Levels of phosphodiesterase 4A and 4B are altered by chronic treatment with psychotropic medications in rat frontal cortex.

Our laboratory has recently demonstrated altered expression of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4A and 4B in subjects with autism, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, suggesting disrupted cAMP signaling in these diagnostic groups. In the current study, we measured expression of PDEs in rat frontal cortex (FC) following chronic treatment with clozapine, fluoxetine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, valproic acid (VPA), or sterile saline for 21 days. Western blotting experiments showed decreased expression of PDE4A subtypes in FC following treatment with clozapine, haloperidol, lithium, and VPA.

Cadmium transport in blood serum.

The binding of Cd(2+) to human serum transferrin in 0.1 M N-(2-hydroxyethyl) piperazine-N( ')-2-ethanesulfonic acid and 5 mM sodium bicarbonate at pH 7.4 has been studied by difference ultraviolet spectrophotometry.

Statistical medium optimization and biodegradative capacity of Ralstonia eutropha toward p-nitrophenol.

The effect of p-nitrophenol (PNP) concentration with or without glucose and yeast extract on the growth and biodegradative capacity of Ralstonia eutropha was examined. The chemical constituents of the culture medium were modeled using a response surface methodology. The experiments were performed according to the central composite design arrangement considering PNP, glucose and yeast extract as the selected variables whose influences on the degradation was evaluated (shaking in reciprocal mode, temperature of 30 degrees C, pH 7 and test time of about 9 h).

Bayesian analysis for survival of patients with gastric cancer in Iran.

Background And Objectives: Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic factors using Bayesian interval censoring analysis.

Methods: This is a historical cohort study of 178 patients from February 2003 through January 2008, admitted with gastric cancer to one referral hospital in Tehran.

Site-specific evaluation of prognostic factors on survival in Iranian colorectal cancer patients: a competing risks survival analysis.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most malignant cancers, but prognosis varies in different parts of the world. Knowing the prognostic factors of the cancer is clinically important for prognosis and treatment application objectives. However, evaluation of these factors overall does not provide thorough understanding of the cancer.

Risk of colorectal cancer in relatives: a case control study.

Background: In around 10 to 15% of all colorectal cancer (CRC) cases, a positive family history of colorectal cancer is observed . Although increased risk of colorectal cancer in individuals with a family history of the disease has been observed consistently in the past studies, limited information is available on colorectal cancer associated with family history in Iran.

Aims: The purpose of this study is to define the risk of colorectal cancer associated with a family history of cancer.

mRNA and protein levels for GABAAalpha4, alpha5, beta1 and GABABR1 receptors are altered in brains from subjects with autism.

We have shown altered expression of gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABA(A)) and gamma-aminobutyric acid B (GABA(B)) receptors in the brains of subjects with autism. In the current study, we sought to verify our western blotting data for GABBR1 via qRT-PCR and to expand our previous work to measure mRNA and protein levels of 3 GABA(A) subunits previously associated with autism (GABRalpha4; GABRalpha5; GABRbeta1). Three GABA receptor subunits demonstrated mRNA and protein level concordance in superior frontal cortex (GABRalpha4, GABRalpha5, GABRbeta1) and one demonstrated concordance in cerebellum (GABBetaR1).

Modeling of p-nitrophenol biodegradation by Ralstonia eutropha via application of the substrate inhibition concept.

In this study, the capability of Ralstonia eutropha H16 to degrade p-nitrophenol with or without a supplementary substrate (glucose or yeast extract) was investigated. Using PNP as the sole energy and carbon source, the biodegradation behavior of the bacterium was modeled by applying a modified form of the Monod equation that considers substrate inhibition, as suggested in the literature (mu=(mu(m)S/k(s) +S)(1-(S/S(m)(n)). PNP at a 6 mg/L initial level was degraded within 20h under the defined incubation conditions (shaking at the reciprocal mode, pH 7 and temperature of 30 degrees C) however the biodegradation was enhanced when yeast extract included in the test medium (50% reduction in the time for complete degradation).

Mutations in the coding regions of the hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha in Iranian families with maturity onset diabetes of the young.

Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) is a nuclear receptor involved in glucose homeostasis and is required for normal beta cell function. Mutations in the HNF4alpha gene are associated with maturity onset diabetes of the young type 1 (MODY1). The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and nature of mutations in HNF4alpha gene in Iranian patients with a clinical diagnosis of MODY and their family members.

Vitamin D receptor gene ApaI polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms in relation to the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in the Iranian population.

Methods: Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in intron 8 (ApaI) and exon 9 (TaqI) of the VDR gene were genotyped in 160 subjects with CRC and 180 controls by use of the PCR-RFLP method.

Results: The VDR ApaI genotype distribution differed significantly between subjects with CRC and controls.

Mercury accumulation in fish species from the Persian Gulf and in human hair from fishermen.

Total and methylmercury concentrations were assessed in muscle and liver of 141 fish samples from the northern part of the Persian Gulf. All fish samples belonged to five different species: grunt, flathead, greasy grouper, tiger-tooth croaker, and silver pomfret. In addition, Hg and methylmercury were analyzed in scalp hair of 19 fishermen living in the same coastal stations of the Persian Gulf and consuming several fish meals a week.

The role of lithium in modulation of brain genes: relevance for aetiology and treatment of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder is a debilitating disorder of the brain with a lifetime prevalence of 1.0% for bipolar I, 1.1% for bipolar II disorder and 2.

Comparison of survival between patients with hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and sporadic colorectal cancer.

