Effect of Magnesium Administration on Passive Avoidance Memory and Formalin-Induced Nociception in Diabetic Rats

Purpose: To investigate the effect of oral consumption of magnesium on the memory and pain sensation of diabetic rats.Methods: A total of 48 rats were divided into four groups - untreated control, untreated diabetic, magnesium-treated control and magnesium-treated diabetic. Plasma magnesium and glucose concentrations were measured after induction of diabetes with streptozotocin (STZ; 60 mg/kg). Four weeks after the administration of oral magnesium (10 g/L, MgSO4), the animals were subjected to passive avoidance test whereby latency time (LT) was assessed. This was followed by formalin test which entailed the determination of licking and flinching scoresResults: Increased level of glucose and decreased concentration of magnesium in untreated diabetic group compared to untreated control group (p < 0.001) were observed. There was also a significant reduction in mean LT of untreated diabetic group (p < 0.001) as indicated by the increased number of animals that entered the dark compartment. Plasma glucose and magnesium levels in magnesium treated diabetic rats returned to normal 4 weeks after oral magnesium consumption. There was no significant change in mean total pain score despite elevated licking in diabetic animals after oral magnesium consumption. Significant elevation of flinching scores of untreated diabetic rats was observed in the last 20 min of the 2nd chronic phase, compared with the untreated control group.Conclusion: It seems that magnesium treatment either restores rat memory performance that is impaired by diabetes or that it affects the aversive responses evoked by electrical shock.Keywords: Diabetes, Magnesium, Glucose, Passive avoidance memory, Formalin test

Developing a smart and clean technology for bioremediation of antibiotic contamination in arable lands

This study presents a smart technological framework to efficiently remove azithromycin from natural soil resources using bioremediation techniques. The framework consists of several modules, each with different models such as Penicillium Simplicissimum (PS) bioactivity, soft computing models, statistical optimisation, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms, and Decision Tree (DT) control system based on Removal Percentage (RP). The first module involves designing experiments using a literature review and the Taguchi Orthogonal design method for cultural conditions. The RP is predicted as a function of cultural parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and three ML algorithms: Instance-Based K (IBK), KStar, and Locally Weighted Learning (LWL). The sensitivity analysis shows that pH is the most important factor among all parameters, including pH, Aeration Intensity (AI), Temperature, Microbial/Food (M/F) ratio, and Retention Time (RT), with a p-value of <0.0001. AI is the next most significant parameter, also with a p-value of <0.0001. The optimal biological conditions for removing azithromycin from soil resources are a temperature of 32 °C, pH of 5.5, M/F ratio of 1.59 mg/g, and AI of 8.59 m3/h. During the 100-day bioremediation process, RP was found to be an insignificant factor for more than 25 days, which simplifies the conditions. Among the ML algorithms, the IBK model provided the most accurate prediction of RT, with a correlation coefficient of over 95%

Enhancing community resilience in arid regions: A smart framework for flash flood risk assessment

This paper presents a novel framework for smart integrated risk management in arid regions. The framework combines flash flood modelling, statistical methods, artificial intelligence (AI), geographic evaluations, risk analysis, and decision-making modules to enhance community resilience. Flash flood is simulated by using Watershed Modelling System (WMS). Statistical methods are also used to trim outlier data from physical systems and climatic data. Furthermore, three AI methods, including Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Nearest Neighbours Classification (NNC), are used to predict and classify flash flood occurrences. Geographic Information System (GIS) is also utilised to assess potential risks in vulnerable regions, together with Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) methods. The decision-making module employs the Classic Delphi technique to classify the appropriate solutions for flood risk control. The methodology is demonstrated by its application to the real case study of the Khosf region in Iran, which suffers from both drought and severe floods simultaneously, exacerbated by recent climate changes. The results show high Coefficient of determination (R2) scores for the three AI methods, with SVM at 0.88, ANN at 0.79, and NNC at 0.89. FMEA results indicate that over 50% of scenarios are at high flood risk, while HAZOP indicates 30% of scenarios with the same risk rate. Additionally, peak flows of over 24 m3/s are considered flood occurrences that can cause financial damage in all scenarios and risk techniques of the case study. Finally, our research findings indicate a practical decision support system that is compatible with sustainable development concepts and can enhance community resilience in arid regions

Promyialges italicus sp. nov. (Astigmata: Epidermoptidae) with redescriptions of mites of the families Epidermoptidae and Cheyletidae (Prostigmata) associated with Pseudolynchia canariensis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from Iran and Italy

Pseudolynchia canariensis (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) is a parasite of pigeons but also a host for hyperparasitic mites living on the same avian hosts. Four species and subspecies of mites found on this louse fly, Myialges anchora, Promyialges italicus sp. nov., Promyialges lophortyx (Astigmata: Epidermoptidae), and Ornithocheyletia hallae hallae (Prostigmata: Cheyletidae), are described or redescribed. One new species of feather mites is described from Tuscany, Pisa, Italy, from Pseudolynchia canariensis (Mcquart, 1840) from Columba livia (Gmelin, 1789). This is the first report of the genera Myialges and Ornithocheyletia for the Iranian fauna, while the subspecies Ornithocheyletia hallae hallae represents a new report for Asia. Specimens of O. hallae from populations in Italy and in Iran differ morphologically. According to these findings, we recognized two subspecies, Ornithocheyletia hallae hallae and O. hallae simili

The first report of six tachinid flies from Iran (Diptera: Tachinidae)

During a faunal survey on the family Tachinidae in Fars province, six tachinid parasitoids belonging to the subfamilies Tachininae and Phasiinae were collected and identified. They are reported for the first time from Iran. The species are as follows: Linnaemya neavei Curran, Microcerophina planifacies Kugler, Phasia mesnili (Draber-Monko), Catharosia flavicornis (Zetterstedt), Leucostoma engeddense Kugler and Cylindromyia rufipes (Meigen)

Report of Ectophasia leucoptera (Dip.: Tachinidae) from Iran

One species of Tachinidae collected on Lepidium draba in Dasht-e Barm, Dasht-e Arjan, Fars Province in April 2006 were identified as Ectophasia leucoptera (Rondani, 1865). E. leucoptera is a rare species belonging to the subfamily Phasiinae and has been reported as a parasitoid of pentatomid bugs. This tachinid species, which is newly recorded from Iran, has previously been reported from Bulgaria, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Central Asia and Turkey

Pattern of contributing behaviors and their determinants among people living with HIV in Iran: A 30-year nationwide study

Introduction: A major shift in the routes of HIV transmission seams to be taking place in Iran. Our study aimed to investigate the 30-year trend of major HIV related behaviors in Iran. Methods: The national HIV/AIDS registry database (from September 1986 to July 2016 with data on 32,168 people newly diagnosed with HIV) was used to study the 30 years trend and demographic determinants of major HIV related behaviors. Results: The highest rate of drug injection (DI) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) was reported during 1996 to 1999 (p-for trend &lt; 0.001) while the highest rate of sexual activity by minorities or hard to reach groups was during 2004 to 2011 (p-for trend &lt; 0.001). Among males, drug injection was directly associated with being single (ORsingle/married = 1.34), being unemployed (ORunemployed/employed = 1.94) and having lower level of education (OR&lt;highschool/≥highschool = 2.21). Regarding females, drug injection was associated with being housewife (ORhousewife/employed = 1.35) and lower level of education (OR&lt;highschool/≥highschool = 1.85). In females, condomless sexual contact was more common among those younger (OR20−29/&lt;20 = 6.15), and married (ORmarried/single = 7.76). However, among males those being single (ORmarried/single = 0.82), being more educated (OR≥highschool/&lt;highschool = 1.24), and being unemployed (ORunemployed/employed = 1.53) reported more sexual activity by minoritised or hard to reach groups. Discussion: The pattern of major HIV related behaviors among Iranian males and females have been rapidly changing and people living with HIV (PLHIV) are being diagnosed at a younger age. Health education to younger individuals is an essential HIV controlling strategy among Iranian population. Implementation of surveys in hidden and hard-to-reach populations is also recommended. Copyright © 2023 Gheibi, Fararouei, Afrashteh, Akbari, Afsar Kazerooni and Shokoohi

Differential expression of HSP90β in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines after treatment with doxorubicin

Breast cancer is a complex, heterogeneous disease and one of the most common malignancies in women worldwide. The efficacy of chemotherapy as an important breast cancer treatment option has been severely limited because of the inherent or acquired resistance of cancer cells. The molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) upregulated in response to cellular stress is required for functions such as conformational maturation, activation and stability in more than 200 client proteins, mostly of the signaling type. In this study, the expression of HSP90 isoforms including HSP90α and HSP90β in breast cancer cell lines before and after treatment with doxorubicin (DOX) was assessed. Material and Methods: The cell cytotoxicity of DOX in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines was determined using the MTT assay. Immunofluorescence and western blotting techniques were used to determine the expression of HSP90β in the cell lines before and after DOX treatment. Immunofluorescence was also conducted to ascertain the expression of HSP90α. Results: The MTT assay results showed that the MDAMB- 231 cells (IC50=14.521 μM) were more sensitive than the MCF-7 cells (IC50=16.3315 μM) to DOX. The immunofluorescence results indicated that the expression of HSP90α in both cell lines decreased after exposure to DOX. The western blot and immunofluorescence analyses showed that HSP90β expression decreased in the MCF-7 cells but increased in the MDAMB- 231 cells after DOX treatment. Conclusion: The obtained results suggested that HSP90α and HSP90β expression levels were reduced in the MCF-7 cells after exposure to DOX. In the MDA-MB-231 cells, HSP90α expression was reduced while HSP90β was found to be overexpressed following DOX treatment. © 2019 Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute