Effect of melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) on sexual dysfunction in women: A double- blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most prevalent female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and its bio-psychosocial multifactorial etiology justifies its multifaceted treatment. In Persian Medicine (PM), the weakness of the main organs (heart, brain and liver) is one of the important causes of lack of sexual desire; hence, their strengthening is a priority during treatment. Melissa officinalis is one of the medicinal plants with tonic characteristics for the main organs in PM and was used for treatment in this study. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of M. officinalis in the improvement of HSDD in women. Eighty nine (89) eligible women suffering from decreased sexual desire were randomly assigned to groups. The participants received medication (500 mg of aqueous extract of M. officinalis) or placebo 2 times a day for 4 weeks. Changes in scores of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain were evaluated at the end of 4 weeks of treatment using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire in the two groups. Forty three participants completed the study. The increase in desire (P < 0.001), arousal (P < 0.001), lubrication (P < 0.005), orgasm (P < 0.001), satisfaction (P < 0.001), pain (P < 0.002) and FSFI total score (P < 0.001) in the M. officinalis group was significantly more than that of the placebo group. The willingness to continue treatment was significantly higher in the M. officinalis as compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). M. officinalis may be a safe and effective herbal medicine for the improvement of HSDD in women. © 2018 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

Effect of melissa officinalis (Lemon balm) on sexual dysfunction in women: A double- blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most prevalent female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and its bio-psychosocial multifactorial etiology justifies its multifaceted treatment. In Persian Medicine (PM), the weakness of the main organs (heart, brain and liver) is one of the important causes of lack of sexual desire; hence, their strengthening is a priority during treatment. Melissa officinalis is one of the medicinal plants with tonic characteristics for the main organs in PM and was used for treatment in this study. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of M. officinalis in the improvement of HSDD in women. Eighty nine (89) eligible women suffering from decreased sexual desire were randomly assigned to groups. The participants received medication (500 mg of aqueous extract of M. officinalis) or placebo 2 times a day for 4 weeks. Changes in scores of desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain were evaluated at the end of 4 weeks of treatment using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire in the two groups. Forty three participants completed the study. The increase in desire (P < 0.001), arousal (P < 0.001), lubrication (P < 0.005), orgasm (P < 0.001), satisfaction (P < 0.001), pain (P < 0.002) and FSFI total score (P < 0.001) in the M. officinalis group was significantly more than that of the placebo group. The willingness to continue treatment was significantly higher in the M. officinalis as compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001). M. officinalis may be a safe and effective herbal medicine for the improvement of HSDD in women. © 2018 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

Genomic and Clinical Effects Associated with a Relaxation Response Mind-Body Intervention in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Introduction: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can profoundly affect quality of life and are influenced by stress and resiliency. The impact of mind-body interventions (MBIs) on IBS and IBD patients has not previously been examined. Methods: Nineteen IBS and 29 IBD patients were enrolled in a 9-week relaxation response based mind-body group intervention (RR-MBI), focusing on elicitation of the RR and cognitive skill building. Symptom questionnaires and inflammatory markers were assessed pre- and post-intervention, and at short-term follow-up. Peripheral blood transcriptome analysis was performed to identify genomic correlates of the RR-MBI. Results: Pain Catastrophizing Scale scores improved significantly post-intervention for IBD and at short-term follow-up for IBS and IBD. Trait Anxiety scores, IBS Quality of Life, IBS Symptom Severity Index, and IBD Questionnaire scores improved significantly post-intervention and at short-term follow-up for IBS and IBD, respectively. RR-MBI altered expression of more genes in IBD (1059 genes) than in IBS (119 genes). In IBD, reduced expression of RR-MBI response genes was most significantly linked to inflammatory response, cell growth, proliferation, and oxidative stress-related pathways. In IBS, cell cycle regulation and DNA damage related gene sets were significantly upregulated after RR-MBI. Interactive network analysis of RR-affected pathways identified TNF, AKT and NF-κB as top focus molecules in IBS, while in IBD kinases (e.g. MAPK, P38 MAPK), inflammation (e.g. VEGF-C, NF-κB) and cell cycle and proliferation (e.g. UBC, APP) related genes emerged as top focus molecules. Conclusions: In this uncontrolled pilot study, participation in an RR-MBI was associated with improvements in disease-specific measures, trait anxiety, and pain catastrophizing in IBS and IBD patients. Moreover, observed gene expression changes suggest that NF-κB is a target focus molecule in both IBS and IBD—and that its regulation may contribute to counteracting the harmful effects of stress in both diseases. Larger, controlled studies are needed to confirm this preliminary finding. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.Gov NCT0213674

Digital Image Correlation Technique in Dynamic Applications on Deformable Targets

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is a widely used optical measurement method to find the field of displacement and strain on the surface of an object. Even though a lot of studies have been done on this method and its uncertainty, there is still the possibility to do some improvements, especially in the case of dynamic conditions. In dynamic conditions since the target is moving, images acquired during the test have motion effect (blurring). This blurring can increase the uncertainty of the motion measurement. The present study aims to investigate the uncertainty of DIC method in dynamic conditions on deformable targets by conducting experiments and exploring the effect of the settings of the camera and of the motion parameters on the measuring uncertainty. Moreover, deconvolution method, which was previously proposed for rigid targets, is used here to improve the results in the case of dealing with deformable targets in dynamic conditions. Deconvolution method is a processing technique based on deconvolution that estimates the displacement of the target and the amount of motion effect that exists in an acquired image. The focus of this study is only on 2D DIC, but similar problems also exist in 3D DIC. Hence, an understanding of two-dimensional problems can be helpful for future studies in 3D conditions too

Evaluation of risk factors causing work - related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDS) in kerman bakery workers by OCRAIndex method

