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Introduction: Some medicinal plants have shown promising therapeutic potential for the management of the diseases. We aimed to systematically review the literature wherein the therapeutic effects of saffron have been studied on eye disorders. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google scholar and other databases using eye disorders and saffron as key terms. No strict inclusion criteria were defined, and almost all clinical studies, as well as in vivo and in vitro studies were included. The reported data in each study were extracted and then qualitatively described. Results: Finally, 78 articles were found but only 29 relevant articles were included. Nine articles were clinical trials and 20 articles were studies conducted on cellular and molecular aspects of saffron on eye disorders. According to the included studies, crocin prevented the pro-inflammatory response in retinal cells and decreased glucose levels in diabetic mice. Also, crocetin prevented retinal degeneration and saffron protected photoreceptors from light-induced damage in retinal cells. Saffron also improved visual function in age-related macular edema and decreased intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. In addition, it was shown that crocin can improve best corrected visual acuity and decrease central macular thickness in patients with diabetic maculopathy. Conclusion: The results of this review indicated that saffron and its main ingredients such as crocin could be a potential candidate for the treatment of ocular disease especially eye inflammation; however, further clinical studies are needed to confirm such efficiency.

Background Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common disabling disorder. Crocin, the active component of the saffron plant (Crocus Sativus L.) has various pharmacological activities. The present study compared the efficacy and safety of crocin and fluoxetine in treatment of mild to moderate OCD. Methods & materials Fifty patients with OCD, aged 18 to 60 years, were randomized to receive either crocin (15 mg) or fluoxetine (20 mg) capsules for 8 weeks. Eligible participants received one capsule/day in the first month, which followed by two capsules daily in the second month. The patients were evaluated using Yale-Brown Obsessive-compulsive scale (Y-BOCS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating scale (HARS). Results The mean Y-BOCS score in both groups decreased significantly during 2 months (p-value = 0.0001). Also, HARS score in the crocin group was changed from 17.16 to 13.04 whereas, in the fluoxetine group was decreased from 18.28 to 12.34. The results indicated no difference between the two groups in Y-BOCS and HARS score changes after 2-month trial (p-value >0.5). Also, fewer adverse effects were reported in the crocin group compared to the fluoxetine group. Conclusion According to our study, it seems that crocin is effective in treatment of patients with mild to moderate OCD with possibly fewer adverse effects compared to fluoxetine.

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders and one of the five most common diseases in the world. Long-term and continuous use of drugs including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors is associated with complications such as sedation, nausea, anticholinergic effects, arrhythmias, and cardiac toxicity. Given patients’ need for continuous use of drugs, it is necessary to use drugs with fewer side effects. For this purpose, the use of traditional medicine and medicinal herbs has attracted special attention. Findings have shown that saffron has antidepressant and anxiolytic properties with minimal side effects. It is suggested that safranal and crocin, as the main active ingredients of saffron, may be responsible for its antidepressant and anxiolytic properties. This chapter reviews the available data on the effects of saffron, safranal, and crocin in the treatment of depression and anxiety.

Background: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequently associated with elevated serum iron markers. Polymorphisms in the hemochromatosis (HFE) genes are responsible for iron accumulation in most cases of hemochromatosis, and may play a role in HCV infection. Objectives: We aimed to assess the prevalence of HFE gene polymorphisms in a group of Iranian HCV-infected patients, and to explore the association of these polymorphisms with HCV infection. Patients and Methods: HFE gene polymorphisms were examined in a total of 69 HCV patients and 69 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism techniques. Haplotype and diplotype analyses were performed using PHASE software. Results: In a recessive analysis model of the His63Asp (H63D) locus (HH vs. HD + DD), the HH genotype was more common in patients compared to controls (adjusted P = 0.012; OR = 6.42 [95% CI: 1.51 - 27.33]). Also, in a recessive analysis model of the Cys282Tyr (C282Y) locus (CC vs. CY + YY), the CC genotype was more frequent in patients compared to controls (adjusted P = 0.03; OR = 5.06 [95% CI: 1.13 - 22.06]). In addition, there was a significant association between the HC haplotype and the HCDC diplotype and HCV infection. Conclusions: Polymorphism in the hemochromatosis gene may confer some degree of risk for HCV infection, and individuals carrying the H and C alleles may be susceptible to this disease; however, a larger sample of HCV patients and healthy individuals may be necessary to further illustrate the role of these polymorphisms in HCV.

