Effect of berberine chloride on caspase-3 dependent apoptosis and antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus of the chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rat model

Objective(s): The main goal of the current research was to examine the effects of Berberine (BBR) on apoptotic signaling and hippocampal oxidative stress induced by common carotid artery occlusion. Materials and Methods: Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) model was created by occluding the two common carotid arteries (two-vessel occlusion 2VO) permanently. BBR (50 and 100 mg/kg/daily) was intra-gastrically administered to ischemic rats. Neuronal survival was evaluated by Nissl staining. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), along with the activities of caspase 3 were estimated in the hippocampus 2 month after treating the rats with 2VO. Results: According to findings of the present research, the BBR therapy inhibited the neurodegeneration of hippocampus. BBR also significantly decreased the amount of MDA and activity of caspase 3 in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the administration of BBR alleviated the lowered activities of SOD and CAT after 2VO surgery. Conclusion: The antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties of BBR might play important roles in improving functional outcomes and might have significant neuroprotective effects on the CCH damage. © 2019, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Effect of berberine chloride on caspase-3 dependent apoptosis and antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus of the chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rat model

Objective(s): The main goal of the current research was to examine the effects of Berberine (BBR) on apoptotic signaling and hippocampal oxidative stress induced by common carotid artery occlusion. Materials and Methods: Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) model was created by occluding the two common carotid arteries (two-vessel occlusion 2VO) permanently. BBR (50 and 100 mg/kg/daily) was intra-gastrically administered to ischemic rats. Neuronal survival was evaluated by Nissl staining. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), along with the activities of caspase 3 were estimated in the hippocampus 2 month after treating the rats with 2VO. Results: According to findings of the present research, the BBR therapy inhibited the neurodegeneration of hippocampus. BBR also significantly decreased the amount of MDA and activity of caspase 3 in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the administration of BBR alleviated the lowered activities of SOD and CAT after 2VO surgery. Conclusion: The antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties of BBR might play important roles in improving functional outcomes and might have significant neuroprotective effects on the CCH damage. © 2019, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Transcranial magnetic stimulation for OCD treatment

Introduction: The Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is a safe and noninvasive method for treatment of psychological disorders from two decade and is approved by FDA from 2008. Obsessive compulsive disorder is a psychological disorder characterized by repetitive, intrusive thoughts and compulsive behavior. Different methods have been proposed for treatment obsessive-compulsive disorder which one of them is TMS. In my study I treated seven patients with OCD disorder with TMS with constant medication. Methods: For six weeks seven patients who reffered to Sobhe Sadeg center treated with twenty sessions TMS and drugs. The psychiatrist confirmed them with using of the structured clinical interview (SCID) of DSM �V. The pretest, post Test measurement was the Yale- Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) score. Results: After transcranial magnetic stimulation with 1HZ frequency to the supplementary motor area (SMA) for six weeks we observed statistically significant reductions in the YBOCS score. Conclusion: The SMA area is a good point in TMS therapy for treatment of obsessive compulsive disorders with the other treatments. © 2020, Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved

Coping styles with psychological pressures in students of Iran university of medical sciences

The purpose of the current study was to assess different kinds of students' problems during academic year and their coping styles. In a descriptive�cross sectional study, a sum of 940 medical students filled demographic, psychological pressures, and coping styles questionnaires. Sum of 5 indicators via psychological pressures questionnaire, and cognitive, emotional, behavioral, problem-solving, and avoidance styles were assessed via coping styles questionnaire during the last year. Nearly 71.8 of sample was aged from 19 to 20. From whole of the sample 65.46, 95.29 and 49.45 were female, single, and being township respectively. The percentage of economic, educational, familial, individual, and social problems were 26, 25, 20, 17 and 12 respectively which were significant based on gender and marital Status (p0.05).Findings are congruent with previous studies; psychological disorders and copi ng styles of IUMS students are nearly compatible with other researches done in our country. © 2019, Advanced Scientific Research. All rights reserved

Estimation of Urban Suspended Particulate Air Pollution Concentration

A critical eye on the destructive impact of air pollution in Tehran is needed as the basis for urban planning, protection policy and management. This paper is focused on modeling in the GIS (Geospatial Information System) to estimate the concentration of particulate matter (PM) in any point of a typical part of Tehran which extends over 18.2 km2 and includes the so-called “Traffic Zone”. Many important general hospitals are located in this region, some of which are within the zone. The model is built on the data obtained in 42 stations located within the region. The results strongly indicate that the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 of any points inside the region, including the traffic zone, do not meet the required international standard values. The extracted estimate values for the 22 hospitals reveal that the concentration of PM10 for “Azadi Psychic”, “Children” and “Mustafa Khomeini” hospitals are the worst, estimating from the model to be 119.42 μg/m3, 107.09 μg/m3 and 101.14 μg/m3 respectively. The percent ratio of the mean concentrations of PM10/ PM2.5/ PM1.0 in this region is found to be approximately 7: 2: 1

Exploratory search in digital humanities: a study of visual keyword/result linking

While searching within digital humanities collections is an important aspect of digital humanities research, the search features provided are usually more suited to lookup search than exploratory search. This limits the ability of digital humanities scholars to undertake complex search tasks. Drawing upon recent studies on supporting exploratory search in academic digital libraries, we implemented two visual keyword/result linking approaches for searching within the Europeana collection; one that keeps the keywords linked to the search results and another that aggregates the keywords over the search result set. Using a controlled laboratory study, we assessed these approaches in comparison to the existing Europeana search mechanisms. We found that both visual keyword/result linking approaches were improvements over the baseline, with some differences between the new approaches that were dependent on the stage of the exploratory search process. This work illustrates the value of providing advanced search functionality within digital humanities collections to support exploratory search processes, and the need for further design and study of digital humanities search tools that support complex search task

Effect of Foliar Application of Humic Acid and Zinc Sulfate on Vegetative, Physiological, and Biochemical Characteristics of Physalis alkekengi L. Under Soilless Culture

Physalis alkekengi L. belonging to Solanaceae family has been widely used due to its medicinal properties. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of foliar application of humic acid and zinc sulfate fertilizers either separately or simultaneously on vegetative, physiological, biochemical characteristics, and alkaloid content of Physalis alkekengi L. This study was conducted under soilless culture (cocopeat: perlite 1:1) in a research greenhouse with a factorial approach based on a completely randomized design with 3 replications, each including three pots each pot containing one plant. Humic acid solution was applied at three levels (0, 1, and 2 g L−1) and zinc sulfate at three levels (0, 0.5, and 1 g L−1) as foliar application. The results showed that the concentrations of 0.5 and 1 g L−1 of zinc sulfate along with 2 g L−1 humic acid increased all parameters studied of Physalis alkekengi. The highest alkaloid content of root was obtained using 0.5-g L−1 zinc sulfate and 2-g L−1 humic acid simultaneously, while the highest amount of leaf alkaloids was obtained in the simultaneous treatment of 2-g L−−1 humic acid and 1-g L−1 zinc sulfate. Root alkaloid content had a positive and significant correlation with leaf alkaloid content, and foliar fertilization of Physalis plants with humic acid and zinc sulfate simultaneously had a significant effect on biochemical and physiological characteristics of plants. We hope that foliar application of humic acid and zinc sulfate can be considered as an efficient strategy to enhance nutrition and production of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants