Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor and High Sensitive C-reactive Protein in Bipolar Depression and Unipolar Depression: The Practical Usage as a Discriminatory Tool

Shima Shahyad(Shima Shahyad ),Gholam Reza Kheirabadi(Gholam Reza Kheirabadi ),Gila Pirzad Jahromi(Gila Pirzad Jahromi ),Muhammad Massaly(Muhammad Massaly ) 대한정신약물학회 2023 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.21 No.1

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) have been reported to play roles in depression and bipolar disorder (BD). However, the probable discriminatory properties of these biologic markers are less investigated. We aimed to assess the serum BDNF and hs-CRP levels among Iranian patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and BD during a depressive episode and investigate the optimum cut-off point for differential diagnosis of BD and MDD. Methods: We recruited 30 patients with MDD, 30 with BD in depressive mood and 30 healthy comparators. Blood sample was taken from each participant to measure BDNF and hs-CRP levels. We also used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to find an optimal cut-off point for differentiating MDD from BD according to pre-defined variables. Results: The mean age of total study population was 37.3 ± 5.0 years (males: 49%). BDNF was significantly lower in patients with BD, followed by MDD subjects and healthy controls 541.0 ± 601.0 pg/ml vs. 809.5 ± 433.3 pg/ml vs. 1,482.1 ± 519.8, respectively, p < 0.001). The area under curve of ROC curve analysis for BD versus MDD was 0.704 (95% confidence interval: 0.564−0.844, p = 0.007). We also found that the BDNF cut-off value of 504 could appropriately distinguished BD from MDD (sensitivity: 73%, specificity: 70%). No significant association were identified in terms of hs-CRP levels. Conclusion: Patients suffering from BD had lowest BDNF levels compared to MDD or healthy adults and this biomarker could play a practical role differentiating MDD from BD. Several studies are required confirming our outcomes.

CO₂ emissions optimization of reinforced concrete ribbed slab by hybrid metaheuristic optimization algorithm (IDEACO)

Shima Bijari,Mojtaba Sheikhi Azqandi Techno-Press 2023 Advances in computational design Vol.8 No.4

This paper presents an optimization of the reinforced concrete ribbed slab in terms of minimum CO₂ emissions and an economic justification of the final optimal design. The design variables are six geometry variables including the slab thickness, the ribs spacing, the rib width at the lower and toper end, the depth of the rib and the bar diameter of the reinforcement, and the seventh variable defines the concrete strength. The objective function is considered to be the minimum amount of carbon dioxide gas (CO₂) emission and at the same time, the optimal design is economical. Seven significant design constraints of American Concrete Institute's Standard were considered. A robust metaheuristic optimization method called improved dolphin echolocation and ant colony optimization (IDEACO) has been used to obtain the best possible answer. At optimal design, the three most important sources of CO₂ emissions include concrete, steel reinforcement, and formwork that the contribution of them are 63.72, 32.17, and 4.11 percent respectively. Formwork, concrete, steel reinforcement, and CO₂ are the four most important sources of cost with contributions of 67.56, 19.49, 12.44, and 0.51 percent respectively. Results obtained by IDEACO show that cost and CO₂ emissions are closely related, so the presented method is a practical solution that was able to reduce the cost and CO₂ emissions simultaneously.

An Ecological Study of Lung Cancer Mortality and Severe Air Pollution in the 1960s in an Industrial City in Japan

Shima, Masayuki,Yoda, Yoshiko Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment 2009 Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment (AJAE) Vol.3 No.1

This study aimed at assessing the association between exposure to severe air pollution in the past and the subsequent transition in lung cancer mortality among persons who lived in an industrial city. Vital statistics from 1983 to 2006 and the data on air pollution measurements from 1960 to 1990 in Amagasaki City, Japan, were used. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between the standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for lung cancer and the air pollution levels in 6 wards of Amagasaki City. The associations between changes in air pollution levels and the annual SMRs were also evaluated in the light of a potential latency period. The levels of air pollution were extremely high in the 1960s, and they decreased since 1970. The SMRs for lung cancer in 1989-1993 among females for 6 wards were significantly associated with the amounts of both sulfur oxides and dust fall in the past for each ward. The positive associations were observed between the annual SMRs among females and the amounts of both pollutants when the lag time of 20-30 years was taken into account. These results suggest that severe air pollution in the 1960s in an industrial city affected the subsequent increase in lung cancer mortality.

Adherence to Healthy Diet Can Delay Alzheimer’s Diseases Development: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Shima Moradi,Jalall Moloudi,Mehdi Moradinazar,Diana Sarokhani,Seyyed Mostafa Nachvak,Mehnoosh Samadi 한국식품영양과학회 2020 Preventive Nutrition and Food Science Vol.25 No.4

A healthy diet has long been indicated to be protective against Alzheimer’s diseases (AD). We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational studies to explore the relationship between healthy and unhealthy diets and risk of ADs. We screened PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Embase, and screened manually to identify relevant articles published in English and non-English until Jun 2020. We classified the studied dietary patterns into two groups: healthy and unhealthy diets. The pooled weighted mean difference and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to analyze the data using a random-effects model. The data were extracted manually and the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis checklist was used to appraise the risk of bias and quality of data. Of the 1,813 articles identified, 21 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the quantitative analysis. A healthy diet was related to a lower risk of AD [odds ratio (OR): 0.45, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.86, I2=99.7%; n=17 studies]. Moreover, high adherence to an unhealthy diet was not associated with increased risk of AD (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98 to 0.99, I2=0.0%; n=6 studies). However, the etiology of AD is uncertain and it is difficult draw conclusions about dietary healthy patterns. We concluded that adherence to a healthy diet is associated with a lower risk of AD, but were unable to find evidence that an unhealthy diet increases the risk of AD.

Natural deep eutectic solvents for enhancing the solubility of two B vitamins in aqueous solutions: Experimental study and thermodynamic aspects

Shima Taheri Vardanjani,Aliakbar Roosta,Jafar Javanmardi 한국화학공학회 2020 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.37 No.12

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) as green solvents have substantial potential for enhancing the solubility of pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions. In this work, the solubility of two B vitamins (nicotinic acid and 4aminobenzoic acid) in aqueous solutions of two NADESs was measured at temperatures between 298.15 K and 313.15 K and different concentrations of NADESs. The studied NADESs were prepared by mixing dried choline chloride with urea or malonic acid with molar ratios of 1 : 2 and 1 : 1, respectively. Based on the results, chloride+malonic acid was more effective on the solubility of the pharmaceuticals in aqueous solutions. Furthermore, the DESs increased the aqueous solubility of 4aminobenzoic acid more than that of nicotinic acid. The experimental solubility data were modeled with the van Laar activity model as well as the modified Apelblat equation to correlate the solubility of the pharmaceuticals to the temperature and NADESs concentration. The molar enthalpy of dissolution (hd) and the molar enthalpy of mixing (hmix) of the pharmaceuticals in the aqueous solutions of the NADESs were calculated. These parameters showed that all the dissolution processes were endothermic, while the mixing process as a part of the dissolution process was exothermic.

Comparison of 3 Nutritional Questionnaires to Determine Energy Intake Accuracy in Iranian Adults

( Shima Moradi ),( Yahya Pasdar ),( Behrooz Hamzeh ),( Farid Najafi ),( Seyed Mostafa Nachvak ),( Roghayeh Mostafai ),( Parisa Niazi ),( Mansour Rezaei ) 한국임상영양학회 2018 Clinical Nutrition Research Vol.7 No.3

A precision instrument is required to assess the nutritional status. This study was conducted on comparison of 3 nutritional questionnaires to determine energy intake (EI) accuracy in adults in Ravansar Non-Communicable Chronic Disease (RaNCD) cohort study. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 118 of participant's RaNCD. EI was evaluated with 3 questionnaires including food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), 24-hours recall (24HR), and food habits questionnaire (FHQ). Resting metabolic rate (RMR) was measured using indirect calorimetry. We used EI/RMR cut off to evaluate EI reporting status. The mean ± standard deviation of age in men and women were 44.1 ± 6.5 and 43.7 ± 5.25 respectively and 50.8% of participants were men. Among 3 EI estimating questionnaires, FFQ was more accurate than 2 other questionnaires (67.8%). We observed that implausible reporters of 24HR were likely overweight (p < 0.005) but we did not observe a significant difference between EI reporting of FFQ and FHQ with participants' body composition. Our finding showed that EI underreporting of 24HR and FHQ were high. Under reporters were seemed to be overweight. Therefore, these results suggested that among 3 nutritional questionnaires the FFQ was an appropriate approach to determine EI in this population due to plausible EI reporting was higher than 2 other nutritional questionnaires (24HR and FHQ).

Impact of Strategies-based Instruction on Inferential, Intrapersonal, and Literacy Skills Development : A Longitudinal Study

Shima Ghahari,Fakhri Ebrahimi 아시아영어교육학회 2018 The Journal of Asia TEFL Vol.15 No.3

The learner-centered nature of strategies-based instruction (SBI), which promote language learning and human growth processes, along with the mental processing hypothesis with its stress on optimal cognitive load as a learning prerequisite, provided the incentive to this study. We investigated the contribution of a one-year-long SBI to the nurturing of intrapersonal skills (psychological outcome), and inferential knowledge and reading ability (educational benefits). Forty undergraduates experienced strategy training (treatment group) and normal reading instruction (control group) for 50 class sessions over two consecutive semesters. The treatment group practiced strategy training and higher-order (critical and creative) reading processing, while the control group experienced traditional instruction mainly focused on comprehension checks, vocabulary development, and writing activities. SBI significantly contributed to the promotion of intrapersonal, reading, and inferential skills, but was ineffective for display knowledge development. The results were accounted for in light of the information processing and mental effort hypotheses and were consistent with human development and education for life paradigms.

