monireh movahedi

Phenobarbital is a sedative drug that belongs to the barbiturate class. Barbiturates work by reducing the excitability of neurons. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of phenobarbital on the embryos of adult female BALB/c mice.

In this study, 60 adult female BALB/c mice weighing approximately 24 to 26 g were classified into six groups: control, sham, and treatment groups. Phenobarbital ampoules were used for the study, and the lethal dose (LD50) in vivo was calculated to be 3.84 ml/kg.bw. Intraperitoneal injections were administered on days 3, 4, 5, and 6 of pregnancy. On day 7 of pregnancy (following the last injection), the mice were euthanized, weighed, and dissected. Their uterus and ovaries were rinsed with sterile physiological serum and evaluated both microscopically and macroscopically. The results obtained were analyzed using SPSS software and subjected to an ANOVA test.

Based on the results of the study, phenobarbital caused syndactyly (gluing of fingers and toes), exohepatic, exencephaly, spinabifida, lack of motor organ formation, asymmetry in motor organ orientation, liver enlargement, weight loss, CR size reduction, subcutaneous hemorrhages, C-shaped body, and umbilical hernia. Additionally, a significant decrease (P<0.05) was reported in fetal weight, placental weight, placental diameter, and CR.

The current study indicated that phenobarbital likely has a negative impact on embryos during the embryonic development stage, leading to miscarriage, abnormalities, and infertility. Therefore, serious precautions should be taken to avoid the use of this drug during pregnancy.

In recent years, due to the spread of drug resistance in the Plasmodium parasite and the shortcomings of anti-malarial drugs, the use of liposome-based nanomedicines in treating malaria has garnered significant attention. This research studied the effect of liposomes containing the antimalarial compound Eosin B on the Plasmodium berghei parasite in murine malaria. Liposomes containing Eosin B were prepared using cholesterol in the presence of Eosin B via solvent evaporation. Eosin B, Eosin B liposome, drug solvent, drug-free liposomes, and control drugs were administered to infected mice. The percentage of parasite inhibitory activity was evaluated using Peter’s test. In the in vitro model, the Plasmodium falciparum parasite was first cultured, and the survival percentage of the parasite in each group was investigated using the parasite lactate dehydrogenase test. In each test group, the percentage of parasitemia under the effect of the Eosin B liposome was lower than that of Eosin B alone, and the inhibition percentage was significantly higher (P<0.05). Also, the survival percentage of the parasite in the in vitro model was lower in each group under the effect of the Eosin B liposome compared to Eosin B alone. Liposomes containing Eosin B can increase efficacy in the mouse malaria model and reduce the drug’s dose. Considering the reduction of drug dosage in treating malaria by the Eosin B liposome, using this liposome drug might be beneficial.

Reduction of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI)/re-oxygenation injury, is defined as the paradoxical exacerbation of the cellular dysfunction and death, following restoration of the blood flow to previously ischemic tissues. The re-establishment of blood flow is essential to salvage the ischemic tissues. As a result, the treatment of IRI with novel therapies, which have fewer side effects, are of great importance. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin nanoparticle (CN) pre-treatment on the cerebral I/R rat model.

In this experimental study, CN was administered to rats orally five days before the bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO) and continued for three days. The intensity of oxidative stress, the activities of antioxidant enzymes, glutathione (GSH) content, the activity of mitochondrial enzymes, including succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), curcumin bioavailability, pERK/ERK expression ratio and TFEB protein were studied. Data analysis was performed using Graphpad Prism V.8 software, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS V.26 software).

Cerebral IRI-damage significantly increased the oxidative stress (P=0.0008) and decreased the activity of the antioxidant enzymes including catalase (CAT) (P<0.001), super oxide dismutase (SOD) (P<0.001), reduced GSH (P<0.001), mitochondrial enzymes, pERK/ERK expression ratio (P=0.002) and TEFB protein (P=0.005) in rats’ brains. In addition, the pre-treatment of the rats with CN resulted in a decrease in the reactive oxygen species (ROS), and an increase in the activities of antioxidants and mitochondrial enzymes. This in turn up-regulated the pERK/ERK expression ratio and TEFB expression.

CN has neuroprotective effects on the cerebral IRI condition due to its antioxidant properties and is able to overexpress the pERK and TFEB proteins; thus, it can be considered as a suitable treatment option during and after the incidence of stroke.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the main cause of death and is characterized by atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. Inflammation plays a crucial role in the progression and development of atherosclerosis.

The present study consisted of 132 Iranian individuals who underwent coronary angiography, 65 patients with CAD, and 67 controls. The matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), TNF-α, IL-6, and vitamin D serum levels were measured by the ELISA technique. The gene expression of MMP-9 and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) was estimated by real-time PCR assay.

A considerable increase in levels and PBMC gene expression of MMP-9 and serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were found in CAD patients compared with controls. A significant decrease was detected in vitamin D levels of CAD patients in comparison with controls. A considerable direct correlation was found between MMP-9 levels and MMP-9 and TIMP1 gene expression in CAD patients. MMP-9 levels positively correlated with LDL-C in CAD patients. The correlation between TIMP1 gene expression and IL-6 levels was also negatively significant. There were positive correlations between MMP-9 levels with IL-6 and TNF-α serum levels in CAD patients.

This study showed that the interaction between MMPs, TIMP1, and cytokines could play a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The present study suggested that high levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and vitamin D deficiency in our studied patients could disturb the MMP-9/TIMP-1 balance and lipid metabolism, leading to plaque formation/ rupture in predisposed CAD patients.

The level of an immune response inhibitory enzyme, called indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), and the activity of Treg cells increase in some patients with cancer and acute leukemias such that it can lead to the inhibition of immune responses. Therefore, the very aim of the present study was to evaluate the regulatory T cells (CD4 + / FOXP3 +) and the level of the IDO expression in acute leukemias using flow cytometry and Real-Time PCR.  

This study used bone marrow samples taken from  30 patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), and 20 healthy individuals. Then, the level of the IDO expression and the percentage of Treg cells were evaluated using flow cytometry and Real-Time PCR. The results revealed that the percentage of Treg in the total lymphocytes, T and Th in the ALL group was significantly higher than that of the normal groups the respectively (P <0.001).

In addition, the level of the IDO expression in the normal group was significantly lower than that of the ALL group (P= 0.016).

The level of the IDO expression in the ALL groups was significantly higher than the normal group. Moreover, there was a positive and non-significant relationship between the level of the IDO expression and the percentages of Treg cells in the ALL group. Therefore, it seems necessary to conduct more studies for the behavior of this leukemia in the expression of IDO enzyme and the percentage of Treg cells and their relationship with each other.

The study aimed to synthesize both silver- and zinc-oxide nanoparticles utilizing the Peganum harmala smoke extract (PHSE) bio-platform to evaluate their cytotoxicity on different types of human cancer cell lines and study their anti-oxidant, and anti-angiogenic potentials. 

The Silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NP) were produced utilizing the green-synthesize method by applying the PHSE bio-platform. After characterization by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) methods. MTT assay was used for the evaluation toxicity of nanoparticles. ABTS, DPPH, FRAP, and ROS for anti-oxidant capacity, chicks’ chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), and qPCR for anti-angiogenesis effects of nanoparticles were used. 

Ag-NPs (82.42 nm) and ZnO-NPs (163.05 nm) inhibited prostate, ovarian, and liver malignant cells. Inhibition of ABTS•+ and DPPH•+ and increasing the rate of intracellular ROS exhibited the anti and pro-oxidant capacity of Ag and ZnO-NPs out and inside of malignant cells. Also, their anti-angiogenesis impact was verified by significant dose-dependent VEGF and VEGFR down-regulation and the decreased blood vessels in the CAM. 

The anti-oxidant, cytotoxicity and anti-angiogenesis effects of Ag and ZnO-NPs synthesized from Pecan smoke extract make it possible to use these nanoparticles in cancer chemotherapy.

Natural products can help in the treatment of many diseases due to their low side effects. In the present study the effect of pretreatment of nanobetanin and nanocurcumin in cerebral ischemia rats was investigated.

