👤 Batool Ghorbani Yekta

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

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social impairments, and repetitive and aggressive behaviors. The pathophysiology of ASD still remains unclear, while the population with ASD is 1/36 in children in the USA in 2024. Evidence suggests a wide range of inconsistent changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the most important neurotrophin in the central nervous system, in ASD. The present systematic review investigated studies that examined BDNF levels in three main ASD-like models in rodents [induced by valproic acid (VPA) and propionic acid (PPA), and in the BTBR mouse strain] in accord with PRISMA guidelines and in PubMed database. Forty-two studies were included. Most studies used male rats/mice. The results showed ASD model induced by VPA often leads to decreased BDNF, although unchanged or increased BDNF levels were also reported. ASD model induced by PPA leads to both increased and decreased BDNF. BDNF changes in BTBR mouse strain were also inconsistent. We found that the type of molecular assay appears to be important in evaluating BDNF. Also, few evidence showed a role for postnatal day and sex difference in BDNF changes in ASD-like rodent models. In addition, some studies have shown the potential role of the brain region in BDNF changes in different ASD-like models. In conclusion, it was suggested that inconsistencies in BDNF changes in rodent models of ASD may be related to the type of the molecular assay, the brain region, ASD model, sex, or even the postnatal day. However, evidence is still insufficient. Show less

Thyroid carcinomas have comprised the fastest rising incidence of cancer in the past decade. Currently, the diagnosis of thyroid tumors is performed by the fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) method, which still holds some challenges and limitations, mostly in discriminating malignant and benign lesions. Therefore, the development of molecular markers to distinguish between these lesion types are in progress. A 2D-PAGE separation of proteins was performed followed by tandem mass spectrometry with the aim of discovering potential serum protein markers for papillary thyroid carcinoma and multinodular goiter. Protein-protein interaction network analysis revealed the most important pathways involved in the progression of papillary thyroid cancer. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to confirm a part of the results. The significantly altered proteins included C3, C4A, GC, HP, TTR, APOA4, APOH, ORM2, KRT10, AHSG, IGKV3-20, and IGKC. We also confirmed that increased complement component 3 and decreased apolipoprotein A4 occurred in papillary thyroid cancer. Network investigations demonstrated that complement activation cascades and PPAR signaling might play a role in the pathogenesis of thyroid cancer. The results demonstrated that serum proteomics could serve as a viable method for proposing novel potential markers for thyroid tumors. Surely, further research must be performed in larger cohorts to validate the results. Show less