👤 Nima Kazemi

Prenatal stress may lead to cognitive and behavioral dysfunction in the offspring. Large evidence has shown the deleterious effects of maternal stress on cognitive and behavioral functions of the offspring; however, the effect of paternal stress has not been well documented. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of paternal stress (chronic electrical footshocks, post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD-like model) on cognitive and behavioral functions, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) hippocampal level in both male and female offspring during adolescence. The father rat (stress-exposed) was exposed to three consecutive shocks in a fear conditioning apparatus for ten times during four weeks, in an uncertain and unpredictable schedule. Saline (0.5 mL) or lithium chloride (50 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to male and female offspring during 21-41 postnatal day (PND). The results showed that paternal stress decreased locomotor activity in female offspring, and increased anxiety-like behavior in both male and female offspring, with more effect on females. Paternal stress also decreased pain subthreshold only in female offspring and impaired passive avoidance and spatial memory in both male and female offspring. Paternal stress also decreased BDNF expression level only in female offspring. However, lithium reversed most of the behavioral dysfunctions in rats' offspring with a history of paternal stress. We concluded that paternal stress significantly impairs cognitive and behavioral function in the offspring during adolescence, with more effect on females. Also, chronic lithium treatment may reverse the deleterious effects of paternal stress. Show less

Several studies indicated the ameliorating effects of raloxifene supplementation on apolipoproteins and blood pressure, although others have conflicting findings. Therefore, the present study was conducted in order to accurately and definitively understands the effect of raloxifene on apolipoprotein AI (Apo-AI), apolipoprotein B (APoB), lipoprotein (a) (Lp (a)), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in postmenopausal women. A systematic literature search was conducted using scientific databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science and the Cochrane Library, through May 2024. The quality of studies was assessed using Cochrane tool. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95 % CI for the outcomes. Twenty trials, with interventions ranging from 6 to 144 weeks and 2825 participants, were included. Raloxifene supplementation demonstrated significant reductions in ApoB (SMD: -0.92; 95 % CI: -1.49 to -0.35; P = 0.001), and Lp (a) (SMD: -0.25; 95 % CI: -0.39 to -0.11; P < 0.001) while increasing Apo-AI levels (SMD: 0.29; 95 % CI: 0.22-0.36; P < 0.001). Conversely, no significant effects were observed on SBP (WMD: -0.49 mmHg; 95 % CI: -3.01-2.04; P = 0.706), and DBP (WMD: -0.81 mmHg; 95 % CI: -4.04-2.41; P = 0.621). Moreover, subgroup analysis indicated that raloxifene significantly decreased DBP in studies with intervention durations of >12 weeks. This meta-analysis has shown that raloxifene supplementation may have beneficial effects on apolipoproteins in postmenopausal women. Future studies are needed to investigate the effect of raloxifene on health status in in postmenopausal women. Show less

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common heart disease. Several studies have shown association between some polymorphism in different genes with CAD. Finding this association can be used in order to early diagnosis and prevention of CAD. 101 CAD patients with ≥ 50% luminal stenosis of any coronary vessel as case group and 111 healthy individuals as control group were selected. the polymorphisms were evaluated by ARMS-PCR and RFLP-PCR methods. The results of this study show that there is no significant association between rs17228212, rs17465637, and rs708272 and risk of CAD. But there is significant association between risk of CAD and rs5355 (p-value = 0.022) and rs3917406 (p-value = 0.006) in total cases, and rs5882 (p-value = 0.001) in male cases. Our findings revealed a significant interaction between CETP SNPs and CETP activity for affecting HDL-C levels. The SELE gene is a known cell adhesion molecule with a significant role in inflammation. Studies about possible linkage between SELE gene polymorphisms and the development of CAD are conflicting. We have found a significant association between polymorphisms of SELE gene and risk of CAD. Show less

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with multifactorial etiology. Several studies show that genetic factors have an important part in the incidence of SLE. The C1QTNF4 gene is involved in the regulation of the inflammatory pathways by pro-inflammatory function. In the present study, we have evaluated the association between C1QTNF4 gene p.His198Gln mutation and risk of SLE. Forty SLE patients and 40 control subjects were recruited in this case-control study. Genotyping of C1QTNF4 p.His198Gln mutation was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction high resolution melting method. We found a significant association between this mutation (GG + GC) with the risk of SLE (odds ratio = 6.33, 95% CI = 1.28-31.11). Furthermore, we observed that in the patient group, this mutation leads to early-onset SLE (19.7 ± 4.34 years for mutation carriers compared to 27.7 ± 11.4 years for wild type carriers; P = .003). Our results suggest that this mutation (p.His198Gln) potentially has an important role in SLE risk in the Iranian population. Show less

Our primary aim was to assess the effects of two different training modalities: sprint interval training (SIT) or combined aerobic and resistance training (A + R) on circulating myokines related to metabolic profile and adiposity in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fifty-two overweight women with T2D [55 ± 6 yrs., BMI 28.9 ± 4.1 kg/m Show less