Augmentation of Extracellular Glutamate in the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and its Role During the Incubation of Cocaine Craving in Rats

Incubation of craving is the phenomenon in which craving intensifies over the course of abstinence. Although understanding craving may be key in understanding why relapse occurs, not much is known about craving, especially the underlying mechanisms that occur in the brain. Clinical and preclinical models have recently implicated the ventromedial prefrontal cortex as one of the key regions in this phenomenon. In order to further characterize this region’s role in incubation, a variety of behavioral, pharmacological, and molecular techniques are used to examine how withdrawal from long access cocaine self-administration directly affects the glutamatergic system. The series of experiments detailed in this dissertation aim to: (1) characterize extracellular glutamate fluctuations in the vmPFC during the incubation of cocaine-seeking, (2) characterize metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGlu) 2/3 changes during both short term and long term withdrawal, and (3) to determine the functional relevance of endogenous glutamate in the two subregions of the vmPFC. Taken together, these experiments suggest that although there seem to be no changes in mGlu2/3 at either point of withdrawal, glutamate in the prelimbic cortex of the vmPFC is functionally relevant in the incubation of cocaine seeking. Together, these results suggest pharmacotherapeutic strategies geared toward damping excitatory glutamate drive within corticofugal projections from the prelimbic cortex may be effective to prevent incubated cue-induced craving during protracted abstinence

Transvaginal sonographic evaluation at different menstrual cycle phases in diagnosis of uterine lesions

Masomeh Hajishaiha1, Mohammad Ghasemi-rad2, Nazila Karimpour1, Nikol Mladkova3, Farzaneh Boromand11Department of Gynecology, 2Student Research Committee (SRC), Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Islamic Republic of Iran; 3Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, London, UKPurpose: Intrauterine lesions (IULs) are a common finding in women of reproductive age, particularly infertile women. Transvaginal sonography (TVS) is a popular tool for IUL detection, but there are conflicting data with respect to its accuracy.Methods: Five hundred and six women were enrolled into the study. Of these, 496 underwent hysterosalpingography and subsequent TVS six different times during the course of their menstrual cycle. If a lesion was detected, it was further evaluated by sonohysterography (SHG) and hysteroscopy.Results: Of 496 women, 41 were shown to have IULs by TVS and those lesions were confirmed in 39 by SHG and hysteroscopy. All 39 lesions were detectable during the ovulatory and early luteal phase (days 16–19) of the menstrual cycle. Accuracy of TVS during different phases was largely dependent on the size of the lesion. TVS falsely detected two lesions and missed fine adhesions in two patients.Conclusion: Accuracy of TVS in detection of IULs is highly dependent on the menstrual cycle phase, with the ovulatory and early luteal phase being the optimal time for this examination.Keywords: menstrual cycle phase, space occupying lesions, transvaginal sonograph

Role of iron supplementation in promoting maternal and fetal outcome

Zahra Yekta1, Reza Pourali2, Nikol Mladkova3, Mohammad Ghasemi-rad4, Farzane Boromand5, Khosrow Hazrati Tappeh6 1Department of Community Medicine; 2Medical Demonstration Facility, Faculty of Medicine, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Islamic Republic of Iran; 3Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, London, United Kingdom; 4Student Research Committee; 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; 6Department of Mycology and Parasitology, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Islamic Republic of Iran Background: The data comparing daily versus intermittent iron supplementation during pregnancy remain controversial. This study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of daily versus two different intermittent iron supplementation regimes on hematologic markers and birth outcomes in nonanemic pregnant women. Methods: Two hundred and ten women with singleton pregnancies, no known disease, and hemoglobin levels >11.0 g/dL were randomly assigned to one of three groups, ie, Group A consuming two iron supplementation tablets once weekly (100 mg iron per week, n = 70), Group B consuming one tablet twice weekly (100 mg iron per week, n = 70) and Group C, consuming one tablet daily (50 mg iron per day, n = 70). No additional micronutrients were supplied. Hemoglobin and serum ferritin levels were measured at 20, 28, and 38 weeks. Pregnancy and birth outcomes (pregnancy termination, method of delivery, birth weight, stillbirth) were analyzed. Results: In total, 201 women completed the protocol. There was a significant difference in mean hemoglobin and ferritin levels in Group B at 38 weeks (P = 0.018 and P = 0.035, respectively) but this difference was not clinically significant (hemoglobin >12 g/dL, ferritin >19 µg/L). There was a significant increase in ferritin in Group C (P = 0.03) at 28 weeks. No significant difference was observed with respect to pregnancy or birth outcome across the groups. All regimens prevented the occurrence of hemoglobin <10.5 g/dL, but weekly supplementation was associated with development of a hemoglobin level <11.0 g/dL (risk ratio 0.044). Conclusion: Twice-weekly supplementation is as effective as daily supplementation, and may represent an acceptable compromise in iron supplementation regimens for nonanemic pregnant women. Keywords: iron supplementation, pregnancy, anemia, outcom

Evaluation of laser-glazed plasma-sprayed thermal barriercoatings under high temperature exposure to molten salts

Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) systems are frequently used in gas turbine engines to provide thermal insulation to the hot-section metallic components and also to protect them from oxidation, hot corrosion and erosion. Surface sealing treatments, namely laser-glazing, have been showing a high potential for extending in-service lifetimes of these systems by improving chemical and thermo-mechanical resistance. In this investigation, both as-sprayed and laser-glazed TBCs were exposed to hot corrosion in molten salts. The glazed coatings were obtained by scanning the surface of the plasma-sprayed coatings with either a CO2 or a Nd:YAG laser. The hot corrosion investigation was accomplished by subjecting the specimens to an isothermal air furnace testing under V2O5 and/or Na2SO4 at a temperature of 1000 °C for 100 h. Spallation has been observed in coatings in the as-sprayed condition under V2O5 or V2O5+Na2SO4. Na2SO4 itself had no or minimal effect on the degradation of the laser-glazed or as-sprayed condition coatings, respectively. The degradation in V2O5 was accomplished by destabilization of YSZ as a consequence of depletion of yttria from the solid solution to form YVO4 and therefore led to the disruptive transformation of the metastable tetragonal phase to the monoclinic phase. Moreover, the presence of both corrosive salts induced the formation of large high aspect ratio YVO4 crystals that introduced additional stresses and contributed to the degradation of the coatings. The laser-glazed specimens were not efficient in avoiding the molten salt penetration along the thickness direction due to the presence of cracks on the glazed layer. However due to a reduced specific surface area of the dense glazed layer, the corrosion reaction of the molten salts with the YSZ has been lower than in coatings in the assprayed condition.Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional(FEDER) - Programa Operacional "Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação" (POCTI).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Project POCTI/CTM/ 44590/2002

Book review: Dissent and revolution in a digital age: social media, blogging and activism in Egypt

"Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age: Social Media, Blogging and Activism in Egypt." David Faris. IB Tauris. March 2013. --- Dissent and Revolution in a Digital Age is essential reading for those interested in online activism, inasmuch as it provides a case study for Egypt as well as potentially for the rest of the world, writes Samaya Borom. This book tracks the rocky path taken by Egyptian bloggers operating in Mubarak s authoritarian regime to illustrate how the state monopoly on information was eroded, making space for dissent and digital activism

Book review: Afghanistan from the cold war through the war on terror by Barnett R. Rubin

Barnett R. Rubin’s Afghanistan From the Cold War through the War on Terror is an essential read for those interested not only in the socio-economic and political history of Afghanistan but also for those interested in the role that foreign powers can have on a state, writes Samaya Borom. Essays cover human rights, security, the narcotics trade, and post-conflict statebuilding