Impact of Sleep Deprivation on the Brain's Inflammatory Response Triggered by Lipopolysaccharide and Its Consequences on Spatial Learning and Memory and Long-Term Potentiation in Male Rats.

INTRODUCTION: Both sleep deprivation (SD) and inflammation can negatively affect cognitive function. This study aimed to investigate how SD impacts the brain's inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and its subsequent effects on cognitive functions. METHODS: To this end, male rats were tested through a Morris water maze (MWM) to assess their spatial learning and memory. Also, in vivo field potential recordings (to evaluate synaptic plasticity) were done in the Saline, SD, LPS1 (1 mg/kg/7 days), and LPS1+SD groups. Cytokine levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Based on the results, the LPS1+SD group showed increased total distance and escape latency compared to the other groups in the MWM test. Besides, the LPS1+SD group exhibited a significant decrease in long-term potentiation (LTP) induction and maintenance in the CA1 area of the brain. Finally, the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels were significantly higher in the LPS1+SD group than in the Saline group. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the combined effects of SD and brain inflammatory response can have more harmful effects on cognitive function, LTP, and inflammatory factors than either SD or LPS1 alone.

Clustering of the causes of death in Northeast Iran: a mixed growth modeling.

BACKGROUND: Processing and analyzing data related to the causes of mortality can help to clarify and monitor the health status, determine priorities, needs, deficiencies, and developments in the health sector in research and implementation areas. In some cases, the statistical population consists of invisible sub-communities, each with a pattern of different trends over time. In such cases, Latent Growth Mixture Models (LGMM) can be used. This article clusters the causes of individual deaths between 2015 and 2019 in Northeast Iran based on LGMM. METHOD: This ecological longitudinal study examined all five-year mortality in Northeast Iran from 2015 to 2019. Causes of mortality were extracted from the national death registration system based on the ICD-10 classification. Individuals' causes of death were categorized based on LGMM, and similar patterns were placed in one category. RESULTS: Out of the total 146,100 deaths, ischemic heart disease (21,328), malignant neoplasms (17,613), cerebrovascular diseases (11,924), and hypertension (10,671) were the four leading causes of death. According to statistical indicators, the model with three classes was the best-fit model, which also had an appropriate interpretation. In the first class, which was also the largest class, the pattern of changes in mortality due to diseases was constant (n = 98, 87.50%). Second-class diseases had a slightly upward trend (n = 10, 8.92%), and third-class diseases had a completely upward trend (n = 4, 3.57%). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying the rising trends of diseases leading to death using LGMM can be a suitable tool for the prevention and management of diseases by managers and health policy. Some chronic diseases are increasing up to 2019, which can serve as a warning for health policymakers in society.

Association of Metabolic Syndrome and Hyperuricemia in the Recipients of Kidney Transplants: A Single-Center Study.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of hyperuricemia shows an increasing trend among kidney transplant recipients. The association between metabolic syndrome and hyperuricemia among the recipients of kidney transplants may consequently lead to reduction in graft survival. In this regard, the present study aimed at comparing the kidney transplant recipients with and without metabolic syndrome in terms of the prevalence of hyperuricemia. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out on kidney transplant recipients who were referred to the Kidney Transplant Clinic of Montaserieh Organ Transplant Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, from 2019 to 2020. The serum uric acid, anthropometric data, renal function, glucose levels, and lipid profile of the study participants were evaluated. RESULTS: According to our findings, higher mean uric acid levels were reported in recipients with metabolic syndrome (6.9 ± 1.51 mg/dL), compared to recipients without metabolic syndrome (6.11 ± 1.47 mg/dL; P < .001). It was also found that 55.6 and 38.5% of the cases with and without metabolic syndrome had hyperuricemia, respectively (P < .05). Additionally, the results showed no significant association between hyperuricemia and the number of metabolic syndrome criteria (P > .05). A comparison between recipients with and without hyperuricemia revealed significantly lower levels of tacrolimus in the hyperuricemia group (P < .05). Regarding serum Tacrolimus levels, no significant difference was found between recipients with and without metabolic syndrome (P > .05). Moreover, there was no significant difference between recipients with and without hyperuricemia (P > .05) or metabolic syndrome (P > .05) in terms of serum cyclosporine level. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study indicate that kidney transplant recipients suffering from metabolic syndrome have higher mean serum levels of uric acid than those without metabolic syndrome.  DOI: 10.52547/ijkd.7141.

