Analysis of the Critical Discourse of Power in Nezami's Khosrow and Shirin

Critical discourse analysis is one of the effective theories for analyzing the hidden layers of language and discourse. One of the main components for expressing the discourse goals is power. A famous theorist in the field of critical discourse analysis is Norman Fairclough who believes that power has an effect on social relations and discourse. In this research, an attempt has been made to explain the power in Khosrow and Shirin systems using a three-dimensional model of Fairclough. The main hypothesis of this research was that Nezami in Khosrow and Shirin has created a discourse appropriate to the power and social status of each character. Analyzing the poems of Khosrow and Shirin, it became clear that the different uses of words, the use of linguistic and grammatical aspects, the differences in persuasive methods, the different views of the characters in the story, and the ambiguity in speech depend on the difference in unequal power in the poems of Khosrow and Shirin

Hemiballismus, Hyperphagia, and Behavioral Changes following Subthalamic Infarct

The function of subthalamic nucleus (STN) which is a part of the basal ganglia system is not clear, but it is hypothesized that this component might be involved in action selection. Unilateral damage to STN, which can commonly occur due to the small vessel stroke mainly, causes hemiballismus and sometimes hemichorea-hemiballismus. This paper deals with a 60-year-old patient with sudden onset of abnormal movements in his right limbs. He had increased appetite and hyperphagia and also developed mood and behavioral changes (aggressiveness, irritability, anxiety, and sometimes obscene speech). The magnetic resonance imaging revealed infarct area in left subthalamus. In our case, hemiballismus is caused by infarction in left subthalamic area. Occurrence of irritability, anxiety, and some behavioral changes such as aggressiveness and obscene speech can be explained by impairment of STN role in nonmotor behavior and cognitive function as a result of infarct

Co-transplantation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell-derived Neural Progenitors and Schwann Cells in a Rat Spinal Cord Contusion Injury Model Elicits a Distinct Neurogenesis and Functional Recovery

Co-transplantation of neural progenitors (NPs) with Schwann cells (SCs) might be a way to overcome low rate of neuronal differentiation of NPs following transplantation in spinal cord injury (SCI) and the improvement of locomotor recovery. In this study, we initially generated NPs from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and investigated their potential for neuronal differentiation and functional recovery when co-cultured with SCs in vitro and co-transplanted in a rat acute model of contused SCI. Co-cultivation results revealed that the presence of SCs provided a consistent status for hESC-NPs and recharged their neural differentiation toward a predominantly neuronal fate. Following transplantation, a significant functional recovery was observed in all engrafted groups (NPs, SCs, NPs+SCs) relative to the vehicle and control groups. We also observed that animals receiving co-transplants established a better state as assessed with the BBB functional test. Immunohistofluorescence evaluation five weeks after transplantation showed invigorated neuronal differentiation and limited proliferation in the co-transplanted group when compared to the individual hESC-NPs grafted group. These findings have demonstrated that the co-transplantation of SCs with hESC-NPs could offer a synergistic effect, promoting neuronal differentiation and functional recovery

Detection of antibiotic resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in various hospital environments: potential sources for transmission of Acinetobacter infections

Abstract Background Antibiotic resistant Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as one of the most problematic hospital acquired pathogens around the world. This study was designed to investigate the presence of antibiotic resistant A. baumannii in various hospital environments. Methods Air, water and inanimate surface samples were taken in different wards of four hospitals and analyzed for the presence of A. baumannii. Confirmed A. baumannii isolates were analyzed for antimicrobial susceptibility and also screened for the presence of three most common OXA- type carbapenemase-encoding genes. Results A. baumannii was detected in 11% (7/64) of air samples with the highest recovery in intensive care units (ICUs). A. baumannii was also detected in 17% (7/42) and 2% (1/42) of surface and water samples, respectively. A total of 40 A. baumannii isolates were recovered and analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility showed the highest resistance towards ceftazidime (92.5%, 37/40). 85% (34/40) and 80% (32/40) of the isolates were also resistant to imipenem and gentamicin, respectively. Resistance genes analysis showed that 77.5% (31/40) strains contained OXA-23 and 5% (2/40) strains contained OXA-24, but OXA-58 was not detected in any of the strains. Conclusion Detection of antibiotic resistant A. baumannii in various samples revealed that hospital environments could act as a potential source for transmission of A. baumannii infections especially in ICUs. These results emphasize the importance of early detection and implementation of control measures to prevent the spread of A. baumannii in hospital environments

