Turmeric is the general name forCurcuma Longa, an Indian spice belonging to the ginger family. Due to its various applications as a spice, coloring agent etc., turmeric has been used widely for the treatment of various illnesses such as arthritis, ulcers, jaundice, wounds, fever, trauma and skin diseases. The medicinal properties of turmeric are mainly due to presence of a component in the rhizome termed curcumin. The mechanisms by which curcumin exerts its anticancer effects are discussed in this paper. Curcumin has antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative, and proapoptotic effects. Especially, it has therapeutic applications against different cancers and could be used as a preventive agent. Curcumin induces anticancer activities by prevention of inflammation and proliferation of cancerous cells. Furthermore, it induces apoptosis and prevents metastasis.

Accurate and precise measurement of arsenic concentration in water is one of the challenges in areas with the natural potential to create this pollutant. The purpose of this study is to determine the inorganic arsenic concentration by colorimetric and naked eye detection methods. In this regard, the BF2-Curcumin reagent was synthesized and applied. In the first step, this reagent was optimized with consideration of four concentrations: 15, 20, 25 and 30 µM (in 60% ethanol). Then, the three parameters of detection time (1 to 15 min), arsenic concentration (5 to 10000 µg/L) and arsenic pH solution (3 to 10) were investigated in detecting processes. In the second part of the study, the solid phase of reagent was designed and synthesized. For simplicity the arsenic measurement, solid phase consisting of a paper sheet coated with BF2-Curcumin and nano silica was used. The synthesized materials were characterized by FESEM/EDX, XRD, FTIR, VSM, TEM and N2 sorption-desorption analysis. According to the results, during the arsenic detection process, the reagent color changed from orange to blue, and the absorbance intensity decreased at 509 nm, while increasing at 602 nm; 602 nm was selected for detection. The results indicated that the best BF2-Curcumin reagent concentration is 20 µM, with R2=0.97. Under optimum conditions (pH=8 and 3 min), the relationship between absorbance intensity at 602 nm wave length and arsenic ion concentration is between 0.06 and 130 µM, with 0.21 µM as the limit of detection. Investigating the effect of ions interference showed that the concentration (mg/L), cations, and anions that exist in water interfered with arsenic detection. The magnetic adsorbence of Fe3+-TMSPT-MNPs was used to transfer the target analyte and eliminate the interference. On the other hand, the optimum time to produce nano silica sheets was 4 hours. Moreover, there is a good correlation between absorbance intensities at 520 nm and arsenic ion concentration at the 0.06 to 100 µM limitation, with 1.94 µM as the limit of detection in the solid phase. Finally, real samples were collected from the Sirvan River branches in Kurdistan province; then, more than 90 percent were recovered by spiked sample method in the 60 to 80 µM concentration in the both phases. So, this reagent can be employed as a testing kit to detect arsenic in the field.

Background and purpose: Controlling inflammation is a major approach in periodontaltreatments, but scaling and root planing are not always effective enough. Curcumin is anti-inflammatoryand can adjust inflammatory reactions and its efficacy and immunity is proven. The present researchaimed at evaluating the potential of Curcumin BCM-95 in treatment of patients with chronic periodontitis. Materials and methods: In a double blind clinical trial, the clinical parameters including, Gingival Sulcus Bleeding Index (GSBI), Loe and Silness Gingival Index (GI), Probing Pocket Depth(PPD), and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) were recorded at the beginning of the study, at week 6, andmonth 4. In case group, patients with moderate chronic periodontitis who had no systemic disease with atleast one periodontal pocket with 4-6mm depth in each quadrant and bleeding on probing were chosen. After scaling and root planing, the patients took 2 Curcumin oral capsules per day for 4 weeks. Thepatients in the control group were given placebos. Results: The effect of time was found to be significant in PPD, GI, CAL, and GSBI. Moreover, significant differences were seen between PPD average measurements before medication, at first followup, and second follow-up (P<0. 05). But, in GI, GSBI, and CAL the group effect was not significant. Inother words, the reduction was seen in these parameters in both groups but they were not significant. Conclusion: The effect of Biocurcumax TM Curcumin (BCM-95) was significant in treatment ofmoderate chronic periodontitis in PPD between the two groups which reduced this parameter.

Background and Objectives: The frequency of multiple resistant bacterial infections, including carbapenems, is increasing worldwide. As the decrease in treatment options causes difficulties in treatment, interest in new antimicrobials is increasing. One of the promising natural ingredients is curcumin. It is known to be effective in bacteria such as Pseudomonas aerugi-nosa, Escherichia coli, Burkholderia pseudomallei through efflux pump inhibition, toxin inhibition and enzymes. However, because its bioavailability is poor, it seffectiveness occurs in combination with antibiotics. In the study, the interaction of meropenem and curcumin in carbapenemase producing strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae was tested. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, resistant to meropenem, were used in this study. From those 15 MBL, 6 KPC, 17 OXA-48 and 1 AmpC resistance pattern were detected by combination disk method. Meropenem and Curcumin MIC values were determined by liquid microdilution. Checkerboard liquid microdilution was used to deter-mine the synergy between meropenem and curcumin. Results: Synergistic effects were observed in 4 isolates producing MBL, 3 isolates producing KPC, 4 isolates producing OXA-48, and 1 isolates producing AmpC (totally 12 isolates) according to the calculated FICI. No antagonistic effects were observed in any isolates. Conclusion: Curcumin was thought to be an alternative antimicrobial in combination therapies that would positively con-tribute to the treatment of bacterial infection. The effectiveness of this combination should be confirmed by other in vitro and clinical studies.

Introdution: . Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a type of thyroid gland malignancy that originates from the anaplastic cells of this gland. This kind of malignancy is highly invasive and patients have a poor response to treatment. In this study, the effect of curcumin on apoptosis and p53 and PARP genes expression of the human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell line (SW-1736) examined. Curcumin is a major active ingredient in the rhizome of a Curcuma longa that has anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and pro-apoptosis effects. Methods: The experimental study was carried out in October, 2016 at the Cellular and Developmental Research Center of Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord Branch. SW-1736 cells with different concentrations of curcumin (2. 5, 5, 7. 5 and 10 μ M) to examine apoptosis and 2. 5, 5 and 10 μ M concentrations to examine the expression of genes P53 and PARP were incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Then, apoptosis was analyzed by flow-cytometry using an Annexin V-FITC/PI kit and the expression of p53 and PARP genes were analyzed by Real Time PCR. Results: The results of this study indicated that with increasing concentration of curcumin in dose and time dependent manner, induction of apoptosis in this cell line increased. Also, treatment with curcumin increased the expression of p53 and PARP genes in some experimental groups compared to the control group. (P=. 032) Conclusion: Curcumin has an inhibitory effect on the growth, proliferation and invasion of anaplastic thyroid cancer cells through induction of genes involved in apoptosis process. Therefore, it seems that there is a good research field for the use of Curcuma longa in the control and treatment of human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.