Exploring the therapeutic potential: Apelin-13's neuroprotective effects foster sustained functional motor recovery in a rat model of Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary condition considered by the progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the brain, resultant in motor dysfunction and cognitive impairment. Despite current treatment modalities including pharmaceuticals and various therapies, a definitive cure remains elusive. Therefore, this study investigates the therapeutic potential effect of Apelin-13 in HD management. Thirty male Wistar rats were allocated into three groups: a control group, a group with HD, and a group with both HD and administered Apelin-13. Apelin-13 was administered continuously over a 28-day period at a dosage of around 30 mg/kg to mitigate inflammation in rats subjected to 3-NP injection within an experimental HD model. Behavioral tests, such as rotarod, electromyography (EMG), elevated plus maze, and open field assessments, demonstrated that Apelin-13 improved motor function and coordination in rats injected with 3-NP. Apelin-13 treatment significantly increased neuronal density and decreased glial cell counts compared to the control group. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed reduced gliosis and expression of inflammatory factors in the treatment group. Moreover, Apelin-13 administration led to elevated levels of glutathione and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in the treated group. Apelin-13 demonstrates neuroprotective effects, leading to improved movement and reduced inflammatory and fibrotic factors in the HD model.

Assessing personal protective equipment usage and its correlation with knowledge, attitudes, performance, and safety culture among workers in small and medium-sized enterprises.

BACKGROUND: The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) should be a culture of a workplace, and deeply rooted in worker behavior and attitude during their practice. According to the recent studies only 64% of the workers use PPE properly. The present study aims to investigate the utilization of PPE among workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and its relationship with knowledge, attitude, performance, and safety culture among workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out using a questionnaire tool across SMEs in Kashan city in year 2023. The used tool included three questionnaires: demographic, safety culture, and knowledge, attitude and performance. Study papulation was 529 SMEs. Totally, the sample size was 369 persons and questionnaires were distributed among the workers of SMEs. Finally, SPSS software was used for statistical analysis and structural equation modeling. Various statistical tests including T-Test, ANOVA, RMSEA, CFI, TLI, and the chi-square ratio were employed. RESULTS: The mean values (standard deviation) of age and work experience were 35.19 (12.33), and 15.60 (1.69) years, respectively. Among the 369 participants, 267 participants (72.4%) indicated that they use some PPE, although not all types. However, 102 individuals (27.7%) do not employ any PPE. The lowest score for safety culture dimension was attributed to safety training at 1.58. The results of the final model indicate that the assumed relationships between variables, as outlined in the study objectives, were well established, with all connections proving statistically significant. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the missing of inadequate legal supervision for small industries exists. Therefore, it can be inferred that if supervision and regulation are enhanced for safety training and implementation that may lead to increased usage of PPE.

Enriched human embryonic stem cells-derived CD133+, CD24+ renal progenitors engraft and restore function in a gentamicin-induced kidney injury in mice.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common health problem that leads to high morbidity and potential mortality. The failure of conventional treatments to improve forms of this condition highlights the need for innovative and effective treatment approaches. Regenerative therapies with Renal Progenitor Cells (RPCs) have been proposed as a promising new strategy. A growing body of evidence suggests that progenitor cells differentiated from different sources, including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), can effectively treat AKI. Methods: Here, we describe a method for generating RPCs and directed human Embryoid Bodies (EBs) towards CD133+CD24+ renal progenitor cells and evaluate their functional activity in alleviating AKI. Results: The obtained results show that hESCs-derived CD133+CD24+ RPCs can engraft into damaged renal tubules and restore renal function and structure in mice with gentamicin-induced kidney injury, and significantly decrease blood urea nitrogen levels, suppress oxidative stress and inflammation, and attenuate histopathological disturbances, including tubular necrosis, tubular dilation, urinary casts, and interstitial fibrosis. Conclusion: The results suggest that RPCs have a promising regenerative potential in improving renal disease and can lay the foundation for future cell therapy and disease modeling.

Great potential of renal progenitor cells in kidney: From the development to clinic.

