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Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common ovarian dysfunction. Recent studies showed the effectiveness of licorice on metabolic profiles with inconsistent findings. So, we investigated the effect of licorice on obesity indices, glycemic indices, and lipid profiles in women with PCOS., Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 66 overweight/obese women with PCOS. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either 1.5 gr/day licorice extract plus a low-calorie diet (n = 33) or placebo plus a low-calorie diet (n = 33) for 8 weeks. Participants' anthropometric indices and body composition were assessed using standard protocols. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin levels, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were measured using enzymatic kits. The homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and HOMA of β-cell function (HOMA-B) were calculated using valid formulas., Results: Between-group comparisons demonstrated significant differences between the groups in terms of obesity indices (body weight, BMI, and body fat), lipid profiles (TG, TC, LDL-C, and HDL-C), FBS and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-B at the end of the study (P < 0.05). Supplementation with licorice plus a low-calorie diet was also more effective in improving all parameters than a low-calorie diet alone after adjusting for confounders (baseline values, age, weight changes, and physical activity changes) (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: The findings showed that licorice consumption leads to improvements in obesity indices, glucose homeostasis, and lipid profiles compared to placebo. Due to possible limitations of the study, further research is needed to confirm these findings., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Due to the known side effects of many synthetic drugs, the use of herbal and natural substances in treating diseases such as burns has been considered. licorice is a herbal medicine whose stem and underground roots are used in traditional medicine in many countries, including Iran, for anti-inflammatory, stomach ulcer healing, and antimicrobial purposes., Aim of the Study: This study investigated the healing effect of hydroalcoholic extract of licorice root on the wound healing process caused by second-degree burns., Methods: The hydroalcoholic extract of licorice was prepared in ethanol solvent, and then the licorice hydrogel product was designed using gelling compounds. Then, in a double-blinded randomized clinical trial, 50 patients with second-degree burns were selected based on inclusion criteria from the patients referred to Yazd Hospital and Isfahan Hospital. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: the control group receiving hydrogel without extract and the intervention group receiving hydrogel containing licorice root hydroalcoholic extract. The intervention lasted for 15 days, and during this period, the wound-healing process was evaluated on days 1, 3, 6, 10, and 15. Data were analyzed using SPSS software with independent T-test and Mann-Whitney U tests with a maximum error of 5 %., Results: The rate of inflammation (From the 3rd day to the 10th day), redness (From the 6th day to the 15th day), pain (on the 3rd day), and burning (From the 3rd day to the 15th day) of the wound in the group that used the hydrogel-containing hydroalcoholic extract of licorice root was significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05), and the healing process was significantly faster than the control group., Conclusion: Hydroalcoholic extract of licorice root can accelerate the healing process of second-degree burns., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Wound healing is a complex process and is influenced by different factors. Aimed to enhance the wound healing procedure, the Moxifloxacin bilayer wafer was designed, optimized and evaluated as an advanced wound healing dressing. The wafers were prepared by the lyophilization and casting method. Optimization was done according to the results of bioadhesion force, swelling index, release rate, T 40 and T 90 (the time to reach 40% and 90% of release). The optimized wafer was evaluated against in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy using the disc diffusion method and histologic evaluation after application on the wound. The optimized formulation contained HPMC, MC, gelatin and PVP with mounts of 50 mg, 25 mg, 2 mg and 10 mg respectively. The hydrophilic bilayer wafer is adhered to the wound up to the end of wound healing. Application of optimized formulation led to the healing of wound 6 days faster without any sign of infection. The application of this wafer promoted wound healing and epithelium regeneration without any inflammation.

Inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-6 (IL-6), plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy. Recent studies have documented that resveratrol exhibits cardioprotective effects. The present study attempts to explore whether resveratrol suppreses IL-6 in hypertrophied H9c2 cardiomyoblasts through histone deacetylase, sirtuin 1 (SIRT1). To induce hypertrophy, the cells were incubated with angiotensin II (Ang II). Treatment groups were treated with different doses (1, 10, 25, 50, 75, and 100 μM) of resveratrol (R). Cell viability was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Cell size was determined using crystal violet staining. Gene expression was assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure IL-6 concentration. The results showed that cell area and ANP messenger RNA (mRNA) levels decreased significantly in R25+Ang, R50+Ang, and R100+Ang groups, as compared with Ang group. Therefore, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 μM of resveratrol were used to to evaluate its anti-inflammatory effects. The results revealed that Ang II upregulated IL-6 at both mRNA and protein levels (p < .001 vs. normal) and resveratrol (50 μM) decreased IL-6 mRNA (p < .01) and protein (p < .05) significantly in comparison to Ang group. However, in groups in which the cells were pretreated with SIRT1 inhibitor, EX-527, the response of resveratrol was partially reversed. Transcription levels of IL-6 receptor components (gp130 and gp80) did not change significantly among the experimental groups. The current data suggests that resveratrol protects H9c2 cells against Ang II-induced hypertrophy by suppression of IL-6 through SIRT1 activation., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide. Evidence showed that anthocyanins might have effects on NAFLD. Protective effects of Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) extract, as an anthocyanins-rich source, on liver were reported in animal studies. However, very few clinical trials were conducted in this regard. Thus, the aim of this research will be to evaluate the effect of supplementation with total anthocyanin-base standardized cornelian cherry fruit extract on liver function (Serum levels of Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cytokeratin-18 fragment M30 (CK-18 M30), as well as steatosis and fibrosis of liver), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), malondealdehyde (MDA), and adiponectin in patients with NAFLD., Methods: In a double-blind randomized clinical trial, 80 NAFLD patients will be studied. The patients will be randomly assigned into two groups. The intervention group will receive the cornelian cherry extract, containing 320 mg.d - 1 anthocyanins, per day for 12 weeks. The control group will also take the placebo daily for 12 weeks. Liver function (Serum levels of AST, ALT and CK-18 M30; steatosis and fibrosis of liver), serum levels of TNF-α, MDA, and adiponectin will be measured at the baseline and the end of trial for both groups and their results will be compared., Discussion: Considering evidences about the useful impacts of anthocyanins on NAFLD, the effects of supplementation with cornelian cherry extract will be investigated on the important variables related to NAFLD., Trial Registration: Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials ( IRCT20180419039359N1 ).

In most of the existing studies, the frequency response in the variable speed wind turbines (VSWTs) is simply realized by changing the torque set-point via appropriate inputs such as frequency deviations signal. However, effective dynamics and systematic process design have not been comprehensively discussed yet. Accordingly, this paper proposes a proportional-derivative frequency controller and investigates its performance in a wind farm consisting of several VSWTs. A band-pass filter is deployed before the proposed controller to avoid responding to either steady state frequency deviations or high rate of change of frequency. To design the controller, the frequency model of the wind farm is first characterized. The proposed controller is then designed based on the obtained open loop system. The stability region associated with the controller parameters is analytically determined by decomposing the closed-loop system's characteristic polynomial into the odd and even parts. The performance of the proposed controller is evaluated through extensive simulations in MATLAB/Simulink environment in a power system comprising a high penetration of VSWTs equipped with the proposed controller. Finally, based on the obtained feasible area and appropriate objective function, the optimal values associated with the controller parameters are determined using the genetic algorithm (GA)., (Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is the most common painful ulcerative disease of oral mucosa happening in ~20% of people. Aimed to develop Myrtus communis L. (Myrtle) containing oral patches, we applied box-behnken design to evaluate the effect of polymers such as Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), Gelatin, Methylcellulose (MC) and Pectin. Methods: The patches properties such as tensile strength, folding endurance, swelling index, thickness, mucoadhesive strength and the pattern of myrtle release were evaluated as dependent variables. Then, the model was adjusted according to the best fitted equation with box behnken design. Results: The results indicated that preparation of myrtle patch with hydrophilic polymers showed the disintegration time up to 24h and more. Using of polyvinyl pyrrolidone as a water soluble polymer and a pore-former polymer led to faster release of soluble materials from the patch to 29 (min -1 ). Also it decreases swelling index by increasing the patch disintegration. Gelatin and Pectin, with rigid matrix and water interaction properties, decreased the swelling ratio. Pectin increased the tensile strength, but gelatin produced an opposite effect. Thinner Myrtle patch (about 28µm) was obtained by formulation of methyl cellulose with equal ratio with polyvinyl pyrrolidone or gelatin. Conclusion: Altogether, the analysis showed that the optimal formulation was achieved with of 35.04 mg of Gelatin, 7.22 mg of Pectin, 7.20 mg of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, 50.52 mg of methyl cellulose and 20 mg of Myrtle extract.

