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Aref Teimouri,1,2 Sanaz Jafarpour Azami,1 Hossein Keshavarz,1 Fariba Esmaeili,3 Rasoul Alimi,4 Sara Ayazian Mavi,1 Saeedeh Shojaee1 1Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Students Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Background: Natural polysaccharides such as chitosan (CS) are widely used as antimicrobial agents. In recent years, and considering that CS has a strong antimicrobial potential, interest has been focused on antimicrobial activity of chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs). The main factors affecting the antibacterial activity of chitosan include molecular weight (MW) and concentration. In this regard, the aim of this study was to produce various MWs and concentrations of CS NPs, through the ionic gelation method, and investigate their potential anti-parasitic activity against tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii RH strain. Materials and methods: The MWs and degree of deacetylation of the CS were characterized using viscometric and acid–base titration methods, respectively. The efficacy of various MWs and concentrations of NPs was assessed by performing in vitro experiments for tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain, such as MTT assay, scanning electron microscopy, bioassay in mice and PCR. In vivo experiment was carried out in BALB/c mice which were inoculated with tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain and treated with various MWs of CS NPs. Results: The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that anti-Toxoplasma activity strengthened as the CS NPs concentration increased and the MW decreased. In vitro experiment showed 100% mortality of tachyzoites at 500 and 1,000 ppm concentrations of low molecular weight (LMW) CS NPs after 180 min and at 2,000 ppm after 120 min. Furthermore, a 100% mortality of tachyzoites was observed at 1,000 and 2,000 ppm concentrations of medium molecular weight (MMW) CS NPs and at 2,000 ppm concentration of high molecular weight (HMW) CS NPs after 180 min. Growth inhibition rates of tachyzoites in peritoneal exudates of mice receiving low, medium and high MWs of CS NPs were found to be 86%, 84% and 79% respectively, compared to those of mice in sulfadiazine treatment group (positive control). Conclusion: Various MWs of CS NPs exhibited great anti-Toxoplasma efficiency against tachyzoites of RH strain, with the greatest efficacy shown by LMW CS NPs in both experiments. It seems that CS NPs can be used as an alternative natural medicine in the treatment of toxoplasmosis. Keywords: chitosan nanoparticles, molecular weights, Toxoplasma gondii RH strain, degree of deacetylation

Sara Ayazian Mavi,1 Mohammad Hossein Modarressi,2 Mehdi Mohebali,1,3 Saeedeh Shojaee,1 Hojjat Zeraati,4 Aref Teimouri,1,5 Hossein Keshavarz1,31Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Center for Research of Endemic Parasites of Iran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 5Students Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranBackground: Toxoplasmosis, a protozoan parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, has been a serious human and veterinary medicine problem with global distribution. In the current study, we assessed immunogenicity and protective efficiency of a novel dual-promoter DNA vaccine, harboring SAG1 and GRA7 genes, from RH strain of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) with or without CpG-ODN as adjuvant in a murine model.Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly with pVitro-SAG1-GRA7 alone and pVitro-SAG1-GRA7 with CpG-ODN three times at three-week intervals. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to assess total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) cytokines in mice sera. Four weeks post final vaccination, MTT assay and lethal challenge-infection with 1×103 tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strain were carried out to assess stimulation index (SI) and mice survival time, respectively.Results: The IgG levels in mice immunized with multicomponent vaccines, including pVitro-SAG1–GRA7 alone and pVitro-SAG1–GRA7 with CpG-ODN, were significantly higher than those in control mice or single-gene DNA-vaccinated ones (P

Objective: The measures implemented to control the spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could affect children's mental and vision health. Youth particularly from minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to be impacted by these measures. This study aimed to examine the mental health of children with vision impairment and associated factors in North-western China during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,036 secondary school children living in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Participants completed a survey on sociodemographic and lifestyle information and answered the Chinese version of the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) questionnaire. Presenting visual acuity was measured by a trained enumerator. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify potential risk factors for mental health problems., Results: Responses from 1,992 (97.8%) children were included in the analysis after excluding those with incomplete mental health outcome data. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms within the dataset were 28.9, 46.4, and 22.3%, respectively. The distribution of children with different stress levels differed significantly between those with and without vision impairment ( p  = 0.03). Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that depression symptoms decreased with higher parental education (OR, 0.76, 95% confidence intervals (CI):0.63-0.96), longer sleep duration (OR, 0.90, 95% CI: 0.81-0.97) and longer study time (OR, 0.82, 95% CI: 0.74-0.91), whereas they increased with higher recreational screen time (OR, 1.19, 95% CI: 1.08-1.32). Anxiety symptoms decreased with higher parental education (OR, 0.80, 95% CI: 0.66-0.96) and increased with higher recreational screen time (OR, 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.27) and being a left-behind child (OR, 1.26, 95% CI: 1.04-1.54). In addition, stress symptoms decreased with longer sleep duration (OR, 0.92, 95%CI: 0.85-0.99) and increased with higher number of siblings (OR, 1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.19), higher recreational screen time (OR, 1.15, 95% CI: 1.04-1.28) and older age (OR,1.12, 95% CI: 1.004-1.24)., Conclusion: A considerable proportion of our sample experienced mental health problems during the pandemic. Healthcare planners in China should consider interventions such as reducing recreational screen time, ensuring sufficient sleep, and timely detection of mental health symptoms among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups., Competing Interests: MS has received research support from Stanford’s Maternal Child Health Research Institute and Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Aging, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Johnson and Johnson, and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. She was on the advisory board for Sunovion and Skyland Trail, was a consultant for Johnson and Johnson, Alkermes, Neumora, AbbVie, Karuna Therapeutics, Inc., and Boehringer-Ingelheim. She received honoraria from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and royalties from American Psychiatric Association Publishing and Thrive Global. GM is the research director of Clearly Initiatives and contributed to the design of this study. BX received a Ph.D. scholarship from Clearly Initiatives. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Li, Chan, Wang, Zhang, Virgili, Whitestone, Xiao, Singh, She, Mackenzie, Boswell, Mavi, Rozelle and Congdon.)

Purpose: The aim of present study was to assess the frequency, severity, and distribution of developmental defects of tooth enamel and correlate the etiology with the type of defect in 11-13-year-old Indian children., Materials and Methods: The present study included examination of permanent maxillary incisors in 500 children in the age-group of 11-13 years to examine the occurrence of distribution of developmental defects of tooth enamel., Materials and Methods: Only the buccal surface of four permanent maxillary incisors was examined for enamel defects using modified developmental defects of enamel (DDE) index by Clarkson which recognized three basic types of enamel defects; namely demarcated opacities, diffuse opacities, and hyploplsia. Personnel details, dental history which included dental infection, extraction, trauma, lifetime fluoride, fluoride in water, and medical history were also recorded. Data was coded and analyzed for distribution of developmental defects of tooth enamel by tooth type and gender using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences., Result: Out of 500, 114 (22.8%) children showed defective enamel in permanent maxillary incisors. Of all enamel defects, diffuse opacities were most prevalent with 48.25% occurrence followed by demarcated opacities 38.5%, hypoplasia 10.52%, and any other defects 1.75%. No significant difference was observed in males and females for the occurrence of developmental enamel defects. The occurrence of dental enamel defect significantly correlated with dental history as well as with medical history (Chi-squared statistical test, p -value = 0.001**)., Conclusion: (1) High fluoride in water accounts for most prevalent diffuse opacity. (2) Demarcated opacities are associated mainly with positive dental history. (3) Hypoplasia of incisors was found to be least prevalent associated with trauma, periapical infections., How to Cite This Article: Sheoran N, Garg S, Dhindsa A, et al. Study of Developmental Defects of Enamel in Young Permanent Maxillary Incisors in 11-13-year-old Indian Children for Occurrence Distribution and Associated Factors. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(S-2):S176-S182., Competing Interests: Source of support: Nil Conflict of interest: None, (Copyright © 2023; The Author(s).)

