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Background:Rotaviruses cause diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Rotavirus outer capsid protein, VP7 is major neutralizing antigen that is important component of subunit vaccine to prevent rotavirus infection.Many efforts have been done to produce recombinant VP7 that maintain native characteristics.We used baculovirus expression system to produce rotavirus VP7 protein and to study its immunogenicity. Methods: Simian rotavirus SA11 full-length VP7 ORF was cloned into a cloning plasmid and then the cloned gene was inserted into the linear DNA of baculovirus Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (AcNPV) downstream of the polyhedrin promoter by in vitro recombination reactions. The expressed VP7 in the insect cells was recognized by rabbit hyperimmune serum raised against SA11 rotavirus by Immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. Rabbits were immunized subcutaneously by cell extracts expressing VP7 protein. Results: Reactivity with anti-rotavirus antibody suggested that expressed VP7 protein had native antigenic determinants.Injection of recombinant VP7 in rabbits elicited the production of serum antibodies,which were able to recognize VP7 protein from SA11 rotavirus by Western blotting test and neutralized SA11 rotavirus in cell culture.Conclusion: Recombinant outer capsid glycoprotein (VP7) of rotavirus expressed in insect cells induces neutralizing antibodies in rabbits and may be a candidate of rotavirus vaccine.

"nBackground: GB virus C (GBV-C) is a flavivirus that was characterized in 1995. The prevalence of GBV-C RNA in HIV-in­fected subjects has not been previously studied in Iran and was therefore determined."nMethods: We have investigated serum samples of 80 patients from Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran, whose HIV in­fection was confirmed in our laboratory by Western-blotting. We used nested-PCR to detect GBV-C/HGV RNA in their sera."nResults: GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in 15 (18.8%) of 80 patients. There was no significant difference in GBV-C/HGV RNA preva­lence between males and females, in different age groups and HIV viral loads groups."nConclusion: The prevalence of GBV-C RNA was high in HIV-infected patients. There was no association between GBV-C RNA prevalence and specific gender, age, and HIV viral loads groups.

Background: Rotaviruses cause diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Rotavirus outer capsid protein, VP7 is major neutralizing antigen that is important component of subunit vaccine to prevent rotavirus infection. Many efforts have been done to produce recombinant VP7 that maintain native characteristics. We used baculovirus expression system to produce rotavirus VP7 protein and to study its immunogenicity. Methods: Simian rotavirus SA11 full-length VP7 ORF was cloned into a cloning plasmid and then the cloned gene was inserted into the linear DNA of baculovirus Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (AcNPV) downstream of the polyhedrin promoter by in vitro recombination reactions. The expressed VP7 in the insect cells was recognized by rabbit hyperimmune serum raised against SA11 rotavirus by Immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. Rabbits were immunized subcutaneously by cell extracts expressing VP7 protein. Results: Reactivity with anti-rotavirus antibody suggested that expressed VP7 protein had native antigenic determinants. Injection of recombinant VP7 in rabbits elicited the production of serum antibodies, which were able to recognize VP7 protein from SA11 rotavirus by Western blotting test and neutralized SA11 rotavirus in cell culture. Conclusion: Recombinant outer capsid glycoprotein (VP7) of rotavirus expressed in insect cells induces neutralizing antibodies in rabbits and may be a candidate of rotavirus vaccine.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the aspects of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Due to the increase of MetS in Iran, this study was conducted to determine the prevalence of NAFLD, its potential predictors and their sex distribution in north of Iran, Amol., Methods: In 2008 this population based cross-sectional study included 5023 adult individuals who were randomly selected from Amol healthcare centers. Blood analysis and hepatic sonography was performed for each individual and Clinical histories were reviewed. MetS was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Chi-square test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze data., Results: The prevalence of NAFLD and metabolic syndrome was 43.8% and 29.6% respectively. Both NAFLD and metabolic syndrome were significantly more prevalent in women. There was a stronger association between these two factors in women which may indicate MetS has a much more potency to result in NAFLD in women. The strongest predictors of NAFLD in men were waist circumference>102 cm, serum ALT ≥40 (U/L) and the age group of 40-60 years. The strongest predictors of NAFLD in women were waist circumference>88 cm, the age groups of 40-60 and >60 years., Conclusions: The observed prevalence is alarming because almost 7out of 10 subjects with MetS had NAFLD. As high waist circumference was an important predictor of NAFLD in both sexes, health care policies to reduce the incidence of obesity in the country will have an important impact on the occurrence of NAFLD.

Background: Rotaviruses cause diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Rotavirus outer capsid protein, VP7 is major neutralizing antigen that is important component of subunit vaccine to prevent rotavirus infection. Many efforts have been done to produce recombinant VP7 that maintain native characteristics. We used baculovirus expression system to produce rotavirus VP7 protein and to study its immunogenicity., Methods: Simian rotavirus SA11 full-length VP7 ORF was cloned into a cloning plasmid and then the cloned gene was inserted into the linear DNA of baculovirus Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (AcNPV) downstream of the polyhedrin promoter by in vitro recombination reactions. The expressed VP7 in the insect cells was recognized by rabbit hyperimmune serum raised against SA11 rotavirus by Immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. Rabbits were immunized subcutaneously by cell extracts expressing VP7 protein., Results: Reactivity with anti-rotavirus antibody suggested that expressed VP7 protein had native antigenic determinants. Injection of recombinant VP7 in rabbits elicited the production of serum antibodies, which were able to recognize VP7 protein from SA11 rotavirus by Western blotting test and neutralized SA11 rotavirus in cell culture., Conclusion: Recombinant outer capsid glycoprotein (VP7) of rotavirus expressed in insect cells induces neutralizing antibodies in rabbits and may be a candidate of rotavirus vaccine.

Background: GB virus C (GBV-C) is a flavivirus that was characterized in 1995. The prevalence of GBV-C RNA in HIV-infected subjects has not been previously studied in Iran and was therefore determined., Methods: We have investigated serum samples of 80 patients from Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tehran, Iran, whose HIV infection was confirmed in our laboratory by Western-blotting. We used nested-PCR to detect GBV-C/HGV RNA in their sera., Results: GBV-C/HGV RNA was detected in 15 (18.8%) of 80 patients. There was no significant difference in GBV-C/HGV RNA prevalence between males and females, in different age groups and HIV viral loads groups., Conclusion: The prevalence of GBV-C RNA was high in HIV-infected patients. There was no association between GBV-C RNA prevalence and specific gender, age, and HIV viral loads groups.