👤 Parsa Akbari

Psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, strongly affect mood, cognition, and behavior. Psilocybe azurescens is a species of psilocybin mushrooms that contains the main active compounds psilocybin and psilocin. Psilocybin mushrooms have been used since ancient times to improve the quality of life. However, their adverse effects have been less studied. This study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the effect of oral consumption of P. azurescens on social behavior, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in rats. The underlying mechanisms of these behaviors were also studied. Male Wistar rats received three doses of P. azurescens (10, 100, and 250 mg/kg) by gavage every other day for 14 days. Social interaction, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the three-chamber, elevated plus maze, and forced swimming tests, respectively. Protein levels of neurotrophic (BDNF and GDNF), neuroinflammatory (IL-6 and TNFα), and oxidative stress (ROS and SOD) factors were measured in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and amygdala by ELISA technique. The results showed that P. azurescens significantly increased anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors and disrupted social interaction behavior in rats. These effects were accompanied by increased neuroinflammation and oxidative stress and decreased neurotrophic factors in the hippocampus, PFC, and amygdala. This study suggests that the high doses of P. azurescens can cause mood disorders by increasing inflammatory responses and oxidative stress and decreasing the expression of neurotrophic factors. Show less

Cardiovascular disease is a major global health issue, and atherosclerosis is a leading cause of cardiovascular conditions. Traditional approaches for managing atherosclerosis have limitations, creating a need for alternative preventive strategies such as vaccines. The authors conducted a systematic review following Cochrane Handbook and PRISMA guidelines. They searched multiple databases for studies on preventive vaccines against atherosclerosis, including clinical trials and experimental models. The search period was from 1950 to August 2024. After screening and evaluation, 47 studies were included in the systematic review. The studies investigated various vaccine candidates and immunization strategies. Vaccination goals involve targeting proteins that are found in higher quantities in individuals with atherosclerosis, such as oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL), apolipoprotein B-100, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 serine protease (PCSK9), cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), and heat shock proteins HSP60 and HSP65. The review highlights the potential of vaccines in preventing atherosclerosis by targeting specific antigens, modulating lipoprotein metabolism, and enhancing immune responses. Promising approaches included PCSK9 inhibitors, virus-like particle (VLP)-based vaccines, and gene-editing techniques. Monoclonal antibodies like alirocumab, designed to inhibit PCSK9, were also effective in reducing LDL cholesterol levels. This systematic review provides insights into the progress, challenges, and future directions of preventive vaccine research against atherosclerosis. The findings support the development of effective vaccines to complement existing preventive strategies and reduce the global burden of cardiovascular diseases. It is not applicable. Show less

Large-scale human exome sequencing can identify rare protein-coding variants with a large impact on complex traits such as body adiposity. We sequenced the exomes of 645,626 individuals from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Mexico and estimated associations of rare coding variants with body mass index (BMI). We identified 16 genes with an exome-wide significant association with BMI, including those encoding five brain-expressed G protein-coupled receptors ( 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

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a multi-factorial disorder with five important components. A high triglyceride level combined with low HDL cholesterol has been reported to be associated with Apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene variations. In this study, we aimed to determine the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms including: rs662799, rs3135506 and rs2075291 in the apolipoprotein A-V (APOA5) gene in relation to MetS component like triglyceride and HDL-C level in Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS). Metabolic syndrome was defined according to ATPIII and phenotypes were defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) criteria for MetS. Demographic, biochemical parameters and anthropometric variables were measured. Selected APOA5 gene polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-RFLP method. From TLGS population, 947 adults, aged 19 - 70 years, were randomly selected and recruited into the study. Mean age, triglyceride and WC were higher and mean HDL was lower in MetS vs. non-MetS group. C allele in rs2075291 showed a significant association with MetS (OR: 2.38, 95% CI; 1.11 - 5.08, P = 1.5 ×10(-2)). The association was shown between higher serum triglyceride and the presence of T allele (P = 4.5 × 10(-4)) and also lower serum HDL-C and the presence of T allele (P = 1.6 × 10(-3)) in rs2075291. Also this association showed between raised waist circumference and C allele in rs3135506 (P = 3.5 × 10(-2) ) and raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure level and C allele of rs662799 (P = 4.5 × 10(-2)). According to the results, there is a relationship between lipid profile and studied polymorphism in the presence of metabolic syndrome. It seems that APOA5 rs2075291 could play an important role in triglyceride and HDL-C level in metabolic syndrome affected, while the association of APOA5 rs662799 polymorphism is still under debate. Show less

Gene expression profiling has been suggested to predict breast cancer outcome. The prognostic value of the 8q22-24 position in breast cancer remains to be elucidated. The present study evaluated expression patterns of the genes located at this position in metastatic and non-metastatic breast cancer. A total of 85 patients with recurrent/metastatic (n=15) and non-metastatic (n=70) early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive and lymph node-negative breast tumors were included. In addition, 15 normal breast tissue samples were used as controls. Demographic and clinical features were recorded. Subsequently, mRNA copy numbers of exostosin glycosyltransferase 1 ( Show less

Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS) is a rare ciliopathy disorder that is clinically and genetically heterogeneous with 18 known genes. This study was performed to characterize responsible genes and mutation spectrum in a cohort of 14 Iranian families with BBS. Sanger sequencing of the most commonly mutated genes (BBS1, BBS2 and BBS10) accounting for ∼50% of BBS patients determined mutations only in BBS2, including three novel mutations. Next, three of the remaining patients were subjected to whole exome sequencing with 96% at 20 × depth of coverage that revealed novel BBS4 mutation. Observation of no mutation in the other patients represents the possible presence of novel genes. Screening of the remaining patients for six other genes (BBS3, BBS4, BBS6, BBS7, BBS9 and BBS12) revealed five novel mutations. This result represents another indication for the genetic heterogeneity of BBS and extends the mutational spectrum of the disease by introducing nine novel mutations in five BBS genes. In conclusion, although BBS1 and BBS10 are among the most commonly mutated genes in other populations like Caucasian, these two seem not to have an important role in Iranian patients. This suggests that a different strategy in molecular genetics diagnostic approaches in Middle Eastern countries such as Iran should be considered. Show less