Cytotoxic Effect of Biebersteinia multifida Alcoholic Extracts on MCF-7, HeLa, and A2780 Cell Lines.

Conventional cancer treatments are costly and have different serious side effects for patients. Natural herbal treatments are widely accepted among people because of their minimal side effects, although there is little scientific knowledge about them. One of these remedies utilizes the root of Biebersteinia multifidi that has been used for years in Iran to treat different chronic genital diseases. The current study examined the effects of methanolic and ethanolic extracts of B. multifida (induction of necrosis and apoptosis) on breast cancer (MCF-7), ovarian cancer (A2780), and human cervix cancer (HeLa) cell lines in comparison with normal breast cells. These effects were determined to be morphological alterations in cell light microscopy, by flow cytometry (staining with annexin V and propidium iodide), and by measuring live cells and inhibition concentrations by MTT assay. IC50 of B. multifida on the MCF-7 cell line (methanolic extract) was 400 µg/ml and for A2780 was 250 µg/ml. The IC50 amount of B. multifida on the MCF-7 cell line (ethanolic extract) was 750 µg/ml and 1500 for A2780. Results demonstrated that apoptosis and necrosis occurred in MCF-7 and A2780 following the addition of ethanolic and methanolic extracts of B. multifida to the medium. These findings confirmed the anti-cancer effects of mehthanolic extracts of Biebersteinia multifida root and its safety for normal cells; thus, it can be applied in cancer therapy as a novel medication.

Gestational age-specific reference values of placental thickness in normal pregnant women.

The aim of this study was to determine the reference values of the placental thickness in 400 normal pregnant women during weeks 16-41 of gestation who were referred to the Mahdiyeh hospital during January 2014-February 2015. The placental thickness at the junction of the umbilical artery was measured using ultrasonography. Multivariable linear regression was used to model the mean placental thickness and assess associations with measured covariates, including gestational age (GA). Centiles for placental thickness distribution were estimated according to the modulus exponential-normal model. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants was 31.4 ± 5.7 years. The Pearson correlation coefficient indicated a very strong positive linear correlation between GA and placental thickness (p <.001; r = 0.93). A nonlinear increase of placental thickness with estimated fetal weights was observed. GA-specific placental thicknesses for the 2.5th, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, and 97.5th percentiles of placental thickness were calculated. By making use of the provided nomogram in this study, neonatal outcomes associated with the placental thickness, such as Hemoglobin Bart's disease, can be diagnosed early to improve maternal and newborn health.