Nutritional status among earthquake survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Earthquakes, as one of the most devastating natural disasters, have many consequences, including the collapse of buildings where food is produced, stored, and distributed, which can ensue with numerous nutritional problems. This study was to investigate the nutritional status of earthquake survivors.

STUDY DESIGN

This was a systematic review and meta-analysis study.

METHODS

The present review was conducted according to the PRISMA guideline. The data were collected by searching the data resources of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, MagIran, and Scientific Information Database. Meta-analysis was conducted using the random effects model, and the I2 index was used to assess heterogeneity among studies. Publication bias was assessed using Begg's test.

RESULTS

In this study, 342 studies were identified in the primary literature search, and after removing duplicates, 14 of which were finally selected for meta-analysis. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the overall prevalence was obtained: 4.19% for wasting, 16.78% for stunting, 12.59% for underweight, and 28.06% for anemia after the earthquake.

CONCLUSION

The results indicated that earthquake survivors are exposed to malnutrition. Therefore, it is recommended that adequate food and nutritional supplements are provided to all earthquake survivors.

Summer heat waves and their mortality risk over a 14-year period in a western region of Iran

Compared to previous decade, impact of heat waves (HWs) on mortality in recent years needs to be discussed in Iran. We investigated temporal change in added impact of summer HWs on mortality in eight cities of Iran. The pooled length of HWs was compared between 2015-2022 and 2008-2014 using random and fixed-effects of meta-analysis regression model. The temporal change in impact of HWs was evaluated through interaction effect between crossbasis function of HW and year in a two-stage time varying model. In order to pool the reduced coefficients of each period, multivariate meta-regression model, including city-specific temperature and temperature range as heterogenicity factors, was used. In addition to relative risk (RR), attributable fraction (AF) of HW in the two periods was also estimated in each city. In the last years, the frequency of all HWs was higher and the weak HWs were significantly longer. The only significant RR was related to the lowest and low severe HWs which was observed in the second period. In terms of AF, compared to the strong HWs, all weak HWs caused a considerable excess mortality in all cities and second period. The subgroup analysis revealed that the significant impact in the second period was mainly related to females and elderlies. The increased risk and AF due to more frequent and longer HWs (weak HWs) in the last years highlights the need for mitigation strategies in the region. Because of uncertainty in the results of severe HWs, further elaborately investigation of the HWs is need.

Gender-based violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic: recommendations for future

BACKGROUND

Gender-based violence (GBV) includes any physical, sexual, psychological, economic harms, and any suffering of women in the form of limiting their freedom in personal or social life. As a global crisis, COVID-19 has exposed women to more violence, which requires serious actions. This work aims to review the most critical dimensions of the GBV against women, effective factors on it, and strategies for combating it during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to provide recommendations for future pandemics.

METHODS

This study was conducted based on PRISMA-ScR. First, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, ProQuest, and Google Scholar were searched in April 2021 with no time limitation and location using the related keywords to COVID-19 and GBV. The searched keywords were COVID-19, gender-based violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, women, violence, abuse, and their synonyms in MESH and EMTREE. Duplicates were removed, titles and abstracts were screened, and then the characteristics and main results of included studies were recorded in the data collection form in terms of thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 6255 records were identified, of which 3433 were duplicates. Based on inclusion criteria 2822 titles and abstracts were screened. Finally, 14 studies were eligible for inclusion in this study. Most of these studies were conducted in the United States, the Netherlands, and Iran, mostly with interventional and qualitative methods.

CONCLUSIONS

Strengthening ICT infrastructure, providing comprehensive government policies and planning, government economic support, social support by national and international organizations should be considered by countries worldwide. It is suggested that countries provide sufficient ICT infrastructure, comprehensive policies and planning, economic support, social support by collaboration between national and international organizations, and healthcare supporting to manage incidence of GBV against women in future pandemics.

The Relationship Between Vitamin D and Telomere/Telomerase: A Comprehensive Review

Telomeres are repetitive nucleotide sequences that together with the associated sheltrin complex protect the ends of chromosomes and maintain genomic stability. Evidences from various organisms suggests that several factors influence telomere length regulation, such as telomere binding proteins, telomere capping proteins, telomerase, and DNA replication enzymes. Recent studies suggest that micronutrients, such as vitamin D, folate and vitamin B12, are involved in telomere biology and cellular aging. In particular, vitamin D is important for a range of vital cellular processes including cellular differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. As a result of the multiple functions of vitamin D it has been speculated that vitamin D might play a role in telomere biology and genomic stability. In this study, our main goal is investigating the relationship between telomerase enzyme and vitamin D. Findings of this study suggest that higher vitamin D concentrations, which are easily modifiable through nutritional supplementation, are associated with longer LTL, which underscores the potentially beneficial effects of this hormone on aging and age-related diseases. Vitamin D may reduce telomere shortening through anti-inflammatory and anti-cell proliferation mechanisms. Significant Low levels of telomerase activity create short telomeres, which in turn signal exit from the cell cycle resulting in cell senescence and apoptosis. In follow-up examination, the patients who remained vitamin D deficient tended to have shorter telomeres than those patients whose 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were depleted. Increasing 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in patients with SLE may be beneficial in maintaining telomere length and preventing cellular aging. Moreover, anti-telomere antibody levels may be a promising biomarker of SLE status and disease activity.

Imidazole and carbazole derivatives as potential anticancer agents: molecular docking studies and cytotoxic activity evaluation

Carbazoles and imidazole represent two important classes of heterocycles which exhibit diverse biological activities such as antitumor properties. In this study, imidazole (C1-C3) and carbazole (C4 and C5) derivatives were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against three human cancer cell lines namely, MCF7 (human breast cancer), HT29 (human colon cancer), and HeLa (human cervical cancer). Carbazole derivatives (C4 and C5) with IC50 < 10 µM showed greater cytotoxic effect than imidazole derivatives (C1-C3). Furthermore, all compounds exhibited better anticancer activity against MCF-7 than other two cell lines (HT-29, HeLa) and compound C4 was the most potent compound with the IC50 values of 2.5, 5.4 and 4.0 µM, against MCF-7, Hela and HT-29 cell lines, respectively. Physicochemical properties of compounds were calculated and their correlation with the IC50 values on MCF-7 cell line investigated. Surface area and polarizability of compounds showed good correlation by R2 = 0.8396 and R2 = 0.834, respectively. Docking studies of these compounds were also performed on the DNA as proposed target to comprehend their binding interactions and binding energies. The docking energy of compounds ranged from - 11.32 to -13.48 kcal/mol. Compound C3 with energy of -13.48 kcal/mol had the highest docking energy. Docking results indicated that these compounds (C1-C5) had strong affinity in binding to the DNA.                     KEY WORDS: Imidazole, Carbazole, Molecular docking, Cancer, MTT assay   Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2020, 34(2), 377-384 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v34i2.14

Prevalence of unwanted pregnancy among Iranian women: an updated meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Unwanted pregnancy is a global issue with adverse outcomes for the mother, child, family, and society. Previous studies in Iran have reported different prevalence rates for unwanted pregnancy. This meta-analysis was aimed at estimating the overall prevalence of unwanted pregnancy among Iranian women.

METHODS

A total of 20 articles in English or Persian, published between 2012 and December 2018, were collected. The search was conducted in national and international databases, including Scientific Information Database (SID), MagIran, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, using the following keywords: 'Unplanned pregnancy', 'Unintended pregnancy', 'Unwanted pregnancy', and 'Mistimed pregnancy'. The data were analyzed using the meta-analysis method and the random effects model. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the I2 statistic. All analyses were performed using Stata, version 12.

RESULTS

Analysis of 20 studies with a total sample size of 16,298 showed that the prevalence of unwanted pregnancy among Iranian women was 26% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 23-28). This prevalence was higher in the regions 5 and 2 of Iran (27%) than the other regions, and had no significant decrease between 2012 and 2018 (p = 0. 937).

CONCLUSION

More than one-fourth of pregnancies among Iranian women are unwanted. Providing training programs for couples who do not plan to have children along with the support policies aimed at stimulating population growth, can be an important step in overcoming the issue of unwanted pregnancy and reducing the illegal abortions related to it.

Early diagenetic behavior of arsenic in the sediment of the hypersaline Maharlu Lake, southern Iran

Arsenic (As) is a toxic element can experience phase and speciation changes during the early diagenesis of sediments across the sediment-water interface, affecting its mobility and toxicity. Maharlu Lake is a hypersaline lake in Southern Iran that today receives significant inflow from urban, industrial and agricultural wastewater. A 1-m core was sampled from the lake sediment in an area far away from the major inflows. We performed a semi-quantitative analysis of the elemental composition, and a quantitative analysis of the total As concentration, pH, loss on ignition, water content, salt content, and grain size distribution to characterize changes in sediment composition with depth and their influence on the variability of As partitioning and speciation. Nine characterized lithologies were selected for a sequential As extraction analysis to study the vertical variations in phase and speciation of As in the heterogenic lithologies. Total As concentrations range from 1.0 μg g^-1 to 13.6 μg g^-1. As is present mostly in HNO₃ and HCl extractable fractions with As⁵⁺ being the predominant species. As³⁺ was mostly found in phosphate and NH₂OH·HCl extractable fractions. The concentration of mobile As fractions generally decrease with depth. It seems that the As stored in volatile sulfides and very poorly crystalline Fe and Al hydr-oxides in the shallow sediment transforms to sulfides phases during burring. Our findings show that the mobility and toxicity of As decreases during early diagenetic processes in Maharlu lake. However, the As can be remobilized either via changes in the redox conditions in the lake.

Exploring Self-Care Needs of Pregnant Women with Gingivitis: A Qualitative Study in Iran

BACKGROUND

Oral self-care behaviors are not satisfactory among pregnant women; incidence of gingivitis is high in them and training programs have slightly improved their gingivitis. This study was aimed to explore self-care needs of pregnant women suffering from gingival inflammation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was carried out in Sanandaj, west of Iran, in 2017. Twenty pregnant women with gingivitis were included in the study. Data were collected via semi-structured individual and group interviews and note-taking, and were analyzed by conventional content analysis. To confirm the accuracy and strength of the data, credibility, confirmability, and transferability components were taken into account.

RESULTS

The results of data analysis yielded six major categories, including "organizational support," "dentist's professional competence," "increasing perceived threat," "increasing self-efficacy," "increasing perceived benefits," and "culture-making." Increased self-efficacy was the most important concern of pregnant women.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings showed that self-care behaviors to prevent gingivitis in pregnant women are influenced by various factors. It is essential to consider the cooperation of the media and organizations, support of society, and attention of families and authorities to oral health education and disease prevention among women.

Effect of sequential treatments with sodium dodecyl sulfate and citric acid or hydrogen peroxide on the reduction of some foodborne pathogens on eggshell

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), citric acid, and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), alone or in combination, on reducing the population of four foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonellatyphimurium, and Staphylococcus aureus on eggshells. In each series of tests, eight fresh eggs were inoculated with each bacterial strain by being immersed in a bacterial suspension and exposed to SDS (1.5%), H₂O₂ (0.5%), citric acid (1%), or sequential treatments with SDS + citric acid and SDS + H₂O₂. Viable cell counts were made and the bacterial concentrations results compared to pre-treatment levels. Results showed that all washing solutions except citric acid significantly (P<0.05) reduced the concentration of all tested bacteria (~2-4 log reductions). The sensitivity of S. typhimurium and E. coli to SDS and H₂O₂ was similar (~2.5 log reduction). Listeria monocytogenes (4.1 Log reduction) and S. aureus (4.3 Log reduction) were more sensitive to SDS and H₂O₂, respectively. The combination of SDS and citric acid or H₂O₂ in comparison to SDS alone, generally did not produce significant additive reductions in the viability of the bacteria on eggshells. These data suggest that SDS potentially could be used alone or in combination with citric acid or H₂O₂ as an effective and inexpensive method to reduce bacteria, such as L. monocytogenes, on eggshells. Additionally, application of SDS may be useful for bacterial decontamination of other materials and surfaces in food industries.

The prevalence of violence against women and some related factors in Sanandaj city (Iran) in 2015

Background and aim

Violence against women is considered as one of the social problems of all countries in the world. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of violence against married women referring to health centers, and determining its related factors in Sanandaj, Iran, in 2015.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 700 married women referred to health centers in Sanandaj, Iran in 2015. A researcher made questionnaire was used to collect data. To perform sampling, the city was divided into 5 regions and from each region, one health center was selected randomly. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18 and using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-test, chi-square test and ANOVA. Significance level of .05 was considered.

Results

The results of this study showed that all women in the study had been subjected to violence at least once. In 11.7% of cases, the violence was moderate and severe. A total of 9.6% had been subjected to physical violence, 42.2% to verbal and psychological violence, 52.4% to sexual violence and 53.4% to economic violence. It was a statistically significant correlation between violence and following variables; education (p=0.0001), occupation (p=0.0001), history of domestic violence in family (p=0.0001), and having a boy in the family (p=0.0001). There was no statistically significant relationship between the number of girls in the family and violence against women (p=0.19).

Conclusion

Although Physical violence against women has decreased, other forms of violence including; verbal, sexual and economic were used against women. It seems that the problem of violence against women would not be solved without improving women’s socio-economic status.

Vitamin D increases IGF-I and insulin levels in experimental diabetic rats

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have found that IGF-I may play an important role in glucose metabolism. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of vitamin D intake on the serum levels of glucose, insulin, and IGF-I in experimental diabetic rats.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total of 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats aged six to seven months, with an average weight of 300±30g, were randomly divided into three groups (eight rats per group). The first group served as control and the other two groups received an intraperitoneal injection of 45mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) to develop diabetes. Then groups were treated for four weeks either with placebo or vitamin D (two injections of 20,000IU/kg).

RESULTS

At the end of the experiment, two injection of vitamin D were found to result in a significant increase in plasma cholecalciferol, which could improve hyperglycaemia and hypoinsulinemia in diabetic rats. HbA1c concentration had a slight and insignificant decrease following vitamin D intake. In addition, a significant decline was observed in the serum IGF-I level of STZ-treated rats in comparison to the controls, which was compensated in the vitamin D group. The serum vitamin D concentration was positively correlated to the changes in IGF-I level by Pearson test.

CONCLUSIONS

These data showed for the first time that vitamin D intake could significantly improve fasting plasma glucose, insulin, and IGF-I in an experimental type 1 diabetes model.

Effects of L-carnitine supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity and lipid profile, in patients with pemphigus vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV), as an autoimmune disease including mucosa and the skin, is associated with several complications and comorbidities. The present study planned to determine the effect of L-carnitine (LC) supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress (OS), antioxidant capacity and lipid profile in PV patients.Subjects/MethodsFifty two control and patients with PV, participated in the current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The patients were allocated randomly to receive 2 g per day LC tartrate subdivided into two equal doses of 1 g before breakfast and dinner (n=26) or placebo (n=26) for 8 weeks. Anthropometric, lipid profile and OS values were determined at baseline and end of intervention period.

