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In this study, it was aimed to investigate the synthesis, characterization and drug release behaviors of organo-hydrogels containing pH-sensitive Agar (A), Glycerol (G), Sweet Almond oil (Wu et al. in J Mol Struct 882:107–115, 2008). Organo-hydrogels, which contained Agar, Glycerol and different amounts of Sweet Almond oil, were synthesized via the free-radical polymerization reaction with emulsion technique using glutaraldehyde or methylene bis acrylamide crosslinkers. Then, the degree of swelling, bond structures, blood compatibility and antioxidant properties of the synthesized organo-hydrogels were examined. In addition, Organo-hydrogels which loaded with Ceftriaxone and Oxaliplatin were synthesized with the same polymerization reaction and release kinetics were investigated. In vitro release studies were performed at media similar pH to gastric fluid (pH 2.0), skin surface (pH 5.5), blood fluid (pH 7.4) and intestinal fluid (pH 8.0), at 37 °C. The effects on release of crosslinker type and sweet almond oil amount were investigated. Kinetic parameters were determined using release results and these results were applied to zero and first-order equations and Korsmeyer-Peppas and Higuchi equations. Diffusion exponential was calculated for drug diffusion of organo-hydrogels and values consistent with release results were found.

Water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions have high potential for several industrial areas as delivery systems of hydrophilic compounds. In general, they are less studied than oil-in-water (O/W) systems, namely in what concerns the so-called fluid systems, partly due to problems of instability. In this context, this work aimed to produce stable W/O emulsions from a natural oil, sweet almond oil, to be further tested as vehicles of natural hydrophilic extracts, here exemplified with an aqueous cinnamon extract. Firstly, a base W/O emulsion using a high-water content (40/60, v/v) was developed by testing different mixtures of emulsifiers, namely Tween 80 combined with Span 80 or Span 85 at different contents. Among the tested systems, the one using a 54/46 (v/v) Span 80/Tween 80 mixture, and subjected to 12 high-pressure homogenizer (HPH) cycles, revealed to be stable up to 6 months, being chosen for the subsequent functionalization tests with cinnamon extract (1.25–5%; w/v; water-basis). The presence of cinnamon extract leaded to changes in the microstructure as well as in the stability. The antimicrobial and antioxidant analysis were evidenced, and a sustained behavior compatible with an extract distribution within the two phases, oil and water, in particular for the higher extract concentration, was observed.

To promote the application of almond expellers, sweet almond expeller globulin (amandin) was extracted for the preparation of bioactive peptides. After dual enzymatic hydrolysis, Sephadex G-15 gel isolation, reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography purification and ESI-MS/MS analysis, two novel peptides Val-Asp-Leu-Val-Ala-Glu-Val-Pro-Arg-Gly-Leu (1164.45 Da) and Leu-Asp-Arg-Leu-Glu (644.77 Da) were identified in sweet almond expeller amandin hydrolysates. Leu-Asp-Arg-Leu-Glu (LDRLE) of excellent zinc-chelating capacity (24.73 mg/g) was selected for preparation of peptide-zinc chelate. Structural analysis revealed that zinc ions were mainly bonded to amino group and carboxyl group of LDRLE. Potential toxicity and some physicochemical properties of LDRLE and Val-Asp-Leu-Val-Ala-Glu-Val-Pro-Arg-Gly-Leu (VDLVAEVPRGL) were predicted in silico. The results demonstrated that both LDRLE and VDLVAEVPRGL were not toxic. Additionally, zinc solubility of LDRLE-zinc chelate was much higher than that of zinc sulphate and zinc gluconate at pH 6.0–10.0 and against gastrointestinal digestion at 37 °C (p < 0.05). However, incubation at 100 °C for 20–60 min significantly reduced zinc-solubility of LDRLE-zinc chelate. Moreover, the chelate showed higher zinc transport ability in vitro than zinc sulphate and zinc gluconate (p < 0.05). Therefore, peptides isolated from sweet almond expeller amandin have potential applications as ingredient of zinc supplements.

Olive leaf is a rich source of phenolic compounds that have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. However, easy degradation against environmental stresses, low bioavailability, and the bitter taste of phenolic compounds are the main limitations of its use. This research was done with the aim to encapsulate olive leaf polyphenols in electrospun nanofibers of almond gum/gelatin. For this purpose, after extraction, polyphenols were loaded in different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) in sweet almond gum/gelatin electrospun nanofibers. Characteristics of electrospun nanofibers of almond gum/gelatin/olive leaf polyphenol were determined by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Moreover, the rheological properties of the electrospun solutions were investigated. Results showed that the diameter of electrospun nanofibers increased with an increase in olive leaf polyphenol concentration. AFM results showed that the morphology of the nanofibers was rod‐shaped and without disorder. FTIR and XRD data indicated that the polyphenols were effectively loaded within the carriers, and interactions were occurring between gelatin and almond gum. TGA results showed that polyphenol degradation was done in the second step. The rheometric results showed that almond gum/gelatin/polyphenol solutions behaved like Newtonian fluids and the viscosity increased with the increase in polyphenol concentration. The release rate was high in the initial times and gradually decreased with the increase of the process time. This research showed that electrospun nanofibers of sweet almond gum and gelatin loaded with olive leaf polyphenol can be used in food and medicine. This research was done with the aim of encapsulating olive leaf polyphenol in electrospun nano fibers of almond gum/gelatin. For this purpose, after extraction, polyphenol was loaded in different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) in almond gum/gelatin electrospun nanofibers. This research showed that electrospun nanofibers of sweet almond gum and gelatin loaded with olive leaf polyphenol can be used in food and medicine.

PurposeThe aim was to prepare antibacterial microcapsules and transferred to denim and non-denim (canvas) trousers.Design/methodology/approachFor this purpose, lavender and sweet almond oil as active agents were encapsulated with ethylcellulose shell with a spray dryer method and carried out capsule optimization studies.FindingsThe particle diameter of the capsules ranged between 0.61 and 8.76 µm, SPAN value was 1.608 and the mean particle size was 4 µm. The mass yields of capsules ranged between 35.0 and 75.4 %w/w. Denim fabrics were treated with prepared capsules by exhaustion and spraying methods. It was seen that microcapsules provided a reduction of bacteria by over 97% against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and the fabrics still showed an antibacterial effect after five washing cycles.Originality/valueWhen application methods were compared, the spraying method was found to be more sustainable process than exhaustion and could be used as an alternative for reducing energy consumption and capsules could provide antibacterial properties to the fabrics.

Aim: The present study aimed to examine the effects of sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus) suspension (SAS) on the measurements of blood biochemical parameters in male albino mice, in which hyperlipidemia was induced experimentally. Materials and Methods: Seventy male albino mice were divided randomly into seven groups (10 mice/group). The first group was the untreated control group (negative control). The second group comprised hyperlipidemic mice that did not receive SAS treatment (positive control). The other five groups consisted of hyperlipidemic mice that were orally administered five different doses of SAS (285, 571, 857, 1128, and 1428 mg/kg body weight). Hyperlipidemia was induced in mice by adding 1% cholesterol to the diet along with 0.5% H2O2 to the drinking water, with ad libitum access to both food and water for 60 consecutive days. Prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, clotting time, and platelet count were measured. Serum lipid profile (total cholesterol [TC], triacylglycerol [TAG], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], very LDL-C [VLDL-C], and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C]) was also determined. Results: Prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and clotting time significantly increased only in groups treated with SAS, especially at the dosage of 1428 mg/kg compared with the positive control group. Blood platelet count significantly decreased in SAS-treated groups. The serum levels of TC, TAG, LDL-C, and VLDL-C in the SAS-treated groups (857, 1128, and 1428 mg/kg) significantly decreased, whereas the serum level of HDL-C significantly increased compared with that of the positive control group. Conclusion: SAS administered orally at 1428 mg/kg body weight was the dose that most significantly decreased platelet count and serum levels of TC, TAG, LDL-C, and VLDL-C and increased prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, and clotting time as well as serum level of HDL-C in experimentally induced hyperlipidemic mice.

