Thrita
Volume:9 Issue: 26, Dec 2020

 The increased use of antibiotics has led to the frequent occurrence of resistant bacterial strains᾽ infections and increased side effects. It is inevitable that medicinal plants and their good antimicrobial activities for controlling and curing different infectious diseases is always a salient feature of various investigations. Also, understanding the plant species in the light of the Holy Quran, religious texts, and the sacred books could make a useful contribution to studying two significant plants used as ancient and reliable medicines.

 The present research used two plants for medicinal products to evaluate their antimicrobial activity. Ziziphus spina-christi (sider) is a medicinal and traditional plant and ethanol and methanol extracts of its leaves have been used against some bacterial and viral infections. Another herbal remedy is Tamarix aphylla with the local name of Ghaz, as the largest known species of Tamarix. The stem smoke of Tamarix aphylla is used by people in the desert area as an antibiotic and antimicrobial agent.

 The leaves of Ziziphus spina-christi and Tamarix aphylla were collected to extract their flavonoids and alkaloids using methanol and ethanol, respectively. Moreover, in the process of extraction, powdered and dried leaves by using disc diffusion testing and undiluted neat solution were prepared.

 The extracted phytochemicals exhibited antimicrobial activity of the two plants through alkaloids and flavonoids as secondary metabolites. Substantial influences on impairing the energy metabolism weakened microbial growth, resulting in the fat formation and protein inhibition.

 It was concluded that flavonoids and alkaloids from Ziziphus spina-christi and Tamarix aphylla leaves have antimicrobial potential. On the other hand, the process of cell division can be affected by alkaloids that are bound to DNA. Also, flavonoids bind to DNA and RNA, resulting in impairing energy metabolism causing the weakened growth of the microbe affecting protein inhibition and fat formation. Viral cell walls are made up of proteins. Coronavirus spike proteins and viral membrane fusions are wonderful molecules. Through binding to the host cell surface receptor, coronaviruses enter host cells and then fuse the host and viral membranes. Through precipitating the protein components, tannins in Ziziphus spina-christi behave as detoxifying agents by inhibiting their growth.

 Nanoparticles (NPs) are small-sized particles with dimensions of 1 - 100 nm that have various medical and pharmaceutical technology applications.

 In this study, we aimed to develop a quick, green, and eco-friendly procedure for the synthesis of gold NPs (AMGNPs) using the aqueous extract of Achillea millefolium (AM) and evaluate the effects of them on preantral follicle (PF) maturation in vitro compared to commercially provided GNPs (C-GNPs) and the AM extract alone.

 We assessed PF maturation through the morphological assessment of follicles, diameter changes, and estradiol and progesterone levels in PF. We also evaluated the morphometric indices in the control group and groups treated with the AM extract, green GNPs, and C-GNPs.

 The results showed that the AM extract had positive effects on the PF development by increasing the production of estradiol. The evaluation of PF treated with C-GNPs one to four days after the treatment showed that the mean diameter of follicles was significantly reduced in the C-GNPs group compared to the control group. Moreover, the mean estradiol level increased, and the mean progesterone level decreased in all the experimental (10, 25, 50, and 100 µg/mL of C-GNPs, green GNPs, and the AM extract) groups compared to the control group (P-value < 0.05). The size and concentration of the NPs were 20 nm and 150 µg/mL, respectively.

 The findings suggest that green GNPs synthesized with the AM extract can minimize the hazardous effects of NPs and have beneficial effects on the development and growth of PF.
 

 Breast cancer has the highest mortality rate, second to gastric cancer, among Iranian women and is one of the most common cancers in the world. The incidence of breast cancer in women is increasing gradually. Meanwhile, ductal breast carcinoma experiences more increases than other malignancies and is one of the most important health problems.

 This study aimed at evaluating women with ductal breast carcinoma because of the significance of pathological factors and their association with breast cancer progression.

 This retrospective study was conducted using data of ductal breast carcinoma women during the years 2018 and 2019. In this cross-sectional study, demographic data (age, sex, and pathology of breast mass) of 50 patients referring to Rasoul Akram hospital (Tehran, Iran) were gathered. Then, the data were analyzed by SPSS 26 software using the t test and Levene's test. The results were presented using descriptive statistics.

 Fifty patients with ductal carcinoma were assessed based on their pathological information. The examination of factors including tumor size, involvement/non-involvement of lymph nodes, histological grade, and age of patients revealed a significant direct relationship between tumor size and lymph node involvement (P <0.05), while no significant relationship was found with other mentioned factors.

 The prevalence of ductal breast carcinoma in Iranian women is increasing that may lead to death in many patients. Thus, it is necessary to evaluate this disease. In this study, a significant relationship was found in terms of tumor size and lymph node involvement, which can be effective in early diagnosis and prevention of this type of cancer.

 Countermovement vertical jump is a crucial skill in many sports. Plyometric training is a prevalent method to improve athletes' jumping ability.

 The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a 6-week plyometric training on the kinematics of take-off and countermovement vertical jump height.

 Fifteen young, healthy male subjects performed plyometric exercises in three sessions per week for six weeks. Digital videos of pre-training and post-training jumps were captured. The Kinovea software was used to measure the kinematic parameters of take-off in the sagittal plane. Pre and post-training values were compared by paired sample t-test with the statistical significance level of P < 0.05.

