Telogen effluvium and COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 is a febrile infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus affects several organs, including the skin. Acute telogen effluvium (TE) is a non-scarring hair loss characterized by diffuse hair shedding that begins three months after a stressful event and can last up to six months. COVID-19 infection is one of these potential stressors. Recently, there has been a reported link between increased scalp hair shedding and post-infection patients during the COVID-19 outbreak. The present work aimed to study the possible effects of COVID-19 on hair and the relationship between COVID-19 and TE and to assess the level of awareness about TE in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-validated questionnaire. The study involved 561 participants from the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. Eligible participants were individuals from the Asir region who were 20 years of age or older, had previously contracted COVID-19 and had no history of TE before infection. All statistical methods used were two-tailed with an alpha level of 0.05, considering significance if the p-value was lower than or equal to 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 1,000 eligible participants completed the study questionnaire. The mean age was 32.5 ± 13.9 years, and 494 (88.1%) participants were females. In addition, 558 (99.5%) of the study participants had received the COVID-19 vaccine. A total of 411 (73.3%) participants experienced an increase in hair loss after COVID-19 infection, and 171 (30.5%) began suffering from pain when combing their hair. In addition, 182 participants (32.4%) had a family history of TE. Only 109 (10.9%) participants had a good awareness level about TE, while 452 (80.6%) had an overall poor awareness level. There was a significant relationship between the level of awareness and age, where 23.9% of the participants aged 20-29 years had a good level of awareness vs. 16.1% of others aged 40 years or older (p = 0.041). Moreover, 26.9% of participants with a family history of TE had a good awareness of TE, vs. 15.8% of those with no family history of TE (p = 0.002). In addition, significant correlations were found between increased hair loss post-COVID-19 infection and female gender (77.3% vs. 43.3%; p = 0.001) as well as suffering from pain when combing hair (86.5% vs. 65.5%; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the incidence of TE was highly related to COVID-19 infections among both sexes. However, the incidence was greater among the female population. The awareness level toward post-COVID-19 TE was poor among most of the participants in our study.

Bioactive chemical compounds in Eremurus persicus (Joub. & Spach) Boiss. essential oil and their health implications.

The genus Eremurus is native to Eastern Europe and temperate Asia. Particularly, Eremurus persicus (Joub. & Spach) Boiss. is highly valued in traditional foods and medicine. Scientific knowledge about E. persicus chemical composition and bioactivity is required. Therefore, the present study is aimed to determine the volatile composition of E. persicus essential oil (EO) by means of gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization/mass spectrometry detection. Moreover, the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activities of the EO were tested. Interestingly, the anti-dermatophyte potency was close to that of the drug griseofulvin, with minimum fungicidal concentration ranging between 0.7 and 4.5% depending on the fungi strain. The EO was also effective against hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep-G2) and breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) human cancer cell lines in a concentration (200-1500 ng/mL)-dependent manner, with a decrease of the cell viability up to 65% and 52%, respectively. The E. persicus EO was rich in terpenes and oxygenated terpene derivatives. Individually, limonene (16.25%), geranylgeraniol (15.23%), n-nonanal (9.48%), geranyl acetone (9.12%), benzene acetaldehyde (8.51%), linalool (7.93%), α-pinene (6.89%), and 1,8-cineol (5.22%) were the most abundant volatile compounds and could be chosen as analytical markers of this essential oil. In conclusion, our results suggested that this EO possesses a wide range of bioactive properties that could be useful in nutraceutical, functional foods and cosmeceutical formulations.

Susceptibility of herpes simplex virus type 1 to monoterpenes thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene and essential oils of Sinapis arvensis L., Lallemantia royleana Benth. and Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn.

In recent years, with increased the prevalence of viral infections and having no specific for  their treatment  and also the continuous appearance of resistant viral strains, the finding of novel antiviral agents is necessary. In this study, monoterpenes of thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene and essential oils from Sinapis arvensis L., Lallemantia royleana Benth. and Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn. were screened for their inhibitory effect against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in vitro on Vero cell line CCL-81-ATCC using a plaque reduction assay. The antiviral activity of three monoterpenes (thymol, carvacrol and p-cymene) and three essential oils were evaluated by cytotoxicity assay, direct plaque test. In addition, the modes of antiviral action of these compounds were investigated during the viral infection cycle. Results showed that the inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were determined at 0.002%, 0.037%, >0.1%, 0.035%, 0.018% and 0.001% for thymol, carvacrol, p-cymene, S. arvensis oil, L. royleana oil and P. vulgaris oil, respectively. A manifestly dose-dependent virucidal activity against HSV-1 could be exhibited for compounds tested. In order to determine the mode of the inhibitory effect, compounds were added at different stages during the viral infection cycle. At maximum noncytotoxic concentrations of the compounds, plaque formation was significantly reduced by more than 80% when HSV-1 was preincubated with p-cymene. However, no inhibitory effect could be observed when the compounds were added to the cells prior to infection with HSV-1 or after the adsorption period. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that compounds affected HSV-1 mostly before adsorption and might interact with the viral envelope. Thymol exhibited a high selectivity index and seems to be a promising candidate for topical therapeutic application as antiviral agent for treatment of herpetic infections.

