Impact of N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine on the Pathology of Experimental Parkinson’s Disease in Vivo

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with disruptions in motor as well as non-motor functions, such as cognitive and olfactory impairments. Postmortem tissue from Parkinson’s patients shows evidence of oxidative stress in dopaminergic neurons and hallmark proteinaceous inclusions known as Lewy bodies in multiple brain regions spanning the medulla oblongata to the telencephalon. There are no therapies that decelerate the progression of this disease. Thus, the major goal of the present study was to test the therapeutic potential of two neuroprotective molecules, the antioxidant thiol N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and the steroid neuromodulator dehyroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), in experimental models of Parkinson’s disease in vivo. To accomplish this goal, we first established multiple animal models of Parkinson’s disease that mimicked oxidative and/or proteotoxic stress: the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) model of dopaminergic neurodegeneration and the alpha-synuclein model of Lewy-like pathology. NAC offered only transient protection in the 6-OHDA model, as demonstrated by multiple histological techniques that were validated in the present study. Indeed, NAC was mildly toxic at doses previously employed in the clinic, with implications for the long-term use of NAC in patients with chronic neurodegenerative conditions. We also developed a model of Lewy-like pathology in the hippocampus in which to examine the effects of DHEAS upon memory function. Although DHEAS failed to affect memory, we subsequently discovered that infusions of waterbath-sonicated alpha-synuclein fibrils into hippocampal CA2/CA3 led to robust Lewy-like pathology in some (but not all) of the brain regions that send first-order efferent projections to the hippocampus—the amygdala, entorhinal cortex, and contralateral CA3. Similar to the human condition, we collected evidence of selective vulnerability to alpha-synucleinopathy, as the septohippocampal projections were spared in our model. Notably, Lewy-like pathology in the hippocampus was statistically correlated with memory and olfactory deficits. Taken together, these studies reveal a novel model of proteinopathy in the hippocampus, which is known to develop Lewy pathology at mid-to-end stages of Parkinson’s disease and may be partly responsible for cognitive deficits in this condition. This model can now be used to test neuroprotective drug candidates that have the potential to ameliorate proteinopathic stress and improve neurological outcomes

An Analysis of Pragmatic Competence in 2013 Presidential Election Candidates of Iran: A Comparison of Speech Acts with the Poll Outcomes

This study tried to investigate pragmatic competence in Iran’s 2013 presidential election candidates. The data were collected from the recorded video of a live TV program at the Fararu news source by sampling the third debate. At first, the researchers employed Austin’s (1962) and Searle’s (1975) theory to extract types of speech act strategies used by the candidates. Then, the study used the Pearson chi-square formula to examine the frequency of speech acts types. Moreover, the present study compared types of locutionary, illocutionery, and perlocutionary speech acts used by candidates with the poll outcomes issued by press media, in order to achieve the assumption that speech acts might have a great effect on election’s outcomes. It found three kinds of locutionary acts: declarative, imperative and interrogative. Also, it found five kinds of illocutionary acts used by some candidates: declarative, representative, directive, expressive, and commissive. Consequently, the candidates were almost equally in using locutionary acts, but they were permanently different in illocutionary acts. Finally, in terms of perlocutionary acts, the candidates were mostly intended to get the hearers know by their assertion, explanation, clarification, argumentation, etc

Evaluating the miR-302b and miR-145 expression in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background: MicroRNAs are involved in key cellular processes regulating, and their misregulation is linked to cancer. The miR-302-367 cluster is exclusively expressed in embryonic stem and carcinoma cells. This cluster also promotes cell reprogramming and stemness process. In contrast, miR-145 is mostly regarded as a tumor suppressor, where it regulates cellular functions such as cell division, differentiation, and apoptosis. By suppressing the main pluripotency factors (OCT4, SOX2, MYC and KLF4), miR-145 silences the self-renewal program in ESCs. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to find a potential link between the expression level of hsa-miR-302b and hsa-miR-145 with tumor vs. non-tumor as well as high-grade vs. low-grade states of the esophageal tissue samples. Methods: A total number of 40 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma (ESCC) were obtained, and the tumor and marginal non-tumor areas delineated and punched off by an expert pathologist. Total RNA was extracted with Trizol, and cDNA synthesized using the miRCURY LNA™ Universal RT microRNA PCR Kit. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were performed using specific LNA-primers and SYBR Green master mix. Results: The expression level of miR-302b failed to show any significant difference, neither between tumor and their non-tumor counterparts, nor among tumors with different grades of malignancies (P > 0.05). In contrast, miR-145 was significantly down regulated in all grades of tumor samples (P 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our data revealed a significant down-regulation of miR-145 in ESCC tissue samples. Based on our ROC curve analysis data (AUC = 0.74, P < 0.001) miR-145 could be regarded as a potential tumor marker for diagnosis of esophageal cancer. © 2015, Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran. All rights reserved

Nurses experiences about self sacrifice and martyrdom during imposed war from 1980-1988: an oral history

Abstract Introduction: The imposed war was a war of self sacrifice and martyrdom. Holy defense and the imposed 8-year war were the proofs of Iranians resistance and patience which were recorded in the history. The aim was to study the nurses' experiences about self sacrifice and martyrdom during imposed war on Iran from 1980-1988. Methods: Historical research and oral history were the methods used which were conducted through active interviews. Twenty five nurses were interviewed about their experiences about sacrifice and martyrdom at war. Results: Descriptive themes of experience of nurses include "paramedics role in the war", "accepting responsibility in treatment units with sacrifice", "accompanying with the rest of the medical team in vital activities"," injury and death of nurses during activities", "different working conditions of nurses in the care of victims of chemical injuries and dedication in caring for them", and "creative activities to help the victims in battle field are describing the experiences of nurses involved with sacrifice and martyrdom. Conclusion: The results showed how the war may be the manifestation of the effects of certain conditions of self-sacrifice and martyrdom to the nurses and enhance learning and cause acquiring new experience. Thus, while learning from the experience gained, nurses used the lessons of the past to build the future effectively. Key words: Imposed war, nursing, self sacrifice, martyrdom, oral histor

An empirical investigation to analysis the dimensions of cultural security: A case study of educational system

The purpose of this study is to explore the concept of cultural security and its practical implications in a case study of educational system. There are several definitions of culture, which describe different aspects of cultural security. In fact, cultural security tends to show various behaviors, thinking, beliefs and other people’s perspectives in a society, which represents the overall circumstances. Cultural security and its issues make it possible to have a clear image of a society or community. This paper aims to identify the important dimensions of cultural security in terms of basic components of cultural security identified in a framework. Therefore, after identifying the components, using a questionnaire, required data are gathered from the universities of the city of Ilam, Iran and they are analyzed by SPSS18.0 software and its appropriate statistical tests

A Review of Common Problems in Design and Installation of Water Spray Cooling and Low Expansion Foam System to Protect Storage Tanks Containing Hydrocarbons Against Fires

Tank fires are rare but carry significant potential risk to life and property. For this reason fire protection of tanks is critical. Fixed Low expansion foam and water spray cooling systems are one of the most effective and economical ways to reduce damages to a tank from fire. Such systems are currently installed in many companies but are not effective enough and require involvement of firefighters which in turn threaten their lives. This paper studies in a systematic way the problems of foam and cooling systems currently installed in a few domestic companies which operate storage tanks with focus on floating and fixed roof atmospheric tanks containing hydrocarbons and offers possible solutions for more efficient installation, design and operation of such systems

Main Determinants of Supplementary Health Insurance Demand: (Case of Iran)

INTRODUCTION: In the majority of developing countries, the volume of medical insurance services, provided by social insurance organizations is inadequate. Thus, supplementary medical insurance is proposed as a means to address inadequacy of medical insurance. Accordingly, in this article, we attempted to provide the context for expansion of this important branch of insurance through identification of essential factors affecting demand for supplementary medical insurance. METHOD: In this study, two methods were used to identify essential factors affecting choice of supplementary medical insurance including Classification and Regression Trees (CART) and Bayesian logit. To this end, Excel® software was used to refine data and R® software for estimation. The present study was conducted during 2012, covering all provinces in Iran. Sample size included 18,541 urban households, selected by Statistical Center of Iran using 3-stage cluster sampling approach. In this study, all data required were collected from the Statistical Center of Iran. RESULTS: In 2012, an overall 8.04 of the Iranian population benefited from supplementary medical insurance. Demand for supplementary insurance is a concave function of age of the household head, and peaks in middle-age when savings and income are highest. The present study results showed greater likelihood of demand for supplementary medical insurance in households with better economic status, higher educated heads, female heads, and smaller households with greater expected medical expenses, and household income is the most important factor affecting demand for supplementary medical insurance. CONCLUSION: Since demand for supplementary medical insurance is hugely influenced by households' economic status, policy-makers in the health sector should devise measures to improve households' economic or financial access to supplementary insurance services, by identifying households in the lower economic deciles, and increasing their financial ability to pay. Moreover, insurance companies should adjust their insurance policy according to clients' needs, household characteristics, and their incomes