Summer Savory: From the Selection of Traditional Applications to the Novel Effect in Relief, Prevention, and Treatment of a Number of Serious Illnesses such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease, and Cancer

ABSTRACTSavory (Satureja L.) plant species have been used for centuries as culinary herbs and spices, as well as traditional remedies for the treatment or relief of various common health symptoms in many parts of the world. Recent studies suggest that the use of some Satureja species is effective in protecting the body against oxidative stress, free radical damage, inflammation, microbial infections, etc., A review of many studies suggests that savory species, in addition to treating minor ordinary ailments, can potentially provide a novel natural prevention or treatment for some chronic and serious illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and Alzheimer’s

Evaluation of CXCR4, VLA4, and VLA5 expression in peripheral mobilized hematopoietic stem cells in presence of Sotalol

     Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), are considered as an important source for HSCT transplantation. There are several regulators for stem cells migration and homing, among which the nervous system is an important one. This study is going to investigate the   role of nervous system in homing of hematopoietic stem cells.In an experimental study, mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood and treated by a beta adrenergic receptors blocker (Sotalol). After treating the cells with different concentrations 0.5- 500 (mM/ml) for 1- 24 hours, RNA was extracted and the expression of VLA4, VLA5 and CXCR4 genes were determinated through RT-PCR method.The results of this study demonstrated high expression in genes associated with homing of the cells after being treated with drug for 1 hour: CXCR4 gene expression increases in 10 and 50 mM/ml, VLA4 gene expression in 50mM/ml and VLA5 gene expression in 10 mM/ml concentration of Sotalol.Using beta adrenergic receptors blockers in appropriate time and dose of drug can affect the expression of genes which involved in HSCs homing and will lead to high success rate of transplantation of these cells

Prediction of the Thromboembolic Syndrome: an Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Gene Expression Data Analysis

The aim of this study was to propose a method for improving the power of recognition and classification of thromboembolic syndrome based on the analysis of ‎ gene expression data using artificial neural networks. The studied method was performed on a dataset which contained data about 117 patients admitted to a hospital in Durham in 2009. Of all the studied patients, 66 patients were suffering from thromboembolic syndrome and 51 people were enrolled in the study as the control group. The gene expression level of 22277 was measured for all the samples and was entered into the model as the main variable. Due to the high number of variables, principal components analysis and auto-encoder neural network methods were used in order to reduce the dimension of data. The results showed that when using auto-encoder networks, the classification accuracy was 93.12. When using the PCA method to reduce the size of the data, the obtained accuracy was 78.26, and hence a significant difference in the accuracy of classification was observed. If auto-encoder network method is used, the sensitivity and specificity will be 92.58 and 93.68 and when PCA method is used, they will be 0.77 and 0.78 respectively. The results suggested that auto-encoder networks, compared with the PCA method, had a higher level of accuracy for the classification of thromboembolic syndrome status

Detection of Anti-Platelet Glycoprotein Antibodies Using MAIPA Method

AITP mostly occur in children accompanied by variable clinical sings including petechiae, purpura, ecchymosis and severe bleeding. This study has determined and characterized the anti-platelet glycoproteins in children with ITP. The aim of this study was to determinate anti-platelet glycoproteins (GPs) using MAIPA method. During 18 months 38 children with clinical signs of AITP were studied in Mofid children hospital. To determine anti-platelet antibodies by ELISA technique, washed O negative platelets were used as a source of platelet antigens. MAIPA method was used to detect antibodies against individual platelet membrane glycoprotein. The anti-platelet antibodies level above mean+ 3SD of control group was assumed as positive. The results indicated that the platelet count ranges was between 2×109/L and 95×109/L. 63.5 % out of 38 patients were anti-platelet antibodies positive with ELISA method. The correlation between the above patients with anti-platelet antibody positive and clinical signs was 0.4. Results for determination of antibody against platelet GPIIb/IIIa, GPIb/IX and GPIa/IIa using MAIPA method were 44%, 51% and 25% respectively. In conclusion the preference of MAIPA method is the detection of very small amount of antibody. Since MAIPA is the specific method for the detection of antibody against glycoprotein antigens, it has the advantage of differentiating immune and non-immune thrombocytopenia

The Detection of HDL receptor on platelet surface in patients with Coronary artery disease (CAD)

The human scavenger receptor B1 (hSR-B1/CLA) is a HDL receptor with various anti-atherogenic functions which is expressed on the platelet surface. The anti thrombotic function of HDL includes the modulation of platelet reactivity, coagulation, and endothelial function. The goal of this study is to detect the level of HDL receptor on platelets of CAD patients with atherosclerotic disease. Expressions of the hSRB1 receptor on platelets of 31 CAD patients with atherosclerotic plaque and 20 healthy controls was detected using flow cytometry. Moreover, the lipid panel tests were assayed by Chemistry auto analyzer and compared with healthy controls. Our findings show that abundance of hSR-B1/CLA-1 was significantly reduced on the surface of platelets from CAD patients with atherosclerotic disease compared with healthy control (6/8 % vs. 13/6 %), (P <0,001). The HDL receptor (hSR-B1/CLA-1) expression on platelets inversely correlates with the risk of coronary heart disease.  Our findings suggest that determining the level of hSR-B1/CLA-1 on the platelets may be a useful laboratory marker for CAD investigation

The effect of ox-LDL and platelets on macrophages, M2 macrophage polarization, and foam cell formation

