The Effect of Noise Pollution Exposure during Pregnancy on Long Term Potentiation Induction in Pyramidal Neurons of Hippocampus CA1 area in Male Rat Offsprings

Abstract: Background: It is believed that cognitive processing is easily disturbed by incompatible environmental stimulations. Many studies have shown that prenatal stress affects fetal brain development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of noise pollution exposure during conception period on neural activity of hippocampus CA1 area in male rat offspring. Methods: Four groups of rats including a control group with natural pregnancy and without any stress and three groups of pregnant rats exposed to daily noise stress (intensity >95 dB, between 8 A.M - 2 P.M) with durations of 1, 2 and 4 hour (s) in the last week of pregnancy were included in the study. Then, in male offsprings of these groups, fEPSP resulted from Schaffer collateral neurons of CA1 were recorded and evaluated in baseline state and after LTP induction with tetanic stimulation. Results: Our results showed that prenatal exposure to traffic noise pollution at 3rd gestational week, reduces amplitude (P<0.0001) and slope of baseline synaptic activity in hippocampus CA1 area (P<0.0001) and furthermore interferes in hippocampal LTP in comparison with control group. The serum level of corticostrone in the two stressed groups (2 and 4 hours) of rats in comparison to the control showed significant increase. But, prenatal exposure to 1- hour noise pollution caused no significant difference in serum corticostrone level. Conclusions: Based on the obtained results, daily exposure to noise pollution in the third trimester of pregnancy for 1, 2 and 4 hour (s), attenuates fEPSP features of hippocampus CA1 area pyramidal neurons of offsprings. Keywords: Noise pollution, Pregnancy, Long-term potentiation, Hippocampus, Offspring, Ra

Dairy consumption and cardiometabolic diseases: systematic review and updated meta-analyses of prospective cohort studies

Purpose of Review Dairy products contain both beneficial and harmful nutrients in relation to cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we provide the latest scientific evidence regarding the relationship between dairy products and cardiometabolic diseases by reviewing the literature and updating meta-analyses of observational studies. Recent Findings We updated our previous meta-analyses of cohort studies on type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke with nine studies and confirmed previous results. Total dairy and low-fat dairy (per 200 g/d) were inversely associated with a 3–4% lower risk of diabetes. Yogurt was non-linearly inversely associatedwith diabetes (RR = 0.86, 95%CI: 0.83–0.90 at 80 g/ d). Total dairy and milk were not associated with CHD (RR~1.0). An increment of 200 g of daily milk intake was associated with an 8% lower risk of stroke. Summary The latest scientific evidence confirmed neutral or beneficial associations between dairy products and risk of cardiometabolic diseases

The role of endogenous H2S formation in reversible remodeling of lung tissue during hibernation in the Syrian hamster

During hibernation, small mammals alternate between periods of metabolic suppression and low body temperature ('torpor') and periods of full metabolic recovery with euthermic temperatures ('arousal'). Previously, we demonstrated marked structural remodeling of the lung during torpor, which is rapidly reversed during arousal. We also found that cooling of hamster cells increased endogenous production of H2S through the enzyme cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS). H2S suppresses the immune response and increases deposition of collagen. Therefore, we examined inflammatory markers and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity in relation to CBS expression and H2S levels in lungs of euthermic and hibernating Syrian hamsters. Lung remodeling during torpor was confirmed by a strong increase in both collagenous and non-collagenous hydroxyproline content. The number of leukocytes in lung was unchanged in any phase of hibernation, while adhesion molecules VCAM-1 and ICAM-1, and the inflammatory marker NF-kappa B (P65) were modestly upregulated in torpor. Gelatinase activity was decreased in lungs from torpid animals, indicating inhibition of the Zn2+-dependent MMP-2 and MMP-9. Moreover, expression of CBS and tissue levels of H2S were increased in torpor. All changes normalized during arousal. Inhibition of gelatinase activity in torpor is likely caused by quenching of Zn2+ by the sulphide ion of H2S. In accord, inhibition of CBS normalized gelatinase activity in torpid animals. Conversely, NaHS decreased the gelatinase activity of euthermic animals, which was attenuated by excess Zn2+. Similar results were obtained on the activity of the Zn2+-dependent angiotensin converting enzyme. Our data indicate that increased production of H2S through CBS in hamster lungs during torpor contributes to remodeling by inhibition of gelatinase activity and possibly by suppression of the inflammatory response. Although administration of H2S is known to induce metabolic suppression in nonhibernating mammals ('suspended animation'), this is the first report implying endogenous H2S production in natural hibernation

A SPION-eicosane protective coating for water soluble capsules : evidence for on-demand drug release triggered by magnetic hyperthermia

An orally-administered system for targeted, on-demand drug delivery to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is highly desirable due to the high instances of diseases of that organ system and harsh mechanical and physical conditions any such system has to endure. To that end, we present an iron oxide nanoparticle/wax composite capsule coating using magnetic hyperthermia as a release trigger. The coating is synthesised using a simple dip-coating process from pharmaceutically approved materials using a gelatin drug capsule as a template. We show that the coating is impervious to chemical conditions within the GI tract and is completely melted within two minutes when exposed to an RF magnetic field under biologically-relevant conditions. The overall simplicity of action, durability and non-toxic and inexpensive nature of our system demonstrated herein are key for successful drug delivery systems

