Di-(2-ethylhexyl) Phthalate-Induced Hippocampus-Derived Neural Stem Cells Proliferation

The brain and spinal cord have a limited capacity for self-repair under damaged conditions. One of the best options to overcome these limitations involves the use of phytochemicals as potential therapeutic agents. In this study, we have aimed to investigate the effects of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on hippocampus-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) proliferation to search phytochemical candidates for possible treatment of neurological diseases using endogenous capacity. In this experimental study, neonatal rat hippocampus-derived NSCs were cultured and treated with various concentrations of DEHP (0, 100, 200, 400 and 600 mu M) and Cirsium vulgare (C. vulgare) hydroethanolic extract (0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 mu g/ml) for 48 hours under in vitro conditions. Cell proliferation rates and quantitative Sox2 gene expression were evaluated using MTT assay and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We observed the highest average growth rate in the 400 mu M DEHP and 800 mu g/ml C. vulgare extract treated groups. Sox2 expression in the DEHP-treated NSCs significantly increased compared to the control group. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) results demonstrated that the active ingredients that naturally occurred in the C. vulgare hydroethanolic extract were 2-ethyl-1-hexanamine, n-heptacosane, 1-cyclopentane-carboxylic acid, 1-heptadecanamine, 2,6-octadien-1-ol, 2,6,10,14,18,22-tetracosahexaene, and DEHP. DEHP profoundly stimulated NSCs proliferation through Sox2 gene overexpression. These results provide and opportunity for further use of the C. vulgure phytochemicals for prevention and/or treatment of neurological diseases via phytochemical mediated-proliferation of endogenous adult NSCs

Site selection of the Colombian antarctic research station based on fuzzy-topsis algorithm

By 2025 the Republic of Colombia aims to be an advisory member of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) and the installation of a scientific station is necessary to upscale the scientific capabilities. The aim of this paper is showing the results of the implementation of a Fuzzy TOPSIS algorithm for site selection of the Colombian Antarctic Scientific Station. A three-phase methodology was AQ1 proposed, and the obtained results allowed to identify the optimum location for the station, considering key success factors and regulatory constraints

Association of Adiponectin With Body Composition and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients

BACKGROUND: In the general population, circulating adiponectin is associated with a favorable cardiovascular risk profile (e.g., lower triglycerides and body fat) and decreased mortality. Hemodialysis (HD) patients have comparatively higher adiponectin concentrations, but prior studies examining the adiponectin-mortality association in this population have not accounted for body composition nor shown a consistent relationship. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS: We examined baseline serum adiponectin concentrations in 501 HD patients across 13 dialysis centers from the prospective MADRAD (Malnutrition, Diet, and Racial Disparities in Chronic Kidney Disease) cohort (entry period 10/2011-2/2013, follow-up through 8/2013). PREDICTOR: Serum adiponectin concentration in tertiles (Tertiles 1, 2, and 3 defined as <=16.1, >16.1–30.1, >30.1–100.0 ug/ml, respectively). Adjustment variables included case-mix and laboratory tests (age, sex, race, ethnicity, vintage, diabetes, serum albumin, total iron binding capacity, serum creatinine, white blood cell count, phosphate, hemoglobin, normalized protein catabolic rate), body composition surrogates (subcutaneous, visceral, and total body fat; lean body mass), and serum lipid levels (cholesterol, HDL, triglycerides). OUTCOMES: All-cause mortality using survival (Cox) models incrementally adjusted for case-mix and laboratory tests. RESULTS: Among 501 HD patients, 50 deaths were observed during 631.1 person-years of follow-up time. In case-mix– and laboratory-adjusted Cox analyses, the highest adiponectin tertile was associated with increased mortality vs. the lowest tertile (HR, 3.35; 95% CI, 1.50–7.47). These associations were robust in analyses that additionally accounted for body composition (HR, 3.18; 95% CI, 1.61–8.24) and lipids (HR, 3.64; 95% CI, 1.34–7.58). LIMITATIONS: Residual confounding cannot be excluded. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, higher adiponectin is associated with a 3-fold higher death risk in HD patients independent of body composition and lipids. Future studies are needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms, and to determine therapeutic targets associated with improved outcomes in HD patients

Evidence for hyperprolactinemia in migraineurs: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: One of the hypothalamus-pituitary axis hormones which may play a crucial role in pathophysiology of migraine is prolactin which is secreted from anterior pituitary gland and synthesized by various immune system cells as well. Whether prolactin blood levels can affect the migraine pathogenesis is an open question. Therefore, investigating prolactin circulatory levels in migraineurs may pave the way to underpin the mechanisms of migraine pathophysiology at biochemical levels. In the current investigation, the prolactin blood levels in the migraine subjects were investigated using systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: Using online and specialized biomedical databases including Google Scholar, Medline, Pubmed, Pubmed Central, Embase, and Scopus, without the beginning date restriction until Feb 2019, the systematic review retrieved 11 publications in this systematic review after fulfilling for the inclusion and exclusion criteria. For heterogeneity, extent calculation statistical testing was applied. In the present study, the levels of circulatory prolactin in migraineurs assessed using standardized mean difference (SMD) as the effect size. RESULTS: Q quantity and I(2) statistic index showed a high heterogeneity in the 13 selected publications (188.370 and 92.568, respectively) and random-effects model was chosen for further analyses. The meta-analysis on a total number of 460 migraineurs and 429 healthy controls found that the weighted pooled SMD for the effects of prolactin blood concentrations on migraine pathogenesis was as follows: SMD = 1.435 (95 confidence interval, 0.854-2.015). CONCLUSION: The current investigation presents evidence that prolactin blood levels are higher in migraineurs than healthy subjects

