The effects of Artemisia absinthium L. on scopolamine-induced learning and memory impairment and brain tissue oxidative damage in adult rats.

Objective: The present study examined the effects of Artemisia absinthium L. on scopolamine-induced memory dysfunction and brain tissue oxidative damage in rats. Materials and Methods: Fifty rats were used in five groups: Control: received dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/saline, Scopolamine: scopolamine (2 mg/kg) was administered along with DMSO/saline, and Scopolamine-Ext 50, Scopolamine-Ext 100, and Scopolamine-Ext 200 groups: A. absinthium hydroalcoholic extract 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg were administered before scopolamine. The Morris water maze (MWM) and passive avoidance (PA) tasks were used for assessment of behavioral parameters. Malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) metabolites, total thiol, catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were measured in the cortex and hippocampus. Results: A. absinthium decreased the delay time and distance traveled to reach the platform in the MWM test (p<0.05-p<0.001). Besides, the extract increased the delay time to pass in the dark and the light time while decreasing the number of entrances and the dark time in the PA task (p<0.05-p<0.001). In biochemical assessments, A. absinthium attenuated NO metabolites (p<0.001) and MDA (p<0.05- p<0.001) while enhanced total thiol (p<0.001), CAT and SOD (both p<0.05-p<0.001). Conclusion: This study revealed that A. absinthium improved memory and learning impairment and brain tissue oxidative damage in scopolamine-treated rats.

Preparation of Molecular Imprinted Polymer Based on Chitosan as the Selective Sorbent for Solid-Phase Microextraction of Phenobarbital.

This study reports the construction of a novel SPME fiber based on chitosan and glutaraldehyde as coating material composites combined with high-performance liquid chromatography with an ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) for extraction and detection of phenobarbital. In this technique, the chitosan biopolymer, as a new coating of SPME fiber, was produced on the stainless-steel wire, using glutaraldehyde and phenobarbital as cross-linker and template, respectively. For comparison, a nonimprinted polymer was created using the same procedure to evaluate fiber selectivity (but without the addition of phenobarbital). The SPME-MIP fiber coating was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The efficiency of fiber was then improved by adjusting the impact of numerous factors such as pH, extraction time, desorption time, desorption solvent, and stirring rate. The results showed that the proposed fiber has a linear range of 0.01-4 µg·mL-1, and detection limit of 7.5 ng·mL-1. The average recoveries in the four concentration levels for the spiked river and well water samples were 95.7 and 95.3%, with relative standard deviations of 3.8 and 5.9% for single fiber and between fibers, respectively.

Preparation of a New Solid-Phase Microextraction Fiber Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for Monitoring of Phenobarbital in Urine Samples.

A simple solid-phase microextraction technique using molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP-SPME) was prepared to monitor phenobarbital in urine samples. In this technique, the fiber was prepared via insertion of the modified stainless-steel wire in the reaction solution including 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and tetraethyl orthosilicate in the presence of an acidic catalyst (acetic acid). The fabricated MIP-SPME fiber was utilized to selectively extract phenobarbital from urine samples and prepare it for detection through high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The synthesized MIPs were characterized by several techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The effects of various influencing factors on the extraction yield of phenobarbital were considered and optimized. The conditions that yielded the maximum extraction efficiency were as follows: pH of 5, 25 min extraction time, 500 rpm stirring rate, 15 min desorption time and using methanol as elution solvent. Within the range of concentrations of 0.02 to 100 µg mL-1, the method had linear characteristics, with a suitable coefficient of determination (0.9983). We determined limits of detection and limits of quantification to be 9.88 and 32.9 ng mL-1, respectively. The repeatability and reproducibility of the prepared fibers were 4.6 and 6.5%, respectively.

Application of aeration-assisted homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction procedure using Box-Behnken design for determination of curcumin by HPLC.

A simple, efficient, and rapid sample preparation method based on aeration-assisted homogeneous liquid-liquid microextraction was developed for determination of curcumin in food samples by high-performance liquid chromatography. The centrifuge step has been eliminated in this procedure. The effects of some variables, such as pH, volume of extraction solvent, extraction time, and salt effect, were studied through a Box-Behnken design method. Under the optimum conditions, calibration curves of curcumin were linear in the range of 0.08-4000 µg/mL with R2  = 0.997. Limit of detection and relative standard deviation were 0.019 µg/mL and 3.01%, respectively. The preconcentration factor achieved was 166. The proposed method was successfully applied to determination of curcumin in various food samples.

