Advancements in Life Sciences (E-Journal, University of the Punjab)
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RETRACTED ARTICLE: Evaluation of Predictive Factors and Barriers to Cervical Cancer Screening in Women Referring to Comprehensive Health Centers in Khorramabad, Lorestan Province, Iran during 2020
Get PDFBackground: Cervical cancer is among the most common malignancies in women, especially in developing countries. Proper and timely screening can prevent this cancer and its complications. The present study aims to assess the cervical cancer screening status in women referring to comprehensive health centers in Khorramabad, Iran.Methods: A total of 457 married women aged 18-60 years, who referred to health centers in Khorramabad city, were included in this cross-sectional study using a multi-stage (stratified-cluster-random) sampling method. Information on demographic characteristics, pregnancy history, cervical cancer screening status, including taking or not taking screening tests so far, frequency and intervals of screening and the reason for not taking screening tests were collected using a multi-part questionnaire. The data were analyzed using the independent t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).Results: The mean age of participants in the study was 36.1± 9.69 years. About 66.7% of the participants stated that they had the history of taking at least one Pap smear (Papanicolaou smear) by the time of the study. The age of first Pap smear in most participants was 25-29 years and the frequency of taking a Pap smear test in most cases (28.9%) was once. Most participants reported that they did not take Pap tests because they were unaware of the importance and necessity of taking a Pap smear test. The frequency of Pap smear screening in the women surveyed was statistically significant by age (PV=0.001), education level (PV<0.001), occupation (PV=0.001), and place of residence (PV=0.001). Conclusion: The level of awareness and subsequently cervical cancer screening frequency can be increased in women of the community with proper planning and training women in the community at various levels, including the comprehensive health center.Keywords: Cervical cancer; Screening; Health care centers; Khorramabad; Iran Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note25 June 2025: While rerunning the Turnitin originality analysis, a similarity index of 68% was found for this article (63% from a single source). Editorial board of Advancements in Life Sciences has started the process of retracting this article due to the above post-publication findings. The process shall be concluded after registering responses from the authors. Meanwhile, full text of the article shall remain unavailable for citations (this notice has been updated following insights derived from relevant COPE cases and the industry standards). Show of cause notice has also been issued to the concerned editorial team member.Retraction Note20 July 2025: The Editor-in-Chief, upon the recommendation of the Inquiry Team, has retracted this article due to plagiarism. An internal audit revealed that several articles, including this one, exhibited a high similarity index without proper disclosure or attribution by the authors. This constitutes a breach of the journal’s editorial policy, and the article is therefore being retracted.The authors do not agree to this retraction
Oleanolic acid (pentacyclic triterpenes) as a potential candidate for α-glycosidase inhibition activity
Get PDFBackground: Diabetes mellitus is a common health dilemma worldwide and is characterized by hyperglycemia. Inhibition in the activity of one of the digestive tract enzymes α-glucosidase is one of the therapeutic approaches to hydrolyze carbohydrates into glucose using natural agents. Many natural compounds with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity have transpired to be secondary metabolites. Monotheca buxifolia, native to Pakistan is a major medicinal tree, which has been known for its extensive pharmacological activities.Methods: α-glucosidase activity of ten isolated compounds (lupeol, lupeol acetate, betulin, β-sitosterol, β-amyrin, oleanolic acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, kaempferol and quercetin) from lipophilic hexane fraction of M. buxifolia (stem and leaves) was assessed against α-glucosidase enzyme using acarbose as a control.Results: All ten compounds hold α-glucosidase inhibition potential (91-99%). However, IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) values of oleanolic acid (5 µM) were 8-fold lower than that of acarbose. Moreover, inhibition potencies of lupeol (15.87 µM), β-amyrin (18.14 µM) betulin (21.49 µM), quercetin (23.47 µM), and lupeol acetate (29.45 µM) were much stronger than the inhibitory effect obtained from acarbose (38.25 µM).Conclusion: Oleanolic acid of M. buxifolia exhibited a potent inhibitory effect against α-glucosidase, therefore, oleanolic acid may be utilized in medicinal formulations against diabetic disorders.Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Enzyme inhibition; Medicinal plants; Pentacyclic triterpenes
Recent Advances in the Role of Vitamins in the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Literature Review
No full textMain objective of this review is critically evaluate the use of vitamins in the safety measure as well as treatments of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) using recent findings of research on both humans and animals. The authors combed through the fundamental literature on association of vitamins (fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins and some quasi vitamins) with prevention/treatment of AD to create this narrative review. An online search was conducted in Science Direct, Google Scholar, EBSCO & PubMed, a manual search via catalogues and scientific journals for review the literature regarding the relationship between vitamins and AD and to comprehend the potential mechanisms that may clarify such a relationship. After evaluating the titles and abstracts of the preliminary 500 articles, 350 were chosen. After reading the full texts and accomplishing a supplemental search on "Related citations" and the references of the chosen articles, a total of 282 references were found. The two most frequently mentioned ways that vitamins may affect cognitive function in AD are (1) by influences on a particular plasma amino acid called homocysteine (Hcy) for B vitamins (B6, B9 & B12), and (2) through antioxidant effects, decreasing the free radicals’ contents which can impairment human cells, for vitamins B2, C, D, E, as well as ß-carotene. These theories concerning potential mechanisms are mostly based on preclinical research and findings of links between dementia or cognitive decline and elevated Hcy levels or elevated markers of oxidative stress. The results from current studies show an effectiveness and safety of vitamin supplementation to avert mild cognitive impairment (MCI) as well as the initial phases of AD will likely rely on firstly which metabolic pathways are affected, secondly which vitamins are lacking and could correct the pertinent metabolic flaw, and thirdly, the modulating effect of nutrient-nutrient and nutrient-genotype interaction. Further emphasis on an accurate dietary strategy is needed to recognize the complete prospective of vitamin therapy in avoiding dementia and cognitive function as well as to avoid causing devastation
Antimicrobial Compliance with CPAP in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: sleeping times with and without apparatus: A pilot study
Get PDFBackground: It has long been understood that Continuous Positive Airway Presssure CPAP adherence is not perfect in most patients, which may impact the long-term therapeutic benefits of treatment. This study aimed to investigate the sleep patterns and compliance with treatment of adults with obstructive sleep apnoea who are using CPAP and how these may affect the disease-modifying effects of CPAP.Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of CPAP compliance in patients with moderate-to-severe OSA. The data of patients visiting regional general practice were collected by a survey.Results: More than half (66%) of the participants recorded partial compliance with CPAP, removing the apparatus and returning to sleep without CPAP once per week or more. Most (83%) participants claimed that they were receiving four or more hours of CPAP therapy per night. For the sub-group with reduced CPAP compliance, the most significant factors which influenced use are mask discomfort (50%) and relief of daytime symptoms (63%).Conclusion: This study demonstrated that CPAP users who met the criteria for adequate adherence to treatment may still have periods of sleep when they were exposed to disease triggering apnoeic episodes. The research in future should compare the long-term benefits of CPAP on morbidity and mortality between groups with perfect and partial compliance with treatment.Keywords: CPAP; Sleep apnoea; Compliance
The Influence of Stationary and exponential Growth Phase of Probiotic Lactobacilli Towards Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Biofilm
Get PDFBackground: Bacterial biofilm of the oral cavity contributes to the dispersion of pathogenic organisms to other organs, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Lactobacilli own potent activity against the biofilm of the periodontal pathogen. The study aims to evaluate the inhibition activity of the probiotics lactobacilli’s cells and supernatant during exponential and stationary phases against Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans’s biofilm exponential phase.Methods: Five Lactobacillus sp. and four A. actinomycetemcomitans strains were used during preliminary studies. Then, two chosen species of Lactobacillus sp. were used to determine inhibition activity towards A. actinomycetemcomitans’s biofilm using biofilm inhibition assay of a 96-well plate. Data of three replicates were presented as mean ± SD (standard deviation). The comparison was performed using Student t-test Software with P-value 0.05) in inhibition activity between the exponential and stationary phase of L. johnsonii NBRC 13952 in both cells and supernatant.Conclusion: This finding suggests a dynamic effect of the probiotic Lactobacillus sp. as part of counteraction strategies against the periodontal pathogen biofilm. The differential effect of stationary and exponential phases might indicate different mechanisms or compounds that require further study.Keywords: Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans; Periodontal disease; Biofilm formation; Probiotic lactobacilli; Biofilm inhibitio
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Investigation of the effect of end season drought stress on morphological on Durum wheat genotypes
Get PDFBackground: Drought stress is one of the most important factors limiting the yield of crops, especially in semi-arid regions of the world. Therefore, studying and investigating plants resistant to these conditions can be useful for the agricultural industry and the country's economy.Methods: To evaluate this capacity overall performance grain durum wheat genotypes in drought conditions and overview a number of the developments related to yield, and a few decided on advanced genotypes, 10 genotypes of Durum wheat within side the 2017-2018 cropping year.Results: The evaluation of variance confirmed great variations among the developments evaluated in phrases of strain and there has been no tension. Also, amongst genotypes in phrases of height, important spike length, grain weight, and there has been a great distinction in yield. Performing evaluation Factor, via evaluation, most important four additives 82.67 percentage of overall running modifications have been justified.Conclusion: The consequences imply the significance of component coefficients traits of overall and fertile tillers, main spike length, 1000-seed weight, and yield decided on genotypes is suitable for dry conditions.Keywords: Drought; Stress; Durum wheat; Factor analysis Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note25 June 2025: While rerunning the Turnitin originality analysis, a similarity index of 82% was found for this article (37% from a single source). Editorial board of Advancements in Life Sciences has started the process of retracting this article due to the above post-publication findings. The process shall be concluded after registering responses from the authors. Meanwhile, full text of the article shall remain unavailable for citations (this notice has been updated following insights derived from relevant COPE cases and the industry standards). Show of cause notice has also been issued to the concerned editorial team member.Retraction Note23 July 2025: The Editor-in-Chief, upon the recommendation of the Inquiry Team, has retracted this article due to plagiarism. An internal audit revealed that several articles, including this one, exhibited a high similarity index without proper disclosure or attribution by the authors. This constitutes a breach of the journal’s editorial policy, and the article is therefore being retracted.The authors do not agree to this retraction.
Determination and Evaluation of Total Antioxidant Capacity of Oak (Quercus brantii), Thyme (Tymbra spicata), and Watermelon (Citrullus colocynthis) Native of Ilam
No full textBackground: Flock medicine has become a very important part of people's lives, however, it is not known by countries' rules in some cases. The usage of flock medicine has considerably increased in developed regions, as well, because of the effectiveness problems and the diverse side effects of artificial drugs. This research evaluated the antioxidant activities of Quercus brantii, Thymbra spicata, and Citrullus colocynthis native to Ilam province that nurtures within the west of Iran.Methods: The total antioxidant capacity of essential oils was measured via ELISA Reader at 570 nm.Results: The total antioxidant capacities of oak, thyme, and watermelon were 4.1, 2.35, and 0.46 (mmol Fe2+/L), respectively.Conclusion: The investigated traditional Iranian edible herbs are rich sources of natural antioxidant compounds. As a result, T. spicata and Q. brantii could be used in pharmaceutical and food industries as natural antioxidants and food products.Keywords: Quercus brantii; Thymbra spicata; Citrullus colocynthis; Antioxidant; Medicinal plant Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note24 June 2025: Similar usage sequence of commonly used scientific terms and phrases have been found as major sources of total verbatim similarity (29%). Therefore, it may not be considered as plagiarism. Hence, the Editorial Expression of Concern is revoked
Public COVID-19 vaccination acceptance: A narrative review of correlated factors
Get PDFFollowing the discovery of the first instances of COVID-19 in nations and the subsequent announcement of a “pandemic” by WHO, worldwide efforts to identify efficient methods to combat COVID-19 began. One of the most effective solutions is to carry out widespread vaccination against the virus. Despite this, some members of the community refuse to be vaccinated. The present paper reviews the potential causes and factors correlating with people's hesitation to receive COVID-19 vaccines. This article is a narrative review paper. We searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases using COVID-19, Vaccine, Acceptance, and Hesitancy keywords. Qualitative content analysis was performed and associated predictors with public vaccination acceptance were identified. According to the study, hesitation in receiving COVID-19 vaccines, regardless of the countries, is significant among females, lower ages, lower education level, doubt about efficacy, and concerns about the safety of the vaccines, history of not receiving vaccines, especially the influenza vaccine, distrust of regional or national health officials, low level of health literacy and lack of information, fear of side effects and other complications, doubt of pharmaceutical companies and fear of lobbying, presence of chronic underlying diseases and comorbidities, lower socioeconomic status and racial or religious minorities. According to the results, several factors can influence individuals' uncertainty about COVID-19 vaccines. Given the importance of vaccinating the majority of the community to achieve mass immunity, healthcare systems should consider the vaccine acceptance rate to be a vital and substantial factor.Keywords: COVID-19; Vaccination Refusal; Review
