Phytotherapy can be an alternative for the control of gastrointestinal parasites in human and animals. Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) is a medicinal plant which grown as a spice crop all over the world. The seeds of this plant have been used to treat parasitic disease, indigestion, diabetes, rheumatism and pain in the joints. This study was carried out to compare the efficacy of Niclosamid and alcoholic seed extract of C. sativum on Hymenolepis nana infection, in vivo and vitro. For in vivo study, Balb/c mice were used, to compare the efficacy of 50 mg/kg body weight (B.W) of Niclosamid with different doses of alcoholic extracts of C. sativum (250, 500, and 750 mg/kg B.W). It was found that the efficacy of Niclosamid had reached 100 % after 11 days post treatment, while the efficacy of 500 and 750 mg/kg B.W of C. sativum reached to 100 % after 15 days after treatment. For in vitro study, special nutrient broth media was used. It was found that the addition of 1000 mg/ml of Niclosamid had paralyzed and killed worms within 5 min, while C. sativum killed them within 30 min. Our results showed that extract of C. sativum has good effect against H. nana and could be use in traditional medicine for treatment of parasitic disease.

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common causes of latent infections in humans and animals. Although T. gondii infection is widely prevalent in the world, most acquired cases of the disease are asymptomatic. The important aspect of this parasitic infection is the probable danger of congenital transmission and its severe effects on the fetus. There have been many reports about the prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody among different groups of people in Iran; however the epidemiological data in mentally retarded patients are rare. The present study was conducted on 158 mentally retarded persons (94 males, 64 females) in the rehabilitation centers of Khoramabad from autumn 2012 to winter 2013. The overall prevalence of anti-T. gondii antibody was 30.4 % (48 cases). There were no significant difference between sex and toxoplasmosis (p > 0.05). However, there were no statistically significant difference between age and toxoplasmosis, nevertheless the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the patients less than 10-years-old had significantly the lowest rate. The highest infection rates were found in the two age groups of 10-19 and ≥30 years old. Our results showed that the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in the mentally retarded persons in the rehabilitation centers of Khorramabad was similar to the prevalence in pregnant women in this city. Therefore, the disease does not cause additional danger to this group of women.

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Background: Substance abuse is a chronic phenomenon that affects many physical, psychological, social, familial and economic elements. Objective: This study was conducted in order to investigate the effectiveness of gratitude on individual's well-being as well as the quality of life (QoL) of hospitalized substance abuse patients. Methods: The current study was clinical trial study. The research was conducted on 64 addicted patient which had been referred to the addiction rehabilitation center (Modarres hospital) of Isfahan city, that divided to two groups that each one included 32 patients.GQ-6, WHOQOL, and WHO-6 questionnaires used for estimate of gratitude, QoL, and well-being scores respectively. The SPSS 16 software was used for analyzing the collected data. Results: There is a relationship between gratitude, well-being, and QoL after the intervention in two groups of the study while there is no any significant difference between these variables before the intervention. Also, there were significant correlation between the gratitude, QoL, and well-being pre and post follow up of patients. Conclusion: It seems that gratitude improves and increased of QoL and psychological well-being during addiction treatment program.

SummaryMatrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) represent a large family of over twenty different secreted or membrane-bound endopeptidases, involved in many physiological (embryogenesis, precursor or stem cell mobilization, tissue remodeling during wound healing, etc.), as well as pathological (inflammation, tumor progression and metastasis in cancer, vascular pathology, etc.) conditions. For a long time, MMPs were considered only for the ability to degrade extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules (e.g., collagen, laminin, fibronectin) and to release hidden epitopes from the ECM. However, expressions of many MMPs have been associated with several pathological conditions. It has been established that the MMPs are conserved throughout the animal kingdom and studies of invertebrate have demonstrated that primarily they are involved in various developing functions in hydra, Drosophila, sea urchin and nematodes. The syntheses of these proteolytic enzymes and their release as excretory and secretory products have been reported in various parasitic nematodes. Host invasion and tissue migration of several nematodes have been linked to the expression and release of parasite-derived proteases. Studies with enzyme inhibitors suggest that the enzyme may be a metalloproteinase. Moreover, substrate impregnated zymographic analysis of extracts and excretory and secretory products of different nematode parasites have revealed the multiple enzyme activities of MMPs with various molecular weights. More research on MMP degradome in nematode parasites can provide valuable information for intense evaluation of pathogenesis caused by these parasites.