Toxoplasmosis, one of the most common parasitic infections, can cause abortions in human. The purpose of this study was to determine seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis and acute form of toxoplasmosis in ...pregnant women. 208 pregnant women who referred to health centers in south-eastern Iran were taken under study after signing the informed consent forms and filling out the checklists. For those with high levels of IgG or IgM antibody titers, IgG Avidity test was performed to determine the acute infection. High level of IgG anti-body were found in sera of 81 pregnant women and 7 persons had borderline titer. IgM antibody results were positive in 33 and borderline in 4 cases. Then, the samples with positive and borderline results for IgM and IgG were evaluated by IgG avidity test. In this study, approximately 60% of pregnant women were not immune to risks posed by Toxoplasma gondii. Therefore, this group are at risk of acquiring primary infection of toxoplasmosis during gestation.
Carboxy-terminal 42 kDa region of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein-1 is considered as an important antigen in blood stage. Since, this region has been observed to be polymorphic among ...isolates of P. vivax, it is significant to survey on different regions of this antigen in various areas of the world. In the present study, the genetic diversity of cloned PvMSP-1^sub 42^ kDa gene from an Iranian patient is analyzed. Parasite DNA was extracted from a P. vivax - infected patient in Iran. The region of PvMSP-1^sub 42^ kDa was amplified by PCR, cloned into pTZ^sub 57^R/T vector and then sequenced. Sequencing of cloned PvMSP-1^sub 42^ kDa gene clearly has a high degree of homology (95%) with reference Sal-I sequence and also with the homogeneous sequences from some studied countries (97%). 38 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) were identified in cloned PvMSP-1^sub 42^ kDa gene which the mutations had localized in the 33 kDa fragment (PvMSP-1^sub 33^ kDa), while there was nearly no variation in the 19 kDa fragment (PvMSP-1^sub 19^ kDa). 2 out of 38 mutations were found as to be novel haplotypes. High similarity of cloned PvMSP-1^sub 42^ kDa gene in comparison to reference sequence and other sequences could be beneficial as a remarkable molecular marker for serological diagnostic kits of P. vivax in malarious neighboring countries of Iran and around the world.
The human neuron-specific gene, GPM6B (Glycoprotein membrane 6B), is considered a key gene in neural cell functionality. This gene contains an exceptionally long and strictly monomorphic short tandem ...repeat (STR) of 9-repeats, (GA)9. STRs in regulatory regions, may impact on the expression of nearby genes. We used CRISPR-based tool to delete this GA-repeat in NT2 cells, and analyzed the consequence of this deletion on GPM6B expression. Subsequently, the edited cells were induced to differentiate into neural cells, using retinoic acid (RA) treatment. Deletion of the GA-repeat significantly decreased the expression of GPM6B at the RNA (p < 0.05) and protein (40%) levels. Compared to the control cells, the edited cells showed dramatic decrease of the astrocyte and neural cell markers, including GFAP (0.77-fold), TUBB3 (0.57-fold), and MAP2 (0.2-fold). Subsequent sorting of the edited cells showed an increased number of NES (p < 0.01), but a decreased number of GFAP (p < 0.001), TUBB3 (p < 0.05), and MAP2 (p < 0.01), compared to the control cells. In conclusion, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of a GA-repeat in human GPM6B, led to decreased expression of this gene, which in turn, disrupted differentiation of NT2 cells into neural cells.
Background: Nowadays, some studies have shown the effect of hypericin on cancer cells. However, considering the cytotoxicity of this plant and signs of anticancer activity in the plant, ...unfortunately, there is still no proper treatment for leukemia cancer cells. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the anticancer effect of hypericin in the treatment of leukemia cancer and its possible mechanism of action.
Methods: In this study, the K562 cell line was treated with different concentrations of hypericin for 24 and 48 h. Detection of cell death was performed by 3-4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl-2,5-diphenyl-2-tetrazolium bromide assay. The rate of cell apoptosis was measured by Annexin V/propidium iodide assay using flow cytometry. The expression of Bax, Bcl2, Myc, Mdm2, and P53 genes was evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction test, and immunocytochemistry (ICC) analysis was used for further evaluation of P53.
Results: The results showed that hypericin has a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on the K562 (in much less dose compared with cisplatin). According to flow cytometry results, cell apoptosis after exposure to hypericin for 24 h was 53%, and ICC analysis on p53 confirmed this. Furthermore, after 24 h of exposure to hypericin with IC50 concentration, the expression of P53 and Bax genes increased and the expression of the Bcl2, Myc, and Mdm2 gene decreased.
Conclusion: The results showed that hypericin exerts its cytotoxicity on K562 cancer cells by downregulating Mdm2 and Myc. Based on the data acquired from the present study and many investigations till now, hypericin can be a good option for leukemia cancer cells treatment.
Pistacia atlantica
subsp.
Kurdica
(PAK) is distributed throughout the Zagros Mountains and is indigenous to Kurdistan province in western Iran. This study focused on the composition and thermal ...properties of gum extracted from female and male trees from six regions of Kurdistan province. Significant differences were detected in the total protein, total ash, total carbohydrate and monosaccharaide contents according to gender and geographic region, but no significant difference was found for moisture content. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition using HPLC showed the presence of arabinose, galactose, glucose, rhamnose and xylose. Significant differences were observed for the amino acid contents of the various PAK gum samples. The most abundant amino acids were glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, proline and histidine; however, the relative proportions of amino acids varied considerably between samples. The results indicate that the volatile components (VoC) were significantly different between samples according to gender and region, with the predominant VoC being α-Pinene. The results of thermogravimetric analysis showed that the onset of the initial and main decomposition of the samples was at 80 °C and above 240 °C, respectively. The differential scanning calorimetry results showed that nearly all gum samples included two glass transition temperatures and heat capacity values and that nearly all of the values for the female gum samples were lower than for the male samples.
This paper presents the research and development of a new electrochemical machining technique, electrochemical turning (ECT), which can produce parts with complex shapes. In this technique, the ...electrolyte passes through a tubular electrode and is pumped to the workpiece. The actual dissolution is measured by using a new type of gap measuring and control sensor. In this sensor, the electrolyte between the tool and the workpiece becomes a resistance of a bridge circuit, while three other resistances are constant. Hence, if the gap size changes, the resistance of the electrolyte and consequently the voltage of the bridge change. This voltage can be used for measuring and control the gap size. Keeping the gap size in a constant value enables the machine to compare the actual and desired dimensions. A suitable ECT setup primarily consists of various components and subsystems, e.g., a mechanical machining unit, an electrical power and controlling system, an electrolyte flow system, etc. Some experiments were performed to identify the effects of voltage, gap size, and time on the material removal rate. As can be predicted, the removal rate increased with voltage and time and decreased with gap size. Also, surface roughness increased with voltage. More attempts will generate more possible applications for ECT.
Pistacia atlantica subsp. kurdica (PAK) is one of three species in Iran and is indigenous to Kurdistan province. The aim of this reaserch was survey of the chemical composition and physical ...properties of oleoresin gum extracted from different gender of trees in six regions of Kurdistan province (Armardeh, Kanisoor, Marivan, Dezli, Hawraman and Sarvabad). Principal component analysis (PCA) assisted in analyzing the dependence of geographical
regions and tree gender with the variations of chemical components of gum. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the surface tension, interfacial tension and intrinsic viscosity contents according to gender and geographic region. Spearman rank correlation coefficient results showed significantly positive and negative correlations between gum chemical components and physical characteristics. According to the obtained results and also various medical, cosmetic and food applications of oleoresin, when collecting, the separating extracted oleoresins from trees different regions andgenera is necessary.
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