Evaluation of the Antibacterial and Wound Healing Properties of a Burn Ointment Containing Curcumin, Honey, and Potassium Aluminium

Burn wounds can severely trouble the health system and life quality of patients. The present study aimed to analyze the synergistic healing properties of curcumin, honey, and potassium alum substances merged in a newly-devised burn ointment on second-degree burn wounds in rats. The MIC and MBC tests on 200 clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginous are compared to imipenem in vitro. Their killing time and cytotoxicity are also studied using a standard isolate of P. aeruginous, fibroblast stem cells (FSC) and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF). Furthermore, histopathological and histomorphological assessments are conducted on 150 male Wistar rats whitin four experimental groups to evaluate the efficiency of the prepared burn ointment. We found a significant wound healing in both macroscopical observations and microscopical evaluations. Both curcumin and honey show strong antimicrobial effects with no cytotoxicity. Also, the histopathological results present a considerable and comparable wound re-epithelization in the a group of rats treated with both honey and curcumin after 7 days. The burn ointment containing curcumin, honey, and potassium alum show considerable efficacy in accelerating the healing of experimentally-induced burn wounds in animals. Th novel onement product is propose as a powerful alternative for the topical treatment of burn injuries

A Comparison Study on Socio-Economic Variables and Life Satisfaction Among the Elders people, Gorgan, in 2004 and 2009

Objectives: The elder population and their proportion of the total population are increasing in our country. Their population has reached to 7.3 percent of total population in 2006 compared with their population at 1996 and it shows a 1.5 times increase during ten years.The aim of this study was to compare the socio-economic situation of elder people who were living in two areas in Gorgan city, Golestan province in north of Iran, which is covered by 4th and 5th urban health center between in 2004 and 2009. Methods & Materials: A descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study has been conducted among 884 elder people who were resident in the study area at 2009. Data collection has been done through a questionnaire, filled out by trained persons. The results are compared with the outcomes of pervious unpublished study at 2004 which has been carried out among 315 elder people in the same study area. Qui-Square and independent T-test statistical methods used to analysis the data. We use SAS version 9.2 to analyze the data. Results: Mean age of elder people was 67.2&plusmn;6.7 at 2009 and 67.6&plusmn;6.7 years at 2004. Educational level had a significant change in 2009 compared with 2004 (P=0.0002). Compared with 2004, marital status (P=0.0021) and economical level (P<0.0001) had statistically significant changes in 2009. Moreover, visiting friends, going to park, going for movies and visiting the family showed statistical significant change in 2009 compared to 2004 by P<0.001, P=0.0173, P=0.0001, P=0.0435 and P=0.0001 respectively. In addition, being high energetic showed a statistically significant change (P<0.01) in 2009 compared to 2004, when we considered the satisfaction of life among elders. Conclusion: It is necessary to pay more attention to social, economic and life satisfaction problems of elder people which are dramatically growing by increasing the elder population and their higher proportion in entire population of the world particularly in Iran. We need a comprehensive plan to cover and solve their problems in these fields

Magnetic Fabric and Paleomagnetic Analyses of the Zaghar and Tafresh Areas, Central Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc, Iran

Magnetic fabric, paleomagnetic, and petrophysical studies were conducted on rocks in the Tafresh area of the central Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc in Iran. The samples included Late Triassic dark gray sandstone, a mafic dyke, diorites, and a felsic dyke in the Zaghar region. Hydrothermal alteration in the Spid intrusion was investigated to understand the effects of alteration on magnetic fabric patterns. The AMS measurements support the theory that the Nayband Formation was constructed under a crustal extension regime. Magnetic susceptibility anisotropy in a microdioritic dyke indicates compression from the NNE-SSW, likely due to tectonic activity. AMS results from diorites in Zaghar suggest intrusions were emplaced in extensional spaces between the Tafresh and Chaghar thrust faults. The Spid intrusion’s magnetite is the primary carrier of magnetic susceptibility, but hydrothermal alteration has partly converted it into hematite, resulting in lower susceptibility and higher porosity in altered diorites. This process leads to a bimodal distribution of magnetic lineation trends. The Spid and Zaghar massifs underwent a northward tilt of about 30 degrees around an east-west axis following the Early Miocene. Post-Eocene rotations in the area are typically within ±20 degrees. This study demonstrates how magnetic properties can provide new insights into the evolution of tectono-magmatic processes and structural controls within a magmatic arc

