Current therapeutic approaches of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are symptomatic and of modest efficacy, and there is no available effective cure or prevention of AD; hence, the need arise to search for neuroprotective agents to combat AD. The current study aimed at investigating the neuroprotective effect of nanodiamond (ND), adamantine-based nanoparticles, in aluminum-induced cognitive impairment in rats, an experimental model of AD. AD was induced by aluminum chloride (17 mg/kg, p.o. for 6 weeks) and confirmed by Morris water maze and Y-maze behavioral tests. Biochemical and histological analyses of the hippocampus were also performed. Aluminum-treated rats showed behavioral, biochemical, and histological changes similar to those associated with AD. ND improved learning and memory and reversed histological alterations. At the molecular levels, ND mitigated the increase of hippocampal beta-amyloid (Aβ) and beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme-1 (BACE1) together with down-regulation of phosphorylated tau protein. It also modulated the excitatory glutamate neurotransmitter level. Furthermore, ND boosted the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mitochondrial transcription factor-A (TFAM), suppressed the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), and curbed oxidative stress by hampering of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Moreover, ND augmented the hippocampal levels of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (p-STAT3) and B cell leukemia/lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) anti-apoptotic protein while diminished nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) and caspase-3 (casp-3) expression. These findings indicate the protective effect of ND against memory deficits and AD-like pathological aberrations probably via modulating NF-kB and STAT3 signaling, effects mediated likely by modulating N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors.

Background: Diamond nanoparticles (Nanodiamond) are biocompatible drug delivery platforms with outstanding surface properties. Their passage into the brain has been confirmed previously. Thus, nanodiamond could provide a drug delivery system to shuttle several drugs through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) which represents a real challenge for the effective delivery of several drugs into the brain. Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker that cannot pass through BBB and may elicit neuroprotective effects to reverse calcium-induced excitotoxicity and mitochondrial dysfunction that underlie several neurologic disorders including Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the loading of amlodipine on nanodiamond particles. Methods: Nanodiamond particles were oxidized in a strong oxidizing acidic mixture of sulfuric and nitric acids. Adsorption of amlodipine on nanodiamond particles was achieved in alkaline pH using various concentrations of sodium hydroxide. The loaded amlodipine was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Results: The highest percentage (41%) of loaded amlodipine onto nanodiamond particles was achieved in alkaline medium using 2 mM NaOH at a corresponding pH of 8.5. Also, characteristic FTIR bands of amlodipine and nanodiamond were shown obviously in the nanodiamond-amlodipine conjugates. Moreover, the successful loading of amlodipine on diamond nanoparticles was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Conclusion:The present study demonstrates the successful loading of amlodipine onto nanodiamond particles. These findings offer a potential for applying diamond nanoparticles as a drug delivery system to shuttle amlodipine into the brain and open the door to deliver other similar drugs into the brain.

This study investigates the effects of nutrient media on the genetic stability of cell lines of callus produced by Digitalis purpurea leaves explants. Four cell lines of D. purpurea callus were selected after inducing 80 sub-cultures of callus in four different nutrient media: Vollosovich (5C01) medium, Murashige and Skoog (MS), Linsmaier and Skoog (LS), and Gamborg (B5) were compared with control samples of seeds and in vitro grown plant (micropropagation). DNA was isolated from the callus by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and molecular biomarkers were quantified by inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The purity of the extracted DNA from cell lines and the in vitro has grown plant ranged from 1.94 to 1.98 compared to seeds (1.74) at wavelength 260/280 nm. Out of 360 ISSR-PCR reactions conducted for amplifying 18 samples with 20 primers, 19 primers provided 232 bands with polymorphism and 25 were unique bands with band sizes ranging from 75 to 3500 Bas pair. Cluster analysis and the Jaccard similarity coefficient showed that the medium 5C01 was the most stable compared to the MS, B5, and LS media. The genetic stability of D. purpurea callus was affected by the type and concentration of electrolyte and cytokinin in the nutrient media.

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is the most common cause of maternal morbidity and mortality during the first trimester of pregnancy. The present study aimed to review and evaluate the management outcomes of ectopic pregnancy in Damascus University Maternity Hospital, Syria.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed on women referring to Damascus University Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) for ectopic pregnancy. Patients were assigned into groups by method of treatment: expectant management (Group 1), single-dose methotrexate regimen (Group 2), two-dose methotrexate regimen (Group 3), and surgical intervention (Group 4). Parameters assessed were risk factors for ectopic pregnancies, transvaginal ultrasonography findings, serum human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) levels on Days 0, 4, 7, and types of surgical intervention in women that underwent any surgical intervention. A treatment modality was considered successful when hCG levels declined to less than 5 mIU/L without further administration of methotrexate dose or need for surgery.Results: Seventy-seven women with ectopic pregnancy were admitted to the hospital during the study period. Groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 constituted 20.8%, 13.0%, 6.5% and 59.7% of the patients respectively. The most common encountered risk factors for ectopic pregnancy in the patients were history of previous intra-abdominal or pelvic surgery (57.1%) and history of miscarriage (41.6%). A statistically significant difference in the serum hCG concentrations measured on day 0, day 4, and day 7 were observed between the groups.Conclusions: The success rate in ectopic pregnancy treatment was 56.25% for the expectant management, 70% for the single-dose methotrexate regimen, and 40% for two-dose methotrexate regimen.