Effects of Foeniculum vulgare L. extract on anxiety-like behaviors in ovariectomized mice

Background and Aims: Anxiety is one of the symptoms of menopause, which is due to stopping of ovarian activity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Foeniculum vulgare L. extract on anxiety-like behaviors in ovariectomized mice.Methods: Eighty female mice weighing 25-30 g and aged 6-8 weeks were divided into 10 groups of eight each, controls: the group without ovariectomy given distilled water, positive controls: the ovariectomized group receiving 40 µg/kg of estradiol valerate, the groups without ovariectomy given F. vulgare extract by gavage at 200, 500, and 750 mg/kg, the ovariectomized group given distilled water, the ovariectomized groups given F. vulgare extract at 200, 500, and 750 mg/kg, and the ovariectomized group given diazepam at 1 mg/kg. Elevated plus maze (EPM) and open field were used to investigate anxiety in mice. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the brain and serum were also measured. Results: In ovariectomized mice, the number of entries to the closed arms of EPM was significantly increased compared with control group (P<0.05). Treatment of ovariectomized mice with 500 and 750 mg/kg of the extract significantly increased the number of entries to the open arms and significantly decreased the number of entries to the closed arms of EPM (P<0.05). The time spent in the center and the crossing squares in the open field significantly decreased in ovariectomized mice compared with control group and treatment with estradiol significantly increased them (P<0.05). In ovariectomized mice, serum and brain MDA levels significantly increased and their TAC significantly decreased compared with control group. Different doses of extract, estradiol and diazepam significantly reduced MDA levels and increased TAC in both brain and serum (P<0.05).Conclusion: vulgare extract may ameliorate the symptoms of anxiety in ovariectomized mice by reducing oxidative stress

Misleading of the diagnosis of Mycobacterium attributed lung diseases to malignancy due to smear, culture and PCR negative results: A lesson from a case report

The incidence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) attributed diseases are rising and they are responsible for an increasing proportion of mycobacterial diseases, worldwide. However, their diagnosis is still a big challenge. In this study, a 77-year-old diabetic woman with familial history of lung cancer and 40 pack/year smoking history was presented. She described significant weight loss, shortness of breath, yellow productive sputum, fever, and chills from 4 months ago. The empirical antibiotic therapy didn't cause a significant improvement in the patient's health condition. Also, the sputum smear, culture, and polymerase chain reaction-based (PCR) tests were negative for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Computed tomography scanning identified a consolidation at the right upper lobe which was susceptible to malignancy. Non-caseous granulomatous inflammation with the presence of acid-fast bacillus was detected in the biopsies. Therefore, the patient's sputum was reexamined. Although PCR was negative, both smear and culture became positive. PCR-based amplification of a 596 bp fragment of 16S rRNA gene of the isolated bacteria, followed by almost full 16S rRNA sequencing, identified the Mycobacterium fortuitum strain. No malignant cell was detected at pathology evaluations. Due to the increase of NTM attributed diseases which can exhibit negative PCR for MTB and low reliability of negative results of sputum smear and culture, multiple repetitions of the sputum evaluations and, utilizing from 16S rRNA sequencing is recommended to diagnose NTM related lung disease

A novel deletion variant in CLN3 with highly variable expressivity is responsible for juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses

Mutations in CLN3 (OMIM: 607042) are associated with juvenile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (JNCL)-a rare neurodegenerative disease with early retinal degeneration and progressive neurologic deterioration. The study aimed to determine the underlying genetic factors justifying the NCL phenotype in a large Iraqi consanguineous family. Four affected individuals with an initial diagnosis of NCL were recruited. By doing neuroimaging and also pertinent clinical examinations, e.g. fundus examination, due to heterogeneity of neurodevelopmental disorders, the proband was subjected to the paired-end whole-exome sequencing to identify underlying genetic factors. The candidate variant was also confirmed by Sanger sequencing. Various in silico predictions were used to show the pathogenicity of the variant. This study revealed a novel homozygous frameshift variant-NM_000086.2: c.1127del; p.(Leu376Argfs*15)-in the exon 14 of the CLN3 gene as the most likely disease-causing variant. Three out of 4 patients showed bilateral vision loss (< 7 years) and retinal degeneration with macular changes in both eyes. Electroencephalography demonstrated the loss of normal posterior alpha rhythm and also low amplitude multifocal slow waves. Brain magnetic resonance imaging of the patients with a high degree of deterioration showed mild cerebral and cerebellar cortical atrophy, mild ventriculomegaly, thinning of the corpus callosum and vermis, and non-specific periventricular white matter signal changes in the occipital area. The novel biallelic deletion variant of CLN3 was identified that most probably led to JNCL with variable expressivity of the phenotype. This study also expanded our understanding of the clinical and genetic spectrum of JNCL