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Background: Genetic polymorphisms of drug metabolisms by cytochrome P450 (P450s) could affect drug response, attracting particular interest in the pharmacogenetics. Due to the importance of CYP2C19* 17 allele and its capability of super- fast metabolism and also lack of information about distribution of the alleles in Iranian population, this research aimed to use High Resolution Melting (HRM) method compared to PCR-RFLP for genotyping healthy Iranian population. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 100 healthy Iranian volunteers. DNA was extracted by salting out method. Real-time PCR was used for amplification of the CYP2C19 gene and the alleles were identified by HRM. Sequencing was used to confirm the amplified DNA fragments and data were analyzed using SPSS software ver.18. Results: The frequency of alleles CYP2C19*1/*1, CYP2C19*1/*17 and CYP2C19*17/*17 were estimated as 58.33, 29.1 and 11.1%, respectively. Specificity and sensitivity of HRM method were 90% and 100%, with respect to PCR-RFLP. Also, HRM analysis has been evaluated as a faster and more effective approach. Conclusion: Comparison of our results based on HRM analysis with PCR-RFLP showed that our developed method is rapid, accurate, fast and economic to study the CYP2C19*17 allele and it is appropriate for other similar population genetic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Any successful catalyst should have a dedicated synthesizing route considering their high yields, time-efficient, and do not require any highly toxic chemicals. In this regard, two nano-sized monosubstituted polyoxometalates (POMs) with the well-known Keggin structure were synthesized and characterized: (TBA) 4 [Zr(OH)PW 11 O 39 ]·22H 2 O (TBA-ZrPW 11) and (TBA) 5 [Zr(OH)SiW 11 O 39 ]·17H 2 O (TBA-ZrSiW 11) (TBA+: tetrabutylammonium). Thus, the catalytic activities of both catalysts were tested in the cyanosilylation reaction without any solvents of various aldehydes and ketones with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN) over two heterogeneous catalysts. Finally, the recyclability and heterogeneity of these POM-based catalysts were also checked, showing that they remain active at least after three recycling procedures. [Display omitted] • Two lacunary Keggin type polyoxometalates (POM) were synthesized and characterized. • Both POMs were used as catalysts in the solvent-free cyanosilylation reaction. • Both catalysts were recycled up to 3 runs with slight loss of activities. • TBA-ZrPW 11 is more effective than TBA-ZrSiW 11 , due to the presence of P center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Ceramics have advantages such as optimal esthetics and biocompatibility. However, in the oral environment, they are subjected to high levels of stress due to masticatory forces, saliva, thermal changes and alterations of pH, which increase their risk of fracture. Since replacement of these restorations is costly and time-consuming, composite resin is often used for intraoral repair of these restorations. This study aimed to assess the shear bond strength of two porcelain repair systems by Pulpdent and Ultradent and evaluate the effect of number of silane layers on the shear bond strength. Methods: This invitro experimental study was conducted on 66 porcelain blocks measuring 3×5×8mm. In each kit, samples were randomly divided into three groups of 11. Silane was not used for group one. Groups two and three received one coat and two coats of silane, respectively. After surface preparation, composite was bonded to ceramic surfaces. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA. Results: The LSD test showed that application of Ultradent silane significantly affected the shear bond strength (P<0.05) while Pulpdent silane had no such effect (P=0.89). Application of one layer and two layers of silane was not significantly different (P=0.94). Conclusion: Ultradent ceramic repair kit yields higher shear bond strength at the ceramic-composite interface compared to Pulp dent ceramic repair kit. Use of one or two layers of silane does not make any significant difference with regard to the shear bond strength of ceramic to composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects 1-2% of the world population and about 30% of patients are resistant to antiepileptic drug therapy. Therefore, new treatment alternatives are needed. In the present study, the possible neuroprotective effect of minocycline against epileptiform activity induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) was assessed. Methods: Conventional intracellular recordings were taken from F1 cells of Helix aspersa, under the current clamp condition. Following extracellular application of minocycline alone (300 and 600 μM) or in combination with PTZ (25 mM), alterations in the firing pattern and action potential wave forms were studied and compared to the control group and the group treated with PTZ alone. Results: In the presence of PTZ alone (25mM), neurons displayed paroxysmal depolarization shift (PDS)-like events and produced burst activity. When PTZ was applied following minocycline pretreatment, it did not produce burst activity, and even reduced the firing frequency. In addition, pre-exposure to minocycline prevented almost some of the changes in the AP shape induced by PTZ treatment. Conclusion: The findings indicated that minocycline may be able to exert preventive effects against induction of epileptiform activity and could be possibly considered as a new treatment option for epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluated the efficacy of focal intramuscular injection of botulinum (BoNT) toxin type A in comparison with oral tizanidine (TZD) in treatment of poststroke upper limb spasticity. Methods: This was a double-blinded randomized clinical trial that recruited 68 patients with post-stroke upper limb spasticity. Thirty-four patients received BoNT (Dysport®) injections in affected muscles of upper limb at the baseline and week 12. Thirty-four patients were treated with tizanidine (Sirdalude) by gradual increase in dosage of 2mg/week to reach maximum 24mg at week 12. Modi>ed Ashworth Scale (MAS) and Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) were evaluated at the baseline, week 12 and week 24 for all the participants. Results: The mean score of MAS reduced from 3.32 and 3.13 at baseline to 1.79 and 1.56 at week 24 on elbow and wrist joints, respectively (P < 0.01). However, there were only reductions from 2.79 and 2.77 to 2.32 and 2.31 (P < 0.001) in TZD group. ARAT increased from 1.79 to 10.97 (P < 0.001) in BoNT group. ARAT increased from 11.08 to 11.35 in TZD group (P = 0.026). Conclusion: BoNT injection was safe and effective in reducing post-stroke upper extremity spasticity in comparison with TZD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of anethol, the major component of anise oil, on the Ca2+-dependent excitability and afterhyperpolarization (AHP) in snail neurons were examined using intracellular recording. Anethol (0.5%) significantly broadened the spike, reduced the firing frequency and enhanced the AHP amplitude. In contrast, anethol (2%) significantly increased the firing frequency and decreased the AHP. Blockade of Ca2+ channels after anethol application depolarized the membrane potential and significantly reduced the firing rate. Furthermore, in the presence of anethol (0.5%) a significant decrease in the AHP was observed by Ca2+ channels blockage. Here, anethol-induced functional modification of Ca2+ and Ca2+-activated K+ channels is suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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Abstract: The asymmetric PCP pincer ligand [C6H4-1-(CH2PPh2)-3-(CH(CH3)PPh2)] (4) has been synthesized in a facile manner in three simple steps in high yield. Metallation of PCP pincer ligand (4) with [Pd(COD)Cl2] affords complex [PdCl{C6H3-2-(CH2PPh2)-6-(CH(CH3)PPh2)}] (7) in good yield. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Low-frequency deep brain stimulation (LFS) inhibits neuronal hyperexcitability during epilepsy. Accordingly, the use of LFS as a treatment method for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy has been proposed. However, the LFS antiepileptic mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, the role of metabotropic glutamate receptors group I (mGluR I) in LFS inhibitory action on epileptiform activity (EA) was investigated. EA was induced by increasing the K+ concentration in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) up to 12 mM in hippocampal slices of male Wistar rats. LFS (1 Hz, 900 pulses) was delivered to the bundles of Schaffer collaterals at the beginning of EA. The excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons was assayed by intracellular whole-cell recording. Applying LFS reduced the firing frequency during EA and substantially moved the membrane potential toward repolarization after a high-K+ ACSF washout. In addition, LFS attenuated the EA-generated neuronal hyperexcitability. A blockade of both mGluR 1 and mGluR 5 prevented the inhibitory action of LFS on EA-generated neuronal hyperexcitability. Activation of mGluR I mimicked the LFS effects and had similar inhibitory action on excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons following EA. However, mGluR I agonist's antiepileptic action was not as strong as LFS. The observed LFS effects were significantly attenuated in the presence of a PKC inhibitor. Altogether, the LFS' inhibitory action on neuronal hyperexcitability following EA relies, in part, on the activity of mGluR I and a PKC-related signaling pathway. • LFS attenuated the epileptiform-induced neuronal hyperexcitability. • Group I mGluRs blockade suppressed the antiepileptiform activity of LFS. • Group I mGluR agonist mimicked the inhibitory effects of LFS. • This antiepileptiform activity of LFS needs PKC activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of photocatalysts revealing efficient performance under the visible light has recently broadened its appeal for the removal of environmental pollutants from the water and wastewater. Besides, the biosynthesis of nanostructured photocatalysts with the tunable surface plasmon band is eco-friendly and worth attending. In the same vein, this study was an endeavor to synthesize Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 plasmonic photocatalyst, with an enhanced photoactivity under the sunlight by a facile biosynthesis method using aqueous leaf extract of mangrove plant Avicennia marina , as a reducing and stabilizing agent as well as a chlorine source. To this end, the plasmonic Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 nanocomposite, with the particle size of ∼35 nm, the specific surface area of 31.94 m2 g−1, and the bandgap energy of 1.73 eV, was successfully synthesized with aqueous leaf extract/AgNO 3 (R1) and AgNO 3 /TiO 2 (R2) ratios of 0.31 and 1.61, respectively. Different techniques examined the effect of R1 and R2 on the characteristics of the products. Consequently, the results indicated that Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 nanocomposite exhibited a swift degradation of the eosin Y dye in 60 min under the sunlight. A topmost dye photodegradation of 99% was attained at pH 4 with the photocatalyst concentration of 0.05 g/100 mL and the eosin Y concentration of 50 mg/L at the ambient temperature. The surface plasmon resonance and the effective charge separation due to the heterostructure developed among Ag, AgCl, and TiO 2 could be accountable for the absorption band expansion to the visible light area and the significant photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 under the sunlight. Recycling experiments for the five cycles elucidated the magnificent long-term photocatalytic stability of the biosynthesized Ag/AgCl@TiO 2. The operation simplicity and the potential of utilizing the sunlight energy prompted the biosynthesized Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 to be a noteworthy reusable candidate for the photodegradation of the toxic organic pollutants in the aqueous solutions. Image 1 • Novel biosynthesis of Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 superior plasmonic nanocomposite is reported. • Biosynthesized Ag/AgCl@TiO 2 exhibited pronounced light absorption in VL region. • The catalyst showed enhanced photoactivity for dye degradation under the sunlight. • Degradation of dye was optimized based on the potential operational parameters. • The photocatalyst showed a reasonable reusability for dye degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We consider the performance analysis of the subspace detector for MIMO radar. • We derive the conditions for maximum diversity gain of the detector. • We derive the approximated form of the probability of miss at high SNR. • We introduce the signaling loss concept. • We derive analytically the detection performance loss of quasi-optimal signals. For a statistical multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar, we investigate the maximum achievable diversity gain and the minimum possible probability of miss detection and the conditions of achieving those at sufficiently high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when the matched subspace detector is employed in the presence of signal-dependent interference. In addition to linear dependence between target returns at each receiver, we show that linear dependence between target and interference subspaces reduces the diversity gain when the matched subspace detector is employed. We derive the approximated form of the probability of miss and introduce the signaling loss concept based on it. We show that the probability of miss is minimized at high SNR when not only is the diversity gain maximized, but the signaling loss is also minimized. Then, we use the signaling loss corresponding to the maximum diversity gain as a novel design metric for designing signals and minimizing the probability of miss at sufficiently high SNR in statistical MIMO radar. Due to the fact that designing the optimal signals is challenging, we derive analytically the detection performance loss of quasi-optimal signals by employing the signaling loss concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies suggest that direct exposure of cells to fractionated radiotherapy might induce radioresistance. However, the effects of fractionated radiotherapy on the non-irradiated bystander cells remain unclear. We hypothesized that fractionated radiotherapy could enhance radioresistance and proliferation of bystander cells. Human tumor cell lines, including A549 and HT29 were irradiated (2 Gy per day). The irradiated cells (either A549 or HT29) were co-cultured with non-irradiated cells of the same line using transwell co-culture system. Tumor cell proliferation, radioresistance and apoptosis were measured using MTT assay, clonogenic survival assay and Annexin-V in bystander cells, respectively. In addition, activation of Chk1 (Ser 317), Chk2 (Thr 68) and Akt (Ser473) were measured via western blot. Irradiated HT29 cells induced conventional bystander effects detected as modulation of clonogenic survival parameters (decreased area under curve, D 10 and ED 50 and increased α) and proliferation in recipient neighbors. While, irradiated A549 cells significantly enhanced the radioresistance and proliferation of bystander cells. These changes were accompanied with enhanced activation of Chk1, Chk2 and Akt in non-irradiated bystander A549 cells. Moreover, both bystander effects (damaging and protective) were mediated through secreted factors. These findings suggest that fractionated radiotherapy could promote proliferation and radioresistance of bystander cells probably through survival and proliferation pathways. • Fractionated radiation induces cell-specific bystander effects. • Fractionated radiation enhances radioresistance of bystander A549 cells. • Fractionated radiation enhances proliferation of bystander A549 cells. • Fractionated radiation promotes DNA damage response in bystander A549 cells. • Damaging and protective bystander effects could be mediated through soluble factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyoxometalates (POMs) as efficient catalysts can be used a wide range of chemical transformations due to their tunable Brønsted/Lewis-acidity and redox properties. Herein, we reported two hybrid and heterogeneous lacunary Keggin catalysts: (TBA)7[PW11O39] (TBA-PW11) and (TBA)8[SiW11O39]·4H2O (TBA-SiW11) (TBA+: tetrabutylammonium) in which [XW11O39]n− anions were coated by TBA+ cations. In this form, TBA+ can easily trap reactants on the surface of the catalysts and increase the catalytic reaction. Therefore, the catalytic performance of both POMs was tested in cyanosilylation of numerous compounds bearing-carbonyl group and trimethylsilyl cyanide under solvent-free conditions. TBA-PW11 is more effective than TBA-SiW11, conceivably due to the higher Lewis acidity of the P than the Si center and to the higher accessibility of the metal centers in the framework structure. Noteworthy, the recyclability and heterogeneity of both POMs catalysts were also examined, and the results confirmed that they remain active at least after three recycling procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Uterine fibroids (UFs) are the most common benign tumors in women, and their prevalence varies between 5.4 and 77.0% in reproductive-aged women. Patients with UFs may experience severe symptoms that they can affect different aspects of their lives, including quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the health-related quality of life among Iranian women with UFs. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between November 2023 and February 2024, Data collection was based on the census method. Uterine Fibroid Symptom and Health-related Quality of Life (UFS-QOL) questionnaire was used to assess symptom severity and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of women with UFs. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 23.0. Results: Overall, 220 patients with a mean age of 43.10±5.01 years were included in the study. Patients had total UFS-QOL score of 64.11±20.35 with the following subscales' scores: symptom severity: (19.00±6.39), concern: (60.79±26.47), activities: (71.76±23.02), energy/mood: (54.39±25.14), control: (66.52±22.82), self-consciousness: (77.63±26.39), and sexual function: (59.40±31.18). Furthermore, patients with multiparity history (P= 0.001), obesity (P<0.001), increased menstrual duration (P<0.001), irregular menstruation (P<0.001), and hyper menorrhea (P<0.001) had lower HRQOL scores. Conclusion: All subscales' scores of HRQOL were over 50 in patients with UF. HRQOL in these patients can be affected by certain factors, such as features of the menstrual cycle, multiparity, and obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paraquat (PQ) is an herbicide toxin that induces injury in different organs. The anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant effects of carvacrol were reported previously. The effects of carvacrol and pioglitazone (Pio) alone and their combination on inhaled PQ‐induced systemic and lung oxidative stress and inflammation as well as behavioral changes were examined in rats. In this study, animals were exposed to saline (control [Ctrl]) or PQ (PQ groups) aerosols. PQ‐exposed animals were treated with 0.03 mg/kg/day dexamethasone (Dexa), 20 and 80 mg/kg/day carvacrol (C‐L and C‐H), 5 mg/kg/day Pio, and Pio+C‐L for 16 days. Inhaled PQ markedly enhanced total and differential white blood cell (WBC) counts, nitric oxide (NO), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels but decreased catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and thiol levels both in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood and increased interferon‐gamma (INF‐γ) and interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) levels in the BALF (p < 0.001 for all cases) except lymphocyte count in blood which was not significantly changed. The escape latency and traveled distance were increased in the PQ group. However, the time spent in the target quadrant in the Morris water maze (MWM) test and the duration of time latency in the dark room in the shuttle box test were reduced after receiving an electrical shock (p < 0.05–p < 0.001). Inhaled PQ‐induced changes were significantly improved in carvacrol, Pio, Dexa, and especially in the combination of the Pio+C‐L treated groups (p < 0.05–p < 0.001). Carvacrol and Pio improved PQ‐induced changes similar to Dexa, but ameliorative effects produced by combination treatments of Pio+C‐L were more prominent than Pio and C‐L alone, suggesting a potentiating effect for the combination of the two agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral candidiasis (OC) is a prevalent opportunistic infection in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The increasing resistance to antifungal agents in HIV-positive individuals suffering from OC raised concerns. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of drug-resistant OC in HIV-positive patients. Methods: Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase databases were systematically searched for eligible articles up to November 30, 2023. Studies reporting resistance to antifungal agents in Candida species isolated from HIV-positive patients with OC were included. Baseline characteristics, clinical features, isolated Candida species, and antifungal resistance were independently extracted by two reviewers. The pooled prevalence with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using the random effect model or fixed effect model. Results: Out of the 1942 records, 25 studies consisting of 2564 Candida species entered the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of resistance to the antifungal agents was as follows: ketoconazole (25.5%, 95% CI: 15.1–35.8%), fluconazole (24.8%, 95% CI: 17.4–32.1%), 5-Flucytosine (22.9%, 95% CI: -13.7-59.6%), itraconazole (20.0%, 95% CI: 10.0–26.0%), voriconazole (20.0%, 95% CI: 1.9–38.0%), miconazole (15.0%, 95% CI: 5.1–26.0%), clotrimazole (13.4%, 95% CI: 2.3–24.5%), nystatin (4.9%, 95% CI: -0.05-10.3%), amphotericin B (2.9%, 95% CI: 0.5–5.3%), and caspofungin (0.1%, 95% CI: -0.3-0.6%). Furthermore, there were high heterogeneities among almost all included studies regarding the resistance to different antifungal agents (I2 > 50.00%, P < 0.01), except for caspofungin (I2 = 0.00%, P = 0.65). Conclusions: Our research revealed that a significant number of Candida species found in HIV-positive patients with OC were resistant to azoles and 5-fluocytosine. However, most of the isolates were susceptible to nystatin, amphotericin B, and caspofungin. This suggests that initial treatments for OC, such as azoles, may not be effective. In such cases, healthcare providers may need to consider prescribing alternative treatments like polyenes and caspofungin. Registration: The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews as PROSPERO (Number: CRD42024497963). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tri-component composite with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, Keggin-type polyoxometalate and graphene oxide, Fe 3 O 4 /SiW 12 /GO, was prepared and successfully characterized and then it was applied as a heterogeneous and recyclable catalyst in the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides. [Display omitted] In this study, a tri-component composite consisting of Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, Keggin-type polyoxometalate, and graphene oxide components was prepared using an ultrasonic-assisted method. The resulting Fe 3 O 4 /SiW 12 /GO composite was successfully characterized using multiple methods. The performance of the Fe 3 O 4 /SiW 12 /GO composite as a heterogeneous catalyst for the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides was investigated under mild conditions, with H 2 O 2 serving as the oxidant. The catalyst exhibited excellent stability and high yields, completing the conversions within one hour. Furthermore, the Fe 3 O 4 /SiW 12 /GO catalyst demonstrated remarkable recyclability, as it could be recovered and reused up to four times without any significant loss in activity. This finding was supported by the results obtained from the ICP-OES analysis, which confirmed the negligible leaching of the active site. One of the key advantages of the Fe 3 O 4 /SiW 12 /GO catalyst is its heterogeneous nature, which allows for its rapid recovery from the reaction mixture. Additionally, it offers smooth and clean reaction conditions at room temperature, making it an innovative and cost-effective choice for accelerating reaction times. In summary, the Fe 3 O 4 /SiW 12 /GO composite represents a highly efficient and versatile heterogeneous catalyst with a unique structure. Its exceptional stability, high yields, and recyclability make it a superior choice for various organic–inorganic hybrid catalytic reactions conducted under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper all efforts have been devoted to develop stabilized tannic acid-SO 3 H on Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 nanoparticles as the new magnetically and eco-friendly nanocatalyst. This nanocatalyst was identified using different techniques such as fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Catalytic performance of the catalyst in cyclocondensation reaction of anthranilamide with different aldehydes under the friendly environmentally reaction condition led to formation corresponding 2,3-dihydro-4(1H)-quinazolinones compounds in excellent yields. The catalyst could be easily recovered by an external magnet and reused 4 times without significant loss of catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The lacunary Keggin type polyoxometalates (POM) was synthesized and characterized. • Zr(W 5) 2 was used as a catalyst for the synthesis of 1,5-benzodiazepines. • Zr(W 5) 2 catalyst was recycled up to 3 runs with slight loss of activities. As an extension of our interest in polyoxometalate (POM) as catalysts, one heterogeneous catalyst TBA 8 [Zr(W 5 O 18) 2 ]·17H 2 O (Zr(W 5) 2) (TBA+: tetrabutylammonium) was synthesized and fully characterized by multiple spectroscopic techniques. In this catalyst, zirconium ion connected to two mono-lacunary Lindqvist [W 5 O 18 ]4− anions to create anionic sandwich-type POM and this anionic unit was encapsulated by TBA+ cations to form heterogeneous catalyst with hydrophobic nature. It is assumed that alkyl chains of TBA+ can trap reactants on the surface of catalyst, thus in this regard, the probability of the interaction between reactants and POM center can increase which lead to the higher catalytic efficiencies of above catalysts. Using Zr(W 5) 2 as a heterogeneous and efficient catalyst, a series of 1,5-benzodiazepines were synthesized via four mild and solvent-free reactions such as reaction of 1,2-phenylenediamine with ketones, chalcones, 1,3-diketones and aldehydes. According to the results, the presented protocol is superior to the previously reported methodologies in terms of reaction time and product yield. The facile work-up procedure and the reusability of this catalyst are other advantages of this protocol. [Display omitted]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a fundamental process for embryonic development during which epithelial cells acquire mesenchymal characteristics, and the underlying mechanisms confer malignant features to carcinoma cells such as dissemination throughout the organism and resistance to anticancer treatments. During the past decades, an entire class of molecules, called non-coding RNA (ncRNA), has been characterized as a key regulator of almost every cellular process, including EMT. Like protein-coding genes, ncRNAs can be deregulated in cancer, acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. The various forms of ncRNAs, including microRNAs, PIWI-interacting RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs, transfer RNA-derived RNA fragments, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs can orchestrate the complex regulatory networks of EMT at multiple levels. Understanding the molecular mechanism underlying ncRNAs in EMT can provide fundamental insights into cancer metastasis and may lead to novel therapeutic approaches. In this review, we describe recent advances in the understanding of ncRNAs in EMT and provide an overview of recent ncRNA applications in the clinic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is considered as the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of death related to cancer. Recombinant DNA technologies accelerated the development of antibody-based cancer therapy, which is effective in a broad range of cancers. The objective of the present study was to perform a systematic review on breast cancer immunotherapy using single-chain fragment variable (scFv) antibody formats. Searches were performed up to March 2023 using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (ISI) databases. Three reviewers independently assessed study eligibility, data extraction, and evaluated the methodological quality of included primary studies. Different immunotherapy approaches have been identified and the most common approaches were scFv-conjugates, followed by simple scFvs and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) therapy, respectively. Among breast cancer antigens, HER superfamily, CD family, and EpCAM were applied as the most important breast cancer immunotherapy targets. The present study shed more lights on scFv-based breast cancer immunotherapy approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Rates of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infections have rapidly increased worldwide and reached pandemic proportions. A suite of preventive behaviours have been recommended to minimize risk of COVID‐19 infection in the general population. The present study utilized an integrated social cognition model to explain COVID‐19 preventive behaviours in a sample from the Iranian general population. Design: The study adopted a three‐wave prospective correlational design. Methods: Members of the general public (N = 1,718, Mage = 33.34, SD = 15.77, male = 796, female = 922) agreed to participate in the study. Participants completed self‐report measures of demographic characteristics, intention, attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and action self‐efficacy at an initial data collection occasion. One week later, participants completed self‐report measures of maintenance self‐efficacy, action planning and coping planning, and, a further week later, measures of COVID‐19 preventive behaviours. Hypothesized relationships among social cognition constructs and COVID‐19 preventive behaviours according to the proposed integrated model were estimated using structural equation modelling. Results: The proposed model fitted the data well according to multiple goodness‐of‐fit criteria. All proposed relationships among model constructs were statistically significant. The social cognition constructs with the largest effects on COVID‐19 preventive behaviours were coping planning (β =.575, p <.001) and action planning (β =.267, p <.001). Conclusions: Current findings may inform the development of behavioural interventions in health care contexts by identifying intervention targets. In particular, findings suggest targeting change in coping planning and action planning may be most effective in promoting participation in COVID‐19 preventive behaviours. Statement of contributionWhat is already known on this subject?Curbing COVID‐19 infections globally is vital to reduce severe cases and deaths in at‐risk groups.Preventive behaviours like handwashing and social distancing can stem contagion of the coronavirus.Identifying modifiable correlates of COVID‐19 preventive behaviours is needed to inform intervention.What does this study add?An integrated model identified predictors of COVID‐19 preventive behaviours in Iranian residents.Prominent predictors were intentions, planning, self‐efficacy, and perceived behavioural control.Findings provide insight into potentially modifiable constructs that interventions can target.Research should examine if targeting these factors lead to changes in COVID‐19 behaviours over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low frequency stimulation (LFS) has anticonvulsant effect and may restore the ability of long-term potentiation (LTP) to the epileptic brain. The mechanisms of LFS have not been completely determined. Here, we showed that LTP induction was impaired following in vitro epileptiform activity (EA) in hippocampal slices, but application of LFS prevented this impairment. Then, we investigated the involvement of α-adrenergic receptors in this effect of LFS. EA was induced by increasing the extracellular K+ concentration to 12 mM and EPSPs were recorded from CA1 neurons in whole cell configuration. EA increased EPSP amplitude from 6.9 ± 0.7 mV to 9.6 ± 0.6 mV. For LTP induction, the Schaffer collaterals were stimulated by high frequency stimulation (HFS; two trains of 100 pulses, 100 Hz at the interval of 20 s). The application of HFS resulted in 40.9 ± 2.3% increase in the amplitude of EPSPs. However, following EA, HFS could not produce any significant changes in EPSP amplitude. Administration of LFS (1 Hz, 900 pulses) to Schaffer collaterals at the beginning of EA restored LTP induction to the hippocampal slices and HFS increased the EPSPs amplitude up to 41.7 ± 3.1% of baseline. When slices were perfused by prazosin (α 1 -adrenergic receptor antagonist; 10 μM) before and during LFS application, LFS improvement on LTP induction was reduced significantly. Perfusion of slices by yohimbine (α 2 -adrenergic receptor antagonist; 5 μM) had no effect on LFS action. Therefore, it may be concluded that following epileptiform activity, LFS can improve the impairment of LTP generation through α 1 , but not α 2 , adrenergic receptor activity. Unlabelled Image • High-K + induced epileptiform activity (EA) was induced in hippocampal slices. • EA lead to impairment in LTP generation by high frequency stimulation. • LFS reduced the duration of EA and returned the ability of LTP induction. • This effect of LFS was mediated through α 1 but not α 2 receptors activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in humans because of cancer. This rank of death could be due to the high rate of incidence from one hand, and the lack of sufficient diagnostic and therapeutic approaches from the other hand. Thus, molecular tools have been emerging as the potential biomarker to improve the early diagnosis and therapeutic management that subsequently could lead to the heightened survival rate of colorectal cancer patients. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) have shown promising capabilities to be used in clinics. The profiling methods could identify novel aberrantly expressed lncRNAs in colorectal cancer. We, thus, performed a comprehensive and unbiased approach to shortlist the dysregulated lncRNAs based on the colon adenocarcinoma TCGA data. An unbiased in silico method was used to rank the yet to profiled lncRNAs in colorectal cancer. qPCR was used to measure the expression level of selected lncRNAs. Our results nominated ESRG, LINC00518, PWRN1, and TTTY14 lncRNAs as the top-hit novel lncRNAs with aberrant expression in colon cancer. The qPCR method was used to profile these lncRNAs that showed the up-regulation of ESRG and LINC00518, and down-regulation of TTTY14 in thirty paired colorectal cancer specimens. The statistical analyses demonstrated that ESRG, LINC00518 and PWRN1 could distinguish the tumor from normal samples. Moreover, ESRG showed a negative correlation with the overall survival of patients. These diagnostic and prognostic results suggest that profiling ESRG, LINC00518 and PWRN1 s may have implications in clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Activation of 5-HT7Rs improved behavioral impairments. • CA1 pyramidal excitability enhanced and synaptic capacity decreased. • Activation of 5-HT7Rs restored LTP, but their inhibition produced LTP impairment. • Blockade of 5-HT7Rs did not prevent resistance to the LTD induction. • Retrograde fast blue-labeled neurons in raphe nuclei were reduced. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a severe life-long neuropsychiatric disorder. Alterations and imbalance of several neurochemical systems may be involved in ASD pathophysiology, of them, serotonergic neurotransmission dysfunction and deficiency may underlie behavioral abnormalities associated with ASD. However, the functional importance of serotonergic receptors, particularly 5HT7 receptors in ASD pathology remains poorly defined. Serotonin receptor subtype 7 (5-HT7R) plays a direct regulatory role in the development and also for the mature function of the brain, therefore, further studies are necessary to elucidate the role of these receptors in the etiology of autism. To address this issue, we combined here behavioral, electrophysiological methods to further characterize the contribution of 5-HT7Rs in the prenatal valproic acid (VPA) exposure-induced impairment in synaptic plasticity and their impact on the associated behavioral changes. This may help to unravel the underlying cellular mechanisms involved in ASD and can lead to new treatment and/or prevention therapies based on the role of the serotonergic system for autism. Findings revealed that compared to control, autistic-like offspring showed increased anxiety-like behavior, reduced social interaction, decreased locomotor activity, and impaired identification of the novel object. However, administration of 5-HT7Rs agonist, LP-211, for 7 consecutive days before testing from postnatal day 21 to 27 reversed all behavioral deficits induced by prenatal exposure to VPA in offspring. Also, both short-term depression and long-term potentiation were impaired in the autistic-like pups, but activation of 5-HT7Rs rescued the LTP impairment in the autistic-like group so that there was no significant difference between the two groups. Blockade of 5-HT7Rs caused LTP impairment following HFS in the autistic-like group. Besides, there was a significant difference in LTD induction following SB-269970 application between the control and the autistic-like groups measured at first 10 min following TPS. Moreover, both the number and the size of retrograde fast blue-labelled neurons in the raphe nuclei were reduced. Overall, these results provide for the first time, as far as we know, functional evidence for the restorative role of 5-HT7Rs activation against prenatal VPA exposure induced behavioral deficits and hippocampal synaptic plasticity impairment. Therefore, these receptors could be a potential and promising pharmacotherapy target for the treatment of autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The role of α-adrenergic receptors in anti-epileptiform action of LFS was studied. • LFS reduced the neuronal hyperexcitability following epileptiform activity. • α-Receptor antagonists restored LFS' effect on action potential threshold to increase. • α-Adrenergic receptors had role in LFS effect of restoring neuronal excitability. The Inhibitory effect of electrical low-frequency stimulation (LFS) on neuronal excitability and seizure occurrence has been indicated in experimental models, but the precise mechanism has not established. This investigation was intended to figure out the role of α 1 and α 2 adrenergic receptors in LFS' inhibitory effect on neuronal excitability. Epileptiform activity induced in an in vitro rat hippocampal slice preparation by high K+ ACSF and LFS (900 square wave pulses at 1 Hz) was administered at the beginning of epileptiform activity to the Schaffer collaterals. In CA1 pyramidal neurons, the electrophysiological properties were measured at the baseline, before high K+ ACSF washout, and at 15 min after high K+ ACSF washout using whole-cell, patch-clamp recording. Results indicated that after high K+ ACSF washout, prazosine (10 µM; α 1 adrenergic receptor antagonist) and yohimbine (5 µM; α 2 adrenergic receptor antagonist) suppressed the LFS' effect of reducing rheobase current and utilization time following depolarizing ramp current, the latency to the first spike following a depolarizing current and latency to the first rebound action potential following hyperpolarizing current pulses. Thus, it may be proposed that LFS' inhibitory action on the neuronal hyperexcitability, in some way, is mediated by α 1 and α 2 adrenergic receptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron and copper are two essential micronutrients that play important roles in vital biological processes, key enzymes and the immune system. In this study, the effects of diet supplementation with inorganic and nanoparticulate iron and copper on growth performance and hemato-immunological responses of snow trout Schizothorax zarudnyi (23.97 ± 0.45 g) were investigated for 84 days. The fish were fed by seven experimental diets supplemented with 0 mg copper and iron (Cu, Fe) (control), 150 mg inorganic iron (FeI), 3 mg inorganic copper (CuI), 150 mg FeI and 3 mg CuI (FeI + CuI), 150 mg nanoparticulate iron (FeNPs), 3 mg nanoparticulate copper (CuNPs), 150 mg FeNPs and 3 mg CuNPs (FeNPs+CuNPs) per kg of diet. The results showed that the diet supplementation with Fe and Cu improved the growth and feeding indices compared with the control treatment; however, the nanoparticulate Fe and Cu acted more effectively than their inorganic counterparts. The values pertaining to the most hematological parameters, such as RBCs, hematocrit and hemoglobin, were higher in nanoparticulate treatments than in the inorganic ones (P < 0.05). Serum total protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol and triglyceride increased while glucose decreased with Fe and Cu supplementation to the diets, especially with the nanoparticulate form. The dietary addition of Fe and Cu, especially in nanoparticulate form, improved the levels of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), whereas it decreased the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) compared with the control treatment (P < 0.05). The activities of liver enzymes showed a decreasing trend in the fish fed with inorganic and nanoparticulate Fe and Cu compared with the control treatment. Lysozyme, complement component (C3) and alternative complement activity (ACH 50) were improved in the fish fed with the diets supplemented by Fe and Cu, especially in the form of nanoparticulate, consequently increasing the bactericidal activity of blood serum. In total, the concurrent adding of dietary nanoparticulate Fe and Cu improved the fish growth, antioxidant and hemato-immunological indices more effectively than their individual supplementation as well as the inorganic and control treatments. These promising findings are valuable as a basic knowledge in formulating performance-based diets for this endemic aquaculture candidate. • Iron and copper are essential micronutrients with important biological roles in fish. • There is no report on dietary impacts of nanoparticulate and inorganic Fe and Cu in snow trout. • Growth performance of S. zarudnyi was affected by chemical form of dietary Fe and Cu. • Chemical form of dietary Fe and Cu affected hemato-immunological responses of snow trout. • Nanoparticulate Fe and Cu improved the fish growth and immunity responses more effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc as an essential micronutrient in organisms and natural environments plays an important role in many biological activities. In this study, the effects of feeding with different sources of zinc supplements on seminal biochemical and enzymatic changes and quality and quantity indices of sperm in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were investigated. A total of 108 broodstock males in four treatments were fed diets supplemented with 40 mg kg−1 of: 1. Mineral zinc (ZnSO 4), 2. Zinc nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs), 3. Organic zinc (Zn-proteinate, Bioplex Zn®) and 4. A diet containing no extra added zinc as control for 16 weeks. Sperm motility duration and spermatocrit percentage were higher in treatments supplemented with all zinc sources than the control group (P < 0.05). After evaluating the quantity and quality of semen, fertilization was performed for different groups using female eggs of control group. The highest rates of fertilization, eyeing and hatching were obtained from treatment 1. Treatment 1 also yielded the highest offspring survival rate. The lowest levels of AST, ALT, LDH and SOD enzymes and the highest values of magnesium and calcium ions were observed in seminal plasma of fish in treatment 1. Seminal plasma levels of cholesterol, urea, glucose and total protein were at the lowest in treatment 1, however only the levels of glucose and total protein in the treatments showed significant difference (P < 0.05). Present results indicate that dietary mineral zinc has a prominent potential in improving sperm and seminal plasma quality indices and reproductive performance in broodstock males of rainbow trout. • A more recently focused function for zinc associates to its effects on fertility and reproductive performance in animals. • No previous study has investigated the effects of dietary zinc on rainbow trout reproduction. • Organic, inorganic and nano forms of minerals have different effects on animal production performance. • Effects of different dietary zinc sources on rainbow trout reproduction was investigated. • Results indicate that dietary mineral zinc improves the reproductive performance of male rainbow trout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Catheter ablation is a common treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), but recurrence rates remain variable. Predicting the success of catheter ablation is crucial for patient selection and management. This research seeks to create a machine learning model to forecast the early recurrence of atrial fibrillation following catheter ablation., Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted using data from the Iranian AF registry. The dataset included 402 consecutive AF patients who underwent radiofrequency catheter ablation. The primary outcome was early recurrence of AF within 3 months' post-ablation. Data preprocessing and feature selection were performed, followed by the development and evaluation of various machine learning models. The CatBoost model was selected as the best-performing model., Results: The study population had a mean age of 57.30 ± 14.05 years, and 61.4% were male. AF recurrence occurred in 26.1% of patients. The CatBoost model, utilizing 35 features, achieved an accuracy of 92.5% in predicting AF recurrence. The model demonstrated high sensitivity (88.6%) and specificity (94.0%), with an area under the ROC curve of 0.96. Paroxysmal AF, BUN, Cr, age, mitral regurgitation, LA velocity, and mild valvular heart disease were among the most important predictive features., Conclusion: Machine learning methods, particularly the CatBoost model, demonstrate high accuracy in predicting early catheter ablation outcomes in AF patients. The developed model has the potential to improve patient care and decision-making by identifying patients most likely to benefit from the procedure. Further studies with larger sample sizes and external validation are warranted to assess the generalizability of this method for catheter ablation outcome prediction in AF patients., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: all participants provided informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. All procedures performed in the study adhered to the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. The study protocol received approval from the local ethics committee at Rajaie Cardiovascular Research Center. Consent for publication: Consent for publication was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The precise organization of pre- and postsynaptic terminals is crucial for normal synaptic function in the brain. In addition to its canonical role as a neurotrophin-3 receptor tyrosine kinase, postsynaptic TrkC promotes excitatory synapse organization through interaction with presynaptic receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase PTPσ. To isolate the synaptic organizer function of TrkC from its role as a neurotrophin-3 receptor, we generated mice carrying TrkC point mutations that selectively abolish PTPσ binding. The excitatory synapses in mutant mice had abnormal synaptic vesicle clustering and postsynaptic density elongation, more silent synapses, and fewer active synapses, which additionally exhibited enhanced basal transmission with impaired release probability. Alongside these phenotypes, we observed aberrant synaptic protein phosphorylation, but no differences in the neurotrophin signaling pathway. Consistent with reports linking these aberrantly phosphorylated proteins to neuropsychiatric disorders, mutant TrkC knock-in mice displayed impaired social responses and increased avoidance behavior. Thus, through its regulation of synaptic protein phosphorylation, the TrkC-PTPσ complex is crucial for the maturation, but not formation, of excitatory synapses in vivo., Competing Interests: Disclosure and competing interests statement The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Toxicological effects of silver nanoparticles (SNPs) in different organisms have been studied; however, interactions of SNPs with other environmental pollutants such as mercury are poorly understood. Herein, bioassay tests were performed according to ΟECD 201 guideline to assess the toxic effects induced by mercury ions (mercury chloride, MCl) on the marine microalga Chaetoceros muelleri in the presence of SNPs or silver ions (silver nitrate, SN). Acute toxicity tests displayed that the presence of SNPs or SN (0.01 mg L -1 ) significantly reduced the toxicity of MCl (0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mg L -1 ) and increased the IC 50 of MCl from 0.072 ± 0.014 to 0.381 ± 0.029 and 0.676 ± 0.034 mg L -1 , respectively. In the presence of SN or SNPs, the mercury-reducing effect on algal population growth significantly decreased. Considering the increase of IC 50 , the mercury toxicity decreased approximately 5.44 and 9.66 times in the presence of SNPs or SN, respectively. The chlorophyll a and c contents decreased at all exposures; however, the decrease by MCl-SNPs and MCl-SN was significantly less than MCl except at 1 mg L -1 . The lowering effect of MCl-SN on chlorophyll contents was less than MCl and MCl-SNPs. MCl exposure induced significant raises in total protein content (TPC) at concentrations < 0.01mg  L -1 , with a maximum of ~ 70.83% attained at 100 mg L -1 . The effects of MCl-SNPs and MCl-SN on TPC were significantly less than MCl. Total lipid content (TLC) at all MCl concentrations was higher than the control, while at coexposure to MCl-SN, TLC did not change until 0.01 mg L -1 compared with the control. The effects of MCl-SN and MCL-SNPs on TPC and TLC were in line with toxicity results, and were significantly less than those of MCl individually, confirming their antagonistic effects on MCl. The morphological changes of algal cells and mercury content of the cell wall at MCl-SN and MCl-SNPs were mitigated compared with MCl exposure. These findings highlight the mitigatory impacts of silver species on mercury toxicity, emphasizing the need for better realizing the mixture toxicity effects of pollutants in the water