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Background: It is proven that B vitamins through promote a wide range of metabolic pathways in animals as cofactors improve animal performance. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the impacts of maternal B complex vitamin injection on performance and plasma parameters in goats and their offspring, as well as the faeces status of newborn kids. Methods: In this research, the pregnant goats (3 years old) were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (without B complex vitamin injection) and the B complex vitamin group (5 mL B complex vitamin injection per animal). The animals were injected with 5 mL B complex vitamin twice during the transition period (5 weeks pre‐ and 5 weeks post‐kidding). The goats during the transition period and kids on days 10, 20 and 30 were weighed. Feed intake by goats and consumption of milk and starter in kids were recorded daily. The dry matter digestibility by kids was tested by collecting samples of faeces and feed for 5 days in the last week. Chemical analysis was determined using the AOAC method. The kids' faeces were prepared daily during the study. The blood samples of goats and newborn kids were taken 7 days after kidding. Then, levels of B group vitamin, as well as concentrations of liver enzymes, thyroid hormones and immunological parameters, were determined in plasma of goat and their offspring. In addition, concentrations of glucose and insulin were measured in goat plasma (Asadi et al., 2024). Results: According to results, the performances of goats and their offspring, as well as kids' faeces status, were improved by maternal B complex vitamin injection (p < 0.0001). The levels of cobalamin, pyridoxine, thiamine, folic acid, nicotinic, pantothenic and unconjugated pteridine increased in the plasma of goats and their kids in the B complex vitamin group compared with the control group during the transition period (p < 0.0001). Injection of maternal B complex vitamin raised the plasma levels of triiodothyronine and tetraiodothyronine, immunoglobulin G and immunoglobulin M in goats and their offspring (p < 0.0001). Higher levels of glucose and lower levels of insulin were determined in the goats injected with B complex vitamin (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: These results suggest that maternal B complex vitamin injection is required for the improvement of performance, health status and the blood plasma parameters in pregnant goats and their kids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noninvasive monitoring of cardiac development can potentially prevent cardiac anomalies in adulthood. Mouse models provide unique opportunities to study cardiac development and disease in mammals. However, high‐resolution noninvasive functional analyses of murine embryonic cardiac models are challenging because of the small size and fast volumetric motion of the embryonic heart, which is deeply embedded inside the uterus. In this study, a real time volumetric optoacoustic spectroscopy (VOS) platform for whole‐heart visualization with high spatial (100 µm) and temporal (10 ms) resolutions is developed. Embryonic heart development on gestational days (GDs) 14.5–17.5 and quantify cardiac dynamics using time‐lapse‐4D image data of the heart is followed. Additionally, spectroscopic recordings enable the quantification of the blood oxygenation status in heart chambers in a label‐free and noninvasive manner. This technology introduces new possibilities for high‐resolution quantification of embryonic heart function at different gestational stages in mammalian models, offering an invaluable noninvasive method for developmental biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been documented that adequate maternal manganese (Mn) status is vital for performance and health of ewes and their newborn lambs. However, required level and form of dietary Mn in ruminants are not well defined. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of maternal organic Mn supplementation on performance, immunological status, blood biochemical and antioxidant status of Afshari ewes and their newborn lambs in transition period. For this purpose, various organic Mn concentrations were utilized as a supplementary ingredient in formulating the diets of ewes. The ewes were randomly allocated into three groups, fed with 0, and 80 mg/kg organic Mn supplemented diet. At the end of the experiment, the parameters including the performance of newborn lambs, as well as biochemical factors, immune status and antioxidant status in ewes and their newborn lambs were evaluated. The results showed a significant increase in the plasma concentrations of Mn, glucose, insulin, thyroid hormones (T3, T4) and enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, GPX, CAT) in ewes and their newborn lambs that were treated with maternal organic Mn. Moreover, inorganic Mn treatments, the concentration of IgG in newborn lamb's plasma, and colostrum of ewes increased. According to this research, organic Mn acts as a valuable and safe supplementary material that could be exploited for enhancing health of ewes and their newborn lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Equine semen cryopreservation is one of the major procedures for the genetic conservation of rare and endangered genotypes. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of egg yolk plasma (EYP) enriched with β‐carotene as an antioxidant supplement on INRA‐96 extender regarding freezing Arabic stallion sperm. For this purpose, β‐carotene various concentrations were utilized as a supplementary ingredient in formulating the diets of laying hens. Birds were randomly divided into four groups, fed with 0 (control), 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg in a supplemented diet with β‐carotene. Subsequently, various variants of enriched extender (INRA‐96 + 2.5% glycerol [G]) were gained by adding 2% EYP from four treatment groups. The sperm characteristics, including motility, viability, morphology, plasma membrane integrity (HOS test), lipid peroxidation (MDA) and DNA fragmentation, were evaluated after thawing. According to the results obtained in this study, the addition of EYP from T2 and T4 (500 and 2000 mg/kg of β‐carotene in hens' diet) to the extender (INRA‐96 + 2.5% G) leads to an increase in total motility (50.50% and 49.49%, respectively), progressive motility (32.6% and 31.8%, respectively), viability (68.7% and 66.1%, respectively) and plasma membrane integrity (57.7% and 50.6%, respectively). Moreover, lipid peroxidation (1.3 and 1.4 nmol/mL, respectively) and DNA fragmentation (8.6% and 9.9%, respectively) were diminished using the mentioned treatments. However, sperm morphology was not affected by the treatments. In the current study, we concluded that the optimal concentration of β‐carotene in the laying hen's diet (500 mg/kg) could reveal the best results about sperm quality. So, EYP enriched with β‐carotene acts as a valuable natural and safe supplementary material that could be exploited for enhancing stallion sperm quality in cryopreservation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) which is associated with cognitive dysfunction and memory lapse has become a health concern. Various targets and pathways have been involved in AD's progress, such as deficit of acetylcholine (ACh), oxidative stress, inflammation, β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits, and biometal dyshomeostasis. Multiple pieces of evidence indicate that stress oxidative participation in an early stage of AD and the generated ROS could enable neurodegenerative disease leading to neuronal cell death. Hence, antioxidant therapies are applied in treating AD as a beneficial strategy. This review refers to the development and use of antioxidant compounds based on natural products, hybrid designs, and synthetic compounds. The results of using these antioxidant compounds were discussed with the given examples, and future directions for the development of antioxidants were evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gene activation of HOX clusters is an early event in embryonic development. These genes are highly expressed and active in the vertebrate nervous system. Based on the presence of retinoic acid response elements (RAREs) in the regulatory region of many of the HOX genes, it is deduced that retinoic acid (RA) can influence epigenetic regulation and consequently the expression pattern of HOX during RA-induced differentiation of embryonic model systems. In this investigation, the expression level as well as the epigenetic regulation of several HOX genes of the 4 A-D clusters was analyzed in human embryonic stem cells, and also through their neural induction, in the presence and absence of RA. Expression analysis data significantly showed increased mRNA levels of all examined HOX genes in the presence of RA. Epigenetic analysis of the HOX gene regulatory regions also showed a significant decrease in methylation of histone H3K27 parallel to an absolute preferential incorporation of the demethylase UTX rather than JMJD3 in RA-induced neural differentiated cells. This finding clearly showed the functional role of UTX in epigenetic alteration of HOX clusters during RA-induced neural differentiation; the activity could not be detectable for the demethylase JMJD3 during this developmental process. Key words: HOX, retinoic acid, H3K27-demethylase, UTX, JMJD. L'activation genique des grappes HOX est un evenement precoce du developpement embryonnaire. Ces genes sont fortement exprimes et actifs dans le systeme nerveux des vertebres. Sur la base de la presence d'un element de reponse a l'acide retinoique (RARE) dans la region regulatrice de plusieurs genes HOX, on a deduit que l'acide retinoique peut influencer le controle epigenetique et, consequemment, le patron d'expression des HOX au cours de la differenciation de systemes modeles embryonnaires induite par l'AR. Dans cette recherche, le niveau d'expression ainsi que la regulation epigenetique de plusieurs genes HOX des quatre grappes A-D ont ete analyses dans des cellules souches embryonnaires humaines (hESC) ainsi qu'au cours de l'induction neurale, en presence ou en absence d'acide retinoique. L'analyse des donnees d'expression montrait un accroissement significatif des niveaux d'ARNm de tous les genes HOX examines en presence d'AR. L'analyse epigenetique des regions regulatrices des genes HOX a aussi montre une diminution significative de la methylation de l'histone H3K27 parallelement a une incorporation preferentielle absolue de la demethylase UTX plutot que JMJD3 chez les cellules neurales differenciees par l'AR. Ce resultat montrait clairement le role fonctionnel de UTX dans la modification epigenetique des grappes HOX lors de la differenciation neurale induite par l'AR, l'activite de la demethylase JMJD3 etant indetectable durant ce processus developpemental. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: HOX, acide retinoique, H3K27-demethylase, UTX, JMJD3., Introduction Chromatin structure is usually defined by a set of posttranslational modifications of histones, such as methylation, acetylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination (Kouzarides 2007; Bannister and Kouzarides 2011). Two counteracting groups [...]

