The Effect of Acupressure at GB-21 and SP-6 Acupoints on Anxiety Level and Maternal-Fetal Attachment in Primiparous Women: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Delivery is one of the most stressful events in women’s life. Excessive anxiety, in turn, increases delivery and pregnancy complications. Mother’s positive experience of delivery leads to more effective maternal-fetal attachment in the first few hours of birth. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare the effects of acupressure at two different acupoints on anxiety level and maternal-fetal attachment in primiparous women. Materials and Methods: In this study, 150 primiparous women were allocated to acupressure at GB-21 acupoint, acupressure at SP-6 acupoint, and control group. The women in their active phase of delivery were enrolled in the study and pressure was applied to the acupoints for 20 minutes. Mother’s anxiety level was assessed using Spielberger’s questionnaire before and one hour after the intervention. In addition, maternal-fetal attachment behaviors were evaluated using Avant’s questionnaire during the first breastfeeding. Then the data were introduced to the SPSS (v. 13) and were analyzed using t test and one way ANOVA. Results: The results revealed no significant difference among the three groups regarding the anxiety level before the intervention (P > 0.05). One hour after the intervention, this measure was significantly lower in the intervention groups in comparison to the control group (P 0.05). Moreover, maternal-fetal attachment was higher in the intervention groups in comparison with the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Acupressure at both acupoints reduced anxiety level and increased maternal-fetal attachment. This method can be easily used in the delivery room

Effect of Melissa officinalis Capsule on the Intensity of Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms in High School Girl Students

Background: Several studies are conducted on Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS). However, a few herbal surveys exist on the treatment of PMS in Iran. Due to the sedative effects of Melissa officinalis (M. officinalis), this question comes to mind that “can it be used in the treatment of PMS symptoms?” Objectives: The current study aimed to assess the effect of M. officinalis capsule on the intensity of PMS in high-school girls. Materials and Methods: A double-blind randomized, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 100 high school girls from 2013 to 2014. The intervention group (n = 50) received 1200 mg of M. officinalis essence daily from the first to the last day of their menstrual cycle for three consecutive cycles. The second group (n = 50) received the placebo. The premenstrual symptoms screening tool was used to assess the intensity of PMS symptoms in the two groups before and one, two, and three months after the intervention. The data were analyzed using paired t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results of repeated measures test revealed a significant reduction (P < 0.001) in PMS symptoms. Overall, the mean score of PMS intensity in the intervention group was 42.56 + 15.73 before the intervention and changed to 32.72 ± 13.24, 30.02 ± 12.08, and 13.90 ± 10.22 at the three consecutive months after the intervention, respectively (P = 0.001). Conclusions: M. officinalis capsules were effective in reduction of the PMS symptoms. Yet, application of this medication requires further investigations

Pegylation of Nanoliposomal Paclitaxel Enhances its Efficacy in Breast Cancer

Purpose: To encapsulate paclitaxel into nanoliposomes, followed by  pegylatation, in order to improve its therapeutic index and reduce side effects in breast cancer.Methods: In order to prepare nanoliposomal paclitaxel, varying ratios of phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and paclitaxel were mixed and the formulations pegylated with poly-ethylene glycol 2000 (PEG 2000) to  enhance stability, efficiency, as well as solubility. The mean diameter of nanoliposomal paclitaxel and pegylated nanoliposomal paclitaxel were measured by Zeta sizer device and release of paclitaxel from both  formulations was determined within 28 h by dialysis method. The  cytotoxicity of nanoliposomal and pegylated nanoliposomal paclitaxel was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.Results: The mean diameter of nanoliposomal paclitaxel and pegylated nanoliposomal paclitaxel was 421.4 and 369.1 nm, respectively, while encapsulation efficiency was 91.3 ± 5.7 and 95.2 ± 6.3 %, respectively. Paclitaxel released from both formulations in 28 h was 5.53 and 5.02 %, respectively. The cytotoxicity of pegylated nanoliposomal paclitaxel was significantly (p . 0.05) greater than that of nanoliposomal paclitaxel (their IC50 = 79.8±2.9 and 86.25±3.4 µg/ml, respectively).Conclusion: The release pattern and cytotoxicity of pegylated  nanoliposomal paclitaxel show that the formulation is superior to  nanoliposomal paclitaxel. Furthermore, the mean particle size of pegylatednanoliposome is smaller than that of the non-pegylated preparation.Keywords: Paclitaxel, Nanoliposome, Breast cancer, Pegylation, Drug delivery, Cytotoxicit

Global Dam‐Driven Changes to Riverine N:P:Si Ratios Delivered to the Coastal Ocean

River damming alters nutrient fluxes along the land-ocean aquatic continuum as a result of biogeochemical processes in reservoirs. Both the changes in riverine nutrient fluxes and nutrient ratios impact ecosystem functioning of receiving water bodies. We utilize spatially distributed mechanistic models of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and silicon (Si) cycling in reservoirs to quantify changes in nutrient stoichiometry of river discharge to coastal waters. The results demonstrate that the growing number of dams decouples the riverine fluxes of N, P, and Si. Worldwide, preferential removal of P over N in reservoirs increases N:P ratios delivered to the ocean, raising the potential for P limitation of coastal productivity. By midcentury, more than half of the rivers discharging to the coastal zone will experience a higher removal of reactive Si relative to reactive P and total N, in response to the rapid pace at which new hydroelectric dams are being built

Design and Evaluation Framework for Modular Hybrid Battery Energy Storage Systems in Full-Electric Marine Applications

In the context of the maritime transportation sector electrification, battery hybridization has been identified as a promising manner of meeting the critical requirements on energy and power density, as well as lifetime and safety. Today, multiple promising battery hybridization topologies have been identified, while there is not a level playing field enabling comparison between different topologies. This study bridges this gap directly by proposing a generic hybrid battery energy storage system (HBESS) design and evaluation framework in full-electric marine applications that accounts for the key design requirements in the system topology conceptualization phase. In doing so, generalized key component models, such as battery cell models, aging models, power converter models, and thermal models, are established. Additionally, given the selected key requirements in this study, the case study comparing one baseline monotype design and two HBESS topologies has shown the clear advantage of battery hybridization. Furthermore, we find that, depending on the topology selection and the specific load scenario being considered, power converter devices can also worsen the key performance indexes. Keywords: hybrid battery energy storage system; modular battery system; design and evaluation frameworkDesign and Evaluation Framework for Modular Hybrid Battery Energy Storage Systems in Full-Electric Marine ApplicationspublishedVersio

Improvement in the Production of L-Lysine by Overexpression of Aspartokinase (ASK) in C. glutamicum ATCC 21799

Purpose: To clone Corynebacterium glutamicum ATCC21799 aspartokinase gene (EC 2.7.2.4) using shuttle expression vector pEKEx2 in order to increase lysine production.Methods: C. glutamicum DNA was extracted and used for amplification of aspartokinase gene (ask) by cloning into an E. coli/C. glutamicum shuttle expression vector, pEKEx2. Initially, the recombinant vector transformed into E. coli DH5á and then into C. glutamicum.Results: Electrophoresis of recombinant protein by SDS-PAGE showed that the molecular weight of the recombinant protein was 42 KD. The induction of recombinant vector by IPTG had an inhibitory effect on cell growth due to over-expression of the cloned gene. The results of lysine assay by Chinard method showed that lysine production increased about two-fold, compared with the parent strain, as a result of increased copy numbers of lysC gene in recombinant strain.Conclusion: A two-fold increase in lysine production was observed by cloning of the ASK gene in C. glutamicum rather than in E. coli, due to the presence of lysine exporter channel which facilitates lysine extraction.Keywords: LysC gene, Corynebacterium glutamicum, L- lysine, Cloning, Aspartokinase, E. col

Increased risk of pre-eclampsia (PE) among women with the history of migraine

The Objective of this study was to assess possible association of history of migraine with pre-eclampsia (PE). This was a retrospective study to compare history of migraine in 90 women affected by PE with 90 women without PE as the control group. They recruited by a nonrandomized consecutive sampling method. Data were collected by a questionnaire including demographic, medical, obstetrics, and migraine assessment sections. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Results showed an increased risk of PE in women with history of migraine (odds ratio: 2.87; p < 0.05). Result demonstrated that migraine history in the case group is 144 and in control group is 56. Gestational age (GA) at delivery and weight of neonate (WN) were significantly lower compared to control (GA: 37.3 ± 2.6 vs. 38.7± 1.3 weeks T test; P < 0.01) (WN: 2930 ± 690 vs. 3330 ± 420; T test; P < 0.0). Cesarean section was more frequent in the PE group compared to the control group 37 (42) vs. 14 (15.6); chi square; p < 0.01. The association of migraine with PE is the result of some similar mechanism leading to endothelial dysfunction. Frequent reports of an association between migraine and PE in different populations suggest a history of migraine as a risk factor for PEgestational hypertension (GH). Copyright © Informa UK Ltd

