Preparation and Production of Nano Capsules of Aloe vera Gel Containing Ziziphora tenuior L. Essential Oil

Introduction Fruits and vegetables are perishable due to high humidity and biological activity after harvesting (breathing, transpiration and biochemical activities). Covering fruits with antimicrobial compounds, while being edible and safe for consumers, is an effective solution to prevent the spoilage of fruits and increase their shelf life. In developing countries, packaging, storage and transportation technologies for these products have not been developed yet. One of the cheap and high-performance methods to increase the shelf life of fruit and maintain its quality during the storage period is to use a coating on the fruit. The purpose of coating application is to reduce water loss, slow aging, polish and better marketing. In addition to improving quality, coating can protect the fruit from pathogens and contamination. Edible coatings create a thin layer on the surface of the food that are effective and eco-friendly alternatives and maintain the firmness of fresh fruits and vegetables. The main components of edible coatings are natural polysaccharides, including starch, cellulose, pectin, alginates and chitosan. These coatings apply by spraying, immersion or rubbing. The use of essential oils and other extracts of medicinal plants has been evaluated in the development of edible coatings. Adding Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil to food has been considered as an antioxidant and antimicrobial compound. Directly use of essential oils for fruits and vegetable shelf life has some limitations due to low solubility in water, high vapor pressure and physical and chemical instability. One of the ways to reduce these limitations is the nanoencapsulation of essential oil as. Applications of nano technology to the development of edible coatings (included various nanosystems, including polymeric nanoparticles, nanoemulsions), efforts to control the release of essential oils. Aloe vera gel, which is extracted from the inner parts of the leaves, is clear, odorless, completely healthy and environmentally friendly and can replace the coverings used after harvesting fruits. This is a polysaccharide gel, it dissolves easily in water and has advantages such as preserving the aromatic substances inside the fruit, covering the wound and cuts and it is possible to add substances such as vitamins and essential oils to this gel. Due to the antibacterial properties of aloe vera, adding aloe vera gel to edible coatings can increase the antibacterial properties of this biodegradable coating. On the other hand, using nano technology can increase the efficiency, consistency and better quality of food coatings. Materials and Methods The aim of the present study was to prepare and produce an oral coating of nanoecapsule containing Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil. The components of the nanocapsule of Aloe vera gel was water, toewin and Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil. Fresh Aloe vera leaves were used to prepare gel. Zeta-average diameter, particle size distribution, scattering index (PDI) and zeta potential (particle surface charge) were measured. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging was used to evaluate the morphology of the nanocapsule. The stability of produced nanocapsule was evaluated by measuring the particle size changes for 3 months. Results and Discussion 21 compounds were identified in the essential oil of Ziziphora tenuior. The main and important constituents of Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil were Pulegone, Menthofuran and 1,8-Cineole. The results showed that the particle size of nanocapsule containing essential oil was 84.46 nm and zeta potential was -16.02 mV. The results of transmission electron microscope (TEM) photos showed that the size of the particles is less than 200 nanometers and the shape of the particles is almost spherical. The outer surface of the capsules is completely smooth and uniform. Stability studies of particle size and zeta potential for 3 months showed that nanocapsule containing essential oils had good stability. In this formulation, the zeta potential was about -16 mV, which is due to the non-ionic parts of the surfactant on the surface of the nanocapsule, which contributes to the repulsion force and caused the stability of the size of the nanocapsules. In order to determine the amount of essential oil in the nanocapsule, spectrophotometric method was used. The percentage of essential oil in nanocapsule was 83.25%. Conclusion Nanoencapsulation of essential is one of the ways to reduce the limitations of essential oil aplication. In the present study, a nancapsule with natural and biodegradable materials (Aloe vera gel) containing Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil was prepared and the results showed that Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil was successfully encapsulated in Aloe vera gel. In general, the results of the present study showed that the nanocapsule of Aloe vera gel is a suitable carrier for Ziziphora tenuior L. essential oil and can be used as an oral coating to preserve fruits and vegetables

Prospective Acid Reflux Study of Iran (PARSI): Methodology and study design

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a common and chronic disorder but long term, prospective studies of the fate of patients seeking medical advice are scarce. This is especially prominent when looking at non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We designed a prospective cohort to assess the long term outcome of GERD patients referring to gastroenterologists. Consecutive consenting patients, 15 years of age and older, presenting with symptoms suggestive of GERD referring to our outpatient clinics undergo a 30 minute interview. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is performed for them with protocol biopsies and blood samples are drawn. Patients are then treated according to a set protocol and followed regularly either in person or by telephone for at least 10 years.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>Our data show that such a study is feasible and follow-ups, which are the main concern, can be done in a fairly reliable way to collect data. The results of this study will help to clarify the course of various subgroups of GERD patients after coming to medical attention and their response to treatment considering different variables. In addition, the basic symptoms and biological database will fuel further molecular epidemiologic studies.</p

