Search

Introduction: Exercise training is likely to be a non-pharmacological intervention to improve bone health in children and the elderly. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of resistance-aerobic training on RUX2, CTX, RANKL and ALP biomarkers in rats of different ages. Methods: In the present experimental study, 30 male Wistar rats were obtained from Instituto Pasteur of Iran and were divided into three groups according to their age: immature (2 weeks old), mature (6 weeks old) and elderly (96 weeks old). In each age group, the mice were randomly divided into two training (n=5) and control (n=5) groups. Six weeks of combined training included three sessions of aerobic training and three sessions of resistance training per week. Extracting genes by PCR method was used. One-way analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test and SPSS16 software were used. The significance level P≥0.05 was considered. Results: One-way analysis of variance showed that resistance-aerobic training has had a significant effect on RUNX2, RANKL and ALP variables of rats in different age groups (P < 0.05). This significance was not observed in CTX variable (P > 0.05). On the other hand, the results of Tukey's RUNX2 test were significantly different between the adult training and elderly training groups (p = 0.019) as well as between the elderly control groups (p = 0.01) and adult training (p = 0.002). Regarding the RANKL variable, it showed that there was a significant difference only between the adult exercise group and the elderly control group (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Resistance-endurance training probably increases absorption and reabsorption biomarkers such as RUX2, RANKL and ALP in immature, mature and elderly male rats.

Herein, impedimetric determination of uranyl ions (UO22+) by using a modified magnetically carbon paste electrode (MCPE) with hydroxyapatite magnetic nanoparticles (MNP/HAP) was reported for the first time. Firstly, magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized and then hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were precipitated on them via the chemical precipitation method. After that, the MCPE electrode was modified by MNP/HAP to collect UO22+ from an aqueous solution. Modification of the electrode and its interaction with UO22+ ions were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in the presence of a Fe[(CN)6]3-/4- and PBQ/H2Q, as a redox probe. Electrochemical impedance change against the concentration of UO22+ ions in the presence of electrochemical probes was selected as an analytical signal of this procedure. Optimized response for modified electrode with 100 µg MNP/HAP was observed after preconcentration of UO22+ for 30 min at pH 7, and for 35 min at pH 6 for Fe[(CN)6]3-/4- and PBQ/H2Q as a redox probe, respectively. The applicability of the impedimetric method in the determination of uranyl by using the proposed electrode was shown by drawing a linear calibration curve in the concentration range between 1×10-10 to 4×10-4 M of UO22+ in the presence of both probes. Detection limits as 7.58×10-11 M and 9.12×10-11 M and relative standard deviation (RSD) for n = 5 as %0.82 and % 1.05 were observed for Fe[(CN)6]3-/4- and PBQ/H2Q as a redox probe, respectively.

Abstract Background Antidepressant discontinuation is associated with a broad range of adverse effects. Debilitating discontinuation symptoms can impede the discontinuation process and contribute to unnecessary long-term use of antidepressants. Antidepressant trials reveal large placebo effects, indicating a potential use of open-label placebo (OLP) treatment to facilitate the discontinuation process. We aim to determine the effect of OLP treatment in reducing antidepressant discontinuation symptoms using a series of N-of-1 trials. Methods A series of randomized, single-blinded N-of-1 trials will be conducted in 20 patients with fully remitted DSM-V major depressive disorder, experiencing moderate to severe discontinuation symptoms following antidepressant discontinuation. Each N-of-1 trial consists of two cycles, each comprising two-week alternating periods of OLP treatment and of no treatment in a random order, for a total of eight weeks. Our primary outcome will be self-reported discontinuation symptoms rated twice daily via the smartphone application ‘StudyU’. Secondary outcomes include expectations about discontinuation symptoms and (depressed) mood. Statistical analyses will be based on a Bayesian multi-level random effects model, reporting posterior estimates of the overall and individual treatment effects. Discussion Results of this trial will provide insight into the clinical application of OLP in treating antidepressant discontinuation symptoms, potentially offering a new cost-effective therapeutic tool. This trial will also determine the feasibility and applicability of a series of N-of-1 trials in a clinical discontinuation trial. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05051995, first registered September 20, 2021.

BackgroundFew studies suggest that social network factors, including size of sexual network may associate with drug-related and sexual high-risk behaviors. The objective of this study is to investigate injecting and sexual networks and sociodemographic factors that might be associated with dual HIV risk (DHR) among people who inject drug (PWID).MethodsThe data from a cross-sectional study of 455 PWID that were recruited through peer-referral sampling were used in this study. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire consisted of modules on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual and injection-related risk behaviors during 12 months before the interview. DHR was defined as engaged in both using a syringe previously used by other PWIDs and unprotected sex during last 12 months. Data analysis was performed with descriptive and logistic regression. In final model, we considered variables with P < 0.500 as statistically significant. Finally, reported adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and confidence interval (95% CI) for variables that were significant in the final model.FindingsA total of 455 men who injected drugs participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation (SD) was 33.2 ± 7.3 (range 19-58) years. Overall, the prevalence of DHR In the last 12 months, 38% (95% CI: 18.3-51.2%). Multivariate model showed that regular visit to needle, syringe programs (NSPs) reduced odd of HDR to 50% when adjusted for other covariates, but still remained statistically significant (P < 0.050). The odds of reporting DHR was significantly higher in those ≥ 2 sex partners and injection partner (P < 0.010). Odds of DHR was higher (AOR: 2.3) among participants who had more than 2 injection per day but was not statistically significant (P > 0.050).ConclusionDHR was common in PWID in Kermanshah, Iran. Having multiple injecting and sexual partners increased the odds of engaging in dual risk behaviors, but regular visit of NSPs can reduce the DHR among PWID.