Cisplatin Induces Up-Regulation of KAI1, a Metastasis Suppressor Gene, in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Line

Purpose: To investigate the effect of cisplatin on cell toxicity and metastasis through modulation of KAI1 gene expression.Methods: MCF-7cells were incubated with different concentrations of cisplatin for 24 h. RNA was extracted by trizol and cDNA synthesized. KAI1 and TBP were chosen as target and internal control genes, respectively. Specific primers were designed by primer express software, v.3.0. KAI1/TBP and gene expression ratio was calculated using the formula, 2 -&#916;&#916;Ct.Results: Cisplatin exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the viability of highly metastatic MCF-7 cells. KAI1/TBP gene expression ratios were 1.97 &#177; 0.19 (p &lt; 0.05), 2.96 &#177; 0.55 (p &lt; 0.05), 9.06 &#177; 0.27 (p &lt; 0.001) and 12.38 &#177; 0.88 (p &lt; 0.01) in 10, 20, 50 and 100 &#956;M concentrations of cisplatin. Conclusion: These findings indicate that cisplatin can inhibit metastasis by up-regulating KAI1 gene in MCF-7cells.Keywords: Cisplatin; KAI1; Metastasis; Breast Cancer; Real-time PCR

The Effects of Vitamin E on Liver and Kidney Damage Induced by Dianabol in Small Laboratory Mice

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Anabolic steroids, especially dianabol, are used by athletes as a performance-enhancing drugs that damage the liver and cause structural changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin E on liver and kidney toxicity caused by dianabol. METHODS: In this experimental study, 72 adult male mice were randomly divided into 8 groups of 9. Four groups of mice received 100 IU / kg vitamin E orally for 42 days through gavage. Three groups of the above groups received 5, 10 and 20 mg / kg oral dianabol four hours after receiving vitamin E, respectively. The control group and the groups receiving only 5, 10 and 20 mg / kg oral dianabol were also considered. 24 hours after the final treatment, serum samples were collected for biochemical evaluations and tissue samples were collected for histological, histomorphometric and histochemical evaluations. FINDINGS: The results showed that dianabol significantly increased the level of AST (158.52±9.76), ALT (113.70±11.02), and ALP (141.30±5.94), and significantly decreased albumin (1.04±0.47) compared to the control group (72.61±7.54, 41.47±7.03, 112.80±4.30, 3.14±0.25, respectively) (p<0.05). Administration of vitamin E significantly increased the level of AST (110.56±9.86), ALT (80.19±4.02) and ALP (120.52±4.94) and improved albumin (2.1±0.28) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that vitamin E can reduce the oxidative damage caused by dianabol in the liver and kidney of the mouse

The deleted in brachydactyly B domain of ROR2 is required for receptor activation by recruitment of Src

The transmembrane receptor 'ROR2' resembles members of the receptor tyrosine kinase family of signalling receptors in sequence but its' signal transduction mechanisms remain enigmatic. This problem has particular importance because mutations in ROR2 are associated with two human skeletal dysmorphology syndromes, recessive Robinow Syndrome (RS) and dominant acting Brachydactyly type B (BDB). Here we show, using a constitutive dimerisation approach, that ROR2 exhibits dimerisation-induced tyrosine kinase activity and the ROR2 C-terminal domain, which is deleted in BDB, is required for recruitment and activation of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Src. Native ROR2 phosphorylation is induced by the ligand Wnt5a and is blocked by pharmacological inhibition of Src kinase activity. Eight sites of Src-mediated ROR2 phosphorylation have been identified by mass spectrometry. Activation via tyrosine phosphorylation of ROR2 receptor leads to its internalisation into Rab5 positive endosomes. These findings show that BDB mutant receptors are defective in kinase activation as a result of failure to recruit Src