Aluminum (Al) is a popular metal in the industry, and its usage has greatly increased recently. The dose of this metal has been proven to be toxic to rats, but its effects on the offspring of the original receivers and prevention methods to reduce this damage are unknown. Rosa damascena is a well-known plant for its high antioxidant capabilities. In this study, the protective effect of Rosa damascena extract (RDA) on aluminum-induced lesions in the brain tissue of a rat offspring was investigated. In this regard, female rats were divided into seven groups, including the control group, the sham group, the aluminum group at the dose of 100 mg/kg, the extract groups at the doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg, and the treatment groups that received the extract and Al at the same doses. After the treatment ended, the offsprings were subjected to exploratory behavioral tests, and finally, the tissues of the brain including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus were pathologically examined. It was observed that RDA at the dose of 1000 mg/kg reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels significantly (<svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="19.289pt" style="vertical-align:-0.6370001pt" id="M1" height="9.2729pt" version="1.1" viewBox="-0.0498162 -8.6359 19.289 9.2729"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path id="g113-81" d="M600 480C600 590 528 650 384 650H143L137 622C222 614 225 607 210 531L130 127C113 41 106 36 23 28L17 0H294L300 28C204 36 195 42 212 127L243 284L314 263C327 263 339 263 352 264C465 271 600 337 600 480ZM508 481C508 351 402 304 329 304C289 304 265 311 250 317L295 559C302 594 310 606 323 611C335 616 350 619 367 619C455 619 508 573 508 481Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,11.658,0)"><path id="g117-91" d="M512 -3V55L134 254V256L512 456V514L75 281V230L512 -3Z"/></g></svg><svg xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="34.445pt" style="vertical-align:-0.6370001pt" height="9.2729pt" version="1.1" viewBox="22.8711838 -8.6359 34.445 9.2729"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,22.921,0)"><path id="g113-49" d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,29.161,0)"><path id="g113-47" d="M113 -12C146 -12 170 11 170 46C170 78 146 103 114 103S58 78 58 46C58 11 82 -12 113 -12Z"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,32.125,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,38.365,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,44.605,0)"><use xlink:href="#g113-49"/></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,50.845,0)"><path id="g113-50" d="M384 0V27C293 34 287 42 287 114V635C232 613 172 594 109 583V559L157 557C201 555 205 550 205 499V114C205 42 199 34 109 27V0H384Z"/></g></svg>), while raising the catalase and FRAP indices in Al-treated rats. Moreover, it increased neuronal counts significantly and reduced necrosis and vacuolar degeneration in both the cortex and hippocampus compared to the Al-receiving group. In addition, the administration of RDA 1000 improved the behavioral test scores of the offspring. In conclusion, RDA can effectively reduce Al-induced damage in the brain tissue of the offspring.

Leila Beigom Hejazian

Seyed Mohammad Hosseini

Alireza Salehi

Neuroprotective Effects of Rosa damascena Extract against Aluminum Chloride-Induced Brain Damage in Rat Offspring

Finding reliable biomarkers has a crucial role in Parkinson’s disease (PD) assessments. Saliva is a bodily fluid, which might be used as a source of biomarkers for PD. Our article has reviewed several publications on salivary proteins in PD patients and their potential as biomarkers. We find out that α-Syn’s proportion in oligomeric form is higher in PD patients’ saliva, which is potent to use as a biomarker for PD. The salivary concentration of DJ-1 and alpha-amylase is lower in PD patients. Also, substance P level is more moderate in PD patients. Although salivary flow rate is decreased in PD patients, high levels of heme oxygenase and acetylcholinesterase might be used as noninvasive biomarkers. Salivary miRNAs (miR-153, miR-223, miR-874, and miR-145-3p) are novel diagnostic biomarkers that should be given more attention.

Sanaz Salaramoli

Hamid Reza Joshaghani

Seyed Isaac Hashemy

Salivary Biomarkers: Noninvasive Ways for Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease

40–70% of patients after a stroke, including a mild one, may experience cognitive impairment. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis and rehabilitation of ischemic stroke and also affects the patients’ recovery prognosis. An association between cognitive impairment in the poststroke period and lower peripheral BDNF levels is known, but the prognostic significance of serum BDNF levels and clinical characteristics for the risk of developing cognitive impairment in the acute period remains uncertain. We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. Clinical examination, assessment of neurological status, neuropsychological testing, and laboratory analyzes were performed on patients at 1 and 14 days after ischemic stroke. The state of cognitive functions was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination scale. Quantification of BDNF in blood serum was performed by solid-phaseenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that within 14 days after an acute ischemic stroke, we found a decrease in the clinical severity of patients compared to 1 day of the onset of the disease before the start of treatment and a significant decrease in the level of BDNF in the blood serum of patients with ischemic stroke both on the first and on the 14th day. However, during the 2 weeks of the acute period, no significant changes were detected, despite the general improvement of the clinical condition. In our study, cognitive impairment was found in almost half of the patients on the first day of ischemic stroke, and there was no significant reduction in this prevalence over 2 weeks. We found that a low level of BDNF and a thrombotic subtype of ischemic stroke can be risk factors for cognitive impairment in the acute period, which can be useful in planning treatment and rehabilitation measures.

Yaroslava Yu. Havlovska

Nataliya V. Lytvynenko

Anastasiia D. Shkodina

Serum Level of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Thrombotic Type Are Predictive of Cognitive Impairment in the Acute Period of Ischemic Strokes Patients

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition, predominantly affecting older adults. Preference-based measures (PBMs) can be used to make decisions about the cost-utility of different treatments. There are currently no PBMs for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for PD. A previous study identified important health domains for individuals with PD and developed an item pool from existing measures per domain. The current study aims to contribute to the development of a new disease-specific PBM of HRQoL for PD by reducing the current pool of items according to the preferences of individuals with PD. Methods. Fifty-three participants completed a visual analogue scale (VAS) of self-perceived health, the prototype PBM measure, and an item importance rating. To reduce the item pool, the following were calculated: (1) inter-item correlations; (2) impact of each item based on item performance and importance rating; (3) directionality of response options by comparing the VAS scores against each item. Results. Participants (male = 54.7%, age = 60.0 ± 10.2) had a median Hoehn and Yahr score of 2.5 (interquartile range = 1). Items supported for inclusion by this analysis were sleep, fatigue, tremor, mood, walking, memory, and dexterity. Items demonstrating a logical decrease in VAS score with each increasing severity level were sleep, memory, tremor, fatigue, and mood. Conclusion. This PBM will be critical for informing decisions about the cost-utility of PD treatments, guiding the resource allocation within our healthcare system. Future research will include cognitive debriefing with individuals with PD to refine item response options.

Selina Malouka

Lizabeth Teshler

Nancy Mayo

Marla Beauchamp

Julie Richardson

Ayse Kuspinar

Item Selection for a New Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Parkinson’s Disease: The Preference-Based Parkinson’s Disease Index (PB-PDI)

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Neurology Research International focuses on diseases of the nervous system, as well as normal neurological functioning. Research topics&nbsp;include&nbsp;basic, translational, and clinical research, including animal models and clinical trials.

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Neurology Research International focuses on diseases of the nervous system, as well as normal neurological functioning. Research topics include basic, translational, and clinical research, including animal models and clinical trials.

Neurology Research International