Introduction: Recently it has been shown that Astragalus fasciculifolius may be an effective remedy in the treatment of diabetes and wound healing. Current study was designed to examine the effects of topical administration of A. fasciculifolius (common name: sarcocolla) cream on treatment of wounds in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods: A circle deep wound having 15-mm diameter was created on the back of 32 streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-two wounds were evaluated in four groups of animals (n = 8). The animals in first and second groups were treated using distilled water and petrolatum for 20 days, respectively. The third and fourth groups were treated using sarcocolla cream 5% and 10% for 20 days, respectively. The evaluation was performed in all groups on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, 17 and 20. Results: The sarcocolla cream 5% and sarcocolla cream 10% exerted significant healing effects on diabetic rat wounds (P

BackgroundStandardized neuropsychological testing serves to quantify cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. However, the exact mechanism underlying the translation of cognitive dysfunction into difficulties in everyday tasks has remained unclear. To answer this question, we tested if MS patients with intact vs. impaired information processing speed measured by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) differ in their visual search behavior during ecologically valid tasks reflecting everyday activities.MethodsForty-three patients with relapsing-remitting MS enrolled in an eye-tracking experiment consisting of a visual search task with naturalistic images. Patients were grouped into “impaired” and “unimpaired” according to their SDMT performance. Reaction time, accuracy and eye-tracking parameters were measured.ResultsThe groups did not differ regarding age, gender, and visual acuity. Patients with impaired SDMT (cut-off SDMT-z-score < −1.5) performance needed more time to find and fixate the target (q = 0.006). They spent less time fixating the target (q = 0.042). Impaired patients had slower reaction times and were less accurate (both q = 0.0495) even after controlling for patients' upper extremity function. Exploratory analysis revealed that unimpaired patients had higher accuracy than impaired patients particularly when the announced target was in unexpected location (p = 0.037). Correlational analysis suggested that SDMT performance is inversely linked to the time to first fixation of the target only if the announced target was in its expected location (r = −0.498, p = 0.003 vs. r = −0.212, p = 0.229).ConclusionDysfunctional visual search behavior may be one of the mechanisms translating cognitive deficits into difficulties in everyday tasks in MS patients. Our results suggest that cognitively impaired patients search their visual environment less efficiently and this is particularly evident when top-down processes have to be employed.

While treatment side effects may adversely impact patients, they could also potentially function as indicators for effective treatment. In this study, we investigated whether and how side effects can trigger positive treatment expectations and enhance treatment outcomes. In this pre-registered trial (DRKS00026648), 77 healthy participants were made to believe that they will receive fentanyl nasal sprays before receiving thermal pain in a controlled experimental setting. However, nasal sprays did not contain fentanyl, rather they either contained capsaicin to induce a side effect (mild burning sensation) or saline (inert). After the first session, participants were randomized to two groups and underwent functional MRI. One group continued to believe that the nasal sprays could contain fentanyl while the other group was explicitly informed that no fentanyl was included. This allowed for the independent manipulation of the side effects and the expectation of pain relief. Our results revealed that nasal sprays with a side effect lead to lower pain than inert nasal sprays without side effects. The influence of side effects on pain was dependent on individual beliefs about how side effects are related to treatment outcome, as well as on expectations about received treatment. Functional MRI data indicated an involvement of the descending pain modulatory system including the anterior cingulate cortex and the periaqueductal gray during pain after experiencing a nasal spray with side effects. In summary, our data show that mild side effects can serve as a signal for effective treatment thereby influencing treatment expectations and outcomes, which is mediated by the descending pain modulatory system. Using these mechanisms in clinical practice could provide an efficient way to optimize treatment outcome. In addition, our results indicate an important confound in clinical trials, where a treatment (with potential side effects) is compared to placebo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within several research projects and with the aim to optimize structural performance, energy efficiency and ecological characteristics of structural building components the Department of Structural Design and Timber Engineering (ITI) at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) developed several wood-based composite systems combining timber and wood concrete as well as structural glass components. Certain advantages in the application of these individual composite systems could be shown within the described former research activities. Due to a suitable combination of the named materials, a structural optimized construction with increased resource efficiency on component level as well as on the overall construction level can be achieved. For the assessment of this opportunity, different types of timber-wood concrete-glass façades with a special focus on varying glass components are developed and compared to conventional wall structures. The comparison is carried out regarding to the materialization on component level, as well as to the overall construction level, whereby a scale-independent assessment of the examined constructions types can be reached. This assessment shall be enabled by a broad spectrum of computations ranging from static and dynamic thermal simulations for annual heating and overheating periods up to various thereof resulting ecological impact calculations.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of water-soluble polysaccharides extract of algae Ulva rigida (WPU) on the activity of digestive enzymes and biochemical parameters of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Three replicate groups of shrimp (1.0±0.1g) were fed by four diets containing included, 0 or control, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 g/kg of WPU for 60 days. The results of this study showed that WPU was effective on the activity of digestive enzymes of L. vannamei. The best the activity of digestive enzymes were observed in shrimp that fed with 1.5 g/kg of WPU diet. Regarding biochemical parameters, the diets supplemented with three levels of WPU reduced glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, aspartat aminotransferase, alanin aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase in experimental shrimps. Also, protein and globulin levels of shrimp receiving WPU at 1.0 and 1.5 level were significantly higher than those fed control treatment. In conclusion, the incorporation of water-soluble polysaccharides from green algae U. rigidaat 1.5 g/kg doses improves function of digestive enzymes, carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms and nonspecific immunity in shrimp L. vannamei.

