Hypotensive medicinal plants according to ethnobotanical evidence of Iran: A systematic review

Hypertension is called the silent killer because it leads finally to death silently and asymptomatically. If hypertension is not controlled at early stages, it disturbs the functions of cardiovascular system and other organs of the body. The aim of this review article is to report the medicinal plants used to treat hypertension in traditional medicine according to ethnobotanical evidence of different regions of Iran. This helps to offer different medicinal plants used to treat hypertension in these regions in a systematic manner, and approaches and keys to discover effective substances and develop new herbal drugs to researchers as well as to inform them of folk knowledge about using medicinal plants to prevent hypertension. In this article, 47 medicinal plants from 17 different regions in Iran were reported to be used to lower blood pressure. These plants can be investigated in animal studies and clinical trials to be used in developing herbal drugs for prevention and treatment of hypertension. © 2016, Sphinx Knowledge House. All rights reserved

Evaluation of The Effects of Psychotherapy on Anxiety Among Mothers of Children With Leukemia

How to Cite This Article: Nazari Sh, Moradi N, Sadeghi Koupaei MT. Evaluation of The Effects of Psychotherapy on Anxiety Among Mothers of Children With Leukemia. Iran J Child Neurol. 2014 Winter; 8(1):52-57. ObjectiveChildren with leukemia and their families face a long period of medical treatment and uncertainty about the future. These families may suffer from short- and long-term emotional problems. The aim of the present study was to assess theeffect of supportive psychotherapy on the anxiety of mothers whose children suffer from leukemia.Materials & MethodsThe current research were performed on mothers who had a child with leukemia hospitalized in Mofid Children’s Hospital, Tehran, Iran. They were randomly selected. The research method was a pseudo-experimental study with pretest/posttest design. The pretest Kettles’ anxiety questionnaire was given to all the mothers and after seven sessions of supportive psychotherapy, the posttest was performed and the grades were compared.ResultsTen mothers finished all seven therapeutic sessions. There was a statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest mean scores, confirming the mothers’ reduced anxiety level.ConclusionFinding effective and newer approaches to improve the well-being of parents with a sick child is an important challenge of today’s medical researches. Based on our findings, it is possible to reduce the anxiety in mothers of children withleukemia through supportive psychiatric therapies.ReferencesRedaelli A, Laskin BL, Stephens JM, Botteman MF, Pashos CL. A systematic literature review of the clinical and epidemiological burden of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Euro J Cancer Care 2005;14(1):53-62.Pourfathollah AA, Rakhshan M, Ahmadi M, Izadyar M. FAB Classification of childhood leukemia in Iran. Med J Islam Repub Iran 1988;4(2):263-4.Brown R, Madan-Swain A, Lambert R. Posttraumatic stress symptoms in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer and their mothers. J Trauma Stress 2003;16(4):309-18.Dolgin M, Phipps S, Fairclough D, Sahler OJ, Askins M, Noll R, et al. Trajectories of adjustment in mothers of children with newly diagnosed cancer: A natural history investigation. J Pediatr Psychol 2007;32(7):771-82.Patiño-Fernández AM, Pai A, Alderfer M, Hwang WT, Reilly A, Kazak A. Acute stress in parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;50(2):289-92.Kazak A, Boeving A, Alderfer M, Hwang WT, Reilly A. Posttraumatic stress symptoms during treatment in parents of children with cancer. J clin oncol 2005;23(30):7405-10.Brown S, Yalom I. Interactional group psychotherapy with alcoholic patients. J Stud Alcohol 1977;38(3):426-456.Corraze J. An outline of General Psychopathology (Mental Diseases).Translated to Persian by Mansour M and Dadsetan P. Tehran: Roshd Publication; 2008. p.210-27. (Text in Persian)Sahler OJ, Fairclough D, Phipps S, Mulhern R, Dolgin M, Noll R, et al. Using problem-solving skills training to reduce negative affectivity in mothers of children with newly diagnosed cancer: Report of a multisite randomized trial. J Consult Clin Psychol 2005 Apr;73(2):272-83.Streisand R, Rodrique J, Houck C, Graham-Pole J, Berlant N. Brief Report: Parents of children undergoing bone marrow transplantation: Documenting stress and piloting a psychological intervention program. J Pediatr Psychol 2000;25(5):331-7.Wijnberg-Williams BJ, Kamps WA, Klip EC, Hoekstra-Weebers JE. Psychological distress and the impact of social support on fathers and mothers of pediatric cancer patients: Long-term prospective results. Journal J Pediatr Psychol 2006;31(8):785-92.Kazak AE, Alderfer MA, Streisand R, Simms S, Rourke MT, Barakat LP, et al. Treatment of posttraumatic stress symptoms in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer and their families: a randomized clinical trial. J Fam Psychol 2004;18(3):493-504.Young B, Dixon Woods M, Findly M, Heney D. Parenting in a crisis: conceptualizing of mothers of children with cancer. Soc Sci Med 2002;55(10):1835-47.Fisher HR. The need of parents with chronically sick children: a literature review. J Adv Nurs 2001;36(4):600-7.Stewart M, Davidson K, Meade D, Hirth A, Weld-Viscount P. Group support for couples coping with a cardiac condition. J Adv Nurs 2001;33(2):190-9.Kyngas H, Rissanen M. Support as a crucial predictor of good compliance of adolescents with a chronic disease. J Clin Nurs 2001;10:767-74

