Effects of Chamomile Essential Oil on Granulocyte Count In Patients with Neutropenia

Introduction Neutropenia is an abnormality in neutrophil count which lessens to lower than 1500 / microL (<1.5×109/L). Early recognition and treatment are needed in neutropenia cases. Matricaria chamomilla (chamomile) belongs to Asteracea family which often is referred as "star among medicinal species". Recently, valuable effects of chamomile in multitherapy, cosmetics and nutrition has been published in several papers. The phytochemical analysis exhibited flavonoids, essential oils, cumarins and sesquiterpene lactones derivatives like matricin and chamazulene in the plant. The aim of this research wasevaluation of chamomile essential oil on granulocyte count in patients with neutropenia. Methods and Results Essential oil of chamomile was collected consecutively via Clevenger method.  85 people were participated in the clinical trial and divided into three groups. 15 healthy people as control group received chamomile drop, 35 neutropenia patients induced by chemotherapy received chamomile drop as treatment group and 35 neutropenia patients induced by chemotherapy did not receive the drop as non-treated group. Blood sampling was done at the time of the admission and every other day for 10 consecutive days after chamomile drop consumption. Granulocytes, polymorphonuclear cells (PMNs) and white blood cells (WBC) were counted after every sampling. The average of WBC, PMNs and granulocytes numbers were significantly raised in control and treatment group with P<0.05 90±11/ 3520±611, 1.14±0.83/ 17.37±22.8 and 150±0.07/ 1537±305, respectively. In non-treated group the WBC, PMNs and granulocyte were 40±72, 7.91±22.96 and 190±48, respectively.        ConclusionConsumption of chamomile drop significantly increased the level of WBC, PMNs and granulocyte in control and treatment groups in comparison to non-treated group. As the result, chamomile essential oil could be considered as an adjuvant in neutropenia or other immune system deficiencies

The hepatoprotective effect of Arnebia euchroma hydro-alcoholic extract against liver toxicity induced by CCl4 in mice

Arnebia euchroma is from Boraginaceae family. Various therapeutic effects have been reported for different species of this plant. The aim of this study was to investigate antioxidant activity of hydroalcoholic extract of the root of A. euchroma and its protective effect on hepatotoxicity induced by CCl4 in mice. In this experimental study, A. euchroma was extracted with ethanol solvent by maceration method. Antioxidant activity of the plant has been evaluated by the DPPH free radical scavenging method. Then, the hepatoprotective effect of A. euchroma was evaluated through determination the content of glutathione in liver tissue, ALP, AST, ALT serum levels and histopathology of liver in different groups. The total phenolic content determined as 0.56% per 100 g of plant was equivalent to gallic acid. The total flavonoid content was 0.079% per 100 g of plant that was equivalent to quercetin. The IC50 of the extract for free radical scavenging was obtained 139.2 µg/ml. The extract increased liver glutathione and serums ALP, AST, ALT that were decreased by CCl4 administration in animal. All protective effects were dose-dependent and the results of liver histopathology showed a significant improvement of inflammation and necrosis that were caused by CCl4 in mice. The results of this study revealed that the hydroalcoholic extract of A. euchroma root has an antioxidant effect and excellent hepatoprotection in mice

Antibacterial potential of extracts of leaves of Parrotia persica

Ethanol, methanol, chloroform, petroleum ether and aqueous extracts of leaves of Parrotia persica were evaluated for antibacterial activity. The zone of inhibition varied from 13 to 22 mm. The highest inhibittionwas obtained with methanol and ethanol. Chloroform and petroleum ether extracts did not show any activity. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of the methanol extract for the test bacteria ranged between 3.12 and 6.25 mg/ml and that of ethanol extract ranged between 6.25 and 12.5 mg/ml. The results scientifically validate the use of this plant in the traditional medicine of Iran

