The Performance of Canadian-Based Versus US-Based Mutual Fund Managers in the US Stock Market

This paper compares the performance of the Canadian-based mutual funds with the U.S-based mutual funds that only invest in U.S equity markets. The time horizon under study is from 1990 to 2009. Moreover, the time period was broke down in to two sub-periods to capture the effect of bull and bear market on the relative performance of the funds under study. The results in this paper are of practical importance to Canadian investors who seek exposure to U.S equity markets through investing in mutual funds. Financial theories suggest that the performance of the two must be similar since both are exposed to the same market and are large enough to be well diversified. Our results suggest that U.S based mutual funds have out-performed the Canadian-based mutual funds in the total period of 1990 to 2009. Additionally the gap between their performances increased significantly in the period of 2000 to 2009

Comparison of protective effects of omega3 fish oil and aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root on biochemical factors and liver tissue changes induced by thioacetamide in male rats

Background and aims: Thioacetamide can lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. This study was aimed to evaluate the ability of omega3 fish oil and Glycyrrhiza glabra aqueous extract to attenuate biochemical factors and liver tissue changes induced by thioacetamide. Methods: In this experimental study, 63 wistar male rats were divided into 9 groups. Control group, Sham group received 0.4ml olive oil orally per day for 3 months. Thioacetamide group received 150 mg/kg of TAA intraperitoneally in a single dose for 3 months. Experimental groups 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 received 100, 200, 300 mg/kg of omega3 fish oil and aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root orally per day for 3 months and 150 mg/kg of TAA intraperitoneally in a single dose for 3 months. The provided blood samples were tested for serum levels of bilirubin, albumin, and total protein. The pathological examination of hepatic tissue samples was done after hematoxylin and eosin staining. Results: Treatment with 100 mg/kg of omega3 fish oil (0.06±0.013) significant reduced the serum level of billirubin comparing with thioacetamide group (0.38±0.015). Treatment with the aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root at all doses (0.37±0.034) (0.34±0.027) (0.15±0.028) showed no significant difference in the serum level of billirubin comparing with thioacetamide group (0.38±0.015). Treatment with the omega3 fish oil (4.40±0.02) (4.32±0.10) (4.34±0.10) and aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root at all doses (4.33±0.06) (4.31±0.5) (4.20±0.07) significant reduced the serum level of albumin comparing with thioacetamide group (4.70±0.00). The mean levels of total protein showed no significant difference in the experimental groups (8.77±0.31) (8.53±0.20) (8.63±0.24) (8.58±0.05) (8.57±0.10) (7.92±0.21) comparing with thioacetamide group (8.56±0.08). In all experimental groups, the hepatic tissue changes induced by thioacetamide improved which were dose dependent (P<0.05). Conclusion: The study suggests that biochemical factors and liver tissue changes induced by thioacetamide in male rats can be ameliorated by oral administration of aqueous extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra root and omega3 fish oil

Clinical Efficacy of Celecoxib with and without Caffeine versus Ibuprofen for Pain Control following Crown Lengthening Surgery

Objective: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most commonly prescribed pain control medications following periodontal surgery. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of three drug regimens namely celecoxib, celecoxib + caffeine and ibuprofen for pain relief following crown lengthening surgery.Methods: This randomized, double blind clinical trial was performed on 45 patients aged 20-60 years requiring crown lengthening of maxillary teeth. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups (n=15) receiving ibuprofen (400mg), celecoxib (200mg) and celecoxib (200mg) + caffeine (30mg). Each patient took one dose of the respective medications 30 minutes prior to surgery. Other doses were prescribed 1, 8, 16 and 24 hours after surgery. Pain scores were recorded using visual analog scale (VAS) at 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 hours post operation.Results: The mean VAS scores were significantly lower in celecoxib + caffeine group than in celecoxib group at 1 and 2 hours after surgery (H1: 2.33 (1.95) vs. 4.47 (2.56), p=0.026) (H2: 2.47 (1.60) vs. 4.80 (2.40), p=0.009). The pain scores were significantly lower in celecoxib + caffeine group than ibuprofen group at 8, 16 and 24 hours after the procedure (H8: 1.80 (1.21) vs. 3.73(1.94), p=0.012) (H16: 1.07 (1.03) vs. 2.73 (1.87), p=0.012) (H24: 0.47 (0.64) vs. 1.87 (1.25),p=0.004). No significant difference was found in analgesic efficacy of celecoxib and ibuprofen. Conclusion: The combination of celecoxib + caffeine showed higher efficacy than other medications for pain control following crown lengthening surgery. Caffeine may enhance the analgesic effect of celecoxib

