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Background Despite significant advancements in breast cancer therapy, novel drugs with lower side effects are still being demanded. In this regard, we investigated the anti-cancer features of verbascoside in 4 T1 mouse mammary tumor cell. Methods First, MTT assay was performed with various concentrations (ranging between 5 to 200 μM) of verbascoside and IC50 was calculated. Then the expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 was evaluated in treated 4 T1 cells. In addition, we investigated the expression of TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB to ascertain the underlying mechanism of the anti-proliferative feature of verbascoside. Also, flow cytometry followed by double PI and Annexin V was conducted to confirm the apoptosis-inducing effect of verbascoside. Results Our results from MTT assay showed verbascoside inhibits proliferation of 4 T1 cancer cells (IC50 117 μM) while is safe for normal HEK293T cells. By qRT-PCR, we observed that verbascoside treatment (100, 117 and, 130 μM) increases the expression of caspase-3 and Bax while reduces the expression of Bcl-2. Also, verbascoside (100, 117 and, 130 μM) increased the expression of TLR4 only at 130 μM dose and the expression of MyD88 whereas reduced the expression of NF-κB at mRNA level. Flow cytometry analysis also confirmed verbascoside induces apoptosis in 4 T1 cells at 117 μM. Conclusion Taken together, our data showed verbascoside is a safe natural compound for normal cells while has apoptosis-inducing feature through TLR4 axis on 4 T1 cells.

To assess the effect of an acidic beverage (Orange juice) on the change in serum Phenobarbital concentrations in children with seizure who take Phenobarbital as the main treatment.We did a parallel design and placebo controlled randomized clinical trial. Patients attending Heshmatiyeh Hospital (Iran) were recruited from October 2016 to December 2017. Forty patients randomly assigned to either experimental group or control group. Firstly, 5 mL blood sample was taken from both groups to measure serum Phenobarbital concentration before experiment. Then, one oral dose of Phenobarbital (2.5 mg/kg) with 100 mL of corporate Orange juice (pH = 3.5) (experiment group) or 100 mL of mineral water (neutral pH) (control group) was given to each group, respectively. After 2 h of administration, another blood sample was taken. The high-performance liquid chromatographic system was used for measurement of serum Phenobarbital concentration.There was significant increase in serum Phenobarbital concentrations after taking Phenobarbital in experiment group in comparison to control group. Statistical analysis revealed a significant increase in change of serum Phenobarbital concentrations in experiment group versus control group.The results of the current trial indicate that the level of serum Phenobarbital in the experiment group was higher than that of control group.

There are many pieces of evidence support the effect of cancer stem cells on the initiation and progression of cancer. However, related mechanisms involved in these phenomena are far more complicated to understand. The function of different stemness factorsin cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their complex associations at different levels of cancer have been reported. Therefore, it seems that focusing on one master factor would be more helpful to complete the puzzle of singling pathways in these cells. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) also known as POU domain, class 5, transcription factor 1(POU5F1), one of these key pluripotency factors, has important roles in both embryogenesis and tumorigenesis. In this review, we gathered information about the association of different markers with OCT4 expression in three types of gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers. OCT4 through different signaling pathways has an impact on different processes of gastrointestinal cancers such as proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. Based on the literature, OCT4 has great effects on cancer progression at different stages, therefore we suggested it has potential implications in therapeutic options.

Aim: Oral health is among the important components of individual general health that affects the health of entire body. This study aims at investigating the effect of educational intervention on the primary school students' oral health.Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 175 primary school students recruited randomly from different regions of Dehloran City during the school year of 2014-15. The testimonial was obtained after holding briefings for the parents. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire, which was administrated at baseline and 3 months after the intervention. The content validity was approved by the expert panel and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data were analyzed by SPSS software 18, inferential statistical tests, and paired t-test. This study was supported by the HSR Council and the Ethics Committee of Ilam University of Medical Sciences.Findings: The results indicated significant changes in the samples' knowledge (from 3.6±1.37 to 4.98± 1.57), attitude (from 28.17±5.7 to 30.98±6.35) and behavior (15.03 ±2.98 to 17.08 ±2.60) after the intervention.Conclusion: The positive results of educational intervention indicate that the education through appropriate methods can improve students' behavior in the field of oral health. Therefore, it is suggested more emphasis on oral health education at school age.

