Scopolamine reduces the density of M1 muscarinic neurons in rats' hippocampus

Cholinergic system in CNS is involved in learning and memory. Scopolamine as muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist is used for creation of memory impairment. The purpose of this study is evaluation of scopolamine-based amnesia on memory retention and the effect of this phenomenon on the number of neurons contains M1-receptors in the male Wistar rats hippocampal regions. Thirty-five male Wistar rats (200±20 g) were distributed randomly into five groups. Control group (intact samples) and 3 experimental groups with sham group (saline) were tested by the method of passive avoidance (shuttle box) in doses of 0.2, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg (intraperitoneally) as a single dose. After one week, memory test was taken from the rats. Finally, brains dissected from sacrificed rats, and then processed tissues were stained with antibody against M1 receptors (Immunohistochemistry technique) followed by counting of hippocampal CA1, CA3 and DG regions. Our results showed significant decrease in neurons contains M1-receptors in all area of hippocampus. We found that the less number of M1-neurons showed in 1 mg/kg dose of scopolamine. We concluded that scopolamine as muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist can reduce dose-dependently the density of M1-neurons in all areas of hippocampus

Psychiatric disorders in Iranian children and adolescents

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in five provinces of Iran: Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz and Mashhad. Method: In the present study, we selected 9,636 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years through multistage cluster random sampling method from Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz and Mashhad. We instructed the clinical psychologists to complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the participants, and those who received a high score on SDQ, completed the Persian version of Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). We used descriptive analysis and 95 confidence interval to investigate the relationship between scores of the K- SADS questionnaire and demographic factors . We used one-way ANOVA to test the significant differences among the disorders according to sex, age and province of residence. Results: Based on the results, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (4.45) had the highest prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the five provinces and substance abuse and alcohol abuse (0) had the lowest prevalence. In addition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had the most prevalence in boys (5.03) and ODD had the most prevalence in girls (4.05). Among the three age groups, 6 to 9 year olds had the highest rates of ADHD (5.69); 10 to 14 and 15 to 18 year olds had the highest rates of ODD (4.32 and 4.37 respectively). Among the five provinces, Tehran and Mashhad allocated the highest rates of ODD; Isfahan and Shiraz had the highest rates of ADHD; and Tabriz had the highest rates of social phobia. Conclusion: The current study revealed that the overall frequency of psychiatric disorders based on Kiddie- SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) was higher than a similar study. Moreover, in this study, among the five provinces, Tehran and Mashhad allocated the highest rates of ODD; Isfahan and Shiraz had the highest rates of ADHD; and Tabriz had the highest rates of social phobia. Therefore, these percentage of psychiatric disorders in Iran lead us toward a greater use of consultation and mental health services

Psychological problems of Iranian children and adolescents: Parent report form of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of psychological problems Iranian children and adolescents have, using parent report form of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Methods: In a community-based study, 9636 children and adolescents aged 6-17 years were selected using the multistage cluster random sampling method from five provinces of Iran: Tehran, Isfahan, Fars, Razavi Khorasan and East Azerbaijan. The parents completed the SDQ, which consisted of five subscales including emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, peer problems and prosocial behaviors. Result: The results revealed 21.4 of emotional problems, 32.9 of conduct problems, 20 of hyperactivity, 25.6 of peer problems, 7.6 of problems in prosocial behaviors and 16.7 of total difficulties among Iranian children and adolescents. We found that emotional problems were more prevalent among girls, while conduct problems, hyperactivity, total difficulties and problems in prosocial behaviors were more prevalent among boys. High educational level of parents was a protective factor against some psychological problems. Conclusion: Considering the proportion of psychological problems in Iranian children and adolescents, we need to develop and implement special policies and programs to provide appropriate mental health services. © 2014 Shadowfax Publishing and Informa UK Limited

Psychiatric disorders in Iranian children and adolescents

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents in five provinces of Iran: Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz and Mashhad. Method: In the present study, we selected 9,636 children and adolescents aged 6-18 years through multistage cluster random sampling method from Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan, Tabriz and Mashhad. We instructed the clinical psychologists to complete the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for the participants, and those who received a high score on SDQ, completed the Persian version of Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). We used descriptive analysis and 95 confidence interval to investigate the relationship between scores of the K- SADS questionnaire and demographic factors . We used one-way ANOVA to test the significant differences among the disorders according to sex, age and province of residence. Results: Based on the results, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (4.45) had the highest prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the five provinces and substance abuse and alcohol abuse (0) had the lowest prevalence. In addition, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had the most prevalence in boys (5.03) and ODD had the most prevalence in girls (4.05). Among the three age groups, 6 to 9 year olds had the highest rates of ADHD (5.69); 10 to 14 and 15 to 18 year olds had the highest rates of ODD (4.32 and 4.37 respectively). Among the five provinces, Tehran and Mashhad allocated the highest rates of ODD; Isfahan and Shiraz had the highest rates of ADHD; and Tabriz had the highest rates of social phobia. Conclusion: The current study revealed that the overall frequency of psychiatric disorders based on Kiddie- SADS-Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) was higher than a similar study. Moreover, in this study, among the five provinces, Tehran and Mashhad allocated the highest rates of ODD; Isfahan and Shiraz had the highest rates of ADHD; and Tabriz had the highest rates of social phobia. Therefore, these percentage of psychiatric disorders in Iran lead us toward a greater use of consultation and mental health services

Practitioner Review: effectiveness of indicated school-based interventions for adolescent depression and anxiety - a meta-analytic review

Background: Interest in delivering psychological interventions within schools to facilitate early intervention is increasing. However, most reviews have focused on universal or preventative programmes rather than interventions designed to decrease existing symptoms of depression or anxiety. This paper aims to provide a meta-analytic review of randomised controlled trials of indicated psychological interventions for young people aged 10-19 with elevated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Methods: Eight electronic databases were systematically searched from inception to April 2019 for eligible trials. Study quality was assessed using two scales designed to evaluate psychotherapy intervention trials. Random effects meta-analyses were conducted separately for trials that recruited participants based on symptoms of depression and based on symptoms of anxiety. Results: Data from 45 trials were analysed. Most interventions studied used cognitive and behavioural strategies. Few studies met methodological quality criteria, but effect size was not associated with study quality. Indicated school-based interventions had a small effect on reducing depression symptoms (SMD = 0.34, 95% CI -0.48, -0.21) and a medium effect on reducing anxiety symptoms (SMD=-0.49, 95% CI -0.79, -0.19) immediately post-intervention. Subgroup analyses indicated that interventions delivered by internal school staff did not have significant effects on symptoms. Reductions in depression were maintained at short-term (≤6 months) but not medium (>6 months ≤12) or long-term (>12 month) follow up. Reductions in anxiety symptoms were not maintained at any follow up. Conclusions: Indicated school-based interventions are effective at reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents immediately post-intervention but there is little evidence that these reductions are maintained. Interventions delivered by school staff are not supported by the current evidence-base. Further high quality randomised controlled trials incorporating assessment of longer-term outcomes are needed to justify increased investment in school-based interventions for adolescent depression and anxiety

AI is a viable alternative to high throughput screening: a 318-target study

: High throughput screening (HTS) is routinely used to identify bioactive small molecules. This requires physical compounds, which limits coverage of accessible chemical space. Computational approaches combined with vast on-demand chemical libraries can access far greater chemical space, provided that the predictive accuracy is sufficient to identify useful molecules. Through the largest and most diverse virtual HTS campaign reported to date, comprising 318 individual projects, we demonstrate that our AtomNet® convolutional neural network successfully finds novel hits across every major therapeutic area and protein class. We address historical limitations of computational screening by demonstrating success for target proteins without known binders, high-quality X-ray crystal structures, or manual cherry-picking of compounds. We show that the molecules selected by the AtomNet® model are novel drug-like scaffolds rather than minor modifications to known bioactive compounds. Our empirical results suggest that computational methods can substantially replace HTS as the first step of small-molecule drug discovery