Anti-bacterial effect of essential oil from Xanthium strumarium against shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) serotype O157:H7 is one of the most important human pathogenic microorganisms, which can cause life-threatening infections. Xanthium strumarium L. is a plant with anti-bacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. This study aims to demonstrate in vitro efficacy of the essential oil (EO) extracted from Xanthium strumarium L. against E. coli O157:H7. Using the agar test diffusion, the effect of Xanthium strumarium L. EO (5, 10, 15, 30, 60, and 120 mg/mL) was verified at each of the four different growth phases of E. coli O157:H7. Cell counts of viable cells and colony forming unit (CFU) were determined at regular time points using Breed's method and colony counting method, respectively. No viable cell was detectable after the 1 hour-exposure to X. strumarium EO at 30, 60, and 120 mg/mL concentrations. No bacterial colony was formed after 1 h until the end of the incubation period at 24 h. At lower concentrations, the number of bacteria cells decreased and colonies could be observed only after incubation. At the exponential phase, the EO at 15 mg/mL was only bacteriostatic, while from 30 mg/mL started to be bactericidal. X. strumarium EO antibacterial activity against Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7 is dependent on EO concentration and physiological state of the microorganisms tested. The best inhibitory activity was achieved during the late exponential and the stationary phases.

Antibacterial activities of essential oils from Iranian medicinal plants on extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli.

The extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) -producing Escherichia coli strains can lead to various infections particularly urinary tract infections. The main objective of this investigation was to evaluate the antibacterial activities of essential oils (EOs) from different Iranian medicinal plants against TEM gene positive ESBL-producing E. coli strains isolated from urine samples of patients with urinary tract infections. EOs were extracted using hydrodistillation method. E. coli strains were isolated by different specific Medias. ESBL-producing E. coli strains were isolated from urine samples of patients with urinary tract infections in Shiraz hospital, Iran. Then, ESBL- producing strains were identified using double disk synergy test, phenotypic disc confirmatory test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for TEM gene detection. The antibacterial activity of the EOs from different plants (Achillea wilhelmsii C. Koch, Echinophora platyloba DC., Lallemantia royleana, Nepeta persica Boiss., Pulicaria vulgaris Gaertn., Salvia nemorosa, and Satureja intermedia C.A.Mey) and antibiotics against ESBL-producing strains was studied using the microdilution method for the evaluation of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The 103 out of 295 E. coli strains with 97 (90.65%) TEM gene distributions were identified as ESBL-producing strains. All of the EOs derived from different plants displayed high inhibitory effects against ESBL-producing E. coli strains. The results of our investigations may propose a good treatment option against resistant infectious bacteria.

Herbal Antibiotics: Moving back into the mainstream as an alternative for "Superbugs".

Editorial.

Tordylium persicum Boiss. & Hausskn extract: A possible alternative for treatment of pediatric infectious diseases.

Antimicrobial herbal compounds are one of the important medical resources, and in order to help alleviate the spread of the pediatric infectious diseases, identification of additional bioactive phytochemicals and herbal extracts will be practical in treating illnesses. In the present work, antimicrobial activities various extracts of Tordylium persicum Boiss. & Hausskn aerial parts were determined against five Gram-positive bacteria, five Gram-negative bacteria, two fungi, and Echinococcus granulosus. Antimicrobial activities were assayed using both disk diffusion and microbroth dilution methods. Scolicidal activity was assayed by the Smyth and Barrett method. Also total phenol and total flavonoid contents for plant extracts were assayed. Results showed that the methanolic extract was more effective on all microbes. The results showed that Streptococcus pyogenes was the most susceptible to the methanolic extract (MIC = 25.9 ± 0.0 µg/mL), while Proteus vulgaris was the most resistant strain (MIC = 295.3 ± 0.0 µg/mL) among all bacteria evaluated. The extracts showed significant activity versus E. granulosus (P < 0.5) with dose-dependent inhibitions of the protoscolices. The high concentration of total polyphenolics (294.5 ± 0.1 GAE/g DW) and flavonoids (105.7 ± 0.3 mg CE/g DW) may be responsible for these activities. Our study is first evaluation on antimicrobial and scolicidal activities of T. persicum. Due to the appearance of antibiotic-resistance, ourstudy suggested that methanol extracts of this plant are appropriate candidate for traditional curative uses and it can be utilized in the pediatric infectious disease therapy, especially pediatric infectious disease.

