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One of the top causes of cancer-related deaths globally is esophageal cancer. In investigations of cell toxicity, the MTT test is one of the most often used cell viability/cytotoxicity assays for cellular metabolic activity. Nowadays, lactobacilli with probiotic effectiveness are now acknowledged as a prophylactic agent against cancer. The anti-tumor product of these bacteria have been designated in numerous studies. This investigation examined the probiotic Lactobacillus casei's in vivo impact on esophageal cancer. The MTT technique was used in this work to evaluate the cytotoxicity of L. casei (supernatant and full cell culture) to 5fu on the cancer cell line Kyse30. L. casei was able to decrease cell survival in supernatant and full cell culture (Kyse30). The possible impact of L. casei, particularly their supernatant, on esophageal cancer was initially evaluated in this research. As a result, lactobacilli species show promise for future research and development as cancer treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Statins play a vital role in the management of high-risk patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two doses of 40 and 80 mg of atorvastatin on lipid profiles and inflammatory markers among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Materials and Methods: This single-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 patients with ACS referred to Heshmatiyeh Hospital, Sabzevar, Iran. Eligible subjects were randomly assigned to either 80 mg/day (atorvastatin, 80 mg/day) or 40 mg/day intervention (atorvastatin, 40 mg/day) groups. Serum lipid profiles (low-density lipoprotein [LDL], high-density lipoprotein [HDL], triglyceride [TG], and total cholesterol), an inflammatory marker (creatine phosphokinase [CPK]), and liver function biomarkers (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase) were assessed before starting treatment and 3 months later. Results: According to the paired t-test, there was a significant difference before and after intervention in each group regarding mean LDL and HDL values (P < 0.05). The result of the ANCOVA test revealed that the LDL and CPK was substantially lower in the 80 mg/day group as compared to the 40 mg/day group after 3-month intervention (62.45 ± 16.78 mg for 80 mg/day vs. 73.63 ± 20.00 for 40 mg/day P = 0.040 and 84.85 ± 6.53 IU/L for 80 mg/day vs. 120.70 ± 6.41 IU/L for 40 mg/day P = 0.001, respectively). Although the mean of HDL, TG, and cholesterol in the 80 mg/day group was lower than that of the 40 mg/day group after implementing the intervention, these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: Findings suggest that increasing the dose of atorvastatin decreases the mean serum levels of LDL and CPK but has no effect on the mean serum HDL levels and liver function biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Auraptene is a coumarin derivative extracted from citrus species, such as lemon, grapefruit, and orange. To date, auraptene has shown antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antiapoptotic, and antitumor activities. Among these, antitumor activity has become more important over the recent years, while its underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The current study was conducted to evaluate the antiproliferative effect of auraptene and its mechanisms on MCF7 cell line. Method: This experimental study investigated whether hesperidin affected the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. MCF7 cells were cultured in DMEM medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 µg/ml streptomycin, and 100 units/ml penicillin. The cells were incubated in order to be treated with different concentrations of auraptene and time points. Subsequently, the amount of cytotoxicity and apoptosis was measured utilizing MTT and PI staining. Results: The MTT assay revealed that auraptene had a significant effect on cell viability and induced apoptosis in MCF7 cells at concentrations of 75, 100, 130, 170, and 200 µM. Conclusion: In this study, through the induction of apoptosis, auraptene prevented the growth and inhibited the proliferation of MCF7 cells at high concentrations in a dose-dependent manner. However, further investigation is needed to reveal the mechanisms of auraptene concerning apoptosis induction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heuristic algorithms are developed to solve the parallel-machine job-shop problems , where the criterion is the minimisation of the makespan, , or the sum of completion times,. The developed algorithms include sequencing and assigning stages. At the sequencing stage, the job-shop problem is solved, where job is available for processing from time. The problem is modelled by a mixed graph , where the vertices are the operations to be processed. The precedence constraints on the set are determined by the arc set. The resource constraints are determined by the edge set. In order to resolve a conflict arising between two operations processed on the same machine, the algorithm should substitute a conflict edge from the set by an arc incident to the same vertices from the set. The resulting digraph determines a heuristic solution to the problem , where all machines are different. The digraph determines a semi-active schedule for the problem. A mixed graph model is used for solving the problem , which allows a scheduler to construct an efficient schedule via deleting some arcs from the set in the digraph or (and) via changing orientations of the arcs. Several heuristics have been developed to transform the digraph into a new digraph as a proper answer for the problem. The developed algorithms have been tested on the benchmark instances. It is demonstrated how these algorithms may be used for solving a train timetabling problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder refers to a wide range of nervous system disorders. Autistic patients often have a defective antioxidant defense system and manifest symptoms of impaired cognitive interaction. Camel milk has numerous beneficial nutrients and has been used in the treatment of autism. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of camel milk on the antioxidant activity and enzymes of autistic rats. Methods: Pregnant rats were intraperitoneally injected on embryonic day 12.5 with valproic acid (VPA; 500 mg/kg) to induce an autistic state. In addition, 18 male offspring rats were injected with risperidone (0.2 mg/kg) three times per week. Six of these cases were fed daily with raw camel milk (10 ml/kg), and six others were fed with pasteurized camel milk for 42 days. Social interaction and repetitive behaviors were measured using the Y-maze based on catalase (CAT) activity, glutathione (GSH) level, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity at the outset and after the treatment period. Results: Behavioral symptoms (impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors) were evident after VPA administration. After receiving treatment, impaired social interaction and repetitive behaviors significantly improved in the autistic rats (P<0.01). In addition, VPA enhanced the oxidative stress status in the biochemical tests (P<0.001), and camel milk increased CAT activity (P<0.001), GSH level (P<0.05), and SOD activity (P<0.0001). Conclusion: According to the results, camel milk could recover the VPA-induced impairment of social interaction and repetitive behaviors in the autistic rats and improve the defects in their antioxidant defense system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A parallel machines job-shop problem is a generalisation of a job-shop problem to the case when there are identical machines of the same type. Job-shop problems encountered in a flexible manufacturing system, train timetabling, production planning and in other real-life scheduling systems. This paper presents an adaptive algorithm with a learning stage for solving the parallel machines job-shop problem. A learning stage tends to produce knowledge about a benchmark of priority dispatching rules allowing a scheduler to improve the quality of a schedule which may be useful for a similar scheduling problem. Once trained on solving sample problems (usually with small sizes), the adaptive algorithm is able to solve similar job-shop problems with larger size better than heuristics used as a benchmark at the learning stage. For using an adaptive algorithm with a learning stage, a job-shop problem is modelled via a weighted mixed graph with a conflict resolution strategy used for finding an appropriate schedule. We show how to generalise the mixed graph model for solving parallel machines job-shop problem. The proposed adaptive algorithm is tested on benchmark instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]