Differential effects of high-fat diet on endocrine, metabolic and depressive-like behaviors in male and female rats.

The complications of obesity extend beyond the periphery to the central nervous system (CNS) and include an increased risk of developing neuropsychiatric co-morbidities like depressive illness. Preclinical studies support this concept, including studies that have examined the effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on depressive-like behaviors. Although women are approximately two-fold more likely to develop depressive illness compared to men, most preclinical studies have focused on the effects of HFD in male rodents. Accordingly, the goal of this study was to examine depressive-like behaviors in male and female rats provided access to a HFD. In agreement with prior studies, male and female rats provided a HFD segregate into an obesity phenotype (i.e., diet-induced obesity; DIO) or a diet resistant (DR) phenotype. Upon confirmation of the DR and DIO phenotypes, behavioral assays were performed in control chow, DR, and DIO rats. In the sucrose preference test, male DIO rats exhibited significant decreases in sucrose consumption (i.e., anhedonia) compared to male DR and male control rats. In the forced swim test (FST), male DIO rats exhibited increases in immobility and decreases in climbing behaviors in the pre-test sessions. Interestingly, male DR rats exhibited these same changes in both the pre-test and test sessions of the FST, suggesting that consumption of a HFD, even in the absence of the development of an obesity phenotype, has behavioral consequences. Female rats did not exhibit differences in sucrose preference, but female DIO rats exhibited increases in immobility exclusively in the test session of the FST, behavioral changes that were not affected by the stage of the estrous cycle. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that access to a HFD elicits different behavioral outcomes in male and female rats.

All-cancer incidence in Tehranian adults: more than a decade of follow-up-results from the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence rates for different malignancies and assess the risk factors for all-cancer incidence in Tehran. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study. METHODS: This study consists of 8599 participants aged ≥ 30 years who were free of cancer (3935 men). Cancer diagnosis was based on pathology reports. Sex-stratified crude incidence rates and age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs) using Segi's method were calculated for all-cancers. Multivariate Poisson regression models were used to evaluate associations of potential risk factors, including sex, age, obesity status (body mass index [BMI]: 25-30 kg/m2 as reference), education, smoking status, and diabetes mellitus with the incidence of cancers among the population. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were also reported. RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 13.9 years, there were 130 and 129 incident cancers for men and women, respectively; the corresponding ASRs were 356.1 and 243.6 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The three most incident cancers among men were gastrointestinal (GI) (ASR = 127.5), hematopoietic (ASR = 99.5), and reproductive system malignancies (ASR = 46.3). The most common incident cancers in women were breast cancer (ASR = 92.1), GI (ASR = 65.4), and reproductive system malignancies (ASR = 16.8). Among risk factors for cancer incidence, age (IRR [95% CI]: 1.05 [1.03-1.06]) and having a BMI < 25 kg/m2 (IRR [95% CI]: 1.38 [1.01-1.90]) had a statistically significant association with incident cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The high rates of cancers in Tehran during more than a decade of follow-up calls for a need to define risk factors as well as to implement programs for early screening.

Estimating Concentration Response Function and Change-Point using Time-Course and Calibration Data.

In this paper the problem of determining the functional relationship between time and the concentration of a chemical substance is studied. An intervention drug is administered on the experimental unit from which the chemical substance (specimen) is measured. This drug is hypothesized to cause a change in the concentration level of the chemical substance a certain lag-time after the intervention. However, the concentration value could not be directly measured, but rather a surrogate response can be measured. In the time-course study, this surrogate response is measured using different electrodes which possess varied behaviors. To utilize these surrogate measurements arising from the different electrodes (sensors), a calibration study is undertaken which measures the surrogate response for the different electrodes at known concentration levels. Based on the time-course and calibration data sets, a statistical procedure to estimate the signal function and the lag-time is proposed. Simulation studies indicate that the proposed procedure is able to reasonably recover the signal function and the lag-time. The procedure is then applied to the real data sets obtained during an analytical chemistry experiment.

Sertaconazole 2% cream vs. miconazole 2% cream for cutaneous mycoses: a double-blind clinical trial.

The efficacy of 2% creams of miconazole nitrate and sertaconazole were compared in a double-blind clinical trial carried out on 100 patients with an established diagnosis of cutaneous dermatophytosis. Assessments were performed on days 0, 15, 29 and 43 in our dermatology clinic. Cure was defined according to clinical assessment confirmed by microscopical examination and culture. The groups were similar in age, gender, weight and clinical presentation. The reported side-effects, most commonly pruritus, occurred in 22 (40.0%) and 15 (33.3%) patients in the sertaconazole and miconazole groups, respectively (P = 0.28), but were not serious enough to stop the treatment. The only significant difference between the groups was in per-protocol cure rate by day 15, when patients in the sertaconazole group had a higher cure rate than the miconazole group (P < 0.01). In conclusion, sertaconazole was superior to miconazole in producing an early response in our patients. Given the higher price of sertaconazole and the ability of the considerably less expensive miconazole to produce equally good response after a month, the usefulness of sertaconazole as an alternative to miconazole in Iran requires further study.

Homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of ultra trace molybdenum.

