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Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype in women worldwide. The various alterations in the expression of different microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported as crucial in the development of metastasis in breast tumors. Objectives: This study investigated the effect of sodium butyrate (NaB) on cell survival, cell metastasis and expression of miR-101, ZEB1, ZEB2 and E- cadherin in MDA-MB-468 cells as a TNBC cell line. Methods: Cell viability was evaluated using the (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT assay), and the metastasis potential of MDA-MB-468 cells was investigated using the scratch and transwell assay. The expression of genes involved in the metastasis process was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The MTT assay showed that NaB attenuated MDA-MB-468 cell survival dose-dependently with an IC50 value of 3.1 mM after 72 h treatment. The scratch and transwell assays also showed the anti-metastatic potential of NaB. The expression of miR-101, E-cadherin, ZEB1, and ZEB2 was significantly difference in MDA-MB-468 cells treated with 3.1 mM NaB after 72 hours (P < 0.05). E-cadherin and miR-101 were up-regulated, while the expression of ZEB1 and ZEB2 was significantly down-regulated compared to the untreated cells. This suggests that NaB increased cell attachment and prevented metastasis. In addition, NaB (IC50 value) restored the expression of miR-101, as a tumor suppressor, in MDA-MB-468 cells confirming its anti-cancer potency. Conclusions: Sodium butyrate can be used as a drug to suppress invasion and cell migration in TNBC cells. However, further studies are needed to demonstrate the putative anti-metastatic mechanism of NaB in preclinical and clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the realm of healthcare, the symbiotic relationship between social networks and medical advancements has attracted significant attention. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness and safety of this approach, with a particular focus on the role of social networks in disseminating information and shaping patient experiences. Methods: In a prospective single-arm interventional study, we examined the effects of integrating social networks - Skype and WhatsApp - to enhance the safety and efficacy outcomes of lowdose Rituximab treatment for CNS Demyelinating Diseases. Patients eligible for treatment were recruited, and ethical consent was secured. The intervention involved informative Skype groups, led by medical experts, providing education and follow-up, and WhatsApp groups for peer support and question-answer sessions. Clinical data and interaction metrics were collected to evaluate treatment outcomes and engagement levels. Results: A total of 99 patients received rituximab, with 42 diagnosed with RRMS, 43 with SPMS, and 14 with NMOSD. The treatment period ranged from 12 to 40 months. Among the RRMS patients, 8 (19%) experienced new attacks, while 10 (23%) of the SPMS patients and 1 (7%) of the NMOSD patients had new attacks. In cases of RRMS and NMOSD, there was a decrease in EDSS scores. Additionally, SPMS and NMOSD patients showed a decrement in serum IgG levels. Two cases of drug adverse events were reported. Mean EDSS variability had a decrease in RRMS (-0.32, P=0.06) and NMOSD (-0.57, P=0.004) and had a slight increase among patients with SPMS (+0.19, P=0.23). Conclusion: Recognizing the impact of social networks can lead to improved patient care and tailored support systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Optimizing an ideal culture system that is comparable to follicle environment to obtain mature oocytes is one of the important criteria in in vitro maturation (IVM). Phoenix dactylifera L. commonly known as date palm is an important herb in Asia folk medicine that is used to improve fertility in women from ancient time. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of date palm pollen grain extract on IVM of mouse follicles. Methods: In this study follicles with 1 or 2 layers of granulosa cells and round oocytes were isolated from 2-3 weeks old female NMRI mice ovaries. Follicles were cultured in IVM media with different concentrations 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 μg/ml of palm pollen grain extract for 12 days. Then, the effect of date palm pollen grain on follicular growth and maturation were analyzed. Results: There was a significant increase in follicle growth and maturation rate in all treated groups as compared to the control group, but maturation rate was significantly higher in the presence of 20 μg/ml palm pollen grain. Conclusion: Supplementation of IVM media with date palm pollen grain extract improves the IVM of follicles.

Introduction: Exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) induces harmful effects on testis and reproductive activities. In traditional medicine, date palm pollen (DPP) which has remarkable nutritional values is used for curing male infertility and impotency. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of DPP in preventing the detrimental effects of low frequency electromagnetic field (50 Hz) on sperm parameters and sexual hormones. Methods: Adult male mice were randomly divided into 7 groups of 8 and exposed to EMF 4 h/day for 10 days. In this study experimental groups received DPP with doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, respectively before exposure. At the end of the experiment each group were tested for sperm parameters including: motility, count, morphology, viability and the level of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone. Results: Our results revealed that exposure to EMF induced significant reduction (P < .001) in sperm count, viability and progressive motility in comparison with control group. EMF caused abnormalities in sperm and significant decrease in testosterone level while there was no significant difference in level. Administration of DPP before exposure improved the sperm count, viability, motility and testosterone level in experimental groups. In addition, pretreatment with DPP prevented the sperm abnormality induced by EMF. Conclusion: The results indicate the protective effect of DPP against EMF adverse effects on sperm parameters and sexual hormones in male mice.

This corrigendum addresses errors in a previously published paper titled "Plasma‐activated medium induces apoptosis in chemotherapy‐resistant ovarian cancer cells: High selectivity and synergy with carboplatin." The corrections involve clarifying a confusing sentence and replacing three images in Figure 3 due to naming discrepancies. The authors assure readers that these corrections do not affect the overall results or conclusions of the study. They apologize for any confusion or inconvenience caused by the errors. [Extracted from the article]

Neurodegenerative diseases are incurable and debilitating conditions that result in progressive degeneration of nerve cells. Due to the complexity of conditions in neurodegenerative diseases, combination therapy, including cell and drug therapy is important as a new therapeutic strategy. Epidermal neural crest stem cells (EPI-NCSCs) are among the best choices in cell therapy for various neurological diseases. In this study, the effect of Lithium carbonate and Crocin, considering their effects on cellular signaling pathways and neuroprotective properties were investigated on the expression of neurotrophic factors BDNF and GDNF in EPI-NCSCs. EPINCSCs were isolated from the hair follicle and treated with different concentrations of drugs [Lithium, Crocin, and lithium + Crocin] for 72h. Then, trial concentrations were selected by MTT assay. The cells were treated with selected concentrations (Lithium 1 mM, Crocin 1.5 mM, and for co-treatment Lithium 1 mM and Crocin 1 mM) for 7 days. The Real-Time PCR results indicated an increasing in expression of BDNF and GDNF in treated cells as compared with control (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 and ***p < 0.001). The results in this study confirmed and supported the neuroprotective/neurogenesis effects of Lithium and Crocin. It also showed that the proposed protocol could be used to increase EPI-NCSCs differentiation potential into neural cells in cell therapy and combination therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Critical congenital heart diseases (CCHDs) are among the most common birth malformations. This study aimed to determine the cardiac and noncardiac diseases in the Iranian healthy newborns using pulse oximetry (POX) as a suggested screening method. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, healthy term and near term neonates who were born from October 2017 to March 2018 were evaluated. Preductal and postductal POX was performed in all asymptomatic healthy newborns after 24 hours of life or at any time before discharge from the nursery. Oxygen saturation (SPO2) was considered normal if SPO2 was  95%, and the difference between preductal O2 saturation and postductal POX was obtained at ≤ 3%. The POX was repeated after 2 hours for abnormal patients. In the case of the same results in both repeated measures, echocardiography, chest X-ray, sepsis screening, and blood glucose were conducted. Results: A total of 413 asymptomatic healthy term and near term neonates underwent the pulse oximetry screening (POX). The mean birth weight and gestational age of the neonates were 3256.31±509.62 gr and 38.2 weeks, respectively. The POX was performed averagely 19.5 hours after birth. Finally, a total of 10 cases were detected with abnormal POX. Among these 10 patients, three cases had cardiac diseases (i.e., transposition of the great arteries, ventricular septal defect/pulmonary atresia, and ventricular septal defect/pulmonary hypertension), three cases had noncardiac diseases (i.e., esophageal stenosis, hypoglycemia, and persistent pulmonary hypertension/sepsis), and four subjects were healthy. Conclusion: The obtained findings showed that routine pox, along with clinical examinations could be applied, especially in developing countries for the early detection of cardiac and noncardiac diseases in asymptomatic newborns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Invasive candidiasis infection is one of the main life-threatening problems for extremely low birth weight (ELBW) neonates who are in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Candidiasis can cause mortality, shortterm morbidity, and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in infected infants who survive. Therefore, since several years ago fluconazole prophylaxis has begun for premature newborns who were admitted to NICUs in some parts of the world. Methods: In this retrospective cohort, the population study was all the infants of less than 1,000 gram admitted to Valiasr Hospital during the years 2011-2016. The subjects were divided into two groups of control and intervention. The control group did not receive any fluconazole prophylaxis, while for the test group, intravenous fluconazole was administered. Finally, we compared the incidence of candidiasis between the two groups. Results: Fluconazole was administered to 70 out of 167 neonates. Our indings showed that two infants of the prophylaxis group (2.9%) and two (1.2%) of the non-prophylaxis group were infected with Candida species. The difference between the two groups was not statistically signi icant (P=0.501). Among the risk factors, bacterial sepsis, the duration of central catheter installation, total parenteral nutrition, meropenem or vancomycin administration, and hospitalization costs were significantly related to the incidence of invasive candidiasis infection. Conclusion: The incidence of candidiasis in our study was 2.39% and luconazole prophylaxis has not been effective in reducing fungal infections. Consequently, further investigations in larger sample sizes with different study settings and a variety of methodologies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of fluconazole prophylaxis on invasive candidiasis infection in ELBW neonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]