Jorjani Biomedicine Journal
Volume:11 Issue: 1, Spring 2023

This article reports a pelvic hydatid cyst in a 10-year-old boy who initially presented with right flank pain. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a cystic lesion containing internal densities, which was found to be a hydatid cyst between the bladder and rectum during surgery. The lesion was excised and sent to a pathology laboratory for further examination.

Anabasis setifera and Caroxylon imbricatum are two halophytic and xerophytic plant species belonging to the family Chenopoodiaceae s.str., that are distributed widely in dry environments of the Old World. This study investigated the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the hydroethanolic extracts of fruit-bearing branches of these species collected from Zabol in the east of Iran.

The antimicrobial effect was essayed using broth microdilution and streak plate protocols against nine pathogenic microorganisms from different genera, including Klebsiella, Pseudomonas, Escherichia, Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Candida. The antioxidant activity was measured by the DPPH free radical scavenging method.

Extracts were effective on all tested bacterial and fungal strains except for Candida albicans, which Caroxylon imbricatum didn’t affect. The MIC values ranged from 8 to 2048 μg/ml. The IC50 values of 76.40 and 154.05 μg/ml were observed with Anabasis setifera and Caroxylon imbricatum extracts, respectively.

These plant species can efficiently treat infectious and oxidative stress-related diseases due to their broad spectrum antimicrobial properties and acceptable antioxidant activities.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by decreased cognitive function in patients due to forming Aβ peptides and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the brain. Therefore, the need to develop new treatments can reduce this risk. Acetylcholinesterase is one of the targets used in the design of new drugs for the treatment of AD. The researchers obtain new inhibitory ligands based on natural compounds from various medicinal plants, such as the family of Asteroideace, Malvacea, Zingbracea, Hypericacea, and Ebenacea, for treating Alzheimer’s disease. 

After selecting the reference compound of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase inhibitor with the help of bioinformatics tools such as pharmit and ZINCPHARMER for virtual search through the structural and pharmacologic properties of the reference inhibitor compound, several thousand natural structures of several serious ligands were obtained. Then, the ligands were compared by examining the docking process with the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, and their interactions were visualized with the help of Discovery Studio. Then, the top selected ligands in terms of toxicity, allergy, toxicity, and ADME prediction were evaluated with tools such as molsoft, PKCSM, ADMEtlab2.0, Swiss ADME.

The results revealed that these obtained ligands, like donepezil, have the ability of favorable interactions with different amino acids, the crucial of which are HIS381, TRP385, and GLN527 of AChE, and they all fall in the active site or binding pocket of the active site. The present docking supports this hypothesis that these compounds are possible and valuable small molecule ligands for targeting/inhibiting acetylcholinesterases. Indicatively, according to the binding free energy calculation results, it can be concluded that these ligands can compete with donepezil and affect the formation of acetylcholinesterase complexes. Cholinesterase/donepezil can have an excellent competitive inhibitory effect on it.

On the other hand, the study on the designed ligands showed that with favorable interactions and lower binding energy, they form more stable complexes with acetylcholinesterase and can be proposed as inhibitors competing with donepezil in a bind to this enzyme.

Semen quality and related parameters correlate directly with fertilization, consequently assisting reproductive technology outcomes. Traditional studies on carob (Ceratonia siliqua) have demonstrated its effect on male fertility potential via the reductive effect on reactive oxygen species. This study aimed to investigate the effect of carob kibble extract on sperm motility.

The extract was made using acetone as a solvent, followed by vacuum evaporation and filtration. Following thawing, each of the forty human semen samples was divided into four groups and exposed to concentrations of 0.0 (control), 0.05, 0.2, and 0.8 mg/ml of the extract. Percentages of progressive motile, non-progressive motile, and immotile sperms, as well as other kinematic parameters, were assessed by computer-aided sperm analysis immediately after exposure to the concentrations (T0) and one hour later (T1). Data were analyzed by repeated measure analysis of variance and paired sample t-student tests using SPSS software. The level of p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

No significant difference was found between groups at T0 or T1 values. However, a comparison of matched doses at T0 and T1 indicated that lower doses 0.05 and 0.2 mg/ml could significantly (p<0.05) inhibit natural decline in motility.

Adding lower doses of carob kibble extract on a thawing medium could have a supportive effect on sperm motility. However, adding the extract to a vitrification solution before a freezing process, as well as oral intake of the extract seems to have more efficiency than would be a subject for further studies.

