Anti-edema effect of Aloe vera leaf extract following traumatic brain injury: Role of pro-inflammatory cytokines

Objective: Based on anti-inflammatory effects of Aloe vera, the effect of aqueous extract of this plant on brain edema and changes in some pro-inflammatory cytokines was investigated after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Materials and Methods: In this study, adult male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: Sham, TBI, vehicle (Veh), and low dose (LA) and high dose (HA) Aloe vera. The vehicle and aqueous extract of Aloe vera were injected intraperitoneally 30 min after induction of diffuse TBI by Marmarou’s method. Brain edema (brain water content), and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-1β levels in serum and brain were measured 24 hr after TBI induction. Results: Increased brain edema by TBI was reduced by both LA and HA (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). IL-6 increased in the brain of TBI group compared to sham, and which was inhibited by both Aloe vera doses compared to Veh (p<0.001). The differences in the IL-6 serum levels among Veh, LA and HA groups were not significant. Increases in serum and brain IL-1β levels were reduced only in the HA group (p<0.001). Although only in the brain, TNF-α level increased after trauma, but both LA and HA inhibited it in a dose-dependent manner (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively) . The amount of TGF-β in the brain was reduced by both doses of the extract (p<0.001). Conclusion: These results indicated that Aloe vera has a neuroprotective effect induced by reducing brain edema. The probable mechanism particularly for HA is decreasing levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TGF-β, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β

Copper and Nickel Determination in Grape Extract Cultured around Marvast City,Yazd

Background: One of the most critical problems in the field of water and food pollution is the heavy metal pollution. Agricultural products are exposed to this type of contamination through wastewater; industrial activity and population pollutions are also in its area. Since the plant in the affected areas can directly enter heavy metals into the food chain, so, it is important to check their level of contamination. The purpose of this study was to monitor distribution of copper and nickel in the grape cultured in the farms around Marvast in Yazd province. Methods: All chemicals were of analytical grade. In order to determine the level of copper and nickel in grape extracts produced from the most important areas in grape production, 7 samples of grape were taken from these geographic regions. After grinding and homogenizing of samples, the concentration of nickel and copper, heavy metals were measured by atomic absorption spectrometer. The obtained results were analyzed through SPSS software based on statistical methods. Results: The mean value of copper and nickel were 26.4 &plusmn; 3.1 and 12.3 &plusmn; 1.5 &mu;g/kg, respectively. According to the obtained results and their comparison with standards, different amounts of copper and nickel were observed in all samples, however, the highest amount of these metals was observed in one sample. Conclusions: Concentrations of heavy metals in samples from different regions were lower than the maximum allowable concentration of copper and nickel. Although, the amount of these metals in one sample, known as pollution indicator, suggested that this area can be exposed to both

Clinical Application of Hyaluronic Acid Gel for Reconstruction of Interdental Papilla at the Esthetic zone

Background and Aim : Interdental papilla reconstruction especially at the esthetic zone is among the most difficult periodontal treatments. Papilla deficienciesmay occur following some periodontal surgeries and several techniques, mostly surgical and invasive, have been suggested to correct them. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical application of hyaluronic acid gel for reconstruction of interdental papilla at the esthetic zone .   Materials and Methods : This experimental before and after study was conducted on 11 patients with 21 interdental papilla deficiencies who met the inclusion criteria. After the induction of local anesthesia, less than 0.2 ml hyaluronic acid gel was injected at the respective areas. This procedure was repeated 3 weeks and 3 months later for all the respective areas. Photographs obtained before the treatment and 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months after the intervention were assessed by Image J software based on image pixels. Data were extracted and changesin the interdental space at the mentioned time points were statistically analyzed using Repeated Measures ANOVA .   Results : Application of hyaluronic acid gel for reconstruction of interdental papilla was successful in a 6-month period. In the second follow up, 10% of subjects showed improvement in interdental papilla reconstruction by 50%. In the third follow up (at 6 months) 43% of samples showed 50% improvement or higher. The mentioned differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).   Conclusion: Application of hyaluronic acid gel is, to some extent, beneficial for reconstruction of interdental papilla at the esthetic zone and is recommended as a non-invasive technique

Psychological consequences and the related factors among COVID‐19 survivors in southeastern Iran

Abstract Introduction Coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) is a new viral disease that has spread rapidly worldwide since December 2019 and there is no effective treatment for it. The current study aimed to investigate the psychological consequences and related factors among COVID‐19 survivors. Methods This descriptive analytical study was conducted on 152 patients with COVID‐19 referred to referral hospitals in southeastern Iran in 2020. Data collection tools were three questionnaires of demographic and background information, Depression Anxiety stress Scale (DASS‐21) and Impact of Events Scale‐Revised (IESR). Descriptive and inferential statistics and SPSS25 were used to analyze the data. Results The mean age of patients was 39.52 ± 13.16 years. The patients were mostly female (63.8%). Seventy‐three percent of the patients had severe posttraumatic stress disorder, 26.3% had moderate depression and 26.3% had severe anxiety. The mean scores of posttraumatic stress, depression, and anxiety among patients with COVID‐19 were 41.59 ± 17.28, 12.13 ± 9.16, and 12.45 ± 10.71, respectively. Intensive care unit (ICU) admission, divorce, illiteracy, and retirement were all associated with higher psychological load among patients. Discussion and Conclusion The results showed that patients with COVID‐19 had different levels of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress. These results may direct the attention of the medical staff to the mental health of COVID‐19 patients, necessitating timely psychological care and intervention during an epidemic

The Effect of Lecture and E-learning Methods on Learning Mother and Child Health Course in Nursing Students

Introduction: Traditional teaching methods used in medical education are not able to respond to the rapid changes and growth of information as well as continuous change in educational needs of societies. This study was performed to compare the effect of two teaching approaches, lecture and e-learning on learning outcomes of mother and child health course in nursing students of Tehran Medical University. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed on all third semester nursing students who had passed mother and child health course in 2006 (N=32).It was a one group two-shot study. During the first four weeks, the students received traditional education and during the second four weeks they studied the rest of the subject matter using an on-line learning method. At the end of the course, the students' opinion toward the educational methods was asked using a questionnaire. An exam that covered the content of the 4-week block was also administered. Analysis of data was done by SPSS software using mean, standard deviation, and t-test. Results: The learning outcomes in both groups were similar. Based on the students' opinion about two teaching methods, e-learning was more effective on "their capability to use the method" and "independence in using the method", and lecture was better than e-learning in "the effect on learning" and "motivation". Conclustion: E-learning can be used for teaching some nursing courses. It is recommended to use e-learning method with considering appropriate interactive and more attractive virtual environments to motivate students

Monitoring Trends of CO, NO₂, SO₂, and O₃ Pollutants Using Time-Series Sentinel-5 Images Based on Google Earth Engine

Air pollution (AP) is a significant risk factor for public health, and its impact is becoming increasingly concerning in developing countries where it is causing a growing number of health issues. It is therefore essential to map and monitor AP sources in order to facilitate local action against them. This study aims at assessing the suitability of Sentinel-5 AP products based on Google Earth Engine (GEE) to monitor air pollutants, including CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 in Arak city, Iran from 2018 to 2019. Our process involved feeding satellite images to a cloud-free GEE platform that identified pollutant-affected areas monthly, seasonally, and annually. By coding in the JavaScript language in the GEE, four pollution parameters of Sentinel-5 satellite images were obtained. Following that, images with clouds were filtered by defining cloud filters, and average maps were extracted by defining average filters for both years. The employed model, which solely used Sentinel-5 AP products, was tested and assessed using ground data collected from the Environmental Organization of Central Province. Our findings revealed that annual CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 were estimated with RMSE of 0.13, 2.58, 4.62, and 2.36, respectively, for the year 2018. The annual CO, NO2, SO2, and O3 for the year 2019 were also calculated with RMSE of 0.17, 2.41, 4.31, and 4.6, respectively. The results demonstrated that seasonal AP was estimated with RMSE of 0.09, 5.39, 0.70, and 7.81 for CO, NO2, SO2, and O3, respectively, for the year 2018. Seasonal AP was also estimated with RMSE of 0.12, 4.99, 1.33, and 1.27 for CO, NO2, SO2, and O3, respectively, for the year 2019. The results of this study revealed that Sentinel-5 data combined with automated-based approaches, such as GEE, can perform better than traditional approaches (e.g., pollution measuring stations) for AP mapping and monitoring since they are capable of providing spatially distributed data that is sufficiently accurate