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Osteoporosis is an important problem in women's health, one of the consequences of which is bone fracture. This clinical trial was performed in 2015 on 99 (33 patients per group) postmenopausal women referred to the bone mineral densitometry center. The first group received one Agnugol tablet (contains 3.2-4.8 mg dry extract of Vitex agnus castus, the second group received three Salvigol tablets (each contains 100 mg Salvia officinal is dry extract daily and the third group three placebo tablets per day for 3 months. Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D levels were compared before and after the intervention. Results of paired t-test showed that the mean of calcium and phosphorus level increased after intervention in the Vitex agnus and salvia officinalis extract groups, but there was no significant difference in the control group. LSD follow-up test was used, showing that the mean difference of calcium and phosphorus score between the Vitex agnus, S. officinalis extract and control groups was significant in pairwise comparisons. However, the difference between the score of phosphorus level in Vitex agnus and S. officinalis extract groups was not significant after the intervention. After intervention, the mean of vitamin D increased by 2.4 units in the Vitex agnus group compared to before the intervention. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the Vitex agnus and control groups after the intervention compared to before it. The Vitex agnus was effective in increasing calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D level, while S. officinalis extract was effective in increasing the level of calcium and phosphorus.

Background: During menopause, women undergo biological, social, and psychological changes and are sensitive to stressors, especially anxiety and depression. Decreased estrogen in postmenopausal women causes mood swings, especially depression and anxiety. Objectives: We aimed to determine the effect of the Vitex agnus-castus extract on depression in postmenopausal women referring to a bone density measurement center in Shiraz. Methods: In a randomized controlled tria1, 60 postmenopausal women were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. In the intervention group, the research units were assigned to two groups of Vitex agnus-castus tablets and placebo, using random permuted blocks with a block size from one to six for each eligible case. After three months, depression was evaluated by the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in both groups. Then, the results were analyzed using the independent t-test for quantitative variables. The obtained data were analyzed by a statistician using SPSS21. Results: Based on the results, the two groups were homogeneous in terms of the level of education, occupation, and housing, and a significant decrease was observed in the mean depression score in the Agnugolgroup (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Because depression increases during menopause, it is recommended that it should be used as a supplement during menopause.

Objective: This study was designed to compare the effect of aromatherapy with Rosa Damascena and Citrus Aurantium blossom on psychological and physical symptoms and social functions of females with premenstrual syndrome. Materials and Methods: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 95 students. They were randomly divided into three aromatherapy groups (aromatherapy with 4% concentration of Rosa Damascena and 0.5% concentration of Citrus Aurantium blossom essential oil) and aromatherapy with sweet almond oil (as control group). Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool questionnaire (PSST) was completed before and during the first and second month of the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 22. Results: After intervention, the scores of mental symptoms decreased in all three groups and this decrease was significant in both Citrus Aurantium (P = 0.004) and Rosa Damascena groups (P = 0.007). The score of physical symptoms was decreased in all three groups but it was significant only in the Rosa Demecensa group (P = 0.042). The reduction of effect of symptoms on social function was observed in two intervention groups which were significant only in Rosa Damascena group (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Essential oils of Rosa Damascena and Citrus Aurantium were both effective in improving the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome but the effect of Rosa Damascena, with regard to improvement of symptoms of premenstrual syndrome was more than that of Citrus Aurantium in all psychological, physical, and social aspects.

