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Walnut (Juglans regia) from the Juglandaceae family contains high levels of omega 3 fatty acid, vitamin E and melatonin, hence its consumption is beneficial to would be mothers and their offspring. The current study was designed to determine the possible mechanism of walnut consumption by mothers during pregnancy and lactation and the positive effects on learning and memory processes in their offspring. Wistar adult female rats were placed into three groups: control (fed with pellet, 20 g daily during pregnancy and lactation), CASE 1 [fed with Walnut Kernel (WK) 6% of food intake during pregnancy and lactation] and CASE 2 (fed with WK, 9% of food intake during gestation and lactation). In order to evaluate offspring learning and memory, the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test was performed for their adult offspring at 80 days of age. Histological and molecular studies were utilized in order to discover the protective mechanism and efficacy of WK consumption. The results revealed that learning was significantly improved in the females of CASE 2, in comparison to controls, while there was no difference in memory among the different groups. In addition, the number of neurons significantly increased in the CASE 2 group compared to the control group. However, the molecular study demonstrated that there was no significant difference among the study groups. The results herein show that feeding mothers with WK may improve the learning competence of their pups and increase the number of neurons in both sexes.

Tinnitus is a common annoying symptom without effective and accepted treatment. In this controlled experimental study, photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT), which uses light to modulate and repair target tissue, was used to treat sodium salicylate (SS)-induced tinnitus in a rat animal model. Here, PBMT was performed simultaneously on the peripheral and central regions involved in tinnitus. The results were evaluated using objective tests including gap pre-pulse inhibition of acoustic startle (GPIAS), auditory brainstem response (ABR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Harmful neural plasticity induced by tinnitus was detected by doublecortin (DCX) protein expression, a known marker of neural plasticity. PBMT parameters were 808 nm wavelength, 165 mW/cm2 power density, and 99 J/cm2 energy density. In the tinnitus group, the mean gap in noise (GIN) value of GPIAS test was significantly decreased indicated the occurrence of an additional perceived sound like tinnitus and also the mean ABR threshold and brainstem transmission time (BTT) were significantly increased. In addition, a significant increase in DCX expression in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), dentate gyrus (DG) and the parafloccular lobe (PFL) of cerebellum was observed in the tinnitus group. In PBMT group, a significant increase in the GIN value, a significant decrease in the ABR threshold and BTT, and also significant reduction of DCX expression in the DG were observed. Based on our findings, PBMT has the potential to be used in the management of SS-induced tinnitus., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Montazeri et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Mesenchymal stem cells therapy provides a new perspective of therapeutic approaches in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of intranasally transplanted human "olfactory ecto-mesenchymal stem cells" (OE-MSCs) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) rats. In this study, we isolated OE-MSCs from human olfactory lamina propria and phenotypically characterized them using immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. The undifferentiated OE-MSCs were transplanted either by intranasal (IN) or intrahippocampal (IH) injection to rat models of AD, which were induced by injecting amyloid-beta (Aβ) intrahippocampally. Behavioral, histological, and molecular assessments were performed after a three-month recovery period. Based on the results, intranasal administration of OE-MSCs significantly reduced Aβ accumulation and neuronal loss, improved learning and memory impairments, and increased levels of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) and NMDAR (N-methyl-D-Aspartate receptors) in the AD rat model. These changes were more significant in animals who received OE-MSCs by intranasal injection. The results of this study suggest that OE-MSCs have the potential to enhance cognitive function in AD, possibly mediated by BDNF and the NMDA receptors., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most vascular among solid tumors, and despite the use of multimodal therapies, the survival of these patients is poor. In order to target angiogenesis in GBM as a promising strategy, an antiangiogenic drug is required. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of sunitinib, a multityrosine kinase inhibitor with tumor proliferation and angiogenesis inhibitory properties, on GBM-bearing rats. Given the ineffective drug delivery to the brain due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), intra-nasal (IN) drug delivery has recently been considered as a non-invasive method to bypass BBB. Therefore, in the current study, IN was used as an ideal method for the delivery of sunitinib to the brain, and the effects of this method were also compared to the OR administration of the sunitinib. GBM was induced in the brain of male Wistar rats, and they were randomly divided into 4 groups; IN-STB (sunitinib intranasal delivery), IN-sham (placebo intranasal delivery), OR-STB (sunitinib oral delivery) and OR-sham (placebo oral delivery). After the end of the treatment period, an MRI of animals' brains showed a reduction in tumor growth in the treatment groups. Immunohistochemistry revealed that sunitinib inhibits angiogenesis in GBM in both OR and IN delivery methods. Analysis of liver tissue and enzymes showed that IN delivery of sunitinib had less hepatotoxicity than the OR method. Overall, it was found that IN sunitinib delivery could be used as a potential non-hepatotoxic alternative for the treatment of GBM., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The Authors declare no competing financial or non-financial interests directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Despite 6%-20% of the adult population suffering from tinnitus, there is no standard treatment for it. Placenta extract has been used for various therapeutic purposes, including hearing loss. Here, we evaluate the effect of a novel neuroprotective protein composition (NPPC) extract on electrophysiological and molecular changes in the medial geniculate body (MGB) of tinnitus-induced rats., Methods: To evaluate the protein analysis by western blot, the rats were divided into three groups: (1) saline group (intraperitoneal injection of 200 mg/kg saline twice a day for 28 consecutive days, (2) chronic Na-Sal group received sodium salicylate as in the first group, and (3) chronic treatment group (received salicylate 200 mg/kg twice daily for 2 weeks, followed by 0.4 mg NPPC daily from day 14 to day 28). Single-unit recordings were performed on a separate group that was treated as in group 4. Gap-prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS) and pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) was performed to confirm tinnitus in all groups at the baseline, 14th and 28th days., Results: Western blot analysis showed that the expression of γ-Aminobutyric acid Aα1 subunit (GABA Aα1), N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor subtype 2B (NR2B or NMDAR2B), α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptors subunit GluR1 (GluR1), and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptors subunit GluR2 (GluR2) decreased after Na-Sal injection, while NPPC upregulated their expression. MGB units in rats with tinnitus showed decreased spontaneous firing rate, burst per minute, and a spike in a burst. After NPPC administration, neural activity patterns showed a significant positive effect of NPPC on tinnitus., Conclusion: NPPC can play an effective role in the treatment of tinnitus in salicylate-induced rats, and MGB is one of the brain areas involved in these processes., Level of Evidence: NA., Competing Interests: The authors have no financial relationships or conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2023 The Authors. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Triological Society.)

The effect of neuroprotective placental protein composition (NPPC) on the suppression of tinnitus and the restoration of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) characteristics was explored in tinnitus-induced rats. The animals were placed into two groups: (1) the study group, rats received sodium salicylate (SS) at the dose of 200 mg/kg twice a day for two weeks, and then 0.4 mg of the NPPC per day, between the 14th and 28th days, (2) the placebo group, rats received saline for two weeks, and then the NPPC alone between the 14th and 28th days. The gap pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS), the pre-pulse inhibition (PPI), and the ABR assessments were performed on animals in both groups three times (baseline, day 14, and 28). The GPIAS value declined after 14 consecutive days of the SS injection, while NPPC treatment augmented the GPIAS score in the study group on the 28th day. The PPI outcomes revealed no significant changes, indicating hearing preservation after the SS and NPPC administrations. Moreover, some changes in ABR characteristics were observed following SS injection, including (1) higher ABR thresholds, (2) lowered waves I and II amplitudes at the frequencies of 6, 12, and 24 kHz and wave III at the 12 kHz, (3) elevated amplitude ratios, and (4) prolongation in brainstem transmission time (BTT). All the mentioned variables returned to their normal values after applying the NPPC. The NPPC use could exert positive therapeutic effects on the tinnitus-induced rats and improve their ABR parameters., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Mohammad Farhadi reports financial support was provided by 10.13039/501100003968Iran National Science Foundation. Dr. Saeid Mahmoudian reports financial support and administrative support were provided by ENT and Head and Neck Research Center, The Five Senses Health Institute, 10.13039/100012021Iran University of Medical Sciences., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

