The effect of aromatherapy with bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extract on anxiety and fatigue in type 2 diabetic patients

Objective: Studies have shown some complementary therapies to be effective in the management of diabetes and its comorbidities. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an aromatherapy extract on anxiety and fatigue in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: 60 type 2 diabetic patients were randomly assigned in two groups: patients in the intervention group received bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extract inhalation aromatherapy for three consecutive nights before sleeping, whereas patients in the control group received usual care. Patients� level of anxiety and fatigue was recorded before and after intervention using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: The mean score of anxiety in patients in the intervention group before and after intervention were 63.13 ± 40.42 and 52.9 ± 3.57, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean score of anxiety in patients in control group before and after intervention were 56.73 ± 39.52 and 56.6 ± 3.93, respectively (P = 0.468). The mean score of fatigue in patients in intervention group before and after intervention were 65.7 ± 39.63 and 63 ± 3.93, respectively. The mean score of fatigue in patients in control group before and after intervention were 56.5 ± 43.15 and 56.26 ± 4.28, respectively (P = 0.436). Conclusion: The use of bitter orange extract inhalation aromatherapy is a potentially effective intervention to relive type 2 diabetics� anxiety and fatigue. Further study in this regards are recommended. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

The effect of aromatherapy with bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extract on anxiety and fatigue in type 2 diabetic patients

Objective: Studies have shown some complementary therapies to be effective in the management of diabetes and its comorbidities. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of an aromatherapy extract on anxiety and fatigue in type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: 60 type 2 diabetic patients were randomly assigned in two groups: patients in the intervention group received bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extract inhalation aromatherapy for three consecutive nights before sleeping, whereas patients in the control group received usual care. Patients� level of anxiety and fatigue was recorded before and after intervention using Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: The mean score of anxiety in patients in the intervention group before and after intervention were 63.13 ± 40.42 and 52.9 ± 3.57, respectively (P < 0.001). The mean score of anxiety in patients in control group before and after intervention were 56.73 ± 39.52 and 56.6 ± 3.93, respectively (P = 0.468). The mean score of fatigue in patients in intervention group before and after intervention were 65.7 ± 39.63 and 63 ± 3.93, respectively. The mean score of fatigue in patients in control group before and after intervention were 56.5 ± 43.15 and 56.26 ± 4.28, respectively (P = 0.436). Conclusion: The use of bitter orange extract inhalation aromatherapy is a potentially effective intervention to relive type 2 diabetics� anxiety and fatigue. Further study in this regards are recommended. © 2019 Elsevier Lt

The effects of olive leaf extract on cardiovascular risk factors in the general adult population: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the effect of olive leaf extract (OLE) supplementation on cardiovascular-related variables, including lipid, glycemic, inflammatory, liver and renal-related factors, as well as blood pressure. METHODS: PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane library were searched, up to October 2021, for relevant controlled trials. Mean differences and standard deviations were pooled for all outcomes, using a random-effects model. The methodological quality, as well as quality of evidence were assessed using standard tools. RESULTS: Twelve studies (n = 819 participants) were included in our analyses. Overall analyses showed that OLE supplementation significantly decreased triglyceride (TG) levels (WMD = − 9.51 mg/dl, 95% CI − 17.83, − 1.18; P = 0.025; I(2) = 68.7%; P-heterogeneity = 0.004), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (WMD = − 3.86 mmHg, 95% CI − 6.44, − 1.28 mmHg; P = 0.003; I(2) = 19.9%; P-heterogeneity = 0.28). Subgroup analyses also revealed a significant improvement in SBP (− 4.81 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure (− 2.45 mmHg), TG (− 14.42 mg/dl), total cholesterol (TC) (− 9.14 mg/dl), and low-density lipoprotein-C (LDL-C) (− 4.6 mg/dl) measurements, in patients with hypertension. Significant reductions were also observed in TC (− 6.69 mg/dl), TG (− 9.21 mg/dl), and SBP (− 7.05 mmHg) in normal-weight individuals. However, no meaningful changes were seen in glucose hemostasis, liver and kidney, or inflammatory markers. CONCLUSION: The present study revealed that supplementation with OLE yielded beneficial effects for blood pressure and lipid profile in adults, especially in patients with hypertension. As the quality of evidence for glucose hemostasis variables, liver, kidney, and inflammatory markers, were low-to-very low, higher quality RCTs may impact the overarching results. This study was registered at PROSPERO with the code CRD42022302395. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13098-022-00920-y

Study of the Cosmic Rays and Interstellar Medium in Local HI Clouds using Fermi-LAT Gamma-Ray Observations

