Synthesis and Evaluation of a Triblock Copolymer/ZnO Nanoparticles from Poly(ε-caprolactone) and Poly(Acrylic Acid) as a Potential Drug Delivery Carrier.

Through the present paper, a triblock copolymer containing pH-responsive (polyacrylic acid-b-polycaprolactone -b-polyacrylic acid) (PAA-b-PCL-b-PAA) was synthesized by using the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone (ε-CL) and the reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of the acrylic acid methods, as the drug carrier. Blends of the nanocrystalline zinc oxide nanoparticles (n-ZnO) and triblock copolymer treated from the solution have been used to make the hybrid polymer-metal oxide for the preparation of the drug loaded nanocomposite. The drug-release behavior of the nanocomposite was studied by using the Doxorubicin as a model drug.

Chemical composition of the essential oils and extracts of Achillea species and their biological activities: A review.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Asteraceae (alt. Compositae) family incorporates a large number of flowering plants, which have been classified under ca. 1600 genera covering more than 23,000 species.

The Effect of Chrysin Loaded PLGA-PEG on Metalloproteinase Gene Expression in Mouse 4T1 Tumor Model.

Despite the advances in medicine, cancer remains as one of the leading causes of the death worldwide. Through our previous study, the Chrysin loaded PGLA/PEG has been synthesized, and its physico-chemical properties were characterized. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the Chrysin loaded PGLA/PEG nanoparticle therapeutic effects on TIMP-1, TIMP-2, MMP-2, MMP-9 and PI3k expression in Mouse 4T1 breast tumor model.

Liposome-mediated RNA interference delivery against Erk1 and Erk2 does not equally promote chemosensitivity in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2.

Background: Extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk)1 and Erk2 are central mediators of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway, which plays a key role in proliferation and chemoresistance of cancer cells. However, the effect of Erk1 and Erk2 in these processes may not be the same. The aim of this study was to investigate differential effect of Erk1 and Erk2 down-regulation on chemoresistance in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.

Health Related Quality of Life in Family Caregivers of Patients Suffering from Mental Disorders.

Introduction: In the light of the advances in treatment measures and early discharge of patients with mental disorders from psychiatric hospitals, families play important role in caring for such patients.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the Quality of Life (QoL) of the family caregivers of patients with mental disorders.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in teaching health care centers affiliated with medical universities in Tehran, Iran.

Monitoring and assessment of soil erosion at micro-scale and macro-scale in forests affected by fire damage in northern Iran.

Understanding the occurrence of erosion processes at large scales is very difficult without studying them at small scales. In this study, soil erosion parameters were investigated at micro-scale and macro-scale in forests in northern Iran. Surface erosion and some vegetation attributes were measured at the watershed scale in 30 parcels of land which were separated into 15 fire-affected (burned) forests and 15 original (unburned) forests adjacent to the burned sites.

Preparation, Surface Properties, and Therapeutic Applications of Gold Nanoparticles in Biomedicine.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) due to their unique properties and manifold surface functionalities have been applied in bio-nanotechnology. The application of GNPs in recent medical and biological research is very extensive. Especially it involves applications such as detection and photothermalysis of microorganisms and cancer stem cells, biosensors; optical bio-imaging and observing of cells and these nanostructures also serve as practical platforms for therapeutic agents.

A Review on Potential Role of Silver Nanoparticles and Possible Mechanisms of their Actions on Bacteria.

The antimicrobial property of silver is associated to the quantity of silver and the grade of silver released. The ionized silver is extremely sensitive, as it binds to tissue proteins and gets operational alterations in the bacterial cell wall and nuclear membrane leading to cell modification and death.Silver nanoparticles have the talent to anchor to the bacterial cell wall and consequently infiltrate it, so causing physical modifications in the cell membrane like the absorptivity of the cell membrane and death of the cell.

Role of Probiotics in Managing of Helicobacter Pylori Infection: A Review.

is a prevalent pathogen which is considered as an etiological cause for gastroduodenal ulcers, and a substantial risk factor for gastric malignancies. The vital factor to take into account is that roughly half of the world's population is infected with this bacterium. However, most subjects colonized remain asymptomatic and do not require any treatment.

A fuzzy-logic based decision-making approach for identification of groundwater quality based on groundwater quality indices.

Due to inherent uncertainties in measurement and analysis, groundwater quality assessment is a difficult task. Artificial intelligence techniques, specifically fuzzy inference systems, have proven useful in evaluating groundwater quality in uncertain and complex hydrogeological systems. In the present study, a Mamdani fuzzy-logic-based decision-making approach was developed to assess groundwater quality based on relevant indices.

An Update on Biomedical Application of Nanotechnology for Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis and Therapy.

Approximately 35 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer's disease (AD). The cellular uptake and specific transport of drugs and imaging agents to brain are common issues in the diagnosis and therapy of AD. New advances in nanotechnology have supplied favorable solutions to this issue.

An update clinical application of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) in cancer cell therapy and tissue engineering.

Recent studies have elucidated that cell-based therapies are promising for cancer treatments. The human amniotic fluid stem (AFS) cells are advantageous cells for such therapeutic schemes that can be innately changed to express therapeutic proteins. HAFSCs display a natural tropism to cancer cells in vivo.

Upregulation of miR-9 and Let-7a by nanoencapsulated chrysin in gastric cancer cells.

Chrysin, as a flavone, has showed cancer chemopreventive activity. The present study utilized the PLGA-PEG-chrysin to evaluate the expression of miR-9 and Let-7a in human gastric cells. The structure of nanoparticles and encapsulated chrysin was evaluated using H NMR, FT-IR, and SEM.

MR-guided attenuation map for prostate PET-MRI: an intensity and morphologic-based segmentation approach for generating a five-class attenuation map in pelvic region.

Purpose: Prostate imaging is one of the major application of hybrid PET/MRI systems. Inaccurate attenuation maps (µ-maps) derived by direct segmentation (SEG) in which the cortical bone is ignored and the volume of the air in cavities is underestimated is the main challenge of commercial PET/MRI systems for the quantitative analysis of the pelvic region. The present study considered the cortical bone and air cavity along with soft tissue, fat, and background air in the µ-map of the pelvic region using a method based on SEG.

Preparation, Characterization and Cytotoxicity of Silibinin- Containing Nanoniosomes in T47D Human Breast Carcinoma Cells.

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most frequent cancer types within female populations. Silibinin is a chemotherapeutic agent active against cancer. Niosomes are biodegradable, biocompatible, safe and effective carriers for drug delivery.

Preparation, characterization, and in vitro evaluation of bleomycin-containing nanoliposomes.

Bleomycin is an anticancer drug used against various types of cancers. The aim of this study was to prepare a new PEGylated and non-PEGylated nanoliposomal formulation of bleomycin (PEG-nLip-BLM and nLip-BLM) and evaluate their anticancer activity in different tumor cell lines. The liposomes were prepared by thin-film hydration method, and then, bleomycin (BLM) was loaded to the prepared vesicles.

An update on applications of nanostructured drug delivery systems in cancer therapy: a review.

Cancer is a main public health problem that is known as a malignant tumor and out-of-control cell growth, with the potential to assault or spread to other parts of the body. Recently, remarkable efforts have been devoted to develop nanotechnology to improve the delivery of anticancer drug to tumor tissue as minimizing its distribution and toxicity in healthy tissue. Nanotechnology has been extensively used in the advance of new strategies for drug delivery and cancer therapy.

Scolicidal and apoptotic activities of albendazole sulfoxide and albendazole sulfoxide-loaded PLGA-PEG as a novel nanopolymeric particle against Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces.

Treatment failures of human cystic echinococcosis (CE) with albendazole (ABZ) have attributed to its low solubility and poor drug absorption rate, resulting in low drug level in plasma. The scolicidal effects of ABZ-loaded liposome nanoparticles have recently evaluated; however, these particles have several challenges due to their low encapsulated load. This investigation was designed to evaluate and compare in vitro apoptotic activities of ABZ sulfoxide (ABZs) and ABZs-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-PEG against protoscoleces (PSCs).

Investigation into effects of work-related quality of life and some related factors on cognitive failures among nurses.

Objective: Cognitive failure is one of the factors which can be influenced by personal and professional characteristics. This research was carried out to study the effect of work-related quality of life (WRQoL) and some related factors on cognitive failures (CF) among nurses.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses working in intensive care units, critical care units and emergency units in 2014.

In Vitro Co-Delivery Evaluation of Novel Pegylated Nano-Liposomal Herbal Drugs of Silibinin and Glycyrrhizic Acid (Nano-Phytosome) to Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate a co-encapsulated pegylated nano-liposome system based on two herbal anti-tumor drugs, silibinin and glycyrrhizic acid, for delivery to a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line (HepG2).

Materials And Methods: In this experimental study, co-encapsulated nano-liposomes by the thin layer film hydration method with HEPES buffer and sonication at 60% amplitude. Liposomes that co-encapsulated silibinin and glycyrrhizic acid were prepared with a specified molar ratio of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), cholesterol (CHOL), and methoxy-polyethylene glycol 2000 (PEG2000)-derived distearoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (mPEG2000-DSPE).

pH sensitive insulin-loaded nanohydrogel increases the effect of oral insulin in diabetic rats.

Background: There are different methods for insulin administration in diabetic patient. Nano-hydrogel is one of the most talented drug carrier for its sensitivity to environmental stimulus.

Methods And Results: NIPAAm-MAA-HEM copolymers were synthesized by radical chain reaction.

Efficacy of pegylated liposomal etoposide nanoparticles on breast cancer cell lines.

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of pegylated liposomal etoposide nanoparticles (NPs) against T-47D and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines.

Materials And Methods: Pegylated liposomal etoposide NPs were prepared by reverse phase evaporation method. The size, size distribution, and zeta potential of the NPs was measured by a Zetasizer instrument.

Effect of Topical Morphine on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in an Animal Model: A Preliminary Report.

Background: Pentavalent antimonials remain the choice of treatment for leishmaniasis, despite their toxicity, high cost, and difficult administration. As an alternative, morphine may induce the healing process of cutaneous leishmaniasis by its immunoregulatory characteristics.

Objectives: To study the effect of morphine on the wound-healing process of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in a mouse model.

Graded-index optical dimer formed by optical force.

We propose an optical dimer formed from two spherical lenses bound by the pressure that light exerts on matter. With the help of the method of force tracing, we find the required graded-index profiles of the lenses for the existence of the dimer. We study the dynamics of the opto-mechanical interaction of lenses under the illumination of collimated light beams and quantitatively validate the performance of proposed dimer.

Subjective Mental Workload and Its Correlation With Musculoskeletal Disorders in Bank Staff.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the rate of subjective mental workload (SMWL) and its correlation with musculoskeletal disorders among bank staff members in Kurdistan Province located in western Iran.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 bank staff members in Kurdistan Province, Iran. The mental workload was assessed using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) computerized version.