PPARγ activation improved learning and memory and attenuated oxidative stress in the hippocampus and cortex of aged rats.

Oxidative stress has an important role in brain aging and its consequences include cognitive decline and physiological disorders. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) activation has been suggested to decrease oxidative stress. In the current research, the effect of PPARγ activation by pioglitazone(Pio) on learning, memory and oxidative stress was evaluated in aged rats. The rats were divided into five groups. In the Control group, vehicle (saline-diluted dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)) and saline were injected instead of Pio and scopolamine (Sco), respectively. In the Sco group, the vehicle was injected instead of Pio and the rats were injected by Sco 30 min before the behavioral tests. In the Sco-Pio 10, Sco-Pio 20, and Sco-Pio 30 groups, 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg Pio was injected and finally, the rats were injected with Sco 30 min before the behavioral tests. Morris water mater maze(MWM) and passive avoidance(PA) tests were carried out, and finally, the hippocampus and cortex were removed for biochemical assessments. The results showed that the highest dose of Pio decreased the traveling time and distance during 5 days of learning and increased the time and distance in the target area on the probe day of MWM. The highest dose of Pio also prolonged the delay time for entering the dark and total time spent in the light while decreasing the total time spent in and the number of entries into the dark in PA test. Pio especially, in the medium and highest doses, decreased MDA while increasing thiol, superoxide dismutase, and catalase in the hippocampus and cortex. It is concluded that PPARγ activation by Pio as an agonist improved learning and memory in aged rats probably by attenuating oxidative stress in the hippocampus and cortex.

A New Approach on the pain management of intramuscular injection: A Triple-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Pain management is an important part of care provided by nurses. AIMS: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of an innovative method named the skin traction, pressure, and rapid muscle release (TPR) on reducing IM injection pain compared with the Z-track injection method DESIGN: This triple-blind clinical trial investigated 63 patients who required Methocarbamol injection. METHODS: Two, 5-cc methocarbamol injections were given to each patient by the two techniques in two of his/her muscles. In the TPR technique, after applying skin traction and imposing deep pressure on the muscle, the needle was inserted at a 90° angle near the skin and the muscle was released rapidly towards the needle. Hence, the needle was embedded in the muscle. However, muscle release was not applied in the Z-track method. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure pain intensity. For data analysis, T-independent and χ2 tests were used. RESULTS: The findings showed that the mean pain score in TPR and Z-track methods was 1.68 ± 1.20 and 3.76 ± 1.42, respectively. The difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the innovative method (TPR) can be used as a substitute for the Z-track method to reduce IM injection pain.

Fluorescently Labeled Cellulose Nanofibers for Environmental Health and Safety Studies.

An optimal methodology for locating and tracking cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) in vitro and in vivo is crucial to evaluate the environmental health and safety properties of these nanomaterials. Here, we report the use of a new boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) reactive fluorescent probe, meso-DichlorotriazineEthyl BODIPY (mDTEB), tailor-made for labeling CNFs used in simulated or in vivo ingestion exposure studies. Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) was used to confirm covalent attachment and purity of mDTEB-labeled CNFs. The photoluminescence properties of mDTEB-labeled CNFs, characterized using fluorescence spectroscopy, include excellent stability over a wide pH range (pH2 to pH10) and high quantum yield, which provides detection at low (µM) concentrations. FLIM analysis also showed that lignin-like impurities present on the CNF reduce the fluorescence of the mDTEB-labeled CNF, via quenching. Therefore, the chemical composition and the methods of CNF production affect subsequent studies. An in vitro triculture, small intestinal, epithelial model was used to assess the toxicity of ingested mDTEB-labeled CNFs. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) were used to assess in vivo environmental toxicity studies. No cytotoxicity was observed for CNFs, or mDTEB-labeled CNFs, either in the triculture cells or in the zebrafish embryos.