Trichophyton (T.) indotineae is a newly identified dermatophyte species that has been found in a near-epidemic form on the Indian subcontinent. There is evidence of its spread from the Indian subcontinent to a number of countries worldwide. The fungus is identical to genotype VIII within the T. mentagrophytes/T. interdigitale species complex, which was described in 2019 by sequencing the Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal DNA of the dermatophyte. More than 10 ITS genotypes of T. interdigitale and T. mentagrophytes can now be identified. T. indotineae causes inflammatory and itchy, often widespread, dermatophytosis affecting the groins, gluteal region, trunk, and face. Patients of all ages and genders are affected. The new species has largely displaced other previously prevalent dermatophytes on the Indian subcontinent. T. indotineae has become a problematic dermatophyte due to its predominantly in vitro genetic resistance to terbinafine owing to point mutations of the squalene epoxidase gene. It also displays in vivo resistance to terbinafine. The most efficacious drug currently available for this terbinafine-resistant dermatophytoses, based on sound evidence, is itraconazole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromyotonia is a rare peripheral nerve hyperexcitability syndrome often associated with antibodies directed against contactin-associated protein-like 2 and leucine-rich, glioma inactivated 1. The quadrivalent human papilloma virus vaccine Gardasil®, first approved in 2006, is known to be a highly effective prophylaxis against papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, and 18. Molecularly, this non-infectious recombinant vaccine is based on purified L1 proteins from the human papilloma virus capsid. Since the approval of this vaccine, several studies have investigated its safety regarding the occurrence of autoimmune conditions following application. Here, we present the first case of neuromyotonia with active Gadolinium enhancing demyelinating central nervous system lesions following vaccination with Gardasil®. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Catalases are a good scavenger of H O which degrades hydrogen peroxide into water and 2 2 oxygen. They are considered as a virulence factor that are present in both spores and hypha of fungi. There is limited data regarding catalase activity in Aspergillus species. This study aimed to assess the mycelial catalase activity of clinical and environmental isolates of Aspergillus niger, A. tubingensis, A. flavus, A. luchuensis, A. piperis and A. terreus. Materials and Methods: Briefly, clinical and environmental Aspergillus species were used in the current study. Catalase activity was assessed for both groups of isolates including 13 A. flavus(12 clinical, 1 environmental), 13 A. terreus (8 clinical, 5 environmental), 26 A. tubingensis (13 clinical, 13 environmental), and 44 A. niger (25 environmental, 19 clinical) species. Fungal balls of mycelia were separated from the liquid culture and were crushed using homogenizer. The supernatants were collected and used for a catalase activity assay. Results: Totally, in our study 98 Aspergillus including 45 environmental and 53 clinical isolates were assessed for catalase activity. High catalase activity was detected among environmental Aspergillus species (Mean= 1.62 mU/ml) and the mean of mycelial catalase activity among clinical A. terreus isolates was higher than environmental strains. Conclusion: In summary, mycelial catalase activity varied among species and environmental isolates demonstrated higher catalase activity. Totally a significant difference was found between clinical and environmental Aspergillus isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The present study was attempted to evaluate the effect of perianal infiltration of tramadol on postoperative pain in patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy. Method: This double-blind clinical trial study was carried out on 90 patients with grade 3 and 4 hemorrhoids undergoing hemorrhoidectomy. Patients were randomly assigned into 3 groups of control or bupivacaine or tramadol. Before the surgery, perianal infiltration of .25% bupivacaine or tramadol or normal saline was prescribed to each group, respectively. Data on pain severity (based on the visual analog scale (VAS), the duration of surgery, sedation score, pain at the first defecation, first request time for additional analgesia, nausea and vomiting, and analgesic intakes) were evaluated and analyzed. Results: Duration of surgery was almost similar in all 3 groups (P = .974). The results showed a significant difference in pain score between 3 groups (P =.05) at all times after the surgery. In addition, the means of sedation scores (P = .03), pain score at the first defecation (P = .001), the time to first analgesic request (P = .001), and ketorolac administration times (P = .01) were significantly different between 3 groups. Finally, no complication was reported regarding postoperative nausea and vomiting. Conclusion: Given the notable efficacy of tramadol in reducing pain after hemorrhoidectomy and its minor side effects, this medication is suggested as an effective topical anesthetic to decrease pain after hemorrhoidectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Marburg variant