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Introduction Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) are defined as short lengths of 2–7 base pairs spreading through human genome which due to their highly diverse individually distribution are widely applied for identity detection and other forensic medicine purposes. Burdening considerable costs by the conventional methods such as capillary electrophoresis, we aimed to compare concomitant usage of multiplex PCR and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) as cheap, fast, highly accurate, and more accessible methods, with capillary electrophoresis (CE) to evaluate their potential for early screening of STRs. Materials and methods The present study randomly included 20 blood samples from the subjects referred to forensic medicine of Semnan, Iran. According to the size and allele frequency, we selected 8 major STR loci including CSF1PO, VWA, D18S51, TPOX, Amelogenin, FGA, SE33, and Penta D. A quad-STR multiplex PCR was performed for each locus and the PCR products were then analyzed using DHPLC machine and compared with the basic genetic properties obtained by capillary electrophoresis. Results By optimizing the PCR and DHPLC conditions, our findings suggest this strategy as an effective method for STR detection. The genotypes were determined using size of loci which led to comparable results with capillary electrophoresis confirming an insignificant variation in the detection of TOPX, Amelogenin, CSF1PO, and D18S5 (p = 0.331), but discrepant results for FGA and VWA loci (p = 0.002). Conclusion Our study proposed DHPLC method as an effective screening method to characterize TOPX, Amelogenin, CSF1PO, and D18S51 as frequently used STR loci during identity detection in forensic medicine.

Background and objective Today, bacterial resistance is one of the greatest medical challenges and it annually serves a huge amount of public and private investments since late or false diagnosis endangers the lives of patients. Beta-lactamase genes are a major cause of this challenge. The aim of the current study was to investigate the pattern of bacterial resistance in patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) in Semnan and to determine the frequency of CTX-M gene. Materials and methods Throughout the study, 400 samples of urine were collected from healthcare centers and clinical laboratories in Semnan. Then, 151 E. coli positive samples were isolated through diagnostic and confirmatory tests. Antibiogram was performed using ampicillin, nalidixic acid, ceftriaxone, nitrofurantoin, co-trimoxazole, norfloxacin, amikacin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin antibiotic discs. Ceftriaxone-resistant isolates were selected for the second stage of antibiogram. ESBL containing strains were identified and were investigated for CTX-M gene by PCR. Results The sensitivity to nitrofuratoeine antibiotic was 35.76%% (n = 54) and the lowest sensitivity was to ampicillin (7.28%, n = 11). The rate of ESBL containing strains was 33, of which 60.6% contained CTX-M gene. Among the ESBL containing strains, the highest resistance was seen to be for ampicillin (n = 30). Conclusion Due to the high percentage of resistance to ampicillin in this area, prescribing by physicians must be prohibited; in addition, more attention should be paid to the use of other antibiotics, especially third generation of cephalosporins because of high prevalence of ESBL producers like blaCTX-M.

Introduction Dried fruits such as sour cherry, plum, and apple are produced in the Semnan region. Since these products are processed and produced exposed to the air in the traditional way, the risk of their emergence is very high for microbial agents, especially those in the air. Therefore, this study was carried out to determine the contamination and its level. Materials and methods The specimens were fruit leather of sour cherry, plums, and apple. They were randomly collected from Semnan, Shahmirzad and Mahdishahr markets and transferred to the laboratory. In order to study macroscopic and microscopic morphological studies, the specimens were cultured on Sabouraud dextrose agar medium under sterile conditions. Four fungi that were important for their toxin productions, such as Penicillium, Sporothrix, Alternaria, and Rhizopus, were tested for molecular characterization. The primers used were based on the ribosomal region of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1, ITS2, and ITS4). DNA extraction was performed using the phenol-chloroform method. Finally, the samples were sequenced. Results After obtaining single colonies and studying them by microscopic methods and slide cultures, nine species of fungi were identified. The results showed that a total of 48 isolates, the genera Alternaria, Penicillium, and Rhizopus were the most frequent. The sequences were a BLAST. Species of Rhizopus stolonifer, Alternaria alternata, Penicillium chrysogenum, and Sporothrix cyanescens were identified. Conclusion Considering the toxicity of known species, the food to be studied before being consumed by the buyer should be investigated for the presence of fungal contaminations, especially toxicogenic fungi, and their mycotoxins.

In the world of curriculum development, quality of education, actual move toward decentralization, and maximum participation of instructors in curriculum planning are the major concerns of specialists. After 1980s, curriculum mapping was introduced as one of the most important strategies for improving quality of education, culture of participation and collaboration in educational institutions. This strategy can help students’ performance, improve the quality of education. In addition, researches showed that institutionalization of curriculum mapping in educational institutes has a positive effect on organizational culture and space. In this article, curriculum mapping is explained as a strategy for gaining these desired outcomes.

Laser surface alloying of an electroless plating Ni–P coatings on an Al-356 aluminium alloy was carried out using a 1-kW pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The microstructure, chemical composition and phase identification of the alloyed layer were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. It was shown that laser surface treatment produced a relatively smooth, crack-free and hard surface layer. The hardness of the surface significantly increased due to the formation of the uniformly distributed fine Ni–Al intermetallic phases. The corrosion behaviour of the surface alloyed specimens in 3.5% NaCl solution at 23 °C was also determined by electrochemical techniques. The laser-alloyed surface showed an improved corrosion and pitting potential compared to the substrate as well as the plated Ni–P coating.