The effects of Benson relaxation technique on activities of daily living in hemodialysis patients; A single-blind, randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Many patients with renal failure due to the chronic nature of the disease and prolonged dialysis treatment experience dramatically reduced ability to perform daily living activities (ADLs). This study was aimed at evaluating the effects of Benson relaxation technique (BRT) on ADLs in hemodialysis (HD) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-blind, randomized, parallel-group, controlled trial study was conducted among 65 hemodialysis patients. They were randomly divided into intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 32) groups. In the intervention group, BRT was performed twice daily for 20 min in a month. The control group received no intervention except for usual care. Data were assessed using the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living (NEADL) scale. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 50.32 ± 7.23 years and 78.4% (n = 51) were male. The odds of higher degree of independence regarding NEADLS was about 25% greater in the intervention group as compared to the control one (OR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.44; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that using BRT as a non-pharmacological intervention may effectively enhance the ADLs of HD patients.

Development & Characterization of Fluorescently Tagged Nanocellulose for Nanotoxicological Studies.

The rapid adoption of nanocellulose-based engineered nanomaterials (CNM) by many industries generates environmental health and safety (EHS) concerns. This work presents the development of fluorescently tagged CNM which can be used to study their interactions with biological systems. Specifically, cellulose nano-fibrils and cellulose nano-crystals with covalently attached fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) molecules on their surface were synthesized. The fluorescence of the FITC-tagged materials was assessed along with potential FITC detachment under pH conditions encountered in the human gastrointestinal tract, in intracellular compartments, and in cell culture media. Finally, the potential cytotoxicity due to the presence of FITC molecules on the surface of CNM was assessed using a cellular gut epithelium model. The results showed that neither FITC-CNF nor FITC-CNC were cytotoxic and that they have a comparable bioactivity to their untagged counterparts, rendering them suitable for biological studies.

Preventive effects of oxytocin and oxytocin receptor in breast cancer pathogenesis.

AIM: Modifications of oxytocin (OT) concentration and OT receptor (OXTR) expression level have different effects on breast cancer-derived cells. This study was conducted to evaluate OT variation in breast cancer patients and to evaluate OXTR expression changes in breast cancer tissues. METHODS: The plasma concentrations of OT in both breast cancer patients and healthy individuals' samples were assessed. OXTR variations were then assessed in both cancerous and noncancerous breast tissues. RESULTS: OT had an increase in breast cancer patients and expression of OXTR in contralateral breast was more than cancerous tissues. CONCLUSION: Despite the high levels of OT concentration in breast cancer patients, it seems that a lower expression of OXTR in cancerous tissues can be effective in the breast cancer progression.

Comparison of skin traction, pressure, and rapid muscle release with conventional method on intramuscular injection pain: A randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Intramuscular (IM) injection is one of the causes of anxiety and pain in patients, using new techniques and creating a pleasant experience is of the legal and ethical duties of nurses. We aimed to investigate comparison of skin traction, pressure, and rapid muscle release with conventional method on IM injection pain. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial investigated 28 patients (56 samples) who required Methocarbamol injection. Two 5 cc Methocarbamol were injected for each patient by the conventional and innovative methods. In the innovative technique, after applying skin traction and imposing deep pressure to the muscle, the needle was inserted at a 90° in the muscle and injected after aspiration. However, this deep pressure was not applied in the conventional method. The pain was measured using visual analog scale. STATA software version 12 was used for statically analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The findings showed pain intensity in innovative method and conventional method was 1.17 ± 0.75 and 2.78 ± 1.61, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). The minimum pain intensity in innovative method was 0 and maximum was 4, meanwhile in conventional injection, the lowest and highest pain intensity was 0 and 6 respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that innovative method can be used as a substitute for conventional method to reduce IM injection pain.

The diversity in the expression profile of caveolin II transcripts, considering its new transcript in breast cancer.

Most studies have revealed the effects of caveolins in cancer inhibition. However, due to a lack of reports about their new transcripts, their presence and their effects on different cancers are unclear. This study was conducted to evaluate the cavolin-2 (cav-2) transcripts expression changes in tumoral and corresponding tissues and in contralateral breast, to investigate their variation associated with the variation of caveolin-1 (cav-1) expression in breast cancer. There were 40 breast-derived tumoral, corresponding, and contralateral tissues obtained from the patients with breast cancer. The RNA and proteins were extracted from these samples. So, cav-1 and cav-2 transcripts' variation were assessed in whole tumoral, corresponding, and contralateral breast. Also, their expression modifications were evaluated via the Western blotting technique. The results derived from this study verified the presence of transcript III of cav-2 for the first time, which was reported only in the gene bank, but we could not detect and validate any protein associated with these transcripts. Also, the decreasing trend of cav-1 and the cav-2 (transcripts I and II) were observed in tumoral tissues compared to unaffected tissues especially in stages I and II. It seems that the descending expression levels of cav-1 and cav-2 (transcript I, II) besides the lasting expression of cav-2 (transcript III) are associated with the incidence and promotion of breast cancer, especially in the initial stages of breast cancer. So, this may show a potential in determining the patients who can undergo the prophylactic mastectomy. Moreover, the results of the study demonstrated that transcript III may be a candidate as a non-coding RNA.

Association between mean platelet volume and severity of rheumatoid arthritis.

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, it is suggested that platelet histogram indices, such as mean platelet volume (MPV) may be related to the activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to assess relationship between MPV and activity of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Sixty consecutive patients fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for RA were recruited from the rheumatology outpatient clinics in Semnan, Iran. Current disease activity score (DAS-28 score) was assessed at baseline, 2 months and 4 months after the admission time and beginning of the treatment schedule. Complete blood count (including MPV), C-reactive protein (CRP) and ESR were measured in each visit. MPV was analyzed by the Cell Dyne 3500 automated blood cell counter. RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in DAS-28 score within 4 months of total assessment (from 4.47 ± 2.24 versus 3.18 ± 1.55) (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in MPV levels at the three study time points. No significant correlations were observed between the DAS-28 score and mean MPV levels at the same time points. The rate of positive CRP was decreased within the same period (p = 0.002); however, the trend of the changes in other laboratory parameters including MPV, platelet count and ESR values was not significant. The measurement of MPV value did not correlate with disease activity in RA patients within 4 months of treatment scheduling. CONCLUSION: Although therapeutic regimens, which improve RA manifestations, can reduce RA activity, they had no effect on MPV during this time period. It seems MPV may not be able to predict disease activity in RA patients.

Using Growth Mixture Modeling for Clustering Asian and North African Countries on the Road Injury Death Trend (1990-2010).

OBJECTIVES: The physical injuries and financial implications as a result of road accidents have serious economic, cultural, and social effects. We conducted this study to determine any changes in the trend of road-accident-related deaths in Asian and North African countries from 1990 to 2010. METHODS: The current study was carried out using data from the Global Burden of Disease database. First, the process was assessed using the growth curve divided into six regions. Moreover, the classification was done based on the death rate using growth mixed modeling. RESULTS: The road injury death trend for men had more variations than women. Classification of these countries based on mortality using the latent growth mixture model resulted in more homogeneous classes according to trend in road fatalities. Disregarding gender and sex, there were four optimal classes. The first three classes had a decreasing trend with the third class having the greatest decreasing trend. South Korea and Taiwan were in this group. Afghanistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Iran, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman lay in group 4 and had an increasing trend in road injury deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Successful interventions that developed countries have used to avoid casualties of road injuries could be used in developing countries. These include passing laws making the use of seatbelts and child seats compulsory and determining appropriate speed limits.

High temperature electrical energy storage: advances, challenges, and frontiers.

