Protective effects of gallic acid against chronic cerebral hypoperfusion-induced cognitive deficit and brain oxidative damage in rats

Free radical induced neural damage is implicated in cerebral hypoperfusion disorders and antioxidants have protective effects. In the present study, we examined the effect of gallic acid (GA; 100 mg/kg, p.o. for 10 days) on cognitive deficit and cerebral oxidative stress induced by permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO) as an animal model of vascular dementia (VD). The results showed that 2VO significantly reduced the spatial memory performance in Morris water maze as well as non enzymatic (total thiol) and enzymatic glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] antioxidant contents and increased the level of malondialclehyde (MDA) in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of vehicle-treated group as compared to sham-operated rats. Furthermore, chronic administration of GA significantly restored the spatial memory, total thiol and GPx contents and also decreased MDA levels in these tissues. GA alone did not show any change neither in the status of various antioxidants nor behavioral tests over sham values. The results demonstrate that GA has beneficial activity against 2VO-induced cognitive deficits via enhancement of cerebral antioxidant defense. Taken together, the present study suggested that GA might be useful in the treatment of VD. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Comparison of the Effect of Pressure on Bladder-GV20 and Gallbladder-GV20 on Labor Pain Intensity among the Primiparous Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: The cycle of pain, fear, and anxiety may lead to prolonged labor and cesarean section. Acupressure is one of the methods for pain relief. Aim: Therefore,this study aimed to compare the effect of acupressure on bladder-GV20 and gallbladder-GV20 points on the labor pain in primiparous women. Method: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 158 primiparous women, who referred to the Um Al-Benin Specialized Women Hospital, Mashhad, Iran in 2017. The first stage of labor included five and four pressure cycles on acupressure points in bladder and gallbladder in the intervention groups 1 and 2, respectively. In the second stage of labor one pressure cycle on the same points were completed. The control group only received the routine cares. The duration of uterine contractions was assessed by touching the uterus apex. Moreover, the pain intensity was evaluated by the visual analog scale. All the data were analyzed by the SPSS version 25 Results: The mean pain intensity in both stages of the intervention groups was significantly different from the control group and was significantly lower in the gallbladder group (

Gallic acid improves cognitive, hippocampal long-term potentiation deficits and brain damage induced by chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in rats

Cerebral Hypoperfusion Ischemia (CHI) has important role in neuronal damage and behavioral deficits, including memory and Long-term Potentiation (LTP) impairment. Protective effects of Gallic Acid (GA) on memory, hippocampus LTP and cell viability were examined in permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion in rats. Animals were divided into 9 groups: Control (Cont); sham operated (Sho); Cerebral Hypoperfusion Ischemia (CHI); CHI received normal saline (CHI +Veh); CHI treated with different doses gallic acid (50,100, 200 mg kg-1 for 5 days before and 5 days after CHI induction, orally); CHI treated with phenytoin (50 mg kg-1, ip) (CHI+Phe); and sham operated received 100 mg kg-1, orally (Sho+GAl 00). CHI was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (2VO). Behavioral, electrophysiological and histological evaluations were performed. Data were analyzed by one-way and repeated measures ANOVA followed by tukey's post-hoc test. GA improved passive avoidance memory, hippocampal LTP and cell viability in hippocampus and cortex of ischemic rats significantly (p<0.01). The results suggest that gallic acid via its antioxidative and free radicals scavenging properties attenuates CHI induced behavioral and electrophysiological deficits and has significant protective effect on brain cell viability. Dose of 100 mg kg-1 GA has affected the ischemic but not intact rats and its effect was more potent significantly than phenytoin, a routine drug for ischemic subjects. © 2014 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Behavioral deficits induced by lead exposure are accompanied by serotonergic and cholinergic alterations in the prefrontal cortex

The effects of long-term lead (Pb) exposure producing a blood Pb concentration of lower than 20 μg/dL, i.e. below that associated with overt neurological deficits in occupationally exposed individuals, was studied in adult rats. In order to assess gender differences, we performed parallel behavioral experiments in male and female rats. Exposure to Pb acetate (50 ppm in drinking water) for 6 months induced motor and cognitive alterations, however these effects were gender- and task-dependent. Chronic lead exposure impaired spatial learning assessed in the Morris water maze test (MWM) in both genders, whereas it only induced hyperactivity in the open field and impaired motor coordination in the rotarod test, only in male rats. Hyperactivity in male rats was accompanied by an increase in extracellular level of acetylcholine in the prefrontal cortex. Extracellular dopamine concentration in the prefrontal cortex was unaffected by lead exposure whereas serotonin concentration in the same brain area was significantly decreased in both male and female rats exposed to lead. These results unveil new molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric alterations induced by chronic lead exposure. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.This work was supported by a grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CTQ2010-20960-C02-02.Peer Reviewe

Protective Effects of Crocin Against Streptozotocin-Induced Oxidative Damage in Rat Striatum

The study aimed to investigate the protective effects of crocin (Cro) against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced oxidative damage in rat striatum. Animals were randomly divided into four groups (five each). Group 1 (sham) were treated with normal saline (2 ml/kg, p.o.). Group 2 (STZ-lesioned or lesion) were injected with ICV-STZ (3 mg/kg bilaterally, on day 1 and 3) and treated with normal saline (2 ml/kg, p.o.) respectively, for 21 days. Group 3 (sham+Cro) were injected ICV on day 1 and 3 with artificial CSF and treated with crocin (100 mg/kg, p.o.) for 21 days. Group 4 (lesion+Cro) were injected with ICV STZ (3 mg/kg bilaterally, on day 1 and 3) and treated with crocin (100 mg/kg, p.o.) for 21 days. The homogenized striatum was used for measuring malondialdehyde (MDA), and total thiol contents besides glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Crocin treatment resulted in a significant reduction in MDA concentration as compared to the STZ-lesioned rats. Moreover, crocin produced a significant elevation in total thiol content and GPx activity, as compared with STZ-lesioned group. The present findings provide evidence that crocin may have a therapeutic significance for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD)

Evaluation of Serum Vaspin and Chemerin Levels in Type 2 Diabetic and Treated with Anti Diabetic Drugs Metformin and Acarbose in Rats

Background & Objective: The serum levels of adipose tissue hormons, Vaspin and Chemerin, alter in some disorder conditions such as diabetes. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of two anti-diabetic drugs (Metformin and Acarbose) and their combination on serum concentration of Vaspin and Chemerin in type 2 diabetic rats. Materials & Methods: 30 male, wistar rats are randomly divided into 5 groups, while 4 groups are suffered from type 2 diabetes, and 3 groups of these diabetics are cured using metformin, acarbose, and combination of both, respectively, during 6 weeks. Body weight, fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin, lipid profile, and serum’s vaspin and chemerin are being examined. Statistic data are analyzed using SPSS software. Results report by mean ± standard deviation, and statistic difference considers significant by P˂0.05. Results: Findings of this study show a significant decrease for vaspin (P=0.001) and a significant increase for chemerin levels (P=0.004) in diabetic control group compared with normal control group. Treatment of all groups show a significant increase in serum levels of vaspin (P=0.001) while treatment by metformin results in a significant decrease in chemerin level in this group (P=0.036). In this study, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and lipid profile in treated group with both of drugs show decrease that is more significant. Conclusion: Probably metformin and acarbose through increase of serum level of vaspin leads to reduction of insulin resistance

Effect of 8 Weeks of Rebound Therapy on Balance, Flexibility, and Muscle Strength of the Knee in Children with Spastic Cerebral Palsy

Introduction: Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of motor disability in childhood. This study was conducted to determine the effects of 8 weeks of therapeutic rebound therapy on balance, flexibility, and muscle strength of the knee in children with spastic cerebral palsy. Materials and Methods: This semi-experimental study was performed on a total of 20 children of 6 to 12 years of age with spastic cerebral palsy studying at special schools of Isfahan, Iran. The participant were selected through convenience and purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to the control (n = 10) and experimental groups (n = 10). After a briefing session, informed consent forms were obtained from parents of all subjects. A digital dynamometer, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), and the sit and reach test were used to assess knee flexor and extensor muscle strength, balance, and flexibility, respectively. Children performed selected training under the supervision of specialists for 8 weeks, 3 sessions per week. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with significance level of P < 0.05. Results: All parameters measured in the study, including balance, flexibility, and muscle strength of the knee, had significant interactions (P < 0.05). This means that the rebound training group illustrated greater improvement in comparison to the control group. Conclusion: Due to the effectiveness of this training, as illustrated in this study, and being low-cost, safe, and applicable at home, these exercises can be used for a wide range of people with cerebral palsy

Gender-dependent behavioural impairment and brain metabolites in young adult rats after short term exposure to lead acetate

We investigated the behavioural effects of short-term lead (Pb) exposure in adult rats producing blood Pb concentration (<10. μg/dL) below those associated with neurological impairment in occupationally exposed individuals. In order to assess gender differences, we performed parallel behavioural experiments in male and female rats. Exposure to Pb acetate (50. mg/L in drinking water) for 30-45 days induced behavioural alterations consisting in hyperactivity in a novel environment and impairment of spatial memory. These effects were observed only in male rats. Object recognition, motor coordination were unaffected by Pb exposure. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows . in vivo assessment of main brain metabolites (glutamate/glutamine, creatine, myoinositol, . N-acetylaspartate and choline) whose changes have been demonstrated in several central nervous system pathologies. Exposure to Pb did not affect metabolite profile in the striatum and increase myoinositol signal in the hippocampus of male rats. The increase in myoinositol in hippocampus suggests early Pb-induced alteration in glial metabolism in this brain region and may represent a potential marker of early brain dysfunction during Pb exposure. © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.This work was supported by the grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CTQ2010-20960-C02-02.Peer Reviewe