Investigating the Efficacy of Theta Binaural Beat on the Absolute Power of Theta Activity in Primary Insomniacs.

Introduction: The brain waves pattern in primary insomniacs is different from healthy subjects. Studies have shown that binaural beats can alter the pattern of brain waves in healthy individuals; however, the efficacy of binaural beats in altering the pattern of brain waves in primary insomniacs has not yet been investigated. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of theta binaural beat on the absolute power of theta activity in primary insomniacs. Methods: This study was a randomized clinical trial with experimental and control groups. The primary insomniacs received theta binaural beats in the experimental group while the control group received white noise. Their brain waves were recorded by electroencephalogram for 25 min; the first 5 min was without stimulus (first block), the next was followed by 15 min of receiving stimulus (binaural beat or white noise), and the last 5 min without stimulus (fifth block). The Matlab software, version R2019a, EEGLAB toolbox, and SPSS software, version 24 were used to analyze the data. Results: The absolute power of theta activity in the experimental group was significantly higher in the last block compared to the first block in all brain lobes (P<0.05). The largest changes in theta activity were in the temporal and parietal lobes, and the last one was in the prefrontal lobe. In the control group, none of the brain lobes showed significant differences in the last block compared to the first block. Conclusion: Theta binaural beat can alter the absolute power of theta activity in primary insomniacs. The implications of the study are discussed. Highlights: Theta binaural beat can be effective in changing the brain wave pattern of primary insomniacs.The amount of changes in the absolute power of theta wave activity in different brain regions of primary insomniacs under the influence of theta binaural beat was not the same.The effect of theta binaural beat on temporal and parietal was higher than other brain areas, whereas the prefrontal and occipital had the least significant changes in the absolute power of theta activity. Plain Language Summary: Different people experience different brain waves based on the type of activity they do in their life at the same time. This brain wave pattern can change especially after a person decides to go to bed and experience an ideal sleep. Theta brain wave, which plays a role in important activities such as memory, deep relaxation, and day-dreaming, helps a person to change from wakefulness to sleep faster. Research literature has shown that people with insomnia have different brain waves than healthy people, especially in the theta brain wave. Accordingly, many interventions have been carried out to improve the sleep quality of these people and change their brain waves. It has been shown that binaural beat as a low-cost method based on sound waves, can change the brain waves of healthy people, but so far, no study has been done to investigate the effect of these sound waves (especially theta waves) on the brain waves of people with insomnia. The current study was conducted with the aim of investigating a non-invasive method (theta binaural beat) to improve the brain wave pattern of people suffering from insomnia. The findings of this study showed that theta binaural beat can be effective in changing the brain wave pattern of people suffering from insomnia.

A genome-wide association study to identify candidate genes for erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) can be caused by different diseases and controlled by several genetic networks. In this study, to identify the genes related to ED, the expression profiles of normal and ED samples were investigated by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Seventeen genes were identified as associated genes with ED. The protein and nucleic acid sequences of selected genes were retrieved from the UCSC database. Selected genes were diverse according to their physicochemical properties and functions. Category function revealed that selected genes are involved in pathways related to humans some diseases. Furthermore, based on protein interactions, genes associated with the insulin pathway had the greatest interaction with the studied genes. To identify the common cis-regulatory elements, the promoter site of the selected genes was retrieved from the UCSC database. The Gapped Local Alignment of Motifs tool was used for finding common conserved motifs into the promoter site of selected genes. Besides, INSR protein as an insulin receptor precursor showed a high potential site for posttranslation modifications, including phosphorylation and N-glycosylation. Also, in this study, two Guanine-Cytosine (GC)-rich regions were identified as conserved motifs in the upstream of studied genes which can be involved in regulating the expression of genes associated with ED. Also, the conserved binding site of miR-29-3p that is involved in various cancers was observed in the 3' untranslated region of genes associated with ED. Our study introduced new genes associated with ED, which can be good candidates for further analyzing related to human ED.

Design and standardization of tools for assessing the perceived heart risk and heart health literacy in Iran.

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to achieve the standard tools for heart health, the present study aimed to design, develop, and standardize the two questionnaires of perceived heart risk scale (PHRS) and heart health literacy scale (HHLS). METHODS: The present study was a methodological research conducted on the residents of Kermanshah Province, Iran, using the multi-stage cluster sampling. Further, considering the scientific methods in the psychometric field, the design of the research questionnaires was conducted. In addition, the viewpoints of experts in different domains were qualitatively and quantitatively included to assess the validity of the questionnaires. To assess the reliability of the questionnaires, a sample including 31 subjects was first selected and studied within a fortnight's interval. Then, the reliability and validity of the scales were assessed using factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha in a sample of 771 subjects. RESULTS: After reviewing the viewpoints of experts, the items were adjusted and implemented in the first sample at two stages. The results were indicative of the stability and acceptability of the Cronbach's alpha. In addition, the validity and reliability of the questionnaires were confirmed in the second sample too. CONCLUSION: According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the two questionnaires of PHRS and HHLS had acceptable reliability and validity.