Potential of Ocimum basilicum L. and Salvia officinalis L. essential oils against biofilms of P. aeruginosa clinical isolates.

Biofilms are complex communities of microorganisms, responsible for more than 60% of the chronic human infections and they represent one of the leading concerns in medicine. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is human pathogenic bacteria which causes numerous diseases and is known for its ability to produce biofilm. Ocimum basilicum L. (basil) and Salvia officinalis L. (sage) are widely used plants in traditional medicine for the treatment of different conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the potential of basil and sage essential oils against P. aeruginosa biofilm producing strains. The efficacy of two essential oils on P. aeruginosa biofilm forming ability was determined using crystal violet method. Out of 15 strains isolated from different clinical biological samples, two were strong, 11 moderate and one weak biofilm producer. Good efficacy of sage essential oil towards strong and weak biofilm producers, but not of basil essential oil, was observed. In the case of moderate biofilm producers, 81.8% showed lower biofilm production after incubation with the sage oil, while 63.6% showed the reduction of biofilm production after basil essential oil treatment. The obtained results showed high potential of both oils for the treatment of persistent infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.

Association of P53 codon 72 polymorphism and lung cancer in an ethnic Iranian population.

Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. Molecular genetic studies indicated that activation of dominant oncogenes or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and the presence of polymorphism in these genes correlated with prevalence of new lung cancers. P53 as a tumor suppressor gene located at 17p13 chromosome and it is one of the most well-known mutant genes in all cancer types. Mutation in P53 can disturb the transcriptional function and suppression of cell cycle control and increase in cell division and amplification. We can predict the susceptibility of people inside a society to lung cancer with evaluation of P53 gene polymorphism. A total of 200 patients with lung cancer and 200 healthy controls participated in this case-control study. Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples and PCR-RFLP analyses were used to genotype the P53 gene polymorphism in codon 72 of exon 4, chromosome 17. Among 200 lung cancer patients and 200 controls, there was no significant correlation between sexuality and cigarette smoking status. We did not find any relationship between cigarette smoking status and genotypes or pack-years but there was a significant correlation between cigarette smoking status and adenocarcinoma patients (P=0.03). The results of the present study revealed that there is no association between P53 codon 72 polymorphism and increased risk of lung cancer in patients and controls but according to results of adenocarcinoma in never-smoker patients, it seems that environmental factors may have more important role than genetic susceptibility in our ethnic Iranian population.

Anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) activity of Rubiaceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae plants: A search for new sources of useful alternative antibacterials against MRSA infections.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of the extracts of the leaves of species from the Rubiaceae (Galium aparine L. and Asperula arvensis L.), Fabaceae (Lathyrus aphaca L. and Vicia narbonensis L.) and Poaceae (Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. and Hordeum murinum L.) plant families on a wide and extensive panel of isolated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains (MRSA). The effects of the methanolic leaf extracts of Rubiaceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae plants on MRSA were evaluated by the disc diffusion assay and the broth dilution method. Among a total of 177 S. aureus isolates, 92 (51.97%) were found to be methicillin-resistant in an antibiogram and this was confirmed by the presence of the mecA gene in polymerase chain reaction method. All MRSA isolates were sensitive to all extracts. There were dose-dependent inhibitions on tested microorganisms for all plant extracts which showed maximum inhibition zones at a concentration of 300 mg/L. L. aphaca, G. aparine and H. murinum exhibited the highest antibacterial activity on the MRSA strains compared to the positive control (P < 0.05), as well as higher total polyphenol and flavonoid contents than other plant extracts. Minimum inhibitory concentrations on MRSA isolates ranged from 388.4 ± 0.2 mg/L, in D. sanguinalis, to 5.5 ± 0.1 mg/L, in L. aphaca. The methanolic extracts of L. aphaca (Fabaceae), G. aparine (Rubiaceae), and H. murinum (Poaceae) proved to have high antibacterial activity on MRSA isolates, thus representing promising antimicrobial agents in clinical settings.

A comparison between PLGA-PEG and NIPAAm-MAA nanocarriers in curcumin delivery for hTERT silencing in lung cancer cell line.

