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This letter reports the authors' investigation into how often clinicians wrongly label the likely site of pathology and concludes that it is an infrequent occurrence. Nevertheless, it stresses that cytologists should be given, or obtain for themselves, as accurate information as possible on the site of the origin of the lesion. If the cytologist is under the impression that the sample is from a different site, this may lead to diagnostic errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinal cord injury (SCI) presents challenging and unpredictable neurological recovery. During inflammatory conditions, the amount of serum albumin and nutrition consumption decreases. Currently, it is proposed to measure serum albumin and glucose content in human or animal subjects to predict the recovery rate and the efficiency of treatments following SCI. In this study, the effect of extra-cellular vesicles (EVs) from immortalized human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hTERT-MSCs) equipped with the ectopic expression of the human indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-1 ( IDO1 ) gene on serum albumin and glucose levels was investigated. After pre-clearing steps of 72-hr conditioned media, small EVs (sEVs) were isolated based on the ultra-filtration method. They were encapsulated with a chitosan-based hydrogel. Five experimental groups (female rats, N = 30, ~ 230 g) were considered, including SCI, sham, hydrogel, control green fluorescent protein (GFP)-EVs and IDO1 -EVs. The 60.00 µL of hydrogel or hydrogels containing 100 µg sEVs from GFP or IDO1 -EVs were locally injected immediately after SCI (laminectomy of the T10 vertebra and clip compression). After 8 weeks, non-fasting serum glucose and albumin levels were measured. The results indicated that the level of serum albumin in the animals received IDO1 -EVs (3.52 ± 0.04) was increased in comparison with the SCI group (3.00 ± 0.94). Also, these animals indicated higher glucose levels in their serum (250.17 ± 69.61) in comparison with SCI ones (214 ± 45.34). Although these changes were not statistically significant, they could be considered as evidence for the beneficial effects of IDO1 -EVs administration in the context of SCI to reduce hypoalbuminemia and improve energy consumption. More detailed experiments are required to confirm these results., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 Urmia University. All rights reserved.)

Background/aims: One of the main concerns for maxillofacial and orthopedic surgeons is finding a method to improve regeneration of large craniofacial bone defects. The aim of this study was to investigate the healing and regenerative effects of fibrin glue associated with adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and fibrin glue scaffold alone with autologous bone grafts in experimental mandibular defects of the rabbit., Methods: Bilateral uni-cortical osteotomies were performed in the mandible of 20 male Dutch rabbits. The animals were randomly divided into 2 equal groups. In one group, the defect on the right side was treated by fibrin glue associated with ADSCs and the defect on the other side remained as the control. In another group, the defect on the right side was treated with fibrin glue and on the left side with autologous bone graft. After 28 and 56 days, five rabbits from each group were evaluated by computed tomography (CT) and histopathological examinations., Results: Coronal CT showed a remarkable reconstruction of cortical bone in the fibrin glue associated with ADSCs group at 28 and 56 days post-surgery. Histopathologically, new cortical bony bridge formation was seen increasingly in the fibrin glue, fibrin glue associated with ADSCs, and autologous bone graft groups after 28 days. Statistical analysis of the thickness of new cortical bone in the treatment versus control groups showed a significant difference between fibrin glue alone and fibrin glue associated with ADSCs groups (P = 0.02). No significant difference was found between the fibrin glue associated with ADSCs and the autologous bone graft groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The healing process had a significant increase in the thickness of new cortical bone when fibrin glue scaffold associated with ADSCs was used., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Lung as vital organ is exposed to many injurious agents that can cause inflammation and oxidative stress, which are potential causes in the pathogenesis of lung diseases. Nigella sativa, usually introduced as black seed, has been considered for treatment of various diseases and is one the most widely investigated herbs. Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major component of the volatile oil of black seed (54%) which has been indicated to anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic properties. There is interesting to study on TQ effect as a therapeutic agent for various diseases in both in vivo and in vitro conditions. In this comprehensive review, we summarized the recent studies related to the effectiveness of TQ on lung disorders such as inflammatory lung diseases, lung fibrosis, asthma and lung cancer. It is concluded that TQ with anti-inflammatory, anti- oxidant, anti-asthmatic and anti- tumor activity can provide therapeutic effects against lung disorders. However, more investigation is needed to produce TQ as a pharmaceutical preparation for human studies., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Kidneys as vital organs remove waste material from blood. Additionally, they may also have a role in the electrolyte balance, regulation of blood pressure, and red blood cell genesis. Kidney diseases may be caused by several factors such as ischemia/reperfusion injury, diabetes, and nephrotoxic agents. Oxidative stress and inflammation are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of kidney diseases. Traditionally, natural antioxidants are used for treatment of renal failure in various countries., Summary: People usually select natural antioxidants since they have an opinion that herbal medicine has not any important side effects. Nigella sativa is a flavoring herb that is widely used as a condiment and as a remedy for many disorders. Thymoquinone (TQ), the most important component of black seeds, mainly oil, is considered as an active agent responsible for a lot of the seed's useful effects. This review describes the protective roles and related mechanisms of TQ against renal disorders. The search terms, including TQ, antioxidant, renal ischemia-reperfusion, diabetic nephropathy, and nephrotoxic agent were searched in scientific databases. TQ showed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in animal and in vitro models of several renal diseases caused by inflammation and oxidative stress., Key Messages: Experimental studies have shown beneficial effects of TQ against renal diseases; however, well-designed clinical trials in humans are required to confirm these effects.

