Comparison of tooth brushing related knowledge, attitude and health behavior as well as dental health status among boy and girl students in elementary schools in district 4 of Tehran in 2015

Background and aims: Assessment of oral health status is considered as one of the main criteria for evaluating the public health. Knowledge and attitude towards oral health behavior, especially brushing and gender differenceare factors influencing oral health. This study was aimed to compare tooth brushing related knowledge, attitude and health behavior as well as …. (DMFT) among girl and boy students in elementary schools in district 4 of Tehran in2015.Method: The present cross-sectional (descriptive and analytical) study was carried out among 408 girl and boy elementary students from six randomly selected schools in district 4 of Tehran, Iran. Two-stage cluster sampling was selected and employed. A valid and reliable researcher-… questionnaire was used for this study. Dental visits wereperformed on the basis of DMFT index and all students were assured of information confidentiality. The data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) software.Results: In the current study, comparing female students with males showed that the mean scores of brushing knowledge, attitude and health behavior in girls was higher than boys and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.001). However, the observed mean DMFT difference between the girls and boys in this study was not significant (p>0.05). Furthermore, a strong and statistically significant relationship was noticed between frequency of brushing and DMFT in both sexes (p<0.05).Conclusion: Mean scores of knowledge, attitude and behavior in both sexes were fairly good and also better in female students than males. It was further found that boys and girls in our study can be, respectively, classified as low and very low mean DMFT groups based on World Health Organization classification. Therefore, appropriate educational interventions with more focus on the vulnerable group of boys are highly advocated in order to improve their knowledge and attitude. Key Words: Knowledge, Attitude, DMFT, Health behavior brushin

The Effects of Foeniculum vulgare Seed Extract on Fertility Results of Assisted Reproductive Technology in Women With Poor Ovarian Response

Objectives: Foeniculum vulgare due to phytoestrogens is important in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction including infertility. Accordingly, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of the F. vulgare seed extract on the fertility results of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in women with a poor ovarian response (POR). Materials and Methods: In this before-after intervention, 19 infertile women with POR were enrolled by a convenience sampling method. The amounts of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), ovarian ultrasound volume, the number of preantral follicles, and the size of the prominent ovary were measured before treatment with F. vulgare. Then, patients were treated with F. vulgare for two months, followed by initiating the in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. The number of embryos transferred in previous and current cycles was investigated after IVF. Finally, the data were analyzed in SPSS 16. Results: There was a significant difference in the serum LH level (P = 0.002), LH/FSH (P = 0.049), the number of follicles and ovules (P = 0.003), endometrial thickness (P = 0.04), and ovarian volume (P = 0.03) between before and after treatment with F. vulgare. Moreover, a significant difference regarding the decreased number of required days for induction was observed between before and after treatment with F. vulgare (P = 0.022). Conclusions: In general, the use of F. vulgare had positive effects on improving the quality of oocytes and female fertility indices in women with POR. Keywords:Foeniculum vulgare; Fertility; Ovarian failure; Phytotherapy; Assisted reproductive technique

Anti-biofilm activityofbiogenicseleniumnanoparticlesandselenium dioxide againstclinicalisolatesof Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis

The aimofthepresentstudywastoinvestigatetheanti-biofilmactivityofbiologicallysynthesizedsele- nium nanoparticles(SeNPs)againstthebiofilmproducedbyclinicallyisolatedbacterialstrainscompared to thatofseleniumdioxide.Thirtystrainsof Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Proteus mirabilis were isolatedfromvariousspecimensofthepatientshospitalizedindifferenthospitals(Ker- man, Iran).Quantificationofthebiofilmusingmicrotiterplateassaymethodintroduced30%of S. aureus, 13% of P. aeruginosa and 17%of P. mirabilis isolates asseverelyadherentstrains.Transmissionelectron micrograph (TEM)ofthepurifiedSeNPs(producedby Bacillus sp. MSh-1)showedindividualandspher- ical nano-structureinthesizerangeof80–220nm.Obtainedresultsofthebiofilmformationrevealed that seleniumnanoparticlesinhibitedthebiofilmof S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and P. mirabilis by 42%,34.3%, and 53.4%,respectively,comparedtothatofthenon-treatedsamples.EffectoftemperatureandpHon the biofilmformationinthepresenceofSeNPsandSeO2 was alsoevaluated

Preparation and evaluation of niosomes containing autoclaved Leishmania major: a preliminary study

In this study, different positively charged niosomal formulations containing sorbitan esters, cholesterol and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide were prepared by film hydration method for the entrapment of autoclaved Leishmania major (ALM). Size distribution pattern and stability of niosomes were investigated by laser light scattering method and ALM encapsulation per cent was measured by the bicinchoninic acid method. Finally, the selected formulation was used for the induction of the immune response against cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. Size distribution curves of all the formulations followed a log-normal pattern and the mean volume diameter was in the range 7.57–15.80 mm. The mean volume diameters were significantly increased by adding Tween to Span formulations (p50.05). The percentage of ALM entrapped in all formulations varied between 14.88% and 36.65%. In contrast to ALM, in vivo studies showed that the niosomes containing ALM have a moderate effect in the prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice

Development and Evaluation of Orally Disintegrating Tablets of Pramipexole Using Full Factorial Design: Orally disintegrating tablets of Pramipexole

Pramipexole is the mostly prescribed drug in patients with Parkinson disease. The incidence of Parkinson disease is related to aging and mostly developed in elderly people with difficulty in swallowing or dysphagia. In the current study we aimed to develop an orally fast disintegrating tablet (ODT) of pramipexole as a preferable alternative in geriatric patients. Hence, the fast disintegration is a critical for ODTs, the effects of four different superdisintegrants including, crospovidone, croscarmellose, sodium starch glycolate, and agar were evaluated on physical characteristics of the tablets. All of the formulations were prepared through direct compression method using aspartame and mannitol as taste masking agents. The flow properties of all of the mixtures were in the acceptable limits. Croscarmellose and Avicel® were chosen as the best superdisintegrants which resulted in the lowest disintegration time and the least friability. In subsequent studies, a 32 full factorial design was adopted to assess the impact of different amounts of croscarmellose and Avicel®. The overall results suggest that the tablet containing 2.5 mg croscarmellose and 70 mg Avicel® as superdisintegrants is the best formulation. Mean hardness, disintegration time, friability, and the drug release percent during 5 min for the optimized formulation were confirmed 42.05 ± 4.6 Kg/cm2, 24.98 ± 6.8 Sec, 0.13 %, and 95.52 ± 2.23% , respectively