The efficacy of resveratrol in controlling hypertension: study protocol for a randomized, crossover, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Hypertension is a global health concern for which novel treatment strategies are necessary. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of resveratrol (trans-3, 5, 4′-trihydroxystilbene, a polyphenol present in grapes) in controlling blood pressure in participants diagnosed with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension. Methods/design: In a randomized, crossover, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, 50 participants with prehypertension (diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure, 80–89 mmHg and 120–139 mmHg, respectively) and 50 participants with stage 1 hypertension (diastolic and systolic, 90–99 mmHg and 140–159 mmHg, respectively) will be assigned to receive resveratrol (99 % pure, from Biotivia Longevity Bioceuticals LLC Company, USA, in 500 mg capsules, twice daily for 4 weeks, orally) or placebo (500 mg neutral microcellulose capsules, twice daily for 4 weeks) in a 2 × 2 crossover design (4 weeks treatment—4 weeks washout—4 weeks treatment). The blood pressure of each participant will be recorded (a mean of two times within a 15-minute interval) every week during the study. The participants in the prehypertensive group will not receive any medication, while those in the stage 1 hypertensive group will continue to receive their routine medications during the study. Blood samples will be taken from all groups and examined for various biochemical parameters. Discussion: This trial will help to establish whether resveratrol is an effective antihypertensive agent in prehypertensive and stage 1-hypertensive patients. The trial outcome will provide novel insight into the clinical efficacy of resveratrol and provide valuable information for conducting future clinical studies with resveratrol. Trial registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT201407078129N7. Registered on 15 August 2014. Keywords: Resveratrol, Hypertension, Blood pressure, Polyphen

MICROFACIES ANALYSIS, DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT, AND DIAGENETIC PROCESSES OF THE KHANEH-ZU FORMATION IN THE EAST OF KOPET DAGH BASIN (NORTHEAST IRAN)

Khaneh-Zu Formation (Oxfordian- Kimmeridgian) is a hydrocarbon reservoir in Kopet Dagh basin. The main objectives of this research are investigation of microfacies, depositional environment, and diagenetic processes of this formation in two outcrop sections in Kopet Dagh basin in the north east of Iran. Based on field observation and petrography, 9 microfacies have been identified. These microfacies have been deposited in 4 facies belts including inner, mid ramp, outer ramp and basin. The evidences such as types and percentages of allochems, gradational lateral and vertical change of microfacies and lack of great barrier reefs it can be concluded that Khaneh-Zu Formation has been deposited in a carbonate ramp platform. Diagenetic processes including micritization, bioturbation, dissolution, cementation, chemical compaction, dolomitization and fracturing are identified in Khaneh-Zu Formation. Dolomitization, fracturing and cementation are the most important diagenetic processes in this formation. Over-dolomitization cause to occlude intercrystalline porosity and so has not positive effect on reservoir quality. Dissolution formed isolated vuggy type porosity and so has not positive effects on permeability. Different phase of fracturing occurred in the Khaneh-Zu Formation, but most of them filled by different types of calcite cements. So, as a point of view of reservoir characterization, the studied interval shows poor reservoir quality

Plasma malondialdehyde, bilirubin, homocysteine and total antioxidant capacity in patients with angiographically defined coronary artery disease

Oxidative stress has been implicated in coronary artery disease (CAD). Malondialdehyde (MDA) is lipid peroxidation end product. Bilirubin may act as an antioxidant that suppresses lipid oxidation. The role of MDA and antioxidant capacity and their inter-relationship in patients with and without CAD was investigated. Thirty-eight consecutive patients with angiographically diagnosed CAD were compared with 60 age, and sex-matched controls. The controls had completely normal coronary arteries in angiograms. Plasma MDA, serum bilirubin, total homocysteine and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels were measured. Risk factors of CAD were determined for all subjects using National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP)-Adult Treatment Panel (ATP)-III criteria. Serum MDA and total homocysteine concentration were significantly higher, but TAC, total bilirubin and direct bilirubin levels were lower in CAD patients when compared to the controls. Age, and sex-adjusted plasma MDA levels had negative correlations with TAC (r = -0.30, p = 0.001) and total bilirubin (r = -0.30, p = 0.002) concentrations. In multivariate analysis by the multiple logistic regression method, serum MDA was significantly associated with CAD (OR = 1.15, 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.82; p < 0.0001)) after adjustment for lipid status parameters and traditional risk factors in this study population. Increased serum MDA concentration, as a biomarker of lipid peroxidation, low serum bilirubin and antioxidant capacity were observed in patients with angiographically defined CAD. The significant inverse correlation of the serum bilirubin and MDA levels demands further in-depth investigations to clarify the association between them in the development of CAD

