The effect of movement therapy with progressive muscle relaxation on the depression rate of patients admitted to the psychiatric ward of Moradi Rafsanjan Educational and Medical Center in 2021.

Depression is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder and has received more attention due to its adverse outcomes, including suicide and a severe decrease in social and individual functioning. To this end, the present study examined the effect of movement therapy and progressive muscle relaxation on the depression rate in depressed patients. In the present interventional study, 60 patients diagnosed with major depression and hospitalized at Moradi Hospital's psychiatric ward in Rafsanjan in 2020, with an age of at least 20 years, were randomly divided into two groups: the intervention group and the control group. The subjects in the intervention group attended 30 sessions of 30-45 mins, with the researcher performing a movement therapy program followed by 15 to 20 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation. The Beck Depression Inventory was used to measure the degree of depression along with clinical pre-and post-intervention interviews. The mean depression scores were 37.26±7.70 and 36.93±8.166 for the participants in the intervention group and control group before the intervention, indicating no statistically significant intergroup difference (P=0.871). The mean depression scores after the intervention for the subjects in the intervention group and control group were 8.01±5.22 and 22.96±9.43, respectively. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the groups (P=0.001), with a greater decrease in depression scores in the intervention group compared to the control group. According to the present research, movement therapy and progressive muscle relaxation interventions effectively reduced depression in patients.

Pharmacological effects of gallic acid in health and diseases: A mechanistic review.

OBJECTIVES: Gallic acid is a natural phenolic compound found in several fruits and medicinal plants. It is reported to have several health-promoting effects. This review aims to summarize the pharmacological and biological activities of gallic acid in vitro and animal models to depict the pharmacological status of this compound for future studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All relevant papers in the English language were collected up to June 2018. The keywords of gallic acid, antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, gastrointestinal-, cardiovascular-, metabolic-, neuropsychological-, and miscellaneous- diseases were searched in Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus. RESULTS: Several beneficial effects are reported for gallic acid, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antineoplastic properties. This compound has been reported to have therapeutic activities in gastrointestinal, neuropsychological, metabolic, and cardiovascular disorders. CONCLUSION: Current evidence confirms the pharmacological and therapeutic interventions of gallic acid in multiple health complications; however, available data are limited to just cellular and animal studies. Future investigations are essential to further define the safety and therapeutic efficacy of gallic acid in humans.

Implications of grape extract and its nanoformulated bioactive agent resveratrol against skin disorders.

The grape seed extract (GSE) and its main active polyphenol, resveratrol (RES), have shown considerable antioxidant activities, besides possessed protective and therapeutic effects against various skin complications. This paper discusses the favorable effects of RES, GSE and their nanoformulations for dermatological approaches, with specific emphasis on clinical interventions. In this manner, electronic databases including PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar were searched. Data were collected from 1980 up to February 2019. The search terms included "Vitis vinifera", "grape", "resveratrol", "skin", "dermatology", and "nanoformulation". To increase the skin permeability of GSE and RES, several innovative nanoformulation such as liposomes, niosomes, solid-lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers, and lipid-core nanocapsule has been evaluated. According to our extensive searches, both RES and GSE have beneficial impacts on skin disorders such as chloasma, acne vulgaris, skin aging, as well as wound and facial redness. More clinical studies with nanoformulation approaches are recommended to achieve conclusive outcomes regarding the efficacy of RES and GSE in the management of skin diseases.

Medicinal plants and their isolated phytochemicals for the management of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: therapeutic targets and clinical perspective.

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy, as one of the main approaches of cancer treatment, is accompanied with several adverse effects, including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Since current methods to control the condition are not completely effective, new treatment options should be introduced. Medicinal plants can be suitable candidates to be assessed regarding their effects in CIPN. Current paper reviews the available preclinical and clinical studies on the efficacy of herbal medicines in CIPN. METHODS: Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane library were searched with the keywords "neuropathy" in the title/abstract and "plant", "extract", or "herb" in the whole text. Data were collected from inception until April 2018. RESULTS: Plants such as chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia (L.) D. Don), and sweet flag (Acorus calamus L.) as well as phytochemicals like matrine, curcumin, and thioctic acid have demonstrated beneficial effects in animal models of CIPN via prevention of axonal degeneration, decrease in total calcium level, improvement of endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms such as superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione, and regulation of neural cell apoptosis, nuclear factor-ĸB, cyclooxygenase-2, and nitric oxide signaling. Also, five clinical trials have evaluated the effect of herbal products in patients with CIPN. CONCLUSIONS: There are currently limited clinical evidence on medicinal plants for CIPN which shows the necessity of future mechanistic studies, as well as well-designed clinical trial for further confirmation of the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines in CIPN. Graphical abstract Schematic mechanisms of medicinal plants to prevent chemotherapy-induced neuropathy: NO: nitric oxide, TNF: tumor necrosis factor, PG: prostaglandin, NF-ĸB: nuclear factor kappa B, LPO: lipid peroxidation, ROS: reactive oxygen species, COX: cyclooxygenase, IL: interleukin, ERK: extracellular signal-related kinase, X: inhibition, ↓: induction.