RESULTS

LC intake significantly reduced serum levels of triglycerides, total-, LDL- cholesterol and oxidative stress index (OSI; P<0.05). In addition, supplementation with LC resulted to a meaningful increase in levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) (P=0.05) and serum carnitine (P<0.001). LC intake revealed non-significant change in serum total oxidant capacity (P=0.15) and HDL- cholesterol (P=0.06) in comparison to the placebo.

CONCLUSIONS

LC consumption may have favorable results on TAC, OSI and lipid profiles in patients with PV. The results were in line with the idea that LC supplementation can be associated with positive effects on metabolic status and OS of patients with PV.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition advance online publication, 23 August 2017; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2017.131.

Effects of testosterone enanthate treatment in conjunction with resistance training on thyroid hormones and lipid profile in male Wistar rats

This study was conducted to determine the effects of 8-week administration of testosterone enanthate (TE) in conjunction with resistance training on thyroid hormones and lipid profiles. Sixty male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into six groups: C: olive oil, RT: resistance training + olive oil, LD: TE (20 mg/kg), HD: TE (50 mg/kg), RT + LD: RT + TE (20 mg/kg), RT + HD: RT + TE (50 mg/kg). The RT consisted of climbing (5 reps/3 sets) a ladder carrying a load suspended from the tail. At the end, blood specimens were obtained from the orbital sinus and serum concentration of T4, T3, TSH and lipid profiles was determined. The serum concentration of TSH significantly increased in RT + HD group compared to C, and the serum concentration of T4 significantly decreased in LD, HD, RT + LD and RT + HD groups compared to the C and RT groups (p < .05). The concentration of HDL and cholesterol significantly decreased in HD and RT + HD groups compared with C group (p < .05). Both decreased T4 and increased TSH in the RT + HD group likely suggested a primary hypothyroidism as a complication of high-dose administration of testosterone enanthate along with resistance training. Alteration in lipid profile was another complication observed in rats received high doses of testosterone enanthate.

The Prevalence of Restless Legs Syndrome in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Study

INTRODUCTION

Restless legs syndrome is a sensory-motor disorder that causes sleep disorder. The syndrome in patients undergoing hemodialysis associates with depression, sleep deprivation, performance disorder, day fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness, stress, anxiety, and higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. The objective of this systematic meta-analysis study was to estimate prevalence of restless legs syndrome in patients undergoing hemodialysis.

METHODS

Twenty-six relevant articles published between 2000 and 2015 indexed in Iranian (MagIran and IranMedex) and international databases (SID, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Pre Quest, and Scopus) were selected. Data analysis was carried out through meta-analysis (random effect model) and heterogeneity of the studies was determined using I2 index. The obtained data were analyzed in STAT (11.2).

RESULTS

Prevalence of the syndrome according to the found articles was 50% (95% CI: 38-61) in Iranian and 30% (95% CI:23-37) in international databases. There was an ascending trend of prevalence of the syndrome corresponding to the publication year of the articles (P=0.419), while the trend based on age of the patients was descending (P=0.604). However, the variations were not significant.

CONCLUSION

Given the high prevalence and considerable effects of restless legs syndrome on patients undergoing hemodialysis, it is recommended that these patients be screened for the syndrome.

Breast cancer research in Iran: a scientometric analysis of publications output from 1991 to 2015 in Scopus

Introduction

As a common type of malignancy, breast cancer is one of the major causes of death in women globally. The purpose of the current study was to analyze Iran research performance on Breast Cancer in the context of national and international studies, shown in the publications indexed in Scopus database during 1991–2015.

Methods

Data were retrieved from the Scopus citation database in this scientometric study. The following string was employed; “breast cancer OR breast malignancy OR breast tumor OR mammary ductal carcinoma” keywords in the main title, abstract and keywords and Iran in the affiliation field were the main related keywords. The terms used were searched in Scopus using the tab specified for searching documents. Time span analyzed was 1991 to 2015 inclusive. Using the analyzing software of Scopus, we analyzed the results.

Results

Iran’s increasing publication production during 1991–2015 in breast cancer research which indexed in Scopus, consists of 2,399 papers with an average of 95.96 papers per year, and achieved an h-index of 48. Iranian cancer research articles have received 15,574 citations during 1991–2015, and average citations per paper were 6.49. Iran ranked 27th among the top 30 nations with a worldwide stake of 0.67 %, the 20 top publishing journals published 744 (31%) Iranian research articles on breast cancer, among them, there were 15 Iranian journals.

Conclusion

The number of Iranian research papers on breast cancer and also the number of citations to them, is increasing. Although the quantity and quality of papers are increasing, regarding the prevalence of breast cancer in Iran and also the ineffectiveness of screening programs in the early detection of the cases, more effort should be made, and Iranian policy makers should consider more investment on breast cancer research.

Factors Governing the Impact of Emerged Salt Diapirs on Water Resources

Salt diapirs in southern Iran are typically in contact with karstic and alluvial aquifers and consequently they are the most likely sources of groundwater salinization in this arid region. However, there are some salt diapirs that have no significant degradation effect on adjacent aquifers. Assessments of 62 of 122 Iranian-emerged salt diapirs based on geological, geomorphological, hydrogeological, and hydrochemical investigations indicated that 45% of the studied salt diapirs did not have a negative impact on surrounding water resources, whereas 55% of the salt diapirs have degraded water quality of adjacent aquifers. The impacts ranged from low- to high-grade salinization. We characterize here four major factors that control the impact of salt diapirs on surrounding water resources: (1) the evolutionary stage of the diapir, (2) the geological and (3) hydrogeological setting of the diapir, and (4) human activities. Identification of the major factors governing the influence of salt diapirs on the adjacent aquifers is necessary to understand the mechanism of salt diapir impact on adjacent aquifers, and subsequently to decide how to mitigate the deteriorating effect of the diapirs on the surrounding water resources.

Abnormal frontostriatal connectivity in adolescent-onset schizophrenia and its relationship to cognitive functioning

BACKGROUND

Adolescent-onset schizophrenia (AOS) is associated with cognitive impairment and poor clinical outcome. Cognitive dysfunction is hypothesised, in part, to reflect functional dysconnectivity between the frontal cortex and the striatum, although structural abnormalities consistent with this hypothesis have not yet been demonstrated in adolescence.

OBJECTIVE

To characterise frontostriatal white matter (WM) tracts in relation to cognition in AOS.

DESIGN

A MRI volumetric and diffusion tensor imaging study.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-seven AOS subjects and 24 age and sex-matched healthy subjects.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Using probabilistic tractography, cortical regions with the highest connection probability for each striatal voxel were determined, and correlated with IQ and specific cognitive functions after co-varying for age and sex. Fractional anisotropy (FA) from individual tracts was a secondary measure.

RESULTS

Bayesian Structural Equation modeling of FA from 12 frontostriatal tracts showed processing speed to be an intermediary variable for cognition. AOS patients demonstrated generalised cognitive impairment with specific deficits in verbal learning and memory and in processing speed after correction for IQ. Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connectivity with the striatum correlated positively with these measures and with IQ. DTI voxel-wise comparisons showed lower connectivity between striatum and the motor and lateral orbitofrontal cortices bilaterally, the left amygdalohippocampal complex, right anterior cingulate cortex, left medial orbitofrontal cortex and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

CONCLUSIONS

Frontostriatal dysconnectivity in large WM tracts that can explain core cognitive deficits are evident during adolescence. Processing speed, which is affected by alterations in WM connectivity, appears an intermediary variable in the cognitive deficits seen in schizophrenia.

Effect of vitamins A, E, C and omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on the level of catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

BACKGROUND

Since free radicals and antioxidant enzymes may play an important role in the development of diabetes, the present study was designed to assess the effect of supplementation with vitamins A, E and C and ω-3 fatty acids on catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.

METHODS

A total of 64 male Wistar rats weighing 250 g were divided into four groups as normal control, diabetic control, diabetic supplemented with vitamin A, E and C and diabetic supplemented with ω-3 fatty acids. After four weeks the rats were anesthetized and catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were investigated in blood samples, liver and heart homogenates.

RESULTS

In diabetic rats, the activity levels of heart SOD (p < 0.001) and heart and liver CAT (p < 0.001) were significantly lower than in normal control rats. Supplementation with vitamins A, E and C significantly increased heart CAT (p = 0.05). No significant change was observed in diabetic rats supplemented with ω-3 fatty acids.

CONCLUSION

Supplementation with vitamins A, E and C and ω-3 fatty acids was found to increase heart CAT activity in diabetic rats and they can be valuable candidates in the treatment of the complications of diabetes (Tab. 6, Ref. 26).

Evaluation of antioxidant enzyme activity and antioxidant capacity in patients with newly diagnosed pemphigus vulgaris

BACKGROUND

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune blistering disorder of the skin and/or mucosa. Increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were previously reported in PV.

AIM

Because oxidative stress has an important role in the inflammatory process, we designed this study to evaluate the antioxidant status in patients with PV and to compare it with that of healthy controls (HCs).

METHODS

In this case-control study, 43 newly diagnosed patients with PV were compared with 58 HCs. The severity of the disease was estimated according to Harman scores. Erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), CAT and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) activities and total antioxidant capacity were measured. Data were analyzed by independent t-test.

RESULTS

Both groups were similar in sex, age and body mass index. Mean duration of disease was 5.6 months. Mean oral and skin severities were 1.79 and 2.3 respectively, based on Harman scores. SOD activity was not significantly different between groups (1003.30 ± 39.96 vs. 1009.76 ± 32.68 U/gHb). Levels were noticeably higher in patients with PV than in HCs for both GPx (52.13 ± 2.85 vs. 36.63 ± 1.49 U/gHb, respectively; P < 0.001) and CAT (205.69 ± 8.10 vs. 130.26 ± 6.80 kU/gHb, respectively; P < 0.001) activities, and CAT activity correlated with disease severity. In addition, patients had lower total antioxidant capacity than controls (3.39 ± 0.06 vs. 3.72 ± 0.09 mmol/L, P = 0.006). There was no noticeable difference in serum MDA between the two groups (P = 0.45).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with PV have significantly higher antioxidant enzyme activities and lower total antioxidant capacity compared with HCs. These data indicate the importance of improving antioxidant level in patients with pemphigus.

First direct access to 2-hydroxybenzophenones via nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of 2-hydroxybenzaldehydes with aryl iodides

The Nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of 2-hydroxybenzaldehydes with aryl iodides proceeds in ethylene glycol to give the corresponding 2-hydroxybenzophenones.

Paclitaxel loaded niosome nanoparticle formulation prepared via reverse phase evaporation method: an in vitro evaluation

Niosoms are nanoparticles used in drug delivery systems. Niosomes are prepared by various methods. In this research niosoms were prepared by reverse phase evaporation and the factors affecting the niosomes formation were studied. Percent of paclitaxel pegylated and non-pegylated prepared with Span 60 were 95 and 92, respectively while for those of pegylated and non-pegylated niosomes with Span 20, 94 and 90, respectively. In addition, the average diameters of pegylated and no-pegylated prepared with Span 60 and 20 were determined to be 191, 214, 244 and 284 nm, respectively. The amount of released drug (48 h) from pegylated and non pegylated formulations in the presence of Spans 60 and 20 were 8, 10, 6, 7%, respectively. Cytotoxicities ofpaclitaxel niosom polyethyleneglycol, paclitaxel niosome and free paclitaxel on MCF-7 cell line after 48 hours were studied by MTT assay. The results showed the formulation prepared with Span 60 is more effective than that of Span 20 and the IC50 of the former was decreased twice while IC50 of the later decreased 1.5 times.