Some physicochemical parameters of honey have been introduced by the International Honey Commission to evaluate its quality and origin but processes such as heating and filtering can affect these parameters. In traditional Iranian medicine, deslagging process involves boiling honey in an equal volume of water and removing the slag formed during process. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of deslagging process on parameters of color intensity, diastase evaluation, electrical conductivity, pH, free acidity, refractive index, hydroxy methyl furfural (HMF), proline and water contents according to the International Honey Committee (IHC) standards. The results showed that deslagged honey was significantly different from control honey in terms of color intensity, pH, diastase number, HMF and proline content. It can be concluded that the new standards are needed to regulate deslagged honey.

Background: Wart is a skin disease with circular appendages, which is called "suloul" in Iranian traditional medicine (ITM). According to ITM literature, warts have different types and causes. The most important mechanism is excretion of materials (Khelt) from body to skin and mucus; its causative material is often phlegm, black bile or a combination of them. To treat warts, it is necessary to consider the patient's life style, modify his dietary intake and moisturize his temperament., Objectives: This study aimed to compare Myrtus communis L. and Descurainia sophia L. as a method of ITM, versus salicylic acid in treatment of wart., Patients and Methods: In this study, conducted in Yazd, Iran, 100 patients were selected and randomly divided into four groups. Group 1) salicylic acid, group 2) salicylic acid and D. sophia L. group 3) M. communis L. group 4) M. communis L. and D. sophia L. Numbers, sizes of lesions and symptoms, on days 0, 20, 40 and 90 were examined and analyzed. The relapse rate was investigated three months after. Changes of sizes and numbers of warts in each period of time in each group, compared to baseline, were assessed by Wilcoxon Signed Rank test. To compare these changes between the groups, Kruskal Wallis test was used., Results: In this study 100 patients participated, 69% of which were female. Compared to baseline, mean ± SD of changes for the number of warts in day 40 were 1.12 ± 4.2, 0.96 ± 2.5, 1.32 ± 5.1 and 0.04 ± 0.2 respectively in the four groups (P = 0.02). Mean ± SD of changes for the number of warts in day 90 were 1.84 ± 4.5, 1.56 ± 2.8, 1.24 ± 5.1 and 0.04 ± 0.6 respectively in the four groups (P = 0.03). In addition mean ± SD of changes for the size of warts in day 40 were 0.96 ± 1.8, 1.03 ± 2.4, 2.47 ± 3.0 and 0.45 ± 1.7 respectively in the four groups (P < 0.001). Mean ± SD of changes for the size of warts in day 90 were 1.24 ± 2.1, 1.3 ± 2.3, 2.45 ± 3.1 and 0.45 ± 1.7 respectively in the four groups (P < 0.001). Relapse was not seen in any groups after three months. The frequency of side effects was similar after three months., Conclusions: M. communis L. can be used as a topical treatment for warts. It not only shows more rapid response than salicylic acid, but also has fewer side effects. It seems that D. sophia L. can modify the digestion process and patients can excrete large amounts of the substance that causes warts. Therefore, it is better to use it more than 40 days. According to our investigation, in ITM, considering the cause and mechanism of disease generation and the causing materials of the disease, different treatments should be applied for each patient. Although applying an appropriate treatment is necessary, a unique treatment for all the patients cannot be available.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.), Lythraceae, is mainly grown in Mediterranean region. It is one of the major cultivated productions of Iran, which have been used in folk medicine for many centuries. It has been proved that pomegranate has a high antioxidant activity and is effective in the prevention of atherosclerosis. This study compares the antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of nine different pomegranate cultivars grown in Iran. Aqueous solutions of known Fe(+2) concentration, vitamin E, vitamin C, gallic acid and catechin were used for calibration. The results showed that Sour summer pulp cultivar had the most antioxidant effect with significant difference with the other cultivar (p < 0.05) which can be introduced as a potent source of natural antioxidants, and the peel of three cultivars (Sweet saveh malas, Sour summer and Black peel) as a suitable source for extraction and purification of phenolic and flavonoid compound. The antioxidant capacity of pomegranate peel extract is 10 times higher than the pulp extract.