Biological effects of agricultural bio-materials on some blood and tissue factors in Balb/c mice

Pseudomonas infections are an important cause of morbidity and mortality and saprophytic fungi are now increasingly being recognized as serious pathogens in immunocompromised patients.To investigate the effect of using bio-materials on mammalian tissues,two experiments were designed;the first one was feeding of Balb/c mice with irrigated lettuce with bio-fungicide (mutant and wild)and bio-fertilizers prepared with Pseudomonas (p) fluorescens, p. putida, p. aeruginosa, and the second was the usage of drinking water containing (Trichoderma (T) spores (mutant and wild) or P.fluorescens, P.putida, P.aeruginosa suspensions). Then, blood factors and inflammation of tissues (liver, kidney, spleen and large intestine) in all mice were analyzed after two months. Blood samples were taken from the mice to examine some of the hematological (RBC, MCV, MCH, MCHC) (data not shown) and biochemical (AST, ALT, ALP) factors, and also observed under a microscope. The study of tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in all treatments showed that the strains in these bio-fertilizers did not stimulate carcinogenic indices.The results from the other blood factors were normal for all strains (data not shown).Only P.putida showed no adverse effect on the increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP).The results also showed that the effect of bio-fungicide on mammalian tissues (spleen and large intestine) was normal. But a small number of mild liver necrosis was seen in the treatment groups with wild Trichoderma, and moderate necrosis in the the liver tissue after treatment with mutant Trichoderma isolates.More investigation should be made to determine the impact of these biotic factors on the mammalian tissues before commercialization

Antimycobacterial activity assessment of three ethnobotanical plants against Mycobacterium Tuberculosis: An In Vitro study

Objective/Background: Resistances to herbal medicines are still not defined and finding natural remedies against drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) has research priority. The antimycobacterial susceptibility method for herbal extracts is unclearly defined and there is no standard method for assessment of the materials against bacteria. In the present study, time kill of three medicinal plants was determined against MTB. Methods: The clinical isolate of MTB from a patient who harbored confirmed tuberculosis was used in the study. Aqueous extracts of Aloe vera leaves, mint, and Hypericum perforatum were prepared using reflux distillation. Disk diffusion methods were conducted in Petri dishes and McCartney bottles containing Löwenstein–Jensen medium to measure the sensitivity of plant extracts in serial concentrations of 0.25–8 mg/mL. A pour plate method was performed by mixing 0.7 mL of each concentration of extract in 5 mL Löwenstein–Jensen medium followed by surface culturing of MTB fresh cells. The time kill method was conducted by bacterial suspension in equal amounts of the extract and viable evaluation in fresh culture at the beginning, and at 24-h, 48-h, 72-h, and 1-week intervals. All cultures were incubated at 37°C for 4 weeks. Inoculum concentrations were considered as a variable. Results: The zones of inhibition of A. vera, H. perforatum, and mint extracts in the disk diffusion method in McCartney bottles were 60 mm, 41 mm, and zero, respectively, but Petri dishes did not have repeatable results. In the pour plate method, an extract concentration up to 1 mg/mL could inhibit cell growth. In mint extract, colony forming was four times more than the others at 0.5 mg/mL. Time kill of 95% of cells occurred when exposed to extracts of A. vera and H. perforatum separately, but was 50% in 24 h and 20% in 10 min. The time kill for mint was 95% in 1week. Conclusion: The results give some scientific basis to the use of plant extracts for growth control of MTB cells. Clinical trials are recommended for assessment of the extract as complementary medicine, as well as for antisepsis

Frequency of colorectal cancer in healthy individual's relatives: A cross-sectional population-based study

Introduction: Family history of colorectal cancer has been shown to be related to the risk of developing colorectal cancer. This risk depends on the number of affected relatives and the age at diagnosis. In this study we aimed to estimate the frequency of a positive family history of colorectal cancer in a random sample from Tehran population. Materials and Methods: This study was a community-based cross-sectional survey conducted from May 2006 to December 2007 in Tehran province, Iran. A total of 5,500 peoples (age≥20 years) drawn up randomly by random sampling according to postal codes and invited to participate in the study. All participants completed a detailed health data registry form on family history status of colorectal cancer. Results: The mean age of men with a positive family history was significantly different from men with negative family history. There was no significant difference between mean age of women responders with or without positive family history. Among all participants (n=5,500), 162 responders (2.9%) had a history of colorectal cancer. Of 162, 67 responders (1.22%) had one and 4(0.07%) had two or more first-degree relative with colorectal cancer. Of 5,500 participants, 18 subjects (0.33%) reported having two or more first-degree relative with colorectal cancer or one first-degree relative with colorectal cancer diagnosed at age <50 years. Four subjects (0.07%) had three or more first-degree relative with colorectal cancer. Conclusion: Based on the findings, we estimate that more than 570,000 subjects in the Iran in the age group≥20 years have at least two to three times increased risk of developing colorectal cancer which should be identified and encourage to participate in screening and surveillance protocols of colorectal cancer

Functional Bowel Disorders in Iranian Population using Rome III Criteria

<b>Background/Aim:</b> To study the prevalence and risk factors of functional bowel disorders (FBD) in Iranian community using Rome III criteria. <b> Materials and</b> <b> Methods:</b> This study was a cross-sectional household survey conducted from May 2006 to December 2007 in Tehran province, Iran, including 18,180 participants who were selected randomly and interviewed face-to-face by a validated questionnaire based on Rome III criteria. <b> Results:</b> In all, 1.1&#x0025; met the Rome III criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), 2.4&#x0025; for functional constipation (FC), and 10.9&#x0025; of the participants had any type of FBD. Among participants with functional dyspepsia, 83.8&#x0025; had FBD; the majority cases were unspecified functional bowel disorder (U-FBD). Of the subjects fulfilling the IBS criteria, IBS with constipation (52&#x0025;) was the most frequent subtype. In the multivariate analysis, women had a higher risk of any FBDs than men, except for functional diarrhea (FD). The prevalence of FBD, FC and FD increased and IBS decreased with increasing age. Marital status was only associated with a decrease in the risk of FBD and FD, respectively. IBS subtypes compared with FC and FD. There was no significant difference between FC and IBS with constipation (IBS-C), except for self-reported constipation; while, IBS with diarrhea (IBS-D) had more symptoms than FD. <b> Conclusion:</b> This study revealed a low rate of FBDs among the urban population of Tehran province. The ROME III criteria itself, and the problems with interpretation of the data collection tool may have contributed in underestimating the prevalence of FBD. In addition the reliability of recall over 6 months in Rome III criteria is questionable for our population