Role of green tea catechins in prevention of age-related cognitive decline: Pharmacological targets and clinical perspective.

Over the past decade, a wide range of scientific investigations have been performed to reveal neuropathological aspects of cognitive disorders; however, only limited therapeutic approaches currently exist. The failures of conventional therapeutic options as well as the predicted dramatic rise in the prevalence of cognitive decline in the coming future show the necessity for novel therapeutic agents. Recently, a wide range of research has focused on pharmacological activities of green tea catechins worldwide. Current investigations have clarified mechanistic effects of the catechins in inflammatory cascades, oxidative damages, different cellular transcription as well as transduction pathway in various body systems. It has been demonstrated that green tea polyphenols prevent age-related neurodegeneration through improvement of endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms, modulation of neural growth factors, attenuation of neuroinflammatory pathway, and regulation of apoptosis. The catechins exhibited beneficial effects in cellular and animal models of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease, MS, and Parkinson's disease. The present review discusses the current pharmacological targets, which can be involved in the treatment of cognitive decline and addresses the action of catechin derivatives elicited from green tea on the multiple neural targets.

A mechanistic review on medicinal plants used for rheumatoid arthritis in traditional Persian medicine.

OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease, which affects synovial tissue in multiple joints. Although conventional treatments of RA commonly alleviate the symptoms, high incidence of adverse reactions leads to research tendency towards complementary and alternative medicine. As various medicinal plants are traditionally used for the management of symptomatologies associated with RA in Persian medicine, we reviewed medicinal literature to confirm their efficacy in the management of RA. KEY FINDINGS: Scientific evidence revealed that traditional medicaments exert beneficial effects on RA through several cellular mechanisms including downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and NF-κB, suppression of oxidative stress, inhibition of cartilage degradation with destructive metalloproteinases and enhancement of antioxidant performance. Various active constituents from different chemical categories including flavonols, lignans, coumarins, terpenes, glycosylflavons, dihydroflavonols, phytoestrogens, sesquiterpene lactones, anthraquinones, alkaloids and thymoquinones have been isolated from the medicinal plants. SUMMARY: The pharmacological mechanisms of the medicinal plants traditionally used for RA in Persian medicine are discussed in the current review. Further investigations are mandatory to focus on bioefficacy of these phytochemicals for finding novel natural drugs.

A comprehensive review on phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Elaeagnus angustifolia L.

OBJECTIVE: Elaeagnus angustifolia L., commonly known as oleaster or Russian olive, is used worldwide as a traditional natural remedy or nutritional agent for the management of a wide range of illnesses. The aim of the present study is to comprehensively review the ethnopharmacological uses, biological activities and phytochemistry of E. angustifolia. KEY FINDINGS: Modern scientific investigations suggest that the plant possesses a broad spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic effects, including antimicrobial, insecticidal, antioxidant, anti-arthritic, wound healing, cardioprotective, hypolipidemic, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antitumour and gastroprotective activity. Various phytochemical constituents, including ß-carboline alkaloids, polysaccharides, esters, flavone glycosides, phenols, phenolic acids, ketones, phenyl ethers, pyrimidines, steroids and terpenes, as well as nutritional components such as essential and non-essential amino acids and nutraceuticals like vitamins and fatty acids, have been identified in E. angustifolia. SUMMARY: Considering its wide variety of pharmacological activity as well as its huge diversity of active phytochemicals, E. angustifolia could be proposed as a good candidate for discovering new drugs. Further clinical and experimental studies are necessary to reveal the beneficial therapeutic, safety and pharmaceutical properties of E. angustifolia and its phytochemicals as a complementary and alternative medicine for the management of various disorders.

Potentially effective natural drugs in treatment for the most common rheumatic disorder: osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic condition in which imbalance between anabolic and catabolic mediators occurs leading to the destruction of homeostasis of articular cartilage. The current drugs in the management of OA can just alleviate symptoms. Hence, the research tendency toward exploration of novel sources has been grown up in order to achieve safe and efficacious drugs. Meanwhile, various components exist as novel natural drugs that may possess favorable properties for the management of OA. This review focuses on the most efficacious medicinal plants and their phytochemical agents, which have been consumed for the management of OA. Moreover, evaluation of their efficacy and molecular mechanisms of action are discussed based on numerous modern experimental investigations. More research is needed to develop therapeutic agents with disease-modifying properties to treat OA.

A comprehensive review of plants and their active constituents with wound healing activity in traditional Iranian medicine.

INTRODUCTION: Wound healing is a complex cascade of events with various cellular and biochemical processes that result in reconstruction and regeneration of damaged tissue. The objective of the current study was to scientifically evaluate the medicinal plants said to produce wound healing activity in traditional Iranian medicine (TIM). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for the names of medicinal plants claimed in TIM literature for having wound healing activity. Articles were evaluated to obtain any in vitro, animal, or clinical evidence of their efficacy and possible mechanisms involved in would healing. RESULTS: Mechanisms of action for some of these plants, including Tamarix spp., Rosa spp., Piper betle, Plantago major, Oxalis spp., Olea europaea, Malva spp., Linum usitatissimum, and Tamarindus indica, have not been yet clarified. In contrast, some herbs such as Vitis vinifera, Quercus spp., Punica granatum, Pinus spp., Polygonum spp., Lilium spp., Gentiana lutea, Arnebia euchroma, Aloe spp., and Caesalpinia spp. have various biological and pharmacological mechanisms that have been verified for wound healing activity. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, TIM resources have introduced various medicinal plants for wounds with confirmed effectiveness according to current pharmacological studies. These herbal remedies could be considered as future drugs for healing of wounds. Further pharmacological and clinical investigations are recommended for exploring safety, exact mechanisms, and efficacy of these herbal remedies. .

Scientific evaluation of edible fruits and spices used for the treatment of peptic ulcer in traditional Iranian medicine.

In traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), several edible fruits and spices are thought to have protective and healing effects on peptic ulcer (PU). The present study was conducted to verify anti-PU activity of these remedies. For this purpose, edible fruits and spices proposed for the management of PU in TIM were collected from TIM sources, and they were searched in modern medical databases to find studies that confirmed their efficacy. Findings from modern investigations support the claims of TIM about the efficacy of many fruits and spices in PU. The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica as a beneficial remedy for PU in TIM has been demonstrated to have antioxidant, wound healing, angiogenic, anti-H. pylori, cytoprotective, antisecretory, and anti-inflammatory properties. The fruit of Vitis vinifera has been found to be anti-H. pylori, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, angiogenic, cytoprotective, and antioxidant. The fruit and aril of seed from Myristica fragrans exert their beneficial effects in PU by increasing prostaglandin, modulation of nitric oxide and inflammatory mediators, wound healing, antisecretory, antacid, antioxidant, and anti-H. pylori activities, and improving angiogenesis. Pharmacological and clinical studies for evaluation of efficacy of all TIM fruits and spices in PU and their possible mechanisms of action are recommended.

Parsley: a review of ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and biological activities.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize comprehensive information concerning ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of parsley. METHODS: Databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were searched for studies focusing on the ethnomedicinal use, phytochemical compounds and biological and pharmacological activities of parsley. Data were collected from 1966 to 2013. The search terms were: "Parsley" or "Petroselinum crispum" or "Petroselinum hortence". RESULTS: Parsley has been used as carminative, gastro tonic, diuretic, antiseptic of urinary tract, anti-urolithiasis, anti-dote and anti-inflammatory and for the treatment of amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, gastrointestinal disorder, hypertension, cardiac disease, urinary disease, otitis, sniffle, diabetes and also various dermal disease in traditional and folklore medicines. Phenolic compounds and flavonoids particularly apigenin, apiin and 6"-Acetylapiin; essential oil mainly myristicin and apiol; and also coumarins are the active compounds identified in Petroselinum crispum. Wide range of pharmacological activity including antioxidant, hepatoprotective, brain protective, anti-diabetic, analgesic, spasmolytic, immunosuppressant, anti-platelet, gastroprotective, cytoprotective, laxative, estrogenic, diuretic, hypotensive, antibacterial and antifungal activities have been exhibited for this plant in modern medicine. CONCLUSION: It is expectant that this study resulted in improvement the tendencies toward Petroselinum crispum as a useful and important medicinal plant with wide range of proven medicinal activity.