Lung cancer is the most common cancer among men. Since the main reason of cancer cells immortality is telomerase activity, targeting of such enzyme can be a promising approach in cancer therapy. Curcumin is a safe and efficient anticancer agent in this context, but its applications in cancer therapy are limited because of its hydrophobic structure and low solubility in water. Today, using nanocarriers for delivery of such anticancer agents is a well performed method. Here, we developed and compared the efficiency of two nanocarriers (PLGA-PEG and NIPAAm-MAA) in delivery of curcumin and also in levels of hTERT silencing in lung cancer cell line (calu-6). Scanning electron microscopy, MTT assays and real-time PCR were used for imaging, cytotoxicity testing and measuring the expression levels of hTERT after treatment of cells with different concentrations of free curcumin and curcumin loaded nanocarriers. The MTT results demonstrated that the IC50 values of curcumin loaded nanocarriers were in lower concentrations than free curcumin. The hTERT expression levels were decreased by curcumin loaded PLGA-PEG more than curcumin loaded NIPAAm-MAA and free curcumin. Our results showed that the curcumin loaded PLGA-PEG can be a useful nano based carrier for delivery of anti-cancer agents such as curcumin to fight lung cancer.

Plants of the genus Allium as antibacterial agents: From tradition to pharmacy.

Plants belonging to the genus Allium are widely cultivated and used all over the world as food and medicinal plants. Since ancient times, these plants, particularly garlic (Allium sativum L.) and onion (Allium cepa L.), have represented important components of typical recipes and traditional healing systems. Not the least of which, their use as food biopreservatives is well documented, due to the relevant antibacterial activity of their extracts and essential oils. In addition to garlic and onion, this review article deals with the main members of the genus Allium, including A. ampeloprasum (Leek), A. schoenoprasum (Chive) and A. ascalonicum (Shallot), focusing both on their ethnonutritional uses and potential as promising food biopreservative agents. Noteworthy, recent research has demonstrated Allium derivatives to be novel components in active edible coatings as well as nanoformulates.

Inhibitory activity on type 2 diabetes and hypertension key-enzymes, and antioxidant capacity of Veronica persica phenolic-rich extracts.

Veronica genus (Plantaginaceae) is broadly distributed in different habitats. In this study, the inhibitory activity of free soluble and conjugated phenolic extracts of Veronica persica on key enzymes associated to type 2 diabetes (α-glucosidase and α-amylase) and hypertension (angiotensin I converting enzyme, ACE) was assessed, as well as their antioxidant power. Our results showed that both the extracts inhibited α-amylase, α-glucosidase and ACE in a dose-dependent manner. In particular, free phenolic extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited α-glucosidase (IC50 532.97 µg/mL), whereas conjugated phenolic extract significantly (P<0.05) inhibited α-amylase (IC50 489.73 µg/mL) and ACE (290.06 µg/mL). The enzyme inhibitory activities of the extracts were not associated with their phenolic content. Anyway, the inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase and ACE, along with the antioxidant capacity of the phenolic-rich extracts, could represent a putative mechanism through which V. persica exerts its antidiabetes and antihypertension effects.

Mutagenic, antimutagenic, antioxidant, anti-lipoxygenase and antimicrobial activities of Scandix pecten-veneris L.

Scandix pecten-veneris L. or Shepherd's-needle is a weed species used in some countries for medicinal purposes. In this study S. pecten-veneris leaves were shade dried, powdered and extracted with methanol. The purpose of this study was to assay the in vitro mutagenic, antimutagenic, antioxidant, antilipoxygenase and antimicrobial activities of S. pecten-veneris leaf extract. The methanolic extract indicated no mutagenicity when tested with Salmonella typhimurium strains TA98 and TA100. Antimutagenic activity was reported with inhibition of mutagenicity in a concentration dependent fashion. The methanolic extract demonstrated antioxidant activity in the DPPH radical-scavenging test (IC50 = 4.57 mg/mL), comparable to ascorbic acid and BHT. Moreover, the extract presented a remarkable and potent inhibition against soybean lipoxygenase (IC50 = 641.57 µg/mL). The methanolic extract was examined for its antimicrobial powers against four different bacteria with MIC values >100. Our results introduced this plant as a useful factor for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory and infectious diseases.

Trachoma prevalence in rural areas of eastern Iran.

We investigated the prevalence of trachoma in rural areas of eastern Iran. We collected swabs from 150 children in three areas. Results of PCR showed presence of chlamydia in four boys (5.97%) and nine girls (10.84%). We suggest that in assessing the elimination of trachoma, WHO must consider border areas between countries.