Background: Myopia is a common refractive error, where elongation of the eyeball causes distant objects to appear blurred. The increasing prevalence of myopia is a growing global public health problem, in terms of rates of uncorrected refractive error and significantly, an increased risk of visual impairment due to myopia-related ocular morbidity. Since myopia is usually detected in children before 10 years of age and can progress rapidly, interventions to slow its progression need to be delivered in childhood., Objectives: To assess the comparative efficacy of optical, pharmacological and environmental interventions for slowing myopia progression in children using network meta-analysis (NMA). To generate a relative ranking of myopia control interventions according to their efficacy. To produce a brief economic commentary, summarising the economic evaluations assessing myopia control interventions in children. To maintain the currency of the evidence using a living systematic review approach.  SEARCH METHODS: We searched CENTRAL (which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register), MEDLINE; Embase; and three trials registers. The search date was 26 February 2022.  SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of optical, pharmacological and environmental interventions for slowing myopia progression in children aged 18 years or younger. Critical outcomes were progression of myopia (defined as the difference in the change in spherical equivalent refraction (SER, dioptres (D)) and axial length (mm) in the intervention and control groups at one year or longer) and difference in the change in SER and axial length following cessation of treatment ('rebound').  DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We followed standard Cochrane methods. We assessed bias using RoB 2 for parallel RCTs. We rated the certainty of evidence using the GRADE approach for the outcomes: change in SER and axial length at one and two years. Most comparisons were with inactive controls., Main Results: We included 64 studies that randomised 11,617 children, aged 4 to 18 years. Studies were mostly conducted in China or other Asian countries (39 studies, 60.9%) and North America (13 studies, 20.3%). Fifty-seven studies (89%) compared myopia control interventions (multifocal spectacles, peripheral plus spectacles (PPSL), undercorrected single vision spectacles (SVLs), multifocal soft contact lenses (MFSCL), orthokeratology, rigid gas-permeable contact lenses (RGP); or pharmacological interventions (including high- (HDA), moderate- (MDA) and low-dose (LDA) atropine, pirenzipine or 7-methylxanthine) against an inactive control. Study duration was 12 to 36 months. The overall certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to moderate. Since the networks in the NMA were poorly connected, most estimates versus control were as, or more, imprecise than the corresponding direct estimates. Consequently, we mostly report estimates based on direct (pairwise) comparisons below. At one year, in 38 studies (6525 participants analysed), the median change in SER for controls was -0.65 D. The following interventions may reduce SER progression compared to controls: HDA (mean difference (MD) 0.90 D, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.62 to 1.18), MDA (MD 0.65 D, 95% CI 0.27 to 1.03), LDA (MD 0.38 D, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.66), pirenzipine (MD 0.32 D, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.49), MFSCL (MD 0.26 D, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.35), PPSLs (MD 0.51 D, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.82), and multifocal spectacles (MD 0.14 D, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.21). By contrast, there was little or no evidence that RGP (MD 0.02 D, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.10), 7-methylxanthine (MD 0.07 D, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.24) or undercorrected SVLs (MD -0.15 D, 95% CI -0.29 to 0.00) reduce progression.  At two years, in 26 studies (4949 participants), the median change in SER for controls was -1.02 D. The following interventions may reduce SER progression compared to controls: HDA (MD 1.26 D, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.36), MDA (MD 0.45 D, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.83), LDA (MD 0.24 D, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.31), pirenzipine (MD 0.41 D, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.69), MFSCL (MD 0.30 D, 95% CI 0.19 to 0.41), and multifocal spectacles  (MD 0.19 D, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.30). PPSLs (MD 0.34 D, 95% CI -0.08 to 0.76) may also reduce progression, but the results were inconsistent. For RGP, one study found a benefit and another found no difference with control. We found no difference in SER change for undercorrected SVLs (MD 0.02 D, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.09). At one year, in 36 studies (6263 participants), the median change in axial length for controls was 0.31 mm. The following interventions may reduce axial elongation compared to controls: HDA (MD -0.33 mm, 95% CI -0.35 to 0.30), MDA (MD -0.28 mm, 95% CI -0.38 to -0.17), LDA (MD -0.13 mm, 95% CI -0.21 to -0.05), orthokeratology (MD -0.19 mm, 95% CI -0.23 to -0.15), MFSCL (MD -0.11 mm, 95% CI -0.13 to -0.09), pirenzipine (MD -0.10 mm, 95% CI -0.18 to -0.02), PPSLs (MD -0.13 mm, 95% CI -0.24 to -0.03), and multifocal spectacles (MD -0.06 mm, 95% CI -0.09 to -0.04). We found little or no