Sima Shahabi

Bio: Sima Shahabi is an academic researcher from Babol University of Medical Sciences. The author has contributed to research in topics: Luteinizing hormone & Camphor. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 7 publications receiving 46 citations.

Exposure to cell phone radiofrequency changes corticotrophin hormone levels and histology of the brain and adrenal glands in male Wistar rat.

Abstract: Objective(s): Nowadays, the electromagnetic field-emitting devices are used routinely in our lives. Controversial reports exist concerning the effects of mobile radiofrequency (RF) on different parts of the body, especially stress hormones. The main goal of the present work was to study the long-term effects of mobile RF900 MHz exposure with special focus on the adrenal gland pathophysiology and function. Materials and Methods: Adult male Wistar rats were exposed to mobile RF 6 hr daily for 4–8 weeks. Intact and switched-off exposed animals were considered as controls. Plasma ACTH and cortisol levels were measured by the ELISA method. At the end of the experiment, a histological study was done on adrenal gland and brain tissues by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The thickness of the fasciculate layer of the adrenal gland, and its cell count and perimeter were measured using the Fiji software. Results: Enhanced plasma ACTH and cortisol levels were found after prolonged exposure to mobile RF. The fasciculata layer of adrenal cortex eventually thickened following mobile RF radiation. While the number of cells in zona fasciculata remained constant, the cell size and perimeter increased during RF exposure. Finally, we found that vacuolization in brain tissue and the number and size of vacuoles considerably increased during two months of RF exposure. Conclusion: Cell phone RF exposure induced significant hormonal and structural changes in adrenal gland and brain tissues. Therefore, the public should be aware and limit their exposure as much as possible.

Interaction of Memantine with Homocysteine on the Apoptosis in the Rat Hippocampus cells.

Abstract: It has been hypothesized that elevated plasma Homocysteine (Hcy) plays a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related cognitive decline. The mechanism of Hcy neurotoxicity in the brain is controversial as well Hcy is a ligand of NMDA receptor. Memantine, an uncompetitive antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors approved for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease. Hcy was injected 0.5 μmol/μl in the hippocampus of the rat brain and Memantine hydrochloride was injected 10mg/kg intraperitoneally 1 hour prior to Hcy injection. After five days, rats were killed and whole brain were taken out, fixed, and embedded in paraffin. The slices of the rat brain were prepared and immunohistochemical analysis was done to reveal the protein expression of Bax, Bcl-2, and the activation of Caspase 3 in the rat hippocampus layers. Results showed significant increase of Bax and Caspase-3 immunoreactivity in hippocampus of rat brain in Hcy group. Also an increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in rat hippocampus cells .Memantine pretreatment could not change the levels of Bax, Bcl-2, Caspase-3 significantly in rat's hippocampus cells. These findings suggest that Memantine could not antagonize Hcy - induced Apoptosis. Hcy may induce apoptosis via the other oxidative stress mechanism in the rat brain. potential. It may therefore be interesting that he barberry fruit extracts has the unique capacity to quench free radicals.

Central effects of camphor on GnRH and sexual hormones in male rat

Abstract: In Persian traditional medicine is believed that camphor (a crystalline ketone obtained from cinnamomum camphora) is a suppressor of sexual behaviors. This study examined the central effects of camphor on sexual hormones (LH, FSH and testosterone) and GnRH plasma levels in male rat. Male Wistar rats weighing 250-260gr were selected and divided into control (no treatment), sham (ICV injection of EtOH 10%) and treatment (ICV injection of camphor in three doses 4, 20, 40 µg/ 10µl in alcohol) groups. The serum samples were used for assaying of GnRH, LH, FSH and testosterone. There were no significant differences in the levels of hormones between the groups of study. Despite the central administration of camphor in hypothalamus - pituitary - gonad (HPG) axis, no significant differences were seen in sex hormone`s levels compared to the control. With this finding, it can be concluded that camphor may not effectively handle the axis via central pathway. These data recommend further studies of camphor on the HPG axis.

Does islamic fasting affect gonadotropin around female ovulation

Abstract: Background: The pattern of Islamic fasting differs from other forms of fasting, therefore its effect on health also differs. This research studies the effect of Islamic fasting on gonadotropin hormones around the time of the ovulatory cycle and ovulation. Materials and Methods: This self-controlled study was performed on 24 adult females. Blood sampling was performed during Ramadan and two months later to determine the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen and progesterone. Ultrasonography was done in order to detect ovulation and the results were compared. Results: The mean values of FSH, LH and estrogen during the 14 th day of menstruation were comparable with non-fasting values. There was no significant difference in ovulation. Conclusion: Islamic fasting causes neither significant variation in hormone secretion around ovulation nor does it influence the occurrence of ovulation.

Comparing DNA damage induced by mobile telephony and other types of man-made electromagnetic fields.

