review on antidepressant effects medicinal plants with emphasis on their mechanisms of action

Background: Depression is a serious, debilitating and common illness among various social groups

Chemical and synthetic drugs available for the disease have numerous side effects and result only around a 50% full recovery

Objectives: Today, researchers are trying to find new and affordable drugs without serious side effects. Medicinal plants showed considerable pharmacological effects in the treatment of depression in different experimental models

Methods: In this study, articles from journals indexed in the Scopus, PubMed, Information Sciences Institute [ISI], and Scientific Information Database [SID] were reviewed

Results: A review of studies in this field showed that most medicinal plants show anti-depressant effects through regulating of the synaptic serotonin and dopamine, regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity, strengthening of the body's antioxidant defenses and reducing of the inflammatory mediators

Conclusion: medicinal plant and their component show protective effect against depression through different mechanism. Medicinal plants can be used as a new source for the development of anti-depressant drugs

[ risk factors of acute attack of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo]

Many people suffer from vertigo. Its origin in 85% of cases is otological while in 15% is central etiology. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo [BPPV] is the most common cause of the true vertigo. In this research we evaluated the risk factors of acute attack of BPPV. This study was performed on 322 patients, presenting with BPPV. Diagnosis was confirmed by history and Dix-Hallpike manoeuvre. The underling risk factors documented carefully. Data analyzed by SPSS and K.square test. Number of 321 patients [including 201 females and 120 males] with BPPV included in our study. Their average age was 41. They showed symptoms for 1 month to 15 years [mean 8 months]. Emotional stress was positive in 34% and trauma was the only risk factor in 8.12% patients. Ear surgery and prolonged journey were respectively the main risk factors in 7.2 and 12.8% of patients. The confirmed risk factors of acute attack of BPPV were as trauma, major surgery and ear surgery especially stapedotomy, vestibular neuronitis and prolonged bedrestriction. Meniere was not considered as risk factor. In our study the psychological conflict was the major risk factor for BPPV. Other new risk factors which introduced for first time included; sleep disorder, fatigue, professional sport, starving and prolonged journey

[ case of Xeroderma pigmentosum with extensive nasal involvement]

Xeroderma pigmentosum is a group of rare autosomal recessive inherited disorders that have extreme skin sensitivity to UV and frequency of skin cancers. Pathophysiology of XP is defect in repair of DNA.XP is a clinical diagnosis that is based on history of sun hypersensitivity and skin neoplasma. Patient must avoid the sun to protect their skin. The case was a 16 years old male with advanced BCC over the nose that managed by total rhinectomy and repaired by up and down forehead flap