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Lithium, a common component in various mood-stabilizing drugs, induces adverse effects on spermatozoa and human fertility. Oxidative stress, as a possible mechanism involved in lithium toxicity, can be reversed using antioxidants. Therefore, in this study, the effects of silymarin as a potent antioxidant were evaluated on human spermatozoa treated with lithium. Human spermatozoa were divided into five groups: (1) spermatozoa at 0 min, (2) spermatozoa at 180 min (control group), (3) spermatozoa treated with lithium chloride (500 μM) for 180 min, (4) spermatozoa were treated with silymarin (100 μM) + lithium chloride (500 μM) for 180 min, and (5) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (100 μM) for 180 min. Sperm motility and viability, the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) were evaluated in these groups. The results showed that sperm motility and viability significantly (p < 0.001) decreased in the group treated with lithium. In addition, a significant increase (p < 0.001) was observed in MDA levels, while FRAP amount and the activity of antioxidant enzymes decreased significantly (p < 0.001) in this group. Interestingly, these results were significantly (p < 0.001) reversed in the group treated with silymarin + lithium. The finding of the present study showed that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in lithium toxicity in human spermatozoa, and the coapplication of silymarin as a potent antioxidant with lithium can protect human sperm against oxidative stress-induced damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollutants such as cadmium can negatively affect sperm parameters and decrease male fertility by inducing oxidative stress. Antioxidants are considered a useful strategy for oxidative stress conditions to neutralize free radicals and strengthen the antioxidant defence system. In this study, the effects of the common application of silymarin, as a natural antioxidant, with cadmium were assessed on human sperm. The washed human sperm samples were divided into five groups: (1) spermatozoa at 0‐ hour; (2) spermatozoa at 3 h; (3) spermatozoa treated with cadmium (20 μM) for 3 h; (4) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM) + cadmium (20 μM) for 3 h and (5) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM) for 3 h. Our results displayed that cadmium reduced sperm motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity by increasing malondialdehyde levels and decreasing the total antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzymes activity. While silymarin attenuated oxidative stress biomarkers in human sperm treated with cadmium, and consequently improved the sperm quality. In summary, cadmium‐induced oxidative stress impaired human sperm structures and silymarin with its antioxidant properties compensated for the adverse effects of oxidative stress on human spermatozoa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lymphocytes are a group of white blood cells with a variety of roles their integrity is crucial for the body's immune responses. Cadmium, a heavy metal and environmental pollutant, is known as a toxicant to exert its adverse effects on some sort of cells including blood cells. Research Design: In this study, human lymphocytes were divided into 3 groups: (1) lymphocytes at 0-h, (2) lymphocytes at 24 h (control), (3) lymphocytes treated with cadmium chloride (15 μM). Lymphocyte viability and plasma membrane integrity were assessed in these groups. In addition, the occurrence of apoptosis was investigated by assessment of nucleus diameter and flow cytometry. Activation of caspase-3 was also detected by immunocytochemistry. Results: Result showed that lymphocyte's viability and plasma membrane integrity decreased in lymphocytes treated with cadmium as compared with the control group. Decreased nucleus diameter and result of flow cytometry demonstrated cadmium-induced apoptosis in human lymphocytes. Furthermore, lymphocytes treated with cadmium displayed intensely activated caspase-3 immunoreactivity in their cytoplasm. Conclusion: In conclusion, cadmium not only negatively effect on viability and plasma membrane, but also induces caspase-dependent apoptosis in human lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionotropic glutamate receptors are expressed in mouse and human spermatozoa. However, the possible role of these receptors has not been reported in the sperm acrosome reaction. This study was conducted to demonstrate the function of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors in the acrosome reaction of mouse spermatozoa. Epididymal spermatozoa from adult mice were release in a culture medium. The sperm suspension was then divided into six groups: (1) spermatozoa at 0 min, (2) spermatozoa at 60 min (control), (3) spermatozoa treated with NMDA glutamate receptor agonist (L‐glutamate, LG), (4) spermatozoa treated with α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methylisoxazole‐4‐propionic acid (AMPA)/kainite glutamate receptor agonist (kainic acid), (5) spermatozoa treated with NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist (MK‐801)+LG and (6) spermatozoa treated with ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA, as a calcium chelator)+LG. The sperm samples were examined for the acrosome reaction and intracellular calcium concentration. After 60 min, LG but not kainic acid significantly increased both the acrosome reaction and intracellular calcium levels in the spermatozoa compared with the control group. Co‐administration of MK‐801 or EGTA+LG could significantly reverse the effect of LG in the acrosome reaction and the level of intracellular calcium as compared to the LG group. The possibility that LG induced the acrosome reaction and elevated inter‐cellular calcium concentration in mouse spermatozoa and that MK‐801 could reverse the effects of LG, may suggest the involvement of NMDA glutamate receptors, at least in the initiation of the acrosome reaction in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since