A Meta-Analysis of Site-Specific Effects of Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Sensory Perception and Pain

The primary aim of our meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (c-tDCS) on sensory and pain thresholds (STh and PTh) in healthy individuals and pain level (PL) in patients with chronic pain. Electronic databases were searched for c-tDCS studies. Methodological quality was evaluated using the PEDro and Downs and Black (D&B) assessment tools. C-tDCS of the primary motor cortex (S1) increases both STh (P<0.001, effect size of 26.84%) and PTh (P<0.001, effect size of 11.62%). In addition, c-tDCS over M1 led to STh increase (P<0.005, effect size of 30.44%). Likewise, PL decreased significantly in the patient group following application of c-tDCS. The small number of studies precluded subgroup analysis. Nevertheless, meta-analysis showed that in all groups (except c-tDCS of S1) active c-tDCS and sham stimulation produced significant differences in STh/PTh in healthy and PL in patient group. This review provides evidence for the site-specific effectiveness of c-tDCS in increasing STh/PTh in healthy individuals and decreasing PL in patients with chronic pain. However, due to small sample sizes in the included studies, our results should be interpreted with caution. Given that the level of blinding was not considered in the inclusion criteria, the results of the current study should be interpreted with caution.     

Clinical response to chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer was not associated with several polymorphisms in detoxification enzymes and DNA repair genes

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the association between several genetic polymorphisms (in glutathione S-transferase members and DNA repair genes) and clinical response to chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer. A sequential series of 101 patients were prospectively included in this study. Clinical assessment of treatment was accomplished by comparing initial tumor size with preoperative tumor size using revised RECIST guideline (version 1.1). Clinical response was regarded as a response or no response. There was no difference between non-responders and responders for the prevalence of genotypes of the study polymorphisms.     

The influence of organic and inorganic chelators on the toxicity of bulk and nanoparticles of zinc oxide during germination and seedling growth of Nicotiana tabacum L.

Nano and bulk-forms of zinc oxide (ZnO) are used extensively in industry and consequently may accumulate in the environment. However, there is little information available on the comparative effects of these forms during the critical early stages of plant life. Furthermore, the role of chelating agents, which affect the bioavailability of metals, in ameliorating plant stress due to exposure to nano and bulk-forms of ZnO is not well characterised. In this study, the effects of different concentrations (0.5, 2.5, 5, 10, 50 and 100 ppm) of nano ZnO (22 nm) and bulk ZnO (natural form, 1000 nm) with and without organic (citrate) and inorganic (EDTA) chelators on germination and seedling growth, and oxidative stress markers of Nicotiana tabacum L. were compared. Chelators (without ZnO) enhanced root growth, whilst ZnO negatively affected seedling growth. ZnO toxicity was often mitigated by adding chelators, especially citrate, although at the highest levels (50 and 100?ppm) of ZnO, toxicity was more pronounced when chelated with EDTA, but was decreased with citrate. Collectively, our findings provide important information regarding the different morpho-physiological and biochemical effects of bulk and nano ZnO and organic and inorganic chelators (citrate and EDTA), which are all prevalent in the environment.     

Radiative Peristaltic Flow of Jeffrey Nanofluid with Slip Conditions and Joule Heating

Mixed convection peristaltic flow of Jeffrey nanofluid in a channel with compliant walls is addressed here. The present investigation includes the viscous dissipation, thermal radiation and Joule heating. Whole analysis is performed for velocity, thermal and concentration slip conditions. Related problems through long wavelength and low Reynolds number are examined for stream function, temperature and concentration. Impacts of thermal radiation, Hartman number, Brownian motion parameter, thermophoresis, Joule heating and slip parameters are explored in detail. Clearly temperature is a decreasing function of Hartman number and radiation parameter.     