Development and Preliminary Evaluation of Video Analysis for Detecting Gross Movement During Sleep in Children

Shima Okada,Masaaki Makikawa,Yuko Ohno,Kumi Kato-Nishimura,Ikuko Mohri,Masako Taniike 대한의용생체공학회 2011 Biomedical Engineering Letters (BMEL) Vol.1 No.4

Purpose Obtaining an adequate amount of sleep is a necessity for normal childhood development. Gross body movements (GMs) during sleep in normal children vary by sleep stage and developmental state, and abnormalities in GMs characterize specific developmental pathophysiologies. Therefore, GM monitoring in children is of great importance when tracking normal development. While videosomnography is a widely used technique for monitoring GMs, it is qualitative, and a quantitative method for assessing GMs is required. We developed a novel, simple noncontact method based on video analysis for the detection of GMs during sleep. Methods Our method used image difference processing of videos to detect GMs. We conducted a preliminary evaluation of our technique by assessing the relationships between sleep stages determined by polysomnography and GMs assessed by the video images of 14 young children (3-7 years old). Results Our experiments suggest that this method may be used to detect GMs during sleep in children. The rates of GMs during sleep in children significantly differed among wake,light sleep, and slow wave sleep stages. However, rapid eye movement sleep was difficult to distinguish, probably due to age-related changes in neurological development. Conclusions Our novel method could detect GMs during sleep by difference processing of video images, and we demonstrated the possible utility of this technique for assessing sleep in children. Our proposed technique requires further evaluation, but we suggest that GM detection via video images may be more useful than the presently available qualitative methods.

The Effect of Garlic (Allium sativum L) Supplementation on Circulating Adiponectin: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

( Shima Sharifi ),( Sepide Talebi ),( Elyas Nattagh-eshtivani ),( Yasaman Amiri ),( Gholamreza Askari ) 한국임상영양학회 2021 Clinical Nutrition Research Vol.10 No.3

Our aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of garlic on serum adiponectin levels. We searched Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library to databases up to January 2021. RCTs investigating the effects of garlic on serum adiponectin levels in adult participants were included. The change in serum adiponectin levels was estimated using weighted mean differences (WMD) and standard deviations (SD). The random effects model was used to provide a summary of mean estimates and their SDs. Out of 386 records, 6 trials with 8 arms treatment which enrolled 266 subjects were included. Garlic supplementation resulted in a non-significant increase in adiponectin concentrations when compared to placebo, according to the pooled data (WMD, 0.27 Hedges' g; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.07, 0.62; p = 0.124). Greater effects on adiponectin were observed in trials with supplementation dose less than 1.5 gram per day (WMD, 0.71 Hedges' g; 95% CI, -0.01, 1.43; p = 0.600) and in trials with female subset (WMD, 0.62 Hedges' g; 95% CI, -0.96, 2.21; p = 0.441). Garlic boosts adiponectin levels in general. However, due to different target population, various units for reporting adiponectin level and few eligible studies in final analysis, more research is needed to get a firm conclusion about the influence of garlic on adiponectin levels.

Preparation of Self-healing Additives for Concrete via Miniemulsion Polymerization: Formulation and Production Challenges

Shima Taheri,Simon Martin Clark 한국콘크리트학회 2021 International Journal of Concrete Structures and M Vol.15 No.2

Concrete structures undergo internal damage; this usually starts at the atomic level with defects that then grow and form cracks, which can propagate through the material. Here, a method of preparation of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanocapsules adhesive system via miniemulsion polymerization technique is reported, where MMA + DMA (resin + accelerator) and BPO (hardener) components are separately encapsulated by PMMA shells. The crack-healing potential of these nanocapsules was then investigated by embedding them into the mortar matrix. The prepared PMMA core-shell self-healing nanostructures survived the mixing and hardening processes, and the hardened mortar alkaline environment. The stress fields associated with propagating cracks (load‐induced cracking) broke the brittle/weak inert shell of these core-shell structures, resulted in releasing the healing agents to bridge the nascent and early-stage fractures (< 10 μm) in a short time. Long-term healing was achieved through the formation of polymorph calcite crystals in the presence of moisture and CO₂, which improved the durability of mortar by filling the gaps. Formulation design (addition of chemical admixtures) and process parameters (blade design and mixing speed) were found to directly impact the uniform distribution of nanocapsules, the survival rate of nanocapsules, and the overall strength of the hardened concrete. The stepwise approach to formulate and fabricate a novel high-strength self-healing concrete system unlocks unique opportunities to design nanomaterials that safeguard the integrity of concrete structures.