Extraction and identification sterols in brown alga, Padina boergesenii in Chabahar Coasts

Padina boergesenii is one of the most abundant brown algae distributed in the north of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. In this study after sampling and preparation of Padina boergesenii by Chroform-Etanol (3-1) solvent and by Methanol has been extract. Separation and purification of the compounds was carried out using thin layer, general and inverse column chromatography, Cephadex and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Structural elucidation of the constituents was based on the data obtained from H-NMR, 13C-NMR, HSQC, HMBC, DEPT and Cephadex LH-20. The steroids compounds separated from above alga were identified as 22-dehydrocholesterol (1), cholesterol (2), fucosterol (3), β-sitosterol (4), stigmasterol (5), ostreasterol (6) and two epimer of hyroxyestrol (7), based on their spectral data and from comparison with those previously reported in the literature

Effects of physalis alkekengi, aerial parts extracts, on morphine withdrawal syndrome in mice

The effect of Physalis alkekengi aerial part extract on the withdrawal syndrome was determined in mice. After induction of dependency by morphine, mice were intraperitoneally administered different concentrations of Physalis alkekengi extract (dichloromethane, methanol and waterf). Morphine-withdrawal, induced by naloxone, was assessed by recording the incidence of escape jumps for 60 minutes. All the concentrations of the methanol extract produced statistically significant decrease in development of morphine dependence compared to the control group. Aqueous extract also induced jumping decrease in mice of test group at doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg. We can therefore suggest this plant using successfully in treatment of addiction

Extraction and identification of steroids in two species marine algae, Sargassum oligocystum and Nizamudiinia zanardinii in Persian Gulf and Oman Sea

Sargassum oligocystum and Nizamudiinia zanardinii are the most abundant algae distributed in the north of Persian Gulf and Oman Sea. In this study after sampling and preparation of S. oligocystum by Chroform-Etanol (3-1) solvent and N. zanardinii by methanol has been extract. Separation and purification of the compounds was carried out using thin layer, general and inverse column chromatography, Cephadex and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC ). Structural elucidation of the constituents was based on the data obtained from HNMR, 13C-NMR, HSQC, HMBC, DEPT and Cephadex LH-20. The steroids compounds separated from above algae were identified as 22-dehydrocholesterol (1) cholesterol (2) fucosterol (3) 29-hydroperoxystigmasta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol (4) 24-hydroperoxy-24- vinylcholesterol (5) a mixture of 24(S)-hydroxy-24-vinylcholesterol (6) and 24(R)-hydroxy-24- vinylcholesterol (7) and ostreasterol (8) based on their spectral data and from comparison with those previously reported in the literature

Introducing a new measure for assessing self-efficacy in response to air pollution hazards for pregnant women

A self-efficacy instrument should be condition-specific. There are several instruments for measuring self-efficacy, but none are air pollution-specific. This study aimed to develop a self-efficacy measure for assessing pregnant women's responses to air pollution hazards. A random sample of pregnant women aged between 18 and 35 years attending three prenatal care centers were entered into the study. Prenatal care centers randomly selected from a list of centers located in different geographical regions of Tehran, Iran. After careful consideration and performing content and face validity, a 4-item measure was developed and participants completed the questionnaire. Reliability was estimated using internal consistency and validity was assessed by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and known group comparison. In all 200 eligible pregnant women were studied. The mean age of participants was 26.9 (SD = 4.8) years and it was 27.9 (SD = 9.1) weeks for gestational age. The findings showed almost perfect results for both content validity ratio (CVR = 1) and content validity index (CVI = 1). The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit to the data, and known group comparison revealed satisfying results. Internal consistency as measured by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was found to be 0.74. In general, the findings suggest that this new generated scale is a reliable and valid specific measure of self-efficacy in response to air pollution hazards for pregnant women. However, further studies are needed to establish stronger psychometric properties for the questionnaire. © 2013 Araban et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

The Possibility of Using Azolla anzali and Lemna Minor to Reduce Water Loss from Surface Water and as a Green Fertilizer in Farms

Water scarcity and lack of soil fertility are two major problems in the agriculture sector. This study aimed to use Azolla anzali and Lemna minor as a cover for a free surface of the water since not only do they have the potential to reduce evaporation, but they can also produce green fertilizer. Therefore, a completely randomized design experiment with 4 treatments (Azolla anzali, Lemna minor, combination of Azolla anzali+ Lemna minor and control) was performed with three replications. The surface of the reservoirs was covered with the mentioned plants and the changes in water height were measured every other day and the amount of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) of the plant tissue was measured three times at the beginning, middle, and end of the period. Eventually, water loss in tanks containing Lemna, Azolla, and Lemna+ Azolla, was 39, 33.2, and 28.7% less than the control tank. The highest amount of nutrients in plant tissue was observed in Lemna, Azolla+ Lemna, and Azolla treatments, respectively. Although the amount of nutrients in the combined treatment was not higher than that of Lemna more biomass was produced, which means it can provide more fertilizer. Finally, the combined treatment of the two plants is a more suitable option to be used

Comparative study of the total phenol content and antioxidant activity of some medicinal herbal extracts

Herbal medicines can be used as the potential sources of anti-oxidative compounds to help the treatment of diseases associated to oxidative stress. In this paper, the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) activity of four Lamiaceae herbal extracts, which traditionally applied in oxidative stress related diseases, has been evaluated and total phenolics contents of these extracts determined by using Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The aqueous methanol extracts were prepared by percolation method and investigated for antioxidant properties and total phenolics content evaluation. All the extracts showed antioxidant effect from 123.6±4.6 mmol of FeSO4.7H2Oequivalent/100 g dried extract in Scutellaria tornefortii to 551.5±16.0 mmol of FeSO4.7H2Oequivalent/100 g dried extract in Satureja sahendica. Interestingly, although Satureja sahendica exhibited the most antioxidant activity, the highest content of polyphenolics belonged to Stachys byzantina. Taking together, antioxidant activity of the mentioned medicinal plants is not necessarily associated with polyphenolic compounds and might be partially due to the presence of other polar constituents like terpenoid-glycosides in aqueous extracts that traditionally used as decoction

Evaluation of parametric models by the prediction error in colorectal cancer survival analysis

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the factors influencing predicted survival time for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) using parametric models and select the best model by predicting error's technique. Background: Survival models are statistical techniques to estimate or predict the overall time up to specific events. Prediction is important in medical science and the accuracy of prediction is determined by a measurement, generally based on loss functions, called prediction error. Patients and methods: A total of 600 colorectal cancer patients who admitted to the Cancer Registry Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, were followed at least for 5 years and have completed selected information for this study. Body Mass Index (BMI), Sex, family history of CRC, tumor site, stage of disease and histology of tumor included in the analysis. The survival time was compared by the Log-rank test and multivariate analysis was carried out using parametric models including Log normal, Weibull and Log logistic regression. For selecting the best model, the prediction error by apparent loss was used. Results: Log rank test showed a better survival for females, BMI more than 25, patients with early stage at diagnosis and patients with colon tumor site. Prediction error by apparent loss was estimated and indicated that Weibull model was the best one for multivariate analysis. BMI and Stage were independent prognostic factors, according to Weibull model. Conclusion: In this study, according to prediction error Weibull regression showed a better fit. Prediction error would be a criterion to select the best model with the ability to make predictions of prognostic factors in survival analysis. © 2015 RIGLD, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases