Effect of berberine chloride on caspase-3 dependent apoptosis and antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus of the chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rat model

Objective(s): The main goal of the current research was to examine the effects of Berberine (BBR) on apoptotic signaling and hippocampal oxidative stress induced by common carotid artery occlusion. Materials and Methods: Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) model was created by occluding the two common carotid arteries (two-vessel occlusion 2VO) permanently. BBR (50 and 100 mg/kg/daily) was intra-gastrically administered to ischemic rats. Neuronal survival was evaluated by Nissl staining. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), along with the activities of caspase 3 were estimated in the hippocampus 2 month after treating the rats with 2VO. Results: According to findings of the present research, the BBR therapy inhibited the neurodegeneration of hippocampus. BBR also significantly decreased the amount of MDA and activity of caspase 3 in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the administration of BBR alleviated the lowered activities of SOD and CAT after 2VO surgery. Conclusion: The antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties of BBR might play important roles in improving functional outcomes and might have significant neuroprotective effects on the CCH damage. © 2019, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Evaluation of susceptibility of the first instar nymphs and adults of Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) to neonicotinoid insecticides under laboratory conditions

The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), has been well established in the greenhouse ecosystems and is one of the most important pests on various greenhouse crops worldwide. Because of its high fecundity and resistance to commonly used pesticides, a study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of conventional insecticides of neonicotinoid compounds. In this study, the whiteflies on the ornamental plant genus Gerbera were collected from a greenhouse in the city of Mahalat and reared on tobacco under laboratory conditions at 25 ± 2ºC and 60 ± 5% Rate of humidity (RH) and a photoperiod of 16: 8 h (L: D). The toxicity of three neonicotinoid insecticides including imidacloprid SC35% (Confidor), thiamethoxam SC21.6% (Actara) and dinotefuran SG20% (Starkle) on the adults and first instar nymphs of T. vaporariorum, was evaluated using leaf dipping bioassay method. The susceptibility of adults was assessed at 24 hour post-treatment. The LC50 values of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran for adults were 130.48, 52.89 and 93.55 ppm (a. i.) respectively. The mortality of immature stages was assessed at 72 hour post-treatment. The LC50 values of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and dinotefuran for the first instar nymph were 26.65, 12.62 and 15.48 ppm (a. i.) respectively. The results suggest that all insecticides are more toxic on first instar nymphs than adults while thiamethoxam has the highest toxicity. The insecticides dinotefuran and imidacloprid can effectively control the adults and first instar nymphs as well

Effect of berberine chloride on caspase-3 dependent apoptosis and antioxidant capacity in the hippocampus of the chronic cerebral hypoperfusion rat model

Objective(s): The main goal of the current research was to examine the effects of Berberine (BBR) on apoptotic signaling and hippocampal oxidative stress induced by common carotid artery occlusion. Materials and Methods: Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) model was created by occluding the two common carotid arteries (two-vessel occlusion 2VO) permanently. BBR (50 and 100 mg/kg/daily) was intra-gastrically administered to ischemic rats. Neuronal survival was evaluated by Nissl staining. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), along with the activities of caspase 3 were estimated in the hippocampus 2 month after treating the rats with 2VO. Results: According to findings of the present research, the BBR therapy inhibited the neurodegeneration of hippocampus. BBR also significantly decreased the amount of MDA and activity of caspase 3 in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the administration of BBR alleviated the lowered activities of SOD and CAT after 2VO surgery. Conclusion: The antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties of BBR might play important roles in improving functional outcomes and might have significant neuroprotective effects on the CCH damage. © 2019, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the weight-related experiential avoidance (AAQW): overweight and obese treatment seeker at the clinical setting

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the weight-related experiential avoidance (AAQW) in overweight and obese treatment seeker in the clinical setting. Methods: This sample consists of 220 male and female overweight or obesity treatment seeker from Overweight and obesity centers who agreed to fill out the self-reported measures. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported 3-factor structures of AAQW, including (weight as a barrier to living, Food as Control, and weight-stigma). Furthermore, the internal consistency of AAQW indicates an acceptable range (α =.70); Also, expected associations between AAQW and external correlates (e.g., BES, AAQ-II, KIMS, BDI-II, and CFQ) supported the measure�s convergent validity in a sample of overweight and obese treatment seeker in the clinical setting. Conclusions: Overall, our study offers that the Persian version of weight-related experiential avoidance has psychometrically valid and reliable tools to assess experiential avoidance. Furthermore, weight-related experiential avoidance is associated with higher severity of binge eating symptoms, higher psychological inflexibility levels, experiential avoidance, and more cognitive fusion and depression symptomology. © 2021, The Author(s)

Astrocytic Abnormalities in Schizophrenia

Astrocytes are glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS), which contribute to CNS health and disease by participating in homeostatic, structural, and metabolic processes that play an essential role in facilitating synaptic transmission between neurons. Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with various positive and negative behaviors and interruption of executive function and cognition thought to be due partly to aberrations in signaling within neural networks. Recent research has demonstrated that astrocytes play a role in SCZ through various effects, including influencing immune system function, altering white matter, and mediating changes in neurotransmitters. Astrocytes are also known to play a role in inducing SCZ-associated changes in neuroplasticity, which includes alterations in synaptic strength and neurogenesis. Also, astrocyte abnormalities are linked to neurobehavioral impairments seen at the clinical level. The present chapter details general information on SCZ. It highlights the role of astrocytes in SCZ at molecular and behavioral levels, including neural changes seen in the disease, and the therapeutic implications of targeting astrocytes in SCZ

Estimation of Urban Suspended Particulate Air Pollution Concentration

A critical eye on the destructive impact of air pollution in Tehran is needed as the basis for urban planning, protection policy and management. This paper is focused on modeling in the GIS (Geospatial Information System) to estimate the concentration of particulate matter (PM) in any point of a typical part of Tehran which extends over 18.2 km2 and includes the so-called “Traffic Zone”. Many important general hospitals are located in this region, some of which are within the zone. The model is built on the data obtained in 42 stations located within the region. The results strongly indicate that the concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1.0 of any points inside the region, including the traffic zone, do not meet the required international standard values. The extracted estimate values for the 22 hospitals reveal that the concentration of PM10 for “Azadi Psychic”, “Children” and “Mustafa Khomeini” hospitals are the worst, estimating from the model to be 119.42 μg/m3, 107.09 μg/m3 and 101.14 μg/m3 respectively. The percent ratio of the mean concentrations of PM10/ PM2.5/ PM1.0 in this region is found to be approximately 7: 2: 1

Exploratory search in digital humanities: a study of visual keyword/result linking

While searching within digital humanities collections is an important aspect of digital humanities research, the search features provided are usually more suited to lookup search than exploratory search. This limits the ability of digital humanities scholars to undertake complex search tasks. Drawing upon recent studies on supporting exploratory search in academic digital libraries, we implemented two visual keyword/result linking approaches for searching within the Europeana collection; one that keeps the keywords linked to the search results and another that aggregates the keywords over the search result set. Using a controlled laboratory study, we assessed these approaches in comparison to the existing Europeana search mechanisms. We found that both visual keyword/result linking approaches were improvements over the baseline, with some differences between the new approaches that were dependent on the stage of the exploratory search process. This work illustrates the value of providing advanced search functionality within digital humanities collections to support exploratory search processes, and the need for further design and study of digital humanities search tools that support complex search task