Objectives Vaginal Candidiasis with an approximate prevalence of 30% is the second cause of vaginal infections. Antifungal azole is the first treatment for Vaginal Candidiasis; however, some side effects have been reported for this chemical medicine. Based on the antifungal activity of Inner Stratum of Quercus Brantii (Q. Brantii), the aim of our study was to compare the effects of vaginal douche of Q. Brantii extract and clotrimazole on vaginal candidiasis symptoms before and after the treatments, in women. Methods 89 non-pregnant women with positive KOH test which is capable of identifying the presence of hyphae and mycelium by adding KOH (10%), and a positive vaginal candidiasis culture were randomly divided into two experimental groups, using permuted block randomization method. One group received clotrimazole vaginal cream (1%) and the other group received vaginal douche of Q. Brantii extract. Groups were treated for 7 days and KOH tests and cultures were evaluated again. Data were analyzed via chi-square and independent t-test, using SPSS software. Results According to the results, there were no significant differences between experimental groups for demographic characteristics like age (p=0.403), BMI (p=0.911), educational levels (p=0.862) and contraceptive methods (p=0.702). Moreover, significant differences were seen in vaginal discharge between the groups after the treatments (P=0.043). Conclusion The results suggested that the therapeutic effect of vaginal douche of Q. Brantii extract was approximately similar to that of clotrimazole vaginal cream.

Substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) has been implicated in modulation, propagation and cessation of seizures. This study aimed to determine whether structural changes occur in SNpr during kindling. Male mice were randomly divided into four groups including early and late-phase kindled groups and their time-matched controls. Kindling was induced by every other day administration of a subconvulsive dose of PTZ (40 mg/kg, i.p.). The first occurrence of seizure behaviors was used to categorize the early and late phases of kindling. There was no significant difference in the volume of SNpr between the early- and late-phase kindled groups. The diameter of SNpr was significantly increased in the early phase group and decreased in the late phase group as compared to their matched controls (p 0.05). Reduced neural cells and increased dead cell numbers were observed in the SNpr of the late-phase group in comparison to its control group (p 0.05). These findings suggest that SNpr is a sensitive and vulnerable structure involving seizure propagation in the processes of epileptogenesis.

Objectives: As some species of the Salvia family have been shown to exert antidepressant-like activity, the aim of this study was to investigate the antidepressant effects of the aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of Salvia mirzayanii and Salvia macrosiphon, two endemic species of salvia in Iran. Methods: In total, 148 eight-week-old male albino mice (25-35 g) were used to carry out the forced swimming test. The effects of different doses of the aqueous (100-1800 mg/kg) and hydroalcoholic extracts (75-900 mg/kg) of Salvia mirzayanii and Salvia macrosiphon on immobility, climbing, and swimming behaviors were examined. Fluoxetine and imipramine were used as control drugs. The effects of extracts on locomotor activity were also evaluated. Results: High doses of the aqueous extracts of both plants and hydroalcoholic extract of Salvia mirzayanii produced a significant reduction in immobility and increase in swimming compared to the control group. The hydroalcoholic extract of Salvia macrosiphon did not show any significant effect on immobility and swimming. Only some doses of hydroalcoholic extract of Salvia mirzayanii and aqueous extract of Salvia macrosiphon showed a significant increase in climbing behavior. The aqueous and hydroalcoholic extract of both plants caused a decrease in spontaneous activity. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicated that the aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of Salvia mirzayanii and the aqueous extract of Salvia macrosiphon had antidepressant-like activity. In addition, the hydroalcoholic extract of Salvia mirzayanii and the aqueous extracts of Salvia macrosiphon were more effective fractions of these plants. These endemic Iranian Salvia species may have potential therapeutic effects for depression. © 2019, Author(s).

