Systematic Review on Herbal Preparations for Controlling Visceral Hypersensitivity in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Visceral hypersensitivity (VH) is an overreaction of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to various stimuli and is characterized by hyperalgesia and/or allodynia. VH contributes to the etiology of many GI dysfunctions, particularly irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Although the exact mechanisms underlying VH are yet to be found, inflammation and oxidative stress, psychosocial factors, and sensorimotor alterations may play significant roles in it. OBJECTIVE: In this review, we provide an overview of VH and its pathophysiological function in GI disorders. Adverse effects of synthetic drugs may make herbal agents a good candidate for pain management. Therefore, in this review, we will discuss the efficacy of herbal agents in the management of VH with a focus on their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potentials. METHODS: Data were extracted from clinical and animal studies published in English between 2004 and June, 2020, which were collected from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. RESULTS: Overall, Radix, Melissia, Glycyrrhizae, Mentha, and Liquorice were the most efficient herbals for VH management in IBS and dyspepsia, predominantly through modulation of the mRNA expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid type-1 (TRPV1) and suppression of 5- hydroxytryptamine 3 (5-HT3) or the serotonin receptors. CONCLUSION: Considering the positive effects of herbal formulations in VH management, further research on novel herbal and/or herbal/chemical preparations is warranted.

A systematic and critical review of application of molecular dynamics simulation in low salinity water injection.

Low Salinity Water Injection (LSWI) has been a well-researched EOR method, with several experimental and theoretical scientific papers reported in the literature over the past few decades. Despite this, there is still an ongoing debate on dominant mechanisms behind this complex EOR process, and some issues remain elusive. Part of the complexity arises from the scale of investigation, which spans from sub-pore scale (atomic and electronic scale) to pore scale, core scale, and reservoir scale. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation has been used as a research tool in the past decade to investigate the nano-scale interactions among reservoir rock (e.g., calcite, silica), crude oil, and brine systems in presence of some impurities (e.g., clay minerals) and additives (e.g., nanoparticles). In this paper, fundamental concepts of MD simulation and common analyses driven by MD are briefly reviewed. Then, an overview of molecular models of the most common minerals encountered in petroleum reservoirs: quartz, calcite, and clay, with their most common types of potential function, is provided. Next, a critical review and in depth analysis of application of MD simulations in LSWI process in both sandstone and carbonate reservoirs in terms of sub-pore scale mechanisms, namely electrical double layer (EDL) expansion, multi-ion exchange (MIE), and cation hydration, is presented to scrutinize role of salinity, ionic composition, and rock surface chemistry from an atomic level. Some inconsistencies observed in the literature are also highlighted and the reasons behind them are explained. Finally, a future research guide is provided after critically discussing the challenges and potential of the MD in LSWI to shed more light on governing mechanisms behind LSWI by enhancing the reliability of MD outcomes in future researches. Such insights can be used for design of new MD researches with complementary experimental studies at core scale to capture the main mechanisms behind LSWI.

Involvement of NMDA receptors in the antidepressant-like effect of tramadol in the mouse forced swimming test.

Tramadol is an analgesic agent that is mainly used to treat moderate to severe pain. There is evidence that tramadol may have antidepressant property. However, the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of tramadol have not been elucidated yet. Considering that fact that N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor signaling may play an important role in the pathophysiology of depression, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of NMDA receptor signaling in the possible antidepressant-like effects of tramadol in the mouse forced swimming test (mFST). We found that tramadol exerted antidepressant-like effects at high dose (40mg/kg, intraperitoneally [i.p.]) in the mFST. Co-administration of non-effective doses of NMDA receptor antagonists (ketamine [1mg/kg, i.p.], MK-801 [0.05mg/kg, i.p.], or magnesium sulfate [10mg/kg, i.p.]) with sub-effective dose of tramadol (20mg/kg, i.p.) exerted significant antidepressant-like effects in the mFST. The antidepressant-like effects of tramadol (40mg/kg) was also inhibited by pre-treatment with non-effective dose of the NMDA receptor agonist NMDA (75mg/kg, i.p.). Our data suggest a role for NMDA receptor signaling in the antidepressant-like effects of tramadol in the mFST.