evidence that RGP (MD 0.02 mm, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.10), 7-methylxanthine (MD 0.03 mm, 95% CI -0.10 to 0.03) or undercorrected SVLs (MD 0.05 mm, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.11) reduce axial length. At two years, in 21 studies (4169 participants), the median change in axial length for controls was 0.56 mm. The following interventions may reduce axial elongation compared to controls: HDA (MD -0.47mm, 95% CI -0.61 to -0.34), MDA (MD -0.33 mm, 95% CI -0.46 to -0.20), orthokeratology (MD -0.28 mm, (95% CI -0.38 to -0.19), LDA (MD -0.16 mm, 95% CI -0.20 to  -0.12), MFSCL (MD -0.15 mm, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.12), and multifocal spectacles (MD -0.07 mm, 95% CI -0.12 to -0.03). PPSL may reduce progression (MD -0.20 mm, 95% CI -0.45 to 0.05) but results were inconsistent. We found little or no evidence that undercorrected SVLs (MD -0.01 mm, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.03) or RGP (MD 0.03 mm, 95% CI -0.05 to 0.12) reduce axial length. There was inconclusive evidence on whether treatment cessation increases myopia progression. Adverse events and treatment adherence were not consistently reported, and only one study reported quality of life. No studies reported environmental interventions reporting progression in children with myopia, and no economic evaluations assessed interventions for myopia control in children., Authors' Conclusions: Studies mostly compared pharmacological and optical treatments to slow the progression of myopia with an inactive comparator. Effects at one year provided evidence that these interventions may slow refractive change and reduce axial elongation, although results were often heterogeneous. A smaller body of evidence is available at two or three years, and uncertainty remains about the sustained effect of these interventions. Longer-term and better-quality studies comparing myopia control interventions used alone or in combination are needed, and improved methods for monitoring and reporting adverse effects., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Cochrane Collaboration.)

Purpose: To assess the impact of uncorrected hyperopia and hyperopic spectacle correction on children's academic performance., Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis., Methods: We searched 9 electronic databases from inception to July 26, 2021, for studies assessing associations between hyperopia and academic performance. There were no restrictions on language, publication date, or geographic location. A quality checklist was applied. Random-effects models estimated pooled effect size as a standardized mean difference (SMD) in 4 outcome domains: cognitive skills, educational performance, reading skills, and reading speed. (PROSPERO registration: CRD-42021268972)., Results: Twenty-five studies (21 observational and 4 interventional) out of 3415 met the inclusion criteria. No full-scale randomized trials were identified. Meta-analyses of the 5 studies revealed a small but significant adverse effect on educational performance in uncorrected hyperopic compared to emmetropic children {SMD -0.18 [95% confidence interval (CI), -0.27 to -0.09]; P < 0.001, 4 studies} and a moderate negative effect on reading skills in uncorrected hyperopic compared to emmetropic children [SMD -0.46 (95% CI, -0.90 to -0.03); P = 0.036, 3 studies]. Reading skills were significantly worse in hyperopic than myopic children [SMD -0.29 (95% CI, -0.43 to -0.15); P < 0.001, 1 study]. Qualitative analysis on 10 (52.6%) of 19 studies excluded from meta-analysis found a significant (P < 0.05) association between uncorrected hyperopia and impaired academic performance. Two interventional studies found hyperopic spectacle correction significantly improved reading speed (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Evidence indicates that uncorrected hyperopia is associated with poor academic performance. Given the limitations of current methodologies, further research is needed to evaluate the impact on academic performance of providing hyperopic correction., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.)

Aim: This study aimed to assess the desensitizing efficacy of commercially available cow milk compared to potassium nitrate (KNO 3 ) mouthwash and warm saline rinses after nonsurgical periodontal treatment., Materials and Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Public Health Dentistry of a dental college from August 21, 2018 to September 10, 2018. A total of 75 patients who reported hypersensitivity after scaling and root planing (SRP) were recruited and randomly assigned into three groups: cow milk (I), KNO 3  mouthwash (II), and warm saline rinses (III). Dentine hypersensitivity (DH) was assessed at six time points using the verbal rating scale (VRS) for thermal stimuli and visual analog scale (VAS) for air blast and thermal stimuli. Statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Mean reduction in DH in each group was measured using non-parametric tests., Results: Patients in all the three groups were found to be comparable with respect to baseline characteristics. Mean reduction in VRS and VAS scores for DH in milk and KNO 3  mouthwash was found to be significantly high as compared to warm saline rinses group., Conclusion: From the results, cow milk was found to be equivalent in efficacy as compared with KNO 3  mouthwash but superior to warm saline rinses in treating DH post-SRP., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Marya et al.)

