Biological and pharmacological effects of Delphinium elbursense

Antidepressant, antihypoxic and antioxidant activities of aerial parts of Delphinium elbursense were investigated employing nine various assay systems. Antidepessant activity was examined by using forced swimming test and tail suspension test in mice. The extracts at all tested doses show significant activity as compared to control group. Antihypoxic activity was investigated in two models, haemic and circulatory. The effects were pronounced and dose-dependent in both model of hypoxia. Extracts showed weak antioxidant activity in some models. IC50 for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity was 116.2 ± 5.6 mg ml-1. Extracts showed nitric oxide-scavenging activity between 0.1 and 1.6 mg ml-1 (IC50 = 502.3 ± 18 mg ml-1) and a very weak Fe2+ chelating ability (IC50 = 1.01 ± 0.03 mg ml-1). It also exhibited low antioxidant activity in hemoglobin-induced peroxidation of linoleic acid but was capable of scavenging hydrogen peroxide in a concentration dependent manner. Extract show antihemolytic activity againts hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced hemolysis (558.7 ± 31 mg ml-1). The total phenolic compounds in extract were determined as gallic acid equivalents (52.24 ± 1.7) and total flavonoid contents were calculated as quercetin equivalents (17.26 ± 0.6) from a calibration curve.Keywords: Antidepressant, antihypoxic, Delphinium elbursense, flavonoid contents, forced swimming test, medicinal plants, phenolic contents, tail suspension testAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 9(34), pp. 5542-5549, 23 August, 201

A suggested prototype for assessing bone health

Background- Osteoporosis is becoming a health concern worldwide. Considering the fact that prevention plays an important role in reducing the burden of this silent disease and in view of the limited resources available, many countries have adopted certain programs to fight osteoporosis through shifting their attention towards at-risk individuals. The Iranian Multicenter Osteoporosis Study (IMOS) is one of these programs. The program aims to assess bone health and the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in different parts of Iran with various altitudes, latitudes and lifestyle habits in a way that the results could be generalized to the country. Method- The present article presents the protocol used in the third phase of the study. It was designed based on the experiences gathered in the previous phases to overcome the shortcomings particularly subject loss. The questionnaire applied in this study was developed based on a thorough literature review of the risk factors and secondary causes of osteoporosis and was approved by an expert panel. It should be added that while the majority of the existing studies aim to study a certain aspect of osteoporosis, the present protocol provides the information needed for policy makers and researchers to study different osteoporosis-related issues. Conclusion- The authors believe the protocol, to be implemented with small modifications, can help policymakers in different parts of the world, particularly developing countries, gather accurate information on different aspects of bone health at the national level. © 2015, Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved

Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of packed and monolith Syngas Catalytic Combustors for Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS)

Data availability; Data will be made available on request.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. In this work, a catalytic combustor for micro electrical mechanical system for syngas was designed and analysed using Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) in conjunction with finite rate chemistry. The effect of catalyst (platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), palladium oxide (PdO), and rhodium (Rh)), bed type (packed with twelve catalyst shapes and four catalyst monolith), shapes (packed: cylinder, hollow cylinder, four cylinder, single cylinder, single cylinder, cross-webb, grooved, pall-ring, hexagonal, berl-saddle, cube, intalox-saddle, and sphere, monolith: triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, and circular), and operating conditions (inlet temperature and velocity, fuel/air ratio, different concentrations CH4-H2-CO) on combustion efficiency and pressure drop were studied using different parameters (combustion efficiency (η), pressure drop, effectiveness factor (ψ), and fuel conversions (H2 and CH4 conversions)). Analysis under different operating conditions reveals that the designed combustor can operate effectively with syngas of varying compositions with a high combustion efficiency of over 85%. Combustion mainly takes place on the surface of the catalyst without gas phase reaction with pressure drops between 18 Pa to 155 Pa. The intalox saddle shape catalysts resulted in the bed effectiveness factor 0.931. The Damköhler for hydroxyl radicals (OH) over the entire length of the reactor is uniformly distributed and well below 3, suggesting uniform combustion

Effect of salinity and temperature changes from brine discharged of desalination plant on Polychaeta assemblage in Chabahar Bay

Desalination technology is growing due to population growth and water shortage. These kinds of activates can have environmental impacts where brine discharges into the sea. This study examined the effects of brine discharge from desalination plant Chabahar-Konarak on the sea environment were used to study polychata assemblage. Sediment samples were sampled from 7 stations in pre monsoon and post monsoon in year 2011 using by van veen grab (0/025m^2) samplers that 5 stations were around the discharge point and 2 station as controls. The results of the statistical analysis showed that the abundance and richness significances differences (P<0/05) between stations. The most abundance of polychaetes was occurred in station 6 with 3666.62 and 2079.92 individuals per m^2 in pre and post monsoon respectively. While the lowest values observed in station1 in pre and post monsoon periods with 306.97 and 0 numbers in m^2 .The richness, diversity and evenness results indicated that the highest and the lowest values is observed in control stations 0.94, 1.07 and 0/67 in pre monsoon and station 1, zero in post monsoon. According to results, we observed different sensitivity of polychaete to brine discharges because abundance and ecological indices were decreased in stations near the discharges area comparing to control stations far from the brine discharges zone. Results of the CCA indicated that salinity and temperature effects on polychaete structure. The most frequancy family in this study was spionidae that it showed tolerance of this family to brine discharges. With monsoon occurrence of stress added to the study area where that the lowest abundance (0) in one station in post monsoon

Levels of heavy metals in sediments in the vicinity of Chabahar Bay desalination plant

Desalination plants are potentially capable of having impacts on coastal marine environments due to the production of wastewater with high concentrations of salts (brine discharge) and some heavy metals. The aim of this study was to examine the concentration of accumulated metals (Ni, Cu, Cd, Fe, Zn, Pb) in the sediments near the brine discharge point in the Chabahar Bay. Twenty one sediment samples were collected from seven stations in summer pre-monsoon and post-winter monsoon, in April and October 2011. The results showed that stations closer to brine discharge points had higher concentrations of metals in the sediment than other stations. Metal contamination in sediment samples was below a critical level with the exception of cadmium with higher values than MAFF, ANZECC and FDEP standards at a maximum of 5.76 mg/kg dry weight. There was a clear decreasing gradient in heavy metal concentrations from station 2 to station 7, especially for Cd, Pb, Fe and Zn. The probable reason for this is the water circulation in the Chabahar Bay

New Visions on Natural Products and Cancer Therapy: Autophagy and Related Regulatory Pathways

Macroautophagy (autophagy) has been a highly conserved process throughout evolution and allows cells to degrade aggregated/misfolded proteins, dysfunctional or superfluous organelles and damaged macromolecules, in order to recycle them for biosynthetic and/or energetic purposes to preserve cellular homeostasis and health. Changes in autophagy are indeed correlated with several pathological disorders such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, infections, cancer and inflammatory diseases. Conversely, autophagy controls both apoptosis and the unfolded protein response (UPR) in the cells. Therefore, any changes in the autophagy pathway will affect both the UPR and apoptosis. Recent evidence has shown that several natural products can modulate (induce or inhibit) the autophagy pathway. Natural products may target different regulatory components of the autophagy pathway, including specific kinases or phosphatases. In this review, we evaluated ~100 natural compounds and plant species and their impact on different types of cancers via the autophagy pathway. We also discuss the impact of these compounds on the UPR and apoptosis via the autophagy pathway. A multitude of preclinical findings have shown the function of botanicals in regulating cell autophagy and its potential impact on cancer therapy; however, the number of related clinical trials to date remains low. In this regard, further pre-clinical and clinical studies are warranted to better clarify the utility of natural compounds and their modulatory effects on autophagy, as fine-tuning of autophagy could be translated into therapeutic applications for several cancers

Effect of expressive writing on promotion of body image in women with multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial

Background and purpose: Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects own physical function and body image. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of expressive writing on body image in women with MS. Materials and methods: In this randomized trial, the Solomon four-group design was employed. The study was carried out in 116 women attending an MS clinic in Tehran, Iran 2019. The participants were randomly assigned to two subgroups of control (A1 and A2) and two subgroups of intervention (B2 and B1). Pretest and posttest were done in A2 and B2 while for A1 and B1only posttest was performed. Expressive writing including morning pages, meeting the inner child, and creative assignments were carried out for six weeks. The control group received routine care. Fisher Body Focus Questionnaire was completed at pretest in A2 and B2 and at posttest in all groups (immediately after the intervention, and at weeks four and eight). Data analysis was done in SPSS V26. Results: The mean scores for body image in B2 were 145.65±19.89 at pretest, 156.89±9.54 immediately after the intervention, 158.16±8.92 at week four, and 153.96±8.27 at week eight. In A2, the mean score at these times were 144.96±7.17, 145.55±5.10, 145.28±7.84, 145.00±9.15, respectively. Expressive writing significantly improved body image in B2 at immediately and four weeks after the intervention compared to pretest (P&lt;0.001). There were significant differences between the control group and intervention group at immediately after (P=0.002) and four weeks (P=0.03) after the intervention. Conclusion: Expressive writing could be effective in improving body image in women with MS. © 2021, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved