Antimutagenic and Anticancer Effects of Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Tarhana Through Ames Test and Phylogenetic Analysis By 16S rDNA

Deaths due to cancer have been increasing in many countries in recent years. One of the beneficial probiotic properties is potential of antimutagenic and anticancer effects. The aim of this study was to investigate antimutagenic and anticancer effects of 25 strains of lactobacilli spp isolated from Tarhana in vitro conditions and to identify selected strains based on molecular biology. Antimutagenicity and anticarcinogenicity tests were performed based on proposed method of Professor Ames et al. Identification of selected strains was performed based on biochemical and molecular tests. Study of antimutagenic and anticancer effects of 25 different strains led to identification of 4 isolates of Lactobacillus spp. Higher antimutagenic activities against sodium azide were observed in cell suspensions of 4 strains as compared with their supernatants. So the inhibitory percentage of cell suspensions among 4 strains was equal to 60.38% in its highest level. Antimutagenicity of these strains was also increased in the presence of rat S9. Four selected strains were identified based on 16S rDNA sequence. Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus brevis isolated from Tarhana exhibited high antimutagenic and anticancer activity. Of 25 strains of lactobacilli, 4 strains with the highest antimutagenicity effect were chosen as new potential probiotic strains.     

应用波前像差引导的LASEK治疗近视散光和低、高度近视

目的：对比在矫正低度近视,近视散光和高度近视时应用波前像差引导的激光上皮瓣下角膜磨镶术(LASEK)的安全性,有效性,可预测性,稳定性和并发症。

方法：该回顾性分析共纳入416眼,分为3组,低度近视组159眼,等值球镜-3.68±1.33D; 近视散光组161眼,等值球镜-5.99±2.24D,柱镜度2.41±1.07D; 高度近视组96眼,等值球镜-7.41±0.80D. 制瓣后,进行波前像差为基础的准分子激光削切术。在术后10d,2,6和12mo后评估其安全性,有效性,可预测性和稳定性。

结果：术后12mo,低度近视组等值球镜-0.36±0.31D,近视散光组0.15±0.41D,高度近视组0.58±0.68D。低度近视组中,裸眼视力为20/20的患者占90.60%,近视散光组78.90%,高度近视组67%。疗效指标在三组中分别为0.98, 1.04和0.92. 安全性指标分别为1.00, 1.07 和1.05。低度近视组有5眼(3.1%)最佳矫正视力提升1行,近视散光组有44眼(27.3%)提升1～3行,高度近视组18眼(19.2%)提升1～2行。低度近视组只有2例产生角膜雾状混浊。在疗效和安全性方面三组比较均无统计学差异。

结论：波前像差引导的激光上皮瓣下角膜磨镶术是治疗低度近视,近视散光和高度近视的一种有效安全的方法,而在治疗近视散光时其可预测性、有效性和安全性更佳。     

1,2-Diaryl-2-hydroxyiminoethanones as Dual COX-1 and β-Amyloid Aggregation Inhibitors: Biological Evaluation and In Silico Study

To find out new agents for treating inflammatory-involved diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, a series of 1,2-diaryl-2-hydroxyiminoethanones containing vicinal diaryl pharmacophore of COX inhibitors were tested by a set of in vitro, in vivo, and computational studies. The in vivo study of compounds indicated their prominent anti-inflammatory ability at the doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg comparable to celecoxib (10 mg/kg). Further in vitro COX-1/COX-2 evaluations revealed that 4-methoxy derivative 3 had a high selective COX-1 inhibitory activity (COX-1, IC₅₀ = 0.12 μm , SI > 833). To evaluate their potential use against Alzheimer's disease, in vitro evaluation of β-amyloid fibril formation using Aβ_(1–40) and Aβ_(1–42) peptides was performed. The evaluation of their antiaggregation ability gave impressive results and comparable to rifampicin and indomethacin. Conformational study of compound 3 and subsequent docking of its restrained analogs on both active sites of COX-1 and COX-2 could provide a proof of its COX-1 selectivity as well as molecular dynamic simulation could elucidate and give more insight into the amyloid disaggregation mechanisms leading to rational design of inhibitors.     

Assessing the measurement invariance of the RCADS-25 questionnaire across gender and child–parent dyads in the presence of multilevel data

Quality of Life Research - This study aims to assess the measurement invariance of the short version of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25) across male and female adolescents...     

Facial Anthropometric Norms of the Young Iranian Population

Introduction

Facial anthropometric measurement is considered an essential concern of surgeons, orthodontists, artists and forensic scientists. The aim of this study is to investigate facial anthropometric norms of the young Iranian population.

