Histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study of secondary compressed spinal cord injury in a rat model

Introduction. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life-disrupting condition in which the first few days are the most critical. Secondary conditions remain the main causes of death for people with SCI. The response of different cell types to SCI and their role at different times in the progression of secondary degeneration are not well understood. The aim of this study was to study the histopathological changes of compressed spinal cord injury (CSCI) in a rat model. Material and methods. Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups. In group I, the rats were left without any surgical intervention (control). In group II, the rats were subjected to laminectomy without spinal cord compression (sham-operated). In group III, the rats were sacrificed one day after CSCI. In group IV, the rats were sacrificed seven days after CSCI. The light microscopy was employed to study the morphology using H&E, osmic acid staining and immunohistochemistry to detect glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The electron microscopy was applied for ultrastructure study. Results. Histopathological examination of the posterior funiculus of the white matter revealed minute hemorrhages and localized necrotic areas on day 1, which transformed to areas of cavitation and fibrinoid necrosis surrounded by a demarcating rim of numerous astrocytes by day 7. The mean percentage of area of GFAP expression increased significantly by day 7. Osmic acid staining revealed swollen nerve fibers after one day, while numerous fibers had been lost by day 7. An ultrastructure study revealed swollen redundant thinned myelin and myelin splitting, as well as degeneration of axoplasm on day 1. On day 7, layers of the myelin sheath were folded and wrinkled with partial or complete demyelination areas. The myelin lamellae were disorganized and loose. The G-ratio was significantly greater on day 1 than day 7 after CSCI. Conclusions. In the rat model of CSCI details of the progressive spinal cord injury can be analyzed by morphological methods and may be helpful in the identification of the onset and type of clinical intervention

Cellular Transplantation-Based Therapeutic Strategies for Spinal Cord Injuries: Preclinical and Clinical Updates

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a distressing neurological condition that causes loss of neural tissue, with subsequent damages to neural circuitry, and loss of sensorimotor function. The SCIs have an estimated incidence rate of ~80 cases per million populations. Till date, no ratified effective therapeutic strategy for SCIs exist; however, recent advancements in regenerative medicines to protect and regenerate damaged/lost neural tissues following SCIs have shown promising results in preclinical and clinical trials. Moreover, there is a greater need to fully understand underlying mechanisms following cellular transplantation that can be achieved through proper differentiation of desired cell type, and their in-vivo tracking of migration, proliferation and integration into the host system. Furthermore, techniques that can prevent teratomas formation following cellular transplantation have been reported. In addition to the ongoing comprehensive neuroregenerative and neuroprotective therapeutic strategies for SCIs, novel technologies are emerging including neuroscience-based computational and robotic rehabilitational therapies. These improved strategies in combination with cell-based therapeutic approaches are opening new avenues for future research to completely cure SCIs. Herein, we intended to review pathophysiological mechanisms following SCI, preclinical and clinical updates of cellular transplantation, the extent of success from these transplantations, associated controversies and other emerging technologies

Pengaruh Pemberdayaan Ibu dalam Perawatan Bayi melalui Pendekatan Modelling

Ibu merupakan faktor lingkungan yang utama dan dapat berperan terhadap tumbuh kembang bayi melalui pemberian ASI. Pemberian ASI sangat dianjurkan pada bayi sampai anak berusia 2 tahun. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengidentifikasi efektivitas pemberdayaan ibu dalam merawat bayi 0-6 bulan dengan memberikan pendidikan kesehatan dengan pendekatan modeling terhadap pengetahuan dan dukungan keluarga dengan status laktasi bayi. Penelitian ini menggunakan desain quasi eksperiment pre-post control group design. Analisis menggunakan uji wilcoxson dan uji Mann Whitney. Intervensi yang diberikan berupa pemberian pendidikan kesehatan dengan pendekatan modelling tentang manajemen laktasi dan stimulasi tumbuh kembang bayi. Sampel berjumlah 81 orang terdiri atas 41 orang kelompok perlakuan dan 40 orang kelompok kontrol. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pengetahuan ibu dari kelompok intervensi dan kontrol masing-masing menunjukkan terdapat perbedaan pengetahuan sebelum dan sesudah intervensi (p=0,000; p=0,001). Dukungan keluarga dari kelompok intervensi dan kontrol masing masing menunjukkan terdapat perbedaan pengetahuan sebelum dan sesudah intervensi (p=0,000; p=0,009). Status laktasi menunjukkan ada perbedaan yang signifikan (p=0,001) antara kelompok perlakuan dan kelompok kontrol. Kesimpulan dari penelitian bahwa efektivitas pemberdayaan ibu dalam merawat bayi menunjukkan terdapat perbedaan antara pengetahuan, dukungan keluarga dan status laktasi sebelum dan sesudah pemberian pendidikan kesehatan dengan pendekatan modelling

