Contribution of estradiol in sex-dependent differences of pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures in rats

In the present study the contribution of estradiol in sex-dependent differences of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures was investigated in rats. The rats were divided into four groups: 1) sham, 2) ovariectomized (OVX), 3) ovariectomized-estradiol (OVX-Est) and 4) male. The OVX-Est group received estradiol valerate (2 mg/kg; i.m/4 weeks) while, male, sham and OVX groups received vehicle. The animals were injected by PTZ (90 mg/kg). The latencies to minimal clonic seizures (MCS) and generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), were recorded. Serum 17β-estradiol and testosterone levels were also determined using an Elisa kit. GTCS latency in OVX rats was higher than in sham-operated animals (P < 0.05). MCS and GTCS latency in the male group was significantly higher than in the sham, OVX and OVX-Est groups (P < 0.001 and P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in MCS or GTCS latencies among OVX-Est, sham and OVX groups. Serum 17β-estradiol level in the OVX group was significantly lower than in the sham (P < 0.01) and in the OVX-Est group it was higher than in the sham, OVX and male groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001). Serum testosterone level in the male group was significantly higher than in all the other three groups (P < 0.001). It seems that testosterone probably has a more efficient role than estradiol in the gender dependent difference in seizure caused by PTZ in rats

What will it take to stabilize the Colorado River?

The Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million inhabitants in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. A basin-wide water supply crisis is occurring because of decreased watershed runoff caused by a warming climate and legal and water management policies that allow systematic overuse. By the end of 2022, combined storage in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two largest reservoirs in the United States, will have declined from 95% full in 2000 to approximately 25% full. If this “Millennium Drought” persists, then stabilizing reservoir levels to avoid severe outcomes will require reducing water use to match diminished runoff. With a process underway to renegotiate interstate and international agreements on consumptive uses of the river, we describe a promising new management approach based on combined storage of both reservoirs, rather than just Lake Mead as currently used, to trigger consumptive use reductions to the Lower Basin and Mexico

CFD study on the behaviour and turbulence of the airflow induced by the moving elevator car in elevator shaft using K-epsilon model

Land scarcity in relation to the swift urbanisation causes vertical development of buildings and infrastructures. The increasing importance of the main vertical transport - elevator, urges the elevator aerodynamics study to evaluate its acoustic, ride comfort, aerodynamics performance, and airflow effect. They were carried out experimentally or(and) via modeling and simulation. However, among the very limited published CFD studies on the elevator aerodynamics, there is insufficient detailed method and data been presented. Consequently, there is a very limited open-source established method and preliminary data necessary for the elevator aerodynamic study, restricting the potential improvement in this topic. Therefore, this paper studies the behaviour and turbulence of the airflow induced by the elevator car movement in the elevator shaft using the PIMPLE algorithm and the k-epsilon model. Details on the theories and methods were explained and discussed, which include the computational domain settings, governing principles and equations, numerical methods and mechanisms, and boundary conditions. An unsteady, turbulent, incompressible, and Newtonian airflow was assumed in the OpenFOAM simulation. The airflow was affected mainly by the blockage effect and the Bernoulli’s effect. The simulation result obeys the theories of fluid mechanics and physics, indicating its reliability to be the preliminary data for further study

Amplitude of accommodation and add power in an adult population of Tehran, Iran

Purpose: To determine add power (AP) and amplitude of accommodation (AA) in a sample of Iranian population and its relationship with refractive errors Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled people of 35-70 years old by simple random sampling. Exclusion criteria were myopia or hyperopia over 6 diopter (D) and astigmatism more than 0.75 D. Those with a history of eye disorders and taking certain medicines that affect on vision were excluded. After correcting refractive errors, distance and near visual acuity (VA) and APs were determined considering subject's age and AA at a distance of 33 cm. The AA was measured using a Royal Air Force (RAF) rule with push up method. Results: Of 422 participants, 205 (48.6) were males with a mean age of 50.2±8.8 years old, mean AP of 1.57±0.82 D, and average AA of 3.48±2.5 D. For each year of age, AP raised 0.1 D and AA decreased to 0.23 D (p<0.001). The need for AP occurs when AA was less than 6 D. Conclusion: The results of this study showed the distributions of AP and AA in a sample of Iranian population. The AA in this study was mid-range in comparison with other studies. It was found that females became presbyopic earlier than males and hyperopes became presbyopic earlier than emmetropes and myopes. These results pointed out that decreasing in AA less than 6 D requires AP. © 2013 by the Iranian Society of Ophthalmology

