The Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Echium Amoenum and Citrus Aurantiflia on Blood Pressure and Heart Rate before and after phynelephrine Injection in Rat

Abstract: Background & Aims: Echium amoenum and Citrus aurantifolia are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmia and regulation of blood pressure. In this study the effects of co-administration of these herbs on heart rate and blood pressure of rats before and after phynelephrine injection were investigated. Methods: Ten groups of rats respectively received 100, 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg Echium Amoenum, 250 mg/kg Citrus Aurantiflia and combination of 250 mg/kg Citrus Aurantiflia with 100, 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg Echium Amoenum for 6 days. Control group received water. Blood pressure and heart rate before and after phynelephrine injection were measured and compared among groups. Results: Echium amotnum at 400 and 600 mg/kg dozes significantly increased blood pressure of rats in comparison to the control group (P<0.05) and this effect was more significant after phynelephrine injection (P<0.05). Echium amoenum in combination whit citrus aurantiflia decreased heart rate after phynelephrine injection and also in comparison to the control group. This decreasing effect was more than the effect of 6.688 mg/kg phynelephrine (P<0.05). Conclusion: Since Echium amoentum has an increasing effect on blood pressure especially in higher blood pressures, it is not suggested for those with hypertension. Co-administration of Echium amoentum and Citrus aurantiflia is recommended for decreasing heart rate. Keywords: Blood pressure, Heart rate, Echium, Citrus aurantifoli

Preliminary automated determination of edibility of alternative foods: Non-targeted screening for toxins in red maple leaf concentrate

Alternative food supplies could maintain humanity despite sun-blocking global catastrophic risks (GCRs) that eliminate conventional agriculture. A promising alternative food is making leaf concentrate. However, the edibility of tree leaves is largely uncertain. To overcome this challenge, this study provides the methods for obtaining rapid toxics screening of common leaf concentrates. The investigation begins with a non-targeted approach using an ultra-high-resolution hybrid ion trap orbitrap mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization (ESI) coupled to an ultra-high pressure two-dimensional liquid chromatograph system on the most common North American leaf: the red maple. Identified chemicals from this non-targeted approach are then cross-referenced with the OpenFoodTox database to identify toxic chemicals. Identified toxins are then screened for formula validation and evaluated for risk as a food. The results after screening show that red maple leaf concentrate contains at least eight toxic chemicals, which upon analysis do not present substantial risks unless consumed in abundance. This indicates that red maple leaf is still a potential alternative food. The results are discussed in the context of expanding the analysis with open science and using leaf extract from other plants that are not traditionally used as foods to offset current global hunger challenges, and move to a more sustainable food system while also preparing for GCRs

The Serum Changes of Neuron-Specific Enolase and Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 in Patients With Diffuse Axonal Injury Following Progesterone Administration: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Improvement of neurologic outcome in progesterone-administered patients with diffuse axonal injury (DAI) has been found in a recent study. Also, there has been interest in the importance of serum parameters as predictors of outcome in traumatic brain injury. Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the effect of progesterone administration on serum levels of neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in clinical DAI. Patients and Methods: In this study, the serum levels of ICAM-1 and NSE of 32 male DAI patients (18 - 60 years of age, a Glasgow coma scale of 12 or less, and admitted within 4 hours after injury) who were randomized for a controlled phase II trial of progesterone were analyzed. The analysis was performed between the control and progesterone groups at admission time, and 24 hours and six days after DAI, respectively. Results: A reduction in the serum level of ICAM-1 was noticed in the progesterone group 24 hours after the injury (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the serum level of NSE between the study groups during evaluation. At 24 hours after the injury, the level of ICAM-1 in the control group was higher than that at admission time (P < 0.05). The lowest level of NSE in the two groups was seen six days after DAI (P < 0.01). Conclusions: In summary, progesterone administration reduced serum ICAM-1, and whereby may attenuate blood brain barrier disruption, the latter needs further investigation for confirmation

Gender-related response of body systems in COVID-19 affects outcome

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is the seventh member of the coronaviruses (CoVs) family that infects humans and causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is currently a global pandemic. Widespread secretion of cytokines has been shown to occur early in severe cases of the disease and can be an effective factor in the rapid progression of the disease. Systemic inflammation indicates an advanced stage of acute disease, which is characterized by multiple organ failure and elevated key inflammatory markers. Studies have shown a gender difference between the incidence and mortality of COVID-19. In this review, we investigated the gender difference in the systemic effects of COVID-19 and found that this gender difference exists especially in the respiratory, cardiovascular, liver, gastrointestinal and kidney systems. Due to the worse outcome of COVID in males, the role of female sex hormones in causing these gender differences is noticeable. There can be a systemic and local effect of female sex hormones, especially estrogen and possibly progesterone, on various cells. Among the effects of these hormones is the regulation of localized angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) levels. ACE2 is the route of entry for SARS-CoV-2 virus into the cell. It is hoped that this review would address gender differences for better management of COVID-19 treatment

Protection of hippocampal CA1 neurons against ischemia/Reperfusion injury by exercise preconditioning via modulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and prevention of Caspase-3 Activation

Introduction: Ischemia leads to loss of neurons by apoptosis in specific brain regions, especially in the hippocampus. The purpose of this study was investigating the effects of exercise preconditioning on expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 proteins in hippocampal CA1 neurons after induction of cerebral ischemia. Methods: Male rats weighing 260-300 g were randomly allocated into three groups (sham, exercise, and ischemia). The rats in exercise group were trained to run on atreadmill 5 days a week for 4 weeks. Ischemia was induced by the occlusion of both common carotid arteries (CCAs) for 20 min. Levels of expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 proteins in CA1 area of hippocampus were determined by immunohistochemical staining . Results: The number of active caspase-3-positive neurons in CA1 area were significantly increased in ischemia group, compared to sham-operated group (P<0.001), and exercise preconditioning significantly reduced the ischemia/reperfusion-induced caspase-3 activation, compared to the ischemia group (P<0.05). Also, results indicated a significant increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in ischemia group, compared to sham-operated group (P<0.001). Discussion: This study indicated that exercise has a neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia when used as preconditioning stimuli

Sulfur dioxide reduces hippocampal cells death and improves learning and memory deficits in rat model of transient global ischemia/reperfusion

Objective(s): According to recent the findings, sulfur dioxide (SO2) is produced by the cardiovascular system, influencing some major biological processes. Based on previous research, SO2 exhibits antioxidant effects and inhibits apoptosis following cardiac ischemia/reperfusion. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to examine the neuroprotective impact of SO2 following global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Materials and Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats that weighed 260�300 g, were randomly allocated into 4 groups: sham group (n=12), I/R group (n=12), and I/R+SO2 groups (NaHSO3 and Na2SO3; 1:3 ratio; 5 and 10 μg/kg, respectively; for 3 days, n=12). Cerebral ischemia model was prepared by occlusion of both common carotid arteries for 20 min. Saline as a vehicle and SO2 donor at doses 5 μg/kg (intraperitoneally) were injected for 3 days after reperfusion. Four days after ischemia, the passive avoidance memory test was carried out in four groups, and after behavioral assessment, necrosis, apoptosis, and antioxidant enzyme analysis were carried out. Results: SO2 treatment could significantly improve memory impairments in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) (P&lt;0.05). An increase in both superoxide dismutase and glutathione and a reduction in malondialdehyde were reported in the SO2 group versus the ischemic group (P&lt;0.05). Moreover, SO2 could significantly decrease necrotic and apoptotic cells in the CA1 region (P&lt;0.01). Conclusion: According to the findings, SO2 exerts significant neuroprotective effects on cerebral I/R due to its antioxidant activity. © 2018, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

An international laboratory comparison of dissolved organic matter composition by high resolution mass spectrometry: Are we getting the same answer?

High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) has become a vital tool for dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization. The upward trend in HRMS analysis of DOM presents challenges in data comparison and interpretation among laboratories operating instruments with differing performance and user operating conditions. It is therefore essential that the community establishes metric ranges and compositional trends for data comparison with reference samples so that data can be robustly compared among research groups. To this end, four identically prepared DOM samples were each measured by 16 laboratories, using 17 commercially purchased instruments, using positive-ion and negative-ion mode electrospray ionization (ESI) HRMS analyses. The instruments identified ~1000 common ions in both negative- and positive-ion modes over a wide range of m/z values and chemical space, as determined by van Krevelen diagrams. Calculated metrics of abundance-weighted average indices (H/C, O/C, aromaticity, and m/z) of the commonly detected ions showed that hydrogen saturation and aromaticity were consistent for each reference sample across the instruments, while average mass and oxygenation were more affected by differences in instrument type and settings. In this paper we present 32 metric values for future benchmarking. The metric values were obtained for the four different parameters from four samples in two ionization modes and can be used in future work to evaluate the performance of HRMS instruments

The Prevalence Rate of Congenital Hypothyroidism in Kerman/Iran in 2005-2007

Abstract: Introduction: Congenital hypothyroidism (C.H) is one of the most common infants’ endocrine diseases and the cause of mental retardation in newborns. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of C.H and it’s relation with neonatal’s sex, birth weight and height and mothers’ age, gestational age, parents’ educational level, past medical history of thyroid disease in mother and family and consumption of Iodine salt by mother. Methods: A Total of 3000 neonates aged 2-5 days were screened from November 2005 to July 2006. Specimen collection and transportation to lab were performed according to NCCLS and Wisconsin newborn screening program guidelines. Thyroid stimulating Hormone (TSH) concentration in dried blood spot was determined quantitatively using ELISA technique. Results: From 3000 neonates, 23 cases (0.8%) had TSH≥20 mIU/L that were recalled for verification of C.H. Of them, 13 cases (56%) were male and 10 cases (44%) were female. All of 23 infants were detected during 1-2 months after birth and 3 of them had serum TSH≥10 mIU/L. According to the protocol of kit they were considered as hypothyroidism cases and were referred for treatment. Conclusion: Considering the importance of congenital hypothyroidism in mental retardation, neonatal screening programs are of high importance. In this study, the prevalence of the disease was 1 in 1000 that is more than that in developed countries.Therefore, it should be considered as one of the hygienic priorities in our country. Keywords: Congenital hypothyroidism, Neonatal screening, Thyrotropin, Kerma