Gastrointestinal cancers are among the most prevalent cancers in the general population. Despite effective early diagnostics and intervention, the gastrointestinal cancer-related mortality still remains elevated. Berberine (BBR) is a benzyl tetra isoquinoline alkaloid exracted from several plants. BBR is nontoxic to human normal cells, but suppresses the growth of different tumor cells: melanoma, epidermoid carcinoma, hepatoma, oral carcinoma, glioblastoma, prostatic carcinoma, and gastric carcinoma. In particular, BBR seems to suppress the proliferation of gastrointestinal cancers in a number of preclinical models. Several mechanisms of action have been hypothesized and demonstrated: immunomodulation, inhibition of topoisomerase enzymes, suppression of the EGF receptor, Her2/neu, and the VEGF receptor, induction of p53, Cip1/p21, Kip1/p27, Rb expression, induction of apoptosis (by regulation of MMPs pathway, caspases, Bax, and Smac/DIABLO), inhibition of arylamin N-acetyltransferase activity, and regulation of microRNAs expression. The aim of this review is to summarize the pharmacological effects of BBR on animal and human gastrointestinal cancers.

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Background Lack of sleep and on going sleep disorder can affect family health and interpersonal relationships. Objective The aim of study was to investigate the association between sleep quality and the probable determinants of quality of life among students of a public health faculty at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) in the 2015 academic year. Methods The data from a cross-sectional study of 275 students that randomly stratified sampling between different classes of college students of a public health faculty of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were used in this study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisted of modules on socio-demographic characteristics, the Petersburg Standardized Sleep Quality Questionnaire(PSQL) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). Data analysis was done with descriptive and logistic regression. All analyses were carried out using SPSS software V.19. Results A total of 275 students participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 22.1 ± 3.6 years. In the univariable model, students that were living in their own homes had the odds of 2.18 times more than the others to have a higher quality of life level [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-4.45]. Moreover, sleep disorder was negatively associated with the quality of life [odds ratio (OR) = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.12-0.46]. Conclusion These results will help university administrators and policy makers to identify factors associated with poor sleep and provide approaches to enhance sleep hygiene and relevant knowledge in university students. Living in a dormitoy while also suffering from sleep problems could significantly reduce the quality of life.

The study aimed to compare remifentanil, magnesium sulfate, and dexmedetomidine for intraoperative hypotension, bleeding volume, and recovery time in endoscopic sinus surgery and tympanomastoidectomy (TM). A double-blind clinical trial enrolled the patients undergoing endoscopic nasal sinus surgery and TM at Amirkabir Hospital (Arak, Iran), who were randomly assigned into three groups dexmedetomidine (DEX), remifentanil (REM), and magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) to which we intravenously administered 1 μg/kg DEX, an intravenous dose of 1 μg/kg REM, and 40 mg/kg of intravenous MgSO4, respectively. The blood loss, blood pressure (BP), heart ratio (HR), oxygen saturation (SaO2), and recovery time were recorded. Significant differences were found statistically in bleeding rates among all groups (P = 0.0001). The least amount of blood loss (very mild bleeding) was observed at 82.85% in the DEX group. BP and HR were lower in this group than those in the other groups. While recovery score was significantly different in the three groups (P = 0.007), the recovery time was the highest in the DEX group, while the least in the REM group. Based on the present results Dexmedetomidine seems to better prevent from bleeding than the others. Moreover, DEX can cause lower BP and HR in subjects with lower propofol administration, but the recovery time is longer. This study was registered by IRCT2017021114056N11 in Iranian Registry Clinical Center.