A comparative study on the effects of high-fat diet and endurance training on the PGC-1α-FNDC5/irisin pathway in obese and non-obese male C57BL/6 mice

The present study was performed to clarify how a combined exercise/diet treatment could affect the expression level of the muscle Fndc5 with respect to the body fat mass. Male C57BL/6 mice were divided into 2 groups including low-fat (LF) and high-fat (HF) diets for 12 weeks. Then, LF fed (non-obese) and HF fed mice (obese), were divided into 4 groups: HF-Exercise, HF-Sedentary, LF-Exercise and LF-Sedentary. The exercise group received exercise, on a motor-driven treadmill for 45 min/day, 5 days/week during 8 weeks. Mice were sacrificed 24 hours after the final exercise session. Gastrocnemius muscle and the visceral adipose tissue were excised and frozen for the assessment of Pgc-1Îą and Fndc5 mRNA and protein levels. Data indicated that protein level of muscle PGC-1Îą was decreased in HF vs LF groups and in obese vs non-obese mice. Moreover, Fndc5 mRNA levels were increased in the muscle tissue of HF vs LF groups and, in obese vs non-obese mice. Also, in the gastrocnemius skeletal muscle, protein levels of FNDC5 were significantly higher in the high-fat fed mice, as compared to their low-fat fed counterparts, similar to what was observed for exercised vs sedentary mice. Overall, we found that the high fat diet increased Fndc5 transcript levels in the skeletal muscle, but exercise had a minimal effect on the transcript level of Fndc5, whereas endurance training increased the protein content of FNDC5 in the skeletal muscle.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA®) and flow cytometry-assisted TUNEL assay provide a concordant assessment of sperm DNA fragmentation as a function of age in a large cohort of approximately 10,000 patients

Abstract Background Sperm DNA integrity is increasingly seen as a critical characteristic determining reproductive success, both in natural reproduction and in assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Despite this awareness, sperm DNA and nuclear integrity tests are still not part of routine examinations for either infertile men or fertile men wishing to assess their reproductive capacity. This is not due to the unavailability of DNA and sperm nuclear integrity tests. On the contrary, several relevant but distinct tests are available and have been used in many clinical trials, which has led to conflicting results and confusion. The reasons for this are mainly the lack of standardization between different clinics and between the tests themselves. In addition, the small number of samples analyzed in these trials has often weakened the value of the analyses performed. In the present work, we used a large cohort of semen samples, covering a wide age range, which were simultaneously evaluated for sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) using two of the most frequently used SDF assays, namely the TUNEL assay and the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA®). At the same time, as standard seminal parameters (sperm motility, sperm morphology, sperm count) were available for these samples, correlations between age, SDF and conventional seminal parameters were analyzed. Results We show that the SCSA® and TUNEL assessments of SDF produce concordant data. However, the SDF assessed by TUNEL is systematically lower than that assessed by SCSA®. Regardless of the test used, the SDF increases steadily during aging, while the HDS parameter (High DNA stainability assessed via SCSA®) remains unchanged. In the cohort analyzed, conventional sperm parameters do not seem to discriminate with aging. Only sperm volume and motility were significantly lower in the oldest age group analyzed [50–59 years of age]. Conclusions In the large cohort analyzed, SDF is an age-dependent parameter, increasing linearly with aging. The SCSA® assessment of SDF and the flow cytometry-assisted TUNEL assessment are well correlated, although TUNEL is less sensitive than SCSA®. This difference in sensitivity should be taken into account in the final assessment of the true level of fragmentation of the sperm nucleus of a given sample. The classical sperm parameters (motility, morphology, sperm count) do not change dramatically with age, making them inadequate to assess the fertility potential of an individual

Signaling pathways involved in colorectal cancer progression

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth leading cause of the worldwide cancer mortality. Different molecular mechanisms have been attributed to the development and progress of CRC. In this review, we will focus on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades downstream of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Notch, PI3K/AKT pathway, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), and Wnt signaling pathways. Various mutations in the components of these signaling pathways have been linked to the development of CRC. Accordingly, numerous efforts have been carried out to target the signaling pathways to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Herein, we review the signaling pathways involved in the incidence and progression of CRC, and the strategies for the therapy targeting components of signaling pathways in CRC