Regeneration of sciatic nerve crush injury by a hydroxyapatite nanoparticle-containing collagen type I hydrogel

The current study aimed to enhance the efficacy of peripheral nerve regeneration using a hydroxyapatite nanoparticle-containing collagen type I hydrogel. A solution of type I collagen, extracted from the rat tails, was incorporated with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (with the average diameter of ~212 nm) and crosslinked with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC) to prepare the hydrogel. The Schwann cell cultivation on the prepared hydrogel demonstrated a significantly higher cell proliferation than the tissue culture plate, as positive control, after 48 h (n = 3, P < 0.005) and 72 h (n = 3, P < 0.01). For in vivo evaluation, the prepared hydrogel was administrated on the sciatic nerve crush injury in Wistar rats. Four groups were studied: negative control (with injury but without interventions), positive control (without injury), collagen hydrogel and hydroxyapatite nanoparticle-containing collagen hydrogel. After 12 weeks, the administration of hydroxyapatite nanoparticle-containing collagen significantly (n = 4, P < 0.005) enhanced the functional behavior of the rats compared with the collagen hydrogel and negative control groups as evidenced by the sciatic functional index, hot plate latency and compound muscle action potential amplitude measurements. The overall results demonstrated the applicability of the produced hydrogel for the regeneration of peripheral nerve injuries.     

Electroencephalogram complexity analysis in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder during a visual cognitive task

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate electroencephalogram (EEG) dynamics using complexity analysis in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with healthy control children when performing a cognitive task. Method: Thirty 7–12-year-old children meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fifth Edition (DSM–5) criteria for ADHD and 30 healthy control children underwent an EEG evaluation during a cognitive task, and Lempel–Ziv complexity (LZC) values were computed. There were no significant differences between ADHD and control groups on age and gender. Results: The mean LZC of the ADHD children was significantly larger than healthy children over the right anterior and right posterior regions during the cognitive performance. In the ADHD group, complexity of the right hemisphere was higher than that of the left hemisphere, but the complexity of the left hemisphere was higher than that of the right hemisphere in the normal group. Conclusion: Although fronto-striatal dysfunction is considered conclusive evidence for the pathophysiology of ADHD, our arithmetic mental task has provided evidence of structural and functional changes in the posterior regions and probably cerebellum in ADHD.     

Estimating needle tip deflection in biological tissue from a single transverse ultrasound image: application to brachytherapy

Purpose

This paper proposes a method to predict the deflection of a flexible needle inserted into soft tissue based on the observation of deflection at a single point along the needle shaft.

Methods

We model the needle-tissue as a discretized structure composed of several virtual, weightless, rigid links connected by virtual helical springs whose stiffness coefficient is found using a pattern search algorithm that only requires the force applied at the needle tip during insertion and the needle deflection measured at an arbitrary insertion depth. Needle tip deflections can then be predicted for different insertion depths.

Results

Verification of the proposed method in synthetic and biological tissue shows a deflection estimation error of \(<\)2 mm for images acquired at 35 % or more of the maximum insertion depth, and decreases to 1 mm for images acquired closer to the final insertion depth. We also demonstrate the utility of the model for prostate brachytherapy, where in vivo needle deflection measurements obtained during early stages of insertion are used to predict the needle deflection further along the insertion process.

Conclusion

The method can predict needle deflection based on the observation of deflection at a single point. The ultrasound probe can be maintained at the same position during insertion of the needle, which avoids complications of tissue deformation caused by the motion of the ultrasound probe.

     

Prevention of recognition memory loss and moderation of mitochondrial dynamic tendency toward fusion by flavone derivatives in Aβ-injected rats: a comparison between two flavonoids with different polarity

Growing evidence sheds light on the use of flavonoids as the promising alternatives for the treatment of chronic conditions, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Accordingly, in the present study, we aimed at evaluating the effects of oral intake of two structurally different flavonoids 5-hydroxy-6,7,4?-trimethoxyflavone (flavone 1) and 5,7,4?-trihydroxyflavone (flavone 2) on recognition memory, hippocampal protein level of immediate early gene cFos and mitochondrial dynamic markers in Amyloid β (Aβ)-injected rats. Recognition aspect of memory and level of proteins were measured using novel object recognition test and Western blot, respectively. Our data indicated that even though flavone 1 was more effective than flavone 2 to prevent memory impairment, feeding with both flavones alleviated memory in Aβ-injected rats. Furthermore, in flavones-administered rats, mitochondrial dynamic balancing returned to the control level by the decline in Dynamin-related protein-1 protein level, a known marker for mitochondrial fission, and elevation in protein level of mitochondrial fusion factors Mitofusins 1 and 2. In parallel with behavior results, flavone 1 was more effectual on mitochondrial dynamic moderating. The more neuroprotective effects of flavone 1 could be attributed to its methylated structure leading to crossing of the blood-brain barrier with ease and metabolic stability and bioactivity.     

Association of IL-4 and ADAM33 Gene Polymorphisms with Asthma in an Indian Population

There are more than 100 candidate genes of asthma located on 23 human chromosomes. Interleukin-4 (IL-4), located on chromosome 5q31, and ADAM33, located on chromosome 20p13, and some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of these genes have been shown to be associated with asthma and its manifestations in different populations. The most prominent SNPs of IL-4 and ADAM33 are 589C>T and 400A>G, respectively. There are also controversial reports on the association of these SNPs with asthma. In the present study, we analyzed these two SNPs in 100 patients with asthma and 50 controls through PCR amplification and restriction digestion to evaluate association of these two SNPs with asthma. The nonsignificant differences were observed for the IL-4 promoter polymorphism C589T and the ADAM33 T1 polymorphism between asthmatic patients and controls (P = 0.638 and 0.943, respectively). Our data revealed that there is no association of these SNPs with asthma indicating that other SNPs of these genes or other genes might be involved in the manifestation of asthma.     

A proton NMR study of the effect of Mucuna pruriens on seminal plasma metabolites of infertile males

The objective of this study was to employ proton nuclear magnetic resonance ((1)H NMR) spectroscopy to evaluate the impact of Mucuna pruriens seeds on the metabolic profile of seminal plasma of infertile patients. A total of 180 infertile patients were administered M. pruriens seed powder for a period of three months. Age-matched healthy men comprised the control (n=50) group in the study. Lactate, alanine, choline, citrate, glycerophosphocholine (GPC), glutamine, tyrosine, histidine, phenylalanine, and uridine were measured in seminal plasma by (1)H NMR spectroscopy. To evaluate the degree of infertility and extent of hormonal imbalance induced by this milieu, separate sperm concentration, motility, lipid peroxide in seminal plasma and LH, FSH, T, and PRL hormone concentration in serum were measured using standard laboratory methods and RIA, respectively, in the same subjects. M. pruriens therapy rectifies the perturbed alanine, citrate, GPC, histidine and phenylalanine content in seminal plasma and improves the semen quality of post-treated infertile men with compared to pre-treated. Concomitantly, clinical variables in seminal plasma and blood serum were also improved over post therapy in infertile men. On the basis of these observations, it may be proposed that M. pruriens seed powder not only reactivates the enzymatic activity of metabolic pathways and energy metabolism but also rejuvenates the harmonic balance of male reproductive hormones in infertile men. These findings open more opportunities for infertility treatment and management by improving semen quality.