Anti fungal activity of alcoholic extract of Peganum harmala seeds

In our study, it was aimed to determine antifungal activity of Peganum harmala on medically important yeasts and molds in vitro. Fungal suspensions of Candida spp and aspergillus spp isolated from the clinical specimens were treated with serial dilutions of P. harmala alcoholic extract in Sabouraud Broth. The titers included: 1/20, 1/40, 1/80, 1/160, 1/320, 1/640, and incubated for 24 h at 30°C. Anti fungal activity of the extract was determined as MIC and MFC. For the determination of MFC, a small volume of above serial dilutions was cultured on SGA 4% medium. After 24 to 72 h of incubation at 30°C, the cultures were looked for fungal growth. The highest and lowest inhibitory effects of P. harmala extract were determined on C. glabrata (MIC: 0.312 mg/ml) and C. albicans (MIC: 1.25 mg/ml), respectively. The MFC for Candida species was differed from 0.62 to 2.5 mg/ml. The highest fungicidal effect was seen on C. glabrata and C. tropicalis (MFC: 0.62 and 0.125 mg/ml, respectively) and the lowest was for C. albicans (MFC: 2.5 mg/ml). The treatment of Aspergillus suspensions with Perganum extract showed a decreasing of growth and sporolation without definite inhibition. The alcoholic extract of P. harmala showed a fungicidal activity on opportunistic yeasts, Candida spp, and a decreasing sporolation for aspergillus most importamt species. © 2011 Academic Journals

Sleep-related eating disorder: A case report of a progressed night eating syndrome

Night eating syndrome is a common disorder in eating behaviors that occurs in close relation to the night time sleep cycle. Although eating disorders are common in society, night eating syndrome has been left neglected by health care professionals. In this report we present a case of eating disorder that exhibits some novel features of night eating syndrome. Our case was a progressed type of eating disorder which may increase awareness among physicians about sleep-related eating disorders. © 2012 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

An investigation on the effect of formulation and extrusion temperature on physico-chemical characteristics of tomato enriched snacks.

This book is the proceedings of Total Food 2009 - the third in a series of biennial international conferences focused on the sustainable exploitation of agri-food co-products and related biomass, thereby helping to minimise waste. The event provided a forum to highlight recent developments and to facilitate knowledge transfer between representatives of the agri-food industries, scientific research community, legal experts on food-related legislation and waste management, and consumer organisations. Themes explored related to the increasing interest in agri-food chain sustainability and ranged from the adding of value to co-products through to the recovery of energy from waste streams. The meeting was run by the Institute of Food Research (IFR) under the auspices of the Royal Society of Chemistry Food Group

Is Helicobacter pylori infection a risk factor for prostatitis? A case-control study in a referring tertiary care center

Background: The optimal treatment is not possible yet for chronic prostatitis due to the unknown etiology of the diseases. We aimed to investigate the association of Helicobacter pylori infection with chronic prostatitis. Methods: In this prospective case-control study that conducted in Imam Hospital Complex affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran from 2014 to 2015, patients with diagnosis of chronic prostatitis according to the criteria of National Institute of Health (NIH) were enrolled. Control group constituted of consecutive healthy patients. Blood samples were obtained for each patient and control and evaluated for serum levels of anti H. pylori IgG, A. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS, version 18. Values of P0.05). Mean ± SD levels of anti H. pylori IgG and IgA in the control group were 9.36 ± 7.45 U/ml and 6.25 ± 7.29 U/ml, respectively compared with 20.94 ± 16.98 U/ml and 18.63 ± 15.65 U/ml in the case group, respectively both of which revealed statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: Chronic prostatitis is associated with H. pylori infection. Both anti H. pylori IgG and IgA are increased in patients with chronic prostatitis. Therefore, treatment of HP infection could be effective in the prostatitis cure. © Iran J Pathol. All rights reserved

Lycopene bioaccessibility and starch digestibility for extruded snacks enriched with tomato derivatives