Background: Ferula assa-foetida is a herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae family having a broad spectrum of biological activities such as antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammation, and, anti-tumor activity against a wide range of cancers. Among these features, antitumor activity has become more important in recent years and it still demands more investigations to address the underlying mechanisms. Purpose: This current study was conducted to evaluate the anti-proliferative effect of Ferula assa-foetida on PC12 and MCF7 cells as well as examining its mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Cells were cultured in DMEM medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. Cells incubated with different concentrations of the ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida. Notably, cytotoxicity and apoptosis assay were measured by MTT and PI staining, respectively. Results: The MTT results showed that the ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida in concentrations of 10, 7, 5, and 2.5 μM on both PC12 and MCF7 cells had a significant effect in cell viability and apoptosis induction in comparison to control group. Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that Ferula assa-fetida through the induction of apoptosis prevented the growth of PC12 and MCF7 cells and made a reduction in cell viability with different concentrations in a time- and dose-dependent manner. However, more studies are needed to reveal the mechanisms of Ferula assa-foetida’s extract in apoptosis induction.

Induction of apoptosis in tumor cells is one of the mechanisms of chemotherapy. Myeloid cell leukemia type 1 is one of the Bcl-2 protein families that make an important role in chemo resistance to drugs. Thus down-regulation of myeloid cell leukemia type 1 gene is one of the aims in chemotherapy. Umbelliprenin and auraptene are naturally coumarins. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction is one of their effects. In this study we examined the cytotoxicity of these two coumarins against some cancerous cell lines by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay method and compare them together. In next step, we tested the effect of auraptene. On myeloid cell leukemia type 1 gene expression in Jurkat cells by real time polymerase chain reaction method. We found that umbelliprenin and auraptene. Have cytotoxic effect against cancerous cell lines. Auraptene is more cytotoxic than umbelliprenin. We also found that auraptene down-regulates myeloid cell leukemia type 1 gene expression in a pattern that different from umbelliprenin.

Hormesis is a new concept in dose–response relationship. Despite of traditional dose–response curves, there is a low-dose stimulation and a high-dose inhibition in this case. Hormesis effect in apoptosis induction/inhibition by natural compounds is reported previously. Here, we searched this effect for myeloid cell leukemia type-1 (Mcl-1) gene expression by phytochemicals 7-isopenthenyloxycoumarin (7-IP), arctigenin (Arg), and hesperidin (Hsp). For this purpose, first we tested the cytotoxicity of various doses of these compounds against K562 leukemia cell lines for different times by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method. After that we explored the effect of various doses of these phytochemicals on Mcl-1 gene expression for different times by real-time polymerase chain reaction method. We found that these phytochemicals have cytotoxicity against K562 cell line. Hesperidin is the most cytotoxic agent. We also found that these natural compounds have hormetic effect on Mcl-1 gene expression. The hormetic model in Mcl-1 gene expression is overcompensation stimulation. This phenomenon is reported for the first time. We conclude that 7-IP, Arg, and Hsp are cytotoxic against K562 cancerous cells and induce/inhibit Mcl-1 gene expression by hormesis dose–response relationship.

Objective: Allergic rhinitis is the most prevalent of allergic diseases in the world. Nasal corticosteroids are the most applicable drugs for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In this study, we compared the efficacy of fluticasone propionate (FP) and mometasone furoate (MF) nasal sprays in the treatment of allergic rhinitis based on total nasal symptom score (TNSS) questionnaire.Methods: For this study, 75 allergic rhinitis patients based on skin prick test and inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to two groups: FP and MF groups. FP group received 200 µg dose of FP nasal spray (1 spray/nostril) daily and the MF group received 100 mg dose of MF nasal spray (1 spray/nostril) daily for 8 w. The effects of the two agents were compared based on TNSS questionnaire in 0, 4 and 8 w after the beginning of the treatment.Results: Results showed that patients in both groups exhibited significant improvement in their TNSS (P Value0.05).Conclusion: In conclusion, FP and MF are significantly effective in relieving of allergic rhinitis symptoms. Even though, the difference between the two is not significant for 8 w therapy.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that opium addiction has immunosuppressant effects. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a condition resulted from atherosclerosis which is dependent on the immune response. PURPOSE: To evaluate plasma levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-1Ra in 30 patients with three-vessel coronary artery disease, ejection fraction of more than 35% and to evaluate their changes after prognostic treadmill test in 15 opium addicted and 15 non-addicted patients. METHODS: The participants underwent prognostic treadmill test and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1Ra (IL-1Ra) were evaluated with ELISA method before, just after and 4 hours after the test. RESULTS: IL-1Ra (2183 pg/ml) tended to decrease over time in the opium addicted group (1372 pg/ml after prognostic treadmill test and 1034 pg/ml 4 hours after that), although such decrease did not reach the statistical significance. IL-1Ra levels were significantly higher in opium addicted than in non addicted patients. Opium addiction had no significant effect on IL-6 changes. CONCLUSION: Consumption of opium in CAD patients is associated with higher IL-1Ra levels.