Teleintervention's effects on breastfeeding in low-income women in high income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many mothers in high-income countries (HIC) do not breastfeed to the World Health Organisation's recommendation of two years. This is particularly true for low-income women (LIW). They often face additional socio-structural barriers that encourage early discontinuation and are inadequately supported by current healthcare interventions. Teleinterventions are flexible and widely used following the global pandemic and increase maternal autonomy over intervention delivery. They show promise in improving other maternal conditions in LIW, including postpartum depression. Teleinterventions can increase breastfeeding rates in the wider maternal population, however their efficacy for this underserved population has not yet been systematically assessed. This meta-analysis aimed to identify if teleinterventions increase 'exclusive' or 'any' breastfeeding by LIW in HIC at 1-, 3-4, and 6-months postpartum. METHODS: We searched five online databases for randomised controlled trials assessing breastfeeding teleinterventions for LIW in HIC. Risk ratios (RR) were used to calculate the average effect of teleinterventions on 'any' and 'exclusive' breastfeeding at at 1-, 3-4, and 6-months postpartum using random effects meta-analysis. Study bias was assessed using the Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomised trials (RoB2), and outcome quality was evaluated against GRADE criteria. RESULTS: Nine studies met inclusion criteria: six providing telephone calls, two text messages and one an online support group. All the studies were conducted in the United States, with small sample sizes and a high risk of bias. Pooled results indicate teleinterventions modestly increase 'any' and 'exclusive' breastfeeding at all time points, with a statistically significant increase in 'exclusive' breastfeeding after 3-4 months (RR 1.12, 95% CI [1.00,1.25]). At 3-4 months teleinterventions providing peer support were more effective than educational teleinterventions at promoting any and exclusive breastfeeding. Evidence for all outcomes were rated 'low' or 'very low' quality using the GRADE tool, mainly due to high attrition and low power. CONCLUSIONS: Despite insufficient high-quality research into breastfeeding teleinterventions for LIW, our results suggest teleinterventions may improve exclusive and any breastfeeding. Given breastfeeding is particularly low in LIW population from HIC, our findings are promising and require further exploration by larger, methodologically sound trials in other HIC

An efficient spectral method for solving third-kind Volterra integral equations with non-smooth solutions

This paper is concerned with the numerical solution of the third kind Volterra integral equations with non-smooth solutions based on the recursive approach of the spectral Tau method. To this end, a new set of the fractional version of canonical basis polynomials (called FC-polynomials) is introduced. The approximate polynomial solution (called Tau-solution) is expressed in terms of FC-polynomials. The fractional structure of Tau-solution allows recovering the standard degree of accuracy of spectral methods even in the case of non-smooth solutions. The convergence analysis of the method is studied. The obtained numerical results show the accuracy and efficiency of the method compared to other existing methods

Developing Reliable Gradient Explanations for Artificial Intelligence: Addressing Consistency in Local Interpretability

Interpreting machine learning models remains challenging, particularly in high-stakes applications where trust and transparency are vital. We introduce Reliable Gradient Explanations (RGE), a method designed to enhance the stability and consistency of gradient-based feature importance explanations. RGE combines first-order gradient information with second-order Hessian elements to refine feature importance based on output curvature, reducing instability in traditional methods. Preliminary results indicate that RGE improves explanation accuracy and stability across different model architectures. Ongoing research aims to refine RGE, evaluate its performance on diverse datasets, and compare it with established interpretability techniques, ultimately promoting more transparent and reliable AI-driven decision

Prevalence of Cannabis Lifetime Use in Iranian High School and College Students: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analyses,and Meta-Regression

Cannabis is the most widely used substance in the world. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of cannabis lifetime use (CLU) in high school and college students of Iran and also to determine factors related to changes in prevalence. A systematic review of literature on cannabis use in Iran was conducted according to MOOSE guideline. Domestic scientific databases, PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar, relevant reference lists, and relevant journals were searched up to April, 2014. Prevalences were calculated using the variance stabilizing double arcsine transformation and confidence intervals (CIs) estimated using the Wilson method. Heterogeneity was assessed by Cochran's Q statistic and I-2 index and causes of heterogeneity were evaluated using meta-regression model. In electronic database search, 4,000 citations were retrieved, producing a total of 33 studies. CLU was reported with a random effects pooled prevalence of 4.0 (95 CI = 3.0 to 5.0). In subgroups of high school and college students, prevalences were 5.0 (95 CI = 3.0 to -7.0) and 2.0 (95 CI = 2.0 to -3.0), respectively. Meta-regression model indicated that prevalence is higher in college students (beta = 0.089, p < .001), male gender (beta = 0.017, p < .001), and is lower in studies with sampling versus census studies (beta = -0.096, p < .001). This study reported that prevalence of CLU in Iranian students are lower than industrialized countries. In addition, gender, level of education, and methods of sampling are highly associated with changes in the prevalence of CLU across provinces

Intravenous immunoglobulin for inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) plays a key role in treatment of inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathies such as Guillain–Barre syndrome (GBS). However, individual response to treatment can be unpredictable, and for those most severely affected, a second dose of IVIg (SIV) is commonly administered despite limited evidence for efficacy. In this month’s journal club, we review two studies which explore the efficacy of second dosing and a third study exploring neurophysiological factors predicting relapse in chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy