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The emergence of health informatics opens new opportunities and doors for different disease diagnoses. The current work proposed the implementation of five different stand-alone techniques coupled with four different novel hybridized paradigms for the clinical prediction of hepatitis C status among patients, using both sociodemographic and clinical input variables. Both the visualized and quantitative performances of the stand-alone algorithms present the capability of the Gaussian process regression (GPR), Generalized neural network (GRNN), and Interactive linear regression (ILR) over the Support Vector Regression (SVR) and Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) models. Hence, due to the lower performance of the stand-alone algorithms at a certain point, four different novel hybrid data intelligent algorithms were proposed, including: interactive linear regression-Gaussian process regression (ILR-GPR), interactive linear regression-generalized neural network (ILR-GRNN), interactive linear regression-Support Vector Regression (ILR-SVR), and interactive linear regression-adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ILR-ANFIS), to boost the prediction accuracy of the stand-alone techniques in the clinical prediction of hepatitis C among patients. Based on the quantitative prediction skills presented by the novel hybridized paradigms, the proposed techniques were able to enhance the performance efficiency of the single paradigms up to 44% and 45% in the calibration and validation phases, respectively.

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This study was designed to assess the possible protective effect of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) on apical periodontitis (AP)-induced cardiac injury. Wistar albino rats were randomized into four groups: control; ALA; AP; and ALA + AP. Rats of the control and ALA groups were not endodontically treated, but saline and ALA (100 mg kg-1 ) were administered. In rats of the AP and ALA + AP groups, the pulp chambers of mandibular first molar teeth were exposed and left open for 30 d to induce AP. Saline and ALA (100 mg kg-1 ) were administered intraperitoneally every 24 h during the experiment. At the end of the experiment, the rats were killed. Establishment of AP was verified by radiographic and histopathological evaluation. Serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined using an automated biochemical analyzer, and the structural cardiac injury was assessed pathologically. Serum ALP, LDH, and CK activities were elevated, and SOD activities were decreased, in the AP group. The changed enzyme activities were significantly normalized by treatment with ALA. We conclude that ALA administration alleviated the AP-induced heart injury and improved cardiac structure and function, and therefore this agent may be of potential therapeutic value in protecting cardiac tissue from systemic injury caused by AP.

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BACKGROUND: Curcumin has been shown to decrease ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in kidney or brain tissues. In this study, the effects of curcumin were evaluated in skeletal muscle during I/R injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hind limb ischemia was induced by clamping the common femoral artery and vein. After 4 h ischemia, the clamp of the femoral vessels of animals was taken off and the animal underwent 2 h reperfusion. We measured plasma concentrations of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The right gastrocnemius muscle was harvested and immediately stored at -30°C for the assessment of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) activities, and measurement of glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), and protein oxidation (PO) levels. Curcumin (100 mg/kg), α-tocopherol, and normal saline (10 mL /kg1) were administered intraperitoneally 1 h prior reperfusion. RESULTS: Plasma TNF-α or IL-1ß levels increased significantly in I/R group. The plasma levels of these proinflammatory cytokines were reduced in curcumin group. Muscle tissues of I/R groups revealed significantly higher antioxidant enzyme (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase) activities, and increased levels of malondialdehyde, nitric oxide, and protein carbonyl content compared with the SHAM group. Levels of these parameters in muscle revealed significant reductions in the I/R + curcumin group compared witho the I/R group. Curcumin has more potent antioxidant activity than vitamin E in the skeletal muscle I/R. CONCLUSION: In this study, protective effects of curcumin against skeletal muscle ischemia-reperfusion injury have been revealed. We underscore the necessity of human studies with curcumin that would be hypothetically beneficial preventing skeletal muscle I/R injury.

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