Background: Hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) appears to have a better prognosis than sporadic cancer. In the present study we evaluated the clinical outcomes of HNPCC patients with their sporadic colorectal cancer counterparts arising from the general population recorded in a population-based cancer registry in Iran.

Patients And Methods: The population studied consisted of 121 individuals including 61 patients with sporadic colorectal cancer and 60 with HNPCC who were followed-up between 2003 and 2008 in Taleghani Hospital Tehran.

Comparison of survival between patients with hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and sporadic colorectal cancer.

Background: Hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) appears to have a better prognosis than sporadic cancer. In the present study we evaluated the clinical outcome of HNPCC patients with respect to that of patients with colorectal cancer recorded in a population-based cancer registry. Aim of our study was to examine survival rates in Iranian HNPCC patients with colorectal cancer and compare them with survival rates of sporadic cases arising from the general population.

Prenatal viral infection of mice at E16 causes changes in gene expression in hippocampi of the offspring.

The hippocampus governs memory formation and emotional regulation, and there is widespread evidence of hippocampal dysfunction in psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia and autism. There is abundant evidence that prenatal viral infection may play a role in the development of these two disorders. In the current study, we have examined gene expression and structural changes of the hippocampi of exposed neonates following maternal infection at embryonic day (E) 16 (middle second trimester).

Potential microbial origins of schizophrenia and their treatments.

Schizophrenia is a severe brain disease that affects approximately 1% of the world's population. Extensive study into the indication of and causes of this disease has been ongoing for decades. Historical review of research into associated abnormalities and markers common in schizophrenic patients has demonstrated a correlation with potential microbial origins in the development of the disease.

Abnormal expression of myelination genes and alterations in white matter fractional anisotropy following prenatal viral influenza infection at E16 in mice.

Prenatal viral infection has been associated with the development of schizophrenia and autism. Our laboratory has previously shown that viral infection causes deleterious effects on brain structure and function in mouse offspring following late first trimester (E9) and late second trimester (E18) administration of influenza virus. We hypothesized that middle second trimester infection (E16) in mice may lead to a different pattern of brain gene expression and structural defects in the developing offspring.

In-vivo rodent models for the experimental investigation of prenatal immune activation effects in neurodevelopmental brain disorders.

Based on the epidemiological association between maternal infection during pregnancy and enhanced risk of neurodevelopmental brain disorders in the offspring, a number of in-vivo models have been established in rats and mice in order to study this link on an experimental basis. These models provide indispensable experimental tools to test the hypothesis of causality in human epidemiological associations, and to explore the critical neuroimmunological and developmental factors involved in shaping the vulnerability to infection-induced neurodevelopmental disturbances in humans. Here, we summarize the findings derived from numerous in-vivo models of prenatal infection and/or immune activation in rats and mice, including models of exposure to influenza virus, bacterial endotoxin, viral-like acute phase responses and specific pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Chronic psychotropic drug treatment causes differential expression of Reelin signaling system in frontal cortex of rats.

Disruption of the Reelin and GABAergic signaling systems have been observed in psychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. Less is known of therapeutic interventions that may help ameliorate the effects of these disruptions. The current study investigated whether chronic administration of psychotropic medications (clozapine, fluoxetine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, and valproic acid) used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders alters levels of Reelin, its receptor Vldlr, downstream molecules Gsk3 beta, Dab-1, and Gad65/67 in rat prefrontal cortex as measured by qRT-PCR and SDS-PAGE and western blotting.

The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, revisited.

While multiple theories have been put forth regarding the origin of schizophrenia, by far the vast majority of evidence points to the neurodevelopmental model in which developmental insults as early as late first or early second trimester lead to the activation of pathologic neural circuits during adolescence or young adulthood leading to the emergence of positive or negative symptoms. In this report, we examine the evidence from brain pathology (enlargement of the cerebroventricular system, changes in gray and white matters, and abnormal laminar organization), genetics (changes in the normal expression of proteins that are involved in early migration of neurons and glia, cell proliferation, axonal outgrowth, synaptogenesis, and apoptosis), environmental factors (increased frequency of obstetric complications and increased rates of schizophrenic births due to prenatal viral or bacterial infections), and gene-environmental interactions (a disproportionate number of schizophrenia candidate genes are regulated by hypoxia, microdeletions and microduplications, the overrepresentation of pathogen-related genes among schizophrenia candidate genes) in support of the neurodevelopmental model. We relate the neurodevelopmental model to a number of findings about schizophrenia.

Evaluation of sexual function in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Sexual health is an important, but often neglected, component of diabetes care. In contrast to erectile dysfunction among men with diabetes, female sexual dysfunction has not been well studied among diabetic women. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes compared to that in an age-matched control group.

Chelation of bismuth by combining desferrioxamine and deferiprone in rats.

Consumption and production of bismuth compounds are increasing, however, a little information on the toxic effect and also the effective method in removal of bismuth compounds are available. The present research aimed to characterize the potential efficiency of two chelators after bismuth administration for 55A days following two dose levels of 20 and 40A mg/kg body weight daily to male rats. However, we found abnormalities after bismuth administration in clinical signs, such as body weight, kidneys and liver damages, a black line on gums and skin reactions.

Phosphodiesterase-4A expression is reduced in cerebella of patients with bipolar disorder.

Objective: The cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) gene family has four members (PDE4 A, B, C, and D) and is the target of several potential therapeutic inhibitors. Recently, PDE4A5 has been shown to bind with disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), which has been identified as a risk factor for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. We sought to examine whether PDE4A5 expression was altered in cerebella of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression.