Pain Identification in Electroencephalography Signal Using Fuzzy Inference System

Diagnosing pain mechanisms is one of main approaches to improve clinical treatments. Especially, detection of existence and/or level of pain could be vital when oral information is not present for instant for neonates, disabled persons, anesthetized patients and animals. Various researches have been performed to originate and classify the pain; however, consistent results are surprising. The aim of this study is to show a strict relation between electroencephalography (EEG) features and perceptual pain levels and to clarify the relation of classified signal to pain origin. Cortical regions on scalp are assigned based on an evolutional method for optimized alignment of electrodes that improve the clinical monitoring results. The EEG signals are recorded during relax condition and variety of pain conditions. Evolutionary optimization method is used to reduce the features space dimension and computational costs. A hybrid adaptive network fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and support vector machine (SVM) scheme is used for classification of pain levels. ANFIS optimizer is used to fine tune the non-linear alignment of kernels of SVM. The results show that pain levels could be differentiated with high accuracy and robustness even for few recording electrodes. The proposed classification method provides up to 95% accuracy

Induction of Oxidative Stress and Anatomical Changes by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Medicago sativa L.

: In this study effect of anthracene on germination, anatomy and oxidative stress in Medicagosativa was evaluated. Seed germination, length and weight of seedlings were measured after seven days of treatment (2 and 4 mmol L-1). After twelve days, anatomical changes and activity of Superoxide Dismutase, Polyphenol Oxidase, Ascorbate Peroxidase, Glutathione Transferase, Soluble Peroxidase, Malondialdehyde in shoots and roots, as well as chlorophyll content of aerial parts, were determined. Also, morphological changes during the growth in complete plants were studied. The results showed that, anthracene had no significant effect on seed germination, but reduced the length of seedlings and the weight of them. The activity of mentioned enzymes in the shoot and often in the roots, in 4 mmol L-1 anthracene significantly was increased compared to the control plants. Anthracene treatment decreased significantly Malondialdehyde levels in shoot, while it increased significantly in roots and this treatment had no significant effect on chlorophyll a and b contents. Periderm diameter increased in treated roots and xylem extent reduced in treated shoots. It seems that the low water solubility of anthracene, also, the low sensitivity of alfalfa to PAHs, partially stabilize the plant to low concentration of Anthracene

Dont eat me/eat me signals as a novel strategy in cancer immunotherapy.

Cancer stands as one of the prominent global causes of death, with its incidence burden continuously increasing, leading to a substantial rise in mortality rates. Cancer treatment has seen the development of various strategies, each carrying its drawbacks that can negatively impact the quality of life for cancer patients. The challenge remains significant within the medical field to establish a definitive cancer treatment that minimizes complications and limitations. In the forthcoming years, exploring new strategies to surmount the failures in cancer treatment appears to be an unavoidable pursuit. Among these strategies, immunology-based ones hold substantial promise in combatting cancer and immune-related disorders. A particular subset of this approach identifies eat me and Dont eat me signals in cancer cells, contrasting them with their counterparts in non-cancerous cells. This distinction could potentially mark a significant breakthrough in treating diverse cancers. By delving into signal transduction and engineering novel technologies that utilize distinct eat me and Dont eat me signals, a valuable avenue may emerge for advancing cancer treatment methodologies. Macrophages, functioning as vital components of the immune system, regulate metabolic equilibrium, manage inflammatory disorders, oversee fibrosis, and aid in the repair of injuries. However, in the context of tumor cells, the overexpression of Dont eat me signals like CD47, PD-L1, and beta-2 microglobulin (B2M), an anti-phagocytic subunit of the primary histocompatibility complex class I, enables these cells to evade macrophages and proliferate uncontrollably. Conversely, the presentation of an eat me signal, such as Phosphatidylserine (PS), along with alterations in charge and glycosylation patterns on the cellular surface, modifications in intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) epitopes, and the exposure of Calreticulin and PS on the outer layer of the plasma membrane represent universally observed changes on the surface of apoptotic cells, preventing phagocytosis from causing harm to adjacent non-tumoral cells. The current review provides insight into how signaling pathways and immune cells either stimulate or obstruct these signals, aiming to address challenges that may arise in future immunotherapy research. A potential solution lies in combination therapies targeting the eat me and Dont eat me signals in conjunction with other targeted therapeutic approaches. This innovative strategy holds promise as a novel avenue for the future treatment of cancer

The association between dietary intake of white rice and central obesity in obese adults

BACKGROUND: Obesity has become one of the most important and the fastest growing health and nutritional problem, not only in developed but also in developing countries. White rice consumption causes an increase in postprandial blood glucose and could be a probable reason for obesity. This study was conducted to investigate the association between intake of white rice and central obesity in an Iranian population. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, a total of 212 subjects were selected based on convenience non-random sampling procedure. Expert interviewers collected socio-demographic and dietary intake data by a face to face method. RESULTS: We failed to find any significant association between frequency of white rice consumption and body mass index or waist circumference, neither in crude model nor in adjusted models. CONCLUSION: Although there was no significant association between white rice intake and obesity factors in our study, more studies are necessary with larger population and better design. &nbsp; Keywords: White Rice, Body Mass Index, Central Obesity, Diet</div

Cytotoxic Activity of Selected Iranian Traditional Medicinal Plants on Colon, Colorectal and Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Background: Many natural products from plants have been recognized to exert anticancer activity. In this study, ethanolic extracts of selected medicinal herbs from Iranian flora including Alyssum homolocarpum Fisch. (from seeds), Urtica dioica L. (from aerial parts), Cichorium intybus L. (from roots) and Solanum nigrum L. (from fruits), were evaluated for their cytotoxic effect on different cell lines. Methods: Cytotoxic effect of these extracts was studied on three different cancer cell lines; colon carcinoma (HT-29), colorectal adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) and breast ductal carcinoma (T47D). In addition, Swiss mouse embryo fibroblasts (NIH 3T3) were used as normal nonmalignant cells. MTT assay (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) was utilized for calculating the cytotoxicity of extracts on cell lines. Results: Results showed the potent cytotoxic activity of U. dioica ethanolic extract against T47D cell line with IC50 value of 46.14±4.55 µg/ml. Other extracts showed poor activity with IC50>100 µg/ml. Conclusions: Cytotoxic activity recorded in the present study revealed high potential antiproliferative activity of U. dioica ethanolic extract against T47D cell line. The real IC50 values of this extract may be considerably lower than the IC50 measured in our study if its pharmacological active compounds become pure. The results emphasize the importance of studies on U. dioica ethanolic extract to characterize potential components as cytotoxic natural medicines

Thermo-sensitive polymers in medicine: A review

A wide variety of smart polymer systems such as thermosensitive polymers (TSPs)have been developed and applied mimicking nature. TSPs are a class of macromolecules that exhibit bio-inspired behavior and have various applications such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, theranostic particles and bioseparation. An inherent feature of a living system is its ability to react in response to an external stimulus. The temperature dependence of polymer properties is the reason behind dramatic changes in morphology, solubility, shape and sol-gel transition. TSPs can be synthesized as hydrogel, micro- and nanoparticles, film, micelle and mussel-inspired materials. The architecture of TSPs determines their biomimetic patterns and allows one to expand their uses. TSPs can be used as systems for the controlled release of drugs to a specific organ, as well as scaffolds in tissue engineering. Multi-responsive and thermosensitive features of TSPs give rise to design of smart systems for special applications. For example, pH- and photo-responsive abilities in combination with temperature sensitivity can play a vital role in drug delivery and tissue engineering. In-depth knowledge about the structure-property relationship is a key factor to design a smart biomimetic polymer. In this review paper, the functional design of the TSPs, their biomedical applications and the road ahead for their developments are comprehensively overviewed.Fil: Zarrintaj, Payam. Urmia University; Irán. Amirkabir University Of Technology; IránFil: Jouyandeh, Maryam. University Of Tehran; IránFil: Reza Ganjali, Mohammad. Biosensor Research Center; Irán. University Of Tehran; IránFil: Shirkavand Hadavand, Behzad. Institute For Color Science And Technology; IránFil: Mozafari, Masoud. Iran University Of Medical Sciences; IránFil: Sheiko, Sergei S.. University of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Vatankhah Varnoosfaderani, Mohammad. University of North Carolina; Estados UnidosFil: Gutiérrez Carmona, Tomy José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Reza Saeb, Mohammad. Institute For Color Science And Technology; Irán. University Of Tehran; Irá