Quantity and Quality of Vision Using Tinted Filters in Patients with Low Vision Due to Diabetic Retinopathy.

[en] PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of tinted filters on visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity and patient satisfaction in diabetic retinopathy associated with low vision. METHODS: In a prospective study, 51 patients with diabetic retinopathy and low vision were assessed. We chose a simple random sampling method and used the patient's files for data collection. LogMAR notations were applied for assessing VA and a contrast sensitivity chart (CSV-1000) was employed for measuring contrast sensitivity. First, measurements were performed without tinted filters and then using them. Appropriate lenses were given to the patients for 2 days, and they were questioned about their satisfaction using them in different places. RESULTS: A total of 20 male and 31 female patients with mean age of 57.3 years participated in the study. With a 527 ± 10 nm filter, mean VA improved significantly (P ≤ 0.05). Using the 527 ± 10 nm and 511 ± 10 nm filters, mean contrast sensitivity was improved significantly at 3 and 6 cycles/degree frequencies (P < 0.05). The effect of other filters on VA and contrast sensitivity was not significant. Patient satisfaction rate was generally high. CONCLUSION: Tinted filters are able to rehabilitate low-vision patients due to diabetic retinopathy. The 527 ± 10 and 511 ± 10 nm wavelength filters improved contrast sensitivity and the 527 ± 10 nm filter improved VA to some extent. Further investigations are recommended to assess the effect of these filters in patients with other causes of low-vision

Integrated Management Practices for Establishing Upland Switchgrass Varieties

Establishment of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is challenging, and failure in establishment may expose growers to considerable economic risk. The objectives of this research were to (i) evaluate whether management practices are variety-specific for the establishment of switchgrass and (ii) assess the effectiveness of cover crops as preceding crops on ‘Shawnee’ switchgrass establishment. Therefore, two studies were conducted at the University of Massachusetts Agricultural Experiment Station in Deerfield, MA, USA, in the 2011–2012 and 2012–2013 growing seasons. In Experiment 1, cover crop treatments (fallow, oat (Avena sativa L.) and rye (Secale cereale L.)) were the main plots, the two seeding methods (no-till drill and a cultipacker seeder (Brillion)) were the sub-plots, and the two varieties (‘Cave-in-Rock’ (CIR) and Shawnee)) were the sub-sub-plots. The second study was conducted using Shawnee switchgrass and involved the three cover crop treatments used in Experiment 1 using a cultipacker seeder with seed firming prior to planting but not afterwards (consistent in both experiments). The results indicated that a combination of oat and no-till resulted in higher tiller density (493%), lower weed biomass (77%), increased switchgrass biomass (SGB) (283%) and SGB to weed biomass (WB) ratio. Compared with Shawnee, CIR planted into a winter-killed oat residue had higher tiller density (93%), lower weed biomass (18%), higher switchgrass yield (128%) and thus a greater SGB:WB ratio (507%). Trends of switchgrass response to management practices, however, were similar between the two varieties, indicating that seed quality rather than management practices could influence switchgrass’s response to management practices. In Experiment 2, Shawnee tiller density was suppressed by rye as the preceding crop, possibly due to late termination of rye. Shawnee switchgrass yields were below 1000 kg ha−1 under all management practices; thus, harvesting should happen in the year following establishment. Future research should focus on comparing no-till drilling with cultipacker seeder with rolling not only before but after seeding to increase seed–soil contac

Cicer arietinum in the Treatment of Small Renal Stones: a Double-Blind, Randomized and Placebo-Controlled Trial

Background and objectives: Urolithiasis is a common urological disorder. Based on the Persian medicine literatures, Cicer arietinum has a potential to dissolve renal stones. This study was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of Cicer arietinum in patients with renal stone. Methods: The extract of C. arietinum seeds was spray dried. A randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted on 74 patients with 6-10 mm renal stones in ultrasonography. Patients were randomly assigned to take 330 mg of C. arietinum extract or placebo capsules three times a day for 30 days. Complete stone dissolution and the change in stone size during the trial was evaluated by ultrasonography. To assess the efficacy and safety of C. arietinum, blood and urine biochemical parameters were checked at baseline and after the intervention. Results: In the C. arietinum group, complete stone dissolution occurred in 9 (23.7%) patients and reduce in stone size was observed in 17 (44.7%) patients while no response to treatment was observed in placebo group. The mean stone size was reduced from 7.15 ± 1.34 mm to 4.28 ± 3.09 mm in the C. arietinum group (p Conclusion: Cicer arietinum extract could be an effective and safe treatment option for patients with 6-10 mm renal stones