 Post-training results showed a higher jump height (P < 0.05), more flexed shoulder, and more extensive hip and knee at take-off (P < 0.05). Also, while hip extension velocity was decreased, shoulder flexion and knee extension velocities were significantly increased (P < 0.05).

 The 6-week plyometric training, including 720 jumps, improved shoulder flexion, and hip and knee extensions at take-off, resulting in high CMJ height. We employed plyometric training to improve the shoulder flexion and hip and knee extension velocities and increase CMJ height.

 Reduced physical activity can cause obesity and metabolic syndrome, leading to fibrosis in cardiac muscles and premature cardiac aging. Physical activity, along with herbal supplements, can have a synergistic effect on preventing cardiac muscle proteolysis.

 In this study, the effects of curcumin and resistance training were assessed on cardiac muscle atrophy in obese rats.

 Twenty-four male Sprague rats were categorized into four groups, including the placebo, resistance training, curcumin, and resistance training + curcumin. Resistance training was performed three times a week with three sets in each session, repeated five times for eight weeks. During this time, 150 mg/kg curcumin was administered through gavage. Twenty-four hours after finishing resistance training, surgery was performed on the cardiac muscle, and gene expressions of PGC1-α, FOXO1, Murf-1, Atrogin, Collagen1, and Collagen 3 were assessed with real-time PCR.

 The expression of PGC1-α and FOXO1 genes in both resistance training and resistance training+curcumin groups significantly increased and decreased, respectively, compared to the control group (P = 0.001). The MuRF1 expression in the curcumin+resistance training group decreased significantly (P = 0.013) compared to the placebo and curcumin groups. The expression of collagen type 1 and type 2 in all the three treatment groups had significant decreases compared to the placebo group (P < 0.05).

 Considering the results of this study, resistance training and curcumin supplement each alone can prevent cardiac muscle atrophy. However, the simultaneous use of curcumin supplement and resistance training can lead to synergistic effects.

Given the improvements of diagnostic equipment, including new imagingmodalities, the diagnosis of odontogenic sinusitis cases has been growing rapidly in recent years. The disorder is mainly caused by Aspergillus species since this species, as the most common pathogen, usually appears asymptomatic, leading to a delay in diagnosis. In this regard, the commonmanifestations involve headache, cough, nasal discharge, and facial pain. Clinicians usually disregard the odontogenic origin while seeking the etiology of symptomatic rhinosinusitis.

In this paper, we report a case of odontogenic maxillary sinusitis in the left maxillary sinus of a patient complaining about intermittent pain, post-nasal discharge, anosmia, and oral malodor. According to the clinical examinations and radiographs, maxillary sinusitis was diagnosed, and the patient was treated with the surgical debridement of the affected tissue.

Odontogenic sinusitis is most commonly the result of periodontitis or iatrogenesis. Although no antifungal treatment is necessary for fungal sinusitis, a variety of surgical approaches are adopted. The accurate diagnosis of odontogenic sources improves both treatment strategies and postoperative outcomes.

Chlorpyrifos is an insecticide that can induce acute and chronic toxicity against the heart by affecting acetylcholinesterase (AChE or acetylhydrolase). The present study investigated the independent and combined effects of aerobic training and eugenol consumption on heart AChE in chlorpyrifos-poisoned rats. A total of 56 healthy Wistar male rats were randomly and equally assigned to several groups receiving various treatments: saline healthy-control, corn oil healthy-sham, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) healthy-sham, saline-toxic control, saline-toxic-training, eugenol-toxic control, and eugenol-toxic-training. The study groups with toxic labels initially received chlorpyrifos injections for six weeks. Then they received other treatments according to their labels (i.e., moderateintensity aerobic training five sessions/week for six weeks and/or 250 mg/kg eugenol). Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, rats were anesthetized, and their left ventricles were collected, frozen, and sent to the laboratory. The data were analyzed using one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). A P-value < 0.05 was considered as a statistically significant difference between groups. The results showed that chlorpyrifos treatment decreased cardiac AChE. Besides, aerobic training and eugenol supplementation independently increased cardiac AChE in chlorpyrifos treated rats. The combination of aerobic training and eugenol consumption had no extra effect on the cardiac AChE level compared with each treatment alone in the rats exposed to chlorpyrifos. In conclusion, aerobic training and eugenol treatment had a positive effect on cardiac AChE in the rats poisoned with chlorpyrifos. So, these interventions may be beneficial to deter the chronic effects of chlorpyrifos on the heart. Future studies should also take into account several other factors related to cardiac health.

Quantum dots (QDs) are nanoparticles (NPs) with electronic and optical properties such as emitting bright light and fluorescence. They also carry specific characters such as photostability, high quantum yield, high emission, and size-turnable. Nowadays, a great interest is given to the extensive use of theranostic-NPs for sensing and imaging, as well as drug delivery. Moreover, QDs may yield great potential for the diagnosis and treatment of various central nervous system (CNS) diseases (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis). The blood-brain barrier (BBB) protects the brain tissue. Only certain small molecules like water and gases can cross BBB, whereas larger molecules enter via receptors, but many drugs are incapable of passing the barrier. A series of great advances have been achieved concerning using different NPs (e.g., QDs) to deliver drugs to the brain and CNS imaging. In this review, we discussed a wide variety of QDs along with their production, passive or active delivery of therapeutic agents for neurodegenerative diseases, and different image production.