ANTIMICROBIAL ACTIVITY OF METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF SAMBUCUS EBULUS AND URTICA DIOICA AGAINST CLINICAL ISOLATES OF METHICILLIN RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Background: Increase in the emergence of drug - resistant pathogens led to the development of natural antimicrobials. In this study the antimicrobial effect of methanolic extracts of Sambucus ebulus and Urtica dioica on 16 skin and wound infections isolates of methicillin resistant S. aureus have been studied. Material and Methods: Solvent extraction procedure was done using soxhlet apparatus for extracting antimicrobial agents from freeze dried plants. Antibacterial activity was measured using agar well diffusion method. Results: The MIC of Sambucus ebulus and Urtica dioica extracts against the standard strain of S. aureus ATCC 6538 were determined using the micro dilution method at 15 mg and 20 mg respectively. All the test bacteria were found sensitive to the Sambucus ebulus extract and only one isolate was resistant to Urtica dioica extract. Conclusion: Extracts of Sambucus ebulus and Urtica dioica possess antibacterial potency against MRSA isolates and may be used as a natural antiseptics and antimicrobial agents in medicine

Protective Effect of Diospyros kaki

Ischemic cerebrovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death in the world. Recent interests have been focused on natural antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents as potentially useful neuroprotective agents. Diospyros kaki (persimmon) has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antineoplastic effects. However, its effects on ischemic damage have not been evaluated. Here, we used an in vitro model of cerebral ischemia and studied the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of peel (PeHE) and fruit pulp (PuHE) of persimmon on cell viability and markers of oxidative damage mainly intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by glucose-oxygen-serum deprivation (GOSD) in PC12 cells. GOSD for 6 h produced significant cell death which was accompanied by increased levels of ROS. Pretreatment with different concentrations of PeHE and PuHE (0–500 μg/mL) for 2 and 24 h markedly restored these changes only at high concentrations. However, no significant differences were seen in the protection against ischemic insult between different extracts and the time of exposure. The experimental results suggest that persimmon protects the PC12 cells from GOSD-induced injury via antioxidant mechanisms. Our findings might raise the possibility of potential therapeutic application of persimmon for managing cerebral ischemic and other neurodegenerative disorders

Investigation of the effects of oral dapoxetine on kidney function and histopathologic changes in male rats; an animal study and future perspectives

Introduction: Dapoxetine is a novel therapeutic agent employed in treating specific diseases. However, its potential impact on renal excretion processes has yet to be thoroughly investigated, necessitating further exploration in this study. Objectives: This research aimed to assess the effects of dapoxetine on renal function and explore any potential disturbances in kidney excretion processes. Materials and Methods: In this study, 32 male Albino rats weighing between 200-250 g were utilized. The rats were randomly divided into four groups. Group one served as the control and received a normal diet, while groups two to four were administered dapoxetine through gavage at doses of 1 mg/kg, 2 mg/kg, and 4 mg/kg, respectively. The study evaluated blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine levels and examined renal pathological changes in the rats. Results: The results demonstrated a significant increase in average BUN levels in group four compared to other groups (P0.05). Importantly, no indications of apoptosis, necrosis, edema, hydropic degeneration, or glomerular changes were observed in any of the renal cells from the rat groups. Conclusion: Dapoxetine administration led to changes in BUN and creatinine levels; however, it did not adversely affect the renal cells’ pathological outcomes. These results suggest that dapoxetine could be considered for use in the future treatment of certain diseases, considering its minimal impact on renal function. Further investigations and clinical trials are warranted to corroborate these findings and inform medical decision-making

Effects of Coriandrum sativum extracts on glucose/serum deprivation-induced neuronal cell death