Background The insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) is a growth factor and anti-inflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in memory consolidation. However, the precise role of this factor in acute brain damage is still unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the variations in hippocampal IGF-2 distribution on different days and investigate the effect of recombinant IGF-2 on memory cell density, and IGF-2 distribution following acute hippocampal damage resulting from intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods ICH was induced by injection of 100 μL of autologous blood into the left hippocampus of 72 male Sprague-Dawley rats. Recombinant IGF-2 was injected into the damaged hippocampus 30 min post-induction of ICH in the ICH-IGF-2 group. Then, on postoperative days 1, 3, 7, and 14, samples of brain tissue were collected to perform histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. Results The stereological study indicated that the volume of the hippocampus and the number of neurons had a significant reduction, and the infarct volume had a significant increase following ICH. Following the injection of IGF-2, a significant improvement was observed in stereological studies. Immunohistochemical data showed that IGF-2 distribution increased in the hippocampus on different days after ICH, and IGF-2 injection led to a dramatic reduction in this distribution. Conclusions In summary, the gradual increase of endogenous IGF-2 as growth and anti-inflammatory factor following hemorrhagic stroke reveals a critical role of this factor in brain recovery after injury. Moreover, the injection of IGF-2 can prevent cell death and alleviate the damage caused by the hemorrhagic stroke.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of aromatherapy with essential oils of Rosa damascena for the management of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). METHODS The present triple-blind randomized clinical trial was conducted between March 5, 2016, and February 20, 2017, among female students attending Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, who experienced PMS, had a menstrual cycle of 24-35 days, were not using vitamin supplements or hormonal drugs, and did not have any underlying diseases. Block randomization was used to assign participants to an intervention group receiving aromatherapy with R. damascena at a 4% concentration or a control group who received aromatherapy with 100% sweet almond oil. Aromatherapy was performed for 5 minutes, twice daily, for a total of 5 days during the luteal phase. The premenstrual symptoms screening tool questionnaire was completed at baseline and after 1 and 2 months of treatment. Per-protocol analyses were performed with patients and investigators masked to group assignments. RESULTS There were 66 participants enrolled and 64 completed the study (33 in the intervention group and 31 in the control group). At 2 months, aromatherapy with R. damascena was associated with improved psychological (P

The clinical applications of benzodiazepines as anxiolytics are limited by their unwanted side effects. Therefore, the development of new pharmacological agents is well justified. Among medicinal plants, Coriandrum sativum L. has been recommended for relief of anxiety and insomnia in Iranian folk medicine. Nevertheless, no pharmacological studies have thus far evaluated its effects on central nervous system. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine if the aqueous extract of Coriandrum sativum seed has anxiolytic effect in mice. Additionally, its effect on spontaneous activity and neuromuscular coordination were evaluated. The anxiolytic effect of aqueous extract (10, 25, 50, 100 mg/kg, i.p.) was examined in male albino mice using elevated plus-maze as an animal model of anxiety. The effects of the extract on spontaneous activity and neuromuscular coordination were assessed using Animex Activity Meter and rotarod, respectively. In the elevated plus-maze, aqueous extract at 100 mg/kg showed an anxiolytic effect by increasing the time spent on open arms and the percentage of open arm entries, compared to control group. Aqueous extract at 50, 100 and 500 mg/kg significantly reduced spontaneous activity and neuromuscular coordination, compared to control group. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of Coriandrum sativum seed has anxiolytic effect and may have potential sedative and muscle relaxant effects.

Background: Evidence of extensive cross-talk between calcium (Ca 2+ )- and cAMP-mediated signaling systems suggests that previously reported abnormalities in Ca 2+ homeostasis in bipolar I (BP-I) patients may be linked to disturbances in the function of G proteins that mediate cAMP signaling. Methods: To test this hypothesis, the β-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, and the G protein activator, sodium fluoride (NaF), were used to stimulate cAMP production in B lymphoblasts from healthy and BP-I subjects phenotyped on basal intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca 2+ ] B ). cAMP was measured by radioimmunoassay and [Ca 2+ ] B by ratiometric fluorometry with fura-2. Results: Isoproterenol- (10 μM) stimulated cAMP formation was lower in intact B lymphoblasts from BP-I patients with high [Ca 2+ ] B (≥ 2 SD above the mean concentration of healthy subjects) compared with patients having normal B lymphoblast [Ca 2+ ] B and with healthy subjects. Although basal and NaF-stimulated cAMP production was greater in B lymphoblast membranes from male BP-I patients with high versus normal [Ca 2+ ] B , there were no differences in the percent stimulation. This suggests the differences in NaF response resulted from higher basal adenylyl cyclase activity. Conclusions: These findings suggest that trait-dependent disturbances in processes regulating β-adrenergic receptor sensitivity and G protein–mediated cAMP signaling occur in conjunction with altered Ca 2+ homeostasis in those BP-I patients with high B lymphoblast [Ca 2+ ] B .