To improve the nutritional value of energy-dense extruded snacks, corn grits were replaced with tomato paste and/or tomato skin powder at ratios of 5, 10, and 20% and extruded to make expanded snack foodlike products. Using a model digestion system, lycopene bioaccessibility and uptake from the snacks into Caco-2 cells were determined. The digestibility of the starch, the main nutrient component of the snacks, was also investigated. While extrusion cooking reduced the lycopene content of the snacks, the proportion of bioaccessible lycopene increased. Lycopene uptake by the Caco-2 cells from the extruded snacks exceeded that of the control in which the lycopene was not extruded, by 5% (p < 0.05). The digestibility of starch in the snacks varied depending on the type of tomato derivative and its concentration. Optimization of the extrusion cooking process and the ingredients can yield functional extruded snack products that contain bioavailable lycopene. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Imagine HEALTH: results from a randomized pilot lifestyle intervention for obese Latino adolescents using Interactive Guided ImagerySM

BACKGROUND: There is an urgent need for innovative and developmentally appropriate lifestyle interventions to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and to prevent the early onset of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk in obese Latino adolescents. Guided imagery offers promise to reduce stress and promote lifestyle behavior change to reduce disease risk in obese adolescents. Our objectives were: 1) To pilot test a new 12-wk lifestyle intervention using a randomized trial design in obese Latino adolescents, in order to determine the effects of the mind-body modality of Interactive Guided Imagery(SM) (IGI), over and above those of a didactic lifestyle education, on insulin resistance, eating and physical activity behaviors, stress and stress biomarkers; and 2) To explore the role of intervention-related changes in stress and stress biomarkers on changes in metabolic outcomes, particularly insulin resistance. METHODS: Obese (BMI > 95(th) percentile), Latino adolescents (n = 35, age 14-17) were randomized to receive either 12 weekly sessions of a lifestyle education plus guided imagery program (GI), or lifestyle education plus a digital storytelling computer program (DS). Between-group differences in behavioral, biological, and psychological outcomes were assessed using unpaired T-tests and ANCOVA in the 29 subjects who completed the intervention. RESULTS: The GI group demonstrated significant reductions in leisure sedentary behavior (p < .05) and increases in moderate physical activity (p < .05) compared to DS group, and a trend toward reduced caloric intake in GI vs DS (p = .09). Salivary cortisol was acutely reduced by stress-reduction guided imagery (p < .01). There were no group differences in adiposity, insulin resistance, perceived stress, or stress biomarkers across the 12-week intervention, though decrease in serum cortisol over the course of the intervention was associated with improved insulin sensitivity (p = .03) independent of intervention group and other relevant co-variates. CONCLUSIONS: The improvements in physical activity and stress biomarkers following this pilot intervention support the role of guided imagery in promoting healthy lifestyle behavior change and reducing metabolic disease risk in obese Latino adolescent populations. Future investigations will be needed to determine the full effects of the Imagine HEALTH intervention on insulin resistance, stress, and stress biomarkers. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov Registry #: NCT0189559

Species identification and in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing of Aspergillus section Nigri strains isolated from otomycosis patients

Introduction: Aspergillus niger is the most commonly reported etiology of otomycosis based on morphological characteristics. This fungus is a member of Aspergillus section Nigri, a set of morphologically indistinguishable species that can harbor various antifungal susceptibility patterns. The aim of this study was to accurately identify and determine the susceptibility pattern of a set of black aspergilli isolated from otomycosis patients. Methods: Forty-three black Aspergillus isolates from otomycosis patients were identified by using the PCR-sequencing of the β-tubulin gene. Furthermore, the susceptibility of isolates to three antifungal drugs, including fluconazole (FLU), clotrimazole (CLT) and nystatin (NS), were tested according to CLSI M38-A2. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software (version 15). Results: The majority of isolates were identified as A. tubingensis (32/43, 74.42) followed by A. niger (11/43, 25.58). The lowest minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values were observed for NS with geometric means (GM) of 4.65 μg/mL and 4.83 μg/mL against A. tubingensis and A. niger isolates, respectively. CLT showed wide MIC ranges and a statistically significant inter-species difference was observed between A. tubingensis and A. niger isolates (P 64 μg/mL. Conclusion: Species other than A. niger can be more frequent as observed in our study. In addition, considering the low and variable activity of tested antifungal drugs, empirical treatment can result in treatment failure. Accurate identification and antifungal susceptibility testing of isolates is, however, recommended. © 2018 Elsevier Masson SA