A new simple and efficient homogeneous liquid-liquid extraction method for the selective separation and preconcentration of molybdenyl ions was developed. alpha-Benzoin oxime (ABO) was investigated as a complexing ligand, and perfluorooctanoate ion (PFOA(-)) was applied as a phase-separator agent under strongly acidic conditions. Under the optimal conditions ([ABO]=2.1x10(-3)M, [PFOA(-)]=1.8x10(-2)M, [HNO(3)]=1.7M, [acetone]=11.8% (v/v)), 10mug of molybdenum in 5ml aqueous phase could be extracted quantitatively into 40mul of the sedimented phase. The maximum concentration factor was 125-fold. Thiocyanate was applied as a chromogenic reagent for the direct spectrophotometric determination of molybdenum in the sedimented phase. The reproducibility of the proposed method is at the most 2.4%. The influence of the type and concentration of acid solution, the concentration of ABO, the type and volume of the water-miscible organic solvent, the concentration of PFOA(-), and the effect of different diverse ions on the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) were investigated. The proposed method was applied to the extraction and determination of molybdenum(VI) in natural water, Spinach, and Lucerne samples. A satisfactory agreement exists between the results obtained by the proposed method and those reported by GF-AAS.

Properties of a high capacity iminodiacetate-agarose adsorbent and its application in a flow system with on-line buffering of acidified samples for accumulation of metal ions in natural waters.

Adsorption properties of a fast iminodiacetate-agarose adsorbent, IDA-Novarose, with a capacity of 120-140 mumol/ml were studied for preconcentration of eight transition elements. A FIA-ICP-AES system was used in the study. It was shown that 0.3 ml of the adsorbent, packed in a column, can quantitatively accumulate Cr(3+), Mn(2+), Fe(3+), Co(2+), Ni(2+), Cu(2+), Zn(2+) and Cd(2+) from standard solutions in the pH range between 4 and 8 at high loading flow rates (10-80 ml/min). The rate of adsorption was studied in batch experiments and found to be fast and equal for the divalent metal ions but relatively slow for accumulation of Cr(3+) and Fe(3+). On-line buffering of acidified samples improved the accumulation of metal ions from synthetic samples spiked with humic acid. Quantitative uptakes were observed for most of the studied metals. The accumulation of Cr(3+) was found to be quite sensitive to the ionic strength and some loss of inert complexes of Fe(3+) was also observed. The method was applied to the analysis of certified riverine water (SLRS-3), a tap water and a lake water. With few exceptions the results obtained by ICP-AES after preconcentration agreed well with the certified concentrations and results found by ICP-MS.

Effects of capacity on the preconcentration of trace metals and matrix elimination by an iminodiacetate chelating adsorbent.

Low capacity adsorbents, based on iminodiacetic acid and a crosslinked agarose, Novarosetrade mark, have been synthesised for the enrichment of metal ions. Test ions Cu(2+) with high, and Cd(2+) with a moderate affinity for the sorbent were selected. The study includes the effect of specific capacity and matrix composition on the rate of uptake and recovery of these ions. Using a column packed with 0.25 ml of a sorbent and a sample volume of 100 ml, Cu(2+) is quantitatively accumulated from all of the matrices studied even at a capacity of 6 mumol ml(-1) of adsorbent and a flow rate as high as 100 ml min(-1). The enrichment of Cd(2+) is affected by the matrix and for quantitative recovery the flow rate and capacity must be properly adjusted. In the presence of 0.01 M Ca(2+), a specific capacity of 45 mumol ml(-1) is needed for quantitative retainment and a flow rate of 100 ml min(-1), whereas a capacity of 10 mumol ml(-1) suffices at 10 ml min(-1). The advantage of low specific capacity on the removal of matrix elements has been demonstrated. A method based on the determination of conditional stability constants of the metal sorbent complex is suggested for predicting the sorbent capacity needed to acquire quantitative recovery and optimal matrix elimination.

Equilibrium and kinetic properties of a fast iminodiacetate based chelating ion exchanger and its incorporation in a FIA-ICP-AES system.

The equilibrium and kinetic properties of an iminodiacetate (IDA) based chelating ion exchanger with a crosslinked agarose, Novarose, as support has been investigated. The second and third acidity constants and some complexation constants of the ligand were determined for adsorbents with metal binding capacities of 140, 55 and 18 micromol ml(-1), respectively. The adsorbent of medium capacity showed fast adsorption and desorption of Cu(II), Cd(II), Ni(II) and Ca(II) both in the batch and column mode. It was found to be about 50 times faster than Chelex-100 (50-100 mesh) in accumulation of these metal ions in the batch mode. Studies of the adsorbent in a flow system, using a 5 mm x 6 mm i.d. column, indicated quantitative accumulation of Cu(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) at volumetric flow rates up to 110 ml min(-1). Linear calibration curves with r > 0.999 and signal enhancement factors up to 1300 were obtained. Preconcentration by a FIA system connected to an ICP-AES instrument will make simultaneous measurement of ultratrace concentrations of a number of metal ions possible within reasonable cycle times due to the high flow rates which can be used with the adsorbent. Trace amounts of cadmium and copper in tap water were determined successfully at 60 ml min(-1). However, copper and nickel in tap water are strongly complexed and do not accumulate quantitatively even at low flow rates. Hence a sample pretreatment is needed. Copper was completely adsorbed after UV-treatment of the sample.

Preparation and some properties of a polyethyleneimine-agarose metal adsorbent.

An adsorbent for metal ions has been prepared by reacting high molecular weight polyethyleneimine (PEI) with a crosslinked and activated agarose gel, Novarose. The synthesis variables, i.e. time, temperature, pH, PEI concentration and PEI/Novarose ratio, were optimized in order to obtain a high metal binding capacity of the adsorbent. The binding capacity for Cu(2+) is 500 micromol/ml packed adsorbent. A number of properties of the adsorbent relevant for metal ion accumulation has been investigated for Cu(2+), Ni(2+), Cd(2+) and Zn(2+). Adsorption capacities, adsorption isotherms, distribution coefficients, recoveries and relative rates of accumulation were determined. The adsorbent can be used for preconcentration and for separation of interfering alkali and alkaline earth metals in analytical applications.