Obesity is one of the most serious health problems associated with inflammation. It has been found that functional and resistance physical activities improve obesity and inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect High-intensity Functional training (HIFT) and Circuit resistance training (CRT) on serum levels of the pro-inflammatory factor interferon gamma (IFN-γ) in obese women.

Thirty-six obese women of Semnan city (age: 32.66 ± 3.91, weight: 86.97± 9.08 and BMI> 30) were selected and divided into three groups of HIIF (n =12), CRT (n = 12) and control (n = 12) were divided. HIIF was performed in the form of cross-fit exercises and Circuit exercises in the form of weight training for 6 weeks. Finally, the IFN-γ was measured using the Human IFN-g Elisa kit 96t-zellbio. To examine the data, one-way analysis of variance and dependent t-test at the level of p≤0.05 were used and all calculations were performed using SPSS software version 24.

The results showed that there was no significant change in IFN-γ level in training groups compared to before training (P>0.05). Also, the results between groups did not show a significant difference in serum IFN-γ between HIIF and CRT (P>0.05).

Therefore, it seems that of exercise does not affect the dependent variable of serum interferon gamma levels.

Severely contagious, a beta coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread worldwide since December 2019, a life-threatening disease that leads to high mortality.

This study had 200 cases referred and admitted to 5th Azar Hospital in May and June 2020. Treatment started based on signs and symptoms and confirming positive CT scan findings. RT-PCR test is done for all of them. Patients are categorized due to age, underlying diseases, CT scan findings, and mortality.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) was the most frequent underlying disease (35%), following hypertension (23.5%) and cardiovascular problems (9.5%). Although the severity of CT scan findings within the expired patients’ group was more than survived, the relation was insignificant (P=0.247). The mean age of cases who died was at least ten years more than survived. There was a mortality risk of 5.9 folds in cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients comparing patients free of CVD.

In dealing with involved COVID-19 patients considering their age and co-morbidities will help manage earlier and pay more attention to these cases.

Obesity has become a significant health concern in recent decades, characterized by increased body fat. This study aimed to compare the effects of circuit and traditional resistance training on serum calprotectin levels in obese men.

A pre-test-post-test design was used with thirty-three sedentary young obese men (age 21.33±2.49 years, weight 92.23±14.39 kg and BMI 30.71±4.63 kg/m²) who were randomly divided into two groups: experimental and control. The experimental group underwent a 12-week periodized resistance training program consisting of three sessions per week, gradually increasing in intensity from 50% to 80% of their one-repetition maximum (1RM) using a wave pattern. Resting serum calprotectin levels were measured before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and paired sample t-tests, with statistical significance at p < 0.05.

Both periodized circuit and traditional resistance training resulted in increased plasma levels of calprotectin compared to the control group (p = 0.001). Additionally, the periodized circuit resistance training group demonstrated a greater increase in plasma levels of calprotectin than the traditional resistance training and control groups (p = 0.01).

These findings suggest that twelve-week periodized circuit and traditional resistance training programs can effectively increase calprotectin levels in obese men.

Skeletal muscle is a tissue that secretes myokines from muscle cells in response to training stimuli and muscle contractions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of 4-week moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on the expression of three genes: apelin, decorin, and musclin in the skeletal muscle fibers of Wistar rats. In addition, the study examined the changes in gene expression levels during the training period.

The present study enrolled 16 male Wistar rats with an approximate age of eight weeks and a weight range of 200-220 grams. They were randomly divided into two equal groups: An aerobic exercise group (n=8) and a control group (n=8). During the four-week training period, the experimental group performed aerobic exercises on a treadmill with an intensity of 50-70% of their maximum power, for three sessions per week, while the control group did not engage in any activity. After completing the training period, the rats were sacrificed 48 hours later to evaluate the gene expression of the study variables using the real-time PCR method for tissue analysis. An independent t-test was used to examine the difference between groups, and statistical significance was set at P <0.05.

The independent t-test results indicated that the gene expression levels of all three variables: Musclin, decorin, and apelin, were significantly higher in the aerobic exercise group compared to the control group.

The study findings suggest that aerobic exercise can potentially to increase the gene expression of three specific myokines:  apelin, decorin, and musclin in skeletal muscles. These myokines are known to play an essential role in energy homeostasis, and their increased expression levels could have potential health benefits for individuals engaged in aerobic exercise.