[Safety and efficacy of processed citrullus colocynthis L. fruit in treatment of hyperlipidemic type two diabetic patients: a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial]

Due to high prevalence of diabetes with hyperlipidemia and associated high risk of cardiovascular disease, much interest exists for safe medications including medicinal plants. Considering traditional use of Citrullus colocynthis L. [C. colocynthis] for treatment of diabetes and hyperlipidemia despite toxicity, clinical evaluation of safety and efficacy of the processed C. colocynthis fruit is necessary. In this clinical trial the safety and efficacy of the processed C. colocynthis fruit in hyperlipidemic type II diabetic patients were evaluated. 60 hyperlipidemic type 2 diabetic patients were randomly allocated to C. colocynthis and placebo groups, but only 28 patients in each group completed the study. The patients in C. colocynthis and placebo groups were treated with processed C. colocynthis [100 mg] and placebo capsules [100 mg] three times a day respectively for 1 month. The fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels as primary outcome and aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and creatinine levels as secondary outcome were measured in both groups at the baseline and the endpoint. In the C. colocynthis group fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and LDL levels were significantly reduced at the endpoint compared with the baseline. There were no significant changes in any blood parameters in C. colocynthis group compared with placebo at the endpoint. There were no gastrointestinal, liver and kidney function adverse effects during the study in both groups. The results suggest that processed C. colocynthis fruit extract may be a safe anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic agent in hyperlipidemic type II diabetic patients

Central effect of mammalian oxyntomodulin on food intake in non-fasted and fasted chicks

Oxyntomodulin [OXM], a proglucagon-derived peptide, is a well known anorexigenic peptide found in the gut and brain of mammals. The present study was carried out to investigate the central effect of OXM on food intake in non-fasted and fasted Ross broiler chicks. At four weeks of age, a guide cannula was stereotaxically implanted into the right lateral ventricle of each bird. Two experiments were conducted on free-feeding [non-fasted] and 6-h fasted broilers. In each experiment, eight birds were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design. The birds were given an intracerebroventricular [ICV] injection of different doses of mammalian OXM. Intracerebroventricular injection of OXM at doses of 1.5, 3 and 6 nmol significantly [P<0.05] decreased food intake for 3 h post injection in both non-fasted and fasted chicks. It may be concluded that central OXM may exert a suppressive effect on food intake in chicks

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the Islamic Republic of Iran

A national survey of the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the Islamic Republic of Iran was made on a r and om sample of families covered by local health centres affiliated to the medical universities. Out of 53,995 people aged 2+ years, from 12,495 families [0.1% of all families in 1999], 45,128 stool samples were analysed by formalin-ether precipitation. Intestinal parasitic infections were found in 19.3% of the study population [19.7% male, 19.1% female]. Giardia lamblia [10.9%], Ascaris lumbricoides [1.5%], Entamoeba histolytica [1.0%] and Enterobius vermicularis [0.5%] were the most common infections. The infection rate was highest in the 2-14 years age group [25.5%] and in rural residents [23.7%]