The most important medicinal plants effective on migraine: A review of ethnobotanical studies in Iran

Migraine is a disabling and very common health problem. This review article reported the plants used to treat migraine in traditional culture and ethnobotany of different regions of Iran. The key words such as ethnopharmacology, ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, phytopharmacology, traditional medicine, phytomedicine, and Iran, combined with migraine and headache, were used to search for relevant materials in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, Islamic World Science Citation Center, and Magiran. Twenty two medicinal plants from 16 families are used, according to Iranian traditional medicine, to treat migraine specifically. Most plants reported in this study were analgesic and anti-inflammatory, affecting the inflammation and cortical vascular contractile dysfunction. Because of common use of traditional medicinal plants and wide acceptance of herbal medicine and traditional medicine, more comprehensive studies should be done in pharmacy and pharmacology areas to inform pharmaceutical industries

A review of the medicinal plants effective on headache based on the ethnobotanical documents of Iran

Headache is one of the ten most common reasons for consulting with a doctor. Healthcare community is seeking to identify nature-based drugs with no side effects and a higher efficiency for treating headache. This review article introduced the plants used to treat headache in ethnobotany and traditional culture of different regions of Iran. The key words consisting of ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, ethnomedicine, phytopharmacology, traditional medicine, phytomedicine, and Iran, accompanied with headache, pain and analgesic, were used to search for relevant publications in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Islamic World Science Citation Center, and Magiran. Overall, 59 medicinal plants from 29 families are used to treat headache specifically in Iranian traditional medicine. Most plants presented in this study were analgesic and anti-inflammatory, and affected the inflammation and cortical vascular contractile dysfunction. Because of the widespread use of traditional medicinal plants and wide acceptance of herbal drugs and traditional medicine, large studies in pharmacy and pharmacology areas are recommended to inform pharmaceutical industries

The effect of progressive muscle relaxation program (PMR) on anxiety of patients undergoing coronary heart angiography

زمینه و هدف: یکی از راه های تشخیص بیماری های قلب کاتتریزاسیون می باشد که اغلب به ایجاد استرس و اضطراب برای بیمار منجر می گردد. آرامسازی پیشرونده عضلانی یکی از مداخلات غیر دارویی موثر برای کاهش اضطراب بیماران، می باشد. مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی تاثیر برنامه آرامسازی پیشرونده عضلانی بر میزان اضطراب بیماران تحت آنژیوگرافی عروق کرونر انجام شد. روش بررسی: این پژوهش یک مطالعه نیمه تجربی بصورت قبل و بعد بود. 146 بیمار که جهت آنژیوگرافی عروق کرونر در بیمارستان قلب شهید رجایی تهران بستری بودند، انتخاب و برنامه آموزشی آرامسازی پیشرونده عضلانی (PMR) به صورت لوح فشرده 45 دقیقه ای در اختیار آنان قرار گرفت. اضطراب جامعه پژوهش قبل و بعد از اجرای برنامه از طریق پرسشنامه محقق ساخته سنجیده و داده ها به وسیله آزمون های آماری کای دو و تی زوجی مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت. یافته‌ها: بین متغیرهای سن، وضعیت تاهل و تاریخچه تشخیص بیماری با عوامل تنش زا ارتباط معنی داری مشاهده نگردید. بین متغیرهای میزان تحصیلات و وضعیت اشتغال، نحوه پرداخت هزینه ها و سابقه بستری در بیمارستان با عوامل تنش زا ارتباط معنی داری وجود داشت (05/0>P). بین میانگین اضطراب بیماران تحت آنژیوگرافی عروق کرونر قبل و بعد از اجرای برنامه اختلاف معنی داری مشاهده شد (01/0