of multiple sclerosis (Marburg MS) is the most aggressive form of MS, often leading to death soon after onset. Here we describe the case of a 26-year-old Marburg MS patient presenting with severe neurological deficits requiring intensive care. In spite of more than 100 gadolinium-enhancing MRI lesions, the patient recovered almost completely upon high-dose cyclophosphamide (HiCy) rescue treatment (four consecutive days with 50 mg/kg/day, cumulative absolute dose of 14 g). Following the acute treatment, her disease was stabilized by B cell depletion using ocrelizumab. Clinical amelioration was reflected by a decrease of MRI activity and a marked decline of serum neurofilament light chain levels. HiCy rescue treatment followed by ocrelizumab as a maintenance therapy prevented permanent disability and achieved an almost complete clinical and drastic radiological improvement in this Marburg MS patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cell therapy with neural precursor cells (NPCs) has the potential to improve neuroregeneration after spinal cord injury (SCI). Unfortunately, survival and differentiation of transplanted NPCs in the injured spinal cord remains low. Growth factors have been successfully used to improve NPC transplantation in animal models, but their extensive application is associated with a relevant financial burden and might hinder translation of findings into the clinical practice. In our current study, we assessed the potential of a reduced number of growth factors in different combinations and concentrations to increase proliferation and differentiation of NPCs in vitro. After identifying a "cocktail" (EGF, bFGF, and PDGF-AA) that directed cell fate towards the oligodendroglial and neuronal lineage while reducing astrocytic differentiation, we translated our findings into an in vivo model of cervical clip contusion/compression SCI at the C6 level in immunosuppressed Wistar rats, combining NPC transplantation and intrathecal administration of the growth factors 10 days after injury. Eight weeks after SCI, we could observe surviving NPCs in the injured animals that had mostly differentiated into oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocytic precursors. Moreover, "Stride length" and "Average Speed" in the CatWalk gait analysis were significantly improved 8 weeks after SCI, representing beneficial effects on the functional recovery with NPC transplantation and the administration of the three growth factors. Nevertheless, no effects on the BBB scores could be observed over the course of the experiment and regeneration of descending tracts as well as posttraumatic myelination remained unchanged. However, reactive astrogliosis, as well as posttraumatic inflammation and apoptosis was significantly reduced after NPC transplantation and GF administration. Our data suggest that NPC transplantation is feasible with the use of only EGF, bFGF, and PDGF-AA as supporting growth factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dentate gyrus (DG) receives highly processed information from the associative cortices functionally integrated in the trisynaptic hippocampal circuit, which contributes to the formation of new episodic memories and the spontaneous exploration of novel environments. Remarkably, the DG is the only brain region currently known to have high rates of neurogenesis in adults (Andersen et al., 1966, 1971). The DG is involved in several neurodegenerative disorders, including clinical dementia, schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and temporal lobe epilepsy. The principal neurons of the DG are the granule cells. DG granule cells generated in culture would be an ideal model to investigate their normal development and the causes of the pathologies in which they are involved and as well as possible therapies. Essential to establish such in vitro models is the precise definition of the most important cell-biological requirements for the differentiation of DG granule cells. This requires a deeper understanding of the precise molecular and functional attributes of the DG granule cells in vivo as well as the DG cells derived in vitro. In this review we outline the neuroanatomical, molecular and cell-biological components of the granule cell differentiation pathway, including some growth- and transcription factors essential for their development. We summarize the functional characteristics of DG granule neurons, including the electrophysiological features of immature and mature granule cells and the axonal pathfinding characteristics of DG neurons. Additionally, we discuss landmark studies on the generation of dorsal telencephalic precursors from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) as well as DG neuron differentiation in culture. Finally, we provide an outlook and comment critical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the last two decades, mucheffort is put to better understand the etiology of schizophrenia. Studying negative symptoms such as endophenotypes is a plausible approach to elucidate the genetic basis of schizophrenia. Neuregulin-1 (NRG1) is a key candidate gene to develop schizophrenia and its negative symptoms. The NRG1 variant rs6988339 was previously characterized as a schizophrenia susceptibility locus in different Scottish populations. Objectives: The current study aimed to examine the association of rs6988339 with schizophrenia and its negative symptoms in an Iranian population. Methods: The current case-controlled study enrolled 469 subjects (276 unrelated schizophrenia patients