Effect of Rheum Ribes Hydro-Alcoholic Extract on Memory Impairments in Rat Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Some animal models have been used to study Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is an irreversible progressive neurodegenerative disease and the most common cause of dementia. Animal studies have shown that there is a relation between decrease in cholinergic functions in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) and loss of learning capability and memory. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Rheum ribes extract (RR) on memory deficit in one of the rat models of AD. Plant (1500gr) was collected from Saman (kahkesh) region of Chaharmahal Va Bakhtiari province in Iran. RR hydro-alcoholic extracts were prepared using maceration method. Rat model of Alzheimer was induced by Nucleus Basalis of Meynert lesions (NBML). Animals (n = 32) received extracts for 20 days and then passive avoidance and Morris water maze tasks were performed for memory evaluation. FRAP and HPLC methods were used for measurement of the antioxidant and Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in blood. In water maze experiment, probe trial results showed that NBML group spent significantly less time in target quadrant, in which the platform was located on the preceding day. In addition, the time spent in target quadrant was significantly increased in NBML + RR groups (250 and 500 mg/kg) compared to the NBML group. In passive avoidance task, mean initial latency time and step-though latency were significantly decreased in NBML group. RR extracts significantly prolonged step-through latency in NBML + RR groups. Results of this study suggest that Rheum ribes extracts can improve memory deficits induced by bilateral NBM lesions in rats

Social Support among the Elderly Living in Shahroud, Iran

Background: Social support is one of the key aspects of social health among the elderly, significantly affecting other aspects of health. This study attempted to explore the extent to which the elderly benefit from social support and the contributing factors among the elderly living in Shahroud, northeastern Iran.Methods: During 2015-2016,a total of 496 elderly residents of Shahroud were selected through randomcluster sampling method. Data were collected by a questionnaire for capturing demographic variables (age, sex, marital status, educational level, number of children and grandchildren, economic status, health status, diseases) and Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS). The data were analyzed through independent t-test, simple and multiple linear regressions, and ANOVA.Results:Of the 496 elderly participants in the study, 273 (55.3%) were female with a mean age of 67.9±7.84 years old. The mean score of social support achieved by the elderly was 9.0, ranging from 8.19-9.81 at the confidence interval of 95%. There was no significant relationship between age and social support (p=0.9). However, there was a significant relationship between social support and marital status. The difference in the average score of social support in married elderly was significantly less than that of single, widow(er), and divorced elderly (p<0.001).Conclusion: The elderly in Shahroud were poorly covered by social support. In order to improve this situation, it is crucial to devise appropriate plans on family to population scale.

Social Support among the Elderly Living in Shahroud, Iran

Background: Social support is one of the key aspects of social health among the elderly, significantly affecting other aspects of health. This study attempted to explore the extent to which the elderly benefit from social support and the contributing factors among the elderly living in Shahroud, northeastern Iran.Methods: During 2015-2016,a total of 496 elderly residents of Shahroud were selected through randomcluster sampling method. Data were collected by a questionnaire for capturing demographic variables (age, sex, marital status, educational level, number of children and grandchildren, economic status, health status, diseases) and Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS). The data were analyzed through independent t-test, simple and multiple linear regressions, and ANOVA.Results:Of the 496 elderly participants in the study, 273 (55.3%) were female with a mean age of 67.9±7.84 years old. The mean score of social support achieved by the elderly was 9.0, ranging from 8.19-9.81 at the confidence interval of 95%. There was no significant relationship between age and social support (p=0.9). However, there was a significant relationship between social support and marital status. The difference in the average score of social support in married elderly was significantly less than that of single, widow(er), and divorced elderly (p<0.001).Conclusion: The elderly in Shahroud were poorly covered by social support. In order to improve this situation, it is crucial to devise appropriate plans on family to population scale.

Effects of Coenzyme Q10 Level on Clinical Parameters in Cystic Fibrosis Patients

Background: Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a hereditary autosomal recessive genetic disorder that can affect many organs including the lungs and the digestive system. We aimed to assess the effects of coenzyme Q10 level on clinical parameters in cystic fibrosis patients. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 40 patients (13 females and 19 males) with cystic fibrosis who were admitted in Masih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran- Iran, in 2017. A researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among them, and then the height, weight and arm circumference of the patients were measured and also their serum Q10 levels were evaluated. Then, the pulmonary function was evaluated using a 6-minute respiration test and a spirometry test. Finally, their total scores were calculated based on Shwachman score. Results: The age range of participants was from 6 to 27 years old. Anthropometric indices such as weight (p=0.02, r=-0.408), age (p=0.016, r=-0.422), height (p=0.002, r=-0.520), birth weight (p=0.0113, R=-0.286), and height at birth (p=0.037, r=-0.37) had a significant negative relationship with coenzyme Q10. There was relationship between anthropometric indices and spirometry tests, including the association of FEV1 (act) with weight (p=0.00), and arm circumference (p=0.00) which were determined. Conclusion: According to the results, there was no direct relationship between muscle mass and Q10. Besides, the mean age of Q10 was greater than that of in age group of 9-16 years old, which can be considered for nutrition or childhood reserves for coenzyme Q10 production, which is decreased due to increasing age and lack of intake or loss of body power for the production of coenzyme Q10

Assessing the Effectiveness of Holistic Multidimensional Treatment Model (Hojjati Model) on Receptive and Expressive Language Skills in Autistic Children

