Autistic-like behaviour and changes in thalamic cell numbers a rat model of valproic acid-induced autism; A behavioural and stereological study.

The contribution of the thalamus to the development and behavioural changes in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), a neurodevelopmental syndrome, remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the changes in thalamic volume and cell number in the valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD model using stereological methods and to clarify the relationship between thalamus and ASD-like behaviour. Ten pregnant rats were administered a single dose (600 mg/kg) of VPA intraperitoneally on G12.5 (VPA group), while five pregnant rats were injected with 5 ml saline (control group). Behavioural tests were performed to determine appropriate subjects and ASD-like behaviours. At P55, the brains of the subjects were removed. The sagittal sections were stained with cresyl violet and toluidine blue. The thalamic and hemispheric volumes with their ratios, the total number of thalamic cells, neurons and non-neuronal cells were calculated using stereological methods. Data were compared using a t-test and a Pearson correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationship between behaviour and stereological outcomes. VPA-treated rats had lower sociability and sociability indexes. There was no difference in social novelty preference and anxiety. The VPA group had larger hemispheric volume, lower thalamic volume, and fewer neurons. The highest percentage decrease was in non-neuronal cells. There was a moderate positive correlation between the number of non-neuronal cells and sociability, thalamic volume and the number of neurons as well as the time spent in the light box. The correlation between behaviour and stereological data suggests that the thalamus is associated with ASD-like behaviour.

Adverse effects of maternal retinyl palmitate, a vitamin A compound, on the fetal liver.

Background: Consuming high doses of vitamin A during pregnancy may lead to malformations in the offspring. Some reports state that low doses that do not cause macroscopic abnormalities may result in mental and behavioral disorders. However, there are few studies on the microscopic effects of these doses on the organism. Objective: The aim was to investigate the effects of early prenatal exposure to different doses of oral vitamin A on the fetal liver. Materials and methods: Twenty-five pregnant rats, divided into five groups, received oral vitamin A at doses of 10,000, 50,000, 100,000, and 200,000 IU/kg between days 10 and 12 of gestation. The fetuses were collected on day 19 of gestation, their livers were dissected, and histology, apoptosis, and proliferation were examined by hematoxylin-eosin, TUNEL assay, and Ki67 immunolabeling using stereological methods. Results: Vitamin A decreased fetal liver volume, the number of Ki67-positive cells per unit volume, and the total number of hepatocytes at all doses except 10,000 IU/kg (p<0.001). Consequently, apoptosis was significantly higher in the groups receiving 100,000 and 200,000 IU/kg vitamin A (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our study shows that vitamin A administered during gestation days 10-12 has a suppressive effect on the developing rat liver when the dose exceeds 10,000 IU/kg, probably due to increased apoptosis and suppressed cell division.

Association of postpartum depression and epidural analgesia in women during labor: an observational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Postpartum depression affects women, manifesting with depressed mood, insomnia, psychomotor retardation, and suicidal thoughts. Our study examined if there is an association between epidural analgesia use and postpartum depression. METHODS: Patients were divided into two groups. One group received epidural analgesia during labor while the second group did not. The Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) was administered to patients prior to birth and 6 weeks postpartum. Pain severity was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) during labor and at 24hours postpartum. RESULTS: Of the 92 patients analyzed, 47.8% (n=44) received epidural analgesia. We detected significantly higher VAS score during labor (p= 0.007) and 24 hours postpartum (p = 0.0001) in the group without epidural analgesia. At 6 weeks postpartum, a significant difference was observed between the EPDS scores of both groups (p= 0.0001). Regression analysis revealed higher depression scores in patients experiencing higher levels of pain during labor (OR = 0.572, p= 0.039). Epidural analgesia strongly correlated with lower scores of depression (OR = 0.29, p= 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The group that received epidural analgesia had lower pain scores. A high correlation between epidural analgesia and lower depression levels was found. Pregnant women giving birth via the vaginal route and having high pain scores could reduce postnatal depression scores using epidural labor analgesia. Pregnant women should opt for epidural analgesia during labor to lessen postpartum depression levels.

Effects of Septoplasty on Tp-e Interval and Tp-e/QT Ratio in Patients With Nasal Septal Deviation.

OBJECTIVES: There are multiple nasal airway pathologies leading to upper airway obstruction, and one of the most common ones is nasal septum deviation (NSD). Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of nasal septal surgery in patients with NSD on ventricular arrhythmogenesis using the novel electrocardiographic parameters, Tp-e interval, and Tp-e/QT ratio. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 102 consecutive patients diagnosed with NSD. All participants completed a validated outcomes instrument (the NOSE scale), echocardiographic and electrocardiographic evaluation before and 3 months after septoplasty. The degree of nasal septal deviation was evaluated with the Dreher classification. RESULTS: All of the electrocardiography parameters (except heart rate and QTmin) were significantly decreased with the septoplasty operation. Electrocardiographic parameters have significantly decreased especially in marked NSD patients. (Δ = difference between the preoperative and postoperative values) ΔNOSE was positively correlated both ΔcTp-e (r = 0.348, P < .001) and ΔcTp-e/QT values (r = 0.536, P < .001). CONCLUSION: Consequently, marked NSD was associated with increased risk of arrhythmogenesis, which were too much improved after septoplasty. So, treatment of especially marked NSD not only reduces otolaryngological complaints, but also leads to improvement of ventricular repolarization parameters.

Enrichment of functional properties of ice cream with pomegranate by-products.

Pomegranate peel rich in phenolics, and pomegranate seed which contain a conjugated fatty acid namely punicic acid in lipid fraction remain as by-products after processing the fruit into juice. Ice cream is poor in polyunsaturated fatty acids and phenolics, therefore, this study was conducted to improve the functional properties of ice cream by incorporating pomegranate peel phenolics and pomegranate seed oil. Incorporation of the peel phenolics into ice cream at the levels of 0.1% and 0.4% (w/w) resulted in significant changes in the pH, total acidity, and color of the samples. The most prominent outcomes of phenolic incorporation were sharp improvements in antioxidant and antidiabetic activities as well as the phenolic content of ice creams. Replacement of pomegranate seed oil by milk fat at the levels of 2.0% and 4.0% (w/w) increased the conjugated fatty acid content. However, perception of oxidized flavor increased with the additional seed oil. When one considers the functional and nutritional improvements in the enrichment of the ice cream together with overall acceptability results of the sensory analysis, then it follows from this study that ice creams enriched with pomegranate peel phenolics up to 0.4% (w/w) and pomegranate seed oil up to 2.0% (w/w) could be introduced to markets as functional ice cream. Enrichment of ice creams with pomegranate by-products might provide consumers health benefits with striking functional properties of punicalagins in pomegranate peel, and punicic acid in pomegranate seed oil.