Measurements in the Transition Vortex Flow Regime of Mixed Convection above a Horizontal Heated Plate

Experimental results covering the transition vortex flow regime of mixed convection over a heated, horizontal flat plate are presented. A criterion for the onset of vortex instability as a function of critical Reynolds and Grashof numbers was established with the aid of a flow visualization technique. The three-dimensional nature of this flow regime was documented through both velocity and temperature measurements using laser-Doppler and hot/cold-wire anemometers, respectively. It has been found from these measurements that the two-dimensional laminar mixed convection flow changes into a transitional three-dimensional vortex flow in a relatively short distance from the leading edge of the plate. The vortex three-dimensionial flow continues to intensify as the buoyancy force increases and then develops into a two-dimensional fully turbulent flow at the end of the transition regime. These findings place an upper limit on the applicability of the two-dimensional, laminar boundary layer flow analysis for mixed convection over a heated horizontal flat plate

Evaluating the depression, anxiety, stress, and predictors of psychological morbidity among COVID-19 Survivors in Mashhad, Iran

Background: The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to public panic and psychological problems. In this regard, few studies have reported the post-discharge mental health status of COVID-19 survivors. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the mental health status of COVID-19 survivors and determine the risk factors of adverse psychological outcomes. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 188 COVID-19 survivors discharged from hospital. Data were recorded using social media applications. To evaluate the mental health status, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Depressive Anxiety and Stress Scale 42 (DASS-42) were used. Ordinal regression with a logit link was used to assess the simultaneous effect of variables. Results: The mean age of participants was 56.4 ± 9.6 years, and the majority of patients were male (62.2). According to HADS, 81 (43.1) and 24 (12.8) patients suffered from anxiety and depression, respectively. Using DASS-42, we reported at least a mild degree of depression 23 (12.2%), anxiety 20 (10.6%), and stress 74 (39.4%) among the discharged patients. Depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly associated with length of hospital stay (P < 0.05). In addition, there was a direct association between stress and patients' number of children (β = 0.38, P = 0.02). Conclusions: Depression, anxiety, and stress are relatively high among COVID-19 survivors. Length of hospital stay and number of children were identified as the predisposing factors for adverse psychological outcomes. © 2021 Kowsar Medical Publishing Company. All rights reserved

Improved Understanding of CO₂–Water Pretreatment of Guayule Biomass by High Solids Ratio Experiments, Rapid Physical Expansion, and Examination of Textural Properties

In this work, we provide a systematic study of CO₂–water pretreatment of guayule biomass to optimize the residual ground bagasse from natural rubber extraction for hydrolysis and fermentation. Guayule biomass is mixed with water then loaded into a 250 mL reactor with exposure to a biphasic environment consisting of a CO₂-rich vapor phase and water-rich liquid phase. The pressure is then rapidly released for a “physical expansion” effect. The pretreated biomass is enzymatically hydrolyzed, and the sugar concentration in hydrolysate is measured. Experimental runs are conducted in the temperature range of 145 to 210 °C and pressure range of 3.4 to 34 MPa. The solids ratio (dry solids mass/water mass) is between 0.17 and 1.7. The packing density is between 0.03 and 0.2 g of biomass per cm³ of the reactor, and the holding time ranges from 20 to 840 min. A 4-fold increase in the reactor volume is performed and optimized with a 1-L vessel. High-pressure carbon dioxide–water pretreatment increases surface area of guayule biomass, introduces ruptured morphological features, and improves enzymatic digestibility. We achieve a total sugar yield of 85% (of theoretical) at two different reactor sizes of 250 mL and 1 L. At the smaller reactor, the optimum operational condition is 180 °C, 26 MPa, and 0.5 solid ratio. At the larger reactor, the optimum operational condition is 200 °C, 12 MPa, and 0.33 solid ratio