Using Bacillus Cereus as a Geo-Biological Marker For Gold Prospecting in Iran

Several methods have been developed for gold exploration in the past, among which biological base method is known to be the most efficient with least expenses. This method can also be used for latent gold prospects exploration. In the present study, the possibility of applying Bacillus cereus frequency in soil as a biological marker was investigated for the exploration of latent gold prospecting in Iran. The study was performed on three gold sources in Iran known as Moteh, Zarmehr and Mahallat, however, the major focus was on Mahallat gold reserve. The results of bacterial cultivation showed that no bacteria have been isolated in samples taken from Moteh soil. On the other hand, the presence of bacteria was observed in cultural media which were prepared from the collected samples from Zarmehr and Mahallat.In Mahallat gold reserve the frequency of bacteria was noticeable, particularly in the soils with in-situ fine-grained. In addition, it was seen that when the gold grad increases the bacterial frequency of Bacillus cereus will also increase. Finally, a linear correlation was developed between bacterial frequency and the gold semi-quantified grad. Using this correlation the monitoring of semi-quantified gold grad can be undertaken

Responses of Agronomic Characteristics of Maize and Cowpea to Mycorrhiza and Mesorrhizobial Bacteria in Intercropping

To evaluate the response of agronomic characteristics of maize and cowpea to mycorrhiza and mesorrhizobial bacteria in intercropping, this study was carried out at the Research Field of Industrial Shahrood University in 2010 using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Treatments were: Z: maize monocropping, B: bean monocropping, I: intercropping of maize and bean, ZM: maize monocropping + mycorrhizae, BM: bean monocropping + mycorrhizae, BB: bean monocropping + mesorhizobuim bacteria, BMB: bean monocropping + mycorrhizae + mesorhizobium bacteria, IM: intercropping + mycorrhizae, IB: intercropping +mesorhizobium bacteria and IMB: intercropping + mycorrhizal +mesorhizobium bacteria. The results showed that treatment effects on seed yield per plant, leaf chlorophyll content, dry weight of cowpea pods, dry weight of maize ear, number of seeds per earrow, totalbiological yieldinintercropping and partialland equivalent ratioof both cowpea and maizewere significant (

Homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folate levels in Iranian patients with ischemic stroke

Objectives: Homocysteine, folate, and some group B vitamins have been proposed as a cause of Cerebro-Vascular Accidents (CVA). We conducted a case-control study to compare the plasma levels of folate, vitamin B12 and homocysteine in Iranian subjects with and without cerebro-vascular accident. Methods: We recruited 82 patients with ischemic stroke as cases and 60 subjects as controls (using simple nonrandom sampling). Homocysteine was measured by fluorimetric high-performance liquid chromatography. Plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured by an ion-capture method. Results: Mean plasma level of vitamin B12 in cases and controls were 358.4±290.3 Pg/ml and 369.8±110.4 Pg/ml, respectively which did not show any significant difference. Mean plasma level of folate in cases was significantly lower than the controls (6.8±4.5 ng/ml vs. 12.2±3.0 ng/ml, p=0.001). It was also shown that mean plasma level of total homocysteine in cases was significantly higher than the controls (21.1±9.8 μM/L vs. 13.5±3.2 μM/L, P=0.001). Homocysteine and folate but not plasma B12 had linear relation with age. Male cases had significantly lower Folate and B12 in contrast to women. In addition, male cases had significantly higher Homocysteine level in contrast to women. Conclusions: Our data shows that the level of homocysteine was higher and the level of folate was significantly lower in patients with ischemic stroke in contrast to controls. Effectiveness of supplementary folate and B 12 in such patients needs further well-structured prospective placebo controlled studies. © 2010 Maney Publishing

Dravet syndrome: A case report with a new missense substitution as 1274 Tyr > Asp

Dravet syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy and also is called severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI). It appears during the first year of life with frequent febrile seizures, fever related seizures, which is rare beyond the age of 5 years. Children with SMEI typically experience poor development of language, motor skills, hyperactivity, and difficulty in making relationship. Thirty to eighty percent of patients with Dravet syndrome, which is known as classical form of SMEI, suffer from defects in a gene involved in proper function of brain cells. The patient is a 3-years-old girl presenting with a sudden epileptic seizure. She had 2-year history of severe myoclonic epilepsy and developmental delay that was diagnosed as Dravet syndrome. A novel missense substitution in sodium channel alpha subunit type 1 was detected and the novelty of substitution confirmed by molecular analysis in healthy family members as well as control group. As an early diagnosis, the clinical screening procedure used by pediatricians as well as a sodium channel alpha subunit type 1 mutation analysis could help to predict Dravet syndrome before 1 year of age, so the pediatricians could be able to manage clinical work-up properly. © 2011 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved