Journal of Birjand University of Medical Sciences
Year:2023 | Volume:30 | Issue:1|Papers Count:10

Since the gens change due to the environmental and individual factors, the role of these factors is now more important for the human health. In countries that the facilities such as clean air, healthy water and food, sport and recreational sites, social security and disease prevention programs readily available for all, the society is healthy and happy. Thus, the overall morbidities and mortalities have been declined. But unfortunately, in some countries like Iran that has not paid attention to these factors, the overall morbidities and mortalities have been increased.

Organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers with flower-like morphology are new nanostructures comprising organic and inorganic components. In general, the organic component of hybrid nanoflowers mostly consists of proteins, DNA, RNA, plant extracts, metabolites, and natural polymers,and the inorganic component composes of various metal phosphates, including copper, calcium, manganese, iron, zinc, cobalt, cadmium, aluminum, silver, gold, etc. Until now, five notable procedures have been introduced for their synthesis, including biomineralization, ultra-fast sonication, the two-step method, shear stress, and the concentrated method. These nanostructures have many promising applications in diverse fields, such as the immobilization of enzymes and biomolecules, bio-catalysis of chemical reactions, bioremediation, electrochemical biosensors, drug and gene carriers, diagnosis of various diseases, photothermal therapy, etc. and wide range of research has been performed on them in the last recent decade. Google Scholar, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Springer databases were searched using the keywords hybrid nanostructure, nanoflower, biosciences, and biocatalyst to find related articles. Studying these organic-inorganic hybrid nanocrystals may lead to finding new creative solutions in the effective application of enzyme-based systems, the rapid development of bionanomaterials, and biotechnology industries. The present review has investigated the different types of hybrid nanoflowers, their synthesis procedures and structural characteristics, and their applications in biosciences.

Background and Aims: Dermatophytosis is one of the most important superficial infections in humans and animals worldwide. Artemisia species, as rich resources of natural products, have a high potential to treat many human diseases. The present study was conducted to investigate the antifungal effects of various extracts from three Artemisia species against dermatophyte fungi. Materials and Methods: For in vitro study, aerial parts of Artemisia aucheri, Artemisia turcomanica, and Artemisia kopetdaghensis were extracted using five different solvents: petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and hydro ethanol (50%), and were screened for their anti-dermatophytic effects against Epidermophyton floccosum, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton verrucosum, and Microsporum canis. Afterward, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay was performed according to the agar dilution method. The most active extracts were subjected to preliminary phytochemical studies. Results: In the first screening of the extracts (concentration of 2 mg/ml), E. flucosum with no growth in the culture medium containing 13 extracts out of 15 was the most sensitive, and T. rubrum with no growth in 7 extracts from 15, including petroleum ether extracts obtained from A. aucheri, dichloromethane, ethylacetate and hydroethanolic extract obtained from A. turcomanica treatment,petroleum ether, ethylacetate and hydroethanolic obtained from A. kopetdaghensis treatment showed the highest resistance to the extracts. In the MIC results, the tested fungi were sensitive to all or some of the concentrations (ranging from 61. 9 to 1981. 1μ, g/ml). The lowest MIC value (61. 9 μ, g/ml) was recorded for petroleum ether extract derived from A. turcomanica against E. floccosum. The preliminary phytochemical research results showed the presence of terpenoids and sterols in these extracts. Conclusion: Some lipophilic components of the various extracts, especially petroleum ether extracts from A. aucheri, A. turcomanica, and A. kopetdaghensis, have in vitro anti-dermatophytic effects.

Background and Aims: Athletic activities, along with the consumption of herbal supplements, can control excess weight and associated diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of pomegranate supplementation and exercise at home on lipid profile and cardiac electrical activity in overweight and obese postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods: This applied research was conducted based on a single-blind quasi-experimental design. A total of 60 overweight and obese postmenopausal women with a body mass index greater than 25 (kilograms per square meter) and an age range of 65-45 years were selected and randomly assigned to four groups: supplement + exercise (n=15), exercise(n=13 ), supplement (n=14), and placebo (n=14 ). Participants took one 225 mg pomegranate capsule and a placebo daily for 28 days. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resistance exercises were performed at home. Shapiro-Wilk, ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and Lune tests were used in this research. Statistical calculations were performed in SPSS software (version). Results: Based on the results, there was no significant difference in fasting blood sugar, weight, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, fat percentage, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), PR interval, QRS wave amplitude, and QT interval (P>0. 05). Conclusion: It seems that a short period of four weeks of exercise at home with the consumption of pomegranate supplements did not significantly change the lipid profile and electrical activity of the heart. It is suggested that the same study with long-term training periods and different doses of pomegranate supplements should be repeated.