The present study was experimental. 40 male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups of healthy control, healthy animals receiving nanobetanin, healthy animals receiving nanocurcumin, healthy animals receiving nanobetanin+nanocurcumin, cerebral I/R, cerebral I/R receiving nanobetanin, cerebral I/R receiving nanocurcumin and cerebral I/R receiving nanobetanin + nanocurcumin. Oral administration of nanobetanin and nanocurcumin started five days before Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion induction in rats and continued three days later. Neurological disorders scores were assessed. After preparing the brain homogenate, the intensity of oxidative stress, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the expressions of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and alpha tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) cytokines were measured by relevant kits. Data analysis was done in GraphPad prism V.8 software.

Nanobetanin and nanocurcumin showed strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) rats. The content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain of I/R rats receiving nanobetanin and nanocurcumin decreased (P=0.00001) and the activity of antioxidant enzyme such as superoxide dismutase improved (P=0.00002), and the content of glutathione regeneration showed an increasing trend (P=0.0004). A decrease in neurological disorders scores (P=0.009) was observed in cerebral I/R rats receiving nanobetanin and nanocurcumin. Furthermore, nanobetanin and nanocurcumin administration reduced the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β (P=0.00003), IL-6 (P=0.00006), TNF-α (P=0.008) in the rats with cerebral I/R injury.

Nanobetanin and nanocurcumin has neuroprotective effects in cerebral I/R condition due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties, which can be considered as a suitable treatment option in stroke conditions

Nowadays, diabetes mellitus is a major challenge for human health. Serine/threonine-protein kinase 4 (STK4) is a main regulator of pancreatic β-cell death and dysfunction, and its over activation can lead to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Deficiency of STK4 restores functional β-cells and normoglycemia. In the current study, for the first time, we used molecular modeling to discover a potent STK4 inhibitor.

In this study, among 51220 molecules in ZINC database, we used the molecular docking method for virtual screening process to select the potent and effective inhibitors against STK4. We used Desmond software for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations studies of the structures with the lowest free binding energy for 100 ns. The ADME properties of the selected compounds were calculated by Qikprop software.

Virtual screening results showed that compounds with ZINC ID of ZINC95918625, ZINC85569233, ZINC03874317, ZINC00105086 and ZINC14819359 can be considered as STK4 inhibitors. Among these compounds, ZINC95918625 had the lowest free binding energy (-11.67 kcal/mol). After the 100 ns MD studies, ZINC95918625 interacted with STK4 residues of Lys59, Glu73, Cys105, and Gly153 via hydrogen bonding. ADME analysis exhibited that all pharmaco-kinteic parameters of ZINC95918625 were within the reasonable range.

Our study can provide valuable information about new inhibitors for diabetes treatment. The findings of this study indicated that ZINC95918625 molecule could be used as a novel STK4 inhibitor in the future studies.

This study examined the potential of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) as a marker in early diagnosis or as a prognostic factor for breast cancer (BC) patients.

A total of 31 patients diagnosed with BC were enrolled in the study between 2008 and 2018. The mRNA and protein expression levels of HE4 were analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in the BC tissue and the non-tumoral adjacent tissue. Using ELISA technique, HE4 plasma levels were also measured in 43 BC patients compared to 43 healthy individuals. The correlation between HE4 expression and clinicopathological features was then investigated.

An increase in HE4 expression was observed at mRNA and protein levels in the BC group compared to the control group (p <0.01, p <0.0001, respectively). In addition, the relative expression of HE4 mRNA in BC patients showed a significant correlation with the differentiation grade of cancer cells (p <0.001). Plasma levels of HE4 was also associated with grade (p <0.0001), stage, and tumor size in BC patients (for both p <0.01). Patients with metastatic BC (p <0.01), lymphatic invasion, and lymph node involvement (for both p <0.05) showed significantly higher plasma levels of HE4 expression than patients without metastasis.

According to our findings, upregulation of HE4 is probably related to invasive BC phenotype, and measuring plasma levels of HE4 could be useful as a screening test in early diagnosis of BC.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) comprises nearly 5% of all cases of thyroid cancer (TC). Aberrant activation of RET (rearranged during transfection) signaling via somatic mutations is the basic molecular mechanism of MTC tumorigenicity. In this study, we determined the incidence of RET gene mutations in exons 10, 11, and 16 in Iranian patients.