Sarcocystis is a genus of eucoccidian parasites, which globally infects humans and various animals. In addition to economic losses in livestock industries, the parasite is a zoonosis that infects humans through contaminated beef and pork with the parasite sarcocysts. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess Sarcocystis contamination in beef and industrial raw beef burger samples from butcheries and retail stores in Tehran, Iran. Overall, 180 samples of 90 beefs and 90 raw industrial beef burgers with at least 80% meat were randomly collected in Tehran, Iran. Samples were studied microscopically after peptic digestion. Furthermore, sample genomic DNAs were used in conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify approximately 900-bp fragments from 18S ribosomal DNA. Of 180 samples, 170 samples (94.4%) were microscopically and 161 samples (89.44%) were molecularly positive for Sarcocystis spp. Eucoccidial DNA fragments were detected in 161 samples (89.4%), including 78 (86.6%) beef and 83 (92.2%) beef burger samples. No significant differences were found between the beef and beef burger infestations by Sarcocystis bradyzoites using statistical analysis ( P > 0.05). Statistically significant differences were seen between the sample type and the intensity of parasites in samples ( P = 0.003). Furthermore, differences between the conventional PCR results (positive/negative) and the intensity of parasites in samples were statistically significant ( P < 0.001). The considerable prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in beef and beef burger samples reflects high transmission of the parasite in meat producing cattle, which is important due to food hygiene. Although the most prevalent bovine species, S. cruzi , is not a zoonosis, it is highly recommended to follow guidelines on the parasite transmission prevention due to the existence of S. hominis as a zoonotic bovine species., (© 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Obesity and dental caries are two distinct diseases which are somewhat preventable through a common risk factor approach, as they have common underlying etiological factor, i.e., high sugar intake., Aim: The aim of the study is to examine the correlation between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) in rural and urban areas of Hisar (Haryana, India) and intercompare their correlations., Settings and Design: This was a cross-sectional study in rural and urban preschool children of Hisar, Haryana., Methods: A total of 500 urban and 500 rural children (age group 3-6 years) were selected from schools of Hisar and the values of their mean BMI and mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) (using the World Health Organization criteria, 2005) were compared using independent sample t-test among different groups and subgroups. Pearson correlation coefficients between dmft and BMI were calculated for groups and subgroups and intercompared., Results: Males had significantly higher BMI than females (P < 0.05) and urban preschool children had significantly higher BMI than rural preschool children (P < 0.05). Mean deft was statistically non-significant across the genders and both geographical areas. Non-significant negative correlation was observed between dmft and BMI across different areas and genders. The overall prevalence of obesity/overweight was 20.2% (25.6% urban preschool children; 14.8% rural preschool children). More rural preschool children were underweight (23.8%) than urban preschool children (14.4%) with the overall prevalence of underweight being 19.1%., Conclusions: There was no significant correlation between dental caries and BMI in preschool children of rural and urban areas. Obesity/overweight was more prevalent in urban preschool children, whereas rural preschool children predominantly were underweight., Competing Interests: None

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the world health problems. Leishmania major is the etiological agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL). Promastigote and amastigote are two morphological forms of Leishmania parasites that express different proteins and p27 is an important gene encoding cytochrome c oxidase (COX) component. P27 gene expresses a 27 kDa protein that essential in ATP synthesis. This study aimed to compare p27 gene expression in promastigote and amastigote forms in Iranian strain of L. major (MRHO/IR/75/ER)., Methods: This study was conducted in 2015. Clinical isolates of CL patients from north, center, west and south parts of Iran were collected and identified by PCRRFLP. After RNA extraction of promastigotes and amastigotes and