The present study was conducted to determine the effect of saffron petal powder on the growth and activity of antioxidant enzymes in the grass carp larva (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Fish larva (0.75 ± 0.03 g and 4.39± 0.09 cm) were fed separately with four levels of saffron petal powder diets which were included; P0 (0%), P1 (2%), P2 (4%) and P3 (6%) for 60 days. One thousand two hundred fish were divided randomly into 12 tanks (4 experimental treatments and each with 3 replications). End of the experiment, growth (final weight, final length, daily growth rate, weight gain, specific growth rate and condition factor), feed (food conversion ratio and food conversion efficiency) and Antioxidant (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, malonyldialdehyde and catalase) parameters were evaluated. Growth parameters were enhanced following feeding with saffron petal powder compared with the control group. The final weight and specific growth rate in P2 treatment increased significantly compared to control, while there was a significant reduction in food conversion ratio (FCR) in this treatment. In addition, the activities of MDA and Catalase were significantly decreased in the fish larvae fed with different levels of supplement compared to those of the control group. A significant enhancement in the SOD and GPX parameters of P3 compared to control. This research demonstrated that the saffron petal powder of 6% could be used as a promising feed additive in aquaculture.

Background and aim: Given the special status and wide usage of image retrieval in various fields, the present investigation studied on the research trends and significant factors within the field of image retrieval and drawing the co-word map based on the articles indexed in Web of Science. Material and methods: This scientometric study was performed using bibliometric techniques such as co-citation analysis. Samples of the current study were all articles indexed in ISI in the field of image retrieval from 2001 to 2012. Therefore, 2537 papers were retrieved in this field. Citespace and VOSviewer were applied for co-word analysis. Findings: The highest centrality with the number of 0.18 has been related to the term "image retrieval". "Content based image retrieval" and "relevance feedback" both with 0.15 centrality have been in the next rank. The Highest burst with the number of 11.59 was belonged to "pattern recognition society". "Content-based image retrieval", "image database" with the number of 7.53 and 5.79 burst have won the second and third ranks, respectively. Sigma was obtained 1.39 for the "shape" and 1 for other terms during this period. Also, the analysis of co-word network in VOSviewer indicated 9 scientific clusters in the field of image retrieval. Conclusion: The analysis of co-word network in the field of image retrieval have shown that the content-based image retrieval is one of the most important approaches in the field of image retrieval in the past years.

Religious, Islamic in particular, extremism under the current political conditions on a global scale has been discussed. A significant obstacle to stopping the alarming rise in young people taking up arms on behalf of various terrorist organizations is the lack of charismatic spiritual leaders promoting a peaceful and traditional understanding of Islam, especially in regions of unrest. The paper focuses on the important role that religious mentoring can play against extremism and terrorism, specifically the institution of Marja al-taqlid, and provides an overview of the particular forms of Islamic extremism that have emerged today. The results of our analysis suggest that extremism can be fought only through collective action of national, social, and religious institutions.

Background and aim: Given the special status and wide usage of image retrieval in various fields, the present investigation studied on the research trends and significant factors within the field of image retrieval and drawing the co-word map based on the articles indexed in Web of Science. Material and methods: This scientometric study was performed using bibliometric techniques such as co-citation analysis. Samples of the current study were all articles indexed in ISI in the field of image retrieval from 2001 to 2012. Therefore, 2537 papers were retrieved in this field. Citespace and VOSviewer were applied for co-word analysis. Findings: The highest centrality with the number of 0.18 has been related to the term "image retrieval". "Content based image retrieval" and "relevance feedback" both with 0.15 centrality have been in the next rank. The Highest burst with the number of 11.59 was belonged to "pattern recognition society". "Content-based image retrieval", "image database" with the number of 7.53 and 5.79 burst have won the second and third ranks, respectively. Sigma was obtained 1.39 for the "shape" and 1 for other terms during this period. Also, the analysis of co-word network in VOSviewer indicated 9 scientific clusters in the field of image retrieval. Conclusion: The analysis of co-word network in the field of image retrieval have shown that the content-based image retrieval is one of the most important approaches in the field of image retrieval in the past years.