The Effects of Cupping Therapy on Skin’s Biomechanical Properties in Wistar Rats

Cupping therapy has been widely used for clinical treatment of soft tissue lesions. The current study investigated the effects of cupping therapy on biomechanical properties of the skin in Wistar rats. 20 rats were divided into two groups: 10 in experimental and 10 in control group. Either the right or the left lower quadrants of the lumbar regions in the experimental group underwent 10 minutes daily cupping therapy for 12 days. The skin stiffness and ultimate tensile strength of all the rats were measured using tensiometer. The skin stiffness and ultimate tensile strength were decreased significantly in cupping side of the experimental group as compared with the non-cupping side and the control group. There were no significant differences between the non-cupping side of the experimental group and the control group. In conclusion, cupping therapy can be useful as a treatment method to reduce the skin stiffness and ultimate tensile strength.

Advantages of employing multilevel monitoring wells for design of tunnels subjected to multi-aquifer alluvial

For tunnels being excavated through multiple knowledge of the aquifers’hydraulic head becomes essential for determining groundwater inflow into the tunnel and analyzing its stability,specifically using multilevel monitoring systems.In the multi-aquifer alluvial section of the Glas tunnel(Iran),since the hydraulic head calculations were based on the data obtained from single-piezometer boreholes,the excavation risk was assessed to be at high level and the tunnel seemed to be unstable,thus an incorrect conclusion was derived from the misleading data.To take cost mitigation measures into account,it was necessary to calculate the hydraulic head at tunnel level accurately.By installing nested and clustered wells the mean hydraulic head was measured to be 70 m,significantly different from the 90 m previously determined by boreholes.Considering the updated value,the groundwater inflow and bulkhead load,formerly calculated as 0.65 m^(3)/s and 9.5 bars,were determined to be 0.49 m^(3)/s and 7.5 bars,respectively.

Biodiversity of vespid wasps in spatial and temporal dimensions in northern Zanjan Province of Iran

Vespidae is one of the major families of Hymenoptera with more than 115000 described species. In the present paper, Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices, Simpson, Camargo, Smith and Wilson, and modified Nee evenness indices, and richness index based on rarefaction method were adopted to study the biodiversity of vespid wasps in spatial and temporal dimensions in northern Zanjan Province of Iran. In spatial dimension, Zanjan and Gilvan showed the highest and the lowest species diversity, evenness, and richness, respectively; while in temporal dimension, 16 July-6 August showed the highest species diversity and richness, and 18 May-27 May and 23 August-2 September showed the highest and the lowest species evenness, respectively. Significant differences in species abundance between localities of study area were observed by Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test.

Antioxidant effects of quercetin in freeze-thawing process of mouse spermatogonialstem cells

Objective: To evaluate the antioxidant effect of quercetin on cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents and apoptosis of cryopreserved mouse spermatogonial stem cells (mSSCs). Methods: mSSCs were isolated from neonate mice and cultivated in culture medium containing 30 μM quercetin for 48 h and then frozen for 2 weeks. After thawing, MTT assay was carried out to analyze the cell viability. Moreover, intracellular ROS levels were measured by flow cytometery and apoptosis was evaluated by detection of phosphatidylserine externalization assay and also real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Pre-treatment of mSSCs by 30 μM quercetin significantly decreased intracellular ROS content and apoptotic cell numbers and improved viability of mSSCs. Moreover, the gene expression of Bcl-2 and Bax significantly increased and decreased respectively after the freeze-thawing process. Conclusions: Pre-treatment of mSSCs with quercetin can improve cell viability and reduce apoptosis during freeze-thawing process. It can be a promising way to improve the quality and efficiency of cryopreservation protocols used in fertility preservation strategies.

Colonization of neonate mouse spermatogonial stem cells co-culture with Sertoli cells in the presence and absence soft agar

Objective:To investigate the effects of soft agar on in-vitro proliferation of neonate mouse spermatogonial stem cells co-cultured with Sertoli cells.Methods:Tissues of neonate NMRI male mice testes were used for harvesting spermatogonial stem cells and Sertoli cells.After cell harvest,flow cytometry using promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger(PLZF)protein antibody was used to assess the purity of the cells.The isolated testicular cells were cultured in the absence(the control group)or presence of soft agar-coated dishes(the experimental group)supplemented with leukemia inhibitory factor and glia cell line–derived neurotrophic factor for two weeks.Alkaline phosphatase activity was assessed in the colonies formed after two weeks of culture by alkaline phosphatase staining.On day 14 of culture,the expression levels of DNA-binding protein inhibitor(ID-4)and PLZF genes in the undifferentiated cells were evaluated by the detection of PLZF protein antibody using real-time PCR and immunocytochemistry techniques.The number and diameter of the colonies of spermatogonial stem cells were assessed by ImageJ software.Results:In the experimental group,the number and the diameter of colonies significantly increased as compared with those in the control group(P<0.05,P<0.01,respectively).In addition,the level of expression of ID-4 and PLZF genes in the undifferentiated cells significantly increased in the experimental group as compared with the control group(P<0.01).However,the expression of tyrosine-protein kinase kit(c-kit)gene in differentiated cells decreased in the experimental group as compared with the control group,but there was no significant difference between the two groups.Conclusions:Spermatogonial stem cells can be efficiently proliferated by culturing the stem cells in soft agar-coated dishes.The new protocol used in this study can be a valuable method for future studies.

Mechanisms of fibrinolysis resistance and potential targets for thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke: lessons from retrieved stroke emboli

There has been growing interest and insight into the histological composition of retrieved stroke emboli.One of the main focuses of the stroke clot analysis literature has been the implications of clot composition on mechanical thrombectomy procedures.However,the holy grail of clot analysis may not be in the field of clot-device interaction,but rather,in understanding mechanisms of fibrinolysis resistance.The mechanisms underlying the low response to fibrinolytic therapy,even with the newer,more powerful agents,remain poorly understood.While factors such as embolus size,location and collateral status influence alteplase delivery and recanalisation rates;compositional analyses focused on histological and ultrastructural characteristics offer unique insights into mechanisms of alteplase resistance.In this review,we strive to provide comprehensive review of current knowledge on clot composition and ultrastructural analyses that help explain resistance to fibrinolysis.