The mammalian renal organ represents a pinnacle of complexity, housing functional filtering units known as nephrons. During embryogenesis, the depletion of niches containing renal progenitor cells (RPCs) and the subsequent incapacity of adult kidneys to generate new nephrons have prompted the formulation of protocols aimed at isolating residual RPCs from mature kidneys and inducing their generation from diverse cell sources, notably pluripotent stem cells. Recent strides in the realm of regenerative medicine and the repair of tissues using stem cells have unveiled critical signaling pathways essential for the maintenance and generation of human RPCs in vitro. These findings have ushered in a new era for exploring novel strategies for renal protection. The present investigation delves into potential transcription factors and signaling cascades implicated in the realm of renal progenitor cells, focusing on their protection and differentiation. The discourse herein elucidates contemporary research endeavors dedicated to the acquisition of progenitor cells, offering crucial insights into the developmental mechanisms of these cells within the renal milieu and paving the way for the formulation of innovative treatment modalities.

Coenzyme Q10 attenuates neurodegeneration in the cerebellum induced by chronic exposure to tramadol.

BACKGROUND: Chronic use of tramadol can cause neurotoxic effects and subsequently cause neurodegeneration in the cerebellum. The main damage mechanisms identified are oxidative stress and inflammation. Currently, we investigated the effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in attenuates of neurodegeneration in the cerebellum induced by chronic exposure to tramadol. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Seventy-two male mature albino rats were allocated into four equal groups, including; non-treated group, CoQ10 group (which received CoQ10 at 200 mg/kg/day orally for three weeks), tramadol group (which received tramadol hydrochloride at 50 mg/kg/day orally for three weeks), and tramadol+CoQ10 group (which received tramadol and CoQ10 at the same doses as the previous groups). Tissue samples were obtained for stereological, immunohistochemical, biochemical, and molecular evaluations. Also, functional tests were performed to evaluate behavioral properties. RESULTS: We found a significant increase in stereological parameters, antioxidant factors (catalase, glutathione, and superoxide dismutase), and behavioral function scores in the tramadol+CoQ10 group compared to the tramadol group (p < 0.05). In addition, malondialdehyde levels, the density of apoptotic cells, as well as the expression of pro-inflammatory (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin 1 beta, and interleukin 6) and autophagy (lysosome-associated membrane protein 2, autophagy-related 5, beclin 1, and autophagy-related 12) genes were considerably reduced in the tramadol+CoQ10 group compared to the tramadol group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the administration of CoQ10 has neuroprotective effects in the cerebellum of rats that have chronic exposure to tramadol.

Irrigation Regimes and Nitrogen Rates as the Contributing Factors in Quinoa Yield to Increase Water and Nitrogen Efficiencies.

Sustainable field crop management has been considered to reach the food security issue due to global warming and water scarcity. The effect of deficit irrigation and nitrogen rates on quinoa yield is a challenging issue in those areas. In this regard, the interaction effects of different N rates (0, 125, 250, and 375 kg N ha-1) and irrigation regimes [full irrigation (FI) and deficit irrigation at 0.75 FI and 0.5 FI] on quinoa yield and water and nitrogen efficiencies were evaluated with a two-year field experiment. Increasing nitrogen fertilizer application levels from 250 to 375 kg N ha-1 under FI and deficit irrigation did not cause a significant difference in seed yield and the total dry matter of quinoa. Furthermore, 20% and 34% reductions were observed for nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) and nitrogen yield efficiency with the application of 375 kg N ha-1 compared with that obtained in 250 kg N ha-1 nitrogen fertilizer, respectively. Therefore, a Nitrogen application rate of 250 kg ha-1 and applying 0.75 FI is suggested as the optimum rate to reach the highest seed water use efficiency (0.7 kg m-3) and NUE (0.28 kg m-3) to gain 4.12 Mg ha-1 quinoa seed yield. Under non-limited water resource conditions, an FI and N application rate of 375 kg ha-1 could be used for higher seed yield; however, under water-deficit regimes, an N application rate of 250 kg ha-1 could be adequate. However, questions about which environmental factors impressively restricted the quinoa growth for optimizing the potential yield need further investigation.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of S. Marianum and N. Sativa Extracts on Macrophages.

BACKGROUND: Nigella sativa (N. sativa) and Silybum marianum (S. marianum) are used to regulate macrophage polarization in lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW 264.7 cells and thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal inflammation. METHODS: Cytotoxicity assays and acute toxicity tests were performed to investigate the safe dose and toxicity of the prepared extracts. Also, nitric oxide production was determined by Griess assay on RAW264.7 and peritoneal macrophage supernatants. After RNA extraction from macrophages, real-time PCR was performed to measure the relative gene expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß, and IL-10. Finally, regulatory T cells (Treg cells) were counted by flow cytometry. RESULTS: S. marianum methanolic extract (SME), N. sativa ethanolic extract (NEE), and their mixture (SME+NEE) decreased NO levels significantly in RAW264.7 and peritoneal murine macrophages. N. sativa ethanolic extract significantly increased IL-10 gene expression and significantly decreased IL-6 and TNF-α expression in RAW264.7 cells. In mixture-treated peritoneal macrophages, IL-10 and TGF-ß expression were significantly increased, while IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly decreased. Also, the percentage of Treg cells was significantly greater in the mixture-treated cells than in controls. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that an SME and NEE mixture has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activities and may be useful in the treatment of diseases of immunopathologic origin characterized by macrophage hyperactivation.

Exogenous Ghrelin Could Not Ameliorate 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine-induced Acute Liver Injury in The Rat: Involved Mechanisms.

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, ecstasy) is often abused by youth as a recreational drug. MDMA abuse is a growing problem in different parts of the world. An important adverse consequence of the drug consumption is hepatotoxicity of different intensities. However, the underlying mechanism of this toxicity has not been completely understood. Ghrelin is a gut hormone with growth hormone stimulatory effect. It expresses in liver, albeit at a much lower level than in stomach, and exerts a hepatoprotective effect. In this study, we investigated hepatotoxicity effect of MDMA alone and its combination with ghrelin as a hepatoprotective agent. MDMA and MDMA+ ghrelin could transiently increase serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) followed by tissue necrosis. However, they could significantly decrease liver tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-±) in both treatment groups. Unexpectedly, in MDMA treated rats, Bax, Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, Fas, Fas ligand (Fas-L), caspase 8, cytochrome c, caspase 3 gene expression, and DNA fragmentation were nearly unchanged. In addition, apoptosis in MDMA+ ghrelin group was significantly reduced when compared with MDMA treated animals. In all, MDMA could transiently increase serum transaminases and induce tissue necrosis and liver toxicity. Ghrelin, however, could not stop liver enzyme rise and MDMA hepatotoxicity. MDMA hepatotoxicity seems to be mediated via tissue necrosis than apoptotic and inflammatory pathways. Conceivably, ghrelin as an anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic agent may not protect hepatocytes against MDMA liver toxicity.

The Effect of Low-Power Laser Therapy on the TGF/ß Signaling Pathway in Chronic Kidney Disease: A Review.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of low-power lasers on kidney disease by investigating several studies. Methods: A number of articles from 1998 to 2019 were chosen from the sources of PubMed, Scopus, and only the articles studying the effect of low-power lasers on kidney disease were investigated. Results: After reviewing the literature, 21 articles examining only the effects of low-power lasers on kidney disease were found. The results of these studies showed that the parameter of the lowpower laser would result in different outcomes. So, a low-power laser with various parameters can be effective in the treatment of kidney diseases such as acute kidney disease, diabetes, glomerulonephritis, nephrectomy, metabolic syndrome, and kidney fibrosis. Most studies have shown that low-power lasers can affect TGFß1 signaling which is the most important signaling in the treatment of renal fibrosis. Conclusion: Lasers can be effective in reducing or enhancing inflammatory responses, reducing fibrosis factors, and decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in kidney disease and glomerular cell proliferation.

Simulation of Wetting and Interfacial Behavior of Quaternary Ammonium and Phosphonium Ionic Liquid Nanodroplets Over Face-Centered Cubic Metal Surfaces.

We studied the behavior of quaternary ammonium- and phosphonium-based ([N2225][NTf2] and [P2225][NTf2]) ionic liquid (IL) nanodroplets on copper (Cu) and platinum (Pt) metal surfaces using classical molecular dynamics simulations. Solid-liquid interactions were underpinned by studying the dynamic spreading, contact angle, time-dependent binding energies, mean-square displacements, number and charge density profiles, and orientational distribution of these two IL nanodroplets. In particular, the role and importance of different crystallographic facets of face-centered cubic metal surface [Cu(100), Cu(111), Pt(100), and Pt(111)] were investigated. The results indicate a vast variety of properties that are dictated highly by the structure of different crystallographic facets of the metal substrate. The nature of the facet (e.g., the atomic arrangement symmetry, the extent of closed packed, and the unit cell size) leads to an extended scale spreading of the ILs on the surface with the (111) index but not with the (100) index, while the nature of metals itself plays a role.