The Relationship Between Leptin Receptor Expression and Endometrial Carcinoma; A Case-Control Study.

Background & Objective: Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies in women in developed countries and the fourth malignancy in Iranian women. Therefore, the identification of its causative factors is essential for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. This study was aimed to compare the leptin receptor (Ob-R) expression in the endometrial carcinoma cases and non-carcinoma samples. Methods: In this case-control study, 89 samples (including 45 carcinoma and 44 non-carcinoma samples) were examined. The carcinomatous samples were selected by the census method and others were selected with random method. The data were obtained from histopathologic diagnosis, immunohistochemistry (negative, positive and intensity of immunoreactivity), age, history of diabetes, and hypertension. Ob-R expression was compared in the studied groups using Chi-square, Fisher tests and Multivariate logistic regression analysis. In all tests the level of significance was set at 0.05. The SPSS 26 was used for data analysis. Results: The frequency of high levels of leptin receptors in the patients with endometrial carcinoma was significantly higher compared to the control group (57.8% vs. 2.3%) (P<0.05). Adjusting the effects of age, history of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) revealed that the positive-receptor group had 37.75 (95% CI; 5.18-275.04) odds of having endometrial carcinoma (P<0.001). Conclusion: The leptin receptor may be a risk factor for the endometrial carcinoma among women tested in Kashan. Based on these results, leptin receptor might be considered as a potential biomarker for screening the endometrial carcinoma or targeting the therapeutic purposes.

Effect of risperidone on morphine-induced conditioned place preference and dopamine receptor D2 gene expression in male rat hippocampus.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest the possible effect of risperidone on brain reward system and D1 and D2 dopamine receptors' involvement in morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). AIMS: The present study was designed to investigate the effect of risperidone as an atypical antipsychotic drug on morphine-induced CPP and D2-like dopamine receptor gene expression in rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An unbiased CPP paradigm was used to study the effect of risperidone. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of risperidone (1, 2, and 4 mg/kg) was performed 30 min before the morphine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) injection and just after the rat was placed in the CPP box. The open field test was used to assay the locomotor activity of animal. The gene expression of D2 dopamine receptor in hippocampus was measured by real-time PCR technique. The hippocampi of rats were also used for histology evaluation. RESULTS: Morphine-produced (10 mg/kg) CPP and morphine-induced CPP were reversed only by the administration of a low dose of risperidone (1 mg/kg). Low dose of risperidone (1 mg/kg) showed no effect on locomotor activity but a higher dose of risperidone (2 and 4 mg/kg) decreased locomotor activity. Real-time PCR data analysis revealed that the gene expression of D2 dopamine receptor had significant difference between morphine and a 1 mg/kg dose of risperidone. Moreover, in histological evaluation, apoptosis was observed in the morphine group, whereas there was no evidence of apoptosis in the risperidone-treated groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that risperidone (1 mg/kg) reverses the morphine-induced CPP and may reduce the rewarding properties of morphine. It is also demonstrated that risperidone decreases the expression of D2 receptor in rat hippocampus. Therefore, risperidone can be considered potential adjunct therapy in morphine dependence.

How do Iranian older adults define place attachment? a qualitative study.

Background: Place attachment is the emotional bond between individuals and environment, which seems to increase wellbeing in old age. The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of place attachment from older adults' perspective. Methods: In this qualitative study, a total of 14 older adults were purposively included in Aran and Bidgool city, Isfahan, Iran. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview and analyzed applying a directed content analysis approach. Results: As participants reported, place attachment meant intensive love, pride, dependency, and familiarity with the environment. Socio-economic attachment was identified as the most prevalent dimension of place attachment, followed by affective, physical, autobiographical, and religious-cultural attachment. Conclusion: Our findings provided a new understanding of place attachment in the context of Iran. The concept of place attachment was identified with a multidimensional nature from Iranian older adults' perspective. Such a multidimensionality of place attachment should be considered while planning for age-friendly cities or the operationalization of the subject of aging in place, particularly in the developing societies, like Iran.

Examining the effect of stress induction on auditory working memory performance for emotional and non-emotional stimuli in female students.

BACKGROUND: Theoretical frameworks have shown that stress might influence working memory in different ways. Previous research has investigated the effect of stress on female's working memory but there is lack of evidence regarding the impact of emotional aspects. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effect of stress induction on auditory working memory (AWM) performance among university students for emotional (positive and negative) and non-emotional (neutral) stimuli. METHODS: A sample of 102 female students at the Universities of Isfahan, Iran was selected using convenience sampling in 2018. Participants completed the demographic information sheets, then, they were randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. The stress was induced by the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor Test (SECPT). An n-back task was presented pre and post of stress induction, to evaluate the AWM performance (accuracy and reaction time). The research data were analyzed using mixed-model ANOVA. RESULTS: Both accuracy and reaction time (RT) scores were found to be enhanced for positive words in the experimental condition. However, accuracy and RT indices were found to be worsening for negative words in the experimental condition. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the idea that stress influences AWM performance depend on emotionally-valenced stimuli, which may help us to better understand the underlying mechanisms of memory processing.

The Relationship Between Spiritual Development and Life Satisfaction Among Students of Qom University of Medical Sciences.

Having a spiritual perspective on life can have an effect on the optimism and individuals level of life satisfaction, and it is a protective factor against self-harm in life. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between spiritual development and life satisfaction in students of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran. This cross-sectional study is part of study that was performed in Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from February 2015 to July 2016 which accommodates 250 medical and paramedical students that were selected through systematic random sampling. Data collection tools were demographic, spiritual attitude and ability questionnaire and Diener's satisfaction with life scale. Data were analyzed using frequency, percent, Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis in SPSS 20 software. The Pearson correlation coefficient between spiritual attitude and life satisfaction (R = 0.37) at the level of p < 0.001 and between spiritual ability and addiction (R = 0.34) at the level of p < 0.001 was direct and meaningful. The relationships between spiritual development and life satisfaction should be considered in university programs for the development of spirituality in the life of students in order to increase the life satisfaction.

Foxc2 is essential for podocyte function.

Foxc2 is one of the earliest podocyte markers during glomerular development. To circumvent embryonic lethal effects of global deletion of Foxc2, and to specifically investigate the role of Foxc2 in podocytes, we generated mice with a podocyte-specific Foxc2 deletion. Mice carrying the homozygous deletion developed early proteinuria which progressed rapidly into end stage kidney failure and death around postnatal day 10. Conditional loss of Foxc2 in podocytes caused typical characteristics of podocyte injury, such as podocyte foot process effacement and podocyte microvillus transformation, probably caused by disruption of the slit diaphragm. These effects were accompanied by a redistribution of several proteins known to be necessary for correct podocyte structure. One target gene that showed reduced glomerular expression was Nrp1, the gene encoding neuropilin 1, a protein that has been linked to diabetic nephropathy and proteinuria. We could show that NRP1 was regulated by Foxc2 in vitro, but podocyte-specific ablation of Nrp1 in mice did not generate any phenotype in terms of proteinuria, suggesting that the gene might have more important roles in endothelial cells than in podocytes. Taken together, this study highlights a critical role for Foxc2 as an important gene for podocyte function.

The Relationship of Spirituality Development and Addiction Potential Among Students of Qom University of Medical Sciences.

Drug abuse is one of the problems of the world which due to the specific characteristics of individual, social and personality causes irreparable difficult. The aim of this study was the investigation of the relationship between the spirituality development and addiction potential among students of Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran. This cross-sectional study was performed in Qom University of Medical Sciences, Iran, from February 2015 to July 2016 which accommodates 250 subjects that were selected through systematic random sampling. Data collection tools were demographic, spiritual attitude and addiction potential questionnaire. Data were analyzed, using frequency, percent, Pearson correlation and linear regression analysis in SPSS 20 software. The mean age was 22.26 ± 4.8; 189 (75.6%) of them were women, 207 (82.8%) were single, 239 (95.6%) of them were Iranian, and the others were non-Iranian. The Pearson correlation coefficient between spiritual attitude and addiction potential (R = - 0.25) at the level of p < 0.001 and between spiritual ability and addiction (R = - 0.16) at the level of p < 0/009 was reversed and meaningful, and between spiritual attitude and spiritual ability (R = 0/76) is directly and statistically significant at the level of p < 0/001. Increasing spiritual attitude and spiritual ability is associated with decreasing addiction potential among students. Information this article can be use to planning spirituality development among students that can be a kind of obstacle against addiction during stressful events.