Background and aimsthe musculoskeletal disorders over a large percent of occupational  diseases ; therefore, in order to protect workers from such disorders, there is a need to evaluate workers positions at work in different jobs. There are several methods to evaluate risk factors causing work - related musculoskeletal disorders. this study perform on bakers population of four different types of bakeries(Tafton davar,Tafton sonnati,sangak and baget) and we evaluated WMSDs causal risk factors by OCRA Index technique.MethodsIn this research four data gathering methods including observational ,interview,questioner and check list were utilized. Totally 423 samples by proportional cluster samplingmethod collected and we used spss15 soft ware for statistical analysisResultsThe results of this investigation demonstrated that maximum mean value of OCRA index in left and right hands were related to shatery task in sangak bakery (OCRAI index=14.99).finally,56.5,67.4,77.3 and 75 percent of all tasks at Tafton davar,Tafton sonnati,sangak and baget bakeries respectively were in the red area also our results showed that only ,left and right hands OCRA index means of nandari , forushandegi and nandara/forushandegi tasks were equivalent.Conclusionwith regarding to this point that major of tasks in the bakery job locate in the red zone therefore attention to this problem is necessary and use of ergonomics controls to eliminate or reduce exposure of workers to the ergonomics stressors associated with the development ofWMSDs is recommende

Analysis of Ground Water Fluoride Content and its Association with Prevalence of Fluorosis in Zarand/Kerman: (Using GIS)

Abstract: Statement of Problem: The concentration of fluoride in water is usually higher in areas around the coal mines. Zarand region in the south-east of Iran is known for its coal mines. Some studies have shown the high prevalence of fluorosis and some studies reported high levels of fluoride in the region. Objectives: This study aimed to use Geographic Information System (GIS) to assess the relationship between water fluoride content and the prevalence of fluorosis and its spatial distribution in Zarand region. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed to recruit 550 people aged 7-40 years in Zarand. Dental examination for fluorosis was conducted based on the Dean’s Index. The level of fluoride in the water was determined in samples of water taken from 35 areas. Information on fluorosis and fluoride content was mapped on GIS. Results: Most participants lived in rural areas (87.25%) and had an educational status of high school level (66%). About 23% of the examined people had normal teeth, 10% had severe and 67% had mild to moderate fluorosis. Distribution of severe fluorosis was higher in areas with higher levels of fluoride in the water according to GIS map. Conclusions: GIS map clearly showed a positive relationship between the prevalence and severity of fluorosis with the level of fluoride in water in Zarand. The GIS analysis may be useful in the analysis of other oral conditions

Is there a relationship between general and oral health-related quality of life in partially edentulous patients before and after implant treatment? A quasi-experimental study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) and general health-related quality of life (GHRQoL) in partially edentulous patients before and after implant placement. Material and methods: After obtaining informed consent, using convenient sampling method, 102 participants (64 female and 38 male participants with an age range of 18�81 years) were included in the study. Participants were required to fill EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire before implant surgery and three months after prosthetic placement. Data were not normally distributed, so non-parametric tests were used for data analysis. Results: Data analysis was carried out on 93 participants. After implant treatment, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and EQ-5D score significantly increased by 0.05 and 0.06 units, respectively (p <.001 and p =.004, respectively). Also, the total OHIP-14 score significantly decreased from 15.89 to 6.18 after implant treatment (p <.001). Conclusion: Results indicated an increase in general and oral health-related quality of life after implant treatment. According to this study, there was a positive weak relationship between GHRQoL and OHRQoL before and after implant treatment. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Lt

The association between beverage consumption pattern and dental problems in Iranian adolescents: A cross sectional study

Background: With regard to the increasing consumption rates of unhealthy beverages among adolescents, the main purpose of the present study was to determine the association between beverage intake pattern and dental caries and tooth erosion in this age group. Methods: A total sample of 600 adolescents was recruited in this study using a multistage cluster random sampling method in the city of Kerman, in the southeast of Iran, in 2017. Then, the Decayed, Missed and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the Tooth Wear Index (TWI) were registered for each participant. A Beverage Frequency Questionnaire was also employed to estimate typical beverage intake frequency. Correspondingly, negative binominal regression and logistic regression were performed to determine the independent variables associated with the DMFT index and the TWI. Results: The findings revealed that the highest consumed beverage in daily living was tea in both genders, followed by sweetened soft beverages, as well as milk and kefir/yogurt drink. The results of the DMFT index were also significantly different in participants that had never consumed milk compared with those who had used milk on a daily basis. Moreover, the DMFT index in participants who had never consumed sweetened soft beverages was 39, less than those who had had a daily intake of such beverages. Also, the chance of tooth erosion for participants who had never used sweetened soft beverages was 94, lower than that in daily consumers. Conclusions: The results of this study revealed that adolescents had an unhealthy beverage intake pattern. Furthermore, milk consumption was beneficial to dental caries, whereas use of soft drinks associated with more dental caries and tooth erosion. © 2020 The Author(s)

Acoustic radiation from a shell-encapsulated baffled cylindrical cap

An exact study of radiation of an acoustic field due to radial/axial vibrations of a baffled cylindrical piston, eccentrically positioned within a fluid-filled thin cylindrical elastic shell, into an external fluid medium is presented. This configuration, which is a realistic idealization of a liquid-filled cylindrical acoustic lens with a focal point inside the lens when used as a sound projector, is of practical importance with a multitude of possible applications in underwater acoustics and ocean engineering. The formulation utilizes the appropriate wave field expansions along with the translational addition theorems for cylindrical wave functions to develop a closed-form solution in the form of an infinite series. Numerical results reveal the key effects of excitation frequency, cap angle, radiator position (eccentricity), dynamics of the elastic shell, and cap surface velocity distribution on sound radiation