Protective effects of Cinnamon hydro-alcoholic extract on liver lesions induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and sodium nitrite poisoning in adult male rats

Background and aims: Cinnamon by reducing the oxidative stress level causes improving the oxidative attributes. Fatty liver disorder and the use of food preservatives such as sodium nitrite as well as fatty liver disease cause liver disorders and relevant diseases around the world. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the effects of cinnamon extract on histological changes induced by high-fat diet and sodium nitrite in adult male rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 80 adult male rats were used. The adult rats are divided in control group (un treated), sham (treated with solvent), 7 experimental groups receiving high-fat diet(10ml/kg), cinnamon extract (60mg/kg), sodium nitrite (45mg/kg), cinnamon with sodium nitrite, cinnamon with high-fat diet, sodium nitrite with high-fat diet, high-fat diets with sodium nitrite and cinnamon were performed. The prescriptions have been done through gavage in 60 days. At the end, after anesthetizing rats, their livers were seperated and after preparing tissue sections, liver cells were counted. The obtained results of tissue studies and cell counting have been analyzed using SPSS software through ANOVA and Duncan tests. In this study, data difference was significant (P<0.05). Results: The results showed a significant increase and decrease in the groups receiving high-fat diet and sodium nitrite, respectivly in Kupffer cells numbers and Hepatocytes (P<0.01). It was also observed changes such as Hyperemia, coagulation necrosis, cell swelling, vacuoles erosion, lymphocytic infiltration, apoptosis, hyperemia, ballooning hepatocytes in liver tissue structure. So, changes in the groups receiving cinnamon with high-fat diet and sodium nitrite modified. Conclusion: High-fat diets and sodium nitrite likely causes liver tissue damage by oxidative stress. Cinnamon extract may also with strong antioxidant properties prevent sodium nitrite destructive effects and high-fat diet on liver tissue

The Therapeutic Effects of Medicinal Plants on Depression and Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety and depression are among the commonly occurring illnesses around the world that cause changes in the lifestyle of humans and impose huge costs to treat these disorders on human societies. These disorders can be associated with physiological symptoms such as tachycardia, sweating, respiratory dysfunction, numbness, and sometimes paralysis of the limbs, etc. In the treatment of these diseases, the goal is to help people to minimize the risk of following side effects while healing these disorders. In the treatment of drugs in the past, benzodiazepine drugs such as diazepam (valium), alprazolam (xanax), lorazepam (ativan), and baspiron were used to treat anxiety disorders. However, presently anti-depressant drugs such as fluxetin, paroxetine, sertaline, and venlafaxine are more widely administered. It is estimated that between 10 to 20% of people in the western hemisphere use these drugs almost regularly . In depression studies, monoamine neurotransmitters such as serotonin (5- HT), neuroadrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) play an important role in mediating depressive behaviors. Various studies have shown that major depressive symptoms are caused by a reduction in the function of these neurotransmitters. Monoamine oxidase enzyme (MAOA) is also a key enzyme dependent on the metabolism of neurotransmitters, and it has been suggested that its activity is one of the indicators of psychosomatic susceptibility. It has also been observed that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is impaired in patients with depression. The use of herbal medicine has been commonplace in ancient civilizations, and hence since ancient times plants have long been an important source of medicine. Research on plants in recent years has shown that plants such as chamomile and lavender, which have formerly been used to treat anxiety and depression have anti-anxiety and anti-depression effects; accordingly, in the present study, the effects of 18 plant types on the treatment of these disorders have been investigated

Investigation of the effective factors on branding in cosmetic and hygienic products (Case study: Ladies consuming cosmetic and hygienic products with local brands)

Despite the long history of brands, this concept has been considered in marketing literature for a long time such that it has attracted many experts' attention to this field as one of the most important concepts of modern marketing literature. This concept has become so important that wherever loyalty is mentioned, brand is undoubtedly considered too. This research aims to investigate the effect of marketing mixture (7Ps) on making brands of local hygienic and cosmetic products whose statistical society is ladies consuming hygienic and cosmetic products in Mashhad. The sample under analysis of this research consists of 381 people. It was identified after the analysis of their data using SPSS software and testing the research's assumptions that marketing mixture's factors are effective on making brands. In addition, the severity of the effect of each factor was identified

Investigation of the effective factors on branding in cosmetic and hygienic products (Case study: Ladies consuming cosmetic and hygienic products with local brands)

Despite the long history of brands, this concept has been considered in marketing literature for a long time such that it has attracted many experts' attention to this field as one of the most important concepts of modern marketing literature. This concept has become so important that wherever loyalty is mentioned, brand is undoubtedly considered too. This research aims to investigate the effect of marketing mixture (7Ps) on making brands of local hygienic and cosmetic products whose statistical society is ladies consuming hygienic and cosmetic products in Mashhad. The sample under analysis of this research consists of 381 people. It was identified after the analysis of their data using SPSS software and testing the research's assumptions that marketing mixture's factors are effective on making brands. In addition, the severity of the effect of each factor was identified

The effect of technology upskilling on the quality of life of elderly people in Iran : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University