A review of the reclaiming of rubber waste and recent work on the recycling of ethylene-propylene-diene rubber waste

Rubbers do not decompose easily and therefore disposal of rubber waste is a serious environmental concern. Raw material costs, diminishing natural resources, and the growing awareness of environmental issues and sustainability have made rubber recycling a major area of concern. Reclaiming and recycling rubber waste is a major scientific and technological challenge facing rubber scientists today. This paper reviews a number of important areas related to the reclaiming, characterizing, testing and recycling of rubber waste. These include: chemical and microbial devulcanization with particular emphasis on main chain scission and kinetics of chemical devulcanization reactions; the cutting-edge techniques for reclaiming devulcanized rubber waste by the action of large shearing forces, heat and chemical agents: and analytical techniques and methods for characterizing composition and testing of devulcanized rubber waste, respectively. In addition, some aspects of the recycling of devulcanized ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) waste will be reported. EPDM is used extensively in automotive components world-wide and recycling the rubber at the end of its useful service life is of major importance to manufacturers of automotive components

Effect of various efficient vulcanization cure systems on the compression set of a nitrile rubber filled with different fillers

Effect of various efficient vulcanization (EV) sulfur cure systems on the compression set of a nitrile rubber filled with carbon black and silica/silane fillers was examined. The cure systems had different amounts of thiuram and sulfenamide accelerators and elemental sulfur, whilst the loading of zinc oxide and stearic acid activators was kept constant. The fillers had surface areas from 35 to 175 m 2 /g. In this study, the lowest compression set was measured for the rubber filled with carbon black with 78 m 2 /g surface area, which was cured with an EV cure system made of a small amount of elemental sulfur and large amounts of the two accelerators. Interestingly, a small change in the amount of elemental sulfur had a bigger effect on the compression set than did large changes in the loading of the accelerators in the cure system. Among the fillers, carbon black caused less compression set of the rubber vulcanizate than the silica/silane system did

Relationship between Vitamin D and Childhood Asthma: A Case–Control Study

Objective: Studies determining the relationship between serum vitamin D status and childhood asthma have yielded controversial results. Findings indicated that vitamin D deficiency is associated with asthma and airway hyper responsiveness. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between serum vitamin D status and childhood asthma. Methods: Data were obtained from 200 asthmatic children (age 3-12 years) and 200 healthy controls. Serum levels of 25(OH) vitamin D, total IgE, calcium, phosphorus, parathormone (PTH) and eosinophil count were measured in both asthmatic children and healthy controls. Also, the mean values of 25(OH) vitamin D were compared with asthma symptom severities. Findings: There was a significant decrease in the concentration of serum 25(OH) vitamin D in the asthmatic patients as compared with the controls (20.34±2.8 vs 25.39±4.1 ng/mL, 95%CI: 1.46-3.86, P=0.01). Out of total asthmatic subjects, 40 (20%) were vitamin D sufficient, 48 (24%) were insufficient, and 112 (56%) were deficient. Total IgE concentration was also significantly higher in asthmatic patients having vitamin D deficiency (132.4±20.1 IU/ml, 95%CI: 1.38-3.75, P=0.03). Comparing asthmatic patients with healthy controls, odds of having vitamin D level less than 20ng/mL was 2.47. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency may be positively related to the prevalence of asthma in children

The relationship between marital satisfaction andmen,s awareness and practice towards PMS among couples in Kerman

Background and Aims: Marital satisfaction makes couples feel comfort in their life. Premenstrual syndrome is an event ichallenging the social adjustment and normal activities of person. This study aims to investigate the relationship between marital satisfaction and men,s awareness and practice towards PMS in the city of Kerman in 2016.Materials and methods: This descriptive analytic study was carried out on 240 couples referred to health centers in Kerman city. The data collection was performed through the Premenstrual Syndrome Screening Tool, a standard questionnaire Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS) to determine marital satisfaction, and a questionnaire on men,s awareness and practice towards Premenstrual syndrome. Data collected were subjected to ANOVA using SPSS software and correlation tests to evaluate differences between the results. Ethical issues were also considered in all stages of study.Results: The results indicated that there was a statistically significant relationship between men,s and women›s satisfaction. Furthermore, Pearson correlation showed a positive and statistically significant relationship between men,s and women,s satisfaction with the men,s behavior(p=0.001). However, an inverse but significant relationship between the severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms and men,s and women,s satisfaction was obtained (p=0.002, r=0.138).Conclusion: Regarding the relationship between awarness and practice scores, it can be expected that with increased awareness of couples about premenstrual syndrome, marital satisfaction could be improved.Keywords: Marital Relationship, Premenstrual Syndrome, Awareness, Practic