Distribusi Ukuran dan Tingkat Kematangan Gonad Ikan Julung-Julung Hemiramphus lutkei (Valenciennes, 1847) yang diperdagangkan di Kabupaten Manokwari Papua Barat

This study aims to determine the distribution of length to weight, sex ratio, gonad maturity level of julung fish (Hemiramphus lutkei) traded in Sanggeng and Borobudur Manokwari fish markets, West Papua. Research data collection was carried out for ± 1 month, namely February - March 2021, using a descriptive method. The number of fish samples collected was 542 fish. The results of the analysis of the size distribution of julung-julung fish during sampling for body length ranged from 219 – 355 mm for males and 215 -380 mm for females, with a body weight range of 27-53 grams for males and 30-65 grams. The sex ratio analysis of julung julung fish was obtained for males (321 fish) and females (221 fish) significantly different, which means this ratio deviated from the ideal value of 1:1. Based on the results of the analysis show that the value of X2 -count > X2 -table, then H0 is rejected, which means the sex ratio of male and female fish is not balanced from TKG I-VII for males and TKG II-VII for females and mostly found in TKG III conditions. The size of the male julung fish when the gonads first mature was estimated at a length of about 230-260 mm and the female at a size of 250-280 mm. The average Gonad Somatic Index (GSI) of female julung fish was 0.0876 and the standard error was 0.0061 with a GSI range of 0.0092 – 0.7574. The relation- ship between TKG and GSI shows that the increasing stage of fish gonad maturity will be followed by an increase in the value of the fish gonadal index

Natural Polysaccharides as Preventive and Therapeutic Horizon for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are a serious and widespread global public health burden amongst aging populations. The total estimated worldwide global cost of dementia was US$818 billion in 2015 and has been projected to rise to 2 trillion US$ by 2030. While advances have been made to understand different neurodegenerative disease mechanisms, effective therapeutic strategies do not generally exist. Several drugs have been proposed in the last two decades for the treatment of different types of neurodegenerative diseases, with little therapeutic benefit, and often with severe adverse and side effects. Thus, the search for novel drugs with higher efficacy and fewer drawbacks is an ongoing challenge in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. Several natural compounds including polysaccharides have demonstrated neuroprotective and even therapeutic effects. Natural polysaccharides are widely distributed in plants, animals, algae, bacterial and fungal species, and have received considerable attention for their wide-ranging bioactivity, including their antioxidant, anti-neuroinflammatory, anticholinesterase and anti-amyloidogenic effects. In this review, we summarize different mechanisms involved in neurodegenerative diseases and the neuroprotective effects of natural polysaccharides, highlighting their potential role in the prevention and therapy of neurodegenerative disease

FPGA Hardware Implementation of DOA Estimation Algorithm Employing LU Decomposition

In this paper, authors present their work on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware implementation of proposed direction of arrival estimation algorithms employing LU factorization. Both L and U matrices were considered in computing the angle estimates. Hardware implementation was done on a Virtex-5 FPGA and its experimental verification was performed using National Instruments PXI platform which provides hardware modules for data acquisition, RF down-conversion, digitization, etc. A uniform linear array consisting of four antenna elements was deployed at the receiver. LabVIEW FPGA modules with high throughput math functions were used for implementing the proposed algorithms. MATLAB simulations of the proposed algorithms were also performed to validate the efficacy of the proposed algorithms prior to hardware implementation of the same. Both MATLAB simulation and experimental verification establish the superiority of the proposed methods over existing methods reported in the literature, such as QR decomposition-based implementations. FPGA compilation results report low resource usage and faster computation time compared with the QR-based hardware implementation. Performance comparison in terms of estimation accuracy, percentage resource utilization, and processing time is also presented for different data and matrix sizes

Development of 3D-Bioprinted Colitis-Mimicking Model to Assess Epithelial Barrier Function Using Albumin Nano-Encapsulated Anti-Inflammatory Drugs.

Physiological barrier function is very difficult to replicate in vitro. This situation leads to poor prediction of candidate drugs in the drug development process due to the lack of preclinical modelling for intestinal function. By using 3D bioprinting, we generated a colitis-like condition model that can evaluate the barrier function of albumin nanoencapsulated anti-inflammatory drugs. Histological characterization demonstrated the manifestation of the disease in 3D-bioprinted Caco-2 and HT-29 constructs. A comparison of proliferation rates in 2D monolayer and 3D-bioprinted models was also carried out. This model is compatible with currently available preclinical assays and can be implemented as an effective tool for efficacy and toxicity prediction in drug development

Adolescent male with anorexia nervosa: a case report from Iraq

This is the first reported case of an adolescent male with anorexia nervosa in Iraq. This disorder is believed to be rare in males across cultures and uncommon for both genders in Arab countries. The patient met the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. He was hospitalized and received medical and psychiatric treatment at local facilities as discussed below and responded well to treatment