A total of 33 patients undergoing thyroidectomy at Imam Khomeini hospital of Tehran, Iran and diagnosed with MTC were enrolled. For investigating mutations in exons 10, 11, and 16, DNA was extracted from tumor tissues, and the genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then sequenced.

Out of 33 patients, 20 (60.6%) subjects had mutations in one of the examined exons (10, 11, and 16). According to our results, the “ATG918ACG” mutation in codon 918 had the highest rate.

Testing RET mutations can be beneficial in clinical evaluation and treatment management of MTC patients.

Fennel as a medicinal plant has a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine. But there have been few reports of this drug toxicity in different tissues. In this study, the effect of aqueous extract of fennel on the kidneys of adult male BALB/C mice and renal blood factors was investigated.

In this study, 40 adult male BALB/C mice in the range of 20-22 g were used. Mice were divided into 5 groups. Group 1: Control, Group 2: Sham, that received normal saline intraperitoneal (IP) for 14 days. Experimental groups received doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg of body weight of the aqueous extract of fennel IP for 14 days. After 14 days of treatment, the mice were anesthetized and after blood sampling from the heart, their kidneys were removed for pathology examination. Histological sections were prepared and stained with H & E and investigated by the optical microscope. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

The mean number of glomeruli, cortex thickness, vascular occlusion, leukocyte infiltration and other histologic indices in the group received 200 mg/kg of an aqueous extract of fennel had a significant difference with control group. However, weight, BUN, creatinine and medulla thickness indices did not have any significant difference with the control group.

The results showed that aqueous extract of fennel at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg had no toxic effects on parenchyma and renal cells, but dose of 200 mg/kg had toxic effects on the kidney.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is one of the ancient plants that has various medicinal effects. The main hormones produced by the thyroid gland are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which regulate the bodychr('39')s growth and development. Thyroid hormones have two receptors called TRα and TRβ in different tissues. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of fennel aqueous extract on serum levels of thyroid hormones and the expression of thyroid receptors in ovarian tissue.

In this study, 40 female Balb/C mice weighing 18-20 g were used. Mice were divided into 5 groups of 8 including control, sham and intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg aqueous fennel extract for 14 days. The blood samples were then taken from the heart to measure thyroid hormone. The ovarian tissue was also sampled for real time thyroid receptor expression by PCR.

Serum thyroid hormones, T3 and T4 were not changed by aqueous extract of fennel. The expression of receptor β did not have any significant change, but the expression of receptor α increased significantly by the 200 mg/kg of aqueous extract of fennel. The weights of the rats in 200 mg/kg of fennel decreased significantly.

Fennel may increase ovarian response to thyroid hormones in high dose.

The purpose of this study was to design a practical model to clarify the role of the educational stakeholders on the establishment of the knowledge management in the education system. The research method was descriptive of survey type. The research population included heads, deputies and experts and the school principals of Māzandarān education office. According to Cochran formula, 336 participants were selected as a sample from 2653 heads of the education offices, their assistants, experts and school' managers in Māzandarān, using a random cluster sampling method. The measurement tools were the researcher-made questionnaires of the educational stakeholders' role and the establishment of the knowledge management. The content and face validity of the questionnaires were confirmed by the experts. Cronbach's calculated alpha for the questionnaires were 0.91 and 0.87 respectively and the reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed that the variable of the stakeholders has three individual, organizational and procedural dimensions. The individual dimension has 7 components (personal motivation, awareness, skill, experience, willingness, participation and educability). The organizational dimension has 6 components (organizational culture, organizational structure, organizational technology, human resources, management and leadership, organizational environment). Also, the procedural dimension has 6 components (developing the knowledge-based process, providing the technical infra-structures, knowledge creation process, Knowledge acquisition process, knowledge conversion process, and knowledge application process). Among the three dimensions, the individual dimension had the most impact, and the procedural one had the least impact on the establishment of the knowledge management. The results of the structural equation test also showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between the role of the educational stakeholders and the establishment of the knowledge management in the education system of the Māzandarān province. Therefore, it could be concluded that the educational stakeholders have a role in the establishment of the knowledge management and the managers and authorities of education with the participation of the educational stakeholders, i.e., the teachers, principals, parents, medium and the non-governmental organizations could increase the efficiency of the organization.