As a common debilitating disorder worldwide, tinnitus requires objective assessment. In the auditory brainstem response (ABR) test, auditory potentials can be evoked by acoustic or optoacoustic (induced by laser light) stimulations. In order to use the ABR test in the objective assessment of tinnitus, in this study, acoustic ABR (aABR) and optoacoustic ABR (oABR) were compared in the control and tinnitus groups to determine the changes caused by sodium salicylate (SS)-induced tinnitus in rat. In both aABR and oABR, wave II was the most prominent waveform, and the amplitude of wave II evoked by oABR was significantly higher than that of aABR. Brainstem transmission time (BTT), which represents the time required for a neural stimulation to progress from the auditory nerve ending to the inferior colliculus, was significantly shorter in oABR. In the tinnitus group, there was a significant increase in the threshold of both ABRs and a significant decrease in the amplitude of wave II only in the oABR. Based on our findings, the ABR test has the potential to be used in the assessment of SS-induced tinnitus, but oABR has the advantages of producing more prominent waveforms and significantly reducing the amplitude of wave II in tinnitus., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate if there is a difference in the use of intratympanic steroid therapy (IST), compared to systemic steroid treatment (SST), as an initial treatment for patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) by a meta-analysis design performed on the mean pure-tone average (PTA) improvement and the complete recovery rate., Methods: A systematic literature review was performed on randomized controlled trials published from 1990 to August 2020 in some databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane library/CENTRAL, Ovid, ProQuest, Google Scholar, and clinical trials.gov. The primary outcomes of interest were pure-tone average improvement and complete recovery rates., Results: Six eligible studies with 496 patients (250 patients in the IST group and 246 subjects in the SST group) were included in this study. The pooled standardized mean difference of the PTAs was estimated as 0.07 (95% CI = -0.10 to 0.25; I 2  = 0.0%, P = 0.668), and the pooled odds ratio of complete recovery rate was obtained as 1.00 (95% CI = 0.66 to 0.151; I 2  = 31.6, P = 0.199). Moreover, the pooled standardized mean difference of pure-tone average for the intratympanic steroid treatment group compared to the patients with oral steroid treatment was 0.07 (95% CI = -0.12 to 0.26; I 2  = 0.0%, P = 0.526)., Conclusions: The current study demonstrated that the effect of intratympanic injection of corticosteroid, as a first-line treatment, is not statistically different from the systemic route in improving the hearing outcomes among patients with SSNHL., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Cell therapy is the most advanced treatment of peripheral nerve injury. This study aimed to determine the effects of transplantation of hair follicle stem cells on the regeneration of the sciatic nerve injury in rats., Methods: The bulge region of the rat whisker were isolated and cultured. Morphological and biological features of the cultured bulge cells were observed by light microscopy and immunocytochemistry methods. Percentages of CD34, K15, and nestin cell markers expression were demonstrated by flow cytometry. Rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of injury, epineurium, and epineurium with cells in which rat Hair Follicular Stem Cells (rHFSCs) were injected into the site of the nerve cut. HFSCs were labeled with Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), and double-labeling immunofluorescence was performed to study the survival and differentiation of the grafted cells. After 8 weeks, electrophysiological, histological, and immunocytochemical analysis assessments were performed., Results: Rat hair follicle stem cells are suitable for cell culture, proliferation, and differentiation. The results suggest that transplantation of rat hair follicle stem cells can regenerate sciatic nerve injury; moreover, electrophysiology and histology examinations show that sciatic nerve repair was more effective in the epineurium with cell group than in the other experimental group (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The achieved results propose that hair follicle stem cells improve axonal growth and functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury., Highlights: This study showed that rat hair follicle stem cells are suitable for cell culture, proliferation and differentiationThe results suggested that transplantation of rat hair follicle stem cells had the potential capability of regenerating sciatic nerve injuryEvidence of electrophysiology and histology showed Concomitant use of epineurium with hair follicle stem cell was more effective repairment., Plain Language Summary: Although repairing damaged peripheral nerves has always been a medical challenge, but peripheral nerve injury has been successfully repaired using various procedures such as nerve auto-graft or stem cell therapy. The functional reconstruction is the most important after therapy because of that primary nerve repair or use of nerve autograft, are still accepted as golden standard methods for treatment. Considerable recent interest has been focused on adult stem cells for both research and clinical applications. A highly promising source of relatively abundant and accessible, active, multipotent adult stem cells are obtained from hair follicles. In research the hair follicle stem cells implanted into the gap region of a severed sciatic nerve injury greatly enhanced the rate of nerve regeneration and the restoration of nerve function. Time is one of the several aspects require specific attention in the clinical treatment of peripheral nerve injury. Because delay of nerve injury treatment may cause neurobiological alterations in neurons and Schwann cells, impairing nerve functional recovery and affect neuron survival. In this study, concluded that stem cell injection 2 weeks after injury in the damaged nerve epineurium repairs nerve fibers, while electrophysiology of the leg muscles showed that muscle function was significantly improved. It indicates the repair of muscular innervation and nerve repair. The results pave the way for further research on this topic., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright© 2022 Iranian Neuroscience Society.)

Background: Lamotrigine (LTG) is an antiepileptic drug used in the treatment of seizures, mood disorders, and cognitive problems. The cardiac effects of LTG, such as LTG toxicity and SUEDP, have been studied. This is an in vitro study examining the effect of LTG on isolated atria of guinea pigs. Methods: The atria of 21 male Guinea pigs were isolated and stabilized in Krebs-solution and physiologic condition. The rhythm of contraction, contractile force, and heart rate were recorded. In 7 atria, LTG at the doses of 2, 4, 8, and 16 mg/mL were added and the contractile forces and heart rates were recorded and compared together. In the next step, in 14 atria, 8 were pretreated with LTG, and 6 without pretreatment were exposed to ouabain, and the times of the onset of effect, arrhythmia, and asystole were recorded. The statistical comparisons were made by using Student's t test and repeated measure analysis of variance followed by the Bonferroni method. Results: Lamotrigine (4, 8, and 16 mg/mL) significantly decreased the heart rate and contractile force of the isolated guinea pigs' atria (P <.001). Pretreatment with LTG significantly increased the mean time of onset of the effect of ouabain, the onset of ouabain-induced arrhythmia, and time of ouabain-induced asystole (P <.001). Conclusion: LTG reduces the heart rate and contractile force, and also inhibit ouabain induced-arrhythmia of the isolated atria of guinea pigs., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared, (© 2021 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

Aims: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) are currently applied in food and pharmaceutical industries whose neurotoxic effect on the central nervous system (CNS) is a major concern. Considering the pharmacological properties (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory) of the geraniol (GE), we aimed to investigate the efficacy of geraniol on ZnO-NPs neurotoxicity., Materials and Methods: We used 32 male Wistar rats, randomly assigned to four groups (n = 8): Control, GE (daily received 100 mg/kg of GE by gavage), ZnO-NPs (received intraperitoneal injection of 75 mg/kg of ZnO-NPs twice a week), and ZnO-NPs + GE (received both GE and ZnO-NPs at same doses above during 4 weeks). Morris water maze (MWM) and Y-maze tasks were done to evaluate learning and memory function. Biochemical assays were done to measure total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and ZnO-NPs bioaccumulation. Nissl and H&E staining were performed for histological evaluations., Key Findings: The results of behavioral study revealed that GE improved learning and memory impairment induced by ZnO-NPs. Moreover, neuroprotective effect of GE significantly decreased pathological parameters such as necrosis and gliosis, and consequently increased the number of nerve cells in the cortex and different hippocampal areas. Furthermore, biochemical studies demonstrated that GE significantly increased antioxidant indices (namely, TAC, SOD, and GPX) and reduced oxidative stress marker (MDA) and Zn bioaccumulation in ZnO-NPs treated animals., Significance: Our results provide experimental evidence to further investigate the precise mechanisms underlying the geraniol as a promising therapeutic approach for improvement of cognitive function and neurotoxicity induce by ZnO-NPs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is the process of delivering light photons through the skull to benefit from its modifying effect. Brain disorders are important health problems. The aim of this review was to determine the existing evidence of effectiveness, useful parameters, and safety of tPBM in the management of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson, and Alzheimer's disease as the common brain disorders. Four online databases, including Cochrane, Pub Med, Embase, and Google scholar were searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. 4728 articles were obtained in the initial search. Only those articles that were published until September 2020 and designed as randomized clinical trials (RCTs) or animal-controlled studies were included. 6 RCTs, 2 related supplementary articles, and 38 controlled animal studies met the inclusion criteria of this study. No RCTs were performed in the fields of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The human RCTs and animal studies reported no adverse events resulted from the use of tPBM. Useful parameters of tPBM were identified according to the controlled animal studies. Since the investigated RCTs had no homogenous results, making an evidence-based decision for definite therapeutic application of tPBM is still unattainable. Altogether, these data support the need for large confirmatory well-designed RCTs for using tPBM as a novel, safe, and easy-to-administer treatment of brain disorders., Evidence Before This Study: High prevalence and complications of brain disorders and also side effects of neuropsychiatric medications have encouraged researchers to find alternative therapeutic techniques which tPBM can be one of them. In present review we tried to determine the existing evidence of effectiveness, useful parameters, and safety of tPBM in the management of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer, and Parkinson's disease as common brain disorders. Four online databases, including "Cochrane", "Pub Med", "Embase", and "Google scholar" were searched. Only those articles that were published until September 2020 and designed as RCTs or animal-controlled studies were included. Search keywords were the followings: transcranial photobiomodulation" OR "transcranial low-level laser therapy" AND "stroke" OR "traumatic brain injury" OR "Alzheimer" OR "Parkinson". Several studies have confirmed effectiveness of tPBM in treatment of different brain disorders but the level of evidence of its effectiveness remain to be determined., Added Value of This Study: In this study we systematically reviewed human RCTs to determine the existing evidence of tPBM effectiveness in management of four mentioned brain disorders. Since the outcomes of the reviewed RCTs were not homogeneous, further well-designed RCTs are required to decide more definitively on the evidence of this noninvasive and probably safe therapeutic intervention. We hypothesized that non-homogeneous outcomes could be due to inefficiency of PBM parameters. Controlled animal studies have the advantage of using objective tests to evaluate the results and compare them with the control group. We determined useful tPBM parameters based on these studies., Implications of All the Available Evidence: This research is part of our main project of tinnitus treatment using photobiomodulation (PBM). Evidence of central nervous system involvement in tinnitus led us to believe that treatment protocol of tinnitus should also include transcranial PBM. The determined useful parameters can be helpful in designing more efficient tPBM protocols in the management of brain disorders and tinnitus as a common debilitating symptom that can be associated with these disorders., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Methamphetamine (METH) may cause long‒lasting neurotoxic effects and cognitive impairment. On the other hand, the ovarian hormones estrogen and progesterone have neuroprotective effects. In the current study, we aimed to examine the effects of estrogen and progesterone on anxiety‒like behavior and neuronal damage in METH‒exposed ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Three weeks after ovariectomy, the animals received estrogen (1 mg/kg, i.p.), or progesterone (8 mg/kg, i.p.), or estrogen plus progesterone (with the same doses), or vehicle during 7 consecutive days (days 22-28). On day 28, OVX rats were exposed to a single‒day METH regimen (6 mg/kg, four s.c. Injections, with 2 h interval) 30 min after the hormone treatment. The next day (on day 29), the animals were assessed for anxiety‒related behaviors using the open field and elevated plus‒maze tasks. The animals were then sacrificed and brain water content, cell apoptosis and expression of IL-1β were evaluated. The findings showed that treatment with estrogen or progesterone alone in METH‒exposed rats significantly improved hyperthermia, anxiety‒like behavior, neuronal damage, and inflammation in the CA1 area. Also, treatment with estrogen plus progesterone improved hyperthermia and brain edema. Taken together, the findings suggest that treatment with ovarian hormones can partially prevent hyperthermia and anxiety‒related behaviors induced by METH in OVX rats, which could be accompanied by their neuroprotective effects in the hippocampus., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly malignant brain tumor with an extremely dismal prognosis, a median survival is12 months. Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating agent widely used to treat cancer, resistance to this drug is often found. One unexplored possibility for overcoming this resistance is a treatment based on concomitant exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and TMZ. Indeed, many evidences show that EMF affects cancer cells and drug performance. Therefore, the present study was carried out to evaluate the potential synergistic effect of 100 µM TMZ and EMF (100 Hz, 100 G) on human glioma cell line U87 U87 cells with four experimental groups (I-IV) were exposed to ELF-EMF and TMZ for 120 and 144 h, as follows: (I) control; (II) ELF-EMF; (III) TMZ; (IV) ELF-PEMFs / TMZ. mRNA expression of genes such as (Nestin,CD133, Notch4 and GFAP) were investigated by Real-time PCR and western blot. We also evaluated, SOD activity, MDA and calcium concentration by ELISA assay. Co-treatment synergistically decreased the expression of Nestin,CD133, and Notch4 and increased the GFAP genes. We also observed an increase in Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Ca2+concentration in comparison to controls.TMZ prevents cancer progression not only through the induction of cell death, but also by inducing differentiation in cancer cells. In addition, our data demonstrate ELF-EMF (100 Hz, 100 G) can significantly enhance the effects of TMZ on human glioblastoma U87 cell. These findings may open new window for future studies.

