Clinical application of stem cell therapy in neurogenic bladder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: This review aims to investigate the effect of stem cell (SC) therapy on the management of neurogenic bladder (NGB) in four neurological diseases, including spinal cord injury (SCI), Parkinson's disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and stroke, in the clinical setting. METHODS: An electronic database search was conducted in the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Proquest, Clinicaltrial.gov , WHO, Google Scholar, MEDLINE via PubMed, Ovid, Web of Science, Scopus, ongoing trial registers, and conference proceedings in June 2019 and updated by hand searching on 1 February 2021. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs), quasi RCTs, phase I/II clinical trials, case-control, retrospective cohorts, and comprehensive case series that evaluated the regenerative potential of SCs on the management of NGB were included. Cochrane appraisal risk of bias checklist and the standardized critical appraisal instrument from the JBI Meta-Analysis of Statistics, Assessment, and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) were used to appraise the studies. RESULTS: Twenty-six studies among 1282 relevant publications met our inclusion criteria. Only SC therapy was applied for SCI or MS patients. Phase I/II clinical trials (without control arm) were the most conducted studies, and only four were RCTs. Four studies with 153 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The main route of transplantation was via lumbar puncture. There were no serious adverse events. Only nine studies in SCI and one in MS have used urodynamics, and the others have reported improvement based on patient satisfaction. SC therapy did not significantly improve residual urine volume, detrusor pressure, and maximum bladder capacity. Also, the quality of these publications was low or unclear. CONCLUSION: Although most clinical trials provide evidence of the safety and effectiveness of MSCs on the management of NGB, the meta-analysis results did not show a significant improvement; however, the interpretation of study results is difficult because of the lack of placebo controls.

Adaptation and validation of short scales for assessment of psychological distress in Iran: The Persian K10 and K6.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to translate into Persian and culturally adapt the Kessler Psychological Distress Scales, K10 and K6, and to assess their reliability and validity. METHOD: The sample was recruited from primary health care (PHC) settings by quota nonprobability sampling, stratified by sex and age. Validity was assessed against the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (v2.1). The psychometric properties of K6 and K10 were also compared with the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). RESULTS: A total of 818 participants completed the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha were 0.92 and 0.87 for K6 and K10, respectively. Optimal cutoff scores for detecting any mood or anxiety disorder in the past 30 days were 15 for K10 and 10 for K6. At these cutoff points, the measures had sensitivities of 0.77 and 0.73, specificities of 0.74 and 0.78, and positive predictive values of 0.48 and 0.52, respectively. Psychometric properties of K10 and K6 were similar to GHQ-12. CONCLUSION: Persian K10 and K6 have acceptable psychometric properties as screening instruments for common mental health conditions. Given its brevity and similar psychometric properties to the longer instruments, the Persian K6 appears to be a suitable scale for use in PHC settings and, possibly, epidemiologic studies in Iran.

First and second order stereology of hyaline cartilage: Application on mice femoral cartilage.

Stereological techniques could be considered in research on cartilage to obtain quantitative data. The present study aimed to explain application of the first- and second-order stereological methods on articular cartilage of mice and the methods applied on the mice exposed to cadmium (Cd). The distal femoral articular cartilage of BALB/c mice (control and Cd-treated) was removed. Then, volume and surface area of the cartilage and number of chondrocytes were estimated using Cavalieri and optical dissector techniques on isotropic uniform random sections. Pair-correlation function [g(r)] and cross-correlation function were calculated to express the spatial arrangement of chondrocytes-chondrocytes and chondrocytes-matrix (chondrocyte clustering/dispersing), respectively. The mean±standard deviation of the cartilage volume, surface area, and thickness were 1.4±0.1mm3, 26.2±5.4mm2, and 52.8±6.7µm, respectively. Besides, the mean number of chondrocytes was 680±200 (×103). The cartilage volume, cartilage surface area, and number of chondrocytes were respectively reduced by 25%, 27%, and 27% in the Cd-treated mice in comparison to the control animals (p<0.03). Estimates of g(r) for the cells and matrix against the dipole distances, r, have been plotted. This plot showed that the chondrocytes and the matrix were neither dispersed nor clustered in the two study groups. Application of design-based stereological methods and also evaluation of spatial arrangement of the cartilage components carried potential advantages for investigating the cartilage in different joint conditions. Chondrocyte clustering/dispersing and cellularity can be evaluated in cartilage assessment in normal or abnormal situations.

Mitigating Effect of Resveratrol on the Structural Changes of Mice Liver and Kidney Induced by Cadmium; A Stereological Study.

Exposure to cadmium (Cd) has harmful effects on the liver and kidney. Resveratrol (RES) is an herbal substance that functions as a protective mediator. This study aimed to investigate the effects of RES on the histology of liver and kidney in Cd-exposed mice. Male mice were divided into 4 groups daily receiving normal saline (1 mL normal saline/d), Cd (1 mg/kg/d), RES (20 mg/kg/d), and Cd plus RES, respectively. After 4 weeks, the liver and kidney components were evaluated using stereological methods. The total volume and number of hepatocytes, and volume of fibrous tissue were respectively increased by 34%, 58%, and a 3-fold in the Cd-exposed mice in comparison to the control animals (P < 0.03). On the other hand, the volume of the main vasculature (sinusoids and central veins) was decreased by 36% in the Cd group compared to the control mice (P < 0.03). Considering the kidney, the results showed a 3-fold increase in the total glomeruli volume and a 7-fold increase in fibrous tissue in the Cd-treated group compared to the control mice (P < 0.03). After Cd treatment, a 32% reduction was observed in the volume and length of the proximal and distal convoluted tubules. RES-treatment alone did not induce any structural changes. In comparison to the Cd group, an increase in the normal components of the liver and kidney and a decrease in the formation of the fibrous and degenerated tissues were observed in the Cd+RES-treated mice (P < 0.03).

Simultaneous anatomical sketching as learning by doing method of teaching human anatomy.

OBJECTIVE: Learning by lecture is a passive experience. Many innovative techniques have been presented to stimulate students to assume a more active attitude toward learning. In this study, simultaneous sketch drawing, as an interactive learning technique was applied to teach anatomy to the medical students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reconstructed a fun interactive model of teaching anatomy as simultaneous anatomic sketching. To test the model's instruction effectiveness, we conducted a quasi- experimental study and then the students were asked to write their learning experiences in their portfolio, also their view was evaluated by a questionnaire. RESULTS: The results of portfolio evaluation revealed that students believed that this method leads to deep learning and understanding anatomical subjects better. Evaluation of the students' views on this teaching approach was showed that, more than 80% of the students were agreed or completely agreed with this statement that leaning anatomy concepts are easier and the class is less boring with this method. More than 60% of the students were agreed or completely agreed to sketch anatomical figures with professor simultaneously. They also found the sketching make anatomy more attractive and it reduced the time for learning anatomy. These number of students were agree or completely agree that the method help them learning anatomical concept in anatomy laboratory. More than 80% of the students found the simultaneous sketching is a good method for learning anatomy overall. CONCLUSION: Sketch drawing, as an interactive learning technique, is an attractive for students to learn anatomy.

A simple stereological method for estimating the number and the volume of the pancreatic beta cells.

CONTEXT: Number of the beta cells as well as their volume is a fundamental variable in the pancreatic research. OBJECTIVES: This study describes a simple method for stereological estimation of the volume of the pancreas, the total volume of the islets, and the total number, as well as the mean volume, of the beta cells in rat. METHODS: The primary volume of the pancreas was measured using the immersion method. Also, tissue shrinkage was estimated and the final pancreas volume was corrected without the need for serial sectioning. A limited number (i.e., 10-13) of the isotropic uniform random slabs of each pancreas was embedded in the same block. One 5 µm and one 20 µm sections were obtained and stained with a modified aldehyde fuchsin. The point counting, optical disector and point-sampled intercept methods were used to estimate the volume density of the islet, the numerical density of the beta cells, and the mean cell volume, respectively. RESULTS: After calculating the tissue shrinkage, the mean primary volume of the pancreas (628 mm3; CV: 25%) was corrected to obtain the final volume (442 mm3; CV: 39%). The mean islet volume was reported as 3.8 mm3 (CV: 22%). Besides, the total number of the beta cells was estimated as 2.9x10(6) (CV: 20%). Moreover, the mean volume of the beta cells was obtained (1,158 µm3; CV: 9%). CONCLUSIONS: It takes almost one hour to estimate the volume of the islets and two hours to count the cells and estimate the intercepts per animal.

The modifiable noncommunicable risk factors among an Iranian population.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Risk factors, such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, obesity and smoking play an important role in the high prevalence of NCDs. In this study we assessed the type and prevalence of NCD risk factors among an Iranian adult population. We conducted a cross sectional study of 500 men and 500 women, aged 15-65 years, selected by multi-stage random cluster sampling from urban areas of Isfahan, the second largest city in Iran. The prevalences of 8 risk factors were determined in this study: sedentary lifestyle (47.2%), overweight and obestity (body mass index > or = 25 kg/m2) (60.8%), hypertension (elevated systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure) (22%), low high density lipoprotein level (27.6%), high total cholesterol level (16.9%), high triglyceride level (22.1%) and high fasting blood sugar (7.6%). Sedentary life and overweight/obesity were common at all ages, especially among women. Given the high prevalence of NCD risk factors in the studied population, there is an urgent need for age-appropriate interventions to result in lifestyle changes to decrease the prevalence of NCD risk factors.

Nandrolone decanoate increases the volume but not the length of the proximal and distal convoluted tubules of the mouse kidney.

UNLABELLED: Anabolic androgenic steroids are widely used by athletes for increasing their muscle mass. These drugs are also used by some patients with chronic renal disease. But the effect of these drugs on the renal structure has received less attention. To investigate which parts of the kidney are affected by these drugs, mice kidneys were studied stereologically after injection of nandrolone decanoate (ND), an anabolic androgenic steroid. The treated group received nandrolone decanoate intraperitoneally (solved in olive oil) in doses of 3mg/kg of body weight and administered in one, two and three doses, respectively, in the first, second and third week of treatment. The mice in the control group received an olive oil solution. One week after the last injection, the mice were anaesthetized and their kidney removed. The analysis of data revealed that the weight of kidney was increased approximately 30% (p < or = 0.006) and its volume increased approximately 25% (p < or = 0.02) in ND treated mice in comparison with the control group. The volume of the cortex increased in ND treated animals approximately 44% (p < or = 0.006). Proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) and distal convoluted tubules (DCT) volume increased approximately 25% (p < or = 0.02) and approximately 68% (p < or = 0.02) in ND treated mice. The volume of glomeruli, other ducts, connective tissues, vessels and the length of PCT, DCT, collecting and Henle's ducts and vessels did not show significant differences. CONCLUSION: ND can increase the volume of the renal cortex and its two main parts, i.e. PCT and DCT in mice.