Background and Aims: Nowadays, the use of energizing substances has become a complex complicated problem in sports and causes damage to various tissues, on the other hand. However, sports activity has a significant impact on controlling and improving oxidative stress factors and inflammatory indicators. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of eight-weeks of resistance training on lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde [MDA]MDA) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α, ) in the heart tissue of rats exposed to stanazol. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 24 male rats with a weight range of 150-200 g and a mean age of 8 weeks were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups (n=6 each), namely 1) control (C), 2) sham (Sh), 3) consumption of stanazol (S), and 4) consumption of stanazol together with resistance training (S+RT). During eight weeks, both groups of 3 and 4 received 5 mg/kg stanazol intraperitoneally daily,however, group 4 performed resistance training three times a week with an intensity of 30%-100% of their body weight. A one-way variance analysis and Tukey's post hoc test were used to analyze the data (P<0. 05). Results: Stanazol had a significant effect on increasing MDA (P=0. 001) and TNF-α,(P=0. 001) in heart tissue. However, resistance training led to a decrease in MDA (P=0. 001) and TNF-α,(P=0. 001) in the heart tissue of rats exposed to stanazol. Conclusion: It seems that the consumption of anabolic steroids, especially stanazol, increased stress and MDA and TNF-α,in the heart, while resistance training can could improve the increased levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory factorsdecrease its findings.

Background and Aims: Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium belong to the Labiatae family. So far, 25 and 4 species of Ziziphora tenuir have been reported in the world and Iran, respectively, which are used for novel digestive disorders, common cold, depression, and migraine. A total of 200 species of Teucrium polium have been identified in the world, and 12 species exist in Iran. The historical use of this herb dates back to the time of Hippocrates and Galen. The present study aimed to investigate some of phytochemical characteristics of two medicinal species of Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium in Sarbisheh region of South Khorasan Province. Materials and Methods: In this in vitro study, the aerial parts of Ziziphora tenuir and Teucrium polium, including leaves, flowers, and flowering branches, were collected from the region at the end of July 2019, and after drying, the samples were distilled using a Clovnjer machine. The identification of the constitutive compounds of the obtained essential oils was performed using GC and GC/MS devices. Results: The main composition of the essential oil in Ziziphora tenuir in the study area was Pulegone, with 92. 55%, including eight types of essential oil composition. The highest amount of effective substances was reported for phenol and antioxidant, while tannin and flavonoid had the lowest amount. 23 essential oil compounds, including Camphor (43. 72) and Artemisia alcohol (18. 61%) were identified as the highest amounts for Teucrium polium, while Cymene (0. 42) and a-Thujone (0. 24%) were reported as the lowest amounts. The effective ingredients of Teucrium polium, including Phenol and antioxidant, in contrast with flavonone and flavonoid, were respectively reported as the highest and lowest amounts. Conclusion: The high amount of Phenol in both species indicated the inhibitory power and is related to the Terpinen compounds in the essential oil of both species. On the other hand, the lower the IC50 value, the higher the inhibition of free radicals and, as a result, the higher the antioxidant property.

Background and Aims: The perianal fistula is a pathological tract between two epithelial surfaces of the anorectal canal and perianal skin. The most common treatment method is fistulotomy which leads to complications, such as incontinency. The present is study aimeds to compare the results of fistulotomy surgery and sclerotherapy in the management of managing the perianal fistula. Materials and Methods: This Randomized controlled clinical study was performed on 24 patients with anorectal fistula. The procedure performed for group 1 was surgical fistulotomy, and group 2 underwent sclerosant agent injection. Recovery time, recurrence rate, post-operative pain, and degree of incontinency were evaluated. The statistical analysis was performed in SPSS software (Version 18), and a p-value less than 0. 05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There were 5 (41. 7%) men and 7 (58. 3%) women in the sclerosing group, as well as 7 (58. 3%) men and 5 (41. 7%) women in the fistulotomy group. There was no significant relationship between the two groups (P=0. 68). The recurrence rate was 3 cases (42. 9%) in sclerosing group and 4 cases (57. 1%) in the fistulotomy group, which was not statistically significant (P=0. 65). The fecal continency score after sclerotherapy was greater than that in the fistulotomy group (P<0. 05), and the length of hospitalization, post-surgery discomfort, and the time it took for the fistula to heal were all considerably shorter in the sclerosing group. Conclusion: We concluded that injectable sclerotherapy is effective, safe, simple, acceptable and affordable in the treatment of perianal fistula.