Introduction: Although studies have shown a potential association between extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) exposure and Alzheimer's disease (AD), few studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of weak magnetic fields on brain functions such as cognitive functions in animal models. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of ELF-EMF exposure (50 Hz, 10 mT) on spatial learning and memory changes in AD rats., Methods: Amyloid-β (Aβ) 1-42 was injected into lateral ventricle to establish an AD rat model. The rats were divided into six groups: Group I (control); Group II (surgical sham); Group III (AD) Alzheimer's rat model; Group IV (MF) rats exposed to ELF-MF for 14 consecutive days; Group V (Aβ injection+M) rats exposed to magnetic field for 14 consecutive days from day 0 to 14 days after the Aβ peptide injection; Group VI (AD+M) rats exposed to magnetic field for 14 consecutive days after 2 weeks of Aβ peptide injection from 14th to 28th day . Morris water maze investigations were performed., Results: AD rats showed a significant impairment in learning and memory compared to control rats. The results showed that ELF-MF improved the learning and memory impairments in Aβ injection+M and AD+M groups., Conclusion: Our results showed that application of ELF-MF not only has improving effect on different cognitive disorder signs of AD animals, but also disrupts the processes of AD rat model formation.

Introduction: The life quality of patients with epileptic seizures is highly affected by cognitive deficits. Low Frequency Stimulation (LFS) is a novel approach for the treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy. The main goal of this research is investigating the possible effect of LFS on seizure-induced cognitive dysfunction., Methods: To this end, the kindled animal were prepared via CA1 electrical stimulation in a semi-rapid way (12 stimulations/day). A group of animals were stimulated with LFS, 4 times at 30 s, 6 h, 24 h, and 30 h after the last kindling stimulation. Applied LFS was administered in 4 packages every 5 minutes. The packages were designed with 200 monophasic 200 monophasic square wave pulses of 0.1 ms duration at 1 Hz. The passive-avoidance test was conducted on all animals in order to measure the learning and memory behavior., Results: Hippocampal kindled rats showed deficits in learning and memory when passive avoidance test was performed. Application of LFS reversed the impairment in learning and memory behavior in kindled rats. At the same time, LFS markedly diminished kindling-induced neuronal loss and atrophy in the hippocampus., Conclusion: LFS may have some protection against seizure-induced cognitive damage in kindled rats., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a malignant brain cancer that causes high mortality in patients. GBM responds weakly to the common cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy and even surgery. Carboplatin is an alkylating agent widely used to treat cancer. However, resistance to this drug is a common problem in its use in cancer treatment. Concomitant exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) and carboplatin is one unexplored possibility for overcoming this resistance. Indeed, many lines of evidence show that EMF affects cancer cells and drug action. In this study, we evaluated the effect of concomitant administration of carboplatin and EMF (50 Hz, 70 G) and also concomitant administration of carboplatin and static magnetic field (SMF) (70 G) on human glioma cell line (U-87). The results showed that cotreatment reduced the efficiency of carboplatin in U-87 cells, by decreasing caspase-3 in comparison to drug groups. Overall, EMF reduced the apoptotic effect of carboplatin, possibly through a redox regulation mechanism. Therefore, we have to avoid coadministration of magnetic field (MF) and carboplatin in tumor area, because the MF decreased the toxicity of the drug. However, further studies are needed to reveal the action mechanism of this combination therapeutic method.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant brain cancer that causes high mortality in humans. It responds poorly to the most common cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemo- and radiation therapy. Temozolomide (TMZ) is an alkylating agent that has been widely used to treat GBM; resistance to this drug is often found. One unexplored possibility for overcoming this resistance is a treatment based on concomitant exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and TMZ. Indeed, many evidences show that EMF affects cancer cells and drug performance. In this study, we evaluated the potential synergistic effect of 100μM TMZ and EMF (100Hz, 100G) on two human glioma cells line, i.e., U87 and T98G above single