Background: For many years, medicinal plants and herbal therapy have been widely used in different societies for the treatment of various diseases. Besides their therapeutic potency, some of the medicinal plants have strong toxicity in human, especially in children and elderly. Despite common beliefs that natural products are safe, there have been few reports on their toxicities. Materials and Methods: In the present study, we aimed to systematically review the literature wherein acute plant poisoning and herbal intoxication have been reported in pediatric patients. After literature search and selection of the appropriate documents, the desired data were extracted and described qualitatively. Results: A total of 127 articles with overall 1453 intoxicated cases were collected. The results of this study showed that some medicinal plants can cause acute poisoning and complications such as hepatic and renal failure in children. Conclusion: The findings of this survey showed that acute plant poisoning can be life?threatening in children, and since a single?ingested dose of toxic plants can cause acute poisoning, parents should be aware of these toxic effects and compare the side effects of self?medication with its potential benefits.

Background: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is dependent on the hepatitis B virus for transmission and propagation. Based on isolated HDV sequences from different parts of the world, at least three major different genotypes with different geographic distributions are suggested. Studies have shown that genotype 1 is the predominant genotype of HDV in different parts of Iran; however, the genotype distribution of this virus has not been identified in Mashhad, northeast Iran. Objectives: This current study determines the frequency of HDV major genotypes in Mashhad, Iran. Patients and Methods: Twenty-five participants were enrolled in this study. All samples were positive for HBsAg (determined by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)) and anti-HDV. RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis was performed. Then, PCR was performed and HDV genotypes were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results: Of 25 patients, 12 (48%) were positive for HDV RNA. Genotype analysis of HDV RNA revealed that the prevalence of HDV genotypes I and II was 83.3% (n = 10) and 16.7% (n = 2), respectively. Conclusions: This study showed that the most prevalent genotype of HDV in Mashhad was genotype I. It was of interest that in contrast to other provinces of Iran, HDV genotype 2 was observed in Mashhad. Similar studies with larger sample sizes could provide valuable information regarding the molecular epidemiology and geographical distribution. It may also help control and prevent the spread of hepatitis D virus infections. In addition, the genotyping of HDV may predict the severity of the disease.

Infection with the human papillomaviruses (HPVs) is associated with the development of several cancers, including oral, esophageal, skin, lung, and cervical. However, the association of HPVs and colorectal cancers remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between HPV infection and paraffin-embedded colorectal tissue samples in Mashhad in the northeast of Iran. Materials and methods: Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 111 patients with colorectal cancer were subjected to DNA extraction. The quality of extracted DNA was confirmed by amplification of a b-globin fragment using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and GH20/PCO4 primers. PCR with GP5+/GP6+ primers was then performed on positive samples to evaluate the sequence of HPVs. Results: A total of 100 colorectal samples with positive results for the b-globin gene were analyzed. The age of patients ranged from 18 to 72 years (mean: 52). Sixty-four patients (56.7%) were male and 47 patients (43.4%) were female. One (1%) out of 100 patients with colorectal cancer was found to be positive for HPV DNA. Conclusion: Results of the current study suggested that HPV infection is not common in patients with colorectal cancer in our population. We concluded that HPV types that are associated with malignant transformations do not meaningfully contribute to adenocarcinoma of the colon among our population.

Background and Objectives: Interferon-gamma is an important cytokine, which facilitates immunity against intracellular pathogens. Several factors, including genetic variations of cytokine-producing genes have been shown to influence the progression and severity of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Methods: Between January and December 2012, 87 HCV-infected individuals and 89 individuals without HCV infection were recruited for the study of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) at Interferon Gamma (IFNG) +874 T/A. After extraction of genomic DNA from Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) in blood sample of the individuals, Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the SNP at this position. Results: The frequency of genotype TA was 62.1% in the HCV-infected group, while it was 47.2% for the control group (p=0.033). However, after adjusting for confounders (including alcohol consumption, drug addiction, transfusion, and tattoos), the genotypes at this position did not show any statistically significant association with HCV infection (adjusted P values were above 0.05). The frequency of allele A was slightly higher in patients than the controls (55.2% versus 48.3%).Carriers of A allele were more frequent in patients with HCV infection compared to the control group (55.17% in patients versus 48.31% in the control group; P=0.02). However, after adjustment for confounders, the results were no longer statistically significant (P=0.2). Conclusion: A carrier status for certain alleles and genotypes at Interferon Gamma (IFNG) +874 T/A may lead to higher susceptibility to HCV infection in a certain population. Copyright © 2017, IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-noncommercial 4.0 International License which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.