Comparison of the Efficacy of Short-Term and Long-Term Azithromycin Regimen with Metronidazole and Amoxicillin for Treatment of Moderate Chronic Periodontitis in Adults

Objective: Administration of amoxicillin and metronidazole along with scaling and root planning (SRP) is an effective adjunctive therapy for chronic periodontitis. Studies have shown that administration of azithromycin is also effective for treatment of chronic periodontitis. This study aimed to compare the effect of short-term and long-term azithromycin regimen with amoxicillin and metronidazole for treatment of moderate chronic periodontitis in adults.Methods: This experimental study was carried out on 75 patients with moderate chronic  periodontitis aged 35-50 yrs. with at least one pocket with a probing depth of 4-6 mm and  attachment loss of 3-4 mm in each quadrant. Loe and Silness Gingival Index (GI),  Modified Papillary Bleeding Index (MPBI) of Barnett, Loe and Silness Plaque Index (PLI), Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) and Attachment Loss (AL) were calculated at 0, 2 and 4 days, 6 weeks and 2 and 3 months after therapy. The patients underwent SRP and assigned to three groups. Group one received 250 mg metronidazole plus 250 mg amoxicillin 3 times a day for 7 days. Group 2 received 500 mg azithromycin twice daily for 7 days and group 3 received 250 mg azithromycin once a day for one month. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Repeated Measures ANOVA.Results: PLI, MPBI, GI, PPD and AL parameters showed a significant reduction in all groups at all understudy time points (p&lt;0.05). The reduction in BI, GI and PLI parameters was greater in group 3 compared to groups 1 and 2 (p &lt;0.05); but, no significant difference was observed between groups 1 and 2 in this respect. A greater reduction in PPD was noted in groups 2 and 3 compared to group 1 (p&lt;0.05). AL showed a significant reduction in group 3 compared to groups 1 and 2 only in the final follow-up session (p =0.042).Conclusion: Antibiotic therapy regimens were all effective for treatment of chronic periodontitis but the magnitude of improvement was greater in long-term azithromycin group compared to others

The effect of Coriandrum sativum seed extract on the learning of newborn mice by electric shock: interaction with caffeine and diazepam

Coriander has been recommended for the relief of pain, anxiety, flatulence, and loss of appetite. In traditional medicine, it is believed that coriander can induce some degree of amnesia in a child when his/her mother uses coriander during the pregnancy. We evaluated the effect of Coriandrum sativum seed extract on learning in second-generation mice. Ethanolic extract (2%) of coriander (100 mg/kg intraperitoneal) was dissolved in sunflower oil (oil) as a vehicle and injected into the control group mother mice during breastfeeding for 25 days at 5-day intervals. After feeding the newborn mice, their learning was evaluated using a step-through passive avoidance task with 0.4 mA electric shock for 2 or 4 seconds. While coriander extract showed a negative effect in the short term (1 hour) after the training session, it potentiated the mice’s learning in later assessments (24 hours post-training [P = 0.022] and 1 week post-training [P = 0.002] by a 4-second shock). Low-dose caffeine (25 mg/kg ip after training) improved the learning after 1 hour (P = 0.024); while diazepam (1 mg/kg ip) suppressed learning at all time points after the 4-second shock training (1 hour, P = 0.022; 24 hours, P = 0.002; and 1 week, P = 0.008). No modification in the pain threshold was elicited by electric stimuli both in coriander and control groups. In conclusion, coriander does not improve learning within a short period of time after training; however, learning after coriander administration can be improved in the long term

Drug interactions in elderly (Amirkola Health and Ageing Project)

Background: Due to physiological changes and co-existing chronic diseases, the elderly has to take various drugs with different mechanisms that may increase the risk of drug interactions and side effects of medications. This study was performed to evaluate the profile of drug interactions of Amirkola elderly patients. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study is part of the Amirkola Health and Ageing Project (AHAP) which was done during 2012-2013 (Amirkola, Babol, Iran). Initial data collection was done on 1616 persons of ages 60 and older by observing their prescribed drugs and those prepared by self-medications. Results: Drug interactions were detected in 31.7 (95 CI; 29.41, 33.95) of the drug prescriptions. This included 28 of mild, 63.3 of moderate and 8.7 of severe drug interactions. Cardiovascular drugs (64.4) were the most frequent drugs that induced drug-interactions. According on Beer criteria 2015, 39.97 of the elderly medications were identified as &#8220;inappropriate medication&#8221;. NSAIDs had the highest prevalence of inappropriate drugs. There was a significant relationship between female gender, having underlying disease, living alone, having insurance, and polypharmacy with obtained drug interaction results (p&#60;0.05). Conclusion: The findings of the present study indicate considerable drug interactions among the elderly in Amirkola, which highlights the need for careful prescribing and using of drugs in the elderly. &#160