treatments, TMZ or EMF. Co-treatment synergistically enhanced apoptosis in U87 and T98G cells, by increasing the expression of P53, Bax, and Caspase-3 and decreasing that of Bcl-2 and Cyclin-D1. We also observed an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the overexpression of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene in comparison to controls. In conclusion, since EMF enhanced the apoptotic effect of TMZ, possibly through a redox regulation mechanism, the TMZ/EMF combination may be effective for glioma cancer treating. Further studies are needed to reveal the action mechanism of this possible novel therapeutic approach., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of the neck and shoulder are the most common and most influential factors causing disorder in the performance and absenteeism of work in administrative personnel., Aim: To identify risk factors which affect musculoskeletal disorders of neck and shoulder areas in headquarters staff of Kerman University of Medical Sciences., Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted in 2015 on 282 headquarters personnel of Kerman University of Medical Sciences (Kerman, Iran). The desired headquarters staff were selected from seven Deputy Vice-Chancellors of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, including Deputy of Health; Deputy of Treatment; Deputy of Education; Deputy of Students and Cultural Affairs; Deputy of Food and Drugs; Deputy of Management Development and Resource Planning; Deputy of Research and Technology, and data were gathered by using a standard Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire NMQ (Nordic) and were analyzed by using SPSS version 16. The impact of various factors on the most common complications (neck and shoulder pains) was analyzed separately through logistic regression analysis and detailed Odds Ratio (OR) was calculated for each individual., Results: The occurrence of neck and shoulder pains in headquarters staff were 42.14% and 40.71%, respectively. In the prevalence of neck pain variables such as marital status (single than married p=0.01, OR=0.24), work experience (p=0.03, OR=1.07 ), education (bachelor's degree and lower than master's degree and higher p=0.003, OR=2.69), right / left-handedness (left than right p=0.03, OR=0.33), weight (p=0.04, OR=1.04), place of work (p<0.05); as well as in the prevalence of shoulder pain variables such as marital status (single than married p=0.04, OR=0.48), work experience (p=0.01, OR=1.20), education (bachelor and lower than master and higher p=0.04, OR=1.97), right / left handedness (left than right p=0.01, OR=0.42), age (p=0.02, OR=1.05), and gender (male than female p=0.03, OR=0.65) affected., Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the prevalence of neck and shoulder pains is influenced by various risk factors and some of which were identified and an amount of their influence in this study was found. Therefore, it is suggested by considering the risk factors and planning control programs, a major step is taken in reducing the musculoskeletal disorders of office staff., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.

The impact of extremely low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (ELF-PEMFs) at various frequencies and amplitudes was investigated on cell cycle, apoptosis and viability of the Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) cell line (U87), in vitro. The GBM is a malignant brain tumor with high mortality in humans and poorly responsive to the most common type of cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. U87 cells with five experimental groups (I-V) were exposed to various ELF-PEMFs for 2, 4 and 24 h, as follows: (I) no exposure, control; (II) 50 Hz 100 ± 15 G; (III) 100 Hz 100 ± 15 G; (IV) 10 Hz 50 ± 10 G; (V) 50 Hz 50 ± 10 G. The morphology properties, cell viability and gene expression of proteins involved in cell cycle regulation (Cyclin-D1 and P53) and apoptosis (Caspase-3) were investigated. After 24 h, the cell viability and Cyclin-D1 expression increased in Group II (30%, 45%), whereas they decreased in Groups III (29%, 31%) and IV (21%, 34%); P53 and Caspase-3 elevated only in Group III; and no significant difference was observed in Group V, respectively, compared with the control (p < 0.05). The data suggest that the proliferation and apoptosis of human GBM are influenced by exposure to ELF-PEMFs in different time-dependent frequencies and amplitudes. The fact that some of the ELF-PEMFs frequencies and amplitudes favor U87 cells proliferation indicates precaution for the use of medical devices related to the MFs on cancer patients. On the other hand, some other ELF-PEMFs frequencies and intensities arresting U87 cells growth could open the way to develop novel therapeutic approaches.