Growth inhibitory activity of Ankaferd hemostat on primary melanoma cells and cell lines.

OBJECTIVE: Ankaferd hemostat is the first topical hemostatic agent about the red blood cell-fibrinogen relations tested in the clinical trials. Ankaferd hemostat consists of standardized plant extracts including Alpinia officinarum, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Thymus vulgaris, Urtica dioica, and Vitis vinifera. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of Ankaferd hemostat on viability of melanoma cell lines. METHODS: Dissimilar melanoma cell lines and primary cells were used in this study. These cells were treated with different concentrations of Ankaferd hemostat to assess the impact of different dosages of the drug. All cells treated with different concentrations were incubated for different time intervals. After the data had been obtained, one-tailed T-test was used to determine whether the Ankaferd hemostat would have any significant inhibitory impact on cell growth. RESULTS: We demonstrated in this study that cells treated with Ankaferd hemostat showed a significant decrease in cell viability compared to control groups. The cells showed different resistances against Ankaferd hemostat which depended on the dosage applied and the time treated cells had been incubated. We also demonstrated an inverse relationship between the concentration of the drug and the incubation time on one hand and the viability of the cells on the other hand, that is, increasing the concentration of the drug and the incubation time had a negative impact on cell viability. CONCLUSION: The findings in our study contribute to our knowledge about the anticancer impact of Ankaferd hemostat on different melanoma cells.

Isolated pseudoabducens palsy in acute thalamic stroke.

Oculomotor abnormalities are rarely noted in thalamic strokes. We describe isolated right pseudoabducens palsy in a young patient with acute left thalamic infarction revealed by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The patient's horizontal diplopia and oculomotor palsy resolved within 3days. This case supports the hypothesis that a lesion can cause isolated esotropia by interrupting descending inhibitory convergence pathways that traverse the paramedian thalamus and decussate in the subthalamic region to innervate the contralateral third oculomotor nucleus. Esotropia contralateral to the thalamic lesion results from tonic activation of the medial rectus, producing pseudoabducens palsy.

Application of SHERPA to identify and prevent human errors in control units of petrochemical industry.

INTRODUCTION: Studying human errors as a risk factor in the occurrence of accidents is necessary. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify, predict and control human errors in industrial control units. METHOD: This is a case study carried out using SHERPA in the first unit of Zagros Methanol of Asalooyeh, Iran, and its subunits. To collect the required data, various methods were used: observing, interviewing processing specialists and control unit operators, and studying technical documents and records. RESULTS: In total, 222 human errors were identified in various occupational tasks. This study showed that 48.62% of them were action errors, 31.97% were checking errors, 6.75% were retrieval errors, 11.70% were communication errors and 0.90% were selection errors. CONCLUSION: It can be inferred that this method is appropriate for different industries, and it is useful for identifying human errors leading to hazardous accidents.

Seizure susceptibility alteration through 5-HT(3) receptor: modulation by nitric oxide.

There is some evidence that epileptic seizures could be induced or increased by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) attenuation, while augmentation of serotonin functions within the brain (e.g. by SSRIs) has been reported to be anticonvulsant. This study was performed to determine the effect of selective 5-HT(3) channel/receptor antagonist granisetron and agonist SR57227 hydrochloride on the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure threshold in mice. The possible interaction of this effect with nitrergic system was also examined using the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and the NO precursor l-arginine. SR57227 (10mg/kg, i.p.) significantly increased the seizure threshold compared to control group, while high dose granisetron (10mg/kg, i.p.) proved proconvulsant. Co-administration of sub-effective doses of the 5-HT(3) agonist with l-NAME (5 and 60mg/kg, i.p., respectively) exerted a significant anticonvulsive effect, while sub-effective doses of granisetron (3mg/kg) was observed to have a proconvulsive action with the addition of l-arginine (75mg/kg, i.p.). Our data demonstrate that enhancement of 5-HT(3) receptor function results in as anticonvulsant effect in the PTZ-induced seizure model, and that selective antagonism at the 5-HT(3) receptor yields proconvulsive effects. Furthermore, the NO system may play a role in 5-HT(3) receptor function.