HPLC DETERMINATION OF PARTHENOLIDE AND APIGENIN CONTENTS VERSUS LABEL CLAIMS IN IRANIAN PRODUCTS

In this study parthenolide content of feverfew product (Tanamigraine capsule) and apigenin content of chamomile products (Chamomill drop, Kamisol solution, Prostatan drop, Prostatan tablet) were determined as effective compound by HPLC. Feverfew product was extracted by methanol/distilled de-ionized water (50: 50) and chamomile products by methanol. The HPLC operating conditions were C-18 reversed phase column (VP-ODS 250×4.6 mm, 5 mm), methanol/ distilled de-ionized water (60: 40) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1 ml/min and UV detection at 214 nm for parthenolide and 2% acetic acid: acetonitril with linear program 80 to 40 % of acetic acid 2% with a flow rate of 1 ml/min and UV detection at 275nm for apigenin. The amount of parthenolide and apigenin obtained in Tanamigraine capsules and chamomile products is 0.13- 016% and 0.04- 35% respectivel

The comparison between two methods of basic life support instruction: Video self-instruction versus traditional method

Introduction: Medical education is changing and evolving. Teachers need to re-evaluate their medical teaching practice to enhance student learning. The data about the ideal training method of Basic Life Support (BLS) is lacking. The goal of this study was to analyse the use and performance of video self-instruction (VSI) method in BLS, in order to develop an efficient BLS training method. Methods: Eighty-one undergraduate medical interns were enrolled in a prospective clinical study in 2011. They were divided into VSI group and traditional group. We provided the first group with a DVD containing a 20-minute training video while the second group took part in a 4-hour training class of BLS. Subjects participated in a pre-test and post-test based on 2010 American Heart Association Resuscitation guideline. Results: The average scores of VSI group and the traditional group before training were 8.85±2.42 and 8.57±2.22 respectively (p=0.592). After training, the average scores of the VSI and the traditional group were 20.24±0.83 and 18.05±1.86 respectively. VSI group achieved slightly better scores compared with the traditional group (p<0.001). Conclusions: Training through VSI achieves more satisfying results than the traditional lecture method. VSI method can be considered a useful technique in undergraduate educational programs. Developing VSI can increase significantly the access to the BLS training. © 2015, Medcom Limited. All rights reserved

Investigating the cytotoxic effect of some medicinal plants from northern parts of Iran

Abstract Background and objectives: Iran owns a rich and prestigious heritage of medicinal herbs but the majority of these plants have not yet undergone chemical, pharmacological and toxicological studies. In the present study some species form northern parts of Iran were evaluated for cytotoxicity. Methods: Sixteen medicinal plants were extracted with methanol and screened for their cytotoxic activities. The inhibition of cell growth for these extracts was evaluated against MCF-7, WEHI-164, HepG-2 and MDBK cell lines. Their 50% inhibitions of growth (IC 50 ) were determined by MTT assay. Moreover, cytotoxic evaluation of different fractions of the most potent species was performed. Results: Among examined samples, the IC 50 values of methanol extract of Centaurea bruguierana (DC.) Hand.-Mzt. on mentioned cell lines were found 47.30-87.40 µg/mL. In addition, the chloroform fraction of the species was cytotoxic with IC 50 values 17.00-23.03 µg/mL. Conclusion: It was concluded that the chloroform fraction of C. bruguierana was the best candidate for identification and isolation of active principles with cytotoxic effects. These results recommend further studies about this species

The promising applications of ultrasound in emergency medicine and critical care related to in cancer: A review

The referral of critically ill cancer patients to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a matter of controversial debate. During the past decade, ultrasound imaging performed by emergency physicians and critical care providers has gained significant clinical importance. A number of researches reported the ability of emergency physicians and critical care providers to carry out and interpret bedside assessments exactly, along with a great effect on the quality of care. It is possible assessing ultrasound-mediated subjects who are very much instable to be evaluated through alternative imaging methods. Furthermore, ultrasound in the emergency medicine and critical care open a new way towards facilitate diagnosis, simplify rapid dispositions, and influence management decisions. The primarily perspective of bedside ultrasound by emergency physicians and critical care providers was limited to a few applications. However, it was observed a number of new applications due to the universal and extensive adaptation of ultrasound in emergency uses. In this review, we discussed the promising applications of ultrasound for emergency medicine and critical care that encompass telemedicine, prehospital setting, soft tissue, fractures, ocular, paracentesis, pneumothorax, foreign bodies, bladder and arthrocentesis ultrasound. © Oncology and Radiotherapy

Anti-angiogenesis properties of Crocus pallasii subsp. haussknechtii, a popular ethnic food

