مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
پیاپی 672 (هفته چهارم تیر 1401)

The ultimate goal of educational program evaluation is the development of individuals and organizations. Achieving this goal requires evaluation methods with a systematic approach to all components of the program. The appreciative inquiry approach, as a program evaluation method, promotes personal, organizational, and social development by enhancing the individual and organizational capacities.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a major side effect seen among cancer patients under chemotherapy. Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) are among the traditional antiemetic drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of oral consumption of ginger and cinnamon on CINV.

This study was designed as a double-blind randomized clinical trial. The target population was cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in medical centers affiliated with Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. Patients were randomly divided into two groups of treatment (Ginger and Cinnamon) and Control. The effect of cinnamon and ginger combination on CINV was measured using the INVR (The index of nausea, vomiting and retching) questionnaire. Using the American Clinical Oncology Guideline, nausea levels from chemotherapy drugs was classified into three categories: high, medium and low.

Seventy-two patients in the control group and 65 patients in the treatment group (ginger and cinnamon) entered the final analysis. Comparisons made between the treatment and control groups was not statistically significant at first, but there was a statistically significant difference between the nausea score of the treatment group and the control group on days two and three as depicted by the standard questionnaire.

The combination of ginger and cinnamon is effective in controlling nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. Most of the effect of ginger and cinnamon combination in reducing nausea and vomiting occurred on the second and third day after chemotherapy.

Liver disease eventually leads to fibrosis, which is a type of collagenized tissue. D.kotschyi has compounds that have strong anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties. Due to the inflammatory nature of fibrosis, this study aims to investigate the effect of different doses of hydroalcoholic extract of D.kotschyi on liver fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride.

The D.kotschyi hydroalcoholic extract was prepared via maceration method in 70% ethanol. The groups (6 adult male rats in each) of animals included: Sham, Control, Tetrachloride carbon (CCl4), vitamin E as well as extracts plus CCl4. The extract of D.kotschyi was gavaged at 20, 40 or 80 mg/kg. In addition, the diluted CCl4 in olive oil (1:1) was injected at 1ml/kg intraperitoneally. The duration of treatment was 1 month. Then the blood sample and liver tissue of rats were extracted for biochemical and pathological examination.

Administration of the D.kotschyi for 1 month significantly reduced the level of Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) liver enzymes compared to CCl4 treated group (P < 0.001) as well as caused a significant improvement in the pathological features of fibrosis.

The present study showed a significant reduction in the amount of hepatic fibrosis caused by carbon tetrachloride in the pathology samples receiving the D.kotschyi extract. In addition, by increasing dose of the D.kotschyi, a significant decrease in liver enzymes was observed. The effect of the D.kotschyi in improving fibrosis at higher doses requires extensive studies.