Methods

The study participants consisted of 200 healthy Iranian students (100 males, 100 females) aged 18–25 years old. Twenty-three liner and four angular measurements were investigated twice by a dentist. Independent-samples t test was used to compare indices between males and females and also between countries. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

It was found that the mean measurements of c’–sn’ of both sides, nasolabial angle, trichion–gnathion, tragion–tragion and gnathion–gnathion were statistically greater in Iranian males than in females (p < 0.05). Comparing Iranian anthropometric norms with North American Whites, Malays, Turkish and African American women demonstrated that there were statistically significant differences in most anthropometric measurements between Iranians and other populations (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In Iranians, mean measurements of c’–sn’ of the right and left sides, nasolabial angle, trichion–gnathion, tragion–tragion and gnathion–gnathion were greater in men than in women. Comparing Iranian males and females with different ethnicities indicated several interracial differences, which should be taken into consideration when dealing with patients or also practitioners originated in this region.

     

The impact of residential medication management reviews (RMMRs) on medication regimen complexity

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of RMMRs on medication regimen complexity, as assessed by a validated measure.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of RMMRs pertaining to 285 aged care residents aged ≥ 65 years in Sydney, Australia. Medication regimen complexity was measured using the Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI) at baseline, after pharmacists’ recommendations (assuming that all of the pharmacists’ recommendations were accepted by the General Practitioner (GP)), and after the actual uptake of pharmacists’ recommendations by the GP. Differences in the regimen complexity was measured using the Wilcoxon sign rank test.

Results: Pharmacists made 764 recommendations (average 2.7 recommendations per RMMR), of which 569 (74.5%) were accepted by GPs. The median MRCI at baseline in the sample was 25.5 (IQR = 19.0–32.5). No statistically significant differences were demonstrated in the MRCI scores after pharmacists’ recommendations (p = 0.53) or after GPs’ acceptance of these recommendations (p = 0.07) compared to the baseline.

Conclusion: Our study revealed high acceptance of pharmacists’ recommendations by GPs. This suggests that RMMRs are useful for identifying and resolving drug-related issues among residents of ACFs. However, our study failed to show a significant effect of RMMRs in reducing the medication regimen complexity, as measured by the MRCI. Further studies are needed to establish the association of medication regimen complexity and clinical outcomes in residents of ACFs.     

Study of morphine-induced dependence in gonadectomized male and female mice

In this study we evaluated the effects of sex difference and also sex hormones on the naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal in both orchidectomized (ORC) male and ovariectomized (OVX) female mice. Morphine (50, 50 and 75 mg/kg/day for 4 days, s.c.) was administered to animals and at 5th day naloxone (4 mg/kg, i.p.)-precipitated morphine withdrawal signs, jumpings and the percentage of weight loss, were measured. There was no significant alteration in withdrawal jumpings between male and female mice, though weight loss was significantly higher in male ones. Jumpings was significantly lower in both OVX and ORC mice and percentage of weight loss was significantly higher in OVX mice than corresponding non-operated or sham animals. In OVX mice, E₂V (10 mg/kg, s.c.) increased number of jumpings and decreased percentage of weight loss. Progesterone (25 mg/kg, s.c.) had no effect on jumpings, whereas it decreased weight loss in OVX mice. Testosterone (2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) increased jumpings in ORC mice while it had no effect on percentage of weight loss. Our results demonstrated that sex hormones could play a role in the morphine withdrawal syndrome in both ORC male and OVX female mice.     

Treatment outcome in endodontics: the Toronto Study. Phase III: initial treatment

The 4- to 6-year outcome of initial endodontic treatment was assessed for phase III (1998-1999) of the Toronto Study. Of the 532 teeth treated, 248 were from discontinuers (excluded), 142 from dropouts, 10 extracted, and 132 (50% recall) examined for outcome: healed (no apical periodontitis [AP], signs, symptoms) or diseased. Phase III was analyzed alone and combined with phases I, II (n = 373 teeth). Logistic regression performed on the combined phases I-III sample identified significant (p < or = 0.05) outcome predictors: preoperative AP (OR = 3.5; CI 1.7-7.2; healed: absent, 93%; present, 80%), number of roots (OR = 2.2; CI 1.0-4.7; healed: 1 - 92%; > or =2 - 83%), and intraoperative complications (OR = 2.2; CI 1.1-4.5; healed: absent, 88%; present, 76%). Treatment technique (OR = 2.8; CI 1.3-6.1; healed: Schilder, 89%; alternative, 73%) was suggested as an outcome predictor in teeth with AP, requiring confirmation from randomized controlled trials.