First case of vanA-positive Enterococcus mundtii in human urinary tract infection in Iran.

We cultured enterococci from urinary tract infections in Iranian hospitals. Seven different Enterococcus species (E. raffinosus, E. durans, E. hirae, E. avium, E. mundtii, E. faecium and E. faecalis) were found. Seven strains were vancomycin resistant, leading to an overall vancomycin resistance rate of 3.9%. The enterococcal infection rate was high and vancomycin-resistant enterococci incidence low. We report the first vanA-positive E. mundtii urinary tract infections.

Molecular structure, spectroscopic assignments and other quantum chemical calculations of anticancer drugs - A review.

In many texts, both theoretical and experimental studies on molecular structure and spectroscopic assignments of anticancer medicines have been reported. Molecular geometry parameters have been experimentally obtained by x-ray structure determination method and optimized using computational chemistry method like density functional theory. In this review, we consider calculations based on density function theory at B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G (d,p) levels of theory. Based on optimized geometric parameters of the molecules, molecular structures (length of bonds, bond angles and torsion angles) and vibrational assignments have been obtained. Molecular stability and bond strength have been investigated by applying natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Other molecular properties such as mulliken population analysis, thermodynamic properties and polarizabitities of these drugs have been reported. Calculated energies of HOMO and LUMO show that charge transfer occurs in the molecular. Information about the size, shape, charge density distribution and site of molecular chemical reactivity has been obtained by mapping electron density isosurface of electrostatic and compared with experiment data.

Guaiasistanol: A new guaiane sesquiterpenoid from Teucrium persicum Boiss.

In this study, a new guaiane type skeleton sesquiterpenoid named guaiasistanol (6α, 10α-epoxy-4α-hydroxyguaiane) was isolated from chloroform part of the Teucrium persicum extract, also chrysothol. Spectroscopic means explained the structures. This compound was evaluated for inhibitory activity against acetylcholinesterase and it showed a moderate activity with 28% inhibition.

Conformational stability, spectroscopic and computational studies, hikes' occupied molecular orbital, lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, natural bond orbital analysis and thermodynamic parameters of anticancer drug on nanotube-A review.

Today the use of nanotubes (CNTs) is widely spread a versatile vector for drug delivery that can officiate as a platform for transporting a variety of bioactive molecules, such as drugs. In the present study, the interaction between the nanotube and anticancer drugs is investigated. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were using the Gauss view and the complexes were optimized by B3LYP method using B3LYP/6-31G (d, p) and B3LYP/6-311++G (d, p) basis set in the gas phase and water solution at 298.15K. The calculated hikes' occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied (LUMO) energies Show that charge transfer occurs within the molecule. Furthermore, the effects of interactions on the natural bond orbital analysis (NBO) have been used to a deeper investigation into the studied compounds. These factors compete against each other to determine the adsorption behavior of the tube computer simulation is seen to be capable to optimize anticancer drug design. This review article mainly concentrates on the different protocols of loading anticancer drugs onto CNTs as well as how to control the anticancer drug release and cancer treatment.

Antimicrobial Synergic Effect of Allicin and Silver Nanoparticles on Skin Infection Caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus spp.

BACKGROUND: Today, the commonly used antibiotics may more and more frequently be ineffective against multiple pathogens, due to the selection of resistant microbial strains. As a result, an effort to find a new approach for solving this issue has been considered. AIM: The aim of this study is to investigate antimicrobial properties of allicin, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and their combination again skin infection caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains in an animal model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In vivo, the effects of allicin, Ag NPs and their combination were investigated on mice in which the skin infection was caused by MRSA strains. In animals, S. aureus colony-forming units (CFU)/mL were counted the 4(th) day after treatment. In vitro, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of bacterial growth and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of allicin, Ag NPs and their combination were determined by microdilution technique. RESULTS: The results of in vitro assays showed that MIC of allicin and Ag NPs were 2.2 mg/mL and 5.6 mg/mL, respectively, and MBC of allicin and Ag NPs were 3.1 ppm and 7.5 ppm, respectively. However, MIC and MBC of allicin and Ag NPs together on MRSA strains were 0.4 mg/mL and 1.1 ppm, respectively. The results of in vivo tests on skin infection showed that bacteria counted for control, Ag NPs, allicin and their combination were 377 × 108, 80 × 106, 43 × 105, and 0 CFU/mL, respectively. CONCLUSION: The obtained results clearly indicated (for the first time, to the best of our knowledge) that allicin and Ag NPs, when used in combination, exhibited a synergistic activity. Therefore, the present results can be of interest in the future to improve the treatment of skin infections caused by MRSA strains.