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Subcutaneous administration CpG-ODNs acts as a potent adjuvant for an HIV-1-tatbased vaccine candidate to elicit cellular immunity in BALB/c

07 August 2018

Objective To evaluate the combined effects of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODNs) adjuvant and subcutaneous injection route on efficacy of a HIV-1- tat DNA vaccine candidate using BALB/c mice as an animal model. Results Evaluation of cellular and humoral immunity of mice injected subcutaneously with HIV-1-tat gene cloned into a pcDNA3.1 vector indicated that significant levels of IFN-c cytokine secretion (900 pg/ ml), lymphocyte proliferation (2.5 stimulation index) and IgG2a (1.45 absorbance 450 nm) production could be achieved. These indicators of stimulated cellular immunity were elicited 2 weeks after the last injection (P\0.05). Conclusions Formulation of HIV-1-tat DNA vaccine candidate with CpG-ODNs as an adjuvant while administrated subcutaneously are a promising approach to induce effective cellular immunity responses against HIV-1 infection

Ultrasonically facilitated adsorption of an azo dye onto nanostructures obtained from cellulosic wastes of broom and cooler straw

07 August 2018

Abstract In the present work, ultrasonically facilitated adsorption (UFA) of a cationic dye [Basic Red 46 (BR46)] was examined using cellulosic nanostructures obtained from broom and cooler straw. Although the exclusive application of the nanostructured broom resulted in the 43.51% adsorption of BR46, the UFA process gave rise to the substantial removal efficiency of about 93%. In the case of the nanostructured straw, the efficiency was increased from 36.9% to 55.7%. The UFA process for both adsorbents reached the equilibrium within 60 min which was shorter than the time for the only adsorption. According to the values of the mean free energy (E), the decolorization via the UFA process applying broom (15.81 kJ/mol) and straw (11.18 kJ/mol) nanostructures was occurred chemically. An insignificant loss in the adsorption capacity of both adsorbents was observed after three regeneration tests by means of 0.05 M hydrochloric acid, indicating the good reusability potential of the as-synthesized cellulosic nanostructures Author:Reza Darvishi,Cheshmeh Soltani

Histopathological changes in dental pulp of rats following radiotherapy

07 August 2018

Background: Radiotherapy is one of the oral and pharyngeal cancer treatment methods that can cause damage to the tissues in the radiation area; the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of radiotherapy on dental pulp tissue in rats. Materials and Methods: In this interventional, experimental double-blind study, 30 rats were studied in three groups (n = 10 each). The first group received 12 gray (Gy), the second group received 18 Gy in one session, and the third group was not exposed to radiation (control group). The 5 μm sections of mandibular molar tooth were prepared and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Samples were studied under optical microscope to evaluate and score inflammation, necrosis, hyalinization, and vascular congestion. The data were coded and analyzed by statistical tests of χ2 and Fisher's exact tests. The significant level of P = 0.05. Results: In Group 1, necrosis in two cases, inflammation in one case, hyalinization in one case, and vascular congestion in four cases were observed. In Group 2, inflammation in four cases, hyalinization in two cases, and vascular congestion in five cases were observed. In Group 3, inflammation was observed only in one case. In comparison between the groups, no significant differences were observed in inflammation (P > 0.05), necrosis (P > 0.05), and hyalinization (P > 0.05). However, the difference was significant for vascular congestion (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Radiotherapy with doses of 12 and 18 Gy had no significant effect on inflammation, necrosis, and hyalinization in all groups; however, the difference was significant for vascular congestion

Validity and reliability of the farsi version of the ECOS-16 questionnaire for females with osteoporosis

07 August 2018

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop a Persian version of ECOS-16 Questionnaire and assess its reliability and validity. Two hundred and twenty women with postmenopausal osteoporosis were included in the study. Patients who were diagnosed as secondary osteoporosis by clinical and laboratory examinations were excluded. For reliability, an internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient) of ECOS-16 total score was calculated. The age of the study participants ranged from 50 to 75 years old (59.9 +/- 7). Cronbach's alpha of the Persian version of the ECOS-16 was 0.84. Therefore, the Persian version of the ECOS-16 is a reliable and valid questionnaire to be used in the evaluation of quality of life in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