Identification of a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase that is required for suppression of premature senescence in Arabidopsis

During leaf senescence, resources are recycled by redistribution to younger leaves and reproductive organs. Candidate pathways for the regulation of onset and progression of leaf senescence include ubiquitin‐dependent turnover of key proteins. Here, we identified a novel plant U‐box E3 ubiquitin ligase that prevents premature senescence in Arabidopsis plants, and named it SENESCENCE‐ASSOCIATED E3 UBIQUITIN LIGASE 1 (SAUL1). Using in vitro ubiquitination assays, we show that SAUL1 has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. We isolated two alleles of saul1 mutants that show premature senescence under low light conditions. The visible yellowing of leaves is accompanied by reduced chlorophyll content, decreased photochemical efficiency of photosystem II and increased expression of senescence genes. In addition, saul1 mutants exhibit enhanced abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis. We show that application of ABA to Arabidopsis is sufficient to trigger leaf senescence, and that this response is abolished in the ABA‐insensitive mutants abi1‐1 and abi2‐1, but enhanced in the ABA‐hypersensitive mutant era1‐3. We found that increased ABA levels coincide with enhanced activity of Arabidopsis aldehyde oxidase 3 (AAO3) and accumulation of AAO3 protein in saul1 mutants. Using label transfer experiments, we showed that interactions between SAUL1 and AAO3 occur. This suggests that SAUL1 participates in targeting AAO3 for ubiquitin‐dependent degradation via the 26S proteasome to prevent premature senescence.     

Trend of Cardio-Metabolic Risk Factors in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

Objective

To see the changes of cardio-metabolic risk factors overtime in polycystic ovary syndrome vs. control women.

Methods

This study was conducted on 637 participants (85 PCOS and 552 control reproductive aged, 18–45 years) of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), an ongoing population-based cohort study with 12 years of follow-up. The cardiovascular risk factors of these groups were assessed in three-year intervals using standard questionnaires, history taking, anthropometric measures, and metabolic/endocrine evaluation. Generalized estimating equation was used to analyze the data.

Results

Overall mean of insulin (3.55, CI: 0.66–6.45), HOMA-IR (0.63, CI: 0.08–1.18), and HOMA-β (45.90, CI: 0.86–90.93) were significantly higher in PCOS than in healthy women after adjustment for age, BMI, and baseline levels. However, the negative interaction (follow-up years × PCOS status) of PCOS and normal women converged overtime. Comparing third follow-up with first, insulin and HOMA-IR decreased 10.6% and 5%, respectively in PCOS women; and increased 6.7% and 14.6%, respectively in controls (P<0.05). The results did not show any significant result for other cardio-metabolic variables including WC, lipid profile, FPG, 2-h PG, SBP, and DBP.

Conclusion

While the insulin level and insulin resistance rate were higher in reproductive aged PCOS than in healthy women, the difference of these risk factors decreased overtime. Thus, the metabolic consequences of PCOS women in later life may be lower than those initially anticipated.     

Diagnostic and prognostic value of circular RNA CDR1as/ciRS‐7 for solid tumours: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The circular RNA, CDR1as/ciRS‐7, functions as a vital regulator in various cancers; however, the predictive value of CDR1as remains controversial. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis for clarifying the precise diagnostic and prognostic value of CDR1as in solid tumours is needed. A literature review of several databases was conducted for identifying potential studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) were used for evaluating the diagnostic accuracy variables and survival. Overall, 15 studies (1787 patients) and 11 studies (1578 patients) were included for diagnostic and prognostic outcome syntheses, respectively. Up‐regulated CDR1as expression was found to be correlated with worse clinicopathological characteristics, including the T status, N status, histological grade, TNM stage and distant metastasis. The synthesized sensitivity was 0.72 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65‐0.79), and the specificity was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.74‐0.86). The positive likelihood ratio (LR), negative LR and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were 3.70, 0.34 and 10.80, respectively. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.80‐0.87). In the pooled prognostic analysis, patients with high CDR1as expression had worse overall survival (HR = 2.40, P < 0.001) and disease‐free survival (HR = 1.74, P < 0.001). These results suggest that CDR1as is a reliable diagnostic and prognostic biomarker with high accuracy and efficiency, which may potentially facilitate clinical decisions on solid tumours in the future.     

Systematic analysis of HD-ZIP transcription factors in sesame genome and gene expression profiling of SiHD-ZIP class I entailing drought stress responses at early seedling stage

Molecular Biology Reports - Sesame is an ancient oilseed crop, known for its high oil content and quality. Its sensitivity to drought at early seedling stage is one of the limiting factors...