Plant Diversity Patterns Along Altitudinal Gradient in Understory Communities of Darkesh Region, Bojnord, Iran

The ecotone region of Darkesh with an area of 22,500 hectares is located in the Irano-Turanian xeric-continental bioclimatic zone of Khorassan-Kopet Dagh. To investigate the plant diversity patterns of understory communities along three elevation classes of 1100-1600, 1600-2100, and 2100-2600 m, 187 plots were sampled randomly and abundance and cover of species were recorded using 4-m2 plots. Beta diversity and Hill indices were calculated by using R and PAST software. A total of 252 species were recorded including 31 perennial grasses. The most abundant grasses were Poa nemoralis, Poa bulbosa, Bromus sterilis, Brachypodium sylvaticum, and Dactylis glomerata subsp. glomerata. Poa nemoralis was an important dominant grass under Quercus community. From the standpoint of species richness, Hill indices were highest under woods stories along the elevation of 1100-1600 m. Understories of oak forest and alpine communities had almost the same indices and were in the second rank compared to woods communities. Based on the β diversity index, the wood understory had the highest indices followed by Quercus and alpine communities. By increasing the elevations, the diversity of understory communities also decreased

Comparision of Aqueous and Hydroalcoholic Extracts of Foeniculum Vulgare and Carum Copticum with Gentamicin on Escherichia Coli Strains: in Vitro Study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Due to bacterial resistance to antibiotics, new antibacterial agents is essential. In Persian medicine Fennel (Fuenoculum vulgare Mill.) and Ajwain (Carum copticum (L.) Benth. & Hook.f.) are recommended for the treatment of some infections. In this research, bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of fennel and Ajwain on E. coli were investigated. METHODS: In an in-vitro study 30 clinical isolates of urine culture of children with urinary tract infection from Amirkola Pediatric Hospital in Babol and a standard sample were used. Antibacterial effects of 4 grouos including aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of fennel and Ajwain by measuring the diameter of the inhibition zone using disc diffusion (concentrations 16, 32, 64, 128, 256 and 512 mg/disc) and determination of Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) with Microdilution method was compared with Gentamicin (30mg/disc) as a positive control FINDINGS: There was no significant difference in inhibition zone with Gentamicin at concentrations of 64, 128, 256, and 512 mg/disc in standard and clinical samples. At concentrations of 16 and 32, Gentamicin was significantly better. The extract of 512 mg/disc (12.93±2.66) of hydroalcoholic extract of Carum copticum was significantly better than 256 mg/disc (9.53±1) (p=0.002). The MIC and MBC for standard samples were 4 and 8, respectively, and for clinical samples 3.83±2.36 and 5.8 mg / ml, respectively. Other extracts were not able to inhibit the growth of Escherichia coli. CONCLUSION: The results showed that the Hydroalcoholic extract of Carum copticum has bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on standard and clinical isolates of Escherichia coli

A dynamic fuzzy multi-criteria group decision support system for manager selection

In any organization, because of the importance of management responsibility and its effect on efficiency improvement, the selection of the appropriate person as a manager is one of the important decision making subjects. This paper proposes a new fuzzy multiple attribute-based decision support system (DSS) for choosing suitable managers as such a selection may involve both quantitative and qualitative assessment attributes. There are many fuzzy ranking methods available to solve multi-attribute decision making (MADM) problems. Some are more suitable than other for particular decision problems. The proposed DSS has ability to choose the most appropriate fuzzy ranking method for solving given MADM problem, based on the type of attributes and the size of the problem, considering the least computation and time consumption for ranking alternatives. A DSS software prototype has been developed on the basis of the proposed DSS which can be applied for solving every FMADM problem which needs to rank some alternatives according to some attributes. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

A review of plant diversity, vegetation, and phytogeography of the Khorassan-Kopet Dagh floristic province in the Irano-Turanian region (northeastern Iran–southern Turkmenistan)

The Khorassan-Kopet Dagh (KK) floristic province is located in the northeastern parts of Iran and partly in southern Turkmenistan. The area is a transition zone and a corridor connecting different provinces of the Irano-Turanian region and also Hyrcanian montane forests of the Euro-Siberian region. The unique combination of Irano-Turanian species and also presence of a local center of endemism are evidence of a separate biogeographic entity. The complicated topography, high habitat heterogeneity and vegetation history are reasons for the development of diverse vegetation types. In order to achieve up-to-date information on the plant diversity and distribution patterns, a database was prepared using all floristic records from the area defined as KK. A total of 2576 species/infraspecific taxa belonging to 702 genera and 112 families of vascular plants have been reported from the area, 2498 of which occur within Iran. Altogether, 28 different distribution patterns are recognized among five major phytogeographical groups, including widespread, tri-regional, bi-regional, Euro-Siberian and Irano-Turanian patterns. Irano-Turanian elements, which make up the core flora of KK, are subdivided further into 14 distribution patterns. A significant number of species, i.e. 356 species (13.8%), are endemic to the area. The flora of KK is highly influenced by central Irano-Turanian elements. The main vegetation types of the area include Juniperus woodlands, Pistacia vera woodlands, some isolated enclaves of Hyrcanian forests and scrub, cliff vegetation, mountain steppe communities, semi-desert steppes, loess and marl vegetation, halophytic vegetation, aquatic and hygrophilous communities, and ruderal/invasive plant communities. There are several major threats to the ecosystems and biodiversity of the area. The areas presently protected do not cover all of the vegetation types, and therefore many threatened species are not safe.</jats:p

Collection and Morphological Characterization of some Native Allium Species of Khorassan

Introduction: Allium is one of the greatest genera in Amarylidaceae family with more than 900 species distributed in northern hemisphere from temperate region to tropical and subtropical areas. There are more than 135 Allium species in Iran, many of which have the ornamental potential and can be exploited in floriculture industry. Northeast of Iran with more than 35 species especially in Razavi and North Khorassan provinces is regarded as one of the main centers of diversity of Alliums. The species of Allium have the great potential to be used either as cut flower and potted plant or as outdoor plant in urban landscape. There are indeed a rich germplasm of Allium in Iran with diverse characteristics of flower colour, size and form. For the utilization of the wild species, it is necessary to identify and fully assess their main morphological and phenotypic characteristics as the initial step. Morphological markers are one of the commonly used tools which are applied in phenotypic evaluation, taxonomic classification and collection management of plant species. The aim of present study was to evaluate morphological traits and genetic diversity of some of the native Allium species of Razavi khorassan in Iran. Materials and Methods: In this study the Allium species were collected from diverse regions of Khorassan, Iran and were cultured as a collection in Research Center for Plant Sciences (RCPS) of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in a completely randomized block design. Following the establishment of the Allium species, 29 qualitative and 13 quantitative traits were recorded during the growing season in two successive years. Analysis of variance and comparison of all traits were performed using JMP8 software and simple correlation and factor analysis was calculated using SPSS software. Principal component analysis as well as maximum variance was also performed on the collected data. Results and Discussion: The results exhibited that the species and genotypes were significantly different in their morphological characteristics. Some of the traits like scape length, leaf colour, flower diameter and length and width of perianth were more diverse among the species and consequently were considered as the most discriminating traits whereas some qualitative traits like perianth segment form, ovary form and perianth tip form remain uniform amongst the species. There are number of studies indicating the existence of high genetic diversity in phenotypic characteristics of some species of Allium like garlic, onion and shallot .The traits having the higher coefficient of variance bring the opportunity for the wider range of selection. Correlation analysis revealed the significant correlations among some of the studied traits. High positive correlation observed among leaf length with scape length, scape diameter with perianth length, leaf width with scape diameter and scape diameter with flower diameter. In garlic, similar positive correlation was reported on leaf length and width with scape length. Considering the quantitative traits, various parameters like environmental conditions are also effective in correlation between traits along with the corresponding genetic controlling. Factor analysis is used to identify the most important factors involving in discriminating among the species and genotypes. Based on the results, the 42 morphological characters were classified into five main factors which could justify 91.62% of total variance. Characters like inflorescence diameter, scape diameter, flower form, pedicel length, filament length and ovary and style length were placed in the first factor and expressed 30.03% of the variation. The second factor that could explain 24.9% of variation was included scape form and length, leaf length and pedicel colour. The selected discriminating traits of this study were similar to the ones of Allium roseum which had been earlier introduced by Zammuri et al (2009). The first two factors explained the highest amount of diversity while the 3rd to fifth factors could define 16.10%, 12.265% and 9.19% of variance, respectively. Traits like scape length, leaf form and colour and inflorescence diameter are amongst the main factors for the selection of ornamental plants. Conclusion: In overall, substantial valuable information obtained for some of the native species of Alliums of Iran for the first time. This information can help in selection of desired species for specific landscape designing however characterization of the native germplasm can also be a very beneficial task in future breeding program as well as the conservation strategies for preserving the endangered species

Nephrotonic and Nephroprotective Medicinal Herbs in Traditional Persian Medicine: Review and Assessment of Scientific Evidence

The tendency to use herbal and complementary therapies has been increased dramatical-ly in the last decades. The aim of this study is to review nephrotonic and nephroprotective medicinal herbs in traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) historical books and assess relevant scientific evidence and possible mechanisms of action. In this study, seven major references among pharmaceutical books of PM from the 11th to 19th centuries were selected and were searched with keywords equivalent to �nephroprotection�. To find new studies, the scientific names of medicinal herbs which have been repeated twice or more were searched using databases, including PubMed and Google scholar, with keywords of nephroprotective, renal disorder, renal failure and kidney. Also, probable effective mechanisms were explored with keywords, including oxidative stress, antioxi-dant, inflammation, anti-inflammatory and angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor. 210 herbal remedies were found with kidney strengthening, nephroprotective, and atrophy prevention effects in reviewed books. The most repeated herbs were 41. Results of scientific evidence showed that the possible functional mechanisms of these plants include anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, blood pressure/glucose-lowering effect as well as improvement of glomerular filtration, prevention of tissue damage, and enhancing reconstructive power of cells. The list of medicinal herbs in this study can be used as a basis of future studies on the production of new medicines for the prevention or treatment of renal failure and for the enhancement of renalfunction. © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers

Gastroprotective herbs for headache management in Persian medicine: A comprehensive review

The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication system that exists between the brain and gut. Several studies claimed that some types of headaches are associated with various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. In Persian medicine (PM), physicians believed that gastric disturbances could stimulate headache and introduced some herbs for boosting gastric function as a therapeutic remedy for headache. Here we review the current evidence for the gastroprotective and antiheadache effects of herbs used in PM. Herbs used for their gastrotonic effects in PM were identified from selected Persian medical and pharmaceutical textbooks. PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were used to search for contemporary scientific evidence relating to the gastric and neurologic effects of these plants. A total of 24 plants were recorded from the selected sources included in this review, most of which belonged to the Rosaceae family. Phyllanthus emblica, Zingiber officinale, Boswellias errata, Punica granatum and Hypericum perforatum had the most recent studies related to GI disorder and headache, while current research about quince, rose, apple, hawthorn and pear was limited. Reducing Helicobacter pylori growth, gastritis, erosion of the stomach lining, hemorrhage and perforation, improving gastric mucosal resistance, antisecretary, antiulcer, antipyretic, analgesic, sedative, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, anticonvulsant, neuroprotective and antioxidant effects as well as improvement in memory scores were some of the gastrotonic and neuroprotective mechanisms described in the current research. These results confirmed that medicinal plants prescribed in PM may improve headache in patients through the management of GI abnormalities. However, further studies are recommended to investigate the efficacy and safety of the mentioned medicinal plants. © 2019 Shanghai Changhai Hospita

Quantification of Flavonoids in Alpinia officinarum Hance. via HPLC and Evaluation of its Cytotoxicity on Human Prostate Carcinoma (LNCaP) and Breast Carcinoma (MCF-7) Cells

Background: Various plant species have been shown to be effective in the prevention or adjuvant therapy of cancer. Alpinia officinarum and its main phytochemicals have also been the subject of several studies for their anti-cancer properties. Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the extracts of A. officinarum to quantify flavonoids and to evaluate the growth inhibitory effects of the extracts on MCF-7 and LNCaP cells. Methods: A. officinarum aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts were analyzed by using High-Performance Liquid Chro-matography (HPLC) for the quantification of three flavonoid compounds. Then, MCF-7, LNCaP, and fibroblast cells were treated with several concentrations (25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 µg/mL) of extracts (24, 48 and 72h). Cell viability was assessed using an MTT assay. Flow cytometry was conducted to evaluate apoptosis. Results: Galangin and kaempferol (3.85 and 1.57 mg/g dry extract) were quantified, respectively, in hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts using a validated method. The hydroalcoholic extract significantly decreased the viability of MCF-7 (IC50: 43.45µg/mL for 48h) and LNCaP cells (IC50: 168 µg/mL for 48h). The aqueous extract reduced cancer cell viability by more than 50 only at 200 and 400 µg/mL (72 h). Treatment of primary fibroblasts with both extracts showed no significant decrease in cell viability (25-100 µg/mL; 24 and 48h). The hydroalcoholic extract induced a significant increase in apoptotic cells in both MCF-7 and LNCaP cells. Conclusion: Obtained results demonstrated the cytotoxicity of A. officinarum through apoptosis induction in two cancer cell lines. Further investigations are required to determine the underlying apoptotic cell death mechanisms induced by A. officinarum in cancerous cells. © 2022 Bentham Science Publishers

Antimicrobial resistance, virulence genes and genetic relatedness of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis isolates recovered from human gastroenteritis in Tehran, Iran.

OBJECTIVES: Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis is a major serotype associated with human salmonellosis. The main objective of this study was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns and the presence of virulence-associated genes among S. Enteritidis strains isolated from patients with gastroenteritis in Tehran, Iran. METHODS: Over a period of 14 months (May 2015 to July 2016), 44 S. Enteritidis isolates recovered from clinical sources were characterised for antimicrobial susceptibility and virulence genes. Possible genetic relatedness among the strains was also assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). RESULTS: Salmonella Enteritidis isolates showed high rates of resistance to ciprofloxacin (90.9%) and nalidixic acid (77.3%). Of the 44 S. Enteritidis isolates, 30 (68.2%) were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Twenty-two different antimicrobial resistance patterns were detected among the isolates. The most frequent resistance type was antibiotype 14 (resistance to ciprofloxacin, cefuroxime and nalidixic acid), occurring in 8 (18.2%) of the isolates. Notably, all of the isolates carried invA, sefA, sipA and sopE2 virulence genes. Furthermore, 17 virulence profiles were observed among the strains. The most common virulence profile was VP1 (n=17; 38.6%), harbouring all of the virulence genes. Two distinct PFGE patterns were observed among 44S. Enteritidis isolates. There was no association between virulence profiles or antibiotypes and PFGE clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this study provides valuable information on the virulence gene content, antibiotic resistance and genetic diversity of S. Enteritidis isolated from human sources in Iran. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Chemotherapy of Infection and Cancer. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. KEYWORDS: Antimicrobial resistance; Gastroenteritis; PFGE; Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis; Virulence gene