Assessment of Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Extracts from Four Varieties of Iranian Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seeds

  Background and objective: Every year, large quantities of date palm seeds are produced as byproducts in date processing and packaging industries, which is discarded or used as low-value materials for animal feeds and composts. However, these bioresources may include potentials to produce high-value added products in food industries. The major aim of the current study was to assess phenolic profiles and contents and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of four Iranian date palm seed extracts, namely Zahedi, Kabkab, Mazafati and Rabbi.Material and methods: Total phenolic contents, phenolic compounds profile and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts from four Iranian date palm seeds were assessed using Folin-Ciocalteu, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, 2, 2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods, respectively.Results and conclusion: Total phenolic contents varied 1480-3380 mg GAE 100 g-1 dw. cinnamic, chlorogenic, caffeic and 3, 5-dihydroxybenzoic acid included the primary phenolic compounds, respectively. Of the varieties, Kabkab and Mazafati seed extracts with IC50 values of 16.56 and 22.6 µg ml-1 demonstrated the highest and lowest radical scavenging activity, respectively. Results obtained from disc diffusion method revealed that all extracts included inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus, but not against Escherichia coli. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts ranged 1.563.125 and 3.125-12.5 mg ml-1 for Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Based on the findings, Iranian date seeds are good sources of extractable phenolic compounds with notable antioxidant activities, which can be used as natural additives in formulations of various products such as functional foods and dietary supplements. Furthermore, these seeds can be converted to value added products through biotechnological processes.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.   

Pharmacy Students' Self-Identified Interests in a Hospital Pharmacy Internship Course in Iran

Introduction: After revision of pharmacy curriculum by, Iranian Health and Education Ministry reviewed in 2005, it was decided that pharmacy students need extra internship courses such as hospital internship course. Hospital internship course could provide students with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and master the skills required for current pharmacy practices in community and hospital setting. The aim of this study was to identify and analyze pharmacy students’ experiences during hospital internship. Methods: Each student attended in 3 wards and provided a logbook for each ward. Students were asked to document at least one topic interesting for them on each day. The collected information was divided into sections and analyzed using SPSS ver 14. Results: Seventeen students enrolled in the course. Endocrinology and nephrology wards had the highest and neurology the lowest number of attended students. Seven hundred and one reported learning subjects were divided into 24 areas. The highest numbers of reported topics were the drugs indications, adverse drug reactions and diagnosis of diseases while the lowest number was pretreatment laboratory tests, pharmacoeconomy, counseling medical staffs and off label use of medications. Gastroenterology and endocrinology wards with 210 reports had the highest and neurology ward with 12 had the lowest number of reports. Conclusion: Completing the logbooks was an encouragement for students to seek and document and learn new topics and also a major feature of the clinical assessment scheme of the course. The majority of the reported topics were learning objectives but not the interventional ones. The present study showed us some areas of pharmacy education which need further attention

Low prevalence of significant carotid artery disease in Iranian patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass grafting ranks as one of the most frequent operations worldwide. The presence of carotid artery stenosis may increase the stroke rate in the perioperative period. Routine preoperative noninvasive assessment of the carotid arteries are recommended in many institutions to reduce the stroke rate. METHODS: 271 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting at Shaheed Madani hospital of Tabriz, Iran (age, 58.5 Y; 73.1% male) underwent preoperative ultrasonography for assessment of carotid artery wall thickness. RESULTS: Plaque in right common, left common, right internal and left internal carotid arteries was detected in 4.8%, 7.4%, 43.2% and 42.1% of patients respectively. 5 patients (1.8%) had significant (<50%) and 3 (1.1%) patients had critical (<70%) stenosis in internal carotid arteries. Plaque formation in common carotid was not significantly different between two genders but the stenosis of left internal carotid was more frequently seen among men. Patients with plaques in right or left internal carotid arteries were significantly older. CONCLUSION: Consecutive Iranian patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass surgery show a very low prevalence of significant carotid artery disease

Prevalence of Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Rickettsia infections in dogs in Iran: A meta-analysis study.

The current study aims to assess the prevalence of different genera of Rickettsiales, intracellular bacteria, in dogs across various regions of Iran. Rickettsiales, as zoonotic pathogens, can have various manifestations in different species, including immunosuppression, anaemia and neuropathy. Due to their close interactions with people and livestock, dogs can serve as reservoirs and transmit these pathogens to humans and other animals. The data from this research can be valuable for managing and controlling related diseases and complications in Iran and possibly neighbouring countries. Pertinent data for this study was gathered without time limitations until 1 March 2022, from different databases. Of all the inspected studies, 26 were eligible based on the inclusion criteria. The Egger test result and asymmetry in the funnel plot revealed significant publication bias; therefore, the meta-analysis model was corrected with the trim-and-fill method. After correction, the prevalence of rickettsial infections among dogs varies by genus - 20.1% for Anaplasma spp. and 10% for Ehrlichia spp. - with an overall prevalence estimated at 18.3% by random-effects analysis. The highest and lowest estimated pooled prevalences were associated with the southwestern (38.5%) and southern (0.3%) provinces of Iran, respectively. The pooled prevalence of rickettsial infection was higher in female dogs (OR = 1.198; p < 0.978; 95% CI, 0.842-1.705) and in dogs ≤2 years (OR = 1.014; p < 0.312; 95% CI, 0.598-1.72), but the difference was not statistically significant. Ultimately, the pooled prevalence of rickettsial infections among dogs is relatively low compared to other countries like Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which are nearby Iran. Given the significant clinical outcomes of this disease, necessary measures for prevention should be taken

Strategies for controlling release of plastic compounds into foodstuffs based on application of nanoparticles and its potential health issues

Background: recently the safety issues of plastic packaging materials have been taken into consideration due to increased consumption of plastic packaging for food sector. Migration of plastic materials into packed food can also alter the sensory properties of food, which reduces its acceptability to consumers, and moreover, the effect of these substances on human health. Scope and approach: Many factors can affect the migration of plastic materials to food. Recently, some studies have shown that incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer matrices can influence the release of plastic materials. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of nanoparticles on the migration of plastic materials, migration of nanoparticles into food and their related safety issues. Key findings and conclusions: There are several theories regarding the effect of nanoparticles on the reduction of the migration of plastic materials, including the creation of torturous pathway for migrant molecules, as well as acting as crystallization nuclei and an increase in the degree of crystallinity of polymer. In addition, examination of the studies showed that the amount of nanoparticle migration into the food is low

Chitosan-limonene coating in combination with modified atmosphere packaging preserve postharvest quality of cucumber during storage

Since cucumbers suffer from a short postharvest life, applying different technologies is increasingly used as effective ways to increase their shelf life and quality. In this study a combination of chitosan-limonene coating and MAP storage has been used as a postharvest treatment to maintain cucumber quality. Samples were stored in three different packages: A (21% O2, macro-perforated package to be in equilibrium with air); package B (active MAP, starting concentrations 10% O2 + 5% CO2); package C (passive MAP starting concentrations 21% O2 + 0.1% CO2); they were stored at three temperatures (20, 10, and 4 °C). Quality parameters of cucumber such as weight loss, firmness, color, pH, fungal growth, Tg, organoleptic properties were determined. Interactive effects of coating, package, temperature, and storage time showed that coating and MAP in general had positive effects on several quality aspects. Coating combined with active MAP had the most positive effect on most postharvest attributes. However, using active MAP at higher temperature led to quality problems and is only useful if storage time is short. The combined usage of active MAP and chitosan-based coating on cucumber represents an innovative and interesting method for commercial application

Hydrolytic degradation mechanism of modified polylactic acid in different food simulants

Hydrolytic degradation of non-compatibilized and compatibilized toughened polylactic acid (PLA) blends pro-duced with polyolefin elastomer (POE) at 5 and 15 wt percent were examined in distilled water and both 50 % and 95 % ethanol solutions at 40 degrees C for up to 180 days and were compared with pure PLA. The change in swelling degree, molecular weight, crystallinity, thermal properties, and lactic acid (LA) release were monitored. All samples demonstrated higher hydrolytic degradation in contact with 50 % ethanol in comparison to 95 % ethanol and distilled water, which were in conformity with the results of the LA release during the exposure time. During the exposure period, the crystallinity degree of samples increased specifically in contact with 50 % ethanol solution. that could be due to amorphous regions degradation and solvent-induced crystallization. Blending PLA with POE and compatibilizing with polyolefin elastomer-graft-maleic anhydride (POE-g-MA) resulted in lower hydrolytic degradation and subsequently restricted polymer chain mobility as highlighted by glass transition temperature and the crystallization change

Trends and applications of intelligent packaging in dairy products : a review

Dairy products contain high contents of nutrients that favor the growth and proliferation of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, contributing to high risk in terms of quality deterioration and food safety. It has been demonstrated that packaging could protect airy products after manufacturing and it is capable of extending the shelf-life of these products. Among various kinds of packaging, intelligent packaging can utilized as an effective instrument for preservation of dairy products and also informs users about the entire background of the product. This review will address the attempts made toward developing intelligent packaging for dairy products including indicators (time temperature, gas & integrity and freshness), data carriers (RFID, barcode) and sensors