Feyz Medical Sciences Journal
Year:2013 | Volume:17 | Issue:4|Papers Count:16

Background: Resin of Ferula assa-foetida has medicinal properties and various studies have shown its antioxidant and anticancer effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida resin on HepG2 cell line.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, the effect of ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida resin on HepG2 cell line and L929 normal cell line was investigated. The RPMI medium contains L-glutamine, penicillin, streptomycin and 10% FBS. Morphological changes were evaluated using an inverted microscope 24, 48, 72, 96 hours after adding the resin of Ferula assa-foetida extract (10, 50, 100, 200 mg/ml). Cell viability was determined using MTT assay.Results: Ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida resin (50, 100, 200 mg/ml) were induced morphological changes in HepG2 cells after 24 hours which were prominent after 48, 72 and 96 hours. At concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/ml, morphological changes were observed in normal cells. Results of MTT assay showed a significant decrease in viability of HepG2 cells at concentrations of 50, 100, 200 mg/ml. Concentrations of 100 and 200 mg/ml significantly reduced the viability of L929 cell (P<0.05).Conclusion: Although Ferula assa-foetida resin (50 mg/ml) has cytotoxic effects on HepG2 cell line, but at this concentration the extract have no cytotoxic effect on normal cells.Therefore, this concentration can destroy cancer cells with minimal damage to normal cells.

Background: Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disorder after stroke.Medicinal herbs containing alternative natural drug and different properties are suitable for designing new drugs to treat epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of intraperitoneal injection of green tea catechins on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) -induced seizure in male mice.Materials and Methods: In this study, 48 NMRI male mice (6 groups of 8 mice each) received different doses of catechin (25, 50, 100, 150 & 200 mg/kg) and normal saline (control). After 30 minutes of treatment, all animals were injected PTZ (80 mg/kg, i.p) to induce seizure. Then the seizure onset and the duration of the seizure phases were measured and recorded in the experimental and control groups.Results: The results of this study showed that some concentrations (100, 150 & 200 mg/kg) of catechins delayed the onset (threshold) and stages (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5) of PTZ-induced seizures compared with the control group (P<0.001).Conclusion: It seems that an intraperitoneal injection of green tea catechins can delay the seizure onset in different stages of seizure.

Background: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common occupational diseases that can lead to disability and losses in the workplace. Metabolic disturbances induced by free radicals formation in the cochlea during the intense noise exposure can play an essential role in the development of NIHL. This study aimed to evaluate the preventive effect of a-tocopherol administration as a free radical scavenger agent against the NIHL in rabbits.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 24 male adult white rabbits were divided into four groups: control; noise-exposured (100 dB broadband noise with 500-5700 Hz for 40 h); noise-exposured plus a-tocopherol administration (50 mg/kg per day, ip) and no-exposure and a-tocopherol administration groups. Audiometric test of rabbits was assessed by the auditory brainstem response method in three stages.Results: Administration of a-tocopherol provided a significant attenuation in temporary and permanent hearing threshold shifts at 1-8 KHz frequencies to 14, 13, 10, 7 and 14, 14, 12, 7 dB, respectively.Conclusion: Results show that a-tocopherol, as an antioxidant agent, can provide protective effects against temporary and permanent hearing loss resulting from noise exposure in rabbit. Further studies in human are needed.

Background: Numerous studies have shown the presence of capsaicin (CAP) receptors in periaqueductal gray (PAG) area. The aim of this study was to examine the role of CAP receptors in PAG on pain modulation in diabetic neuropathic (NP) rats.Materials and Methods: This experimental study was carried out on 24 male rats in 4 groups (n=6): normal - saline; normal - capsaicine; NP - saline and NP - capsaicine. To investigate the effect of intra-PAG injection of capsaicin (10 nmol/ul) or saline on pain modulation, tail flick (TF), hot plate and Von frey tests were used. To induce NP, a single dose of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg, i.p) was injected.Results: In normal rats, 5 and 15 min after the injection into PAG, CAP showed an analgesic effect in TF test (P<0.001), but no analgesic effect in NP rats. Moreover, CAP had neither effect on pain induction in normal rats in thermal (Hot plate) and tactile (Von frey) stimulus nor on allodynia in NP rats.Conclusion: It seems that in NP rats, CAP injection into PAG had no effect on pain modulation.

