The effects of celery leave extract on male hormones in rats

Introduction: Celery (Apium graveolens) belongs to the Umbelliferae family, and has a plenty of nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. The presence of phytoestrogenic compounds has been reported in this plant. These compounds may affect the pituitary-gonad axis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of hydro-alcoholic extracts of celery leaves on serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH in male rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 32 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, eight rats included in each. The control group did not receive any treatment. The placebo group received distilled water and the case groups received 200 and 300 mg/kg/B.W of hydro-alcoholic celery leaf extract for 20 consecutive days by oral administration. After completion of the treatment, the rats were anesthetized and blood sampling from their heart was carried out. Then, serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH were measured using immunoassay methods. The obtained data were analyzed by the SPSS using the statistical ANOVA test. Results: The level of LH in the case group receiving 200 mg/kg B.W of celery extract showed a significant decrease compared with the control and placebo groups (P&lt;0.05). The level of FSH and testosterone in case groups did not show any significant difference in comparison with the control group (P&gt;0.05). Conclusion: The result of the present study shows that in the administered dose, celery extract does not have any considerable side effect on the secretion of hormones in male rats.</p

The investigation of flora in Roodbar Alamut region, Ghazvin, Iran

This paper explores flora of Rudbar Alamut region in NE of Ghazvin province situated in the south slope of central Alborz Chain Mountains. Alamut is divided into two parts, upper Alamut and lower Alamut. The minimum height in the region is 1265 m, located in Shahrak village, while the maximum height is 4175 m, located in Siahlan Mountain. Average of annual precipitation is 368.3 mm and annual average temperature is 14ºC. This reveals that 642 species and subspecies belong to 373 genera and 76 plant families growing in the region. The largest families are Asteraceae with 88 species, Paoilionaceae with 64, Poaceae with 56, Lamiaceae with 48, Brassicaceae with‌ 46, Apiaceae with 41, Charyophyllaceae with 34 and Rosaceae with 30, respectively. Nearly 190 species are medicinal plants, of which 51 are used traditionally by local inhabitatants, 59 species are endemic, 37 species are poisonous for animal and rarely for man, 75 species are weeds, 119 species are forage, and 17 species are cultivated

Introduction of Medicinal Plants Species with the Most Traditional Usage in Alamut Region

Abstract The ethnobotany of the medicinal plants of Alamut region is important in understanding the cultures and traditions of Alamut people. This study documents 16 medicinal plant species, most commonly used by the indigenous people of Alamut region (Ghazvin Province), northwest, Iran. The botanical name, family name, vernacular name, part used, and the application of the plants have been provided in this paper. Alamut region was divided into different villages with the aid of maps. We recorded traditional knowledge and use of medicinal plants from herbal practitioners and village seniors in Alamut. The plants were gathered from different sites. The fully dried specimens were then mounted on herbarium sheets. We found 16 medicinal plants belonging to 11 families which were traditionally used in Alamut. Finally, we describe traditional usages by the native people in the Alamut region. The obtained results were compared with data on the herb&apos;s clinical effects. A set of voucher specimens were deposited to the Institute of Medicinal Plants Herbarium (IMPH)

Therapeutic and pharmacological potential of Foeniculum vulgare Mill: a review

Introduction: Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) is one of the oldest spice plants which, due to its economic importance and significant pharmaceutical industry applications, is considered as one of the world’s most important medicinal plants. The purpose of this study is to investigate and collect scientific reports such as morphological characteristics, phytochemical compounds and evaluation of the therapeutic properties of this valuable medicinal plant that have been published. Methods: In order to gather the information the keywords Fennel and Foeniculum vulgare mill, therapeutic, and pharmacology have been searched until January 1, 2015 from journals accessible in databases such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, EBSCO, Medline, PubMed, Embase, SID and Iran Medex. Results: The results showed that this plant has various pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-cancer activity, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, anti-bacterial and estrogenic effects which are probably due to the presence of aromatic compounds such as anethole, estragole and fenshon. Conclusion: Fennel possesses various pharmacological properties and the fennel bioactive molecules play an important role in human health, hence, it might be used for different drug productions

