Clinical Profile of Mortality among Chronic Schizophrenic Patients: A Local Pilot Survey in Iran

Background: Many scholars believe that mental disorders may increase the risk of mortality among psychiatric patients in comparison with ordinary people. Unfortunately, since there is no systematic psychiatric case register system in Iran, a precise study of the rate of mortality of psychiatric patients in Iran is not easy. Objective: The objective of the current study included estimation of the rate of mortality and clinical profile of the died patients in a group of non-western aged schizophrenic patients. Methods: Senior section of Razi psychiatric hospital was selected as the specific field of investigation, and all elderly schizophrenic patients (≥65 years old), who had been hospitalized there, were nominated as the accessible sample and estimated with respect to the objectives of the present assessment. For survey, all deaths in the said district, which had occurred throughout the last sixty months (April of 2014-August 2019), had been listed by the supervisor of the mortality committee of the hospital. The clinical diagnosis was based on ‘Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’, 5th edition, criteria. Results: Among 840 chronic elderly schizophrenic patients, 69 deaths were registered by the mortality committee of the hospital. As evident by the results, the annual rate of mortality among elderly schizophrenic patients in the present assessment was around 0.015 (0.15 per 1,000 individuals per year) and 0.017 (0.17 per 1,000 individuals per year) among male and female aged patients, respectively, which was significantly lower than the native crude death rate. While the average age of the expired female patients was significantly longer than male cases, the life expectancy of both male and female patients was significantly shorter than the life expectancy of native people. Besides, while among the present sample of old schizophrenics cardiac disease was the main leading cause of death, other causes, like violence, suicide, road traffic accidents, falls, fires, drug use, tuberculosis, drowning, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease were not liable at all. Conclusion: While the rate of mortality among aged schizophrenics was significantly lower than the native crude death rate, the age of the expired female patients was significantly longer than the male cases and the life expectancy of both male and female patients was significantly shorter than the life expectancy of native people. Cardiac disorder was the leading cause of death among the present sample of aged schizophrenics.

Development and Characterization of Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Containing Herbal Extract: In Vivo Antidepressant Activity

In alternate systems of medicine like Ayurveda and traditional Chinese medicine, Hibiscus rosa sinensis and its extracts have been traditionally prescribed for their antidepressant activity. Crude extracts and rudimentary formulations approaches are good for proof-of-concept studies; however, these formulations are fraught with problems like poor oral bioavailability and high variability between subjects. Systematic drug delivery approaches could prove effective in addressing some of these problems. In this study, we report the development of Hibiscus rosa sinensis extract loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (HSLNs) using glycerol monostearate or beeswax as lipids. The HSLNs were evaluated for their size, surface charge, and morphology. The optimized HSLNs were tested for antidepressant activity in male Swiss albino mice. It was found that, with the optimized procedure, HSLNs of ~175 nm, carrying negative charge and nearly spherical shape, could be obtained. The in vivo test results suggested that there were marked differences in the immobility times of the test animals. Moreover, with HSLNs, it was found that at doses several times lower than the native crude extract dose, similar pharmacological effect could be obtained. These initial findings suggest that encapsulating phytopharmaceuticals into advanced delivery systems like solid lipid nanoparticles can be an effective strategy in improving their in vivo performance.

Bioremediation Potential of Native Hydrocarbons Degrading Bacteria in Crude Oil Polluted Soil

Bioremediation of crude oil contaminated soil is an effective process to clean petroleum pollutants from the environment. Crude oil bioremediation of soils is limited by the bacteria activity in degrading the spills hydrocarbons. Native crude oil degrading bacteria were isolated from different crude oil polluted soils. The isolated bacteria belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium, Arthrobacter and Bacillus. A natural biodegradable product and bacterial inoculum were used for total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal from an artificial polluted soil. For soil polluted with 5% crude oil, the bacterial top, including those placed in the soil by inoculation was 30 days after impact, respectively 7 days after inoculum application, while in soil polluted with 10% crude oil, multiplication top of bacteria was observed in the determination made at 45 days after impact and 21 days after inoculum application, showing once again how necessary is for microorganisms habituation and adaptation to environment being a function of pollutant concentration. The microorganisms inoculated showed a slight adaptability in soil polluted with 5% crude oil, but complete inhibition in the first 30 days of experiment at 10% crude oil.

An assessment of the use of native and denatured forms of okra seed proteins as coagulants in drinking water treatment

The effects of temperature, storage time and water pH on the coagulation performance of okra seed protein in water treatment were assessed. In a jar test experiment, okra salt extract achieved a notable improvement in treatment efficiency with storage time and showed good performance in quality after thermal treatment at 60, 97 and 140 °C temperatures for 6, 4 and 2 hours, respectively. The performance improvement of more than 8% is considered to be due to the denaturation and subsequent removal of coagulation-hindering proteins in okra seed. Furthermore, the results of a sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis show two distinctive bands of protein responsible for the coagulation process after denaturation. It was further shown that at optimal coagulant dose, the pH of the treated water remained unaffected as a result of the protein's buffering capability during coagulation. Therefore, denatured okra seed exhibited improved performance compared to the native crude extract and offers clear benefits as a water treatment coagulant.

Production and immunological characterization of a recombinant subunit of aLoa loapolyprotein antigen

SUMMARYDiagnosis of loiasis and analysis of the specific immune response are limited by a paucity of parasite material. To circumvent this problem, aLoa loaantigen has been expressed in a prokaryote vector (pTrcHis). Immunization of Balb/c mice with this soluble recombinant protein produced a strong antibody response, with antibodies recognizing 2 major bands of 38 and 20 kDa in a native crude extract ofLoa loaadult worms and microfilariae on Western blots. The target molecule was located mainly in the hypodermis and cuticle of the adult worm. Analysis of human IgG subclasses against this antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 but not IgG4 reactivity. IgG2 against this recombinant antigen was 100% specific for loiasis when tested against samples from European donor individuals. The same IgG2 antibodies showed 91% specificity for loiasis by comparison withWuchereria bancrofti,Onchocerca volvulus,Mansonnella perstansand other helminth infections. Furthermore, the IgG2 antibody level correlated with the density ofLoa loamicrofilariae (r=0·400;P=0·02). This recombinant 15r3 molecule and specific IgG2 assay may be useful for monitoring control programmes.