Background: Allergic rhinitis is an IgE-mediated inflammatory disorder of the nose induced after an allergen exposure. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a member of Apiaceae family. Since the anti-inflammatory effect of this plant has been pharmacologically confirmed, this study aimed to examine the effect of C. sativum seeds on allergic rhinitis.Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, patients with allergic rhinitis referred to Shahrekord ENT clinic were allocated into the case and control groups (n=36 in each group).Both groups underwent routine treatment procedures (i.e. cetirizine, nasoflow spray, daily nasal washing, and allergen avoidance). The case group was also treated with C. sativum seed extract (10-15 drops of Coriander spray, three times a day). All subjects were asked to fill out the questionnaire of the disease signs on the first, third, and seventh day of treatment.Results: Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in the disease signs on the first day. On the third day nasal obstruction, conjunctivitis, and itchy eyes in the case group were significantly mild compared to the control group (P<0.05). On the seventh day, rhinorrhea, conjunctivitis, and itchy eyes in the case group were significantly mild compared to the control group (P<0.05).Conclusion: C. sativum seed extract can have a positive and curative effect on rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, and itchy eyes; therefore, it can be recommended as one of the efficacious medicinal plants for treatment of allergic rhinitis.

Background: Although nanosilver (Ag-NPs) has long been used to treat wounds, little attention has been paid to the toxicity of nanosilver wound dressing. This study aimed to examine the effect of nanosilver used for wound healing on some hematological parameters.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 50 BALB/c mice were randomly allocated into the treatment and control groups (n=25). After creating similar wound on the back of all animals, the wound bed in the treatment and control groups was treated with a volume of 50 microliters nanosilver solution (10ppm), and distilled water. Afterwards, the mean percentage reduction in wound area was determined at the end of each week by measuring the wound area at 0, 7 and 14 days post-wounding. MCV, distribution range of RBC, hematocrit and the number of blood cells were measured for both groups.Results: By the end of the second week, a significant reduction was observed in the mean wound area in the treatment group. In treatment group, the number of white blood cells was increased; however, no significant changes in the number of RBCs and other blood parameters were observed.Conclusion: Application of nanosilver wound dressing not only can accelerate healing process, but also can stimulate the immune system with no adverse effect on some hematological parameters.

Background: IL-4 is an important mediator of inflammatory cytokine derived from T helper cells and mast cells which triggers IgE synthesis. IL-4 plays an important role in allergic immune response for its ability to prevent apoptosis of T lymphocytes. IL-4 also plays a role in lymphocytes cell differentiation, cytokines and IgE production. This study aimed to evaluate the relation between the serum levels of IL-4 and IgE with disease severity in patients with allergic asthma.Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 110 asthmatic patients referred to Asthma and Allergy Clinic in Kashan and 70 healthy controls were randomly selected.Blood sample (5 ml) was taken from all the patients and healthy subjects; the serum levels of IL-4 and IgE were measured using the standard laboratory kits and ELISA method, respectively.Results: The IL-4 and IgE mean levels were not significantly associated with age and sex. The mean IgE level increased from moderate to severe with increasing asthma severity (P=0.847). Moreover, the IL-4 level in patients with severe asthma was higher than the other patients (P=0.002).Conclusion: IL-4 level was increased with increasing asthma severity, but this was not the case for IgE.

Background: Bromocriptine, as an Ergot alkaloid, suppresses prolactin synthesis. Some clinical studies support the role of prolactin in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of bromocriptine on disease activity in RA.Materials and Methods: This double-blind interventional study was performed on 174 patients with rheumatoid arthritis referred to Shahid-Beheshti hospital in Kashan during 2011-2012. The patients were allocated into the two groups through block randomization.One group received bromocriptine 2.5 mg two times a day and another group received a placebo. All patients were examined at the beginning and during the second and six months of the study for swelling, tenderness, pain severity based on disease activity score (DAS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and visual analogue scale (VAS), respectively.Results: Results indicated that in bromocriptin group, initial swelling, pain severity and initial DAS significantly decreased from 3.7 to 0.59; 82.1 to 23.15; 3.8 to 3.5, respectively after 6 months compared with those in the control group. Moreover, no significant decrease was observed in the ESR and tenderness parameters.Conclusion: Bromocriptine can reduce swelling, pain severity and DAS in RA.

Background: Recent studies on cardiovascular risk factors have been focused on the new markers of inflammatory diseases such as C-reactive protein (CRP). This study aimed to examine the effect of aerobic activities such as running on CRP level in overweight female students.Materials and Methods: In this study, 26 moderately obese female students (mean body weight 82.5±5.6 kg, height 166±6.4cm, age 21.2±2.1 years and BMI≥28.4 kg/m2) were selected purposefully. Participants were divided into the experimental and control groups.Training program which was performed in two sessions per week for eight consecutive weeks was consisted of incremental aerobic exercise with determined heart rate monitored by a polar watch. Post-test blood sample and anthropometric measures were repeated 48 hours after the last training session similar to the pretest conditions.Results: Results indicated that 8 weeks of high-intensity interval training had a significant effect on decreasing the CRP level in obese girls (P=0.0001). Moreover, a significant difference was seen between the control and experimental groups in mean CPR values (P=0.047), while no significant difference was seen between the pre and post tests in the control group (P=0.28).Conclusion: Considering the strong association between the inflammatory indices and the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, every factor that decreases these indices can reduce the cardiovascular complications.

