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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the most efficacious interventions for treatment-resistant depression. Despite its efficacy, ECTs neural mechanism of action remains unknown. Although ECT has been associated with slowing in the electroencephalogram (EEG), how this change relates to clinical improvement is unresolved. Until now, increases in slow-frequency power have been assumed to indicate increases in slow oscillations, without considering the contribution of aperiodic activity, a process with a different physiological mechanism. In this exploratory study of nine MDD patients, we show that aperiodic activity, indexed by the aperiodic exponent, increases with ECT treatment. This increase better explains EEG slowing when compared to power in oscillatory peaks in the delta (1-3 Hz) range and is correlated to clinical improvement. In accordance with computational models of excitation-inhibition balance, these increases in aperiodic exponent are linked to increasing levels of inhibitory activity, suggesting that ECT might ameliorate depressive symptoms by restoring healthy levels of inhibition in frontal cortices.

Aims Excessive alcohol consumption is a major global health concern, contributing to millions of deaths annually and a significant proportion of cirrhosis cases; however, standardized protocols for early identification of alcohol-associated liver disease are lacking. In this retrospective cohort study, we aimed to understand the prevalence and risk factors associated with elevated liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in high-risk patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and identify variables associated with longitudinal abstinence and outcomes. Methods Veterans with severe AUD without known liver disease admitted to a 35-day residential substance use treatment program were offered liver health screening, including Fibroscan evaluation. Assessment of AUD severity and liver health outcomes were evaluated longitudinally by chart review. Results and Conclusions In a cohort of 257 veterans with severe AUD admitted to residential treatment, 185 underwent Fibroscan evaluation, and 22 were identified to have elevated LSM concerning for compensated advanced chronic liver disease. Patients with elevated LSM were more likely to remain abstinent after 1 year. About 41% of patients with LSM ≥ 10 kPa (5% of all screened patients) were confirmed to have cirrhosis on follow-up and incorporated into routine hepatology care. Screening of liver disease in high-risk populations with non-invasive imaging modalities provides an opportunity to identify patients at risk for compensated advanced chronic liver disease before decompensation. Identification of increased risk for advanced chronic liver disease may promote abstinence in patients with severe AUD. Collaboration between mental health professionals and hepatologists is critical for the integration of care for patients with AUD and liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rosemary is a plant from the Lamiaceae family with antioxidant properties, Therefore, the purpose of this study was to extract rosemary plant extract using different solvents, methods (maceration, hot extraction, Soxhlet, percolation and sonication), particle size (300, 500 and 800 μm) and plant to solvent ratios (1:100, 2:100, 3:100, 4:100 & 5:100) were. In this experimental study, the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds was measured by aluminum chloride colorimetric method and the antioxidant activity of plant extracts was evaluated by DPPH method. To extract these compounds, different solvents and methods were used and compared and analyzed and Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and ANOVA test. The best solvents for the extraction of phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant compounds were water -methanol (20:80). The amount of total phenolic compounds using this solvent was 7.172 (mg/g) and flavonoid compounds were 28.157 (mg/g) and the antioxidant activity to inhibit free radicals was 87.2586 (mg/lit). The best method for extracting phenolic compounds was Maceration method with a rate of 7.481 (mg/g) and for flavonoid compounds with a rate of 47.85 (mg/g) and 73.524 (mg/lit) to inhibit free radicals. The results show that in order to achieve the maximum extraction of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and antioxidants in rosemary extract, use plant powder with a particle size of 300 μm, water solvent: methanol (80:20), plant to solvent ratio 1:100 (g/ml) and the use of maceration method should be used as optimal operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle image velocimetry (PIV) data are a valuable asset in fluid mechanics. It is capable of visualizing flow structures even in complex physics scenarios, such as the flow at the exit of the rotor of a centrifugal fan. Machine learning is also a successful companion to PIV in order to increase data resolution or impute experimental gaps. While classical algorithms focus solely on replicating data using statistical metrics, the application of physics-informed neural networks (PINN) contributes to both data reconstruction and adherence to governing equations. The present study utilizes a convolutional physics-informed auto-encoder to reproduce planar PIV fields in the gappy regions while also satisfying the mass conservation equation. It proposes a novel approach that compromises experimental data reconstruction for compliance with physical restrictions. Simultaneously, it is aimed to ensure that the reconstruction error does not considerably deviate from the uncertainty band of the test data. A turbulence scale approximation is employed to set the relative weighting of the physical and data-driven terms in the loss function to ensure that both objectives are achieved. All steps are initially evaluated on a set of direct numerical simulation data to demonstrate the general capability of the network. Finally, examination of the PIV data indicates that the proposed PINN auto-encoder can enhance reconstruction accuracy by about 28% and 29% in terms of mass conservation residual and velocity statistics, respectively, at the expense of up to a 5% increase in the number of vectors with reconstruction error higher than the uncertainty band of the PIV test data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic Leptospira serovars. The genus Leptospira cannot differentiated by conventional techniques. However, identity determination of pathogenic serovar is precious of public health problems and epidemiological studies. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis facilitates rapid identification of Leptospires to the serovar levels. Materials and Methods: In this study, we employed PFGE to evaluate 28 Leptospira isolates, with animal, human and environmental origin, obtained from Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute of Karaj, Iran. PFGE patterns of 28 Leptospira serovars were generated using the Not I restriction enzyme in comparison with the lambda ladder. Results: Out of 28 serovars evaluated, we identified 22 different pulsed types, designated P1-P22. Out of 22 pulse groups, 3 were found to be a common type, but others were a single Type. Groups consisting of the common type were P3, P9, P14, and P16. The results showed that the discriminatory index of PFGE by Not I enzyme was 0.99, demonstrating heterogeneous differentiation among serovar members. Conclusion: The PFGE methodology used in this study showed excellent interlaboratory report usability, rapid, reliable, enabling standardization and data sharing between laboratories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yet, from 1069 A.H/1658 AD onward, among the accounting and financial documents of administrative apparatus of Astan Quds Razavi in the Archive Center of this organization, we can find the names of Bektashi Sufis settling next to the holy shrine of Imam Reza (A.S). This community received financial support from Astan Quds Razavi in Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar eras. Although some research has been done about the Bektashi order, the aforementioned documents have not been studied yet. Thus, this study, using descriptive-analytic approach and relying upon the data of the documents and library sources, is aimed to describe and introduce the content, informational value, characteristics and significance of these documents in the first place, and tries to discover the reason why Bektashi Sufis has had some relationship with Astan Quds Razavi and has received financial support from it secondly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Emotional expressiveness and attachment styles are among the psychological variables that may have so great importance in different groups in terms of psychological pathology and the effect of psychological therapies on these variables should be considered. In this regard, the aim of this study was to present the effectiveness of brief empathic dynamic psychotherapy on emotional expression and attachment style due to anxiety among Amol students. Method: The research design was experimental studies with quasi-experimental design and pre-test-post-test with control group. The statistical population of the study included all students of Amol universities in the first half of the academic year 2018-2019. In the first step, 100 students were selected by Convenience Sampling Method. And King and Ammons (1990) emotional expression questionnaires and Hazen and Sheaver (1987) adult attachment scale were applied to them. People who the received higher scores from the cutting point according to the inclusion criteria and they were selected as the sample. And were randomly divided into two groups of 12 experimental and control. The experimental group received short-term Psychotherapy with empathetic approach (Seruya, 1997) for 12 sessions (one 45-minute session per week for 12 weeks). Then post-test was performed for both groups. Data were analyzed by analysis of covariance and SPSS 20 software. Result: The results showed that in the posttest stage, there is a significant difference between the score of positive emotion expression(F(1,21)= 4.78, p=0.04, Eta=0.201), negative emotion expression(F(1,21)= 4.78, p=0.04, Eta=0.204) and intimacy(F(1,21)= 5.364, p=0.03, Eta=0.22), anxiety attachment(F(1,21)= 8.81, p=0.007, Eta=0.296), experimental and control groups. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that brief empathic dynamic psychotherapy is effective for increasing positive emotion expression, reducing negative emotion expression and increasing intimacy and reducing students' anxious attachment style, so using this method to psychotherapists recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]