Abstract Objective Sickle cell disease is characterized by clinical complications resulting in vaso-occlusive crisis with prominent attributes of oxidative stress, inflammation, and pain. Inflammation is an integral part of this disease which further exacerbates the pain during a crisis. Omega-3 fatty acids are known to possess anti-inflammatory and anti-aggregatory properties and assist in diminishing the slow physiological inactivation. Methods A pilot nutritional interventional study was conducted wherein forty-three children with sickle cell disease aged 5-16 years were supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids for a period of six months. Analysis of oxidative stress, as well as inflammatory parameters, was done pre and post-supplementation. Results Increased free oxygen radical transference values depicting free radical generation is enhanced in these patients along with a reduced antioxidant defense, as seen by decreased free oxygen radical defense values. Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids for a period of six months significantly reduced the inflammatory marker homocysteine in all patients, whereas high sensitive C reactive protein was significantly reduced only in females of the age group 11-16years. Simultaneously a significant reduction in oxidative stress parameters with a concomitant increase of antioxidant defense was observed in all patients. Conclusion The authors’ findings suggest the regulatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids as cellular activators in alleviating the complications due to sickle cell disease. Omega-3 fatty acids hold promise as future therapeutic candidates in patients with sickle cell disease.

Resumen Para investigar la diversidad y explicar las relaciones del rendimiento de aceite esencial con rasgos morfológicos, 84 poblaciones de T. polycephalum fueron sembradas en el campo utilizando diseño de bloques completos al azar (BCA) con tres réplicas en el Instituto de Investigación de Bosques y Pastizales, Teherán, Irán en 2013-2014. Los datos fueron colectados para la fecha de floración, días de grado de crecimiento (DGC), número de tallos, altura de planta, rendimiento de materia seca (MS), porcentaje de aceite esencial y rendimiento de aceite esencial. Las relaciones entre las características agronómicas se determinaron mediante correlación, regresión y análisis factorial. La distancia genética y la clasificación del genotipo, se determinaron mediante análisis de conglomerados. El rendimiento de MS se correlacionó positivamente con la altura de la planta, cobertura del dosel, número de tallos y rendimiento de aceite (p <0.01), mientras que el% de aceite esencial se correlacionó negativamente con la altura de la planta y el número de tallos (p <0.05). El resultado de la regresión gradual en la cual el rendimiento de aceite esencial se consideró como variable dependiente mostró que el% de aceite esencial y el rendimiento de MS representaron 39.95 y 47.75% de las variaciones totales en la producción de aceite esencial, respectivamente. En el análisis de factores, los valores de Eigen obtenidos de 1 a 3 factores fueron mayores que uno con 88.9% de las variaciones totales. En el primer factor, los rasgos de rendimiento de MS, altura de la planta, cobertura del dosel, número de tallos y en la segunda fecha de floración del factor, DGC y producción de aceite esencial y en el tercer factor, % de aceite esencial, tuvieron coeficientes de vectores Eigen más altos para la clasificación del genotipo. En el análisis de conglomerados, los genotipos se categorizaron en cuatro grupos. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, el grupo 1 para madurez temprana, los grupos 3 para cobertura vegetal del dosel, el número de tallos, el rendimiento de MS y la producción de aceite esencial y el grupo 4, para% de aceite esencial, tuvieron valores promedio significativamente más altos que otros grupos. Hubo una buena concordancia entre los resultados obtenidos de los análisis de grupos y factores en la representación del diagrama de dispersión de 84 genotipos en función del primer y el segundo factor. Se concluyó que la población del grupo 3 es capaz de producir nuevos cultivares mejorados y debe centrarse en la selección de mayor rendimiento de biomasa aérea, altura de la planta, número de flores, % de aceite esencial, junto con la fecha de floración temprana.

Abstract In order to investigate diversity and explain the relationships of essential oil yield with morphological traits, 84 populations T. polycephalum, were sown in the field using randomized complete blocks design (RCBD) with three replicates in Research Institute of Forest and Rangeland, Tehran, Iran in 2013-2014. Data were collected for flowering date, growth degree days (GDD), stem number, plant height, dry matter (DM) yield, essential oil percentage, and essential oil yield. The relationships among traits were determined using correlation, regression and factor analysis. The genetic distance and genotype classification were determined using cluster analysis. DM yield was positively correlated with plant height, canopy cover, stem number and oil yield (p<0.01), whereas oil% was negatively correlated with plant height and stem number (p<0.05). Result of stepwise regression in which essential oil yield were considered as dependent variable showed that essential oil%, and DM yield accounted for 39.95 and 47.75%, of the total variations in essential oil production, respectively. In factor analysis, the Eigen values obtained from 1 to 3 factors were higher than one with 88.9% of total variations. In the first factor, traits of DM yield, plant height, canopy cover, stems number, and in the second factor flowering date, GDD and oil yield and in the third factor oil% had higher Eigen vector coefficients for genotype classification. In cluster analysis, genotypes were categorized in four groups. According to the obtained results, cluster 1 for early maturity, clusters 3 for plant height canopy cover, stems number, DM yield and essential oil production and cluster4, for essential oil%, had significantly higher mean values than other groups. There was a good agreement between the results obtained from cluster and factor analyses in scatter diagram representation of 84 genotypes based on the first and second factors. It was concluded that population of cluster 3 are capable to breeding improved new cultivars and should be focused on selection higher aerial biomass yield, plant height, flower number, essential oil%, coupled with early flowering date.

Con el objeto de evaluar el efecto de la temperatura baja sobre las características fenológicas de la festuca alta (Festuca arundinaceae) se recolectaron semillas de cultivares Bejnord, Esfahan, Brojen, Kamiran, Mashhad en bancos de germoplasma. Estas fueron sembradas en recipientes con temperaturas fluctuantes de 20 ± 5°C durante el día y de 5 - 12°C durante la noche. Posteriormente el semillero de 15 días de edad se cultivo a una temperatura base de 4 °C durante 30 días. Los materos fueron retornados a condiciones normales de invernadero y de campo hasta su etapa de floración. En la etapa de floración, las características morfológicas incluyeron: altura de planta, longitud de pedúnculo, longitud de panícula, número de panículas y longitud de la hoja bandera, peso fresco y seco y los pesos de la semilla, características de calidad como la digestibilidad de materia seca (DMD), proteína cruda (CP), carbohidratos solubles en agua (WSC), fibra detergente ácida (ADF) y cenizas totales, se registraron. Los resultados mostraron que las poblaciones de los cvs. Mashhad y Esfahan presentaron valores superiores para altura de la planta, longitud del pedúnculo, longitud de la panícula, peso de la semilla, peso fresco y seco con respecto a otras poblaciones. Exceptuando la población Esfahan, las otras cuatro poblaciones fueron evaluadas por su buen valor nutritivo debido al alto contenido de carbohidrato soluble en agua. Los resultados también mostraron que los días grados crecimiento (GDC) de aquellas poblaciones que estaban sujetas a temperatura fría, presentaron menor estado de floración que el tratamiento control. Se concluyó que la temperatura fría no presentó efecto alguno sobre los desarrollos vegetativos, particularmente sobre la etapa de floración, pero redujo las fechas de floración en la etapa generativa

In order to study the effect of cold temperature on morphological and quality characteristics of tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae), seeds of five populations were provided from natural resource gene bank, Iran as: Bejnord, Esfahan, Brojen, Kamiran and Mashhad were sown on pots with condition of fluctuation temperatures at 20±5°C during day and (5-12)°C during night time in greenhouse. The base temperature (4°C) were applied on 15th days seedling age for 30 days for vernalization compare with control. The pots were return in normal conditions besides control pots in greenhouse and then outdoor. The pots were arranged using factorial experiments based on completely randomized design with three replications. The plants had grown up to their flowering and maturity stage. In flowering stage, morphological traits including: plant height, peduncle length, panicle length, flag leaf area and flag leaf length, fresh and dry weight and seed yield and quality traits as dry mater digestibility (DMD), crude protein (CP), water soluble carbohydrates (WSC), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and total ash (ASH) were recorded. Results showed that populations of Mashhad, and Brojen had higher values for fresh and dry weight than those of other populations. For plant height, peduncle length, flag leaf area the Brojen, Bojnord and Kamyaran had higher values, respectively. For quality traits, the higher values of both DMD (56.5%) and WSC (14.09%) were obtained for Esfahan and higher value of CP (18.1%) for Bojnord. Results also showed that the growth degree days (GDD) of those populations which were subjected to cold treatment was lower flowering stage than those for control. It was concluded that cold treatment had no effect on vegetative developments particularly in seedling stage, but it reduced flowering dates in generative stage and increased plant dry matter yield. It was proved that the Tall fescue is cool season grass and it needs a period of vernalization for promotion of flowering

The study is associated with the effect of aspirin (Acetyl Salicylic Acid) on the microhardness of mineralized tissues of the offspring's teeth, in response to the ingestion of the drug during pregnancy. Aspirin is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic medicine, for symptomatic treatment. Misuse of this drug during pregnancy may instigate developmental defects in offspring. An experimental control study was designed, in which female rabbits were taken as representative mammalian models and treated with aspirin during pregnancy. Their offspring's teeth were used to assess the microhardness of dental tissues. The rabbits were alienated into two groups, treated and control, consisting of seven rabbits in each set (n= 7). Microhardness was evaluated in three types of the sample teeth. The total number of teeth examined were, 2x7x12= 168 samples. Vicker's Hardness degree values were measured and recorded vis-à-vis (50 g for 15 s with 3 indentations per specimen on enamel and dentine separately). The range of hardness obtained was statistically analyzed and the Student's t-tests was applied, with the aid of SPSS version 20. The P-values for both enamel and dentine from maxillary incisors and molars were less than 0.05. The same trend was observed in the mandibular teeth. However, a teratogenicity of Acetyl Salicylic Acid was pragmatic in the recent in vivo studies. Based on the analysis, it was evident that the aspirin administration could produce negative effects leading to reduction in the microhardness of dental tissues of the offsprings.

El estudio asocia el efecto de la aspirina (ácido acetil salicílico) sobre la microdureza de los tejidos mineralizados de los dientes de crías, en respuesta a la ingesta del fármaco durante la preñez. La aspirina es un analgésico y antipirético ampliamente utilizado para el tratamiento sintomático. El mal uso de esta droga durante la preñez puede inducir defectos en el desarrollo de las crías. Se diseñó un estudio experimental de control, en el que se tomaron conejas como modelos de mamíferos representativos y fueron tratados con aspirina durante la preñez. Los dientes de sus crías fueron utilizados para evaluar la microdureza de los tejidos dentales. Los animales fueron distribuidos en dos grupos, tratados y control, con siete animales en cada grupo (n= 7). La microdureza se evaluó en tres tipos de dientes de la muestra. El número total de dientes examinados fueron 168 (2x7x12). Se midieron y registraron valores del grado de dureza Vickers vis-à-vis (50 g por 15 s con 3 indentaciones por especimen sobre el esmalte y la dentina por separado). Se analizó estadísticamente la gama de dureza obtenida y se aplicaron pruebas t de Student con la ayuda del programa SPSS versión 20. Los valores de p para el esmalte y la dentina de los incisivos maxilares y molares fueron menores a 0,05. Se observó la misma tendencia en los dientes mandibulares. Sin embargo, teratogenicidad producto del ácido acetil salicílico se encontró en recientes estudios in vivo. De acuerdo al análisis de los resultados, se evidenció que la administración de aspirina provocó efectos negativos que determinaron la reducción de la microdureza de los tejidos dentales de las crías.