Abstract: The number of studies showing adverse effects on living organisms induced by different types of man-made Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) has increased tremendously. Hundreds of peer reviewed published studies show a variety of effects, the most important being DNA damage which is linked to cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, reproductive declines etc. Those studies that are far more effective in showing effects employ real-life Mobile Telephony (MT) exposures emitted by commercially available mobile phones. The present review - of results published by my group from 2006 until 2016 - compares DNA fragmentation induced by six different EMFs on the same biological system - the oogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster - under identical conditions and procedures. Such a direct comparison between different EMFs - especially those employed in daily life - on the same biological endpoint, is very useful for drawing conclusions on their bioactivity, and novel. It shows that real MT EMFs are far more damaging than 50 Hz alternating magnetic field (MF) - similar or much stronger to those of power lines - or a pulsed electric field (PEF) found before to increase fertility. The MT EMFs were significantly more bioactive even for much shorter exposure durations than the other EMFs. Moreover, they were more damaging than previously tested cytotoxic agents like certain chemicals, starvation, dehydration. Individual parameters of the real MT EMFs like intensity, frequency, exposure duration, polarization, pulsing, modulation, are discussed in terms of their role in bioactivity. The crucial parameter for the intense bioactivity seems to be the extreme variability of the polarized MT signals, mainly due to the large unpredictable intensity changes.

Plants Producing Ribosome-Inactivating Proteins in Traditional Medicine

Abstract: Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are enzymes that deadenylate nucleic acids and are broadly distributed in the plant kingdom. Many plants that contain RIPs are listed in the pharmacopoeias of folk medicine all over the world, mostly because of their toxicity. This review analyses the position occupied in traditional medicine by plants from which RIPs have been isolated. The overview starts from the antique age of the Mediterranean area with ancient Egypt, followed by the Greek and Roman classic period. Then, the ancient oriental civilizations of China and India are evaluated. More recently, Unani medicine and European folk medicine are examined. Finally, the African and American folk medicines are taken into consideration. In conclusion, a list of RIP-expressing plants, which have been used in folk medicine, is provided with the geographical distribution and the prescriptions that are recommended by traditional healers. Some final considerations are provided on the present utilization of such herbal treatments, both in developing and developed countries, often in the absence of scientific validation. The most promising prospect for the medicinal use of RIP-expressing plants is the conjugation of purified RIPs to antibodies that recognise tumour antigens for cancer therapy.

Renal and testicular up-regulation of pro-inflammatory chemokines (RANTES and CCL2) and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) following acute edible camphor administration is through activation of NF-kB in rats

Abstract: Camphor-induced oxidative stress and histopathological changes (in brain, lung, liver, kidney and testes) have been reported. We therefore investigated the effect of various doses of camphor in an acute study, on renal and testicular levels of some pro-inflammatory mediators in male wistar rats. Twenty rats divided into four groups of five rats each were used in this study. Group 1 served as control and was administered 6 mL/kg olive oil, the vehicle for camphor, while groups 2, 3 and 4 were orally administered 1000, 2000, and 4000 mg/kg body weight camphor, for seven days. Compared with control, levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were significantly increased kidney and testes by 2000 and 4000 mg/kg body weight, while interleukin 10 (IL-10) was only significantly increased by 1000 mg/kg body weight of camphor in both tissues. Also compared with control, all doses of camphor administered resulted in a significant increase in the expressions of renal and testicular nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2), regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and monocyte chemo-attractant protein 1 (MCP-1). Conclusively, use and consumption of camphor should be with caution as it could trigger renal and testicular inflammation through activation of NF-kB and up-regulation of pro-inflammatory markers.

Hydrogen Sulfide Ameliorates Homocysteine-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction by Inhibition of Reactive Aldehydes Involving Upregulation of ALDH2.

Abstract: Background Homocysteine, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, induces cognitive dysfunction. Reactive aldehydes play an important role in cognitive dysfunction. Aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2 detoxifies reactive aldehydes. Hydrogen sulfide, a novel neuromodulator, has neuroprotective effects and regulates learning and memory. Our previous work confirmed that the disturbance of hydrogen sulfide synthesis is invovled in homocysteine-induced defects in learning and memory. Therefore, the present work was to explore whether hydrogen sulfide ameliorates homocysteine-generated cognitive dysfunction and to investigate whether its underlying mechanism is related to attenuating accumulation of reactive aldehydes by upregulation of aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2. Methods The cognitive function of rats was assessed by the Morris water maze test and the novel object recognition test. The levels of malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxynonenal, and glutathione as well as the activity of aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2 were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; the expression of aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2 was detected by western blot. Results The behavior experiments, Morris water maze test and novel objects recognition test, showed that homocysteine induced deficiency in learning and memory in rats, and this deficiency was reversed by treatment of NaHS (a donor of hydrogen sulfide). We demonstrated that NaHS inhibited homocysteine-induced increases in generations of MDA and 4-HNE in the hippocampus of rats and that hydrogen sulfide reversed homocysteine-induced decreases in the level of glutathione as well as the activity and expression of aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2 in the hippocampus of rats. Conclusion Hydrogen sulfide ameliorates homocysteine-induced impairment in cognitive function by decreasing accumulation of reactive aldehydes as a result of upregulations of glutathione and aldehyde-dehydrogenase 2.