ecosystem., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: During X-ray imaging, pulmonary movements can cause many image artifacts. To tackle this issue, several studies, including mathematical algorithms and 2D-3D image registration methods, have been presented. Recently, the application of deep artificial neural networks has been considered for image generation and prediction., Objective: In this study, a convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) neural network is used to predict spatiotemporal 4DCT images., Material and Methods: In this analytical analysis study, two ConvLSTM structures, consisting of stacked ConvLSTM models along with the hyperparameter optimizer algorithm and a new design of the ConvLSTM model are proposed. The hyperparameter optimizer algorithm in the conventional ConvLSTM includes the number of layers, number of filters, kernel size, epoch number, optimizer, and learning rate. The two ConvLSTM structures were also evaluated through six experiments based on Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and structural similarity index (SSIM)., Results: Comparing the two networks demonstrates that the new design of the ConvLSTM network is faster, more accurate, and more reliable in comparison to the tuned-stacked ConvLSTM model. For all patients, the estimated RMSE and SSIM were 3.17 and 0.988, respectively, and a significant improvement can be observed in comparison to the previous studies., Conclusion: Overall, the results of the new design of the ConvLSTM network show excellent performances in terms of RMSE and SSIM. Also, the generated CT images with the new design of the ConvLSTM model show a good consistency with the corresponding references regarding registration accuracy and robustness., Competing Interests: None, (Copyright: © Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering.)

In this study, a tri-component composite named Zr/SiW 12 /GO was meticulously prepared through an ultrasonic-assisted method. This composite incorporates zirconium nanoparticles (Lewis acid), a negatively charged Keggin type polyoxometalate, and graphene oxide, and serves as a remarkable heterogeneous catalyst. The Keggin component plays multiple roles as reducing, encapsulating, and bridging agents, resulting in a cooperative effect among the three components that significantly enhances the catalytic activity. The catalytic performance of Zr/SiW 12 /GO was thoroughly investigated in the oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides under mild conditions, employing H 2 O 2 as the oxidant. Remarkably, this composite exhibited exceptional stability and could be effortlessly recovered and reused up to four times without any noticeable loss in its catalytic activity., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Regarding the widespread use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) in industry, many concerns have been raised about the risks of their potential release into aquatic ecosystems. Among the marine primary producers, Tetraselmis suecica is an ecologically important microalgae species used also as live feed in the shrimp culture industry. In the present study, the impacts of TiO 2 NPs on growth performance, photosynthetic pigments, lipid and protein content and its interaction with the cells of T. suecica were assessed. Based on the preliminary tests and OECD suggestion, concentrations of 5, 10, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/L TiO 2 NPs were applied to algal cells for 10 days. With increasing concentration, a decrease in T. suecica cell density was observed each day. TiO 2 NPs induced a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 106.26 mg/L on algal cells on the 3rd day. Chlorophyll a and b contents of the microalga decreased up to 56.08% and 52.74%, respectively following the exposure to TiO 2 NPs at 400 mg/L. TiO 2 NPs also decreased the algal contents of protein and lipid up to 7.21% and 50.64%, respectively at the highest concentration. Based on FTIR, FESEM with EDS and mapping analyses, the interaction of TiO 2 NPs with the T. suecica cells was revealed. The stocks of T. suecica could be damaged by the toxic effects of the released TiO 2 NPs affecting their application as live feed in mariculture., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Neurostimulation is one of the new therapeutic approaches in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, and despite its high efficiency, its mechanism of action is still unclear. On the one hand, electrical stimulation in the human brain is immoral; on the other hand, the creation of the epilepsy model in laboratory animals affects the entire brain network. As a result, one of the ways to achieve the neurostimulation mechanism is to use epileptiform activity models In vitro. In vitro models, by accessing the local network from the whole brain, we can understand the mechanisms of action of neurostimulation., Methods: A literature search using scientific databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, using "Neurostimulation" and "epileptiform activity" combined with "high-frequency stimulation", " low-frequency stimulation ", and "brain slices" as keywords were conducted, related concepts to the topic gathered and are used in this paper., Results: Electrical stimulation causes neuronal depolarization and the release of GABAA, which inhibits neuronal firing. Also, electrical stimulation inhibits the nervous tissue downstream of the stimulation site by preventing the passage of nervous activity from the upstream to the downstream of the axon., Conclusion: Neurostimulation techniques consisting of LFS and HFS have a potential role in treating epileptiform activity, with some studies having positive results. Further investigations with larger sample sizes and standardized outcome measures can be conducted to validate the results of previous studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 NPs) have been extensively used in industry, raising many concerns about their release into the aquatic environments. In marine ecosystems, microalgae are major primary producers; among them, Chaetoceros muelleri is an important microalga in the aquaculture industry as live feed. The impacts of TiO 2 NPs on the growth, photosynthetic pigments, protein and lipid contents, and the interaction of TiO 2 NPs with the cell wall of C. muelleri were investigated in the present study. Algal cells were exposed to concentrations of 5, 10, 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/L TiO 2 NPs for 10 days. There was a significant difference in the growth between the control and TiO 2 NPs treatments on each day. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of TiO 2 NPs on algal cells was found to be 10.08 and 5.01 mg/L on the 3rd and 10th days, respectively. The contents of chlorophyll a and c reduced significantly in the TiO 2 NPs-treated microalgae. TiO 2 NPs also reduced the protein and lipid contents in the treated microalgae, up to 13.02% and 47.6% respectively, at the highest concentration. The interaction of TiO 2 NPs with the C. muelleri cells was obvious based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, microscopic images, EDS, and Mapping analyses. Toxic effects of the released TiO 2 NPs can damage the stocks of C. muelleri as an important live feed in mariculture., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)