Background: Insomnia is an important problem in medical sciences students and has implications for their educational progress. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of sleep disorders and investigating the impact of sweet almond on quality of sleep in students of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran who live in dormitories. Methods: This is a before-after study conducted in 2017. At first, using the ISI questionnaire prevalence of sleep disorders was determined. Sweet almond was the study intervention. Each day, 10 almonds were given to 446 students for 14 d. At the end of the second week, again ISI questionnaire was filled. SPSS was used to analyze data. The McNemar, Wilcoxson Signed Ranks, and Repeated Measures tests were used. Results: Out of 442 participants, 217 (49.1%) were female. Before intervention, 343 (77.6%) had insomnia and 99 (22.4%) had normal sleep. After intervention, 306 (69.2%) had insomnia and 136 (30.8%) had normal sleep. Having sweet almond for two weeks is associated with reducing insomnia (P<0.05). Investigating the almond impact in different categories also showed that it has a reducing impact on severe, mild, weak and normal sleep categories (P<0.05). Conclusion: Sweet almond has impacts on quality of sleep of those students of the TUMS that are living in dormitories. Intervention programs to improve quality of sleep are necessary and with regard to the high prevalence of insomnia, students must be protected, guided and consulted.

Striae Gravidarum is a physiological skin change that many females experience during pregnancy and causes stress and concerns about their beauty, self-esteem and other psychological problems, by irritation and even ulcers in the affected areas. Objectives : this study was performed to evaluate the effect of sesame, sweet almond, and sesame and sweet almond oil on prevention of striae (primary outcome) in primiparous females. Methods : this triple-blind randomized controlled clinical trial was done on 200 18 to 35-year-old primiparous females at five governmental health clinics affiliated to Arak University of Medical Sciences, Iran. The subjects were allocated to three intervention groups and one control group by four and eight block randomization and allocation ratio of 1:1:1:1. The strategy used for analyzing data was intention to treat analysis. The intervention groups and control group received 1cc sesame, 1cc sweet almond and sesame oil, 1cc sweet almond oil, and 1cc Placebo, respectively, two times (1 mL twice daily without massaging the abdomen) for 20 weeks. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis and binary logistic regression were used to analyze data. Results : striae at 35 to 38 weeks of pregnancy were observed in 59.2%, 16.7%, 14% and 82% of participants in sweet almond, sesame, sesame and sweet almond oil and control groups, respectively (P < 0.001). The occurrence risk of striae was significantly decreased in the sesame (adjusted OR = 0.04, CI = 0.01 to 0.13), sweet almond (0.27, 0.10 to 0.72), and sesame & sweet almond oil (adjusted OR= 0.03, CI = 0.01 to 0.10) groups, compared with the control group. Abdominal itching was significantly different (P < 0.001) among consumers of sweet almond (65.3 %), sesame (10.5%), sesame & sweet almond oil (44 %), and control group (78 %). Conclusions : the sesame oil, sweetalmondoilandtheir combination was effective in reducing the occurrence of abdominal steriae and its itching.

Introduction: Aluminum phosphide (ALP), as an effective pesticide and a substance used for protecting rice during storage, has become one of the commonest causes of poisoning and even suicide in developing countries including Iran and India. The authors aimed to study the efficacy of sweet almond oil as an antidote in ALP toxicity. Methods: The present experimental study was conducted over 35 rats. The animals were divided into four groups: one group as the control group and three other groups which received ALP alone or ALP and sweet almond oil with different time intervals. In addition to estimating the survival rate of the animals, plasma cholinesterase activity as a possible factor affected in ALP poisoning was evaluated. Results: Treatment by intragastric irrigation of sweet almond oil resulted in significant reduction of mortality. Moreover, mean plasma cholinesterase levels were inhibited in groups receiving ALP. Conclusion: Oral sweet almond oil, if especially used immediately after poisoning with ALP, improves the survival rate.

This work presents sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus \"dulcis\") seed oil (SASO) as a non-conventional feedstock for the preparation of biodiesel in Nigeria, rather than the traditional oils of palm, groundnut and palm kernel. SASO was extracted via the solvent method, pretreated to reduce the acid value, and transesterified using methanol (solvent) and sodium hydroxide (catalyst). The oil content and acid value of SASO were 51.45 plus or minus 3.92% and 1.07 mg KOH/g, respectively. The fatty acid composition of SASO reveals the predominance of oleic acid (69.7%), linoleic acid (18.2%) and palmitic acid (9.3%). Specific fuel properties of sweet almond oil methyl esters (SAOME) were determined using standard test methods and were found to satisfy both EN 14214 and ASTM D6751 biodiesel standards; the cold flow properties were particularly outstanding (cloud point; -3 degree C and pour point; -9 degree C). SASO appears to offer great promise as a potential feedstock for biodiesel production in Nigeria.