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  Background & Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of Crocin on rat high fat diet-induced hepatic steatosis model.

  Methods: For this purpose, male rats were given either standard diet as control, high fat diet for induction of hepatic steatosis and high fat diet plus Crocin through gavage at different doses (25, 50 and 100 mg kg^-1/day) for protection of liver steatosis, at a period of 4 weeks in different experimental groups and compared considering serum lipid profile, serum biomarkers of liver tissue injury, hepatic antioxidant activity and liver histopathological changes. The serum levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, very low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein for determination of deleterious metabolic effects, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase for determination of hepatocyte injury, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin for assessment of biliary function, malondialdehyde and reduced glutathione content for assessment of liver free radical activity, the enzymatic activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase and catalase as indicators of antioxidation in liver tissue, were measured. Finally, the biochemical findings were matched with histopathological verifications.

  Results: After 4 weeks, high fat diet caused deleterious metabolic effects, including hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia and liver dysfunction. Rats fed high fat diet alone showed increased activities of hepatocellular enzymes in plasma, significant decline in antioxidants, and elevated lipid peroxidation indices in liver. Crocin treatment significantly reduced elevated markers of liver tissue injury and malondialdehyde , and brought back the liver antioxidants and the over accumulation lipids in serum towards normal. Histopathology of the liver confirmed the changes induced by high fat diet and the heptoprotective effect of Crocin.

  Conclusions: Crocin exerts protective effects against hepatic steatosis in rats fed with high fat diet possibly through its antioxidant actions.

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  Background: Crocus sativus L., commonly known as saffron is used for different purposes such as an antispasmodic and expectorant. Recent studies have demonstrated that saffron extracts have antitumor, radical scavenger, hypolipidemic, anticonvulsant effects and it improves activity on learning and memory. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of�aqueous saffron extract�on weight, length, macroscopic and microscopic skeletal malformation in fetuses of rats.

  Methods: Study was carried on 3 groups of female Wistar rats. Group1 was kept as control and received normal saline with equal volume of extract Group 2 received saffron extract with 80mg/kg-IP on 10^th and 11^th day of gestation Group 3 received saffron extract with 200mg/kg-IP on 10^th and 11^th day of gestation. Rats were dissected on day 20 of gestation, embryos harvested by cesarean section. The living status and weight and length of fetuses were detected. After examination for determination of gross malformations, fetuses were placed in alcohol and stained by Alizarin red-Alcian blue method then evaluation was carried by stereomicroscope.

  Results: Saffron extract at dose of 80 mg/kg significantly increased the weights and body-lengths of fetuses in compare with saline and extract at dose 200 mg/kg. Macroscopic and Microscopic studies did not show any skeletal abnormalities by two above doses of saffron.

  Conclusion: The results show short time administration of saffron aqueous extract does not cause malformation on skeletal system.

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  Background & objectives : O bstructive sleep apnea is a preventable and prevalent major health hazard with serious health consequences including excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive disturbances, depression, cardiovascular diseases and hypertension. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder affecting 2 to 4% of the adult population. The continuous positive airway pressur e (CPAP) i s the most efficacious therapy and is often the first option for these patients. The pressure titration during laboratory polysomnography is required for treatment by CPAP.

  Methods: The patients with obstructive sleep apnea requiring continuous positive airway pressure treatment were selected . CPAP titration was done according to American Academy of Sleep Medicine protocol. Comparison among continuous positive airway pressure with polysomnographic parameters was performed and analyzed with Pearson correlation coefficient. For analysis of qualitative parameters, we used chi-square and then checked with SPSS version 18 software.

  Results: From 125 patients with obstructive sleep apnea, there were 112 cases with inclusion criteria. Mean age of participants was 55.07 ± 12, male frequency was 59.2%, apnea hypopnea index was 43.62 and mean continuous positive airway pressure was 12.50 . There was significant relationship among the pressure of continuous positive airway pressure with apnea hypopnea index (P=0.028), arousal index (P=0.011), body mass index (P=0.041) and O₂ desaturation index (P=0.022), although age was not significantly related.

  Conclusion: In accordance to this data, we found out a prediction equation for optimal CPAP in our patients

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Introduction & objectives: Vaginismus is an uncontrolled contraction of the outer third muscle of the vagina that prevents intercourse. Based on the DSM-V-TR system, this disorder is associated with dyspareunia and "Genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder". The purpose of this overview was to summarize population-based studies that reported the prevalence of vaginismus in the general population and to discover the discrepancies between studies.
Methods: This systematic review study was conducted on published articles on the prevalence of vaginismus in the world and in English. In selecting the articles, the keywords including Vaginismus, Prevalence, Incidence, Sexual Dysfunction, Genito-Pelvic Pain, Penetration Disorder with all possible combinations were systematically searched in the google scholar, science direct, PubMed, Cochrane databases. No search time limit was set to retrieve all relevant articles published by September 21, 2018.
Results: Of the 10 studies, 4 articles reported prevalence of vaginismus in the general population. In selected studies, the incidence of vaginismus in the general population of women was reported 0.4% to 8%.
Conclusion: Different prevalence rates have been reported in different studies for vaginismus. In this review study, it was not possible to Meta-analyze and determines the overall prevalence due to the heterogeneity of the prevalence reports and different study methods.
 

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Background & objectives: Due to the existence of various issues and limitations associated with traditional buccal drug delivery systems such as the disability to consume food whilst using topical drugs in the mouth cavity, unpredictable drug release profile, undesirable taste, low patient adherence to therapy, and accelerated drug removal with saliva, these conventional methods are now rapidly becoming replaced with oral thin films as more precise and novel oral drug delivery platforms. The current study aims to discuss the design and characterization of betamethasone-loaded oral thin films with the aim of improved drug delivery in mouth cavity diseases.
Methods: In this study, oral thin films with and without betamethasone were fabricated through the solvent casting method as a common, fast, and affordable technique prior to being evaluated for different physiochemical characteristics including weight, width, surface pH, disintegration period in vitro conditions, and swelling rates as well as drug release profiles at different intervals.
Results: Obtained oral films were demonstrated to possess adequate homogeneity, flexibility, and mechanical resistance. Accordingly, the average surface pH for films without and with betamethasone was equal to 6.75 and 6.66, respectively, which are in notable compatibility with the neutral pH of the oral cavity. Betamethasone-loaded films’ disintegration duration appeared to be superior to that of films without betamethasone and was in close correlation with their higher swelling rates. Further experiments revealed 25-30% drug release in the initial 20 minutes, followed by more than 90% betamethasone release in 360 minutes in a sustained manner.
Conclusion: These results are indicative of betamethasone oral films’ satisfactory physiochemical properties and potential applicability as a sufficient oral drug delivery platform in mouth cavity diseases such as oral lichen planus or recurrent mouth sores. By sticking to the mouth mucosa, these films can significantly reduce drug removal with saliva and thus ameliorate sufficient delivery of therapeutic agents to specific mouth lesions. Moreover, they can alleviate some of the issues and limitations of traditional topical oral drug delivery and improve treatment or control of disease symptoms.