The impact of smartphones and social media apps on lifestyle, Quality of Life, and well-being among elderly people is an important issue with digital communication becoming the predominant communication mode. The effect of using social media apps on the elderly people’s Quality of Life in developing countries including Iran is an important area to address, to understand what future interventions should be recommended to policy makers. A mixed-methods study was designed to determine the impact of training in using smartphone social media apps (including Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram) on the Quality of Life of the elderly citizens in Shiraz-Iran. The population of the study was all the senior residents registered in local public health centres located in Shiraz, Fars, Iran in 2018-2019. The qualitative results were based on the analysis of semi-structured interviews, while the quantitative results were based on the changes in the mean scores of the CASP-19 scale and subscales (p-value) in the intervention population measured before the study, after the intervention and again one month later. In the quasi-experimental quantitative study, the intervention group in the CASP-19 questionnaire sub-scales (control, autonomy, pleasure, self-realization) mean values increased and the overall mean score of Quality of Life increased between the pre-test and the post-test and between the pre-test and the follow-up test. The control sub-scale had the lowest effect size (η2 =0.11), followed by autonomy (η2=0.13) and self-realization (η2=0.14). The highest size of the effect was for pleasure (η2 =0.42) and Quality of Life (η2=0.46) variables. The control group showed no significant changes in the control, autonomy, pleasure, self-realization, and the level of the Quality of Life variables for the duration of the study. It can be concluded that the significant changes in the level of the Quality of Life in the intervention group was due to the educational program. The result of the qualitative study reinforces this conclusion

Effect of hydro alcoholic extract of artichoke on diabetes treatment and liver enzymes in diabetic adult male rats

Background and aims: Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a plant of the Asteraceae family. This plant is used in herbal medicine. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of artichokeextract on insulin, glucagon, glucose, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 40 adult male Wistar rats weighting 220-200 g were used. The rats were divided into 4 equal groups including, control, diabetic and 2 diabetic experimental groups. Two experimental groups respectively received 100 and 300 mg/kg of artichoke hydro ethanol extract as intraperitoneal for 6 days. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin. At the end of the sixth day, blood was taken from the heart of animals. Afterward serum concentration of insulin, glucagon, glucose, ALP, ALT and AST were measured. Then, the parameters measured in the different groups were compared with a control group. Data were evaluated by ANOVA, Duncan test and Student’s t-test. Results: Results showed that artichoke extract significantly reduced the levels of glucagon, glucose, ALP, ALT, AST and increased insulin level compared to control and diabetic groups. It is worth noting that before the experiment, parameters tested were equal in all groups. Conclusion: Artichoke reduces blood sugar so it has a role in treatment of diabetes. Additionally, this herb is effective in control of blood glucose by liver enzymes reducing

The investigation of Lavidge and Steiner model’s capability in measuring the advertising effectiveness of fire insurance (Case study: Insurance company in Mashhad)

Lavidge and Steiner model is one of the most fundamental models in the appraisal and analysis of insurance advertising. The present study intends to investigate the advertising effectiveness of fire insurance in an insurance company through Lavidge and Steiner model. The research is consisting of two types of independent variable of effective advertising and dependent variables which are as follows: awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and attracting the clients. On the basis of main subject of research and different stages of the model, a major hypothesis and six minor hypotheses have been brought up. The first five minor hypotheses have been dedicated to the investigation of the communication impacts of advertising and the sixth hypothesis has devoted to the consumer response. Statistical universe of the research are the insured people of fire insurance services in an insurance company, and 132 people have been chosen through applying a stratified random sampling. Simple linear regression, Friedman analysis and SPSS software have been applied to test the research hypotheses. The findings indicate that advertisements of Persian Insurance Company have been successful from the both perspectives of communication impact and consumer response of advertising. Finally, the advertising effectiveness of fire insurance has been appraised through Lavidge and Steiner model

The investigation of Lavidge and Steiner model’s capability in measuring the advertising effectiveness of fire insurance (Case study: Insurance company in Mashhad)

Lavidge and Steiner model is one of the most fundamental models in the appraisal and analysis of insurance advertising. The present study intends to investigate the advertising effectiveness of fire insurance in an insurance company through Lavidge and Steiner model. The research is consisting of two types of independent variable of effective advertising and dependent variables which are as follows: awareness, knowledge, liking, preference, conviction and attracting the clients. On the basis of main subject of research and different stages of the model, a major hypothesis and six minor hypotheses have been brought up. The first five minor hypotheses have been dedicated to the investigation of the communication impacts of advertising and the sixth hypothesis has devoted to the consumer response. Statistical universe of the research are the insured people of fire insurance services in an insurance company, and 132 people have been chosen through applying a stratified random sampling. Simple linear regression, Friedman analysis and SPSS software have been applied to test the research hypotheses. The findings indicate that advertisements of Persian Insurance Company have been successful from the both perspectives of communication impact and consumer response of advertising. Finally, the advertising effectiveness of fire insurance has been appraised through Lavidge and Steiner model

Perinatal and neonatal effects of androgens on plasma levels of testosterone, homocysteine, long bones length and diameter in male and female rats’ born

Background and aims:Homocysteine is an amino acid sulfur-containing that its amount under androgenic hormones effect changed. With regard to homocysteine effect on the growth of bone tissue, the study aimed to investigate the prenatal and neonatal effects of testosterone on serum homocysteine and growth of Femur & Humerus bones length and diameter of rats’ born were performed. Methods: The experimental study on 256 born of 40 male and female rats divided into 4 groups: control (no treatment), sham (treatment with drugs), experimental perinatal and neonatal by dosing 600 μg/kg in pregnancy and lactation periods under treatment testosterone were done. Then the different groups of both males and females’ born in the days 7,14,21 and maturation of testosterone levels, homocysteine, and length and diameter of Femur & Humerus bones were evaluated and the results obtained using SPSS-20 software and t-test, ANOVA were analyzed and the significant differences of data at P <0.05 was considered. Results: The results of data analysis showed that the significant increase in rats’ born treated with testosterone, serum levels of homocysteine and testosterone at P <0.05 is observed, but only in the male and female’ born on the 21st and during maturity, the significant reduction at P <0.05 in Femur & Humerus bones length and diameter was observed. Conclusion: The results showed that injection of testosterone during pregnancy and lactation increases testosterone levels and homocysteine and reduce the Femur & Humerus bones length and diameter