Tehran University Medical Journal

---

Background: The effect of kind of dialysis solution on the control of blood pressure and adequacy and efficacy of hemodialysis is a most debated and controversial issue.
Methods: Twenty six chronic hemodialized patients in Ghaem hemodialysis center, Mashhad, Iran, in winter of the year 2004, enrolled this study for one month. The patients were dialyzed with bicarbonate buffer and were dialyzed in the next month with acetate. The kind of membranes and the dialysis machines were the same in both months. Systolic and diastolic pressures were measured before and after hemodialysis in at least three hemodialysis sessions, and he means recorded. The mean of the body weight were also recorded. In the same sessions of hemodialysis by measuring the urea, before and after hemodialysis, urea reduction ratio (URR), was also calculated. Statistical analysis was done with paired student t test for paired measurement, and independent t test for evaluating the effect of the kind of dialysate buffer on the measured parameters.
Results: There were no significant statistical differences between acetate and bicarbonate dialysis solution buffers in the control of diastolic blood pressure. But use of acetate buffer resulted in more significant systolic blood pressure reduction compared with bicarbonate buffer (p=0.045). When adequacy of hemodialysis were compared between two kinds of buffers there were no significant statistical differences between them. When the effect of dialysate sodium concentration in the range utilized in two buffers, was evaluated on the systolic and diastolic pressure reduction, no significant differences, between two types of buffers attributable to the difference between dialysates sodium concentrations were found.
Conclusion: Hemodialysis with both, acetate and bicarbonate buffers results in significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight and urea ratio. Use of acetate buffer is more significantly associated with systolic blood pressure reduction compared to bicarbonate buffer (p=0.045), this effect is independent of the dialysate buffer sodium concentration.

---

Background: Because of eventual side effects of chemical drugs, the efficacy of natural wound healing accelerators in long-term diseases and some situations is demanded to practitioners. The initial aim of our study was to assess full thickness excisional skin wound healing and inflammation diminution, Morphometrically and Histopathologically, after topical application of dried extract of Echinacea purpurea aerial part in rats, compared with zinc oxide.

Methods: Sixty wistar rats received four full thickness excisional wounds with the aim of surgical punch on the back skin under surgical anesthesia. All rats were randomly divided into groups 1, 2 and 3, of Echinacea purpurea, zinc oxide and control, respectively. All of them were treated topically once a day for 21 uninterrupted days. Healing of the wounds was daily measured by taking digital photographs and analysis. Histopathologic assessment was carried out in the 0th, 3rd, 7th, 14th, and 21st days of treatment period as well, and wound healing was assessed using 1 to 6 healing grades.

Results: According to Morphometric findings, the wound contraction rate in group 1 after 21 days of skin punching, with wound size of 0.18±0.03 mm² in contrast with group 2, 2.81±0.21mm², was much higher than that in other groups. Group 1 with wound contraction rate of 2.5 times in the day 7 and 3 times in the day 14 more than group 2, had the best wound contraction (p<0.01). histopathologic assessment revealed that, overall healing rate in the group 1 was highest (p<0.01).

Conclusion: Echinacea purpurea dried herbal extract could be a new capable remedy to accelerate skin wound healing because of its potential anti-phlogosis and wound healing stimulatory properties.

---

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion induced acute renal failure causes excretory functional disorders of nephrons. Ischemia/reperfusion injury is accompanied by generation of reactive oxygen species that leads to dysfunction, injury, and death of renal cells. Antioxidants of plant origin minimize the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species. The aim of this study was to determine the possible therapeutic potentials of Rosa canina L. in preventing renal functional disturbances during the post-ischemic reperfusion period.

Methods: In this experimental study undertaken for evaluating renal excretory function in 30 male Wistar rats, renal ischemia was induced by occluding both renal arteries for 45 min, followed by 24 h of reperfusion. The rats received 2 ml of tap water or a hydroalcoholic extract of Rosa canina (500 mg/kg) orally for 7 days before induction of ischemia. In plasma samples, creatinine and urea nitrogen levels were measured, and in renal tissue samples, red blood cells were counted. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan tests.

Results: Renal ischemia for 45 minutes increased plasma levels of creatinine (P<0.001) and nitrogen urea (P<0.01) while reducing red blood cell counts in renal glomeruli (P<0.001). Rosa canina administration diminished the increase in creatinine (P<0.001) and nitrogen urea concentrations (P<0.01), and prevented reductions in red blood cell counts in renal glomeruli (P<0.001).

Conclusion: Rosa canina seems to be useful as a preventive agent against renal damages induced by ischemia/reperfusion injuries in rats.

---

Background: Centaurea cyanus is an endemic and well-known herbal medicine in Iran, is an annual flowering plant in the family of Asteraceae. The flowers are the part used in modern herbal medicine and are considered to have tonic, stimulant and emmenagogue properties, with action similar to that of blessed thistle. The aim this study was to investigate the phytochemical constituents of C. cyanus extract, its antioxidant, anti-tumor and anti-bacterial activities.

Methods: This experimental study was conducted from June to January of 2015 in Islamic Azad University of Varamin, Iran. At first, the phytochemical components of C. cyanus extract was analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method. Subsequently, the antibacterial potential of the extract was evaluated against 4 pathogenic bacteria including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Psedomonas aeroginosa and Klebsiella pnemoniae via minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) mathod. Moreover, the anti-oxidant and anti-tumor activities of extract on colon cancer cell line (HT29) were investigate using DPPH and MTT colorimetric methods, respectively. Finally, the Bax and Bcl2 apoptosis gene expression level was analyzed by quantitative Real-time PCR technique.

Results: GC-MS analysis of C. cyanus extract was shown 19 major components and the most frequent component was belonged to n-Hexadecanoic acid (36.4%) and Linoleic acid (19.3%). The maximum antibacterial activity of extract was observed on S. aureus and P. aeroginosa isolates. The antioxidant activity of the extract was 0.109±0.07 mg/ml. Moreover, the MTT results show that extract had IC50= 26.04±0.45 on HT29 cell line. The Real-time PCR results showed the expression level of Bax and Bcl2 was significantly increased and decreased respectively in colon cancer cell line (2.63±0.54 (P< 0.05), 0.38±0.72 (P< 0.05)).

Conclusion: The results of this study show that the extract had significant anti-bacterial and anti-cancer effects and it appear that the extract has potential uses for pharmaceutical industries.

---