The Relationship between Predisposing Factors and Self-care Behaviors among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background &amp;amp; Aim: Self-care activity is a key factor in managing Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in order to reduce disability caused by the disease. Predisposing factors including knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy are introduced as determinants of self-care behaviors in the forth phase of PRECEDE model, i.e., ecological and educational assessment. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the predisposing factors and self-care behaviors in patients with RA in Yazd, Iran. Methods &amp;amp; Materials: In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sampling was used to recruit 181 outpatients with RA referred to a rheumatology clinic in Yazd, Iran. Data were collected by conducting interviews with the participants using a survey questionnaire included knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy, as predisposing factors; and self-care behaviors items. Reliability and validity of the instruments were examined and approved. The statistical tests included bivariate correlations, Mann-Whitney U test, and linear regression. Results: Knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy scores were 71.7%, 66.9%, and 47.5%, respectively. The total predisposing factors score was 62.3%. There was a significant positive correlation between the self-care behaviors with attitude and self-efficacy. However, there was no significant correlation between the patients&apos; knowledge and self-care behaviors. Totally, the measures explained 39.3% of total self-care behaviors variance within which the self-efficacy was the strongest predictor (&amp;beta;=0.41). Conclusion: Regarding the high power of predisposing factors, especially self-efficacy, in predicting self-care behaviors; and the low scores of self-efficacy, health promotion planners should pay more attention to predisposing factors of self-care behaviors especially the self-efficacy in designing health promotion programs. &amp;nbsp; Key words: predisposing factors, rheumatoid arthritis, self-car

Synthesis, anti-proliferative evaluation, and molecular docking studies of 3-(Alkylthio)-5,6-diaryl-1,2,4-triazines as tubulin polymerization inhibitors

Background: The role of microtubules in cell division and signaling, intercellular transport, and mitosis has been well known. Hence, they have been targeted for several anti-cancer drugs. Methods: A series of 3-(alkylthio)-5,6-diphenyl-1,2,4-triazines were prepared and evaluated for their cytotoxic activities in vitro against three human cancer cell lines; human colon carcinoma cells HT-29, human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7, human Caucasian gastric adenocarcinoma cell line AGS as well as fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3 by MTT assay. Docking simulation was performed to insert these compounds into the crystal structure of tubulin at the colchicine binding site to determine a probable binding model. Compound 5d as the most active compound was selected for studying of microtubule disruption. Results: Compound 5d showed potent cytotoxic activity against all cell lines. The molecular modeling study revealed that some derivatives of triazine strongly bind to colchicine binding site. The tubulin polymerization assay kit showed that the cytotoxic activity of 5d may be related to inhibition of tubulin polymerization. Conclusion: The cytotoxicity and molecular modeling study of the synthesized compounds with their inhibition activity in tubulin polymerization demonstrate the potential of triazine derivatives for development of new anti-cancer agents. © 2019 Bentham Science Publishers

A review on kinetic energy harvesting towards innovative technological advances from sustainable sources

High energy demand that is indicated by abundant energy use especially fossil fuels, has led to the depletion of fossil fuels, global warming, and air pollution. Consequently, clean sustainable renewable energy was developed to provide safe, clean, secure and affordable energy. Amongst various forms of harvestable energy, the kinetic energy is easily detected, abundant, and widely available. Moreover, the industrial revolutions brought to the mechanical dominant world, increasing the kinetic energy within the ecosystem. It can be harvested more directly compared to other forms of energy. However, there are many systems with significant kinetic energy do not complement with any kinetic energy harvesting technology. Therefore, this paper reviews the fundamentals and applications of the kinetic energy harvesting from clean sustainable renewable sources via three different transduction mechanisms, besides their pros and cons, opportunity, challenges, and environmental impacts. Similarly, this paper briefs about their carbon performance, and existing policies promoting their use or development. Based on the discussions, suggestions were given on the policy to promote the clean sustainable renewable kinetic energy harvesting. This paper provides understanding and information on the kinetic energy harvesting; besides explore its potential applications and impacts, contributing to sustainable energy harvesting and use

Efficacy of statin therapy in reducing epicardial adipose tissue: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Understanding the effect of statins on epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is important as it may help reduce the negative impact of EAT-derived molecules on the cardiovascular system and consequently on coronary artery disease. Thus, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of statin therapy on EAT. Methods The study utilized Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science to gather relevant studies on the impacts of statins on EAT until September 5th, 2023. The data collected underwent meta-analysis using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) V4 software. Results In the meta-analysis, three studies involving 512 subjects were ultimately incorporated. The findings indicated a significant decrease in EAT after treatment with statins (standardized mean difference (SMD = –0.507, 95% CI: –2.536, 1.521, p = 0.021). Conclusions Statins appear to exert an additional cardiovascular therapeutic effect by reducing EAT