and 193 healthy controls). The study investigated the association of rs6988339 with schizophrenia and its negative symptoms (assessed with the positive and negative syndrome scale; PANSS) in an Iranian population. Results: The obtained results showed that rs6988339 was a schizophrenia susceptibility locus in the Iranian population, the minor allele G was the risk allele and A the protective allele (P = 0.0007). Of the four subscales of the PANSS test, the negative score showed the strongest association with this variant (P = 0.001). Conclusions: The results further supported the implication of NRG1 in the pathogenesis of negative symptoms in schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Although the etiology of schizophrenia is unknown, it has a significant genetic component. A number of studies have indicated that neuregulin-1 (NRG1) gene may play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In this study, we examined whether the rs2439272 of NRG1 is associated with schizophrenia and its negative symptoms in an Iranian population. Method: Rs2439272 was genotyped in 469 participants including 276 unrelated patients with schizophrenia and 193 healthy controls. The association of genetic risk with negative symptoms (by using panss) was examined in the total, male and female samples. COCAPHASE and CLUMP22 programs were used to compare the allele and genotype frequencies, and general linear regression was used to analyze the quantitative dependent variables by the selected variant. Results: In this study, it was revealed that the G allele of rs2439272 might be an allele with the increased risk of developing schizophrenia, especially in the male participants. In addition, significant differences were found between the G allele and GG genotype frequencies, and negative symptoms in the total and male participants. Conclusion: Our results supported the association between rs2439272 in NRG1 gene and risk of schizophrenia and its negative symptoms in an Iranian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to elucidate the molecular status of single human adult germ stem cells (haGSCs) and haGSC colonies, which spontaneously developed from the CD49f MACS and matrix- (collagen−/laminin+ binding-) selected fraction of enriched spermatogonia. Single-cell transcriptional profiling by Fluidigm BioMark system of a long-term cultured haGSCs cluster in comparison to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human fibroblasts (hFibs) revealed that haGSCs showed a characteristic germ- and pluripotency-associated gene expression profile with some similarities to hESCs and with a significant distinction from somatic hFibs. Genome-wide comparisons with microarray analysis confirmed that different haGSC colonies exhibited gene expression heterogeneity with more or less pluripotency. The results of this study confirm that haGSCs are adult stem cells with a specific molecular gene expression profile in vitro, related but not identical to true pluripotent stem cells. Under ES-cell conditions haGSC colonies could be selected and maintained in a partial pluripotent state at the molecular level, which may be related to their cell plasticity and potential to differentiate into cells of all germ layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global growth, organizations must acquire new knowledge and his ability to respond to rapidly changing market needs, increase. In the global market, it is essential to collect knowledge from internal and external sources. However, many studies have been done to examine this issue in detail. This theoretical study is applied organizational learning and competition strategy to arrange organizational learning and performance strategy model based on companies who are active at exportation department. Statistical society included 65 of managers and workers of Iran Khodro Company. Current study is functional in term of purpose and is descriptive in term of gathering information. Consistent with this hypothesis, results of correlation coefficients show any significant meaning between organizational learning and exportation performance. Also, there is no significant meaning between competition advantage and exportation performance, but there is significant meaning between organizational learning and exportation expert. To examine the relationship between these three dimensions to investigate SPSS, Pierson test, Friedman, Komokogrov Smirnov test and T test were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to provide a molecular signature for enriched adult human stem/progenitor spermatogonia during short term (<2 weeks) and long-term culture (up to more than 14 months) in comparison to human testicular fibroblasts and human embryonic stem cells. Human spermatogonia were isolated by CD49f magnetic activated cell sorting and collagen-/laminin+ matrix binding from primary testis cultures obtained from ten adult men. For transcriptomic analysis, single spermatogonia-like cells were collected based on their morphology and dimensions using a micromanipulation system from the enriched germ cell cultures. Immunocytochemical, RT-PCR and microarray analyses revealed that the analyzed populations of cells were distinct at the molecular level. The germ- and pluripotency-associated genes and genes of differentiation/spermatogenesis pathway were highly expressed in enriched short-term cultured spermatogonia. After long-term culture, a proportion of cells retained and aggravated the "spermatogonial" gene expression profile with the expression of germ and pluripotency-associated genes, while in the majority of long-term cultured cells this molecular profile, typical for the differentiation pathway, was reduced and more genes related to the extracellular matrix production and attachment were expressed. The approach we provide here to study the molecular status of in vitro cultured spermatogonia may be important to optimize the culture conditions and to evaluate the germ cell plasticity in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: It is known that in early life, newborn lambs are prone to iron deficiency due to the type of placenta and low iron in milk. Hence, the influence of milk supplementation with iron in newborn lambs needs to be investigated. The objective of this study was to elucidate the effect of milk supplemented with organic iron on performance, blood hematology, iron metabolism parameters, together with biochemical and immunological parameters in suckling lambs. Our findings revealed that supplementation of milk with 25 mg/d organic iron could be used effectively as a feed supplement for improving weight gain, promoting health, as well as improving the oxidative status of suckling lambs retained at the plasma level. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of milk supplemented with organic iron on performance, blood hematology, iron metabolism parameters, biochemical and immunological parameters in suckling lambs. Thirty-six newborn Dalagh lambs were randomly divided into three groups with 12 replications. The control group was fed with milk without organic iron. The other two groups were fed milk supplemented with 25 and 50 mg/d organic iron, respectively. During the experiment, increased daily weight gain and total body weight were observed in the iron-supplemented groups. An increase in the levels of red blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular concentration in iron supplemented groups was indicated. Consumption of organic iron caused a significant decrease in plasma copper concentration. Total antioxidant status level was lower, but levels of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase were higher in iron supplemented groups. In organic iron supplemented groups, insulin and thyroid hormones levels were significantly increased, and glucose level was significantly decreased. In organic iron supplemented groups, alkaline phosphatase level significantly increased, and aminotransferase level significantly decreased. Overall, the use of organic iron in the milk improved the performance and health in suckling lambs, and since a lower level of supplementation is naturally preferable, supplementation of milk with 25 mg/d organic iron is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sonic Hedgehog protein (Shh) has been extensively researched since its discovery in 1980. Its crucial role in early neurogenesis and endogenous stem cells of mature brains, as well as its recently described neuroprotective features, implicate further important effects on neuronal homeostasis. Here, we investigate its potential role in the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of neural precursors cells (NPCs) under inflammatory stress as a potential adjunct for NPC-transplantation strategies in spinal cord injury (SCI) treatment. To this end, we simulated an inflammatory environment in vitro using lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and induced the Shh-pathway using recombinant Shh or blocked it using Cyclopamine, a potent Smo inhibitor. We found that Shh mediates the proliferation and neuronal differentiation potential of NPCs in vitro, even in an inflammatory stress environment mimicking the subacute phase after SCI. At the same time, our results indicate that a reduction of the Shh-pathway activation by blockage with Cyclopamine is associated with reduced NPC-survival, reduced neuronal differentiation and increased astroglial differentiation. Shh might thus, play a role in endogenous NPC-mediated neuroregeneration or even be a potent conjunct to NPC-based therapies in the inflammatory environment after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rubella is a mild viral infectious disease, usually occurs subclinically without a serious complication. But if occurs during pregnancy, specially the first trimester, it can transmit and invade to fetus causing congenital rubella syndrome or fetal death. In 2003, nearly all Iranians at the age of 5 to 25 years old were vaccinated against rubella and the vaccine was included in the compulsory immunization, MMR afterwards. Methods: This study was carried out on girls attended at a marriage consultancy center in Kermanshah city (West of Iran) in 2006. Considering 95% of confidence, the sample size was estimated at 140. All samples were tested using ELISA serologic method and compared with similar study conducted on 240 unvaccinated girls at the same place in 1999. Results: Antibody positivity was observed in 99.3%, compared to 79.58% of the previous study. A rise of 19.72% (95% CI 12.7%-26.7%) of seropositivity was observed in vaccinated girls versus unvaccinated ones (P < 0.001). Conclusion: In our previous study, we had recommended to screen for susceptibility to rubella before marriage, which is no longer required since more than 99% of vaccinated girls showed immunity at the time of marriage. However, as sustainability of immunity after rubella vaccination is usually less than immunity due to illness, we recommend screening for rubella protective antibody every few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]