The adipocyte-expressed forkhead transcription factor Foxc2 regulates metabolism through altered mitochondrial function.

OBJECTIVE: Previous findings demonstrate that enhanced expression of the forkhead transcription factor Foxc2 in adipose tissue leads to a lean and insulin-sensitive phenotype. These findings prompted us to further investigate the role of Foxc2 in the regulation of genes of fundamental importance for metabolism and mitochondrial function. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The effects of Foxc2 on expression of genes involved in mitochondriogenesis and mitochondrial function were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. The potential of a direct transcriptional regulation of regulated genes was tested in promoter assays, and mitochondrial morphology was investigated by electron microscopy. Mitochondrial function was tested by measuring oxygen consumption and extracellular acidification rates as well as palmitate oxidation. RESULTS: Enhanced expression of FOXC2 in adipocytes or in cells with no endogenous Foxc2 expression induces mitochondriogenesis and an elongated mitochondrial morphology. Together with increased aerobic metabolic capacity, increased palmitate oxidation, and upregulation of genes encoding respiratory complexes and of brown fat-related genes, Foxc2 also specifically induces mitochondrial fusion genes in adipocytes. Among tested forkhead genes, Foxc2 is unique in its ability to trans-activate the nuclear-encoded mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA/Tfam) gene--a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis. In human adipose tissue the expression levels of mtTFA/Tfam and of fusion genes also correlate with that of Foxc2. CONCLUSIONS: We previously showed that a high-calorie diet and insulin induce Foxc2 in adipocytes; the current findings identify a previously unknown role for Foxc2 as an important metabo-regulator of mitochondrial morphology and metabolism.

Modeling gross damage in tile-based nanomanufacturing by DNA self-assembly.

This paper proposes a novel model for gross damage as occurring in tile-based nanomanufacturing by DNA self-assembly. Gross damage occurs due to exogenous agents (such as radiation and tip-sample interactions) and is modeled as a hole (with a large number of empty tile sites) in the aggregate of the self-assembly. A stochastic analysis based on Markov chains for the tile binding process is pursued for regrowth of the tiles. This analysis establishes resilience as the probability to regrow the target pattern in the area affected by the gross damage. The conditions by which regrowth of a hole is favorable (i.e., at high resilience) compared with normal growth are established by considering temperature of aggregation and bond energy. As examples, two patterns for nano interconnects are analyzed based on the proposed model.

Overexpression of Foxf2 in adipose tissue is associated with lower levels of IRS1 and decreased glucose uptake in vivo.

Many members of the forkhead genes family of transcription factors have been implicated as important regulators of metabolism, in particular, glucose homeostasis, e.g., Foxo1, Foxa3, and Foxc2. The purpose of this study was to exploit the possibility that yet unknown members of this gene family play a role in regulating glucose tolerance in adipocytes. We identified Foxf2 in a screen for adipose-expressed forkhead genes. In vivo overexpression of Foxf2 in an adipose tissue-restricted fashion demonstrated that such mice display a significantly induced insulin secretion in response to an intravenous glucose load compared with wild-type littermates. In response to increased Foxf2 expression, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) mRNA and protein levels are significantly downregulated in adipocytes; however, the ratio of serine vs. tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS1 seems to remain unaffected. Furthermore, adipocytes overexpressing Foxf2 have a significantly lower insulin-mediated glucose uptake compared with wild-type adipocytes. These findings argue that Foxf2 is a previously unrecognized regulator of cellular and systemic whole body glucose tolerance, at least in part, due to lower levels of IRS1. Foxf2 and its downstream target genes can provide new insights with regard to identification of novel therapeutic targets.