Anticancer Activity and Phenolic Compounds of Pistacia atlantica Extract

Recently a lot of studies have been conducted to identify natural compounds for prevention of the development and recurrence of cancers. The present study aimed to determine phytochemical content and anti proliferative activity of Pistacia atlantica extract. Ethanolic extract of Pistacia atlantica was prepared. The antioxidant activity, total phenol, flavonoid and flavonol content of the extract were evaluated. Cytotoxicity activity of extract on AGS and HeLa cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay 48 hours after treatment. The antioxidant activity of extract was 4.6 +/- 0.66 mu g/ml while it was 25.41 +/- 1.89 mu g/ml for butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The total phenol, flavonoid and flavonol contents were 269 mg GAE/g, 40.7 mg RUT/g and 88.12 mg RUT/g, respectively. The extract inhibited the proliferation of AGS, HeLa and HDFs cells with IC50 values of 382.3 mu g/m, 332.3 mu g/ml and 896.3, respectively. This study revealed that the extract of Pistacia atlantica can suppress the proliferation of gastric carcinoma and cervical cancer cells. The plant with high phytoconstituents could be a promising source of anticancer drugs

Medicinal plants used for liver disorders based on the ethnobotanical documents of Iran: A review

Liver diseases, still a global health problem, are classified as acute or chronic hepatitis, hepatosis and cirrhosis. A number of medicinal combinations in Iranian traditional medicine are commonly used as tonic for liver. This review article reported the plants used to treat liver diseases according to ethnobotany and traditional culture of different regions of Iran. This review article introduced the plants used to treat liver diseases in ethnobotany and traditional culture of different regions of Iran. The key words consisting of traditional medicine, ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, ethnopharmacology, phytopharmacology, phytomedicine, and Iran, accompanied with liver diseases, liver ailments, liver disorders, antihepatotoxic and hepatitis were used to search for relevant publications in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Islamic World Science Citation Center, and Magiran. Overall, 26 medicinal plants from 19 families are used to treat liver diseases specifically in Iranian traditional medicine. The most of presented medicinal plants were from Asteraceae family. Because of the extensive use of traditional medicinal plants and wide acceptance of herbal drugs and traditional medicine, large studies are recommended in pharmacy-and pharmacology-related fields to inform pharmaceutical industries. © 2016, Sphinx Knowledge House. All rights reserved

Hepatitis a seroprevalence and associated risk factors: A communitybased cross-sectional study in Shahrekord, Iran

Background: Recently, the epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection has been changing sue to lifestyle-related variations. To our knowledge, there are no published data about the seroepidemiology of this infection in Shahrekord, central Iran, by which decisions on the commissioning of a vaccination program could be made. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of HAV immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody at the Shahrekord Center of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, southwest Iran. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, using the multistage cluster sampling method, a total of 501 serum samples from the same number of individuals over 15 years in both urban and rural areas of Shahrekord, during 2013 were tested for HAV IgG antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The data were analyzed using the Pearson chi-square test. Logistic regression was also used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: It was found that 455 out of 501 (90.8%) serum samples, including those of 211 (42.1%) men and 290 (57.9%) women, were positive for HAV IgG antibody. Education level, age, marital status, and ethnicity were associated with HAV seropositivity in the studied individuals (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The HAV seroprevalence of 90.8% in the studied region may be representative of a highly endemic region of HAV that does not require a vaccination program to be commissioned. © 2016, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center

Pomegranate peel extract inhibits internalization and replication of the influenza virus: An in vitro study

Objective: Influenza virus, which is associated with high level of morbidity and mortality, has been recently considered a public health concern; however, the methods of choice to control and treat it are limited. Our previous study showed anti-influenza virus activity of pomegranate peel extract (PPE). In this study, the mechanism through which PPE acts against influenza virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1; PR8) was investigated. Materials and Methods: Ethyl alcohol extract of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel was prepared, and the action mechanism of PPE in inhibiting influenza replication was studied by time-ofdrug-addition assay, virucidal activity, RNA replication, hemagglutination inhibition assay, viral mRNA expression, and western blot analysis. Results: PPE inhibited viral polymerase activity, viral RNA replication, and viral protein expression but could not affect hemagglutination inhibition and virucidal activity. According to time-of-drug-addition assay results, PPE inhibited the virus adsorption and early steps of influenza replication. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the antiviral effect of PPE on influenza virus is most probably associated with inhibition of viral adsorption and viral RNA transcription. Keywords: Anti-influenza virus; Pomegranate; Punica granatum L.; Mechanism

Antiviral medicinal plants of Iran: A review of ethnobotanical evidence

Sometimes, available drugs fail to treat viral infections because of the emergence of drug resistance and some dormant and recurrent infections. Therefore, new antiviral combinations are increasingly required. Investigating medicinal plants and their compounds can be a fruitful approach.Therefore, this study sought to report the plants that are used to relieve and treat viral infections in the traditional cultures of Iran's different regions.According to the findings, totally 21 medicinal plants from 14 families are used to specifically treat viral infections according to traditional medicine. Most of the identified plants were fromEuphorbiaceae, Lamiaceae, Myrtaceae and Rosaceaefamily. Phytochemical investigations and clinical assessments of the compounds of these plants can be an efficient approach to identify antiviral medicinal plants used to treat viral infections. © 2016, Sphinx Knowledge House. All rights reserved