Overview of biological effects of Quercetin on ovary

Over the last few decades, using natural products has been increased to treat different diseases. Today, great attention has been pointed toward the usage of natural products such as flavonoids, especially Quercetin (QUR), in the treatment of diseases. QUR as a natural antioxidant has been traditionally used to prevent or treat a variety of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity, chronic inflammation, and reproductive system dysfunction. Several studies demonstrated that QUR acts as an anti‐inflammatory, anti‐apoptotic, antioxidant, and anticancer agent. With this in view, in this study, we intended to describe an overview of the biological effects of QUR on the ovary. QUR improves the quality of oocytes and embryos. It affects the proliferation and apoptosis and decreases the oxidative stress in granulosa cells (GCs). Furthermore, QUR can be used as a complementary and alternative therapy in ovarian cancer and it has beneficial effects in the treatment of PCOS patients. It seems that QUR as a supplementary factor has different activities for the treatment of different disorders and it also has bidirectional activities. However, further investigations are needed for understanding the efficacy of QUR in the treatment and improvement of gynecological patients.     

Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis in Kerman,Southeast of Iran: A Seroepidemiological,Histopathological and Molecular Study

Background

Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is a systemic disease with a high mortality rate, caused by a diphasic protozoan parasite, Leishmania infantum/chagasi in the world. The objective of the present study was to determine the presence of CVL in the city and suburbs of Kerman, using a range of serological, histopathological and molecular methods.

Methods

Blood samples were taken from 80 clinically symptomatic stray dogs All the collected blood samples were tested by direct agglutination test (DAT) to detect the anti-Leishmania antibodies in dogs, using a cut-off value of ≥1:320. Pathological specimens including spleen, liver and lymph nodes were prepared for paraffin blocks, sectioning, staining and final microscopic examination in the pathology laboratory. PCR amplification of kDNA from 9 samples of DAT positive stray dogs was studied.

Results

The anti-Leishmania antibody was detected in 9 dogs (11.25 %) of the total 80 studied dogs. No significant difference was found between VL infection and gender. In contrast, there was a significant difference between seropositivity and age (P<0.05). Pathological samples showed changes including hyperplasia of infected macrophages and inflammatory cells that occupied sinusoids and splenic cords. Among the samples which was characterized by PCR, only one specimen revealed to be mixed infection between L. infantum and L. tropica.

Conclusion

The results revealed a high prevalence of L. infantum infection in stray dogs in Kerman. This kind of information is needed for implementation of future control programs.     

Isolation of Small Number of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocyst Using Immunochromatography

Background

Cryptosporidium parvum causes severe gastroenteritis in immunocompromised human and new borne animals. The organism can be transmitted through water. Since small number of C. parvum is infectious, the aim of the present study was to develop a chromatography method for the isolation of C. parvum oocyst in samples with limited number of oocysts.

Methods

Antibody was prepared against whole antigen from C. parvum oocysts, the achieved Ab bound to the sepharose 4B and used for the isolation of oocysts. Antibody against P23 bound to the sepharose 4B, used also for the isolation of C. parvum oocyst. In comparison to these both methods, 2 traditional methods (Salt floatation and 55% sucrose floatation) were also performed.

Results

Both chromatography methods could bind oocysts with capacity depends on the column size. The isolated oocysts were free of bacteria. Our results showed that the traditional methods are useful for the isolation of oocysts from feces, in its smear stained with ziehl-nelsen, at least 3 oocyts are detectable in each microscopic field under 1000 X magnification. In contrast to the chromatography methods, the bacterial contamination was always observed in oocysts isolated with traditional methods.

Conclusion

Immunochromatography could be used for the successful isolation of C. parvum oocysts from the samples containing limited number of oocysts.     

Frequencies of CD4+ T Regulatory Cells and their CD25high and FoxP3high Subsets Augment in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Acute and Chronic Brucellosis

Objectives

Brucellosis remains one of the most common zoonotic diseases worldwide. In humans, brucellosis can be a serious, debilitating, and sometimes chronic disease. Different mechanisms can be postulated as to the basis for the induction of the chronic status of infectious diseases that T regulatory cells are one of the most important related mechanisms. The current study was designed to determine whether percentage of CD4+Treg cells and their CD25^high and FoxP3^high subpopulations in peripheral blood are changed in human brucellosis samples in comparison to a control group.

