. The summer season had the highest (76.47%) but winter (3.92) had the lowest incidence of Toxoplasma gondii. This study is the first prevalence report of direct detection of Toxoplasma gondii in animal milk samples in Iran

Study of the effect of plant growth regulators, size, and cultivar of the grape inflorescence explant on production of phenolic compounds in an <em>in vitro </em>condition

Introduction: Phenolic compounds are a large number of secondary metabolites that have useful and desirable effects in the field of agriculture, medicine, and food. This research was aimed to achieve methods of in vitro propagation of grapevine in order to apply biotechnologies for correction, growth, and optimization of products and compounds of the cultivated plant in relation to phenol ratio. Methods: In this interventional study, the effects of cultivar and size of the inflorescence explant and the gibberellin hormone in two levels, benzylaminopurine, and auxin hormones in three levels with three replicates per treatment were evaluated in relation to phenol ratio, in order to evaluate the effect of plant growth regulators, the type and size of the grape inflorescence explant on the phenol production. Results: The type of plant growth regulators affected phenolic substances production. The production of phenolic substances decreased in a medium with the highest concentration of growth regulators, 4 and 2.5 &mu;M concentration of benzylaminopurine, and 4.9 &mu;M of auxin. Production of phenolic substances increased in the free-plant hormone medium. In smaller samples tendency to turn brown was more regarding high amount of the sugar. Conclusion: The plant sample and the cultivar as important factors in producing phenol environment are induced by environmental stimuli like sugar, light, temperature, stress, ozone, and wound and can be actually applied to increase phenol production.</p

Comparative study of some cardiovascular diseases risk factors in type D personality and non- type D personality

زمینه و هدف: ریخت شخصیتی D (Distressed personality) حدود 21 جامعه سالم را تشکیل داده است و به عنوان یک ریسک فاکتور در بروزبیماری های قلبی-عروقی شناخته می شود. این تحقیق به منظوربررسی برخی ریسک فاکتورهای بروز بیماری های قلبی در افراد بزرگسال سالم دارای ویژگی ریخت شناسی D انجام شده است. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه توصیفی-تحلیلی 54 نفر (زن و مرد) از بین مراجعه کنندگان به مرکز آزمایشگاهی المهدی شهرکرد به روش نمونه گیری در دسترس انتخاب شدند. افراد تحت مطالعه بر اساس مقیاس DS14 به دو گروه تقسیم شدند. 27 نفر آنها که دارای تیپ شخصیتی D بودند در گروه مورد و 27 نفر دیگر که فاقد تیپ شخصیتی Dبودند در گروه شاهد قرار گرفتند. داده های پژوهش از طریق آزمون افسردگی بِک (Beck)، مقیاس های اضطراب و خشم اسپیلبرگر و نتایج آزمایشگاهی کلسترول، تری گلیسیرید،LDL و HDL جمع آوری شدند. برای تجزیه و تحلیل داده ها ازآزمون t مستقل استفاده شد. یافته ها: میزان اضطراب، افسردگی، خشم و LDL در گروه مورد به طور معنی داری بیشتر از گروه شاهد بود بود (05/0>P). میزان HDL بصورت جزئی در گروه مورد کمتر از گروه شاهد بود (052/0= P) و ارتباط معنی داری بین شخصیت D وکلسترول و تری گلیسیرید دیده نشد (05/