The Effects of Injected Vitamin D on Prognosis of Patients with Urosepsis

07 August 2018

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prescribing vitamin D on improving the symptoms of patients diagnosed with urosepsis. The participants were randomly divided into two equal groups (each consisting of 50 patients). The patients in the first group received standard treatment with 300 000 units of injected vitamin with a volume of 1 cc. As for the pa- tients in the second group, they received standard treatment along with 1 cc normal saline injected to them as placebo. Vital signs of the patients were checked every 6 h, while their CBC, EXR, CRP, creatinine, urea, and uric acid were checked 0, 24, 48, and 72 h following the interventions. Calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D levels were measured 72 h following injection of the medicine. A significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of the number of WBC’s in 24th, 48th, and 72nd hours. A similarly significant difference was reported between the case and control group in terms of the average BUN within 24th, 48th, and 72nd hours. The difference ob- served between the two groups in terms of average Cr within the 0th, 24th, 48th, and 72nd hours and in terms of days of hospitalization was also significant. Considering these results and keeping in mind the fact that no particular side effects were reported as a result of utilizing muscular injections of vitamin D and the easy and cheap use of this medicine, it can be used in auxiliary treatment of patients with urosepsis Author:Farshideh Didgar,Abolfazl Jokar,Fatemeh Kazemi

Resveratrol decreases apoptosis and NLRP3 complex expressions in experimental varicocele rat model

07 August 2018

Abstract Objective(s): Varicocele is an abnormal dilation in the testicular vein, which can cause hypoxia, reactive oxygen species accumulation, elevation in testicular temperature, and promote apoptosis and increase proinflammatory cytokine production. According to the varicocele pathophysiology, it is possible that a group of cytosolic receptors called nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes also involve in varicocele pathogenesis. Due to the important role of antioxidant in decreasing the testis tissue damage, in this study we investigated the protective effect of resveratrol (RES) on NLRP3 complex and apoptosis in experimental varicocele rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (8 rats in each group): Control, experimental left varicocele (ELV), ELV + ethanol, ELV + 20 mg/kg RES and ELV + 50 mg/kg RES. Varicocele was induced by partial ligation of the left renal vein. Three months after varicocele induction, RESwas orally administered to rats for 1 month. The expression levels of NLRP3, apoptosis associated specklike protein (ASC), caspase-1, Bax and Bcl2 were analyzed using real time PCR. Results: Our results showed that RESat both doses significantly (P=0.05) decreased the gene expression levels of ASC, NLRP3, caspase-1 and Bax and increased Bcl2 gene expression at high dose. Conclusions: RESby reducing inflammatory factors and decreasing apoptosis might be used as adjuvant therapy to reduce varicocele complication Author: Farideh Jalali Mashayekhi, Maryam Bazem,Adib Zendehd del,Elnaz Haji por

Estimation of the marginal effect of regular drug use on multiple sclerosis in the Iranian population

07 August 2018

Abstract There are only few reports regarding the role of lifetime drug or substance use in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology. In this study, we investigated the potential effect of drug or substance exposure on the onset of MS diagnosis. We conducted a population-based incident case control study in Tehran. Cases (n = 547) were 15–50 years old persons with MS identified from the Iranian Multiple Sclerosis Society (IMSS) register during August 7, 2013, and November 17, 2015. Population-based controls (n = 1057) were 15–50 years old and were recruited by random digit telephone dialing. Inverse-probability-of-treatment weighing (IPTW) using two sets of propensity scores (PSs) was used to estimate marginal incidence odds ratios (ORs) for MS contrasting pre-specified substance use. The estimated marginal OR was 6.03 (95% confidence interval: 3.54;10.3, using trimmed weights at the 95th percentile of the stabilized weight distribution) in both IPTW analyses comparing lifetime substance use (opioids, cannabis, inhalants, hallucinogens and stimulants) for at least one time monthly during a six-months or longer period vs. no such history of drug use. Subject to limitation of causal claims based on case-control studies, this study suggests that monthly drug or substance use for a period of at least six consecutive months, may increase the risk of MS by factor 3.5 or higher Author: Ebrahim Abdolah por

Novel Mutations in pncA Gene of Pyrazinamide Resistant Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