Abstract Background and objectives: Angiogenesis is essential for tumor survival. Inhibiting angiogenesis could be a mechanism for hindering tumor development. Numerous studies have now been focused on agiogenesis inhibitors and many of such studies have targeted plant materials. In the present study, Crocus pallasii subsp. haussknechtii has been evaluated for anti-angiogenesis properties. Methods: Anti-angiogenesis activity of the plant extracts and fractions has been investigated through wound healing assay in HUV-EC-C cells. The cytotoxic activity has also been evaluated by MTT assay. Results: The methanol extract and the methanol fraction of the corm along with the chloroform fraction of the aerial parts demonstrated to be cytotoxic to HUV-EC-C cells with IC 50 values of 27.2, 74.1 and 60.0 μg/mL, respectively while the chloroform fraction of the corm showed the most considerable anti-angiogenesis property among the samples in wound healing assay. Conclusion: Regarding the results of the present study, Crocus pallasii subsp. haussknechtii is suggested for further studies in cancer research evaluations

FSNet: An Identity-Aware Generative Model for Image-based Face Swapping

This paper presents FSNet, a deep generative model for image-based face swapping. Traditionally, face-swapping methods are based on three-dimensional morphable models (3DMMs), and facial textures are replaced between the estimated three-dimensional (3D) geometries in two images of different individuals. However, the estimation of 3D geometries along with different lighting conditions using 3DMMs is still a difficult task. We herein represent the face region with a latent variable that is assigned with the proposed deep neural network (DNN) instead of facial textures. The proposed DNN synthesizes a face-swapped image using the latent variable of the face region and another image of the non-face region. The proposed method is not required to fit to the 3DMM; additionally, it performs face swapping only by feeding two face images to the proposed network. Consequently, our DNN-based face swapping performs better than previous approaches for challenging inputs with different face orientations and lighting conditions. Through several experiments, we demonstrated that the proposed method performs face swapping in a more stable manner than the state-of-the-art method, and that its results are compatible with the method thereof.Comment: 20pages, Asian Conference of Computer Vision 201

Are serial hematocrit measurements sensitive enough to predict intra-abdominal injuries in blunt abdominal trama?

Objective: Routine serial hematocrit measurements are a component of the trauma evaluation for patients without serious injury identified on initial evaluation. We sought to determine whether serial hematocrit testing was useful in predicting the probable injuries in blunt abdominal trauma. Materials and method: We performed a prospective study of trauma patients admitted in our observation unit over a 12-month period. Patients routinely underwent serial hematocrit testing in 6-hour intervals (two hematocrit levels). We compared trauma patients with a hematocrit drop of 5 and 10 points or more to those without a significant hematocrit drop. Results: Five hundred forty-two isolated blunt abdominal trauma patients were admitted to observation unit, and 468 patients (86.35) had serial hematocrit during their 6-hour stay. Of these patients, 36.11 had a hematocrit drop of 5 or more and 12.61 a drop of 10 or more. Of patients with the hematocrit drop >10, 50.8 have had diagnostic manifestations of intra-abdominal injury in both ultrasonographic and computed tomography scanning (P5 and positive imaging. Conclusion: Although serial hematocrit testing may be useful in specific situations, routine use of serial hematocrit testing in trauma patients at a level I trauma center�s observation unit did not significantly aid in the prediction of occult injuries. © 2019 Mosaddegh et al

Inhibition test of heme detoxification (ITHD) as an approach for detecting antimalarial agents in medicinal plants

Background and objectives: There are several methods to assess the in vitro capability of heme inhibitory activity of antimalarial compounds; most of them require some specific equipment or toxic substances and sometimes the needed materials are not accessible. Regarding the necessity and importance of optimizing and standardizing experimental conditions, the present study has intended to improve the in vitro assessment conditions of the β-hematin formation inhibitory activity for screening herbal samples. Methods: Hemin, tween 20, and samples (9:9:2) were incubated in different conditions including: hemin concentration (30, 60, and 120 µg/mL), duration (4, 24, 48, and 72 h), pH of buffer (3.6, 4, 4.4, 4.8, and 5), and temperature (37 and 60 °C) in 96-well plates. Also, a total of 165 plant extracts and fractions were tested in the most suitable conditions. Results: The reaction time and the incubation temperature were determined as the critical factors. The effective conditions for β-hematin formation were found to be 60 °C after 24 h incubation. In this method, proper correlations with respect to negative (69%) and positive (67%) predictive values were obtained in comparison with the anti-plasmodial assay. Antimalarial activities of Pistacia atlantica, Myrtus communis, Pterocarya fraxinifolia, and Satureja mutica were found to correlate significantly with inhibition of the heme detoxification assay. Conclusion: These results support a rapid, simple and reliable approach for selecting and identifying a number of herbs for further related antimalaria investigations