طراحي داروي آهسته رهش از افيون، نوآوري حکيم عمادالدين در رساله افيونيه

Abstract: Resaleh Afiunieh is one of the remarkable articles of Emad-e-din Mahmoud, a physician lived during the time of Safavieh. In this article proposed two sustained release drug formula from opium, these drugs prevent the withdrawal syndrome of addicted patients in Ramazhan. This innovation helps the patients for better starvation by elimination the side effects of withdrawal syndrome. So this formulation is important from the viewpoint of Pharmacy and Ethic.رساله افيونيه يکي از رساله‌هاي «عمادالدين محمود بن مسعود شيرازي» طبيب مشهور زمان صفويه است که در آن به طراحي و ساخت دو شکل دارويي آهسته رهش از شياف و حب افيون پرداخته است. اين فراورده براي بهبود حال بيماران و پيشگيري از عوارض ناشي از قطع مصرف در معتادان به افيون در زمان روزه داري طراحي شده است و اين طبيب حاذق در مورد نحوه ساخت و مصرف و مقدار مصرف آن از ابتدا تا انتها به طور کامل توضيح داده است. با توجه به اين‌که بسياري از نوآوري‌ها در حيطه پزشکي ايراني هم اکنون به عنوان راهکارهاي مفيد در درمان بيماران به کار مي‌رود، به نظر مي‌رسد که اين ابداع و موارد مشابه آن در کتب طب سنتي ايران بتواند نقش مؤثري فراسوي داروسازي نوين به ويژه در داروهاي طبيعي داشته باشد

A survey on Diuretic Medicines based on Iranian Traditional Medicine

فرآیند گردش آب و دفع فضولات بدن از طریق کلیه‌ها، در طب سنتی ایران جایگاهی ویژه و تخصصی دارد. داروهای مدر در طب سنتی عمدتاً جهت دفع بخشی از فضولات و مواد زائد موجود در عروق و یا بافت‌ها به کمک آب و سیستم ادراری، به کار می‌روند، بدین صورت که این داروها ضمن گسیل‌داشتن بخشی از مواد زائد (به ویژه مواد زائد رقیق مائی) به سوی سیستم ادراری و با دفع این فضولات، به کنترل و یا درمان بیماری‌ها کمک می‌کنند. برخلاف داروهای دیورتیک در طب نوین که عمدتاً مسؤول دفع آب از بدن و کمک به کنترل بیماری‌هایی همچون نارسایی احتمالی قلب آسیت، ادم ریوی، ادم اندام‌ها و فشار خون بالا بوده و تبعاتی همچون برهم‌زدن تعادل الکترولیت‌ها را به دنبال دارد، داروهای مدر طب سنتی برخلاف داروهای دیورتیک در طب نوین، به تناسب نوع ماده زائد بدن، انتخاب شده و هر دارو در دفع نوع خاصی از مواد زائد تأثیر بیشتری می‌گذارد. این مطالعه، یک مطالعه کتابخانه‌ای بوده که در آن مفهوم داروهای مدر، موارد تجویز و احتیاطات استفاده از آن‌ها بر مبنای منابع طب سنتی ایران بیان شده و مکانیسم اثر آن‌ها با داروهای دیورتیک مورد استفاده در طب رایج مورد مقایسه قرار گرفته است. نتایج این مطالعه می‌تواند بینش خواننده را با گستره عملکرد داروهای مدر توسعه داده و به پزشکان در تجویز بهینه داروهای گیاهی مدر کمک نماید.There is a special notice on waste material excretion and water circulation in Persian medicine. According to Persian medicine, diuretic remedies are used for excretion of some waste humors from circulation and tissues. The target organ for this function is kidney. Diuretics excrete the fine water soluble materials and by this mechanism help to improve diseases. Diuretics in modern medicines act by water and electrolytes excretion and in this way; they are administered for conditions such as congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, anasarca and hypertension. Each diuretic drug in Persian medicine act on a special humor. In this review, the concept of diuretics, indications, contraindications and cautions about their administration are extracted and classified based on Persian literatures. A comparison is also carried out between the diuretic mechanism in modern and Persian traditional medicines. The results of this study might expand reader’s insight about diuretic herbal remedies and help them in optimal administration of these drugs if they work based on Persian medicin