Objective: This study was planned to investigate whetherCoriandrum sativum (C. sativum) is capable of protecting neurons against glucose/serum deprivation (GSD)-induced cytotoxicity. Material and Methods: The PC12 cells were cultivated for 24 h in standard media (high-glucose DMEM containing Fetal Bovine Serum) or for 6 h in GSD condition (glucose-free DMEM, without serum) in the absence or presence of various concentrations (0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 mg/ml) of hydro-alcoholic extract (HAE), water fraction (WF), ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) or N-butanol fraction (NBF) of this plant. At the end of the treatments, the cell viability was determined using MTT assay. Results: With the exception of 1.6 mg/ml of EAF or NBF which decreased cell survival, the HAE and its fractions exhibited no cytotoxicity under standard condition. Exposure of the cells to GSD condition showed 52% decrease in the viability. In this condition, the HAE, EAF and NBF not only failed to increase cell viability but also increased the toxicity. On the other hand, WF at 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 mg/ml significantly attenuated the GSD-induced decrease in cell survival. Conclusion: The present study revealed that C. sativum bearing water-soluble compound(s) could induce neuroprotective activity. Also, we showed that some constituents from this plant may serve as cytotoxic agents under stressful conditions like hypoglycemia and serum limitation.

Linalool attenuated ischemic injury in PC12 cells through inhibition of caspase-3 and caspase-9 during apoptosis

Numerous studies have indicated the pharmacological properties of linalool, a volatile terpene alcohol found in many flowers and spice plants, including anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanisms of neuroprotection provided by (±) linalool and its enantiomer, (R)-(−) linalool against oxygen, and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in PC12 cells. PC12 cells were treated with (±) linalool and (R)-(−) linalool before exposure to OGD/R condition. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, DNA damage, and the levels of proteins related to apoptosis were evaluated using MTT, comet assay, and western blot analysis, respectively. IC50 values for the PC12 cells incubated with (±) linalool and (R)-(−) linalool were 2700 and 2600 μM after 14 h, as well as 5440 and 3040 μM after 18 h, respectively. Survival of the ischemic cells pre-incubated with (±) linalool and (R)-(−) linalool (100 μM of both) increased compared to the cells subjected to the OGD/R alone (p < .001). ROS and MDA formation were also decreased following incubation with (±) linalool and (R)-(−) linalool compared to the OGD/R group (p < .01). In the same way, pre-treatment with (±) linalool and (R)-(−) linalool significantly reduced OGD/R-induced DNA injury compared to that seen in OGD/R group (p < .001). (±) Linalool and (R)-(−) linalool also restored Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-9 (p < .001, p < .01) following ischemic injury. The neuroprotective effect of linalool against ischemic insult might be mediated by alleviation of oxidative stress and apoptosis

Reconfiguration of Distribution Networks with Simultaneous Allocation of Distributed Generation Using the Whale Optimization Algorithm

The economic interest in power loss minimization and regulatory requirements regarding voltage levels in distribution systems are considered. In this paper, a computational technique to assist in the optimization of the power losses and voltage characteristic in the steady state through distribution network reconfiguration and the location and size of the distributed generators is addressed. The whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is chosen to perform this task since it can explore the sizeable combinatorial search space of the problem, which is also nonlinear and nonconvex. The purpose of this study is to mitigate power losses; voltage ranges are borne in mind as the problem restrictions. The proposals for solving the issue are evaluated using a specialized power flow algorithm. The algorithm is implemented in MATLAB and the 33-bus and 69-bus grids are employed to assess the performance of the approach. The results indicate that the WOA method outperforms regarding power loss reduction and voltage characteristic improvement in the concurrent integration of distribution network reconfiguration and distributed generators compared with the four metaheuristics shown in the results section

Berberine protects against glutamate-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in PC12 and N2a cells

Objective(s): Neurodegenerative diseases have been associated with glutamatergic dysfunction. Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid broadly present in different medicinal herbs, has been reported to have neuroprotective effect. In the present study, the effects of berberine against glutamate-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis were investigated. Materials and Methods: The cultured PC12 and N2a cells were pretreated (2 hr) with varying concentrations of berberine (50-1000 µM), followed by exposure to glutamate (10 mM) for 24 hr. The cells viability, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, DNA fragmentation and the expressions of pro-apoptotic (cleaved caspase-3 and bax) and anti-apoptotic (bcl-2) proteins were then measured. Results: In both cell lines, pretreatment with berberine (especially at low concentrations) significantly decreased ROS generation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA fragmentation, while improving glutathione content and SOD activity in glutamate-injured cells. Moreover, berberine showed anti-apoptotic effects by reducing the glutamate-evoked caspase-3 and bax/bcl-2 overexpression. Conclusion: The results of present study suggest that berberine protects against glutamate-induced PC12 and N2a cells injury by decreasing oxidative stress and subsequently inhibiting apoptosis. This is relevant to berberine treatment in neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia (Alzheimer’s disease), seizures, and stroke