Background: Autism as part of the category called Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is caused by disorders in brain and nervous network and characterized by defect in social behavior, language and cognition. This study aimed to investigate receptive and expressive language performance and the severity of the disorder in 30 children with autism aged 2-8 years who speak in Persian language. Materials and Methods In this cross-sectional study 30 children with autism were selected using random sampling method. The study tools included "The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)", and "Newsha Developmental Scale (NDS)" for assessing the receptive - expressive language skills. In order to assess the level of language impairment in subjects, the participants were divided into 5 groups with 6 people (considering the speaking ability including sign language and speech), with equal number of boys and girls (3 girls and 3 boys) in each group. All of these children were evaluated by pediatric psychiatry, pediatric neurologist and pediatrician and were assessed according to the criteria for autism based on the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Eventually, the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS version 16.0 software. Results The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean (standard deviation) and scores of receptive – expressive language skills in autistic subjects in each of the groups (

Evaluate the Ability of Autistic Children to Use Expressive Language and Receptive Language

Introduction: In early typical language development, children understand words before they are able to use them in speech. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) generally show impairments in both the comprehension and the production of language. However, the relative degree of delay or impairment in each of these sub-domains may also be atypical and remains less well-understood. Materials and Methods: This study was a causal-comparative that including 30 children ( 15 girls and 15 boys) with ASD,   who elected by random sampling. Data analysis was done using SPSS-16 and T-student test. Results: Results of t- tests showed significant differences between the two groups, autistic and normal children in the expressive language skill, cognitive and received language skill (

Effect of 8-week Aerobic Exercise Program on Nutritional Disorders and Body Composition in Non-athlete Female Students of University of Medical Sciences Gilan, Iran

Background and Objectives: In this study, the effect of 8-week aerobic exercise program was investigated on nutritional disorders and selected physical factors in non-athlete female students of Gilan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This quasi-experimental research was conducted as pretest-posttest method on 263 non-athlete female students of Gilan University of Medical Sciences, of whom 21 subjects with a score equal to or greater than 20 on eating attitudes questionnaire-26, were simply randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=11) and control (n=10). The experimental group exercised for 8 weeks and 2 times per week at the intensity of 60-75% of maximum heart rate, while the control group received no intervention. In both control and experimental groups, height, weight, subcutaneous fat, waist circumference, and hip circumference, were measured using standard tools before and after the training period. Data were analyzed using Kolmogorov&ndash;Smirnov and independent t- tests. The significance level was considered p<0.05. Results: In this study, aerobic exercise program had a significant effect on nutritional disorder variables, BMI, WHR, and fat percentage (p0.05). A significant difference was observed between control and experimental groups in terms of nutritional disorder variables, BMI, and fat percentage (p0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise could be used as an effective therapeutic strategy to reduce nutritional disorders and improve body composition in individuals with nutritional disorders

Investigation on the Effectiveness of Holistic Multi-dimensional Treatment Model (HMTM) in Improvement of CARS Test Indicators in Children suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction The goal of research is investigation on the effectiveness of Holistic Multi-dimensional Treatment Model (HMTM) in improvement of CARS test indicators in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and it is done without pharmaceutical interventions, without names and accompanied by parental satisfaction questionnaire. Materials and Methods In this study with purposeful sampling method, 60 autistic children chosen randomly among 6-10 year-old patients were taken under a 12-month observation. At the beginning of this research they were taken the CARS pre-test and then in each month a complete behavioral HMTM checklist and a CARS test was taken. Observing HMTM treatment model, includes intuitive checklist with the aim of intuitive adjustment, abnormal behaviors’ checklist with the aim of decreasing them, individual behaviors’ checklist with the aim of increasing them and emotional interactive behaviors checklist with the aim of improvement that are conducted in statistical tables. Results Results shown a positive impact of HMTM in treatment trend of autism spectrum disorder considering sum of CARS points, also the effect on each CARS test parameters and CARS parameters improvements are meaningful holistic approach in HMTM method has interpreted some vague CARS parameters furthermore (

Biodiversity and soil properties in Pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) plantations (Case study: Alandan Forest,Sari)

The significance of biodiversity maintenance in sustainable forest management has been indicated at many scientific studies. The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of Pine (Pinus nigra Arnold.) and Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) plantations on diversity of herbaceous vegetation cover and soil properties in Alandan site of Sari Forest area of the Iranian Caspian Forests. herbaceous vegetation cover percentage and natural regeneration number of woody species were measured, using six plots (20×20 m.) at each stand, which have been selected by random systemic statistical method. Soil sampling was made at center of each plot up to 30 cm depth at 10 cm intervals, using coring method (8 cm diameter). Soil tested propertirs consisted of: C, N, pH, EC, particle density and bulk density. Biodiversity indices (Shannon, Simpson), richness indices (Menhinick, Margalef) and uniformity indices (Equitability, Evenness) were estimated, using PAST software. The results showed that the biodiversity richness and evenness indices for herbaceous species cover and woody species regeneration at pine stand were greater than at the ash stand (

The Ratio of Second to Fourth Digit Length (2D:4D) in Children with Autistic Disorder

Introduction Emerging hypotheses suggest a causal role for prenatal androgen exposure in some cases of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The ratios of the lengths of the bones of the 2nd to the 4th digits (2D:4D) are purported to be markers for prenatal androgen exposure and to be established early in gestation. Ratio of second and fourth digits (2D:4D)  is usually used as a proxy for prenatal testosterone. Methods and Materials In this study, 2D:4D in 48 children with ASD and in 41  control child was measured. Two groups were matched with the gender and age. Both groups were selected by convenience sampling method. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 19.0 software, considering as significant less than .05 (p < .05). Results: Results showed that the average ratio of 2D:4D in ASD children were lower than the ratio in control children (