Essential Oil from Citrus aurantifolia prevents ketotifen‐induced weight‐gain in mice

Obesity is a major health problem world‐wide. Medical intervention is often needed to tackle this problem, and accordingly the need for developing more effective, safer and cheaper weight reducing drugs has become paramount in recent years. In the present study, the effects of lime (Citrus aurantifolia) essential oils in reducing body weight, individually and in co‐administration with ketotifen, an antihistaminic drug that causes weight‐gain, has been investigated using a mouse model. During the 45 days experimental period, the mice that received ketotifen demonstrated an enhancement both in the amount of food intake and body weight compared with the control group. Groups treated with lime essential oil displayed a reduction in body weight and food consumption in mice, possibly through promoting anorexia which might have played a role in weight loss. Interestingly, co‐administration of the lime essential oil and ketotifen caused significant suppression in gaining weight, as well as decreased body weights of mice. The data obtained in this study suggested that lime essential oil plays an important role in weight loss and could be useful in the treatment of drug‐induced obesity and related diseases. The GC‐MS analysis of the essential oils of C. aurantifolia was also performed and approximately 22 main components, with limonene (28.27%) being the principal one, were identified and quantified. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prophylactic Effect of BIO-1211 Small-Molecule Antagonist of VLA-4 in the EAE Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis

Background and Purpose: Some functional limitations and economic burden of therapeutic antibodies indicated that introducing of alternative therapeutic compounds with same or different mechanism of action could be worthwhile. In this regard small-molecule antagonists can have a wide range of impacts, so in this research, we examine the prophylactic effects of BIO-1211 [Very Late Antigen-4 (VLA4) blocker], in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mouse model of multiple sclerosis in comparison with commercial available medicine, Natalizumab (NTZ)].

Methods: EAE was induced by subcutaneous immunization of myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55) in 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice. During EAE induction, mice were separated to distinct groups and provided either BIO-1211 (5 and 10?mg/kg) or NTZ (5?mg/kg) and co-administration of these two compounds. After 21 days, neuro-inflammatory responses were analyzed using qRT-PCR, western blot, and ELISA methods. Pervade of immune cells to brain was examined by Evans blue staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of specific markers of microglia/monocytes (CD11b) and leukocytes (CD45).

Results: Targeted disruption of VLA4/VCAM1 interactions, by BIO-1211 agonist in mice, results in reduced cytokines expression, leukocyte trafficking, and inhibition of inflammatory responses in EAE (p?<?0.01) in a dose-independent manner (data not shown). Mice treated with both BIO-1211 and NTZ exhibited a considerable depletion in the EAE clinical score, which correlated with decreased expression of TNF-α, IL-17, IFN-γ and pervade of CD11b⁺ and CD45⁺ cells into the cerebral cortex.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that BIO12-11 compound would be an useful tool to further understand the biological roles of VLA4/VCAM1 interactions, and could also be considered as EAE-suppressing agent.     

Spotlight on 17‐AAG as an Hsp90 inhibitor for molecular targeted cancer treatment

Hsp90 is a ubiquitous chaperone with important roles in the organization and maturation of client proteins that are involved in the progression and survival of cancer cells. Multiple oncogenic pathways can be affected by inhibition of Hsp90 function through degradation of its client proteins. That makes Hsp90 a therapeutic target for cancer treatment. 17‐allylamino‐17‐demethoxy‐geldanamycin (17‐AAG) is a potent Hsp90 inhibitor that binds to Hsp90 and inhibits its chaperoning function, which results in the degradation of Hsp90's client proteins. There have been several preclinical studies of 17‐AAG as a single agent or in combination with other anticancer agents for a wide range of human cancers. Data from various phases of clinical trials show that 17‐AAG can be given safely at biologically active dosages with mild toxicity. Even though 17‐AAG has suitable pharmacological potency, its low water solubility and high hepatotoxicity could significantly restrict its clinical use. Nanomaterials‐based drug delivery carriers may overcome these drawbacks. In this paper, we review preclinical and clinical research on 17‐AAG as a single agent and in combination with other anticancer agents. In addition, we highlight the potential of using nanocarriers and nanocombination therapy to improve therapeutic effects of 17‐AAG.     

Pain-relieving effects of Lawsonia inermis on neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury

The aim of this study was to determine the role of Lawsonia inermis (L. inermis) extract in the chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain. Following CCI surgery, L. inermis extract (250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg) and gabapentin (100 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally for 14 consecutive days. Heat hyperalgesia and allodynia were assessed by radiant heat, aceton drop, and von frey filament tests, respectively. Rat pain behaviors were evaluated on -1sh, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and 14th days post CCI surgery. At the end of the study, the spinal levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total thiol, IL1-β, and TNF-α were estimated. Treatment of L. inermis extract reversed the decreased level of thiol and the elevation of MDA level in the spinal cord of CCI rats. Besides, L. inermis extract treatment decreased the elevation of inflammatory markers including IL1-β, and TNF-α in the spinal cord of CCI rats. These results indicated that L. inermis has potential neuroprotective effects against CCI induced neuropathic pain due to its anti-oxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.

     

Footbath as a safe,simple, and non-pharmacological method to improve sleep quality of menopausal women

Due to the adverse effects of medication we decided to provide a safe, economic, and easy intervention to decrease sleep problems in menopausal women. This trial aimed to determine the effect of footbath on sleep disturbance in postmenopausal women. One hundred menopausal women were randomly stratified using a permuted block randomization procedure by Random Allocation Software, and assigned to one of two study groups: control (without intervention, n = 50) and intervention (footbath, n = 50). The footbath group was asked to lie their feet into the warm water for 20 min in a container with a depth of 10 cm one hour before the usual sleeping time for 6 weeks. To assess sleep quality, we used the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). To evaluate severity of menopause symptoms, the Greene scale was applied. Before the intervention, 96% of the subjects in the footbath group and 94% in the control group were poor sleepers. The results of analysis of covariance showed significant improvement in sleep quality and decrease in severity of menopause signs in the footbath group compared to the control group. At the baseline, there was a statistically significant correlation between the severity of menopause signs and the global score of PSQI in all study individuals (p ≤ .001, r = .464). The present study findings showed that footbath intervention enhanced sleep quality in menopausal women. Thus, footbath as a safe, simple, and non-pharmacological application can improve quality of life in postmenopausal women and inhibit problems due to inadequate sleep quality.     

Scientometric analysis and mapping of 20 years of glaucoma research

AIM: To provide a scientometric analysis in the field of glaucoma. METHODS: A bibliometric method was used to obtain a view of the scientific production in field of glaucoma by data extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) from 1993 to 2013. Specific parameters were retrieved from the ISI. Articles about glaucoma were analyzed regarding the topics’ structure, history, and document relationships using HistCite software. Also, the trends in the most influential publications and authors were analyzed. RESULTS: The number of articles was constantly increasing, and most highly cited articles addressed clinical and epidemiologic topics in this field. During the past three years, there has been a trend towards genomic research studies and also more molecular translational research. CONCLUSION: This was the first scientometric report on glaucoma, analyzing the characteristics of papers and the trends in scientific production. A constant increase was observed in the number of papers, while the subject of papers had a shift in the past three years towards genomic research studies.     

Investigation of arginine A-specific cysteine proteinase gene expression profiling in clinical <Emphasis Type="Italic">Porphyromonas gingivalis</Emphasis> isolates against photokilling action of the photo-activated disinfection

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a significant root canal pathogen capable of causing endodontic infections, which during their treatment may receive sub-lethal doses of photo-activated disinfection (sPAD). As sPAD can influence microbial virulence, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of sPAD on gene expression level of arginine A-specific cysteine proteinase (rgpA), as one of the underlying virulence factors involved in the development of endodontic infection via P. gingivalis strains. To find out the sPAD against 16 clinical isolates of PAD-resistant P. gingivalis that were isolated in vivo, we used toluidine blue O (TBO), methylene blue (MB), and indocyanine green (ICG) as the photosensitizers, which were excited with specific wavelength of light in vitro. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was then applied to monitor gene expression of rgpA in P. gingivalis isolates to characterize its virulence agent and understand the effect of sPAD on its pathogenicity. Maximal sPAD that could not decrease the count of P. gingivalis isolates were 6.25, 15.6, and 25 μg/mL at fluencies of 171.87, 15.6, and 93.75 J/cm² for TBO, ICG, and MB, respectively. ICG-sPAD could suppress the rgpA gene expression about 14-fold, while MB and TBO-mediated sPAD could cause the attenuation of rgpA expression about 4.9- and 11.6-fold, respectively. ICG-sPAD with the maximum ability to reduce rgpA gene expression compared with other photosensitizers can be an appropriate candidate for the treatment of endodontic infections.     

Extent and nature of dual practice engagement among Iran medical specialists

Background

Dual practice (DP) by medical specialists is a widespread issue across health systems. This study aims to determine the level of DP engagement among Iran’s specialists.

Methods

A pre-structured form was developed to collect the data about medical specialists worked in all 925 Iran hospitals in 2016. The forms were sent to the hospitals via medical universities in each province. The data were merged at the national level and matched using medical council ID codes, national ID codes, and eventually a combination of the first name, surname, and father’s name.

Results

A total of 48?345 records were collected for 30?273 specialists from 858 (93%) hospitals out of total 925 hospitals. Sixteen thousand eight hundred forty-nine (69% of) specialists were non-faculty members and 6317 (26% of) specialists were employed on a contract basis. Eleven thousand six hundred and thirty-eight (47.7% of) specialists were engaged in DP on total. Female specialists had 0.78 times less DP chance; faculties compared to non-faculties had 0.65 times more DP chance and full-time geographic specialists compared to non-full-time specialists had 0.15 times more DP chance. DP was more frequent in specialists with higher age and more job experience and in provinces with more population, deprivation, and higher number of specialists per facility (P?<?0.05).

Conclusions

The level of DP is relatively high among Iran medical specialists, especially in geographic full-time specialists. However, they are totally banned and they receive extra payment for being full-time; restrictive regulations and financial incentives without considering other factors might not eliminate DP in specialists and it should be addressed based on conditions of each country and regions inside the country.