Hemato-immunological responses of Heros severus fed diets supplemented with different levels of Dunaliella salina

In this study, the effects of oral administration of different levels of Dunaliella salina (a natural β-carotene source) on growth parameters, immunological and hematological indices, as well as skin carotenoids, of Heros severus were investigated. One hundred and eighty H. severus weighing 27 ± 0.5 g were divided randomly into four groups in triplicate (15 fish in each replicate). Groups 1-4 received food supplemented with 0, 50, 100 and 200 mg kg⁻¹ D. salina powder, respectively. After 6 weeks, the growth parameters were compared among the groups. Blood samples were taken from each group, and hematological parameters including red blood cell count (RBC), white blood cell count (WBC), hematocrit (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb) and immunological indices (serum and mucus lysozyme and bactericidal activity, resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila infection) as well as carotenoid content of skin were evaluated. Results showed that some growth indices increased significantly in fish fed with 100 and 200 mg kg⁻¹ D. salina-supplemented food (P < 0.05). Although serum lysozyme activity was increased in fish fed with food supplemented with 100 and 200 mg kg⁻¹ D. salina (P < 0.05), no significant change was observed in serum and mucus bactericidal activity and mucus lysozyme activity among the groups (P > 0.05). Most of the hematological parameters such as WBC, RBC, PCV and Hb significantly increased in D. salina-treated fish compared with controls (P < 0.05). Mortality induced after challenge with A. hydrophila in 200 mg kg⁻¹ D. salina-treated fish was 36.67 %, which significantly decreased compared with control (P < 0.05). Skin carotenoid content in all D. salina treatments was statistically higher than that of control (P < 0.05). Conclusively, D. salina as a food additive can affect positively the growth, immunological and hematological parameters of H. severus.

Potential of Hydrocotyle vulgaris for phytoremediation of a textile dye: Inducing antioxidant response in roots and leaves

The potential of Hydrocotyle vulgaris as an aquatic plant species was evaluated for phytoremediation of C.I. Basic Red 46 (BR46) from nutrient solution. Under the optimized experimental conditions, BR46 was removed up to 95% from incubation medium by H. vulgaris. The ability of the plant in consecutive removal under long term repetitive experiments confirmed the biodegradation process. Accordingly, a number of produced intermediate compounds were identified. An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict the biodegradation efficiency. A predictive performance (R(2)=0.974) was obtained based on the network results. Interestingly, dye stress enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase in H. vulgaris roots and leaves. Enzymatic responses found to be highly depended on the plant organ and dye concentration in the liquid medium. Overall, the increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes was much higher in the roots than in the leaves. Nevertheless, no significant increase in the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was detected in both roots and leaves which reflects the high efficiency of antioxidant system in the elimination of reactive oxygen species.

Potential of the aquatic fern Azolla filiculoides in biodegradation of an azo dye: modeling of experimental results by artificial neural networks

The potential of an aquatic fern, Azolla filiculoides, in phytoremediation of a mono azo dye solution, C.I. Acid Blue 92 (AB92), was studied. The effects of operational parameters such as reaction time, initial dye concentration, fern fresh weight, pH, temperature and reusability of the fern on biodegradation efficiency were investigated. The intermediate compounds produced by biodegradation process were analyzed using GC-MS analysis. An artificial neural network (ANN) model was developed to predict the biodegradation efficiency. The findings indicated that ANN provides reasonable predictive performance (R2 = 0.961). The effects of AB92 solutions (10 and 20 mg L(-1)) on growth, chlorophylls and carotenoids content, activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase and formation of malondialdehyde were analyzed. AB92 generally showed inhibitory effects on the growth. Moreover, photosynthetic pigments in the fronds significantly decreased in the treatments. An increase was detected for lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes activity, suggesting that AB92 caused reactive oxygen species production in Azolla fronds, which were scavenged by induced activities of antioxidant enzymes.