Effect of Vitamin D on Insulin Resistance in Overweight and Obese Children and Adolescents With Vitamin D Deficiency

Obesity is one of the major health issues in developed and developing countries, which has been increasing in recent decades. Obesity is one of the important risk factors for type 2 diabetes by developing insulin resistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin D on insulin resistance in overweight and obese children and adolescents with vitamin D deficiency. In this interventional study, 53 overweight and obese children and adolescents with vitamin D deficiency referred to the Endocrinology Clinic of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences were included. The height and weight of participants were measured, and their Body Mass Index (BMI) calculated. To participants, 50,000 units of vitamin D were administered weekly for 8 weeks, and then 1000 units were orally administered daily for 3 months. Before and after the intervention, levels of vitamin D, insulin, and fasting blood sugar were measured. The HOMA-IR was also calculated as an indicator of insulin resistance. After the intervention, serum vitamin D significantly increased, and BMI and fasting blood sugar significantly decreased (P0.05). After the intervention, HOMA-IR had a significant direct correlation with body mass index, insulin, and fasting blood sugar and a significant inverse correlation with vitamin D (P<0.05). Vitamin D had a significant inverse correlation with BMI, insulin, and fasting blood sugar after the intervention (P<0.05). Oral treatment with vitamin D significantly increased serum vitamin D levels and significantly decreased BMI and fasting blood sugar in obese and overweight children

Biological network inference at multiple scales:from gene regulation to species interactions

Carnitine membrane transporter deficiency or primary carnitine deficiency (PCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder of fatty acid oxidation, in which the transport of carnitine into cells is impaired. Carnitine plays an important role in transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria and carnitine deficiency block oxidation of long-chain fatty acids in the mitochondria that leads to heart and hepatic disease, myopathy, nonketotic hypoglycemia, and neurological complications. PCD has a wide range of symptoms and can reveal itself as symptomatic cardiomyopathy or even asymptomatic. In this study, we reported twin brothers with PCD. One of them had symptoms of disease and cardiomyopathy and was under treatment with carnitine. Another twin was asymptomatic and was diagnosed during follow-up period of his brother

Characterization of Macroporous Polycaprolactone/Silk Fibroin/Gelatin/Ascorbic Acid Composite Scaffolds and In Vivo Results in a Rabbit Model for Meniscus Cartilage Repair

Objective Meniscus injuries in the inner avascular zone have weak intrinsic self-healing capacity and often progress to osteoarthritis. This study focused on evaluating the effects of polycaprolactone/silk fibroin/gelatin/ascorbic acid (PCL/SF/Gel/AA) composite scaffolds seeded with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs), in the meniscus repair. Design To this end, composite scaffolds were cross-linked using N-hydroxysuccinimide and 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl-aminopropyl)-1-carbodiimide hydrochloride. Scaffolds were then characterized by scanning electron microscope, mechanical tests, total antioxidant capacity, swelling, and toxicity tests. Results The PCL/SF/Gel/AA scaffolds exhibited suitable mechanical properties. Furthermore, vitamin C rendered them the highest antioxidant capacity. The PCL/SF/Gel/AA scaffolds also showed good biocompatibility and proliferation for chondrocytes. Moreover, the PCL/SF/Gel/AA scaffold seeded with allogeneic ASCs was engrafted in New Zealand rabbits who underwent unilateral punch defect in the medial meniscus of the right knee. After 2 months postimplantation, macroscopic and histologic studies for new meniscus cartilage were performed. Conclusions Our results indicated that the PCL/SF/Gel/AA composite scaffolds seeded with allogeneic ASCs could successfully improve meniscus healing in damaged rabbits