No abstract

The focus of this study was to extend investigations on Collembola fauna in parts of Hyrcanian forests -Hezarjirib forests, located near Neka in Mazandaran province. For this, irregular samplings from leaf litter and soil in different localities were done during 2020-2021. The springtail specimens were extracted by Berlese funnel and after permanent slide mounting identified by relevant taxonomic keys. It resulted in the identification of 25 species belonging to eight families and 19 genera. Three species including Hypogastrura papillata Gisin, 1949 (Hypogastruridae), Lepidocyrtus bicoloris Mateos, 2012 (Entomobryidae) and Folsomia trisetata Jordana & Ardanaz, 1981 (Isotomidae) were recorded for the first time from Iran. Brief information for each species including the material studied, distribution and some illustrations of the new records are given.

Background: Alzheimer Disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder with a progressive impairment of cognitive function. The pineal gland hormone melatonin (MEL) has been known as a protection agent against AD. However, the effect of melatonin in various doses is inconsistent. Objectives: In this study, we aimed to investigate two doses of MEL on learning and memory in the amyloid-βeta (Aβ)-induced AD in the rats. Materials & Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were used in the experiment and randomly divided control, sham, vehicle, AD, AD+MEL10 mg/kg, and AD+MEL 20 mg/kg groups. Intracerebroventricular injection of Aβ1–42 was used to develop the animal model of AD. Also, MEL-treated groups received an intraperitoneal injection of MEL for 4 next weeks. The Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Passive Avoidance Learning (PAL) tests were used to examine animals’ learning and memory. The brain of animals was removed for immunohistochemistry for anti- Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP). Results: Intra-peritoneal injection of MEL significantly improve learning and memory in MWM (P=0.000) and PAL test (P=0.000), but there were no significant changes in the two groups that received the melatonin (P>0.05). Histopathological analysis revealed that the clearance of APP deposition in the AD+MEL20 group was considerable compared with the AD+MEL10 group (P=0.000). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that 10 and 20 mg/kg doses of melatonin have similar results on learning and memory in the AD model. But 20 mg/kg of melatonin has significantly more effect on the clearance of APP deposition.

Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating autoimmune disease in the central nervous system. It is associated with several factors, one of which is Helicobacter pylori. We suggested that HP may have different effects on MS in the acute and chronic phases; therefore, we evaluated the HP and MS association in acute and chronic phases of infection. Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were used for systematic search. Finally, according to the inclusion criteria, eight studies were selected. According to the result of this study, there was no significant difference in the disease duration and EDSS between MS with HP. Pooled results showed that the standard difference in the mean EDSS was - 0.910, and the standard difference in the mean duration was - 0.067. Also, by comparing antibody levels in the acute and chronic phases of HP with the control group. Finally, we evaluate the mean EDSS between the two phases of infection, which shows that the mean EDSS and the clinical weaknesses of MS in the acute phase were slightly higher than in the chronic. In conclusion, HP infection can have a stimulating or inhibiting effect on the immune system based on the onset and activity of the infection.