Cold column trapping-cloud point extraction coupled to high performance liquid chromatography for preconcentration and determination of curcumin in human urine.

A cold column trapping-cloud point extraction (CCT-CPE) method coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was developed for preconcentration and determination of curcumin in human urine. A nonionic surfactant, Triton X-100, was used as the extraction medium. In the proposed method, a low surfactant concentration of 0.4% v/v and a short heating time of only 2min at 70°C were sufficient for quantitative extraction of the analyte. For the separation of the extraction phase, the resulted cloudy solution was passed through a packed trapping column that was cooled to 0 °C. The temperature of the CCT column was then increased to 25°C and the surfactant rich phase was desorbed with 400µL ethanol to be directly injected into HPLC for the analysis. The effects of different variables such as pH, surfactant concentration, cloud point temperature and time were investigated and optimum conditions were established by a central composite design (response surface) method. A limit of detection of 0.066mgL(-1) curcumin and a linear range of 0.22-100mgL(-1) with a determination coefficient of 0.9998 were obtained for the method. The average recovery and relative standard deviation for six replicated analysis were 101.0% and 2.77%, respectively. The CCT-CPE technique was faster than a conventional CPE method requiring a lower concentration of the surfactant and lower temperatures with no need for the centrifugation. The proposed method was successfully applied to the analysis of curcumin in human urine samples.

25-hydroxyvitamin d and severity of Parkinson's disease.

Introduction. A role for vitamin D deficiency in Parkinson's disease (PD) has recently been proposed. Given the growing body of evidence for the association of vitamin D with several neurodegenerative disorders and unavailability of any published study in the Middle East, the present study is aimed to determine the associations of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels with the severity of PD in an Iranian sample. Methods. In 109 patients, the severity of PD was evaluated by using Hoehn & Yahr (HR) stages and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Stage (UPDRS) Part III compared with 25OHD level in a double-blind and cross-sectional study. Results. Mean ± SD levels of 25OHD were 28.5 ± 1.4 and 27.1 ± 1.5, for males and females, respectively. Also, 38.4% of the patients showed deficiency levels of 25OHD (<20 ng/mL), and 72.8% had insufficient levels (<30 ng/mL). High prevalence of 25OHD insufficiency in subjects with early disease was not associated with HR stage and UPDRS scores even after multivariate adjustment for possible confounders including disease duration. Conclusions. These findings are consistent with the possibility that vitamin D status does not seem to deteriorate during the early disease stages of PD. Further studies are needed to reveal the natural role and significance of vitamin D insufficiency in PD.

Evaluation of intima media thickness of carotid arteries in 40-60 years old persons with type d personality and its comparison with normal ones.

BACKGROUND: In some studies, the involvement of dangerous psychological and behavioral factors in etiology and physiotherapy of vascular disturbances have been shown. In other studies, the relationship between the personality type and increase in cardiovascular disease has been demonstrated. The type D personality is defined as having two characteristics of negative affect and social inhibition. It is thought that individuals with type D personality are at increased risk of carotid artery intima-media thickening which predisposes them to vascular disease that is one of the most important factors for the stroke. In this study, we try to determine whether type D personality is a contributing factor to an increase in the intima-media of the carotid artery. This study was done in 2012 in the teaching hospital of Alzahra in Isfahan Iran. METHODS: This is a case/control study which is done at Alzahra hospital in Isfahan in 2011-12. The statistical population in this study is composed of individuals who do not have any risk factors for stroke and are randomly selected among the hospital staff or the patient's family members who accompanied the patient at the hospital. They filled out a questioner that would assist in detecting type D personality. A carotid Doppler ultrasound that measures the intima-media thickness in the selected individuals was performed. The information obtained from the study was evaluated by Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software and the intima-media thicknesses were compared in two groups of patients. RESULTS: The average thickness of intima media in two groups, consist of placebo and patients, was 0.739 ± 0.12 and 0.759 ± 0.14 millimeter, respectively. There was no meaningful difference between the two groups based on t-test values (P = 0.19). It is important to note that based on the results, 22.9% of placebos and 48.6% of individuals with type D personality presented with abnormal thickness. The difference between the two groups were meaningful based on Chi-Squared test (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that type D personality increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases specially the stroke and myocardial infarction due to the higher prevalence of hormonal imbalances leading to arterial vasospasm and atherosclerotic disease. As a result, it is necessary to evaluate and treat these patients due to increased risk of atherosclerotic diseases, stoke, and myocardial infarction.