The effects of chronic and repeated radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation (RFEMR) exposure on spatial cognition and hippocampal architecture were investigated in prepubescent rats. Four weeks old male Wistar rats were exposed to RF-EMR (900 MHz; SAR-1.15 W/kg with peak power density of 146.60 μW/cm(2)) for 1 h/day, for 28 days. Followed by this, spatial cognition was evaluated by Morris water maze test. To evaluate the hippocampal morphology; H&E staining, cresyl violet staining, and Golgi-Cox staining were performed on hippocampal sections. CA3 pyramidal neuron morphology and surviving neuron count (in CA3 region) were studied using H&E and cresyl violet stained sections. Dendritic arborization pattern of CA3 pyramidal neuron was investigated by concentric circle method. Progressive learning abilities were found to be decreased in RF-EMR exposed rats. Memory retention test performed 24 h after the last training revealed minor spatial memory deficit in RF-EMR exposed group. However, RF-EMR exposed rats exhibited poor spatial memory retention when tested 48 h after the final trial. Hirano bodies and Granulovacuolar bodies were absent in the CA3 pyramidal neurons of different groups studied. Nevertheless, RF-EMR exposure affected the viable cell count in dorsal hippocampal CA3 region. RF-EMR exposure influenced dendritic arborization pattern of both apical and basal dendritic trees in RF-EMR exposed rats. Structural changes found in the hippocampus of RF-EMR exposed rats could be one of the possible reasons for altered cognition.

Background:Blood volume measurement though important in management of critically ill-patients is not routinely estimated in clinical practice owing to labour intensive, intricate and time consuming nature of existing methods.Aims:The aim was to compare blood volume estimations using trivalent chromium [51Cr(III)] and standard Evans blue dye (EBD) method in New Zealand white rabbit models and establish correction-factor (CF).Materials and Methods:Blood volume estimation in 33 rabbits was carried out using EBD method and concentration determined using spectrophotometric assay followed by blood volume estimation using direct injection of 51Cr(III). Twenty out of 33 rabbits were used to find CF by dividing blood volume estimation using EBD with blood volume estimation using 51Cr(III). CF is validated in 13 rabbits by multiplying it with blood volume estimation values obtained using 51Cr(III).Results:The mean circulating blood volume of 33 rabbits using EBD was 142.02 ± 22.77 ml or 65.76 ± 9.31 ml/kg and using 51Cr(III) was estimated to be 195.66 ± 47.30 ml or 89.81 ± 17.88 ml/kg. The CF was found to be 0.77. The mean blood volume of 13 rabbits measured using EBD was 139.54 ± 27.19 ml or 66.33 ± 8.26 ml/kg and using 51Cr(III) with CF was 152.73 ± 46.25 ml or 71.87 ± 13.81 ml/kg (P = 0.11).Conclusions:The estimation of blood volume using 51Cr(III) was comparable to standard EBD method using CF. With further research in this direction, we envisage human blood volume estimation using 51Cr(III) to find its application in acute clinical settings.

Bland-Altman analysis is a very commonly used method in the biomedical research. This method is used to study the agreement between two measurements that are in continuous scale. Although this method is commonly used in medical research, the statistical software packages do not have the menu-driven operation for the Bland-Altman analysis. Hence this paper intends to provide an R function (BA.plot) for Bland-Altman analysis.

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Background: Traditional meta-analyses often assess the effectiveness of different doses of the same intervention separately or examine the overall differences between intervention and placebo groups. The present study aimed to model the effect sizes obtained from different doses in multiple studies using a two-stage dose-response meta-analytic approach while taking dose variations into account. Methods: Different dose-response meta-analysis models using linear, quadratic, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) functions were fitted. A two-stage approach utilizing multivariate meta-analysis was performed and the obtained results were compared with those of the univariate meta-analysis. A random effect dose-response meta-analysis was performed using data from an existing systematic review on combination therapy with zonisamide and anti-Parkinson drugs for Parkinson’s disease. The effective or optimum dose for producing maximum response was also investigated. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis was performed by changing the knots of the RCS model. Results: Dose-response meta-analysis was performed using data from four double-blinded randomized controlled trials with 724 and 309 patients with Parkinson’s disease in dose and placebo arms, respectively. The quadratic model yielded the smallest Akaike information criterion (AIC), compared to the linear and RCS models, indicating it to be the best fit for the data. Conclusion: Compared to the traditional approach, the two-stage approach could model the dose-dependent effect of zonisamide on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPRDS) part III score and predict the outcome for different doses through a single analysis.