[Effect of essential oils and extracts of Satureja macrosiphon and Satureja khozistanica on mycelial growth and aflatoxin B1 production in Aspergillus flavus]

Background: The hazardous nature of aflatoxins to human and animals necessitate the establishment of control measures

Objectives: The effect of two medicinal plants, Satureja khozistanica and Satureja macrosiphon, was studied on inhibiting Aspergillus flavus growth and reducing aflatoxin B1-content in the liquid medium

Methods: Essential oils were isolated by hydrodistillation method, using a Clevenger-type apparatus. Various extracts of plant materials were macerated with various extraction solvents [ethanol, ethanol70% and water extracts]. Essential oils [0, 62/5, 125, 250, 375 and 500 mg/l] and various extracts [0, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000 and 6000 mg/l] of S. khozistanica and S. macrosiphon were examined for reducing A. flavus growth and it's AFB1-content in the liquid medium. Amount of aflatoxinB1 was evaluated by high performance thin layer chromatographymethod

Results: Essential oil of S. khozistanica at the concentration of 375 mg/l as well as its ethanol and ethanol 70% extracts at 4000 and 6000 mg/l respectively caused complete inhibition of fungus mycelial growth, whereas essential oil and extracts of S. macrosiphon couldn't inhibit Aspergillus growth completely even at the maximum concentration. Essential oils of S. khozistanica and S. macrosiphonia at the concentration of 250 mg/l reduced AFB1-production 98 and 33.52% respectively. Various Extracts of S. khozistanica exhibited stronger anti-AFB1-biosyntesis activity than those of S. macrosiphon, so that, ethanol, ehanol70% and aqueous extracts of S. khozistanica at 4000 mg/l reduced 100, 96 and 32.37% of AFB1-production, respectively. On the contrary, essential oils, ethanol and ehanol70% extracts of both plants couldn't significantly degrade AFB1- contamination, whereas aqueous extractsof S. khozistanica and S. macrosiphonia at the concentration of 4000 mg/l resulted in degradation of 25 and 32.16% AFB1-content, respectively

Conclusions: In general, Essential oil and ethanol extract of S. khozistanica considerably inhibited A. flavus growth as well as AFB1-biosynthesis while aqueous extract of S. macrosiphon showed strong AFB1-degradation activity

[Efficacy of eight weeks of exercise therapy for neck pain among general dentists practicing in Tehran]

The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints is high among dentists; however, only a few studies have focused on this topic. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of an exercise program for treatment of neck pain in dentists practicing in Tehran.A questionnaire was administered among 46 dentists in Tehran matched by age, gender [all males] and neck pain complaints in the past six months. Subjects were randomly divided into two groups. The first group received exercise therapy while the second group was given no exercise. Pain was measured at two months after the intervention using the visual analog scale [VAS]. Data were analyzed using t-test and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.The t-test showed significant improvement of neck pain in the first group after the intervention [p<0.05]. The results showed that exercise therapy can be effective for treatment of neck pain. Therefore, regular exercise by dentists can prevent neck pain and other musculoskeletal disorders

[Epidemiology of head, neck and torso injuries in taekwondo, karate and judo]

Sport injury is a matter of concern for both athletes and coaches. Due to a public tendency for martial arts and its traumatic nature, prevalence for injury is high in such sports. The aim of the present study was to review the epidemiology of high prevalent injuries in taekwondo, karate and judo. Searching in specific scientific citations was carried out for relevant articles with the subject coverage of three martial arts [taekwondo, karate and judo] during 1943-2008. Findings showed an average prevalence of the total body injuries [57.06%, 38.27% and 25.93%] for hand, neck and torso in karate, taekwondo and judo, respectively. Comparing the injury incidence percent revealed the high rate of lower limb, head and neck injuries for taekwondo; head, neck and then inferior limb for karate; superior limb and then inferior limb for judo, respectively. The highest percentage of injury types in taekwondo and karate were for contusion and sprain; in judo firstly sprain and then contusion. Injuries in hand, neck and torso account for a high rate of bodily injuries in martial arts. Among the factors involved are the technical errors in the maneuvers made on victims and the mis-performance of the techniques. Determining the predisposing factors for injuries have a significant role in the prevention of forthcoming competitive injuries

[Comparison of morphinan alkaloids during different stages of growth in the medicinal plant opium poppy [papaver somniferum L.]]

Opium poppy contains important pharmaceutical alkaloids such as Morphine, Codeine, Thebaine, Noscapine, Papaverine and Sanguinarine which are of a high economic value in pharmaceutical industries. Since production volume of secondary metabolites is very low, many strategies have been so far adopted for commercialization of its production. This research has been carried out to investigate accumulation process of morphinan alkaloids in opium poppy plant during different stages of growth. Opium poppy plant was cultured in greenhouse condition and during three stages of seed, development and flowering, samples have been taken from root and aerial organs' tissues and after extraction of alkaloid from each specimen separately, amount of Morphine, Codeine and Thebaine using High Performance Liquid Chromatography [HPLC] was measured. Results indicated that amount of these alkaloids differs in various parts of plant during different stages of growth. Highest content of Morphine, Codeine and Thebaine was observed in aerial organs and at flowering stage of this plant. Morphine was the dominant alkaloid in all parts of plant. After study of the results, it was found that the plant's growth stage has a crucial role in the under study alkaloids concentration amount, so as the amount of all the three alkaloids, Morphine, Codeine, and Thebaine after flowering stage, both in the roots and aerial organs, is by far more than their amount at growth and seeds stages. Since the largest amount of morphine was observed in flowering stage, it seems that application of new techniques such as metabolic engineering will yield better results at this stage

[ case report of manic episode in a patient with neuronal migration anomaly]

Neuronal migration disorders of the brain cortex are at diverse group of brain abnormalities with different etiologies and entities. They may present with various neurological and ocular abnormalities, while psychiatric presentation is very rarely reported. Here we described the first case of mania in a patient with neuronal migration disorders. We report a 27-year-old male with symptoms of mania with a prior history of occasional seizure attacks whose MRI showed neuronal migration disorder and his symptoms was controlled with sodium valproate. Association between neuronal migration disorders and mania was shown in this case. Besides, it raises the possibility that, as shown by other researchers, there may be common basis between mood disorder and neuronal migration disorders

Antibiotic susceptibility profile of Helicobacter pylori isolated from the dyspepsia patients in Tehran, Iran

Helicobacter pylori is an important pathogen for gastroduodenal diseases. Infection with H. pylori can be limited by regimens of multiple antimicrobial agents. However, antibiotic resistance is a leading cause of treatment failure. The aim of this study has been to determine the resistance patterns of H. pylori strains isolated from gastric biopsies of patients with dyspepsia by agar dilution method, in Tehran, Iran. H. pylori isolates from patients with gastrointestinal diseases were evaluated for susceptibility testing by agar dilution method. Susceptibility testing was performed to commonly used antibiotics including clarithromycin, tetracycline, amoxicillin, metronidazole and ciprofloxacin. Among 92 patients with dyspepsia, H. pylori strains were isolated from 42 patients. Seventeen [40.5%] of the isolates were resistant to metronidazole [MICs >/= 8 microg/1], whereas one isolate [2.4%] was resistant to amoxicillin [MICs

Psychomotor delay, a possible rare presentation of moyamoya disease

Moyamoya disease is a rare, chronic cerebrovascular occlusive disease of unknown etiology. It is characterized by progressive stenosis of the arteries of the circle of Willis leading to ischemic strokes in young people and cerebral hemorrhage, which is more frequent in adults. Secondarily, an abnormal network of fine collateral vessels arises at the base of the brain. The term moyamoya refers to the angiographic appearance of the cerebral vasculature. We present such a disease in an 18-month-old Iranian girl with global developmental delay, which is a very rare presentation of moyamoya disease. She was diagnosed by magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] and magnetic resonance angiography [MRA]

Neuronal migration disorder; a case report of subcortical band heterotopia associated with corpus callosum agenesis

Subcortical band heterotopia [SBH] or 'double cortex' is a congenital brain abnormality that results from aberrant migration of neurons during development of the cortex. MRI shows a continuous band of heterotopic gray matter located between the cortex and ventricular walls, separated from them by a thin layer of white matter. The condition is quite rare, found predominantly in females, and is occasionally familial with an X-linked dominant inheritance. Corpus callosum agenesis is another brain abnormality, more common than SBH, diagnosed during neurological examinations for developmental delay. We report a 6-month-old boy with SBH and corpus callosum agenesis associated with uncommon clinical and radiological findings such as polymicrogyria and periventricular cystic area

Structural elements and the built environment

Built environment does not "simply appear overnight, like a movie-set springing up on a vacant lot, but has to be produced". Thus, the first point in dealing with such an environment is considered to be the tracing of time in the evaluation of the city and keeping in mind that the whole is more than its parts. The last point becomes naturally understood when the process of city building is probed; because the notion of process in itself comprises the relatedness among the socio-cultural events that resulted in urban artefacts. This also means considering a large number of factors, especially socio-cultural ones, involved in this process. By doing this, we can relate the physical environment with the social, "relating the world of artefacts with the world of people "who built and used them Considering this argument, the paper examines structural elements influences on the development and use of urban space in Qatar-chyan quarter, Sanandaj, Iran as a historical narrative. It is argued that the existence of Dara-bayan River, socio-political role of the Wakils' family and Ulama [educated people with religious backgrounds], and the continuation of principal route, through the residential segregation, formed and drove the phases of quarter's development and defined the main socio-spatial structural elements of the quarter. The paper then proceeds to examine those structural elements as they were before overall influences of modernism in Iranian context, especially before the first cross-roads of the city in 1930. The paper concludes that, in defining and conceptualising the structural elements of a particular built environment, it is difficult to rely on one factor. While the role of nature as form giver is an important factor, we can not undermine other soft factors, especially socio-cultural ones. This defines the nature of built form which comprises both the realms of the physical and the social and multi-dimensions background namely as socio-spatial factors

[Plant molecular responses to drought, high-salinity and low temperature]

Molecular studies have shown that several genes with various functions are induced by environmental stresses such as drought, high-salinity and low temperature in plants. Most of the dehydration responsive genes are induced by the plant hormone abscisic acid [ABA], but others are not. Expression analyses of dehydration-responsive genes have provided at least four independent regulatory systems [regulons] for gene expression in a model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The cis- acting elements in the promoters of some genes that have a typical stress-inducible expression profile and the transcription factors that affect the expression of these genes have been analyzed. Transcription factors that bind to a DRE/CRT [Dehydration-responsive Element / C-Repeat] cis-acting element were isolated and termed DREB1/CBF [DRE-binding protein 1/ C-repeat Binding Factor] and DREB2 [DRE-binding protein 2]. Overexpression of DREB1/CBF in transgenic Arabidopsis plants increased tolerance to freezing, drought and high salt concentrations. The DREB1/CBF genes have been successfully used to improve abiotic stress tolerance in a number of different crop plants. Studies on the other transcription factors associated with stress response are in progress. It is expected that the results of these studies will contribute to the sustainable food production in developing countries and help to prevent the global-scale environmental damage