Immune stress in late pregnant rats decreases length of gestation and fecundity, and alters later cognitive and affective behaviour of surviving pre-adolescent offspring

Immune challenge during pregnancy is associated with preterm birth and poor perinatal development. The mechanisms of these effects are not known. 5α-Pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP), the neuroactive metabolite of progesterone, is critical for neurodevelopment and stress responses, and can influence cognition and affective behaviours. To develop an immune challenge model of preterm birth, pregnant Long–Evans rat dams were administered lipopolysaccharide [LPS; 30 μg/kg/ml, intraperitoneal (IP)], interleukin-1β (IL-1β; 1 μg/rat, IP) or vehicle (0.9% saline, IP) daily on gestational days 17–21. Compared to control treatment, prenatal LPS or IL-1β reduced gestational length and the number of viable pups born. At 28–30 days of age, male and female offspring of mothers exposed to prenatal IL-1β had reduced cognitive performance in the object recognition task compared to controls. In females, but not males, prenatal IL-1β reduced anxiety-like behaviour, indicated by entries to the centre of an open field. In the hippocampus, progesterone turnover to its 5α-reduced metabolites was lower in prenatally exposed IL-1β female, but not in male offspring. IL-1β-exposed males and females had reduced oestradiol content in hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex and diencephalon compared to controls. Thus, immune stress during late pregnancy reduced gestational length and negatively impacted birth outcomes, hippocampal function and central neurosteroid formation in the offspring

Effects of carbon nanotubes geometrical distribution on electrical percolation of nanocomposites: a comprehensive approach

The main objective of this study was to study the effects of length, alignment and diameter distribution of the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the percolation threshold of nanocomposites using computational simulations. Furthermore, the effects of the aforementioned parameters on the efficiency of the produced networks are investigated. The best distribution for optimum connectivity and the lowest CNTs concentration for the onset of percolation is determined via analyzing the geometrical characteristics of carbon nanotubes. The critical volume fraction of CNTs for percolation was found to be 0.1% while the mean number of bonds per object was 1.3 at the best distribution condition. The results from this study are compared to available experimental data and good agreement was found

Effects of alpha-lipoid acid on serum iron, total iron binding capacity and hematological indices in β-thalassemia major patients: A cross over clinical trial

Background and Objectives: Accumulation of iron is the most common consequences of repeated blood transfusions in β-thalassemia major patients. Iron chelating effects of alpha-lipoic acid have been reported by several studies. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of supplementation with alpha-lipoic acid, as a chelator, on serum iron and hematological indices in these patients. Materials & Methods: Twenty-two β-thalassemia major patients were selected to receive 600 mg alpha-lipoic acid or placebo capsules for 8 w. After a 3-week washout period, order of intervention was replaced as patients who previously received placebo were administered the supplement vise versa for another 8 w. At the end of the study, changes in serum iron, total iron binding capacity and hematological parameters between the treatments were assessed. Results: Serum concentrations of iron and total iron binding capacity and hematological parameters did not change within the supplementation (p > 0.05). Changes in iron, total iron binding capacity and hematological indices were not significantly different between the two interventions (p > 0.05). White blood cell counts in placebo use increased significantly in males (p = 0.04). The mean corpuscular hemoglobin in placebo patients decreased significantly in all patients and males (p = 0.02 for both). Conclusion: Results of this study revealed that alpha-lipoic acid supplementation included no beneficial effects on iron, total iron binding capacity and hematological indices in β-thalassemia major patients. Further studies with more participants and longer times are indispensable. © 2020, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute. All rights reserved