Author Archives: setareh moazen

Exercise and Mental Health

An Overview

Physical activity may play an important function in the control of mild-to-moderate mental health illnesses, specially depression and anxiety. Despite the fact that human with depression tend to be less physically active than non- depressed individuals, improved cardio exercise or strength training has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms significantly. However, habitual physical activity has not been shown to prevent the onset of depression.

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Effects of Exercise on Anxiety

Anxiety signs and panic disorder also improve with everyday exercise, and beneficial outcomes appear to equal meditation or relaxation. In general, acute anxiety responds better to exercise than chronic anxiety. Research on older adults and adolescents with depression or anxiety have been restricted; however, physical activity appears beneficial to those populations as well. Immoderate physical activity may lead to overtraining and generate psychological signs that mimic depression.

The following video demonstrates the brain-changing benefits of exercise.

Video taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHY0FxzoKZE

Improvement of Mental Health

Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to improve your mental health. Regular exercise relieves stress, helps you sleep better, improves memory, and boosts your overall mood. Research indicates the advantages of exercise on mental health. You can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to feel better in any age or fitness level.

Physical exercise is increasingly being encouraged as a method to keep and enhance excellent intellectual health. In general, findings from studies suggest that exercise is related to improvements in mental health which include mood state and self-esteem, although a causal link has not been established. Studies on acute exercise shows that 20 to 40 minutes of cardio activity outcomes in improvement of mood that persist for several hours. These transitory adjustments in mood occur in each people with ordinary or multiplied ranges of anxiety; however, appear to be restricted to aerobic exercise.

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Exercising may also result in adverse modifications in mental health. Some individuals can grow to be overly depending on physical activity and exercising to an immoderate degree. This abuse of exercise can result in disturbances in mood and worsened physical health. In the case of athletes the acute training, or overtraining, vital for endurance sports activities continually effects in increased mood disturbance. Severe cases of overtraining may result in the staleness syndrome; a circumstance associated with deteriorating overall performance and behavioral disturbances including clinical depression.

Effects of Exercise on Children’s Mental Health

Physical activity can increase self-esteem and decrease depression and anxiety in children. We also know that physical activity performed in an outside area can improve cognitive performance, self-esteem and decrease anxiety and symptoms associated with interest deficit disorder. Organizations that promote physical activity in children with mental health issues have to have targeted safeguarding staff and referral pathways to greater professional services. This consists of the control of acute mental health conditions.

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– Setareh Moazen

Phage Display: A powerful Technique and its Applications

An overview

Phage display is a very strong technique in drug discovery and development. It has many applications in improving the immunological studies such as immunotherapy, diagnosis, and development of monoclonal antibodies and peptides. The technique was initially demonstrated by George P. Smith in 1985. Its use for the production of recombinant antibodies was confirmed by McCafferty and his colleagues in 1990. Since then, a number of research groups have represented essential improvements of the technique for its applications in biological sciences. This technique allows for expression of a protein molecule such as an antibody on the surface of a bacteriophage.

Phage display system. Source:https://www.cusabio.com/Phage-display-service.html

Phage expression system

Phage show differs from traditional expression systems in that the foreign gene sequence is spliced into one of the phage coat proteins, so that the foreign amino acid sequence is genetically fused to the amino acids of the coat protein to make a hybrid fusion protein. The hybrid coat protein is included into phage particles or virions as they are released from the cell, so that the foreign peptide or protein area is displayed on the outer surface.The  foreign peptide might be fragments of antibody molecules containing fragment antigen binding (Fab) or single chain fragment variable (scFv). Both Fab and scFv are parts of antibody, which bind to antigen and expression of these parts on bacteriophage could be very helpful for study of antigen antibody interactions.

Phage_basic-WebGrafiken. Displaying of Fab fragment on bacteriophage. Source:https://www.morphosys.com/science/drug-development-capabilities/hucal

Displaying of scFv on bacteriophage. Source:http://www.kck.usm.my/diagnosticbook/?q=content/chapter-24-generation-recombinant-antibodies-display-technologies-diagnostic-applications

Phage display provides selection of specific antibodies

The produced phage antibodies are very important tools. It is possible to select specific antibodies against a desired antigen among phage antibodies, which received different antibody genes in an antibody library. The selected specific antibodies facilitate both immunotherapy and diagnosis.

The following video demonstrates the phage display system and selection of specific antibody in an antibody library.

Video taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqQDZxoCGqE

Application of phage display

Phage antibodies have been useful for immunization therapies, which may lead to development of new tools used for treatment of cancer, autoimmune and neurodegenerative disease. The utilization of some phage antibodies against breast, colorectal and pancreatic cancer shown some promising results regarding the cell growth inhibition of the cancer cells. The usage of phage display antibodies in designing diagnostic and therapeutic agents for autoimmune disease is growing. In Myasthenia gravis Fab antibodies against nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChR) caused reduced function of receptors at the neuromuscular junction. The role of selected phage antibodies in neurological disorders are also reported. Intracellular antibody fragments are potential therapeutic agents for neurological disorders due to their specificity for recognition of unusual intracellular proteins. In addition, the importance of phage display in hematological applications is shown. Anti-ABO, anti-Rh and anti-Kell antibodies were the first antibodies selected against red blood cells for hemagglutination assays.

Phage displayed peptides seem to be better molecular imaging agents compared to radiolabeled antibodies due to their small size, rapid blood clearance and tissue penetration. Recently, the application of phage display technique in the vaccine development and delivery is also described. The prominent role of phage display in healthcare, medicine and diagnostic will continue to expand.

Phage Display Derived Peptides for Osteosarcoma Imaging. Source:http://www.wmis.org/abstracts/2010/forSystemUse/papers/P0844B.html

– Setareh Moazen