With the ongoing global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emission and dependence on oil, electrical energy storage (EES) devices such as Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors have become ubiquitous. Today, EES devices are entering the broader energy use arena and playing key roles in energy storage, transfer, and delivery within, for example, electric vehicles, large-scale grid storage, and sensors located in harsh environmental conditions, where performance at temperatures greater than 25 °C are required. The safety and high temperature durability are as critical or more so than other essential characteristics (e.g., capacity, energy and power density) for safe power output and long lifespan. Consequently, significant efforts are underway to design, fabricate, and evaluate EES devices along with characterization of device performance limitations such as thermal runaway and aging. Energy storage under extreme conditions is limited by the material properties of electrolytes, electrodes, and their synergetic interactions, and thus significant opportunities exist for chemical advancements and technological improvements. In this review, we present a comprehensive analysis of different applications associated with high temperature use (40-200 °C), recent advances in the development of reformulated or novel materials (including ionic liquids, solid polymer electrolytes, ceramics, and Si, LiFePO4, and LiMn2O4 electrodes) with high thermal stability, and their demonstrative use in EES devices. Finally, we present a critical overview of the limitations of current high temperature systems and evaluate the future outlook of high temperature batteries with well-controlled safety, high energy/power density, and operation over a wide temperature range.

The compensatory effect of regular exercise on long-term memory impairment in sleep deprived female rats.

Previous studies have been shown that exercise can improve short-term spatial learning, memory and synaptic plasticity impairments in sleep deprived female rats. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of treadmill exercise on sleep deprivation (SD) induced impairment in hippocampal dependent long-term memory in female rats. Intact and ovariectomized female rats were used in the current study. Exercise protocol was 4 weeks treadmill running. Twenty four hour SD was induced by using multiple platform apparatus after learning phase. Spatial learning and long-term memory was examined by using the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test. Our results indicated that sleep deprivation impaired long term memory in the intact and ovariectomized female rats, regardless of reproductive status (p<0.05) and treadmill exercise compensated this impairment (p<0.05). In conclusion the results of the current study confirmed the negative effect of SD on cognitive functions and regular exercise seems to protect rats from these factors, however more investigations need to be done.

High-performance multifunctional graphene yarns: toward wearable all-carbon energy storage textiles.

The successful commercialization of smart wearable garments is hindered by the lack of fully integrated carbon-based energy storage devices into smart wearables. Since electrodes are the active components that determine the performance of energy storage systems, it is important to rationally design and engineer hierarchical architectures atboth the nano- and macroscale that can enjoy all of the necessary requirements for a perfect electrode. Here we demonstrate a large-scale flexible fabrication of highly porous high-performance multifunctional graphene oxide (GO) and rGO fibers and yarns by taking advantage of the intrinsic soft self-assembly behavior of ultralarge graphene oxide liquid crystalline dispersions. The produced yarns, which are the only practical form of these architectures for real-life device applications, were found to be mechanically robust (Young's modulus in excess of 29 GPa) and exhibited high native electrical conductivity (2508 ± 632 S m(-1)) and exceptionally high specific surface area (2605 m(2) g(-1) before reduction and 2210 m(2) g(-1) after reduction). Furthermore, the highly porous nature of these architectures enabled us to translate the superior electrochemical properties of individual graphene sheets into practical everyday use devices with complex geometrical architectures. The as-prepared final architectures exhibited an open network structure with a continuous ion transport network, resulting in unrivaled charge storage capacity (409 F g(-1) at 1 A g(-1)) and rate capability (56 F g(-1) at 100 A g(-1)) while maintaining their strong flexible nature.

Enhancement of the electrochemical capacitance of TiO2 nanotube arrays through controlled phase transformation of anatase to rutile.

Here, we report the fabrication of self-organized titania (TiO(2)) nanotube array supercapacitor electrodes through controlled phase transformation of TiO(2), with aerial capacitances as high as 2.6 mF cm(-2), which far exceeds the values so far reported in the literature. The role of phase transformation in the electrochemical charge-discharge behaviour of nanocrystalline TiO(2) nanotubes is investigated and discussed in detail. The ease of synthesis and the exceptional electrochemical properties make these nanotube arrays an alternative candidate for use in energy storage devices.

A highly ordered titania nanotube array as a supercapacitor electrode.

We report the synthesis of self-organized titania nanotubes and nanocrystalline titania powders employing an alternative and novel approach. Integrating these nanostructures in a binder-free working electrode improved the capacitance up to 911 µF cm(-2), which is around one to two orders of magnitude higher than the conventional electric double layer capacitors.