Flavonoids have been used in traditional medicine to promote human health. Crocin has been proposed to be effective in the management of the various diseases including the neurodegenerative diseases. Antiepileptic and anti-Alzheimer effects of crocin have also been indicated. The efficacy of crocis in the treatment of cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury was also confirmed by using animal models. Crocin treatment increased dopamine levels in the brain of experimental model of Parkinson's disease. In addition, crocin modulates the opioid system to decrease the withdrawal syndrome. Thus, the present study highlighted the effects of crocin on the nervous system and the underling mechanisms. This review also indicated that crocins can be considered as an effective candidate in the management of nervous system diseases due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammation effects., Competing Interests: None.

Background: Liver diseases are globally recognized as major medical problems. Several species of herbal medicine have been investigated for the management of liver-related diseases., Objective: In this context, Thymoquinone (TQ) as the main constituent of Nigella sativa has long been focused for the treatment of liver diseases in recent years. To suppressing liver diseases, it was reported that TQ exhibits hypolipidic effects, which prevented the fatty acid accumulation in the hepatocytes. The other activity of TQ, not only in the management of chronic liver diseases but also regarding the carcinogenesis, is its potent antioxidant effects, which affect several signaling pathways., Result: The effect of TQ on NF-κβ is the hepatoprotective effect of this flavonoid. Recently, a few patents of TQ derivatives for protective effects have been developed. This article also discusses our findings with the patents for this agent., Conclusion: The present review purposed that although the experimental studies indicated the beneficial effects of TQ against liver diseases, more designed clinical trials in human are needed to confirm the safety and efficacy of TQ., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Background: The immunomodulatory properties of Nigella sativa seed, as a basis of its clinical applications by many cultures have been reviewed. Thymoquinone (TQ) is one of the major bioactive components of the volatile oil of N. sativa seeds., Methods: The review on immunomodulatory and anti- inflammatory effects of TQ was focused on published literature in the English language. The literature search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed (2004-2017), Scopus (2004-2017) and Google Scholar (2004-2017). The keywords used were the following terms: thymoquinone, immunomodulation, inflammation, autoimmune and asthma., Results: The present investigations provide a comprehensive review of the ability of TQ to modulate inflammation and immune-related disorders in the various important disease states. This finding showed that TQ has anti-inflammatory properties that prevent the biosynthesis of important mediators in inflammatory processes and asthma such as 5-LO, COX, PGD2 and LTs. TQ also reduced LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukins (ILs) and TNF-α. In addition, TQ showed immunomodulatory role in the cellular and humoral immunity. This study also found that TQ improves imidacloprid toxicity through reducing oxidative stress and increasing chemokinesis, chemotaxis, phagocytic activity, antibody levels and the hemagglutination of immunoglobulins as well as by reducing serum MDA levels and hepatic enzymes., Conclusion: The study indicated the beneficial effects of TQ in immune-related diseases, however, well designed clinical trials in humans are required to confirm these effects., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

Background: Restoration of craniofacial bone defects has been a concern for oral and maxillofacial surgeons. In this study, the healing effect of fibrin glue scaffold was compared with autologous bone graft in mandibular defects of rabbit., Methods: Bilateral unicortical osteotomy was performed in the diastema region of 10 male Dutch rabbits. The subjects were randomly divided into 2 equal groups. The mandibular defect on the right side was treated with fibrin glue scaffold and the defect on the left side with autologous bone graft provided from iliac crest. After 4 and 8 weeks, five rabbits from each group were sacrificed and the defects were evaluated morphologically, by coronal computed tomography scanning (CT-scan) and by histological examinations., Results: The healing effect of fibrin glue scaffold and autologous bone graft was similar with appropriate osteogenesis in comparison to the control group., Conclusion: Using fibrin glue can be a non-invasive treatment of choice in mandibular defects and maxillofacial surgeries when compared with autologous bone graft., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

The purpose of this review is to have an overview on the applications on the autologous fibrin glue as a bone graft substitute in maxillofacial injuries and defects. A search was conducted using the databases such as Medline or PubMed and Google Scholar for articles from 1985 to 2016. The criteria were "Autograft," "Fibrin tissue adhesive," "Tissue engineering," "Maxillofacial injury," and "Regenerative medicine." Bone tissue engineering is a new promising approach for bone defect reconstruction. In this technique, cells are combined with three-dimensional scaffolds to provide a tissue-like structure to replace lost parts of the tissue. Fibrin as a natural scaffold, because of its biocompatibility and biodegradability, and the initial stability of the grafted stem cells is introduced as an excellent scaffold for tissue engineering. It promotes cell migration, proliferation, and matrix making through acceleration in angiogenesis. Growth factors in fibrin glue can stimulate and promote tissue repair. Autologous fibrin scaffolds are excellent candidates for tissue engineering so that they can be produced faster, cheaper, and in larger quantities. In addition, they are easy to use and the probability of viral or prion transmission may be decreased. Therefore, autologous fibrin glue appears to be promising scaffold in regenerative maxillofacial surgery., Competing Interests: The authors of this manuscript declare that they have no conflicts of interest, real or perceived, financial or non-financial in this article.

Background: The impact of diet strategies to manage cardiovascular disease has been focused in recent years. The food ingredients, such as flavonoids, are known as cardioprotective agents; however, it is not fully understood how these compounds are effective against cardiovascular problems. Catechins are polyphenolic compounds exhibiting several biological activities in the human body, potentially in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. The present study indicates that catechins may be effective against cardiovascular problems through modulating blood lipid metabolism, protecting vascular endothelial, and decreasing blood pressure., Conclusion: The current review has evaluated various studies on the role of catechins in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disorders by focusing on oxidative stress and inflammatory responses., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.)

The diagnostic accuracy of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of head and neck lesions is relatively high, but cytologic interpretation might be confusing if the sample is lacking typical cytologic features according to labeled site by physician. These errors may have an impact on pathology search engines, healthcare costs or even adverse outcomes. The cytology archive database of multiple institutions in southern Iran and Australia covering the period 2001-2011, were searched using keywords: salivary gland, head, neck, FNAC, and cytology. All the extracted reports were reviewed. The reports which showed discordance between the clinician's impression of the organ involved and subsequent fine needle biopsy request, and the eventual cytological diagnosis were selected. The cytological diagnosis was confirmed by histology or cell block, with assistance from imaging, clinical outcome, physical examination, molecular studies, or microbiological culture. The total number of 10,200 head and neck superficial FNAC were included in the study, from which 48 cases showed discordance between the clinicians request and the actual site of pathology. Apart from the histopathology, the imaging, clinical history, physical examination, immunohistochemical study, microbiologic culture and molecular testing helped to finalize the target organ of pathology in 23, 6, 7, 8, 2, and 1 cases respectively. The commonest discrepancies were for FNAC of "salivary gland" [total: 20 with actual final pathology in: bone (7), soft tissue (5), lymph node (3), odontogenic (3) and skin (2)], "lymph node" [total: 12 with final pathology in: soft tissue (3), skin (3), bone (1) and brain (1)], "soft tissue" [total: 11 with final pathology in: bone (5), skin (2), salivary gland (1), and ocular region (1)] and "skin" [total: 5 with final pathology in: lymph node (2), bone (1), soft tissue (1) and salivary gland (1)]. The primary physician requesting FNAC of head and neck lesions are incorrect in their clinical impression of the actual site in nearly 0.5 percent of cases, due to the overlapping clinical and imaging findings or possibly due to inadequate history taking or physical examination., (© 2015 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)