ABSTRACT
The fig-milk dessert, a traditional and nutritionally rich treat infused with bioactive compounds, was subjected to a comprehensive analysis in this study. The novelty of this research lies in the investigation of the in vitro antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial potential of the fig-milk dessert. This was accomplished through the utilization of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, Annexin/propidium iodide staining, microtiter plate-based assay and agar well diffusion, respectively, for the first time. Additionally, the study assessed the total phenols and flavonoid content of the extract using the Folin-Ciocalteu assay and the aluminum chloride method, respectively. The findings revealed that the cooking method exerted a significant influence on the bioactive properties and nutritional composition of the dessert. Among the samples analyzed, CM1, consisting of figs steamed for 2 min and milk heated to 70°C, exhibited remarkable characteristics. This sample demonstrated the highest peptide concentration (1290 mg/L), superior antioxidant and anticancer activities, and favorable sensory attributes. Specifically, CM1 induced apoptosis in 84% of AGS cells and inhibited 68% of free radicals in the DPPH assay. It is noteworthy that the fig-milk dessert did not exhibit any antibacterial properties. These discerning results carry substantial implications for the development of functional dairy products endowed with both nutritional and potential therapeutic properties.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: One of the most common demyelinating disorders is Multiple Sclerosis (MS), which can lead to extensive disability in patients. Appearance of active lesions can be an important sign of disease development. The correlation between the restriction of DWI signal, contrast-enhancement, and demyelinated plaque's signals were evaluated in this study. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 34 MS patients with 1043 MS-plaques who had acute attacks took part in this study. Three MRI pulse-sequences, FLAIR, DWI, and post-contrast enhanced T1 weighted, were compared. Using the signal intensity of MS-lesions and normal brain tissue in FLAIR images, lesion/noise ratio (LNR) and lesion/white-matter ratio (LWR) were calculated. Sensitivity and specificity of LNR and LWR were estimated to determine a cut off value. RESULTS: 7.86% of MS-plaques were enhanced in T1 contrast-enhanced MRI. 2.4% showed DWI restriction. 0.77% showed both diffusion-restriction and T1 contrast-enhancement, 1.63% indicated diffusion-restriction but no contrast-enhancement and 7.09% showed contrast-enhancement but no diffusion-restriction. Among diffusion-restricted plaques, 32% were enhanced in T1-weighted post-contrast enhanced images and it should be noted that diffusion-restriction was seen in 9.76% of enhanced plaques. The sensitivity and specificity of the DWI restriction and its effectiveness in detecting active-plaques were calculated as 12.31% and 98.26%, respectively. The accuracy of this method in detecting the active MS-plaques estimated as 92.91%. The cut-off value for LWR and LNR was between 0.9-1 and 24-28. CONCLUSION: By calculating LNR and LWR, the FLAIR images can be evaluated to detect new MS-plaques. LWR had higher sensitivity and specificity in comparison to LNR so it is a better index in the detection of active-plaques. Although post contrast T1 is the gold standard for evaluating active plaques, in the case of a contraindication to gadolinium, DWI can offer supplemental information on the diffusion restriction of MS plaques in a non-contrast protocol.