Background and Aims: Improving executive functions through play is one of the ways to improve learning in children with learning problems, whose definite effectiveness needs clinical investigation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching children's executive functions through play combined with transdiagnostic interventions of mothers' emotional problems on anxiety, depression, and sleep quality of these children. Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental research was conducted with a pretest-posttest and follow-up (two months) design on 42 children aged 7 to 9 years in two experimental groups and one control group. Experiment groups received the training of executive functions in a game way. The mothers of the children in the 2nd experimental group were taught the integrated protocol of transdiagnostic interventions, while the mothers of the 1st experimental group did not receive training as they were considered the control group of mothers in the 2nd experimental group. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 25 software using the analysis of variance test with repeated measures (α, =0. 05). Results: Significant differences were observed between the intervention groups and the control group in the variable of sleep quality in the follow-up and post-test phase (P<0. 001), in the anxiety variables in the post-test phase (P=0. 04) and follow-up (P=0. 05), and in the variable of depression (P<0. 001). It was found that the intervention improved the quality of children's sleep and boosted anxiety and depression indices in both intervention groups, and this effect was greater in the group of children and mothers (P<0. 001) Conclusion: The training of executive functions in the form of play with the transdiagnostic interventions of mothers' emotional problems was effective on the psychological symptoms and sleep quality of children with learning disabilities, which can be a part of the training program for educators to solve these problems.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is an uncommon type of white blood cells cancer that originates from bone marrow stem cells. Progesterone (P4) and berberine (BBR) are bioactive compounds that inhibit the growth of tumor cells. The present study aimed to assess the simultaneous effect of P4 and BBR on the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in K562 cells. The K562 cells were cultured in a complete cell culture medium and simultaneously exposed to IC50 different concentrations of P4 and BBR at 24 h (P4: 102. 4 μ, M,BBR: 125 μ, M), 48 h (P4: 78. 4 μ, M,BBR: 114 μ, M), and 72 h (P4: 70 μ, M,BBR: 45 μ, M). Then, the cell viability and cellular ROS level were determined using MTT assay and 2′, , 7′,-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCF) by flow cytometry, respectively. Our results showed that the combination of P4 and BBR inhibited the cells more effectively than P4 and BBR alone at 72 h, as well as P4 and their combination reduced ROS level in the cells compared to BBR and untreated cells at 24 h and 72 h. Taken together, P4 through a ROS-dependent pathway and BBR through a ROS-independent pathway may be inhibited cell growth.

Acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) is a type of blood cancer associated with the malignant proliferation of lymphoid progenitor cells. In recent years, natural medicines have received attention due to reasons such as availability, fewer side effects, and lower costs. Berberine (BBR) is a bioactive compound with anticancer effects that influences progesterone production. Progesterone can affect some tumors by inhibiting or inducing cell proliferation through its nuclear or membrane receptors. In this study, we investigated the effect of BBR on the expression of membrane progesterone receptor beta (mPRβ, ) in NALM6 cells. After culturing the cells in a serum-containing medium, the cells were treated with different concentrations of BBR (20-100 μ, M) at 48 and 72 h, and cell survival was determined using the MTT assay. Finally, the effect of BBR on the expression of mPRβ,in NALM6 cells at concentrations of 30 and 10 μ, M at 48 and 72 h, respectively, was evaluated using flow cytometry. Our results showed that the cells express mPRβ, . The BBR significantly inhibited cell growth in a concentration-and time-dependent manner, and mPRβ,expression was significantly decreased in treated cells compared to untreated cells. These findings suggest that NALM6 cells are most likely influenced by progesterone. In addition, apart from its direct anticancer effects, BBR may also modulate the effects of progesterone on cancer cells. The findings of this study may be useful for designing new anti-cancer approaches.