A systematic review and meta-analysis of recent studies reporting hormone levels related to thyroid gland function in migraineurs, until April 2020

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to evaluate thyroid function in terms of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, also known as thyrotropin), 3,5,3 '-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3), and 3,5,3 ',5 '-tetraiodo-l-thyronine (T4, also known as thyroxine) levels in migraineurs in comparison with non-migraineurs using a systematic review of literature and a meta-analysis. Methods This is a systematic review of case-control studies on serum TSH, T3, and T4 concentrations of migraineurs in comparison with non-migraineurs. After extracting the data from the finally included studies, the weighted overall standardized mean difference (SMD) was calculated. Results The weighted overall SMD for the impact of TSH, T3, and T4 blood levels for migraineurs in comparison with non-migraineurs was as follows: 0.804 (95 CI, 0.045-1.564), - 0.267 (95 CI, - 0.660-0.125), 0.093 (95 CI, - 0.077-0.263), respectively. It is noteworthy that only thepvalue for the significance of the overall SMD for serum TSH level was statistically significant (p= 0.038), as examined by thez-test. Conclusions The results of the current study point to an association between migraine pathogenesis and changing TSH levels in comparison with those of controls

Serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in ischemic stroke patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies

Serum VEGF level is regarded to be a biomarker for the diagnosis of stroke. Even though there have been published plethora of original articles describing higher blood VEGF concentrations since the 1970s, however, there is no any meta-analysis report for serum VEGF levels in the field of evidence-based medicine yet. A systematic review was performed by searching the online biomedical databases including retrieving 14 case-control studies including within-article subgroups after fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria without the beginning date restriction, until 2020 for ischemic stroke patients. The Q quantity andI(2) statistic index showed a high heterogeneity (84.895 and 84.687, respectively) and the random-effects model of meta-analysis was applied for further analyses. The meta-analysis on a total number of 769 stroke subjects and 621 controls found that the weighted pooled SMD for overall serum VEGF levels on different days of testing was 1.92 (95 CI, - 4.059-0.219,pvalue = 0.079) and the pooled SMD for overall serum VEGF levels on day 1 of testing was - 1.083 (95 CI, - 4.229-2.063,pvalue = 0.500). The meta-regression results demonstrated that different days of testing do not significantly affect serum VEGF concentrations in ischemic patients and actually their serum levels are time-independent. Based on the recently published studies, this meta-analysis showed that serum VEGF levels were not significantly associated with an ischemic stroke diagnosis. Thus, researchers may concern another ideal serum or cerebrospinal fluid-derived biomarker for stroke diagnosis

Shared Pathological Mechanisms Between Diabetes Mellitus and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegeneration is a term for the description of the progressive neuronal and neural structure loss, function, and their populations in the central nervous system (CNS). Recent studies have shed light on shared pathological mechanisms including inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress between diabetes mellitus (DM) and neurodegenerative disorders. The association between these age-related chronic diseases has attracted immense attention during the past decade. Because shared mechanisms may underlie the co-occurrence of DM and neurodegeneration, deep understanding about the potential links between these conditions may be helpful for a better management of both diseases. In the present review, we attempt to provide an overview on the relationship pathways between DM and chronic neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Frequency of CD8(+) regulatory T cells in the multiple sclerosis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuro-immunological demyelinating disease. From the immunological aspects, it is well accepted that T cells play a pivotal role in the etiology of the disease. T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 cells are thought to be the main pathogenic T cells in the pathogenesis of MS and are known as effector T cells. As the self-reactive T lymphocytes can escape clonal deletion in the thymus and subsequently are released into the periphery, there is an urgent need for peripheral tolerance, which is executed by the specialized regulatory T (Treg) cells. Interestingly, CD8(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells have also been identified among lymphocyte subtypes. The peripheral CD8(+) Treg cells frequency in MS subjects in comparison with healthy controls is the objective of the current study using the systematic review and meta-analysis. A systematic literature search was carried out using specialized biomedical databases of Pubmed, Pubmed Central, Medline, Google Scholar, Embase and SCOPUS databases without the beginning date restriction until January 2018 in English language. The results were as follows: OR 15.548 (95 confidence interval 1.954-123.742) using the random-effects model. The P value for test of significance of the total OR was examined by the z test and calculated as 0.010 (clearly considered as statistically significant). Based on our findings, the number of CD8(+) Treg cells in the blood of MS subjects is significantly different as compared to healthy controls