Effects of Chronic Oral Administration of Natural Honey on Ischemia/Reperfusion-induced Arrhythmias in Isolated Rat Heart

Objective(s)In this study, effects of chronic administration of oral natural honey against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced cardiac arrhythmias were investigated in isolated rat heart. Materials and MethodsMale Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n= 10-14 rats in each group) and fed with natural honey (1%, 2% and 4% dissolved in the drinking water) for 45 days except for the control group. After anesthesia, the rats’ hearts were isolated quickly, mounted on a Langendorff apparatus and perfused with a modified Krebs-Henseleit solution during stabilization, 30 min regional ischemia followed by 30 min reperfusion. The ECGs were recorded throughout the experiments to analyze cardiac arrhythmias based on the Lambeth conventions. ResultsIn the ischemic phase, honey (1%) significantly reduced (P<0.05) the number and duration of ventricular tachycardia (VT). Honey (1% and 2%) also significantly decreased number of ventricular ectopic beats (VEBs). In addition, incidence and duration of reversible ventricular fibrillation (Rev VF) were lowered by honey 2% (P<0.05). During reperfusion time, VT incidence was 73% in the control group, however natural honey (1%) decreased it to 22% (P<0.05). Honey also produced significant reduction in the incidences of total VF, Rev VF, duration and number of VT. ConclusionFor the first time, the results of present study demonstrated protective effects of chronic oral honey administration against I/R-induced arrhythmias in isolated rat heart. Antioxidant activity, the existence of energy sources such as glucose and fructose and improvement of some hemodynamic functions might be responsible for these effects

Methanolic Extract of Ficus carica

The antiangiogenesis effect of Ficus carica leaves extract in an air pouch model of inflammation was investigated in rat. Inflammation was induced by injection of carrageenan into pouches. After antioxidant capacity and total phenolic content (TPC) investigations, the extract was administered at 5, 25, and 50 mg/pouch, and then the volume of exudates, the cell number, TNFα, PGE2, and VEGF levels were measured. Angiogenesis of granulation tissues was determined by measuring hemoglobin content. Based on the DPPH assay, the extract had significant antioxidant activity with TPC of 11.70 mg GAE/100 g dry sample. In addition, leukocyte accumulation and volume of exudate were significantly inhibited by the extract. Moreover, it significantly decreased the production of TNFα, PGE2, and VEGF, while angiogenesis was significantly inhibited by all administered doses. Interestingly, attenuation of angiogenesis and inflammatory parameters (except leukocyte accumulation) by the extract was similar to that shown by diclofenac. The extract has anti-inflammatory effects and ameliorated cell influx and exudation to the site of the inflammatory response which may be related to the local inhibition of TNFα, PGE2, and VEGF levels as similarly shown by diclofenac. The antiangiogenesis and anti-VEGF effects of Ficus carica may be correlated with its significant antioxidant potentials

The Effective Teaching Method of Pharmacology for the Students in the Faculty of Health and Nutrition in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Pharmacology is one of the specific courses of the medical sciences students. Multiplicity of drugs and a lot of similarities in their characteristics make the learning of this lesson difficult and no common methods of teaching have been able to fix this problem so far. This study aimed to examine the effect of observing the dosage forms appropriate to each training session on enhancing learning pharmacology and comparing it with other traditional teaching methods. Methods: Fifty six Health Care Management and Family Health students in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences participated in this descriptive study. Each session was held using lectures and PowerPoint during half of educational classes and the other half was conducte d using whiteboard and at the same time the teaching pharmaceutical dosage forms, their functions and properties were shown. A standardized questionnaire based on Likert scale was given to the students and the level of learning was reviewed by self-assessment method. The data were analyzed using SPSS and descriptive statistical parameters. Results: Teaching pharmacology through showing pharmaceutical dosage forms had significant effect on improving students learning in both fields based on their self-assessment, so that more than 95% of students were satisfied with the teaching methods. From point view of students, the understanding of pharmacology using whiteboard and showing pharmaceutical dosage forms was significantly more than PowerPoint. Conclusion: The students believe that the level of the learning pharmacology through using whiteboard along with observing the dosage forms appropriate to each training session is outstanding

Pharmacy Students’ Attitude in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences toward Using Computerized Simulations in Teaching

Introduction::Using computerized simulation is one of the new methods in medical education. However, there is no report on applying this technique for teaching pharmacology in Iran. This study was conducted to assess the attitude of pharmacy students toward using this method in the teaching of practical pharmacology. Methods: This descriptive–cross sectional study was performed on pharmacy students (n=30) selecting practical pharmacology course in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in 2008. A part of practical pharmacology was taught by computer simulation soft ware. Finally, students’ viewpoints were collected by a researcher made questionnaire. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics through SPSS software. Results: The score of students' satisfaction with teaching practical pharmacology by computer simulation was 3.51±0.21. Effect of the simulation on better understanding of theoretical aspects of pharmacology was assessed more than 75% .Students’ learning and active participation were 76% and 82% more than the sessions held in laboratory respectively. About 80% of pharmacology students, attended in the research, asked for teaching 25-50% of the practical pharmacology course through computer simulation. The students' satisfaction means score with final exam assessment was 3.54±0.24. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrated that application of computer simulation was effective on improvement of deep and active learning of pharmacology in students of pharmacy. It seems that teaching methods of this course can be revised so that some parts of practical pharmacology can be taught by such computer simulation

Awareness and Satisfaction of Patients with Iranian Patient Package Inserts

Background and purpose: A drug brochure or Patient Package Insert (PPI) is a folded sheet of paper in drug package that provides necessary information for effective and safe use of the drug. PPIs are one of the main sources of drug information, so, they should be clear and easily comprehensible to the general public. The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness and satisfaction of patients with Iranian PPIs. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 patients attending pharmacies of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences were selected using simple random sampling in 2018-2019. A questionnaire was designed as a five-point Likert scale to determine the patients’ awareness and satisfaction with the Iranian PPIs. Content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed and internal consistency was confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient in SPSS (V. 17). The Cronbach’s alpha was 0.81. Results: According to findings, the average awareness of patients about Iranian PPIs was 50%. The highest satisfaction with PPIs was for “pregnancy and lactation warnings” and “warnings for children”. The overall satisfaction of patients with PPIs was found to be moderate (57%). Conclusion: The current study reported a moderate level of patients’ satisfaction with the Iranian PPIs in Tabriz, Iran. Therefore, appropriate mechanisms should be adopted in the regulations relating to preparation of PPIs and more supervision on pharmaceutical companies by Iran Food and Drug Administration

Effects of Postconditioning with Fructose on Arrhythmias and the Size of Infarct Caused by Global Ischemia and Reperfusion in Isolated Rat Heart

Purpose: In the present study, postconditioning effect of fructose against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced arrhythmias and infarct size were investigated in isolated rat heart. Methods: The isolated hearts were divided into 7 groups, mounted on a Langendorff apparatus at constant pressure then subjected to 30 min zero flow global ischemia followed by 120 min reperfusion. In the control group, normal Krebs–Henseleit (K/H) solution was perfused into the hearts throughout the experiment. In two separate sets of experiments, the treatment groups received 12, 24 and 48 mM of fructose with/without normal glucose in K/H solution for 20 min at the beginning of reperfusion. Cardiac arrhythmias including number of ventricular tachycardia (VT), total ventricular ectopic beats, incidence and duration of VT, reversible and irreversible ventricular fibrillation were recorded and analyzed during the first 30 min of reperfusion. Computerized planimetry method was used to determine volume and percentage of infarct size. Results: Administration of fructose as a postconditioning agent clearly reduced volume and percentage of infarct size in the all treatment groups. The effect was statistically significant especially in the hearts that treated by fructose plus glucose (P<0.05). However, fructose alone or its co-administration with glucose had no significant inhibitory effect against reperfusion arrhythmias. Conclusion: The results showed that perfusion of high concentration of fructose alone or coincident with glucose in globally ischemic-reperfused isolated rat hearts can reduce infarct size without inhibitory effect against reperfusion arrhythmias. Probably, fructose by providing adequate ATP for cardiac functions may inhibit necrosis and death of cardiomyocytes during I/R

The Impact of Gender on the Inflammatory Parameters and Angiogenesis in the Rat Air Pouch Model of Inflammation

Objective(s)Air pouch is a well-established inflammatory model in which fluid extravasations; leukocyte migration,angiogenesis and other parameters involved in the inflammatory response can be measured. In this study, theinfluence of gender on inflammatory parameters has been examined in the air pouch model.Materials and MethodsTo induce air pouch, adult male and female Wistar rats were anesthetized, then 20 ml and 10 ml of sterile airwere injected subcutaneously on the back on day 0 and day 3, respectively. On day 6, inflammation wasinduced by injection of 1 ml of carrageenan 1% into pouches. After 6 and 72 hr, the rats were sacrificed,pouch fluid was collected in order to determine exudates volume and the accumulated cells were countedusing a hemocytometer. Pouches were dissected out and weighed. Angiogenesis of granulomatous tissue wasassayed using hemoglobin kit.ResultsAnalysis of our data demonstrated a sexually dimorphic pattern in inflammation parameters both in acute andchronic forms (P<0.05). The value of angiogenesis in the air pouch model in male rat was higher than thatfemale rats (P<0.001).ConclusionThe degree of inflammation and angiogenesis induced in Wistar rat air pouch model is gender-dependent,suggesting that gender may be a key consideration in the design of inflammation experiments.Keywords: Air Pouch, Angiogenesis, Gender, Inflammatio

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Angiogenesis Effects of Verapamil on Rat Air Pouch Inflammation Model

Purpose: In the present study, the effects of verapamil on inflammation and angiogenesis in air pouch model were studied. Methods: To create a model of inflammation in the rats, on days 1 and 3 sterile air, and on the sixth day, carrageenan was injected into the pouch subcutaneously. Normal saline as control, diclofenac sodium and dexamethasone as standards and verapamil (0.05, 0.1 and 0.2mg/rat) was injected into the pouch simultaneously with carrageenan and as well as 24 and 48 hours later. After 72 hours, volume of exudate, the leukocytes count, concentration of VEGF and IL-1ß, granulomatous tissue weight, histopathological changes and angiogenesis were considered. Results: Verapamil significantly reduced leukocyte accumulation in all doses, but effect of 0.1mg/rat was more significant (P<0.001). The exudate volume and granulomatous tissue weight was reduced with all doses, especially 0.1mg/rat (P<0.01). Doses 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2mg/rat of verapamil compared with the control group (carrageenan) led to a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin in the tissue as the angiogenesis indicator (P<0.001, P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). VEGF level of exudate was reduced by doses of 0.05 and 0.1mg/rat (P<0.05). In addition, IL-1β concentration was lowered by 0.1mg/rat of verapamil (P<0.05). Histopathological changes, severity of granulomatous inflammation, granulomatous tissue cell density and angiogenesis in verapamil group were markedly lower compared to carrageenan group. Conclusion: Verapamil has significant anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenesis effects in the air pouch model probably due to attenuation effects of verapamil on IL-1β and VEGF

Effect of Hydroethanolic Extract of Citrus Aurantium Leaves and Magnesium Sulfate in Mice Model of Vincristine-Induced Neuropathy: Citrus aurantium and Magnesium in Vincristine-Induced neuropathy

Neuropathic pain due to vincristine administration is an important dose limiting adverse effect with no definite efficient treatment. Citrus aurantium possesses multiple therapeutic potentials and is commonly used in traditional medicine. This study investigate the possible effects of the hydroethanolic extract of C. aurantium (CA) leaves and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) as a known analgesic in vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIN). Vincristine was administered intraperitoneally (IP) to establish peripheral neuropathy in mice. Effects of CA (50,100 and 150 mg/kg, IP) and MgSO4 (50, 75 and 100 mg mg/kg, IP) were assessed on pain threshold performed by hot plate test. Moreover, the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assayed. Administration of CA (100 and 150 mg/kg) showed significant (p&lt;0.001) decrease in responses to pain. In addition, MgSO4 in high dose of 100 mg/kg could alleviate the neuropathic symptoms. The result of biochemical tests exerted high TAC level in all CA treated groups (p&lt;0.01 in 50 mg/kg and p&lt;0.001 for 100 and 150 mg/kg). MDA level was decreased significantly (p&lt;0.001) by CA (100 and 150 mg/kg) and MgSO4 (100 mg/kg). However the combination of low dose of CA and MgSO4 exerted no efficient antinociceptive effect. According to the results, it can be concluded that MgSO4 and CA, in an effective dose range, can be effective in controlling the neuropathic pain followed by vincristine, possibly through the modulation of antioxidant balance directed by CA or the NMDA and calcium receptor blocking properties of MgSO4