07 August 2018

Abstract In clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), resistance to pyrazinamide occurs by mutations in any positions of the pncA gene (NC_000962.3) especially in nucleotides 359 and 374. In this study we examined the pncA gene sequence in clinical isolates of MTB. Genomic DNA of 33 clinical isolates of MTB was extracted by the Chelex100 method. The polymerase chain reactions (PCR) were performed using specific primers for amplification of 744 bp amplicon comprising the coding sequences (CDS) of the pncA gene. PCR products were sequenced by an automated sequencing Bioscience system. Additionally, semi Nested-allele specific (sNASP) and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods were carried out for verification of probable mutations in nucleotides 359 and 374. Sequencing results showed that from 33 MTB clinical isolates, nine pyrazinamide-resistant isolates have mutations. Furthermore, no mutation was detected in 24 susceptible strains in the entire 561 bp of the pncA gene. Moreover, new mutations of G→A at position 3 of the pncA gene were identified in some of the resistant isolates. Results showed that the sNASP method could detect mutations in nucleotide 359 and 374 of the pncA gene, but the PCR-RFLP method by the SacII enzyme could not detect these mutations. In conclusion, the identification of new mutations in the pncA gene confirmed the probable occurrence of mutations in any nucleotides of the pncA gene sequence in resistant isolates of MTB

Alteration in CatSper1 and 2 genes expression, sperm parameters and testis histology in varicocelized rats

07 August 2018

Abstract Background: CatSper gene, a member of cation channel sperm family, has an essential role in sperm motility and male fertility. Following varicocele, sperm parameters especially sperm movement decreases. For this reason, we hypothesized that CatSper gene expression might be reduced after varicocele induction in an animal model. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of CatSper 1 and 2 genes, sperm parameters and testis histology following varicocele induction. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 Wistar male rats were randomly divided into three following groups (n=10/ each): control, sham, and varicocele group. Experimental varicocele was induced by partial ligation of the left renal vein. The epididymal sperm parameters, CatSper1 and 2 genes expression, and testes histology were studied two months after varicocele induction. Results: Our results revealed that motility (32.73±16.14%), morphology (48.80±17%) and viability (31.23±9.82%) of sperms significantly reduced following varicocele induction. In addition, we showed a significant decrease in the number of spermatogonia (43.63±5.31) and seminiferous tubules diameters (190.51±19.23 mm) in experimental varicocele rats. The level of CatSper1 and 2 genes expression evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction was significantly downregulated 2 months after varicocele induction. Conclusion: Our data indicated that experimental varicocele has deleterious effects on sperm parameters, testis structure as well as the expression of CatSper 1 and 2 genes

Association of interleukin-10 -1082 A/G (rs1800896)polymorphism with susceptibility to gastric cancer:meta-analysis of 6,101 cases and 8,557 controls

07 August 2018

ABSTRACT – Background – The promoter -1082 A/G (rs1800896) polymorphism of Interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene have been widely reported and considered to have a significant role on gastric cancer risk, but the results are inconsistent. Objective – To clarify the association, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the associations IL-10 -1082 A/G polymorphism with gastric cancer. Methods – Eligible articles were identified by searching databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar up to August 03, 2017. Odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the association. Results – A total of 30 case-control studies with 6,101 cases and 8,557 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, a significant association between IL-10 -1082 A/G polymorphism and gastric cancer risk was observed under the allele model (G vs A: OR=1.305, 95% CI=1.076-1.584; P=0.007), heterozygote model and (GA vs AA: OR=1.252, 95% CI=1.252-1.054; P=0.011) and dominant model (GG+GA vs AA: OR=1.264, 95% CI=1.053-1.516; P=0.012). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, increased gastric cancer risk were found in Asians under the allele model (G vs A: OR=1.520, 95% CI=1.172-1.973; P=0.002), homozygote model (GG+GA vs AA: OR=1.571, 95% CI=1.023- 2.414; P= 0.039), heterozygote model (GA vs AA: OR=1.465, 95% CI=1.192-1.801; P≤0.001) and dominant model (GG+GA vs AA: OR=1.448, 95% CI=1.152-1.821; P=0.002), but not among Caucasian and Latinos populations. Conclusion – These results suggested that the IL-10 -1082 A/G (rs1800896) polymorphism might contribute to the gastric cancer susceptibility, especially among Asians Author:Elnaz Foroughi, Rezavan Nasiri,Sodabeh Farahnak