The effects of celery leave extract on male hormones in rats

Introduction: Celery (Apium graveolens) belongs to the Umbelliferae family, and has a plenty of nutritional and pharmaceutical applications. The presence of phytoestrogenic compounds has been reported in this plant. These compounds may affect the pituitary-gonad axis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of hydro-alcoholic extracts of celery leaves on serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH in male rats. Methods: In this experimental study, 32 male Wistar rats were divided into four groups, eight rats included in each. The control group did not receive any treatment. The placebo group received distilled water and the case groups received 200 and 300 mg/kg/B.W of hydro-alcoholic celery leaf extract for 20 consecutive days by oral administration. After completion of the treatment, the rats were anesthetized and blood sampling from their heart was carried out. Then, serum levels of testosterone, LH and FSH were measured using immunoassay methods. The obtained data were analyzed by the SPSS using the statistical ANOVA test. Results: The level of LH in the case group receiving 200 mg/kg B.W of celery extract showed a significant decrease compared with the control and placebo groups (P0.05). Conclusion: The result of the present study shows that in the administered dose, celery extract does not have any considerable side effect on the secretion of hormones in male rats

Triage live lecture versus triage video podcast in pre-hospital students’ education

Introduction: Triage is the process of determining the priority of patients’ treatments based on the severity of their conditions. The aim of the present study was to survey the effect of triage video podcasting on the knowledge and performance of pre-hospital students. Methods: Sixty pre-hospital students were randomly divided into two groups of a 30-subject control group and a 30-subject intervention group. A pre-test was administered among all students. Afterwards, for the first group, triage education was offered through lectures using PowerPoint, while for the second group, audio and video podcasts tailored for this training program were employed. Right after the training as well as one month later, post-tests were run for both groups, and the results were analysed using an independent t-test and covariance. Results: No significant difference was observed between the effects of both types of education on knowledge and performance, either immediately, or one month after training. Discussion: We suggest that video podcasts are ready to replace traditional teaching methods in triage. Keywords: Triage, Lecture, Podcast, Pre-hospital, Education, Emergenc

Recent advances in cellulose nanofibers preparation through energy-efficient approaches: A review

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and their applications have recently gained significant attention due to the attractive and unique combination of their properties including excellent mechanical properties, surface chemistry, biocompatibility, and most importantly, their abundance from sustainable and renewable resources. Although there are some commercial production plants, mostly in developed countries, the optimum CNF production is still restricted due to the expensive initial investment, high mechanical energy demand, and high relevant production cost. This paper discusses the development of the current trend and most applied methods to introduce energy-efficient approaches for the preparation of CNFs. The production of cost-effective CNFs represents a critical step for introducing bio-based materials to industrial markets and provides a platform for the development of novel high value applications. The key factor remains within the process and feedstock optimization of the production conditions to achieve high yields and quality with consistent production aimed at cost effective CNFs from different feedstock.</jats:p

Recent Advances in Cellulose Nanofibers Preparation through Energy-Efficient Approaches: A Review

Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) and their applications have recently gained significant attention due to the attractive and unique combination of their properties including excellent mechanical properties, surface chemistry, biocompatibility, and most importantly, their abundance from sustainable and renewable resources. Although there are some commercial production plants, mostly in developed countries, the optimum CNF production is still restricted due to the expensive initial investment, high mechanical energy demand, and high relevant production cost. This paper discusses the development of the current trend and most applied methods to introduce energy-efficient approaches for the preparation of CNFs. The production of cost-effective CNFs represents a critical step for introducing bio-based materials to industrial markets and provides a platform for the development of novel high value applications. The key factor remains within the process and feedstock optimization of the production conditions to achieve high yields and quality with consistent production aimed at cost effective CNFs from different feedstock