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Background: Appropriate priority setting in public health and biomedical research is crucial to make decisions for resource allocation and prioritizing the projects. We studied the research gaps and identified priorities for biomedical research in Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences (SabUMS), located in Sabzevar city in the northeastern part of Iran. Materials & Methods: we used both qualitative and quantitative approaches to determine the public health problems and health research priorities. The processes for priority setting included preparation, problem finding, idea generation, data cleaning and statement development, ranking, and dissemination. We used qualitative research and quantitative surveys for problem findings. We organized two workshops with researchers and public health authorities of Sabzevar city for idea generation, defining criteria for priority setting, and ranking of the research ideas. We used national and international recommendations to prepare a list of research priorities in the region for COVID-19. Results: The criteria for priority setting were concerns of the community, magnitude, and urgency of the problem. In addition, feasibility, the possibility of regional and international research collaboration, and the availability of the infrastructure and capacity to conduct research were used for ranking. The final list of priority areas for research in SabUMS included non-communicable diseases, mental health, drug abuse, accidents, and nutrition respectively. COVID-19 was considered a separate area for research. Conclusion: Experience from this study and follow-up reports would provide best practices in research development in low-resource areas and pave the way for evidence-based public health practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anethum graveolens or Dill (local name: Shevid) belongs to the family of Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) and is used traditionally for the treatment of convulsion and diabetes in Iran. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of A. graveolens leaves on the histology of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in the epileptic mice kindled by Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). In this experimental study, the epileptic BALB/c mice kindled by PTZ were randomly divided into four groups of 10 animals each. Three experimental groups received 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg/day of A. graveolens extract for 21 days. The control group received phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). After the treatment period, the mice were anesthetized, and their hippocampi were dissected for the histopathological analysis, and immunohistochemical analysis for caspase-3 activity. Histopathological examinations showed that the mean numbers of the healthy neuronal cells in the dentate gyrus of the mice received 500 mg/kg/day of A. graveolens extracts were significantly higher than those of the mice received 250 and 750 mg/kg/day of the extracts as well as the control group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). In addition, the results of immunohistochemical analysis revealed that in mice treated with 500 mg/kg/day of A. graveolens; the numbers of caspase-3-positive cells in the dentate gyrus were significantly lower than those of the two other test and the control groups. The findings of this study suggest that 500 mg/kg/day of the A. graveolens extract could have protective effect on the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in the epileptic mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Using allogeneic and xenogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has had some successful results in the treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). But the use of its syngeneic counterparts in treatment of EAE, especially established EAE, has had some paradoxical results. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of syngeneic bone marrow-derived MSCs (SBM-MSCs) in a mouse model of EAE. Material and methods: In this experimental-interventional study, one million SBM-MSCs were injected to EAE--affected C57BL/6 mice in two different times. The clinical symptoms of treated mice were evaluated daily and scored according to a standard scale. A week after the last injection all EAE mice were sacrificed for cytokine and histopathological assays. Results: SBM-MSCs could not ameliorate clinical course of EAE mice. Although SBM-MSCs could attenuate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-γ from the splenocytes of EAE mice, but they had no effect on the production of IL-17. Nonetheless, the production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, had increased due to SBM-MSCs treatment. Finally, SBM-MSCs had no positive effect on immune cells infiltration and myelin destruction rate in the central nervous system of EAE mice. Conclusion: SBM-MSCs had probably no ameliorative effect on established form of EAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by having immunomodulatory and neuroprotectivity properties could be a suitable candidate for the treatment of inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, by genetical manipulation, it is possible to potentiate the therapeutic characteristics of these cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of IL-27-transfected MSCs in a mouse model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Methods: MSCs were isolated from the bone marrow of C57BL/6 mice and were trnasfected with mouse IL-27 gene by using a lentiviral vector system. On days 15 and 22 post EAE induction, one million of these cells were injected to EAE-affected mice. Finally, all the mice were sacrificed; and histological and immunological assays were performed to investigate the myelin status and infiltration rate of immune cells into the central nervous system (CNS) tissues and measure certain cytokines, respectively. Findings: IL-27-transfected MSCs could ameliorate disease in the EAE-affected mice. Besides, they could diminish the infiltration rate of immune cells into the CNS, and inhibited the myelin destruction. Moreover, IL-27- transfected MSCs could enhance IL-4 and IL-10, and reduce IL-17 production from the EAE mice splenocytes. Conclusion: IL-27-transfected MSCs could be considered as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Changing dose and rout of administration, however, would be suggested to achieve better results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]