TLR9 recognises unmethylated CpG motifs in viral DNA, its polymorphisms may contribute to the susceptibility to Herpes simplex virus I&II infection. In the present study, to evaluate the role of rs187084 SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) of TLR9 in Herpes simplex virus I&II infection and male infertility, 103 infertile and 27 fertile blood and semen samples were analysed. We assessed the micro and macro properties of semen specimens and the presence of HSV immunoglobulins. Tetra‐primer ARMS PCR was used to detect SNP and to investigate the genotype distribution of TLR9‐rs187084 SNPs, and the correlation between polymorphisms of TLR9 gene and male infertility. Moreover, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were used to estimate the strength of the association. Based on our finding, a significant correlation was observed between HSV infection, agglutination and polymorphism (TT) under dominant (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.94–1.75) and recessive (OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.21–0.94) models for the data, which was complied with Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) (OR = 2.91, 95% CI = 1.02–8.30). The result showed a significant association between HSV IgM and agglutination in HSV infection (p <.001), and in addition, there were associations between alleles so that rs187084 SNP might be considered as a risk factor for the incidence of HSV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rigid matching of two geometric clouds is vital in the computer vision and its intelligent applications, such as computational geometry, robotics, shape modelling, surface reconstruction and mapping, and many other fields. The variants of the iterative closest point algorithm were employed as the most noticeable matching algorithm. In traditional ICP algorithms applications for symmetrical geometry matching, the initial uncertainty and the multiple local minima of the distance function adversely affect the alignment process, which leads to weak performance, such as incorrect correspondence, narrow convergence region, and instability. In this study, the novel algorithm fused the ICP algorithm, particle filter and K-means clustering to correctly estimate the transformation ICP parameters. Further guide to initial values of parameters and their covariance obtained by k-means clustering. Then, a particle filter was implemented to estimate accurate values and perform global optimization. In the introduced PF-ICP algorithm, the alignment parameters: rotation angles, scale factor, and translation, were defined as particles elements optimized using a sequential importance resampling (SIR) particle filter. The proposed algorithm was implemented on a medical robot FPGA board and applied to “three symmetrical models” and “noisy and poor datasets.” The calculated variances and estimated parameters were compared with four modified ICP methods. The results show a significantly increasing accuracy and convergence region with an acceptable speed for the practical conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress‐induced apoptosis in spermatozoa may lead to male infertility. Environmental pollutants and heavy metals such as cadmium cause harmful effects on the reproductive system and sperm parameters through the induction of oxidative stress. Silymarin, as a potent antioxidant, is able to inhibit oxidative stress. This study was performed to investigate the protective effects of silymarin on cadmium‐induced toxicity in human spermatozoa. Sperm samples were divided into the following five groups: (a) spermatozoa at 0 min, (b) spermatozoa in the control group, (c) spermatozoa treated with cadmium chloride (20 μM), (d) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM)+ cadmium chloride (20 μM) and (e) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM). Sperm parameters related to apoptosis, such as DNA fragmentation, nucleus diameter, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and expression of caspase‐3, were evaluated in all groups. After 180 min, spermatozoa treated with cadmium chloride showed a significant decrease in nucleus diameter and MMP but a significant increase in DNA fragmentation; however, caspase‐3 expression remained unchanged. At this time point, silymarin in the silymarin + cadmium chloride group could significantly reverse the adverse effects of cadmium chloride on these parameters.Silymarn could partly compensate for the caspase‐independent apoptosis in the spermatozoa. Therefore, oxidative stress could be a consequence for cadmium toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay which evaluates cellular mitochondrial activity is widely used for the assessment of cell proliferation and viability. Objective: This study was performed to assess human sperm viability using MTT assay. Materials and Methods: In this laboratory study, human-ejaculated semen samples (n = 56 from different donors) were used. The sperm viability was determined using quantitative MTT assay and the sperm motility was assessed according to World Health Organization guidelines. Sperm viability and the correlation between sperm viability and motility were analyzed. Results: Data revealed a marked positive correlation between MTT reduction rate and the percentage of viable spermatozoa. The Pearson's correlation coefficients also showed a significant correlation between sperm viability and motility. Conclusion: MTT assay which is based on mitochondrial functionality is a reliable method for evaluating human sperm viability and could be used as a diagnostic test for predicting sperm fertilization ability in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminium is an environmental pollutant which induces oxidative stress, while silymarin is a potent antioxidant. This study was conducted to investigate the possible protective effects of silymarin on adverse effects of aluminium chloride on vital sperm parameters as well as its effects on oxidative stress markers in human spermatozoa. Human spermatozoa were divided into 5 groups as follows: (a) spermatozoa at 0 hr; (b) spermatozoa at 180 min (control); (c) spermatozoa treated with aluminium chloride; (d) spermatozoa treated with silymarin + aluminium chloride; and (e) spermatozoa treated with silymarin. The sperm samples were used to assess sperm vital parameters such as acrosome and plasma membrane integrity, viability, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and motility as well as sperm malondialdehyde (MDA) level and the total antioxidant capacity. The percentage of acrosome and plasma membrane integrity, viability, MMP, motility and the total antioxidant capacity of spermatozoa treated with aluminium chloride significantly decreased compared with control group, while the level of MDA significantly increased compared with the control group. In the silymarin + aluminium chloride group, silymarin could significantly compensate the adverse effects of aluminium chloride on these parameters. Administration of silymarin alone significantly increased the percentage of acrosome and plasma membrane integrity, viability, motility and total antioxidant capacity, while significantly reduced MDA levels compared with the control group. Aluminium chloride by inducing oxidative stress exerts disastrous effects on the vital parameters of human spermatozoa and silymarin, as a potent antioxidant, could reverse the effects of aluminium chloride on these parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaporins are water selective channels which play important roles in cell volume regulation during the transmission of spermatozoa to female tract. This study investigated the expression of aquaporin3 and determined the role of aquaporins in human sperm motility and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). RT‐PCR and flow cytometry analysis were done to investigate aquaporin3 expression levels, and immunolocalisation of aquaporin3 in the spermatozoa was detected using immunocytochemical analysis. The sperm suspension was divided into four groups of spermatozoa: (a) Spermatozoa at 0 hr, (b) spermatozoa in control group, (c) spermatozoa treated with HgCl2 (as an aquaporin inhibitor) and (d) spermatozoa treated with HgCl2+ and 2‐mercaptoethanol. The sperm samples were examined in terms of sperm motility and mitochondrial membrane potential. Results confirmed aquaporin3 expression in human spermatozoa and immunocytochemistry results showed an intense immunoreactivity in whole sperm tail. After 60 min, HgCl2 showed a significant decrease in motility and MMP compared to the control group. At this time point, 2‐mercaptoethanol in the HgCl2+ 2‐mercaptoethanol group reversed the effects of HgCl2 as compared to the HgCl2 group. Present study showed the expression and immunolocalisation of AQP3 in human spermatozoa and the potential role of AQPs in the sperm motility and MMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cadmium is an environmental pollutant which induces oxidative stress while silymarin as an antioxidant is able to scavenge free radicals. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of silymarin on oxidative stress markers and antioxidant defense system capacity in mice treated with cadmium chloride. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, adult mice were divided into four groups as follow: i. Control, ii. Cadmium chloride (5 mg/kg b.w., s.c.), iii. Silymarin+cadmium chloride, and iv. Silymarin (100 mg/kg b.w., i.p.). Mice were treated with cadmium chloride for 24 hours and silymarin was administered 24 hours before the cadmium. Blood samples were then collected from the experimental groups and their sera were prepared. To investigate oxidative stress markers in the serum, the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiol groups (-SH) were evaluated. To measure the total antioxidant power in the serum, Ferric Reducing/ Antioxidant Power (FRAP) method was used. In addition, the activity of enzymes including catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) was assessed to evaluate serum antioxidant defense power. Results: In the cadmium-treated group, the amount of MDA significantly increased as compared to the control group. In silymarin+cadmium group, silymarin significantly ameliorated the level of MDA compared to the cadmium group. In addition, cadmium significantly reduced serum FRAP, the activity of antioxidant defense system enzymes and thiol groups compared to the control. In silymarin+cadmium group, silymarin could significantly reverse the reduction of these markers compared to the cadmium group. Administration of silymarin alone caused a significant increase in serum FRAP, the activity of antioxidant defense system enzymes and thiol groups compared to the control group. Conclusion: Silymarin as a powerful antioxidant reverses the toxic effect of cadmium on the serum levels of lipid peroxidation, total antioxidant power, antioxidant defense system enzymes activity and thiol groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a hierarchical framework for the identification of nonlinear hybrid systems in the form of Switched Nonlinear AutoRegressive models with eXogenous variables (SNARX). The identification is done via three levels of inference, using Bayes' rule. In the first level, model parameters are computed via a Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) estimator. The posterior distribution therein involved depends on hyper-parameters that are tuned in the second level of inference. Such terms determine model complexity, and the Bayesian framework is key in returning values that trade off complexity with accuracy by automatically embodying the Occam's razor principle. Lastly, the third level compares different model structures by means of a quality measure that encompasses data fitness, model complexity, and data classification. The proposed framework is compared with existing relevant methods and is tested on different numerical models, showing promising performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on epididymal sperm parameters in adult male Navel Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice exposed to sodium arsenite. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, we divided the animals into four groups: control, sodium arsenite (5 mg/kg), curcumin (100 mg/kg) and curcumin+sodium arsenite. Exposures were performed by intraperitoneal injections for a 5-week period. After the exposure period, we recorded the animals' body and left testes weights. The left caudal epididymis was used to count the sperm number and analyze motility, viability, morphological abnormalities, acrosome reaction, DNA integrity, and histone-protamine replacement in the spermatozoa. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Tukey's test was used to assess the statistical significance of the data with SPSS 16.0. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mice exposed to sodium arsenite showed a significant decrease in the number, motility, viability, normal sperm morphology and acrosome integrity of spermatozoa compared to the control group. In the curcumin+sodium arsenite group, curcumin significantly reversed these adverse effects to the point where they approximated the control. In addition, the application of curcumin alone had no significant difference in these parameters compared to the control and curcumin+sodium arsenite groups. However, we observed no significant differences in the body and the testis weight as well as the DNA integrity and histone-protamine replacement in the spermatozoa of the four groups. Conclusion: Curcumin compensated for the toxic effects of sodium arsenite on a number of sperm parameters in adult mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sodium arsenite can impair male reproductive function by inducing oxidative stress. Silymarin is known as a potent antioxidant. Objective: This study was performed to investigate if silymarin can prevent the adverse effect of sodium arsenite on ram sperm viability, motility and mitochondrial membrane potential. Materials and Methods: Epidydimal spermatozoa obtained from ram were divided into five groups: 1) Spermatozoa at 0 hr, 2) spermatozoa at 180 min (control), 3) spermatozoa treated with sodium arsenite (10 μM) for 180 min, 4) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (20 μM) + sodium arsenite (10 μM) for 180 min and 5) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (20 μM) for 180 min. MTT assay and Rhodamine 123 staining were used to assess sperm viability and mitochondrial membrane potential respectively. Sperm motility was performed according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Results: Viability (p<0.01), nonprogressive motility (p<0.001) and intact mitochondrial membrane potential (p<0.001) of the spermatozoa were significantly decreased in sodium arsenite treated group compared to control group. In silymarin + sodium arsenite group, silymarin could significantly reverse the adverse effect of sodium arsenite on these sperm parameters compared to sodium arsenite group (p<0.001). In addition, the application of silymarin alone for 180 minutes could significantly increase progressively motile sperm (p<0.001) and decrease non motile sperm (p<0.01) compared to the control. Conclusion: Silymarin could compensate the adverse effect of sodium arsenite on viability, nonprogressive motility and mitochondrial membrane potential of ram sperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to arsenic is associated with impairment of male reproductive function by inducing oxidative stress. Silymarin with an antioxidant property scavenges free radicals. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if silymarin can prevent the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on ram sperm plasma membrane and acrosome integrity. Materials and Methods: Ram epidydimal spermatozoa were divided into five groups: spermatozoa at 0 hr, spermatozoa at 180 min (control), spermatozoa treated with silymarin (20 μM) + sodium arsenite (10 μM) for 180 min, spermatozoa treated with sodium arsenite (10 μM) for 180 min and spermatozoa treated with silymarin (20 μM) for 180 min. Double staining of Hoechst and propidium iodide was performed to evaluate sperm plasma membrane integrity, whereas comassie brilliant blue staining was used to assess acrosome integrity. Results: Plasma membrane (p< 0.001) and acrosome integrity (p< 0.05) of the spermatozoa were significantly reduced in sodium arsenite group compared to the control. In silymarin + sodium arsenite group, silymarin was able to significantly (p< 0.001) ameliorate the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on these sperm parameters compared to sodium arsenite group. The incubation of sperm for 180 min (control group) showed a significant (p< 0.001) decrease in acrosome integrity compared to the spermatozoa at 0 hour. The application of silymarin alone for 180 min could also significantly (p< 0.05) increase sperm acrosome integrity compared to the control. Conclusion: Silymarin as a potent antioxidant could compensate the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on the ram sperm plasma membrane and acrosome integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the nonlinear observer design problem for gene regulatory networks with time-varying delay, focusing on the case of unstable GRNs with oscillatory behavior. Currently available approaches are conservative due to presence of nonlinear terms, which should be dealt with. In addition, nonlinear terms are only known approximately in practice and therefore previous works may lead to undesirable performance. To address conservativeness issue, we have provided an LPV approach. Besides, to diminish effects of uncertain nonlinear terms on observer performance, a peak-to-peak state estimation problem is considered. By defining appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, sufficient conditions are derived that guarantee the desirable performance. The superiority of the proposed method to existing approaches is illustrated by means of a numerical example. Moreover, good performance of state estimation in presence of uncertainty is demonstrated by simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Since Curcuma longa extract and curcumin have been shown to be potent antioxidant agents, they were used in cultured adult mouse spinal cord slices to investigate whether they can inhibit apoptosis in motor neurons. Methods: Slices from the thoracic region of adult mice spinal cord were divided into four groups: 1. Freshlyprepared slices (time 0); 2. Control; 3. Slices treated by curcumin (20 μM); and 4. Slices treated by Curcuma longa extract (1000 ppm). The control and the treated slices were cultured for 6 hours. MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay was used to evaluate slice viability in the four groups. Morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis were studied using fluorescent staining (propidium iodide and Hoechst 33342) and TUNEL method, respectively. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. Results: The viability of slices cultured for 6 hours (control) was considerably decreased compared to freshly-prepared slices. Motor neurons from slices cultured for 6 hours showed morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis. At this time point, the application of either curcumin or Curcuma longa extract not only increased the viability of cultured slices compared to the control, but also they could inhibit morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis in the motor neurons. Conclusion: Oxidative stress might be a possible mechanism for the induction of apoptosis of motor neurons in cultured spinal cord slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Passivity-based fractional-order (FO) integral sliding mode controller is proposed for FO nonlinear systems. [•] The effects of model uncertainties and an exogenous input are taken into account in the design procedure. [•] The passivity notion is extended for FO systems. [•] A parameter adjustment scheme for FO integral sliding surface is proposed by using the linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach. [•] Stability and reachability analysis for the closed loop system is discussed based on the fractional Lyapunov theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) undergo apoptosis after peripheral nerve injury. The aim of this study was to investigate sensory neuron death and the mechanism involved in the death of these neurons in cultured DRG. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, L5 DRG from adult mouse were dissected and incubated in culture medium for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. Freshly dissected and cultured DRG were then fixed and sectioned using a cryostat. Morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis were investigated using fluorescent staining (Propidium iodide and Hoechst 33342) and the terminal Deoxynucleotide transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method respectively. To study the role of caspases, general caspase inhibitor (Z-VAD.fmk, 100 μM) and immunohistochemistry for activated caspase-3 were used. Results: After 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours in culture, sensory neurons not only displayed morphological features of apoptosis but also they appeared TUNEL positive. The application of Z-VAD.fmk inhibited apoptosis in these neurons over the same time period. In addition, intense activated caspase-3 immunoreactivity was found both in the cytoplasm and the nuclei of these neurons after 24 and 48 hours. Conclusion: Results of the present study show caspase-dependent apoptosis in the sensory neurons of cultured DRG from adult mouse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper deals with the problem of non-fragile observer design for a class of Lipschitz nonlinear fractional order systems. Using continuous frequency distribution, the stability conditions based on indirect approach to Lyapunov stability are derived. A systematic algorithm is presented, which checks for feasibility of a solution to the quadratic inequality and yields an observer whenever the solution is feasible. Finally a chaos synchronization example is provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed method. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: The apoptosis of motor neurons is a critical phenomenon in spinal cord injuries. Adult spinal cord slices were used to investigate whether voltage sensitive calcium channels and Na+/Ca2+ exchangers play a role in the apoptosis of motor neurons. Materials and Methods: In this experimental research, the thoracic region of the adult mouse spinal cord was sliced using a tissue chopper and the slices were incubated in a culture medium in the presence or absence of N/L type voltage sensitive calcium channels blocker (loperamide, 100 μM) or Na+/Ca2+ exchangers inhibitor(bepridil, 20 μM) for 6 hours. 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium (MTT) staining was used to assess slice viability while morphological features of apoptosis in motor neurons were studied using fluorescent staining. Results: After 6 hours in culture, loperamideand bepridil not only increased slice viability, but also prevented motor neuron apoptosis and significantly increased the percentage of viable motor neurons in the ventral horns of the spinal cord. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that voltage sensitive calcium channels and Na+/Ca2+ exchanger might be involved in the apoptosis of motor neurons in adult spinal cord slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: l-Proline efficiently catalyzes the one-pot, three-component reaction of homophthalic anhydride, amines, and aldehydes in CH3CN at room temperature, to afford the corresponding cis-isoquinolonic acids in high yields and with excellent diastereoselectivities. The synthesized compounds are screened for neuroprotective activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, we have proposed a novel three-dimensional Lorenz-like chaotic system. Some basic properties of the system, such as dynamical behaviors, bifurcation diagram. Lyapunov exponents and Poincare mapping are investigated either analytically or numerically. Furthermore, the control problem of the new chaotic system was studied via nonlinear backstepping method. The single backstepping control input was designed according to Lyapunov stability criterion. Numerical simulations are carried out in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death that occurs under physiological as well as pathological conditions, is characterized by morphological and biochemical features. While the importance of caspases in apoptosis is established, several noncaspase proteases (Ca2+-dependent proteases) such as calpain may play a role in the execution of apoptosis. The calpain family consists of two major isoforms, calpain I and calpain II which require μM and mM Ca2+ concentrations to initiate their activity. An increase in intracellular Ca2+ level is thought to trigger a cascade of biochemical processes including calpain activa- tion. Once activated, calpains degrade membrane, cytoplasmic and nuclear substrates, leading to the breakdown of cellular architecture and finally apoptosis. The activation of calpain has been implicated in neuronal apoptosis following spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on calpain with an emphasis on its key role in the proteolysis of cellular protein substrates following apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper deals with designing a sliding mode controller (SMC) for a fractional-order chaotic financial system. Using the sliding mode control technique, a sliding surface is determined. The sliding mode control law is derived to make the states of the fractional-order financial system asymptotically stable. The designed control scheme is robust against the system’s uncertainty and guarantees the property of asymptotical stability in the presence of an external disturbance. An illustrative simulation result is given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed sliding mode control design. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new four-dimensional quadratic smooth autonomous chaotic system is presented in this paper, which can exhibit periodic orbit and chaos under the conditions on the system parameters. Importantly, the system can generate one-, two-, three- and four-scroll chaotic attractors with appropriate choices of parameters. Interestingly, all the attractors are generated only by changing a single parameter. The dynamic analysis approach in the paper involves time series, phase portraits, Poincar'e maps, a bifurcation diagram, and Lyapunov exponents, to investigate some basic dynamical behaviours of the proposed four-dimensional system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the preventive effect of the polyamine component N, N, N′, N′-tetrakis(2-aminoethyl)2,2-dimethylproparie-1,3-diamine (tdmtn) on apoptotic motor neurons in adult mouse spinal cord slices. Materials and Methods: Thoracic region of adult mouse spinal cords was sliced by a tissue chopper into 400 urn slices and cultured in medium in the presence or absence of tdmtn for 6 hours. Morphological a features of apoptosis were evaluated using fluorescent staining with propidium iodide and Hoechst 33342. The appearance of nucleosomal DNA fragmentation was studied using agarose gel electrophoresis. Our results were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests. Results: After 6 hours in culture, motor neurons displayed morphological sings of apoptosis including cell shrinkage, as well as nuclear and chromatin condensation. DNA extracted from slices cultured for 24 hours revealed nucleosomal DNA fragmentation on agarose gel electrophoresis. Tdmtn reduced the occurrence of apoptosis in motor neurons and significantly (p<0.01) increased the viability of these neurons after 6 hours of culturing. Conclusion: Tdmtn, as a polyamine component, could probably prevent the occurrence of motor neuron apoptosis through calcium chelation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This Letter presents a novel four-dimensional complex nonlinear autonomous system. This system has very rich dynamics and can exhibit hyperchaos, chaos, quasi-periodic and periodic behavior. Applying two symmetrical initial conditions, this system can generate two coexist double-scroll hyperchaotic attractors. More interestingly, this new system can generate not only a four-scroll hyperchaotic but also a four-scroll chaotic attractor. This nonlinear complex system is analyzed by Lyapunov exponent spectrum, bifurcation diagram and Poincaré mapping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this Letter a novel three-dimensional autonomous chaotic system is proposed. Of particular interest is that this novel system can generate two, three and four-scroll chaotic attractors with variation of a single parameter. By applying either analytical or numerical methods, basic properties of the system, such as dynamical behaviors (time history and phase diagrams), Poincaré mapping, bifurcation diagram and Lyapunov exponents are investigated to observe chaotic motions. The obtained results clearly show that this is a new chaotic system which deserves further detailed investigation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: para-nonylphenol (p-NP) is able to induce malformations in male reproductive system. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the preventing role of vitamin E (Vit.E) on sperm parameters and reproductive hormones in developing rats. Materials and Methods: Pregnant rats were divided into 4 groups: control, p-NP, Vit.E and p-NP+Vit.E. Treatments were performed on day 7 of gestation and continued during weaning. The male pups were then divided into the same groups as the mothers and were treated till 90 days of age. Finally, body and left testis weight were recorded and left epididymis was cut in Ham's F10. Released sperm were used to analyze number, motility and viability of the sperm. Blood serum was used to assess follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen and testosterone. Results: In p-NP-treated rats, a significant decrease was found in body and testis weight, sperm number and sperm motility compared to control and p-NP+Vit.E groups. A significant increase was also found in sperm viability in Vit.E group (83.3±7.6) compared to both p-NP (59.5±7.5) and control (66.3±9.7) groups. Rats treated with p-NP showed a significant decrease in FSH level and a significant increase in estrogen level. However, testosterone and LH level remained constant. In p-NP+Vit.E group, the change of estrogen level but not FSH was significantly reversed compared to p-NP group. Conclusion: Vit.E not only is able to compensate the toxic effects of p-NP on testis weight, sperm number, sperm motility and estrogen level, but also increases sperm viability in developing rat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CatSper affects sperm function and male fertilization capacity markers, including sperm motility and egg penetration. The study has aimed to evaluate the mRNA expression of CatSper1, and CatSper3 in the spermatozoa of men with normozoospermia and Asthenoteratozoospermia, and to assess the correlation between genes expression and sperm parameters, fertilization rate, and embryo quality in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was utilized to evaluate the mRNA expression of CatSper1 and CatSper3 in sperm in two patient groups: Normozoospermia (NOR; n = 32), and Asthenoteratozoospermia (AT; n = 22). In all patients receiving intracytoplasmic sperm injection, the fertilization rate and embryo quality were evaluated. CatSper1, and CatSper3 mRNA expression in sperm was significantly lower in AT males than in NOR (P < 0.05). Levels of these genes demonstrated a significant positive correlation with sperm motility, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), capacitation, fertilization rate, cleavage rate, and embryo quality (P < 0.05) following ICSI. However, a negative correlation was found between mRNA expression of CatSper1, 3 and sperm DNA fragmentation (P < 0.05). Findings indicate low levels of CatSper1 and CatSper3 mRNA expression in men with Asthenoteratozoospermia, which resulted in poor sperm quality and impaired embryo development following ICSI therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium is known as an oxidative stress‐inducing factor. Silymarin extracted from Silybum marianum is regarded as a potent antioxidant. The present study investigated the preventing effects of silymarin on cadmium chloride‐induced toxicity in terms of testis histopathology and serum testosterone level as well as oxidative stress indicators in mice. In addition, the activities of antioxidant defence enzymes was evaluated. Adult male mice were divided into four groups (n = 6 in each group): (a) control; (b) cadmium chloride; (c) silymarin + cadmium chloride and (d) Silymarin. In this study, cadmium chloride significantly decreased the diameter and wall thickness of the seminiferous tubule, diameter of the spermatogonia nucleus and serum testosterone levels compared to the control group. Furthermore, in mice treated with this pollutant, a significant increase in malondialdehyde was observed while ferric reducing antioxidant power level, and the activity of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly reduced in the testis. In the silymarin + cadmium chloride group, silymarin could significantly reverse the toxic effects of cadmium chloride. The findings of this study showed that silymarin, as a potent antioxidant, can compensate the adverse effects of cadmium chloride on testis histopathology, testosterone level, oxidative stress indicators and antioxidant defence enzymes in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Septin4 belong to a family of polymerizing GTP-binding proteins that are required for many cellular functions, such as membrane compartmentalization, vesicular trafficking, mitosis, and cytoskeletal remodeling. Since, Septin4 is expressed specifically in the testis, we aimed to determine the association between Septin4 gene expression with sperm quality, DNA damage, and stress oxidative level in infertile patients. The present study included 60 semen samples that grouped into three groups: normozoospermia (n=20), asthenozoospermia (n=20), astheno-teratozoospermia (n=20). Initially, semen parameters were analyzed by using the World Health Organization protocol. The mRNA expression of Septin4 in sperm was examined using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Oxidative stress markers, i.e., total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and malondialdehyde, were determined by ELISA kit. The current study showed a statistically significant highly positive correlation in Septin4 gene expression with sperm motility, normal morphology, viability, capacity, and sperm mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). However, it showed significant negative correlation with sperm DNA fragmentation. Septin4 had a significant correlation with stress oxidative factor and antioxidant enzyme levels. In conclusion, Septin4 gene expression provides clinical useful information for the diagnosis of male infertility. It might be a marker for discrimination between fertile and infertile patients. The current study showed a statistically significant highly positive correlation in Septin4 gene expression with sperm motility, normal morphology, viability, capacity, and sperm MMP. However, it shows significant negative correlation with sperm DNA fragmentation. Septin4 had a significant correlation with stress oxidative factor and antioxidant enzyme levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preliminary investigations concerning the pharmaceutical effects reveal significant activity for derivative (IVd). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract One of the challenges that must be overcome during ovarian tissue transplantation is Ischaemia/Reperfusion Injury (IRI). The most important hypothesis explaining the cellular events in I/R processes are calcium overload and oxygen free radicals constitute. Here, we study the effect of verapamil on IRI, and consequently on follicle survival during ovarian transplants in an autograft model. Female mice were randomly assigned into three groups in order to ovarian autotransplantation as follow: Group 1 (Control group), Group 2 (Transplanted group) and Groups 3 (Transplanted + Verapamil group). The grafted ovaries were collected at 3, 7 and 14 days after transplantation for evaluation of follicle content and morphology, apoptosis and Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. The results showed that verapamil treatment significantly preserved primordial follicular reserve and reduced the number of degenerated follicles compared to the transplanted group (P < 0.05). MDA levels were significantly higher on the 14th day after transplantation, in group 2 than in group 3. In conclusion, verapamil treatment is effective for the preservation of the follicular pool and reducing tissue damage induced by transplantation of ovarian tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncontrolled hemorrhage continues to be the major cause of death in trauma. In this study, the authors prepared hydrogel nanocomposites (HNCs) using three different nanoparticles, SiO2, natural clinoptilolite (nC), and Ca2+-modified clinoptilolite (mC). Fast-swelling superabsorbent hydrogel was used as a matrix of NCs. The hydrogel and HNCs were characterized by FTIR, XRD, FE-SEM, and TGA. The hemocompatibility of HNCs was evaluated by hemolysis test and blood cells function. HNC formed a physical barrier by dehydrating the injury site and concentrating clotting factors. Additionally, highly charged nanoparticles, promoted local hemostasis by activating the intrinsic pathway of the blood coagulation cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor nutrition, poor mobility, obesity and ageing increase the possibility of neuronal disorder and Alzheimer's disease. This study examined effect of Cornus mas flavonoids on memory retention and the level of plasma glucose and lipids in an intra-cerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced experimental Alzheimer's disease model in Wistar rats. Intracerebroventricular administration of streptozotocine (3 mg kg-1) was performed and the animals memory were evaluated through passive avoidance tasks. Five groups (saline-saline control, streptozotocine-saline, and streptozotocine with different flavonoid doses [5, 10, 20 mg kg-1]) were examined. Animals received different doses of C. mas flavonoids or saline for three weeks starting one day before surgery. Rat weight was measured at the beginning of each week. Injection of streptozotocine significantly reduced memory retention, compared to the control group. Flavonoid treatment increased memory retention in a dose-dependent manner, and triglyceride and glucose concentration decreased memory retention. At the same time, high-density lipoprotein concentration increased without any effect on low-density lipoprotein concentration. The dose of 10 mg kg-1 decreased rat weight significantly. Our findings show that C. mas flavonoids can optimize cognitive deficits caused by injections of streptozotocine and also have a few positive effects on reducing the risk factors in the serum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The body can’t control massive bleeding without treatment. Different hemostatic agents have been prepared recently, but most of them are ineffective in severe bleeding and expensive or cause safety concerns. In this study, in order to achieve fast control of bleeding, we synthesized and characterized fast-swelling porous superabsorbent hydrogel (FSPSH) and investigated its use as a hemostatic agent. The FSPSH was prepared by grafting acrylic acid and acrylamide onto starch through free-radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The FSPSH was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, and thermogravimetric analysis. Then, temporal swelling behavior and coagulation time experiments were used to predict thein vivobehavior of the FSPSH. The hemocompatibility of synthesized FSPSH was evaluated by hemolysis test and blood cells function.In vivostudy using femoral artery injury in rat demonstrated the FSPSH’s ability to aid in rapid hemostasis. Furthermore, monitoring the rat on first and seventh day after femoral artery injury also showed no harmful effect. This study indicates that FSPSH adsorbs fluid and swells, thus forms a physical barrier to blood loss. FSPSH, moreover, as hemostat is simple to use, lightweight, stable, and harmless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Para-Nonylphenol (p-NP) is one of the environmental pollutants which cause reproductive system disorders. Objective: The effects of vitamin E on ovary structure during its development in rats treated with p-NP. Materials and Methods: 32 Wistar female rats after mating were divided into 4 groups; control, vitamin E (100mg/kg/day), p-NP (250mg/kg/day) and p-NP + vitamin E. The rats were treated from the day 7 of pregnancy till 21st day of postnatal through sucking period. After weaning, the female pups were treated by gavages for 120 days. The total volume of ovary, number of follicles, volume of oocyte, follicular cells and their nuclei and the thickness of zona pellucida were estimated stereologically. The results were analyzed using one way ANOVA and p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The ovary weight, mean total volume of ovary and cortex, number of antral and graafian follicles and body weight were decreased significantly (p<0.05) in the p-NP treated rats compared to control and other groups, while the number of atretic follicles was increased significantly (p<0.05). A significant reduction (p<0.05) in volume of oocyte, follicular cells and their nuclei in antral and graafian follicles was found in p-NP group. In addition, treatment with only vitamin E showed an improving effect on folliculogenesis due to a highly significant increase (p<0.01) in the number of primordial follicles. Conclusion: Vitamin E could compensate the adverse effects of p-NP on the ovary structure during its development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]