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Background and purpose: Intestinal bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics; but there are some reports on the effects of medicinal plants in digestive disorders. Today, medicinal herbs are more suggested due to increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics, people are more relying on the medicinal herbs. This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial effect of orange peel extract.

Materials and methods: After collecting orange peel samples, the methanol extract was provided using maceration method and the effect of this extract against the standard strains of bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica) was assessed using microdilution (well plates) in brain-heart infusion medium.

Results: In this study, all the standard strains of bacteria in wells were sensitive to the extract. Meanwhile, different minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were observed in various genera. The first group (Bacillus cereus) was the most sensitive due to receiving MIC=3.12 μl/ml of the extract. In the second group, Staphylococcus and Salmonella were expressed as they were administered administered MIC 6.25 μl/ml of the extract. The third group (Klebsiella and Pseudomonas) was listed as the most resistant group, which received MIC=12.5 μl/ml of the extract.

Conclusion: Research on the use of natural products, which are used in traditional medicine for gastrointestinal disorders, can be valuable in terms of antibacterial activity and adjustment of microbial flora. In this study, it was demonstrated that orange peel can inhibit the growth of many bacteria in-vitro.

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 Background and purpose: Sometimes, some symptoms do not respond to usual treatments, or are not justified by classical medicine. In such cases, Persian Medicine can be helpful to better understand and treat the diseases. Endogenous gases (wind or Rih) are among the causes that should be investigated. The purpose of this study was to introduce endogenous gases and etiology of their production in the body as one of the pathological causes of diseases (alongside compound dystempraments) in Persian medicine.
Materials and methods: A qualitative study (summative content analysis) based on authentic Persian Medicine books was carried out using library and electronic resources.
Results: The concept of wind is also found in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine, but in Persian medicine it is a gas-like substance produced in the body and its useful form facilitates physiologic processes such as defecation, erection, etc. The harmful type of wind is one of the main causes of up to 90 diseases, including certain kinds of headaches, dizziness, epilepsy, dyspnea, and pain in joints, kidneys, and bladder, etc. In this study, the definition, causes, types, symptoms, and signs of wind were explained.
Conclusion: According to Persian medicine and the concept of gasotransmitter in modern medicine, many diseases are caused by wind or gas. Therefore, all physicians should consider their role in diseases and use appropriate treatments.

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Background and purpose: Understanding of the risk factors for cardiovascular artery disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide, can lead to essential changes in its etiology, prevalence, and treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the results of logistic regression model and Classification and Regression Tree Analysis (CART) in determining the prognostic factors for coronary artery disease in people living in Mashhad, Iran.
Materials and methods: The present case-control study used the cohort data of Mashhad stroke and heart atherosclerotic disorder (MASHAD STUDY), 2009. The prognostic factors for coronary artery disease were determined by CART and Logistic regression models using R and Stata 14. Then, the efficiency of the models was compared by computing the area under the performance characteristic curve (AUC). All patients with coronary artery disease were considered as the case and for each case, three controls were selected.
Results: According to Logistic model, prognostic factors for coronary artery disease included age, history of myocardial infarction, diabetes, history of hyperlipidemia, and family history of heart disease (father and brother). The CART algorithm showed age, history of myocardial infarction, history of hypertension, depression, physical activity level, and body mass index as prognostic factors for coronary artery disease in people in Mashhad.
Conclusion: Myocardial infarction and age were common prognostic factors for coronary artery disease according to the models applied. According to the efficiency of logistics model, binary multiple logistic regression model is suggested to be used in identifying the factors affecting coronary artery disease, if there is no interaction between the predictors.

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Background and purpose: Serological diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis (S. stercoralis) is often challenging due to cross-reactivity with other parasitic nematodes. Therefore, it is imperative to introduce new high-performance serological tests to flawlessly diagnose this neglected parasitic infection that enters through the digestive system and can even affect infertility. The purpose of the present study was to design a multi-epitope structure for the detection of S. stercoralis.
Materials and methods: The present study is a computational immunoinformatics study. To this end, the highly antigenic parts and potential immunodominant epitopes of S. stercoralis were identified from the two antigenic proteins first and then all the selected parts were connected by a suitable linker. Next, the physicochemical characteristics of the designed structure were analyzed. Finally, tertiary structures were built and evaluated to determine the best ones.
Results: Bioinformatics evaluation indicated that the designed protein structure can be hydrophilic, heat stable and acidic. In addition, the 3D model made was similar to the structure of natural proteins.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, the designed structure can be used as an efficient antigen in the ELISA system for the serological diagnosis of human strongyloidiasis