Docetaxel is widely used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. However, its effectiveness is limited due to chemoresistance and its undesirable side effects. The combination of chemotherapeutic agents and natural compounds is an effective strategy to overcome drug resistance and the ensuing inevitable toxicities. Quercetin is a natural flavonoid with strong antioxidant and anticancer activities. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic and modulatory effects of combined docetaxel and quercetin on the MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. The cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. The induction of apoptosis was examined using flow cytometry. The role of p53 in the apoptotic process was evaluated via qRT-PCR. T-5224 The levels of BAX, BCL2, ERK1/2, AKT, and STAT3 proteins were measured by Western blot analysis. The results showed that the single-agent treatment with docetaxel or quercetin leads to a decrease in the viability of the MDA-MB-231 cells at 48 h. Furthermore, the combination of docetaxel (7 nM) and quercetin (95 μM) displayed the greatest synergistic effects with a combination index value of 0.76 accompanied by the up regulation of p53 and a significant increase in BAX level, as well as decrease in the levels of BCL2, pERK1/2, AKT, and STAT3 proteins (P less then 0.05). The concomitant use of docetaxel and quercetin leads to the cell growth inhibition associated with the induction of apoptosis and inhibition of cell survival. Therefore, this study provides a promising therapeutic approach to enhance the efficacy of docetaxel in a less-toxic manner.The neurogenesis can occur in two regions of the adult mammalian brain throughout the lifespan the subgranular zone of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricle. The proliferation and maturation of neural progenitor cells are tightly regulated through intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The integration of maturated cells into the circuitry of the adult hippocampus emphasizes the importance of adult hippocampal neurogenesis in learning and memory. There is a large body of evidence demonstrating that alteration in the neurogenesis process in the adult hippocampus results in an early event in the course of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In AD condition, the number and maturation of neurons declines progressively in the hippocampus. Innovative therapies are required to modulate brain homeostasis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold an immense potential to regulate the neurogenesis process, and are currently tested in some brain-related disorders, such as AD. Therefore, the aim of this review is to discuss the use of MSCs to regulate endogenous adult neurogenesis and their significant impact on future strategies for the treatment of AD.Background There are relatively scant data to determine whether hospital visitors could serve as a proper source of controls in case-control studies of illicit drug use. The aim of this study was to evaluate using neighborhood versus hospital visitor controls in reporting opium use. Methods We used data from 2 independent case-control studies of cancer in Iran. In the first study, controls were selected from neighborhoods of the patients. For the second one, controls were selected from among hospital visitors. In the latter study, hospital visitors were companions of the patients or others visiting the hospital for reasons other than disease treatment. We used stata (version 12; Stata Corp( for all analyses and with a significance level of 0.05. Results Data from 616 of neighborhood controls and 414 of hospital visitor controls were analyzed. Opium point prevalence among men was significantly higher in hospital visitors than neighborhood controls (43.3% vs 32.2%; P = 0.047), while the prevalence of cigarette smoking was very similar in both control groups (46.3% vs 47.2%; P =.847). Using a logistic regression analysis, in an unadjusted analysis, neighborhood controls were less likely to report opium use in both genders, with (unadjusted OR = 0.77; 95% CI 0.59,1). After adjusting for potential confounders, the differences of opium use between the 2 control groups became more pronounced (Adjusted OR = 0.26; 95% CI 0.10, 0.69). Conclusion Because of the similarity of reporting cigarette smoking among neighborhood controls but substantially lower reporting of opium use among them, we concluded that neighborhood controls underreport opium use-a sensitive question- and that using neighborhood control biases the findings in case-control studies. Hospital visitor controls may be more appropriate than neighborhood controls for case-control studies of illicit drugs.Background Myofascial pain syndrome is one of the most common complaints in patients referring to orthopedic treatment centers. The present study aimed to examine the effects of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) and dry needling (DN) on active myofascial trigger points (AMTrP) of the upper trapezius muscle (UTM). Methods The current study was designed as a randomized clinical trial and a total of 81 patients, aged 18-40 years, with active myofascial trigger points in the upper trapezius muscle were randomly divided into 3 groups group 1 (n = 30) received DN treatment, group 2 (n = 26) received IASTM treatment, and group 3 (n = 25) was considered as the control group (no intervention). The numeric pain scale (NPS), pain pressure threshold (PPT), active cervical contra-lateral flexion (ACLF), neck disability index (NDI), and muscle thickness (MT), according to rehabilitative ultrasonic imaging (RUSI), were measured at baseline, immediately after the last session (session 4 in week 2), and 1 month after the last session. The statistical analysis was conducted at a 95% confidence level. The P values less than.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results Both techniques were effective in treating active trigger point of the upper trapezius (p0.05) Conclusion Both IASTM and DN were determined to improve NPS, PPT, ROM, and NDI in participants with active trigger points in the upper trapezius, although IASTM was more effective in increasing ACLF in these patients.