Anti-inflammatory and Wound Healing Activities of Aloe vera, Honey and Milk Ointment on Second-Degree Burns in Rats

The aim of the present study was morphological and morphometric investigation of burn healing impacts of an honey, milk, and Aloe vera (HMA) ointment on experimentally induced second-degree burns, to approve the medicinal basis of its use in Iranian traditional medicine. A total of 21 male Albino rats weighing 200 to 300 g were divided into 3 groups of 7, including (1) control group, (2) positive control group, and (3) the treatment group that were treated with eucerin, silver sulfadiazine 3% and HMA ointment 5% respectively. After anesthetizing, the second-degree burns (1 cm2 areas) were made on the back of the animals using a digital controlled hot plaque, and each group was treated topically, based on the time scheduled. Then, skin punch biopsies were obtained on the 1st, 14th, and 28th days of post–burn induction; processed; and stained using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson’s trichrome methods. The results showed that HMA ointment induces cell proliferation, increasing the wound closure rate, blood vessel counts, and collagen fiber density in treated animals. It also reduced the wound secretions, inflammation, and scar formation. According to the obtained morphological, morphometric results, we concluded that the traditional HMA ointment, which is rich in therapeutic biomaterials and minerals, has multiple healing effects on burn wounds in rats. Keywords burn, wound healing, biomaterial, morphometri

Devulcanization and recycling of waste automotive EPDM rubber powder by using shearing action and chemical additive

In automotive applications, ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) is used to manufacture various components and therefore recycling scrap rubber is a major issue. The primary aim of this study was to develop a new method for devulcanizing waste automotive EPDM rubber powder by using shearing action and chemical additive and recycle the devulcanized powder. A semi-industrial twin screw extruder with a shearing action and reactor along with 2-mercaptobenzothiazole-disulfide (MBTS) chemical were used to devulcanize the waste powder at two different feed screw speeds and main rotor speeds at a constant temperature of 220°C. To recycle the devulcanized powder, different amounts of the devulcanized powder were mixed with a commercial EPDM-based automotive rubber strips compound to produce blends. The blends, commercial compound and devulcanized powder were cured with a semi-efficient (SEV) vulcanization system and their viscosity, cure and mechanical properties measured. For the blends, the Mooney viscosity was unchanged with 40 wt%, crosslink density with 20 wt%, tensile strength and elongation at break with 10 wt%, and compression set with 20 wt% of the devulcanized powder. Interestingly, the hardness benefitted from 50 wt% of the devulcanized powder in the blends. The scorch and optimum cure times shortened and the cure rate index rose when the loading of the devulcanized powder in the blends was raised. This new method offered a major new route for devulcanizing and recycling the waste powder

Clinical Manifestations of β-Thalassemia Major in Two Different Altitudes; Bushehr and Shahrekord

Background: Patients with β-thalassemia major (TM) develop iron overload through increased iron absorption and transfusional therapy and it’s the most important complication of TM. Thalassemia is common in coastal regions and lands with low altitudes. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of high and low altitude on serum ferritin and treatment requirement in two groups of β-thalassemia major (TM) patients. Subjects and Methods: Patients were divided into two groups, the first group (No: 50) living at sea level (in the port of Bushehr, Iran) and the second group (No: 40) living at the altitude of 2061 m (in the city of Shahrekord, Iran). All patient’s clinical history, blood transfusion and laboratory tests including complete blood count and hemoglobin electrophoresis were reviewed. Results: There were no significant difference in ferritin levels, transfusion period and diabetes incidence of the two cities patients (P>0.05). Patient’s cardiac function and liver condition were significantly better in patients of Bushehr (P<0.05). Patients under 20 years in Bushehr were less splenectomized in comparison with Shahrekord (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our result showed that some of clinical manifestations of patients in low altitude such as cardiac and liver condition were better. But it did not affect ferritin level probably due to transfusion and chelating therapy. Totally patients of Bushehr had better conditions and had longer survivals. Keywords: β-thalassemia major, Ferritin level, Cardiac function, Altitud