Energy and Exergy Analyses during Eggplant Drying in a Fluidized Bed Dryer

In this research, energy and exergy loss were analyzed in the laboratory for the drying of eggplant using a fluidized bed dryer. The drying experiment was conducted at inlet temperatures of 40, 50, and 60  and air velocities of 3, 5, and 7 m/s using samples with diameters of 5, 10, and 13 mm and a height of 1 cm. The effects of temperature, velocity of drying air, and sample size on energy consumption and exergy losses were investigated. The results showed that the minimum energy consumption and exergy losses occurred at a diameter of 13 mm, velocity of 3 m/s, and temperature of 40. Meanwhile, the maximum energy consumption and exergy losses occurred at diameter of 5 mm, velocity of 7 m/s and temperature of 60;. Generally, the results demonstrated that higher temperature, velocity, and eggplant samples’ lesser diameter increased energy consumption. In addition, exergy losses were increased by temperature and velocity increments; however, changes in sample size did not significant affect exergy losses

Determination of some constant parameters during cutting of canola stem

In this study, the canola stalk cutting parameters including modulus of mass density of stalk, special work of useful cutting, coefficient of cutting useful work and crush resistance coefficient were examined.  For the tests, testing machine Instron (Model Santam STM-5) with 50 N load cell was used.  Cutting was performed with a saw-serrated cutting blade that was attached to the Instron movable jaw.  Stems were cut at three diameter levels (1 to 3, 3 to 5 and more than 5 mm), three cutting speed levels (75, 115 and 150 mm/minute), three cutting angles (0°, 30° and 60°) and three replicates.  Cutting parameters including modulus of mass density of stalk, special work of useful cutting, coefficient of cutting useful work and crush resistance coefficient were examined.  Tests lasted for each stem until the full cut.  Data requirements were obtained from Force-Deformation curve.  The results showed that the modulus of mass density, special work of useful cutting and crush resistance coefficient were enhanced by increasing the diameter and cutting angle.  As well as modulus of mass density, special work of useful cutting and crush resistance coefficient were decreased by increasing the cutting speed.  Also, the coefficient of cutting useful work was enhanced by increasing diameter, but the changes in the diameter and cutting speed had no significant effect on it

Ohmic processing of liquid whole egg, white egg and yolk

The Ohmic heating rate of a food is highly influenced by its electrical conductivity. In this study, electricalconductivities, colour changes and system performance of liquid whole egg, white egg and yolk were determined on alaboratory scale static Ohmic heater by applying 30 V/cm voltage gradient. The samples were heated from room temperaturethrough to pasteurization temperature (19 – 60℃). In all cases, the linear temperature dependent electrical conductivityrelations were obtained. Conductivity measurements of liquid egg indicated that white egg is highly conductive compared toyolk and whole egg. The system performance coefficients for liquid egg samples were in the range of 0.814 to 0.857. Ohmicheating revealed better colour values from the values of heated samples for convectional heating.Keywords: egg, Ohmic heating, electrical conductivity, colou

Application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in predicting mechanical properties of canola stem under shear loading

In this study, at first the shear parameters including the maximum shear force, shear strength, shear energy and power consumption of canola stem were calculated through force-deformation curve; and then these mechanical properties were determined and predicted using artificial neural network.   For the tests, testing machine Instron (Model Santam STM-5) with 50 N load cell was used.  Stems were cut at 3 diameter levels (1 to 3, 3 to 5 and more than 5 mm), 3 cutting speed levels (75, 115 and 150 mm/min ), 3 cutting angles (0°, 30° and 60°) and three replicates.   Cutting parameters including maximum cutting force, shear strength; cutting energy; consumed power and cutting work were examined.  Tests lasted for each stem until the full cut.  Data requirements were obtained from Force-Deformation curve. The results showed that by increasing the diameter and cutting angle, cutting force values, shear strength, cutting energy, cutting power and cutting work increased.   Additionally, with increasing cutting speed, the cutting force, shear strength, cutting energy, cutting power and cutting work declined.  Feedforward network was employed to predict some of the mechanical properties of canola stem.  The results of statistical analysis using artificial neural network showed that the best values for shear energy, shear force, shear strength, shear power and shear work in canola stem were, respectively, in the epochs of 194, 2000, 275, 92 and 350 and also showed that neural networks can be used in intelligent cutting mechanisms and predicting mechanical properties of crops stem

The growth and yield of the plant Azivash (Corchorus Olitorious L.) in various densities and irrigation regimes

