Therapeutic effects of <i>Rosa Canina, Urtica Dioica</i> and <i>Tanacetum Vulgare</i> Herbal Combination in Treatment of Tinnitus Symptoms; A Double-blind Randomized Clinical Trial

BackgroundTinnitus is defined as the perception of sound in the ear or head in the absence of an external stimulus for which we have no definite treatment. Neurotec® is a medication of herbal origin with IFDA approval. Previous studies showed the neuroprotective effect of Neurotec®. In this study we evaluated the effectiveness of Neurotec in improving tinnitus symptoms.MethodsThis double-blind randomized clinical trial was performed on patients with tinnitus. Patients received Neurotec 100 mg capsules (BID) or placebo for three months. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) was measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 6 KHz frequencies. Using a Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) questionnaire, tinnitus loudness, daily annoyance, daily life or sleep disturbance, daily perception and mood alteration were evaluated.ResultsFinally, 103 (69 male and 34 female) patients with a mean age of 51.33±13.91 years were analyzed. There was no significant difference between the intervention (n=53) and the control group (n=50) regarding baseline symptoms before and one month after the intervention (P>0.05). While, they were significantly different three months after the intervention (P0.05). The mean pure tone air conduction was not significantly different between the two groups before and three months after the intervention at 6 kHz (P>0.05).ConclusionA three-month treatment with Neurotec Capsules beside patient education can effectively control symptoms of patients with tinnitus

Enhancement in graphitization of coal tar pitch by functionalized carbon nanotubes

In this study, the influence of the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and carbon black (CB) on the graphitization temperature and microstructure of coal tar pitch (CTP) are investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns of carbon residues indicate that minimum interlayer spacing (d002) values are obtained at 2000°C for CTP/CNT. Moreover, the Raman spectrum of CTP/CNTs is similar to graphite, and the relative intensity of Raman lines shows that CTP/CB is less graphitized at 2000°C. In addition, scanning electron microscopy images show that when CB is added sample textures tend to disordered morphologies. However, CNTs, not only improve the morphology of CTP, but also act as nuclei for the growth of graphite flaky crystallites. The role of the CTP/CNT interface and the defects of CNTs on the graphitization degree are studied using transmission electron microscopy, and a mechanism for the graphitization of CTP, in the presence of CNTs, is proposed

Diffusional interaction behavior of NSAIDs in lipid bilayer membrane using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation: Aspirin and Ibuprofen

<p>In this research, for the first time, molecular dynamics (MD) method was used to simulate aspirin and ibuprofen at various concentrations and in neutral and charged states. Effects of the concentration (dosage), charge state, and existence of an integral protein in the membrane on the diffusion rate of drug molecules into lipid bilayer membrane were investigated on 11 systems, for which the parameters indicating diffusion rate and those affecting the rate were evaluated. Considering the diffusion rate, a suitable score was assigned to each system, based on which, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. By calculating the effect size of the indicative parameters and total scores, an optimum system with the highest diffusion rate was determined. Consequently, diffusion rate controlling parameters were obtained: the drug–water hydrogen bond in protein-free systems and protein–drug hydrogen bond in the systems containing protein.</p

Measurement and modeling of dapagliflozin propanediol monohydrate (an anti-diabetes medicine) solubility in supercritical CO2: Evaluation of new model

The solubility of dapagliflozin propanediol monohydrate (DPM) in supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) was determined for the first time. The operating temperature and pressure ranged from 308 to 338 K and from 120 to 270 bar, with solubility range in mole fractions (1.517–7.933) × 10−5, respectively. Two groups of thermodynamic models were utilized to analyze the experimental results. The first group consisted of 10 empirical and semi-empirical models with 3 to 6 adjustable parameters that relied on temperature, pressure, and density. The second group involved Peng-Robinson equations of state (PR-EoS) combined with van der Waals mixing rule. Subsequently, a new empirical model with 4 adjustable parameters was proposed and its results were compared with those of the three most powerful empirical models. The proposed model demonstrated superiority over alternative models in establishing a correlation with solubility data, achieving an AARD of 14.1%. To evaluate the robustness and precision of the proposed model, information from 27 solubility datasets (found in literature), along with the solubility outcomes of the DPM drug, were employed. The findings demonstrated that the proposed model outperformed other models significantly and displayed the capability to accurately correlate experimental DPM results with notable accuracy. Finally, the total (41.74 kJ/mol) and vaporization (63.03 kJ/mol) enthalpies of DPM drug were determined, for the first time