parisa mardani

The majority of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are encapsulated in various delivery vehicles in order to avoid some restrictions. This is mainly due to the molecules' physicochemical instability in physiological structure and/or their low bioavailability. Food ingredients or bioactive components can be encapsulated inside delivery systems for protection and controlled release. Encapsulated ingredients are protected from unfavorable reactions, such as lipid oxidation and volatile loss during production, storage, and handling.

Flaxseed oil was purchased from Barij Essence Pharmaceutical Co., Tehran, Iran. Saffron was bought from Novin Saffron Co., Mashhad, Iran. Cholesterol, span 60 and tween 60 were from Sigma-Aldrich. Phosphate buffered saline, sodium azide, hydrochloric acid, and other chemicals were procured from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany). All other solvents and reagents were provided from Merck Pharmaceutical Co. (Germany) as analyticall grade.
Crocin Extraction
The extraction of crocin from saffron was done based on crystallization method which has been explained by Mohajeri et.al.
Flaxseed Oil Extraction
Flaxseed is one of the richest plant sources of ω-3 fatty acids, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3 ω-3). A Soxhlet extraction was carried out on flaxseed powder (20g) using n-hexane for 14 hours at 70°C. After extraction, the sample was concentrated in a rotary evaporator at 40°C .
Niosome Preparation
A surfactant with a HLB number between 3 - 8 is suitable for the co-encapsulation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances (Korani et al. 2019. Hence, span 60: tween 60 variable ratios were selected to achieve HLB in this range. Additionally, the ratio of surfactants to Chol was considered variable. The DCP was applied at a constant concentration to enhance noisome stability.

Characterization of niosomes
The influence of experimental variables on the particle size, PDI and zeta potential of niosomes prepared by heating and bubble methods was investigated. In order to choose the appropriate ratios of surfactant, the physicochemical characteristics of niosomal particles, including particle size, zeta potential, PdI, and EE have been considered.
Tween 60 is a nonionic surfactant with a large hydrophilic head group and high HLB (14.9). In turn, span 60 has a large hydrophobic moiety (HLB 4.7) and low water solubility. The smaller head groups and longer alkyl chains in surfactant structure have led to larger vesicles. This might be the reason for the larger particle size of H1-H3 and B1-B3, containing higher amount of span 60 compared to other samples.
   The PDI of the prepared samples was found in the range of 0.29 to 0.49. This value was considered to be within the range of sufficient for attaining stable and aggregation resistant systems. However, higher span 60 content showed comparatively a lesser degree of PDI.
   Zeta potential is a respectable index of the quantity of the interaction between colloidal particles. In this work, the prepared niosomes had a zeta potential range of -31 to -48 mV, which was sufficient to maintain niosome stability without aggregation between vesicles. Negative zeta-potential in nonionic surfactant vesicles has been reported.
   Based on the results, B12 and H12 samples with the span: tween ratio of 4:1 and surfactant: Chol ratio of 1:1 formed better niosomes based on particle size, PDI, EE, and zeta potential.
In the optimum conditions, the EE of crocin and ω-3 in heating method were 76% and 32%, and in bubble method they were 73% and 28%, respectively.
Stability of niosomes
The stability of the optimum niosomes prepared by bubble and heating methods were evaluated at 4°±2°C, 25±2°C, and 37°±2°C for 90 days, by means of stability in size, PDI, and EE.          

 In conclusion, this study revealed that co-encapsulation of omega3 and crocin with niosome led to better stability, slower and more controlled release profile, suggesting a promising drug delivery system.

Drug addiction has been recognized as a global problem for many years, substance use disorders in families are increasing day by day, and violence against women has become a serious problem. Therefore, The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of rumination and perfectionism on violence against women with the mediating role of resilience among women with addicted husbands. The current research was a descriptive-correlation type. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all women with husbands suffering from substance abuse disorder in Mashhad. The sample size was determined to be 132 people using G-power software, and 165 people were tested in order to meet the possible future dropouts. The questionnaires used were the rumination scale of Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow, the positive and negative perfectionism scale, the Connor and Davidson resilience scale and the violence against women. Resilience directly predicts violence against women (p<0.01, β=0.30). In addition, rumination (p<0.05, β=0.08) and perfectionism (p<0.05, β=0.08) were two variables that were indirectly influencing violence against women through resilience. This means that less rumination and perfectionism increase resilience in the individual and thus reduce violence against women. Women who have higher resilience can better distinguish between their positive and negative emotions. This ability of women makes them better able to control difficult situations when faced with the violence of their husbands. This causes the relationship of such couples to be less challenged and violent.

Whether the endocrine aberrations caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) might influence bone density in women of reproductive age is controversial.

The present study aimed to compare PCOS women to a control group matched in terms of age and body mass index (BMI) regarding bone indices and to clarify the potential relationship between their hormonal changes and bone density.

This case-control study consisted of 61 PCOS patients, and 35 women with normal ovulatory function served as controls. Bone parameters, including bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in addition to T- and Z-scores, were measured at the lumbar vertebrae, neck of the left femur, hip, and distal part of the radial bone, using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood samples were taken to be tested for biochemical parameters and serum concentrations of insulin, osteocalcin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and estradiol were measured. Insulin resistance was evaluated through the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).

The results revealed greater levels of HOMA-IR and total testosterone in PCOS women than in controls. Nevertheless, the two groups were comparable in terms of bone parameters. In the control group, BMI was the only determinant of bone density at most of the skeletal sites. Nonetheless, BMI and HOMA-IR were independently and positively associated with bone indices at the femoral neck (FN) and total hip in the PCOS group. Parathyroid hormone and vitamin D concentrations were not different in the two groups. However, phosphate levels were higher in PCOS patients (P = 0.025). Osteocalcin was inversely correlated to BMI, and both groups had a negative correlation betweenDHEASand PTH. Serum phosphate was inversely and independently associated with estrogen in the PCOS group (r = -0.377, P = 0.004).

Body mass index and HOMA-IR were independent and positive determinants of FN and total hip bone density in the PCOS subjects. Nonetheless, in the non-PCOS women, BMI was the only independent determinant of bone density at most of the skeletal sites. Additionally, osteocalcin was inversely correlated with BMI in both groups.