ntroduction:Differentiating actual epileptic seizures (ESs) from psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) isof great interest. This study compares the serum proteomics of patients diagnosed with ESs and PNES.Meth-ods:Eight patients with seizure (4 with PNES and 4 with TLE (temporal lope epilepsy)) were enrolled in thiscomparative study. Venous blood samples were drawn during the first hour following the seizure. Standard pro-tein purification technique was employed and proteins were subsequently separated via 2-D electrophoresis.After comparison of the serum proteomes from the two groups, protein expression was analyzed. The differen-tially expressed bands were determined using both matrix-assisted laser ionization time-of-flight (MALDI/TOF)and electrospray ionization quadruple mass spectrometry (MS).

This study identified 361 proteins, theexpression of 110 proteins increased, and 87 proteins decreased in the PNES group compared with TLE group.Four separate proteins were finally identified with MALDI/TOF MS analysis. Compared with PNES group, al-pha 1-acidglycoprotein 1, ceruloplasmin, and S100-βwere down-regulated and malate dehydrogenase 2 wasup-regulated in the serum of TLE patients.

Our results indicated that changes in serum levelsof S100-β, ceruloplasmin, alpha 1-acidglycoprotein 1, and malate dehydrogenase 2 after seizure could be intro-duced as potential markers to differentiate ES from PNES; however, more advanced studies are required to reacha better understanding of the underlying mechanisms.

There is an increasing interest in the use of different biomarkers to help distinguish psychogenic non-epileptic seizure (PNES) from epileptic seizures (ES). This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of differen- tially expressed serum proteins in ES and PNES cases.

In this cross-sectional study, 4 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and 4 patients with PNES were selected from patients with history of recurrent seizures. Venous blood samples were obtained within 1 hour after seizure and serum proteomes as well as the extent of protein expression were analyzed.

361 proteins were identified; of these, expression of 197 proteins had altered. 110 (55.9%) proteins were down-regulated and 87 (44.1%) were up-regulated in the PNES samples compared to ES samples. The mean pI for deregulated proteins with 1.5 to 3 fold changes were 6.69 ± 1.68 in proteins with increasing expression in ES group and 5.88 ± 1.39 in proteins with increasing expression in PNES group (p = 0.008). The median and interquartile range (IQR) of molecular weight changes in proteins with 1.5 to 3 fold changes were 64 (22.0-86.0) in proteins whose expression had increased in ES group and 39.5 (26.0-61.5) in proteins whose expression had increased in PNES cases (p = 0.05).

Several spots with differential expression were observed by comparing patients with ES against the PNES groups, which could be potential biomarkers of the disease. Damage to the blood-brain barrier is the most important difference be- tween the two groups, thus identifying total protein changes offers a key to the future of differentiating ES and PNES patients.

Apoptosis is a programmed cell death that occurs due to various factors such as reperfusion ischemia. As a purinergic receptor, A1AR acts as an oxidative stress sensor and an antioxidant during reperfusion ischemia.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of adenosine injection following cerebral reperfusion ischemia on A1AR gene expression and apoptosis in the brain hippocampal tissue of male Wistar rats.

This experimental study was conducted at Shahid Mirghani Research Institute in Gorgan, Iran, from January 21, 2019, to March 18, 2019. The sample size was determined according to previous studies and a pilot study. Thus, 30 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups by simple random sampling (using a random-number table): Control group (n = 10), Reperfusion ischemia group (n = 10), and Reperfusion ischemia + adenosine group (n = 10). Ischemia was induced in animals by closing the carotid artery for 45 min. Adenosine was injected 24 h after ischemia. We measured A1AR gene expression, SOD protein expression, and apoptosis by real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and the TUNEL method, respectively.

The results showed that cerebral reperfusion ischemia significantly increased A1AR gene expression (596%) and apoptosis (378%) and decreased SOD protein expression (72%) compared to the control group (P < 0.001). On the other hand, adenosine significantly reduced A1AR gene expression (46%) and apoptosis (69%) and increased SOD protein expression (94%) compared to the ischemic group (P < 0.001).

Ischemic brain reperfusion causes oxidative stress. Also, adenosine injection seems to be effective in reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by cerebral reperfusion ischemia.

 Unit of p65 is one of the subunit of NF-κB and its phosphorylation by stress oxidative causes activation of NF-κB. The aim of present study was to investigate the effects of adenosine injection after of brain ischemia reperfusion injury on gene expression of NF-κB /p65 and ROS in male Wistar rats. 40 male wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups, healthy control (n=10), ischemia reperfusion (n=10), ischemia reperfusion + adenosine dose of 0.1 mg/kg (n=10) and ischemia reperfusion + adenosine dose of 0.4 mg/kg  (n=10). The animals were subjected to ischemia by the ligation of common carotid arteries for 45 min. Intraperitoneal injection of adenosine was done after 24 h ischemia in rats. The gene expression of NF-κB /P65 and ROS activity were examined by Real time-PCR and Spectroflourimeter, respectively. One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to analysis the data. The significant level was set at p<0.05.   The results showed that ischemia induced significant increase in gene expression of NF-κB /p65 and ROS activity compared to control group (p<0.05). Also, both dose of adenosine resulted in significant decrease in gene expression of NF-κB /p65 and ROS activity compared to ischemia group(p<0.05). Brain ischemia reperfusion causes the stress oxidative. It appears that injection of adenosine is effective in reduction of stress oxidative and inflammation due to brain ischemia reperfusion.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can induce carcinogenesis via DNA injury. Antioxidants participate in cell protection against harmful influence of oxidative stress. The aim of the present study was to assess the levels of antioxidant elements, including Zn, Cu, Se and Mn, in serum of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia before treatment. In this study, 20 children just diagnosed ALL before chemotherapy (mean age, 6.6±4.6) compared to 20 healthy controls (mean age, 10.3±2.7). Concentration of the elements were measured with atomic absorption spectroscopy serum levels of Mn were significantly lower in acute leukemia than in controls (P=0.03), while Cu was significantly elevated (P <0.0001). There were no significant difference regarding Zn and Se between two groups (P =0.07 and P =0.35, respectively). Based on obtained results, changes of serum level of these antioxidants could likely have biological role in initiation or progression of leukemia. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of these factors in pathogenesis of acute leukemia

Aim and Recent studies show that the depletion of naturally occurring deuterium can result in tumor regression in both in vitro and in vivo models. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of deuterium depleted water (DDW) discretely and in combination with 5-FU on cell growth and anti-oxidant system of breast cancer cells.
Mateial and The cellular cytotoxicity test was performed using MTT assay. The MCF-7 cells were treated with decreasing deuterium concentrations of DDW alone, 5-FU alone and both. The malondialdehyde (MDA) level and the catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activities were identified spectrophometrically. One way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t- test were used for statistical analysis. P ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Treatment the cells with different concentrations of DDW alone especially in concentrations of 100 and 125ppm imposed growth inhibitory effect on MCF-7 cells. Also, 5-FU alone significantly decreased the survival fractions of MCF-7 cells and DDW in combination with 5-FU augmented 5-FU inhibitory effects on the cells. Compared to the control group (150 ppm), it was observed that in the cells treated with Lower concentrations of DDW, the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase enzymes increased, but the level of malonyldialdehyde decreased. Deuterium depleted water can be considered as an adjuvant in anticancer drugs.

The toxicity of metals and their compounds is determined by their physicochemical properties. Thus, metals may compete for the biological binding sites and lead to incorrect function of biochemical macromolecules. The aim of this study was to investigate Ni NPs toxicity in compared to Nickel chloride on liver enzyme activity and the histopathological changes of liver tissue in male wistar rats. In this experimental study, 48 male rates were divided into six experimental groups and one control group and one sham group (n=6). Experimental groups received Ni NPs and nickel chloride with concentration of 5, 15 and 25 mg/ kg by intraperitoneal injection. At the end of 7th day, blood and liver specimen was collected for analysis. Assay of the activity of liver enzyme and histopathological study were performed. Data were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey test. Enzyme activities of AST and ALP in different doses of Ni NPs and nickel chloride and LDH activity in different doses of nickel chloride showed significant changes in the studied groups (p > 0.05). Histopathological study of liver were revealed dose dependent changes in rats treated with nickel chloride and nanoparticles compared to the control group. Some of the changes including necrosis, congestion, apoptosis and steatohepatitis was observed after exposure to different doses. Increasing of concentration liver enzymes and histopathological changes confirms the toxicity of Ni NPs and nickel chloride

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) plays the main role in increasing oxidative stress and causing stomach inflammation, peptic ulcers, and gastric malignancy in the infected patients. L-arginine (Arg) has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.
The current study aimed at investigating the beneficial effects of L-arginine on inflammation and oxidative stress in patients infected with H. Pylori with dyspeptic symptoms.
The current randomized, double-blind controlled, clinical trial was conducted on 34 patients with H. pylori infection referred to the center of digestive disorders affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, in order to undergo endoscopy from December 2016 to September 2017. Patients were classified into 2 groups (control and treatment); the control group only received triple-drug therapy (including amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and omeprazole), and the treatment group received standard triple-drug therapy and L-arginine capsules for 3 weeks. Gastric biopsies and serum samples were taken from all patients before and after the study. Helicobacterpylori infection was examined by a rapid urease test and antioxidant indices including superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were evaluated in gastric biopsies. In addition, serum samples were used to measure the inflammation factors including interleukin (IL)-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α.
Level of SOD activity increased significantly in the treatment group compared with that of the control group (4.91 ± 95.21 vs. 4.0 ± 44.11 IU/mg) (P = 0.001). In the treatment group, compared with the control group, the level of TAC increased significantly (0.35 ± 0.60 vs. 0.30 ± 0.9 mM/L) (P = 0.006) and the level of GPX activity increased significantly in the treatment group compared with the control group (10.68 ± 2.39 vs. 5.16 ± 2.12 IU/mg) (P = 0.000). Regarding the inflammation factor, IL-8 decreased significantly in the treatment group compared with the control group (8.00 ± 1.94 vs. 10.28 ± 2.10 pg/mL) (P = 0.002); also TNF-α decreased significantly in the treatment group compared with the control group (9.71 ± 2.69 vs. 12.24 ± 3.29 pg/mL) (P = 0.036), while there was no significant difference in high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) decrease between the treatment and the control groups (2.34 ± 1.28 vs. 3.04 ± 1.58 mg/L) (P = 0.16).
Consumption of L-arginine increased antioxidant indices and decreased inflammation in patients infected with H.pylori.

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common endocrine malignancies and in the last two decades the number of involved people in the world has been increased. Thyroid cancer in Iran is the seventh most common cancer in women and 14th in men. In recent years many achievements regarding to molecular pathogenic factors such as the substantial role of signaling pathways and molecular abnormalities have been made. Nowadays there is no efficient treatment for progressed thyroid cancer that does not respond to radioiodine therapy which are included poorly differentiated, anaplastic and metastatic or recurrent differentiated thyroid cancer. Although the results of some clinical trials in phase II for treatment of progressed thyroid cancer are rewarding but none of the treated patients responded to treatment and only a few of them responded partially to the treatment which indicates that the treatment can only control the condition of patients with advanced disease, therefore it is needed to consider other alternative solutions which would be helpful in controlling the disease. Epigenetic is referred to study of heritable changes in gene expression without changes in primary DNA sequence. The main mechanisms of genetic and epigenetic alterations are including mutations, increasing the gene copy number and aberrant gene methylation. Epigenetic defects are prevalent in different types of cancers. Aberrant methylation of genes that control cell proliferation and invasion (p16INK4A, RASSF1A, PTEN, Rap1GAP, TIMP3, DAPK, RARβ2, E-cadherin, and CITED1), as well as specific genes involved in differentiation of thyroid cancer (Na symport, TSH receptor, pendrin, SL5A8, and TTF-1) in association with genetic alterations, leads to tumor progression. Growing evidence shows that acquired epigenetic abnormalities participate with genetic alterations to cause altered patterns of gene expression or function. Many of these molecular changes can be used as molecular markers for prognosis, diagnosis and new therapeutic targets for thyroid cancer. This article is about the most common genetic and epigenetic alterations in thyroid cancer which can be complementary together in recognition of new treatments for the disease.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of Blended learning-Based Social Networks on female second-year high school students’ self-efficacy in math in Gha’emshahr. The population of study consisted of 6263 female second-year high school students in Gha’emshahr. They were studying in 42 schools in 93-94 school year. Out of schools with ICT facilities, one school was randomly selected, then two second grade classes were selected as experimental and control groups. Matius et al’s Self-efficacy questionnaire was used to gather required information on self-efficacy. It was used as a pre-test, survey and post-test instrument in both control and experimental group. First pre-test was administered. Then, during 8 weeks of first term of school year, educational contents were taught using social networks and traditional methods for experimental and control groups, respectively. After training, both groups were assessed in terms of their self-efficacy. Survey test was administered two months after training. Using frequent assessments, the results revealed that there was a significance difference in the self-efficacy of experimental and control groups (P≥./001). Experimental group continued their superiority in self-efficacy two months after training. Research results demonstrated the positive effect of Blended learning-Based Social Networks on self-efficacy.

In this study the efficacy of two agent of this biological control agent of corn stem borer in corn fields compared with common synthetic insecticides Endosolfan to find a suitable alternative for chemical control of pests in corn fields. In order to evaluate the efficiency of biocontrol agents of corn stem borer ,Ostrinia nubilalis, experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block by five treatments and four replication, including, Indoxacarb (Avant), Trichogrammawasps, Bacillus thuringiensis var: kurstaki, integration of Trichogramma sp. and Bt., and control as treatments number 1 to 5. In treatments with parasitoid release, four days after releasing the wasps, the number of parasitized eggs was recorded. In each plot, 20 plants were randomly selected for recording the number of the larval holes on corn stems. The number of damaged stems was recorded on the same number of corn plants before harvest. Statistically analysis of data was carried out by using MINITAB software. In treated plots by egg parasitoid wasp, the range of egg parasitism was 10 to 28 percent. The number of larval holes was 1.05, 1.30, 1.55, 1.38, and 2.04 per plant in treatments number 1, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. There was significant difference among the treatments considering the number of larval holes. The number of damaged stem in treatments number 1, 3, 4, and 5 were 0.17, 0.59, 0.98, 0.80 and 1.60 per plant, respectively. There was significant difference among the treatments considering the number of damaged stems. Despite this, there was no significant difference among biological control treatments in the number of larval holes and number of damaged stems. The achieved results from present study were revealed that the efficiency of the egg parasitoid wasp, Trichogramma sp. is lower than examined Bt.

In order to evaluate the efficiency of biocontrol agents of corn stem borer ,Ostrinia nubilalis, experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block by five treatments and four replication, including, Indoxacarb (Avant)®, Trichogrammawasps, Bacillus thuringiensis var: kurstaki, integration of Trichogramma sp. and Bt., and control as treatments number 1 to 5. In treatments with parasitoid release, four days after releasing the wasps, the number of parasitized eggs was recorded. In each plot, 20 plants were randomly selected for recording the number of the larval holes on corn stems. The number of damaged stems was recorded on the same number of corn plants before harvest. Statistically analysis of data was carried out by using MINITAB software. In treated plots by egg parasitoid wasp, the range of egg parasitism was 10 to 28 percent. The number of larval holes was 1.05, 1.30, 1.55, 1.38, and 2.04 per plant in treatments number 1, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. There was significant difference among the treatments considering the number of larval holes. The number of damaged stem in treatments number 1, 3, 4, and 5 were 0.17, 0.59, 0.98, 0.80 and 1.60 per plant, respectively. There was significant difference among the treatments considering the number of damaged stems. Despite this, there was no significant difference among biological control treatments in the number of larval holes and number of damaged stems. The achieved results from present study were revealed that the efficiency of the egg parasitoid wasp, Trichogramma sp. is lower than examined Bt.