The effect of Syzygium aromaticum (clove) on inflammatory markers (total leukocyte count, differential leukocyte count and tumor necrosis factor-alpha)
Get PDFBackground: Inflammation is involved in pathogenesis of many diseases. Antiinflammatory chemicals can be used to treat such illness,especially if they are derived from plant sources as they will have fewer side effects. Objective:to find out the outcome of ethanolic extract of syzygium aromaticum flower buds on markers of inflammation in albino rats.Material and method: Antiinflammatory activity was investigated in albino rats using a experimental model of inflammation, the “formalin test” (injecting 5 % formalin into subplantar surface of right hind paw). Ninety rats were uniformly divided into three groups designates as control A,experimental B and refrence C. Intraperitoneal injection of normal saline, syzygium aromaticum flower bud extract and indomethacin was used. In these rats, foot edema was measured by Vernier caliper. Blood sampling was done through cardiac punture under anaesthesia to determine total and differential leukocyte counts and serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels. Results: The clove extract produced significant (p=0.00) decrease in inflammatory response initiated by 5% formalin. The extract significantly decreased (p=0.009) serum TNF-α. However, its effect on the total and differential leukocyte counts was non-significant (p˃0.05).Conclusion: The ethanolic extract of syzygium aromaticum possesses potent anti-inflammatory effects
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Impact of supplemental exogenous lysolecithin on performance, fat digestibility, and lipid metabolites responses in broilers
Get PDFBackground: The production and secretion of lipase and bile salt are restricted particularly in young chicks, resulting in a feeble metabolism of lipids as well as oils. Addition of exogenous lysolecithin in the poultry rations may be incorporated as better option to control such constraint.Methods: In total, 120 day-old Hubbard broiler chickens assigned at random to four nutritional treatments for period of 42d trial. The broiler’s rations (0-28d and 29-42d) were added with 0, 0.050, 0.075 and 0.10% exogenous emulsifier with1.0% soybean oil. The data relating performance, carcass traits, fat digestibility and blood fat profiles in chickens was obtained during experiment.Results: During days 1-21 and 1-42, chickens fed diets with high levels (0.075 or 0.100%) of emulsifier with soybean oil resulted significantly (p<0.05) better weight gain and feed: gain ratio than without emulsifier. The broilers on emulsifier diets fed substantially (p<0.05) less feed intake and considerable (p<0.05) decreased feed: gain ratio as compared to without emulsifier at 1-21d. The relative weight of the breast or leg meat yield, and liver significantly (p<0.05) increased in broilers given exogenous emulsifier rations. On day 21 and 42, the digestibility of fat in birds offered with emulsifier diets were substantially (p<0.05) increased than that of control group. Lipid profile was not influenced by exogenous emulsifier supplementation in broiler’s diet.Conclusion: This study envisaged that exogenous emulsifier supplementation (0.05 to 0.10%) in broiler’s diet improved the performance, meat yield and fat digestibility without affecting on cholesterol profile in broilers.Keywords: Exogenous Emulsifier; Broiler Performance; Digestibility; Carcass Trait Editorial Expression of Concern20 June 2025: Following publication of this paper, the internal audit (consequent to concerns on quality raised by Web of Science) notified Advancements in Life Sciences about suspected plagiarism. By this Editorial Expression of Concern, we alert the scientific community of the errors as we reconcile the records.Editorial Note25 June 2025: While rerunning the Turnitin originality analysis, a similarity index of 20% was found for this article (7% from a single source featuring data in table 1). Editorial board of Advancements in Life Sciences has started the process of retracting this article due to the above post-publication findings. The process shall be concluded after registering responses from the authors. Meanwhile, full text of the article shall remain unavailable for citations (this notice has been updated following insights derived from relevant COPE cases and the industry standards). Show of cause notice has also been issued to the concerned editorial team member.Retraction Note22 July 2025: The Editor-in-Chief, upon the recommendation of the Inquiry Team, has retracted this article due to plagiarism. An internal audit revealed that several articles, including this one, exhibited a high similarity index without proper disclosure or attribution by the authors. This constitutes a breach of the journal’s editorial policy, and the article is therefore being retracted.The authors have not responded to correspondence regarding this retraction