Geriatric management in medieval Persian medicine

In Iran, a large group of patients are elderly people and they intend to have natural remedies as treatment. These remedies are rooted in historical of Persian and humoral medicine with a backbone of more than 1000 years. The current study was conducted to draw together medieval pharmacological information related to geriatric medicine from some of the most often manuscripts of traditional Persian medicine. Moreover, we investigated the efficacy of medicinal plants through a search of the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases. In the medieval Persian documents, digestible and a small amount of food such as chicken broth, honey, fig and plum at frequent intervals as well as body massage and morning unctioning are highly recommended. In the field of pharmacotherapy, 35 herbs related to 25 families were identified. Plants were classified as tonic, anti-aging, appetizer, memory and mood enhancer, topical analgesic and laxative as well as health improvement agents. Other than historical elucidation, this paper presents medical and pharmacological approaches that medieval Persian practitioners applied to deal with geriatric complications

Endogenous Gases or Wind as Important Etiology of Diseases in Persian Medicine

Background and purpose: Sometimes, some symptoms do not respond to usual treatments, or are not justified by classical medicine. In such cases, Persian Medicine can be helpful to better understand and treat the diseases. Endogenous gases (wind or Rih) are among the causes that should be investigated. The purpose of this study was to introduce endogenous gases and etiology of their production in the body as one of the pathological causes of diseases (alongside compound dystempraments) in Persian medicine. Materials and methods: A qualitative study (summative content analysis) based on authentic Persian Medicine books was carried out using library and electronic resources. Results: The concept of wind is also found in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine, but in Persian medicine it is a gas-like substance produced in the body and its useful form facilitates physiologic processes such as defecation, erection, etc. The harmful type of wind is one of the main causes of up to 90 diseases, including certain kinds of headaches, dizziness, epilepsy, dyspnea, and pain in joints, kidneys, and bladder, etc. In this study, the definition, causes, types, symptoms, and signs of wind were explained. Conclusion: According to Persian medicine and the concept of gasotransmitter in modern medicine, many diseases are caused by wind or gas. Therefore, all physicians should consider their role in diseases and use appropriate treatments

Dietary recommendation for Iron Deficiency Anemia in Persian Medicine

Background: Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. Iron deficiency anemia may be associated with various symptoms, and most patients are treated with oral supplements or infusion therapy. In recent years, importance of nutrition in the improvement of Iron deficiency anemia has been highlighted. Based on the Iranian Traditional Medicine, foods have major effects on prevention and treatment of diseases. Method: In this study Traditional Persian Medicine (TPM) books such as Canon of Avicenna, Kamel al -Sina'ah al- Tibbiyah and Makhzan al Advieh were assessed and the information about blood-producing foods and their effect on improving iron deficiency were investigated. Result: There are some foods, which can be effective in iron deficiency anemia. Some of these foods have animal origin such as eggs and meat and some have plant origin such as chickpeas, grapes and figs. Conclusion: According TPM, Nutritious foods and Blood humor-producing foods are the right options for iron supply. Also, these foods can help iron deficiency through various mechanisms alone or with medication