The Azivash plant was cultivated at densities of 20, 27, 40 and 80 m-2 and three irrigation intervals of 6, 12 and 18 days with three replications using a randomized complete block design. Cultivation was considered in a row and row spacing of 25 cm was used. Plant spacing on the row was respectively 5, 10, 15 and 20 cm. At harvesting time when the plant height was about 50 cm, the components of plant height (cm), number of leaves per plant (number), new plant amount of yield (kg ha-1), number of branches per plant (number), leaf area index (leaf area), fresh weight of leaves and stems (kg ha-1), dry weight of leaves and stems, and total dry matter per hectare (kg ha-1) were determined. The results showed that both components of the irrigation and plant density have a significant impact on the level of yield and yield components both in the new harvest and after drying. And to achieve maximum performance, it should be used a density of 80 m-2 and irrigation period of 6 days

Protective effect of green tea extract on the deltamethrin-induced toxicity in mice testis: An experimental study

Background: Deltamethrin (DM) is one of the environmental factors that can have destructive effects on the male fertility. Green tea (GT) as a medicinal herb, has antioxidant property. Objective: The present study investigated the protective role of GT extract in improving the harmful effects of DM on the testis. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 35 adult male mice (25–30 gr) were divided in to five groups (n = 7/each). The control group received only normal saline. Sham received 0.2 ml corn oil. Green tea group received only GT of 150 mg/kg. bw; deltamethrin group received the DM at a dose of 0.6 mg/kg. bw; GT + DM received both GT and DM. The effect of GT was assessed by measuring oxidative stress markers, sperm parameters, histological and immunohistochemical analysis. Results: The results showed that the count and motility of spermatozoa, testosterone, and Malondialdehyde significantly decreased (p < 0.001) and the abnormal spermatozoa increased (p < 0.001) in DM group compared to control group. Moreover, enhanced caspase-3expression and apoptosis were observed in DM-treated mice compared to control group. Histologically, DM with a degenerative effect on testicular tissue reduced the spermatogenesis progenitor cells. The epithelial height and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules were also reduced in the DM group. Treatment with GT in the DM-treated mice significantly improved these changes. Conclusion: With these findings, it was concluded that the GT treatment with antioxidant activity and anti-apoptotic property could protect the testicular injury induced by DM

The effects of hydroalcoholic extract of leaves and onion of Allium paradoxum on Giardia lamblia in mice

زمینه و هدف: ژیاردیا یکی از شایعترین انگل های تک یاخته ای روده ای در انسان و پستانداران مختلف می باشد. با توجه به اینکه داروهای شیمیایی جهت درمان این بیماری دارای اثرات جانبی متعددی بوده و تأثیر آن ها قطعی نمی باشد؛ لذا یافتن دارویی با اثرات جانبی کمتر امری ضروری در درمان این بیماری انگلی به نظر می رسد. مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی تأثیر عصاره هیدروالکلی برگ و پیاز گیاه الزی (Allium paradoxum) بر روی انگل ژیاردیا لامبلیا در موش Balb/c انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه تجربی، 50 سر موش Balb/cبه 10 گروه تقسیم و تعداد 105×2 کیست به همه گروه ها به جز کنترل منفی خورانده شد. پس از تأیید آلودگی، گروه های مورد آزمون به مدت 3 روز با عصاره هیدروالکلی برگ و پیاز گیاه الزی (غلظت های 20،50 و100 میلی گرم بر میلی لیتر) و داروی مترونیدازول به عنوان کنترل دارو مورد درمان قرار گرفتند. یافته ها: عصاره هیدروالکلی پیاز الزی در دوز mg/ml100 قادر به از بین بردن کیست ژیاردیا لامبلیا می باشد که این تأثیر نسبت به گروه کنترل مثبت و کنترل منفی معنی دار بود (05/0>P). همچنین مشخص شد برگ الزی تأثیر زیادی بر روی انگل ژیاردیا لامبلیا ندارد؛ ولی می تواند موجب افزایش تأثیر پیاز الزی شود، به عبارت دیگر اثر هم افزایی دارد. نتیجه گیری: با توجه به تأثیر مناسب گیاه الزی در شرایط In vivo بر روی انگل ژیاردیا لامبلیا و عوارض زیادی که از داروهای شیمیایی گزارش شده است، می توان گیاه الزی را به عنوان یک ترکیب طبیعی ضد ژیاردیایی معرفی کرد