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Background and Objectives One of the side effects of immunoglobulin administration is the activation of the complement system related to the high concentration of aggregates/large polymers in the production process. Measuring anticomplementary activity (ACA) is important in pharmaceutical quality control and is a criterion of spontaneous activation of complement system in immunoglobulin products prepared from human plasma. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, ACA was established based on the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) and ACA was measured and compared in two immunoglobulin products obtained by two modified Cohn's methods A or B. The measurement is based on the ability of immunoglobulin for binding to complement and prevent the lysis of sensitized sheep red blood cells (SRBC). Therefore, immunoglobulin was incubated with guinea pig complement and then the remaining complement was titrated by CH50 method and expressed as a percentage. Results ACA values in two products in the two methods of A and B and in two consecutive days and eight times each day were determined to be 0.486 ± 0.08 and 0.466 ± 0.07 CH50/mg protein, respectively; compared to commercial IVIG (Biotest Company) that was 0.486 ± 0.07. ACA activity was measured as less than ≤ 1 CH50 ⁄mg IgG, which was in accordance with the requirements of the pharmacopoeia. Conclusions Quantitative and qualitative immunoglobulin measurements are as valuable as research and development in plasma purification processes. With the launch of the ACA test, ACA analysis has become possible during the production process as well as in the validation stages of immunoglobulin products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal models have been proven useful in elucidating the details of interaction between pathogenic bacteria and their human hosts, in addition to assessing the efficacy of therapeutic compounds and vaccines. In this study, we investigate the colonization of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in experimentally-infected guinea pigs over a six-month period. Materials and Methods: A bacterial suspension was prepared by mixing four H. pylori isolates obtained from patients diagnosed with gastric ulcer. Within a one week period, five female guinea pigs were dosed orally with bacterial suspension for a total of three times. One control animal was garaged with normal saline. Stool samples were collected at two-week intervals for six months. We used PCR, the stool antigen test, and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to assess samples for the presence of H. pylori. Stomachs obtained from two chloroform-killed animals, at 8 and 24 weeks, were investigated for histopathologic changes. Results: H. pylori 16S rDNA was amplified from the stool samples of five guinea pigs. The stool antigen test was also positive in all five animals. IFA demonstrated the presence of H. pylori antigens in the stools from all five animals. PCR, stool antigen test and IFA results showed no H. pylori in the stool of the control animal. We observed infiltration of mature lymphocytes and plasma cells in the stomachs of animals killed at 8 and 24 weeks. Conclusion: The occurrence of H. pylori 16S rDNA and antigens in stool samples of guinea pigs demonstrated persistent colonization of H. pylori in the stomachs of guinea pigs. Histopathological findings have confirmed mild-severe gastritis induced by the bacterial infection. The stomach of a guinea pig is similar to the human stomach, in that it is sterile, lined by glandular epithelium, lacks a vitamin C synthesizing system and produces the cytokine interleukin-8. Accordingly, the guinea pig can be considered an appropriate animal model for long-term experiments to follow the process of H. pylori pathogenesis or to assess the efficacy of antibiotics or vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Hirsutism is defined as male pattern hair growth in females which affects 10% of women. Our aim was to compare free salivary and free serum testosterone levels in women with hirsutism and healthy controls. Methods: This study was a case-control study in which 30 hirsute women in child bearing age were recruited and compared with 10 healthy controls. For each patient, a questionnaire containing demographic, clinical and laboratory information was completed. The salivary and serum total and free testosterone plus free androgen index were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) method. The collected data were described and analyzed using SPSS software version 11.5. Significance level was determined at 0.05. Results: No significant correlation was seen between salivary and serum free testosterone and in free androgen index with free testosteron in patients and control groups. Comparing the results between case and control groups, except for mean serum total testosterone level (P<0.05), the other results were not significantly different. No significant correlation was seen between hirsutism severity and free serum or salivary testosterone levels. Significant correlation was seen with total serum testosterone (P<0.001). Investigating correlations between these hormones with serum free androgen index, only salivary free testosterone was correlated with this index (r=0.01, P<0.05). Conclusion: In our study, we find no correlation between free serum and salivary testosterone, so it seems that this evaluation method is not an appropriate alternative for serum evaluation of this hormone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Salmonella is a group of Enterobacterias that cause infectious diseases in human and animals. Typhoid, bacteremia, enterocolitis and salmonellosis which are caused by this bacterium are considered major health concerns in developing countries, such as Iran. Quick, accurate, reliable and early diagnosis is vital to prevent Salmonella outbreak. Materials and methods: There are various diagnosis methods such as immunoassay and culture, PCR, and Real time PCR for detection of salmonella in contaminated samples. These methods require long time for diagnosis, numerous bacterial colonies, expensive laboratory equipments and expert lab personnel. Therefore, this study used a new method to avoid the disadvantages of previous methods. We used Loop-Mediated isothermal amplification of DNA (LAMP) with two fluorescent probes. Then it was compared with PCR. Results: In this study four Salmonella isolations were used for PCR, LAMP, and LAMP using fluorescent probes. The time to identify Salmonella in PCR method was three hours compared to two hours in LAMP method, while this time reduced to 70 min using LAMP with fluorescent Prob. Conclusion: LAMP with two fluorescent probes is a fast, accurate, economic and practical method with more level of coverage in medical diagnosis laboratories, legal medicine, and agricultural researches. Other advantages of this method are temperature independency and no thermo cycling by replacement of PCR machine with simple and very cheap thermo block instrument. Moreover, detection is more accurate than turbidity detection in simple LAMP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]