بررسی اسباب و علل بی‌خوابی از دیدگاه طب سنتی ایران و مقایسه آن با طب نوین

Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders whose increase is highly affected by stresses of life. Significant prevalence of insomnia in Iran and other countries imposes a huge economic burden on the patient and the society; because it needs many models of treatment. In addition, insomnia disturbs patient’s daily activities because of effects on the social relationships and also job activities of the patient. As in modern medicine the cure of insomnia is usually symptomatic, and considering many side effects of sedative drug, the current study investigates causes of insomnia from the viewpoint of Iranian traditional medicine and compares it with modern medicine.&nbsp; This study is a survey which investigates different valid textbooks of Iranian traditional medicine. It collects texts about insomnia, its causes, and its signs and symptoms and expresses them in separate sections. Also, causes of insomnia from valid textbooks of modern medicine is collected and compared. In Iranian traditional medicine, insomnia is called “sahar”. Iran’s traditional physicians have classified the causes of insomnia under two categories: arbitrary and non-arbitrary. They mention ill-temperament of brain as one of the main causes of non-arbitrary insomnia. These causes are compared with causes of insomnia in modern medicine such as medical, psychological and environmental disorders. Some causes of insomnia in traditional medicine are confirmed in modern medicine but other causes of insomnia exist in traditional medicine that is not in modern medicine and is needed to more research.بی‌خوابی از شایع‌ترین اختلالات خواب است که استرس‌های زندگی امروزی تأثیر زیادی در افزایش آن دارد. شیوع قابل توجه بی‌خوابی در جهان و ایران به دلیل نیاز به انواع روش‌های درمانی، بار اقتصادی فراوانی به فرد و جامعه تحمیل می‌کند. علاوه بر آن تأثیر بی‌خوابی در روابط اجتماعی و فعالیت شغلی، عملکرد روزانه فرد را نیز مختل می‌کند. از آنجا که در طب نوین درمان بی خوابی اغلب علامتی است، با توجه به عوارض فراوان داروهای خواب آور، مطالعه حاضر با هدف بررسی اسباب و علل بی خوابی از دیدگاه طب سنتی ایران و مقایسه‌ی آن با طب نوین طراحی گردیده است. این تحقیق یک بررسی متون است و حاصل کار بر روی متون معتبر طب سنتی می‌باشد که مطالب مربوط به بی خوابی و اسباب و علل و علایم آن جمع بندی شده است و به تفکیک بیان می‌شود. از طرفی مطالب مربوط به علل بی خوابی در منابع معتبر طب نوین هم جمع بندی، بررسی و مقایسه شدند. بی خوابی در اغلب منابع طب سنتی ایران تحت عنوان «سهر» نامیده می‌شود. حکمای طب سنتی ایران علل بی خوابی را به دو دسته «اختیاری» و «غیر اختیاری» تقسیم می‌کنند و سوء مزاج دماغ را یکی از علل اصلی و مهم بی خوابی غیر اختیاری می‌دانند. این علل با علل بی خوابی در طب نوین که شامل اختلالات طبی، روانی یا محیطی است مقایسه شدند. بعضی از علل بی خوابی در طب سنتی به نحوی مورد تأیید علم روز است و علت‌هایی نیز در طب سنتی وجود دارد که در طب نوین یافت نشده است و به تحقیقات بیش‌تری نیاز دارد

Comparison of the effect of acetaminophen and licorice-based traditional medicine on reducing pain of patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy, a pilot randomized clinical trial study

Introduction: Adenotonsillectomy is one of the common surgeries specifically performed in children. The major complication of this surgery is post-surgery pains. The present study compared the effect of acetaminophen and licorice-based traditional medicine for the alleviation pain in patients with adenotonsillectomy. Materials and Method: This single-blinded pilot clinical trial study was carried on 3–15-year-old patients who had undergone tonsillectomy. After the surgery patients of both groups received 10 mg/kg syrup of acetaminophen every six hours for 24 hours. In addition, in the patients of the experimental group, licorice lozenges (with doses of 1000 mg) were administered.&nbsp; Wong-Baker’s Faces Pain Scale was used to measure the level of pains. Results: A total of 40 patients were assessed. Friedman test demonstrated that the mean pain of the two groups showed significant reduction (p=0.001). Also, the Mann-Whitney-U test revealed that the mean pain severity in the licorice-receiving group in 6 (p=0.056), 12 (p=0.02) and 18 (p=0.006) hours after the surgery significantly decreased compared to that of the control group. Conclusion: The level of pain reduction after adenotonsillectomy in the licorice group was significantly higher than that in the control group