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide. Different epigenetic and genetic factors are associated with the development of breast cancer. Controversial results have been reported for oncogenic role of allelic polymorphism of the codon 72 of the p53 gene. Therefore, this study aimed to detect genotypic polymorphisms of p53 codon 72 in women with invasive ductal carcinoma in Sabzevar, Iran.Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 160 samples, 80 cancerous patients and 80 matched healthy controls. DNA was amplified using the two pairs of specific primers of p53 codon 72. The genotype of the p53 gene was determined using electrophoresis.Results: The mean age of the patients and healthy controls were 47.22±12.95 and 48.02±12.48, respectively. The frequencies of the heterozygote argenine/proline in the cancerous samples and controls were 49 (30.6%) and 51 (31.9%), respectively. The frequencies of the homozygote argenine/argenine genotype in the cancerous and healthy ones were 29 (18.1%) and 15 (9.4%), respectively. The frequencies of the homozygote proline/proline genotype in the patients and controls were 2 (1.3%) and 14 (8.8%), respectively which showed a significant difference in this genotype between the two groups.Conclusion: Results indicate that carcinogenesis of breast cancer can be affected by different genotypes of codon 72 of the p53 gene. Hence, the detection of the allelic polymorphisms of codon 72 of the p53 gene is a valuable tool for predicting progress, prognosis and treatment purposes.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important pathogen in the hospital and community. Therefore, a precise identification of the antibiotic-resistant strains is essential to control the infection and prevent the MRSA transmission rates. The aim of this study was to determine a diagnostic value of cefoxitin susceptibility test compared with the oxacillin susceptibility test and E-test (Epsilometer test) for detection of MRSA.Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 296 S.aureus isolated from the nasal specimen patients of referred to emergency department of Kashsn Shahid-Beheshti hospital.Resistance to methicillin was determined by oxacillin (1mg), and cefoxitin (30mg) disk diffusion methods based on CLSI guideline and according to no growth zone size and the minimum inhibitory antibiotic concentration by E-test. PCR assay was used as a gold standard for detecting mecA gene in MRSA isolates.Results: Thirty-two (10.8%), 28 (9.5%), 30 (10.1%), 26 (8.8%) out of 296 S.aureus were considered as MRSA strains using the oxacillin and cefoxitin disk diffusion methods, E-test and PCR, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for the oxacillin diffusion method were 100%, 97.7%, 81.2% and 100%; for the cefoxitin disk diffusion method 96.2%, 98.8%, 89.3% and 99.6% and for E-test 100%, 98.5%, 86.7% and 100%, respectively.Conclusion: PCR assay is the best method for detecting MRSA; however, it is an expensive method. Phenotypic methods, especially the cefoxitin disk diffusion method, can be a good alternative to PCR for detection of MRSA.

Background: Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of the nephrotic syndrome and renal failure in nondiabetic adults. The aim of this study was to evaluate the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for the disease.Materials and Methods: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, etiologies, natural course, differential diagnosis, treatment options, complications and follow up of the disease were all reviewed in this paper.Results: Most cases of MN are idiopathic, but it can be associated with autoimmune diseases, hepatitis B and C, malignancies, and the use of certain drugs. Spontaneous complete or partial remission of proteinuria occurred in 20 to 40 percent of patients with idiopathic MN. Thus, while almost all patients are candidates of conservative therapies for nephrotic syndrome (eg, angiotensin inhibitors and statins for hyperlipidemia), immunosuppressive therapies include cytotoxic drugs (usually cyclophosphamide) plus glucocorticoids or a calcineurin inhibitor (cyclosporine or tacrolimus) with or without low dose glucocorticoids and ultimately treatment with rituximab should be considered for patients at high risk for a progressive renal failure.Conclusion: Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, especially in high risk patients, may decrease the mortality/morbidity rate and renal failure associated with membranous nephropathy.

Background: Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are a group of neoplastic disorders originated from the lymphoreticular cells. The occurrence of primary lymphoma in the oral cavity is uncommon and comprises only 2% of all extra-nodal lymphomas. The aim of this study was to introduce a case of NHL in the oral cavity, present its signs and differentiate it from other similar lesions.Case Report: A 49 year-old woman referred to a dentist with a history of second right maxillary premolar pain and alveolar swelling in the region underwent the tooth extraction with a diagnosis of odontogenic infection. One week after the tooth extraction the patient referred to dentist with a complaint of swelling on her tooth. An incisional diagnosis of a primary large B-cell lymphoma was made based on the histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations and the patient referred to medical oncologist for treatment.Conclusion: Classically, no clinical features of the lymphoma were seen in the jaw bones.Swelling, ulcer or discomfort may be present in the involved region, or it may mimic a periapical disease or a benign condition. These types of lymphomas can clinically present with symptoms of inflammatory endo-periodontal lesion as pain and local discomfort. Any delay in diagnosis will worsen the prognosis so it is important to detect the signs and symptoms of NHL.