Background: The accumulation of oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) in macrophages in association with platelet activity leads to the formation of foam cells, which play a key role in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and coronary artery diseases (CAD). Here, in this study, we aimed to investigate the simultaneous effect of ox-LDL and platelets on foam cell formation, as well as modification in cell markers. Methods: First, the U937, a human monocytic cell line,  was cultured in RPMI-1640. Then, isolated platelets were co-cultured with the U937 and exposed to ox-LDL (80 µg/ml) to evaluate the impact of ox-LDL on foam cell formation using Oil red O (ORO) staining. Also, the expression of foam cells’ surface markers and CD36, ABCA1, SR-B1, ACAT1, and LXRα genes, which are involved in macrophage metabolism and ox-LDL uptake, was measured by flow cytometry and real-time PCR, respectively. Results: Our findings suggest that platelets promoted foam cell formation (ORO-positive cells), accompanied by a higher level of CD163+ M2 macrophages. Furthermore, the expression of CD36, ABCA1, SR-B1, ACAT1, and LXRα genes, which are implicated in cholesterol accumulation in macrophages, was significantly upregulated in the ox-LDL+ platelets group compared to the control (P < 0.05). Moreover, the up-regulation of CD36, ABCA1, and SR-B1 genes in the ox-LDL+ platelets group was more accentuated compared to the ox-LDL group (P < 0.05).Conclusions: Owing to the positive effector role of platelets in the formation of foam cells and CD163+ cells, it could be assumed that platelets play a dual role in the development of these cells

Involvement Value of FLT-3, c-Myc, STAT3, p27, and HOTAIR Gene Expression in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients: A Molecular Perspective to a Novel Leukemogenesis Mechanism

Background: The identification of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has marked a new era in the molecular understating of the disease. This study investigated the correlation between the changes in the expression of lncRNAs, including HOTAIR, PVT-1, and CRNDE, and the alteration in the expression profile of FLT-3, c-Myc, STAT3, STAT5, and p27 in AML patients. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from forty-one newly diagnosed AML patients and ten healthy individuals to evaluate the expression levels of the study genes using qRT-PCR analysis. The probable correlation between the gene expressions was determined using Pearson’s correlation test. Results: The results showed that while there was a significant elevation in the expression of FLT3, c-Myc, STAT3, and HOTAIR, p27 expression remarkably diminished in AML patients compared to the control group. Also, a correlation was found between the expression of FLT-3 and p27 and the expression of HOTAIR and STAT3. It was assumed that FLT-3 had a role in increasing the proliferative and survival capacity of AML cells, at least partly, through c-Myc-mediated suppression of p27. Moreover, lncRNA HOTAIR showed to be involved in leukemia proliferation assumably by enhancing the expression of STAT3. Conclusion: Overall, the results of gene profile analysis suggested that studying the expression of HOTAIR, FLT-3, c-Myc, STAT3, and p27 could be helpful to AML patients, and each of these genes could be a valuable target for pharmaceutic intervention

Frankincense (乳香 Rǔ Xiāng; Boswellia Species): From the Selection of Traditional Applications to the Novel Phytotherapy for the Prevention and Treatment of Serious Diseases

Frankincense (乳香 Rǔ Xiāng; Boswellia Species), the resinous extract from the trees of the genus Boswellia, has been used for centuries in cultural ceremonies, as a cosmetic agent, and as a traditional medicine to treat a variety of ailments, especially inflammatory diseases including asthma, arthritis, cerebral edema, chronic pain syndrome, chronic bowel diseases, cancer, and some other illnesses. Boswellic acids are the active compounds of frankincense and AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid) is the most important and effective acid among them. Some studies have shown that the use of frankincense can also improve the learning and enhance the memory in animals and human beings. It seems that frankincense might have a potential ability to be used as an alternative natural medicine not only for chronic and inflammatory diseases but also for brain and memory disorders

Turmeric (Curcuma longa): from a variety of traditional medicinal applications to its novel roles as active antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetes

ABSTRACT. Curcumin longa, which is commonly known as Turmeric, is an herbaceous perennial plant from the Curcuma genus that prospers in mainly Eastern Asia. Through a series of forms including powder and extract, the plant has been traditionally used to assist in inflammation and wound healing. Turmeric has been shown to alleviate the pain of inflammation in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, overall promoting the immune system response of acute inflammation for its therapeutic abilities and alleviating chronic inflammation. Not only has it been shown to assist in inflammation, but Turmeric has been shown to assist in preventing and battling cancer through its cytotoxic activities while boosting apoptosis to control the growth and distribution of cells. Along with these abilities, this plant assists with the pain and inflammation involved with diabetes. Turmeric is able to do this because of it being largely composed of a substance called Curcumin, a mixture of Turmeric oil and resin

Cinnamon from the selection of traditional applications to its novel effects on the inhibition of angiogenesis in cancer cells and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, and a series of functions such as antioxidant, anticholesterol, antidiabetes, antibacterial, antifungal, nematicidal, acaracidal, and repellent activities

The purpose of this article is to use search engines such as PubMed and Scifinder to locate scholarly articles and reports pertaining to Cinnamon (肉桂 ròu guì), its novel effects, preparation, analysis, and use in the prevention and treatment of serious illnesses, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Cinnamon has been used traditionally in food preparations and as an herbal medicine to treat a variety of ailments and their symptoms. Cinnamon is known to have antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and other therapeutic properties. New studies reaffirm the importance of cinnamon as a spice but also suggest that it may be a natural remedy to treat serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, chronic digestion problems, cardiovascular diseases, and even cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the botanical, chemical, and pharmacological aspects of cinnamon