Methods

In total, 68 brucellosis patients (acute form: n = 43, chronic form: n = 25) and 36 healthy volunteers entered our study. After isolating of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, heparinized venous blood samples were obtained from both patients and healthy donors, CD4, CD25, and FoxP3 molecules were evaluated by two- and three-color flow cytometric methods.

Results

The results revealed a new finding in relation to Treg cells and human brucellosis. The numbers of CD4⁺Treg cells and their CD25^high and FoxP3^high subsets increase significantly in the peripheral blood of acute and chronic forms of brucellosis samples compared with healthy groups, with this increase being greater in the chronic group.

Conclusion

There seems to be a correlation between increase of CD4+Treg cells and their subsets and the disease progress from healthy state to acute and chronic brucellosis.     

Systematic review of appropriate cognitive assessment instruments used in clinical trials of schizophrenia,major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder

Cognitive dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a symptom in mental conditions including schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BPD). Despite the many available cognitive assessment instruments, consensus is lacking on their appropriate use in clinical trials. We conducted a systematic literature review in Embase, PubMed/Medline and PsychINFO to identify appropriate cognitive function instruments for use in clinical trials of schizophrenia, MDD, and BPD. Instruments were identified from the articles. Instruments and articles were excluded if they did not address schizophrenia, MDD, or BPD. Instrument appropriateness was further assessed by the criteria of the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) initiative: test–retest reliability, utility, relationship to functional status, potential changeability to pharmacological agents, and tolerability and practicality for clinical trials. The database search yielded 173 articles describing 150 instruments used to assess cognitive function. Seventeen additional instruments were identified through Google and clinicaltrials.gov. Among all these, only 30 (18%) were deemed appropriate for use in the diseases of interest. Of these, 27 were studied in schizophrenia, one in MDD and two in BPD. These findings suggest the need for careful selection of appropriate cognitive assessment instruments, as not all may be valid in these disorders.     

Ethnopharmacological studies of indigenous medicinal plants of Saravan region,Baluchistan, Iran

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This study was aimed to explore the indigenous knowledge of medicinal plant species of Baluch tribes in Saravan region, Baluchistan province, Iran.

Material and methods

Rapid appraisal approach along with the semi-structured open ended questionnaire, interviews and personal observations were used to collect the indigenous medicinal information. Quantitative analysis including the informant consensus factor (ICF) and use value (UV) was performed to evaluate the valued medicinal plants.

Results and discussion

A total 64 medicinal plants belonging to 30 families were reported from the study area. Among families, Lamiaceae dominated over other families and leaves dominated with 31% over other plant parts used as herbal remedies. Rhazya stricta and Datura stamonium (0.35) attributed the higher UV, followed by Otostegia persica (0.33) and Teucrium polium (0.32). Results of the ICF showed that cold/flu/fever (0.71) and blood disorders (0.57) were the most common diseases of the study area.

Conclusion

The use value and informant consensus factor substantiated that the relative importance of plant species and sharing knowledge of herbal therapies between different tribal communities of this area is still rich.     

Effects of ageing on speed and temporal resolution of speech stimuli in older adults

Background

According to previous studies, most of the speech recognition disorders in older adults are theresults of deficits in audibility and auditory temporal resolution. In this paper, the effect of ageing on timecompressedspeech and auditory temporal resolution by word recognition in continuous and interrupted noisewas studied.

Methods

A time-compressed speech test (TCST) was conducted on 30 young and 32 older adults with normalhearing thresholds. Lists of monosyllabic words were used at three time compression ratios. Auditory temporalresolution was determined by measuring the monosyllabic word recognition score (WRS), in the presence ofcontinuous and interrupted noise, at three signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns).