An accurate estimate of the interstellar gas density distribution is crucial to understanding the interstellar medium (ISM) and Galactic cosmic rays (CRs). To comprehend the ISM and CRs in a local environment, a study of the diffuse $\gamma$-ray emission in a mid-latitude region of the third quadrant was performed. The $\gamma$-ray data in the 0.1--25.6~GeV energy range of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) and other interstellar gas tracers such as the HI4PI survey data and the Planck dust thermal emission model were used, and the northern and southern regions were analyzed separately. The variation of the dust emission Dem with the total neutral gas column density NH was studied in high dust-temperature areas, and the NH/Dem ratio was calibrated using $\gamma$-ray data under the assumption of a uniform CR intensity in the studied regions. The measured integrated $\gamma$-ray emissivities above 100~MeV are (1.58\pm0.04)\times10^{-26}~\mathrm{photons~s^{-1}~sr^{-1}~H\mbox{-}atom^{-1}} and (1.59\pm0.02)\times10^{-26}~\mathrm{photons~s^{-1}~sr^{-1}~H\mbox{-}atom^{-1}} in the northern and southern regions, respectively, supporting the existence of a uniform CR intensity in the vicinity of the solar system. While most of the gas can be interpreted to be HI with a spin temperature of $T_\mathrm{S} = 125~\mathrm{K}$ or higher, an area dominated by optically thick HI with $T_\mathrm{S} \sim 40~\mathrm{K}$ was identified.Comment: accepted for publication in Ap

Pipelined photonic analog-to-digital converter

Electronic analog to digital converters (EADCs) face serious challenges when the root mean square timing jitter of the sampling pulse is less than a femtosecond. This restriction limits the maximum allowable sampling frequency of an EADC. In photonic analog-to-digital conversion (PADC), using a mode locked laser as a sampling source limits the sampling frequency timing jitter only at sub-femtosecond levels. The current architectures for PADC use photonic techniques either for sampling or for quantization. Consequently, current PADC architectures are not suitable for higher frequency applications because of the limitations of their electronic components. In this paper, the feasibility of implementing concept architecture for a fully photonic pipelined ADC is analyzed and evaluated to provide a design for an 8-bit pipelined PADC, the performance of which is investigated through modeling and simulation. The 8-bit pipelined PADC's effective number of bits is shown to be 4.34 bits at 200 gigasample per second

The first report of Macrosteles chobauti (Hem.: Cicadellidae) from Iran

In the course of our faunistic survey on leafhoppers (Hem.: Cicadellidae) in northwestern Iran, 46 species were collected and identified of which the species Macrosteles chobauti Ribaut, 1952 is newly recorded from Iran. Drs. Hani Abdul-Nour (Lebanese University, Lebanon) and Paul Freytag (University of Kentucky, USA) confirmed the identification of the species

Translucent perovskite photovoltaics for building integration

Transparent photovoltaics provide diverse levels of average visible transmittance (AVT) along with concurrent light harvesting, making glass façades and windows accessible for photovoltaics. However, improvements in power conversion efficiency (PCE) and aesthetics are required to enhance commercial viability and public acceptance. This work presents the scalable fabrication of efficient micro-patterned translucent perovskite photovoltaics at optical qualities suited for building integration. Optimized laser-scribed transparent areas (25 μm) mitigate detrimental effects on electrical performance, featuring perovskite solar cells with 44% AVT and demonstrating industrial glass quality through neutral color rendering (CRI 97) and only 3% haze. Highlighting scalability, submodules yield PCEs of 9.0% at 32% AVT (4 cm2 aperture area). The transfer to two-terminal perovskite–perovskite tandem solar cells exhibiting PCEs of 17.7% at 12% AVT and 11.1% at 31% AVT demonstrates the first translucent perovskite tandem photovoltaics. Lastly, the novel concept of transmittance gradients with 7% cm−1 absolute change in AVT and 12.0% PCE for submodules is presented, providing a foundation for architectural individualizations

Effects of training in the Morris water maze on the spatial learning acquisition and VAChT expression in male rats

&quot;n&amp;nbsp; &quot;n&amp;nbsp; Background and the purpose of the study: It has been well established that cholinergic pathway plays an important role in learning and memory processes. The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of Morris water maze (MWM) training on spatial memory acquisition and expression of the vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) in male rats. &quot;n&amp;nbsp; Methods: In this study, training trials of all groups of animals were conducted in the MWM task. Rats received one training session consisting of four trials per day which continued for another four consecutive days. Controls received visible platform MWM training. The escape latency, the traveled distance and swimming speed for each rat were recorded and used to evaluate the performance of the animal during training period. For evaluation of expression of VAChT protein levels, brain tissues from animals in each experiment were obtained immediately after the last trial on the related experimental day and processed for immunohistochemistry staining and western blotting analysis. &quot;n&amp;nbsp; Results: There was a significant difference between animals subjected to one day training and those receiving four days of training in escape latency and travel distance. There were an apparent increase in VAChT immunoreactivity in the medial septal area (MSA) and CA1 region of the hippocampus in one day and four day trained animals compared with controls (visible group). Quantitative immunostaining analysis by optical density measurements in the CA1 region and evaluation of immunopositive neurons in medial septal area of brain sections confirmed qualitative findings. Assessment of VAChT protein level expression in hippocampus by western blotting evaluation showed the same pattern of immunohistochemistry results. &quot;n&amp;nbsp; Conclusion: Overall, results of this study reveal changes in cholinergic neuron activity in different stages of training in the MWM task. Data suggest that there is a significant level of cholinergic neuronal activity during early stages of the training especially in the hippocampus region that may contribute to the apparent increase in VAChT expression