Antibiotic Resistance Among Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli Isolated From Traditional and Industrial Food Samples

Background: Foodborne diseases are one of the serious problems in the world. Every year, more than 100 million people are affected by foodborne and waterborne diseases particularly immunocompromised diseases. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate bacterial load and antibiotic resistance pattern in bacterial isolates from food samples of meat, dairy, and pastry products from west of Tehran, Iran, during April 2007 to March 2008. Materials and Methods: A total of 1625 different food samples including dairy products, meat and pastries were collected randomly from different parts of the west of Tehran. All samples were kept at 4°C. The samples were first cultured according to the standard bacteriological methods and then Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli isolates were identified using standard bacteriological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed by disk diffusion method according to Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines. Results: During 2007 and 2008, 2.8% and 3% of the food samples were contaminated with S. aureus. Similarly, 3.5% and 6.4% of the food samples were contaminated with E. coli. E. coli isolates were highly resistant to amikacin and cephotaxime and this resistance was increased in 2008. Similarly S. aureus isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, cephotaxime, gentamicin, and tetracyclin. There was no significant difference during 2007-2008. Conclusion: The rate of contamination during 2007 was 2.8% and during 2008 was 3% for S. aureus. This strain was isolated from the food samples. Further studies should be done to determine the changes of bacterial resistance pattern for various food samples. Thus, the baseline for comparison with future prospective studies should be established, enabling the determination of trends over time

Zircon U–Pb geochronology, major-trace elements and Sr–Nd isotope geochemistry of Mashhad granodiorites (NE Iran) and their mafic microgranular enclaves: evidence for magma mixing and mingling

International audienceMashhad granitoids and associated mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs), in NE Iran record late early Mesozoic magmatism, was related to the Palaeo-Tethys closure and Iran-Eurasia collision. These represent ideal rocks to explore magmatic processes associated with Late Triassic closure of the Palaeo-Tethyan ocean and post-collisional magmatism. In this study, new geochronological data, whole-rock geochemistry, and Sr–Nd isotope data are presented for Mashhad granitoids and MMEs. LA–ICP–MS U–Pb dating of zircon yields crystallization ages of 205.0 ± 1.3 Ma for the MMEs, indicating their formation during the Late Triassic. This age is similar to the host granitoids. Our results including the major and trace elements discrimination diagrams, in combination with field and petrographic observations (such as ellipsoidal MMEs with feldspar megacrysts, disequilibrium textures of plagioclase), as well as mineral chemistry, suggest that MMEs formed by mixing of mafic and felsic magmas. The host granodiorite is a felsic, high K calc-alkaline I-type granitoid, with SiO2 = 67.5–69.4 wt%, high K2O (2.4–4.2 wt%), and low Mg# (42.5–50.5). Normalized abundances of LREEs and LILEs are enriched relative to HREEs and HFSEs (e.g. Nb, Ti). Negative values of whole-rock εNd(t) (−3 to −2.3) from granitoids indicate that the precursor magma was generated by partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle with some contributions from old lower continental crust. In the MMEs, SiO2 (53.4–58.2 wt%) is lower and Ni (3.9–49.7 ppm), Cr (0.8–93.9 ppm), Mg# (42.81–62.84), and εNd(t) (−2.3 to +1.4) are higher than those in the host granodiorite, suggesting a greater contribution of mantle-derived mafic melts in the genesis of MMEs

Antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii to imipenem in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Imipenem-resistant multi-drug resistant (IR-MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii has been emerged as a morbidity successful nosocomial pathogen throughout the world.To address imipenem being yet the most effective antimicrobial agent against A. baumannii to control outbreaks and treat patients, a systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the prevalence of IR-MDR A. baumannii. We systematically searched Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, Science Direct, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Iranian databases to identify studies addressing the antibiotic resistance of A. baumannii to imipenem and the frequency of MDR strains in Iran. Out of 58 articles and after a secondary screening using inclusion and exclusion criteria and on the basis of title and abstract evaluation, 51 studies were selected for analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that 55% [95% confidence interval (CI), 53.0–56.5] of A. baumannii were resistant to imipenem and 74% (95% CI, 61.3–83.9) were MDR. The MDR A. baumannii population in Iran is rapidly changing toward a growing resistance to imipenem. Our findings highlight the critical need for a comprehensive monitoring and infection control policy as well as a national susceptibility review program that evaluates IR-MDR A. baumannii isolates from various parts of Iran