Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

About: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services is a education organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 19456 authors who have published 33659 publications receiving 365676 citations.

Human bone marrow-derived and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells for alleviating neuropathic pain in a spinal cord injury model

Abstract: Stem cell therapy can be used for alleviating the neuropathic pain induced by spinal cord injuries (SCIs). However, survival and differentiation of stem cells following their transplantation vary depending on the host and intrinsic factors of the cell. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of stem cells derived from bone marrow (BM-MSC) and umbilical cord (UC-MSC) on neuropathic pain relief. A compression model was used to induce SCI in a rat model. A week after SCI, about 1 million cells were transplanted into the spinal cord. Behavioral tests, including motor function recovery, mechanical allodynia, cold allodynia, mechanical hyperalgesia, and thermal hyperalgesia, were carried out every week for 8 weeks after SCI induction. A single unit recording and histological evaluation were then performed. We show that BM-MSC and UC-MSC transplantations led to improving functional recovery, allodynia, and hyperalgesia. No difference was seen between the two cell groups regarding motor recovery and alleviating the allodynia and hyperalgesia. These cells survived in the tissue at least 8 weeks and prevented cavity formation due to SCI. However, survival rate of UC-MSC was significantly higher than BM-MSC. Electrophysiological evaluations showed that transplantation of UC-MSC brings about better results than BM-MSCs in wind up of wide dynamic range neurons. The results of the present study show that BM-MSC and UC-MSC transplantations alleviated the symptoms of neuropathic pain and resulted in subsequent motor recovery after SCI. However, survival rate and electrophysiological findings of UC-MSC were significantly better than BM-MSC.

Potential of Liposomes for Enhancement of Oral Drug Absorption.

Abstract: Oral administration of medication is the first option when patient compliance is considered. However, many barriers face oral absorption of drugs that limit bioavailability in about 90% of therapeutic agents. Utilization of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems is a major strategy for increasing oral absorption. They can improve oral bioavailability through mechanisms such as protection of the drug in the GI tract, increasing cellular contact and residence time of the drug, protection of the drug from presystemic metabolism and efflux and increasing diffusion across the mucosal and epithelial layers. Liposomes are biocompatible carriers employed to improve oral bioavailability of drugs and in addition to the general advantages of nanocarriers for oral delivery, they offer benefits derived from their lipidic bilayer structure. They can better adhere to biomembranes, form mixed-micelle structures with bile salts to increase the solubility of poorly-soluble drugs and are suitable candidates for lymphatic uptake. They have been successful in improving oral bioavailability of a variety of compounds including peptide and proteins, hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs. Stability under GI conditions is the main concern for oral liposomes, however, promising approaches have been suggested to increase the stability of oral liposomes. These include: using appropriate lipid compositions, polymer coating, addition of stabilizing lipids to liposomal structures, preparation of double liposomes and proliposomes and some other innovative methods. The present review focuses on the role of liposomes in improving oral absorption of drugs, the problems encountered, and the types of liposomes designed to overcome these issues. Barriers to oral delivery will be discussed and examples of bioavailability enhancement upon encapsulation in various types of liposomes investigated.

The burden of unintentional drowning: global, regional and national estimates of mortality from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study.

Abstract: __Background:__ Drowning is a leading cause of injury-related mortality globally. Unintentional drowning (International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10 codes W65-74 and ICD9 E910) is one of the 30 mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive causes of injury-related mortality in the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. This study's objective is to describe unintentional drowning using GBD estimates from 1990 to 2017. __Methods:__ Unintentional drowning from GBD 2017 was estimated for cause-specific mortality and years of life lost (YLLs), age, sex, country, region, Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile, and trends from 1990 to 2017. GBD 2017 used standard GBD methods for estimating mortality from drowning. __Results:__ Globally, unintentional drowning mortality decreased by 44.5% between 1990 and 2017, from 531 956 (uncertainty interval (UI): 484 107 to 572 854) to 295 210 (284 493 to 306 187) deaths. Global age-standardised mortality rates decreased 57.4%, from 9.3 (8.5 to 10.0) in 1990 to 4.0 (3.8 to 4.1) per 100 000 per annum in 2017. Unintentional drowning-associated mortality was generally higher in children, males and in low-SDI to middle-SDI countries. China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh accounted for 51.2% of all drowning deaths in 2017. Oceania was the region with the highest rate of age-standardised YLLs in 2017, with 45 434 (40 850 to 50 539) YLLs per 100 000 across both sexes. __Conclusions:__ There has been a decline in global drowning rates. This study shows that the decline was not consistent across countries. The results reinforce the need for continued and improved policy, prevention and research efforts, with a focus on low-and middle-income countries.

Echinacea plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents: From traditional medicine to biotechnological applications.

Abstract: The genus Echinacea consists of 11 taxa of herbaceous and perennial flowering plants. In particular, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is widely cultivated all over the United States, Canada, and in Europe, exclusively in Germany, for its beauty and reported medicinal properties. Echinacea extracts have been used traditionally as wound healing to improve the immune system and to treat respiratory symptoms caused by bacterial infections. Echinacea extracts have demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and to be safe. This survey aims at reviewing the medicinal properties of Echinacea species, their cultivation, chemical composition, and the potential uses of these plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents in foods and in a clinical context. Moreover, the factors affecting the chemical composition of Echinacea spp. are also covered.

Development of a novel magnetite–chitosan composite for the removal of fluoride from drinking water: adsorption modeling and optimization

Abstract: Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have recently been adopted by researchers in the field of adsorption/biosorption for separation of pollutants from aqueous solutions. In this paper, chitosan was impregnated with magnetite nanoparticles through a chemical co-precipitation method to fabricate hybrid adsorbents of Fe3O4–chitosan. The physicochemical and structural properties of the adsorbent were characterized, and then the performance of the adsorbent was evaluated for fluoride removal from water. The operational factors affecting the adsorption process, including pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, initial fluoride concentration, and temperature, were studied. Various isotherm and kinetic models were also used to evaluate the fit of the experimental data with the modeled results. The equilibrium data were well described by the Freundlich model. The kinetics of the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order model. Recycling results suggested that the Fe3O4–chitosan particles maintain a great reusability potential for five consecutive cycles. Findings also showed that the Fe3O4–chitosan can be easily regenerated via acid treatment. The results of the present work highlighted the potential of using the Fe3O4–chitosan magnetic composite for the removal of fluoride from water. In conclusion, Fe3O4–chitosan can be considered as an appropriate adsorbent for fluoride removal from water, because it can be separated both quickly and easily, it has high efficiency, and it does not lead to secondary pollution.