Results

There was a significant difference in TCST scores at the three compression ratios within and betweenyoung and older adult none (p< 0.001). Similar results were obtained in WRSs at the three S/Ns in the presenceof interrupted and continuous noise (p< 0.001), and in the degree of auditory temporal resolution(p=0.007). A significant correlation was found between the level of test difficulty of TCST with WRSs in bothyoung (r = 0.549, P=0.002) and older adults (r= 0.531, P=0.003).

Conclusion

Our results showed that ageing remarkably affects the processing of fast speech stimuli and temporalresolving ability. These results are more supportive of the effect of ageing on speech perception than onloss of hearing.     

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Death Depression Scale Among Nurses

This study is an attempt to investigate validity and reliability of the Persian version of Death Depression Scale among male and female nurses at Jundishapur University of Medical Science and 2 private hospitals in Ahvaz, Iran, who were selected by a convenience sampling method after obtaining informed consent. They completed the Death Depression Scale—Revised (DDS-R), Death Anxiety Scale, Death Obsession Scale, as well as Short-Form of Beck Depression Questionnaire (BDI-13). The results of exploratory factor analysis on DDS-R identified 3 factors. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.93 for the entire measure (19 items), with alphas ranging from .80 to .94 for the individual factors. Indices of concurrent validity for this scale with Death Anxiety, Death Obsession Scales, and BDI-13 were all significant (p < 0.001). Given the validity and reliability of the DDS-R, this scale can be used in clinical settings and research studies.     

Differentially Expressed Proteins in Chronic Active Hepatitis,Cirrhosis, and HCC Related to HCV Infection in Comparison With HBV Infection: A proteomics study

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a highly progressive cancer in the case of late diagnosis which is frequently associated with HBV and HCV viral infections.

Objectives

To identify differentially expressed serum proteins among three main stages of HCV infection and healthy individuals, and their comparisons with sera from patients with the same stage of HBV infection.

Patients and Methods

Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was performed on 47 sera from healthy volunteers, those with chronic active hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC patients associated with HBV and HCV infections.

Results

Among these, 62 spots were differentially expressed (≥ 1.5 fold; P < 0.05), of which 42 spots that corresponded to 15 proteins were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. CD5-like antigen (CD5L) was differentially expressed between cirrhosis and HCC patients with HCV infection. Leucine-rich α2-glycoprotein (LRG) and haptoglobin (HP) α2 isoforms differed in the HCC that was associated with either HCV or HBV infections.

Conclusions

CD5L might be a useful biomarker for early diagnosis of HCC in HCV cirrhotic patients. LRG and HP α2 isoforms could be potential markers for distinguishing viral HCC. Our results also further support the presence of varying molecules involved in hepatocarcinogenesis in HBV when compared with HCV infection.     

Seroprevalence of Human Fascioliasis in Meshkin-Shahr District,Ardabil Province,Northwestern Iran in 2012

Background

The aim of this study was to conduct a seroprevalence survey in Meshkin-Shahr, Ardabil Province, north western Iran to detect the rate of human fascioliasis in the city and nearby villages. Literature shows that no such study has been conducted so far.

Methods

Overall, 458 serum samples were collected by randomized cluster sampling method from 153 males and 305 females referred to different health centers of the region after recalling by staff in those centers in 2012. All cases filled out a questionnaire and an informed consent. Sera were analyzed using indirect-ELISA test. Ten μg /ml antigens (Liver Fluke Homogenate), serum dilutions of 1:500 and conjugate anti-human coombs with 1:10000 dilutions were utilized to perform the test. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software ver. 18.

Results

Nine cases (1.96%) were positive for fascioliasis by ELISA test. The seroprevalence of fascioliasis among females was 1.63% and 2.6% in males. There was no significant difference as regards age groups, sex, job, residency, literacy and consuming row vegetable. According to job, unemployment subjects had the highest rate of infection as 5.9%. The seroprevalence of infection was 1.52% in illiterate people. As for residency, urban life showed no significant difference with rural life (2.4% vs 1.42). Age group of 40-49 yr old, with 3.3% seropositivity had the highest rate.

Conclusion

Obtained seroprevalence of fascioliasis shows immediate attention of health authorities to the diseases in the area. The adjacent of Ardabil Province to endemic areas of fasciolosis accentuates this attention.