The Effect of Passive Smoking on Total Antioxidant Capacity of Serum and Saliva in Rats

Objective: Active and passive smoking lead to the production of a number of oxidants and antioxidants with various adverse health effects compromising the immune system. Tobacco use increases the production of free radicals as well. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of passive smoking on total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of serum and saliva in rats.Methods: This experimental study was conducted on 18 rats with an age range of 7-11 weeks weighing 160-200 g; 9 of them were exposed to cigarette smoke 3 times daily for 8 minutes. The 9 controls were not exposed to cigarette smoke. After injection of 0.2 mg/kg midazolam and 0.5  mg/kg pilocarpine, serum and saliva samples were taken from subjects in the exposure and control groups at 0, 15 and 30 days. Serum cotinine was measured using ELISA kit. TAC of saliva and serum was measured using ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. TAC values at different time points were statistically analyzed in each group using Repeated Measures ANOVA and compared between the two groups using t-test.Results: At baseline, no significant difference existed between the two groups in terms of serum cotinine concentration but at days 15 and 30, cotinine serum concentration significantly increased in the exposure group. At baseline and 30 days, no significant difference existed between the two groups of passive smoker and non-smoker in terms of serum TAC values but at day 15, serum TAC values were significantly higher in the exposure group. Also, TAC of salivawas significantly higher in the passive smoker group at baseline and at day 15 but at day 30, the difference in this respect between the two groups was not statistically significant.Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, changes in TAC of serum and saliva in rats due to exposure to cigarette smoke were compensated by their immune system activity. However, further investigations are still required in this respect

Applying GC-MS analysis to identify chemical composition of Iranian propolis prepared with different solvent and evaluation of its biological activity

Background: Propolis as a natural product has shown beneficial effects on human health. This study was aimed to investigate the chemical compositions and biological activity of three different extracts of propolis from two distinct geographic areas in Iran. Methods: The chemical composition of Iranian propolis extracts that were collected in the Spring of 2016 from two provinces in northern Iran: Ardabil and Polur in Mazandaran Province were measured through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods. In addition, antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity effect on HN5 and LNCaP cell lines were evaluated. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and p&#60;0.05 was considered as significant. Results: The GC-MS analysis identified the presence of compounds that belonged to the different groups such as aromatics acids and their related esters, flavonoid and flavonoid derivatives and terpenes. Flavanone was the most dominant compound of flavonoids. The maximum growth inhibition was observed against S. aureus of ethanolic extract of propolis (p&#60;0.05). Moreover, cytotoxicity showed that ethanolic and dichloromethane extracts had more inhibitory effects on cell lines than the water extract. Conclusion: The results determined that extracts had the highest percentage of flavonoids. Therefore, it is expected that the synergistic effect of the main components of propolis is related to the increase of biological activity of propolis

Comparison of the effects of silver nanoparticles and silver cobalt nanoparticles on function tests and liver tissue changes in adult male rats

Objective(s): This study aimed to compare impacts of silver nanoparticles and silver cobalt nanoparticles on the hepatic function tests and changes in liver tissues in adult male rats.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 49 adult male Wistar rats, each weighing approximately 180-220 gr. The rats were randomly assigned to seven groups of seven including one control group and six experimental groups. The experimental groups 1 and 2 respectively received 25 and 100 mg/kg of silver nanoparticles synthesized for 75 sec intraperitoneally for 14 days. Experimental group 3 received silver nanoparticles that were synthesized at 300 sec which were administered intraperitoneally in a 25 mg/kg dose for 14 days. The experimental groups 4 and 5 received silver cobalt nanoparticles, whereby silver nanoparticles were synthesized at 75 sec and were administered intraperitoneally in a 25 and 100 mg/kg dose for 14 days, respectively. Finally, experimental group 6 received a 25 mg/kg dose of silver cobalt nanoparticles, intraperitoneally for 14 days, with the silver nanoparticles synthesized for 300 sec. At the end of this period, the serum levels of hepatic enzymes, albumin, and total protein were measured and tissue changes were evaluated in this study.Results: The mean serum levels of AST, total protein, and albumin in the experimental groups 1 and 3 increased significantly compared to the control group. Similarly, the mean serum levels of ALT and ALP in the experimental group 3 showed a significant increase in comparison with the control group. The mean of liver weight in all experimental groups was significantly higher than the control group(