cDNA synthesis, the expression level of p27 gene was compared by real-time RT-PCR., Results: By comparison of expression level between amastigote and promastigote forms of Iranian strain of L. major , up-regulation of p27 gene (2.73 fold) was observed in amastigotes. Moreover, there was no significant difference in p27 gene expression between L. major isolates., Conclusion: p27 gene and protein can be considered as a target in recombinant vaccine production and treatment process., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii, has possible irreparable consequences in immunocompromised patients and fetuses. Finding an effective method of prevention, such as vaccination, is crucial because of the global distribution of the parasite and the lack of effective anti-toxoplasmosis drugs. The Sag1 and Gra7 antigens of T. gondii can induce strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. Therefore, to develop a novel DNA vaccine against toxoplasmosis, we prepared a eukaryotic construct expressing the Sag1 and Gra7 genes of T. gondii (RH strain). We then verified the ability of this construct to produce the corresponding Sag1 and Gra7 antigens in mammalian cells. Using specific primers, the complete coding sequences of Sag1 and Gra7 genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from the genomic DNA of T. gondii. Then, both genes were subcloned into pVitro2-neo-mcs plasmid. The pVitro-Sag1-Gra7 construct was subjected to colony PCR, enzymatic digestion, and sequencing to confirm successful subcloning. Sag1 and Gra7 expression in HeLa cells was investigated. Sag1 and Gra7 were successfully subcloned in pVitro2-neo-mcs plasmid. The expression of Sag1 and Gra7 in HeLa cells was confirmed through Western blot analysis. The recombinant pVitro-Sag1-Gra7 construct that simultaneously produces Sag1 and Gra7 antigens in one mammalian cell may be used to develop a novel protective vaccine against toxoplasmosis.

Purpose: The present study investigates the effects of serum CA-125 level and CA-125 tissue positivity on first-year recurrences in patients with stage III/IV epithelial ovarian tumors., Methods: Of the 101 patients with EOC who had undergone systematic pelvic/para-aortic lymphadenectomy between January 2003 and December 2007 recurrence did not develop in patients with stage I/II EOC. Fifty-five patients with FIGO stage III/IV EOC were evaluated in terms of serum CA-125 level and CA-125 tissue positivity. Preoperative CA-125 levels, under 35 IU/l were considered normal. To determine the expression of CA-125 immunohistochemically, stainings exceeding 10% were considered as positive., Results: The relationship between CA-125 values and recurrence was significant in stage III/IV patients (p = 0.041/p = 0.006). The relationship between CA-125 values and recurrence was significant in the patients with serous tumor, endometrioid tumor, clear cell tumor, and undifferentiated tumor (p = 0.034/p = 0.044/p = 0.039/p = 0.043 respectively, p < 0.05). It was insignificant in mucinous tumor (p = 0.667). The relationship between CA-125 tissue expression positivity and recurrence development was significant in stage III/IV patients (p = 0.041/p = 0.029). It was significantly correlated with recurrence in the patients with serous tumor, endometrioid tumor, clear cell tumor, mucinous tumor, and undifferentiated tumor (p = 0.034/p = 0.044/p = 0.047/p = 0.036/p = 0.043 respectively, p < 0.05)., Conclusion: We were able to show that serum CA-125 values and CA-125 tissue expression can be used as markers to predict the risk of early recurrence. Many factors play an important role in the prediction of early recurrences in advanced stage EOC.

Background: The aim was to evaluate the relapse risk of vivax malaria in patients who received radical treatment in Hormozgan Province, a malarious area located on southeast of Iran., Methods: A total of 95 symptomatic vivax malaria infected patients were enrolled in urban health centers of Bandar-Abbas, Minab, Bandar-Jask and Bashagard districts of Hormozgan Province, southeast of Iran from January 2008 to March 2009 for consideration as a case- series study. DNA was extracted from parasite infected whole blood samples. A polymorphic region of Plasmodium vivax merozoite surface protein 1 (pvMSP1) was selected and a PCR method was employed for all the samples to amplify the specific variable gene fragment. The obtained fragments in primary and secondary samples were sequenced. Both nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the samples were investigated for returned patients., Results: 3.2% of the patients experienced a second attack between 83-199 days after the initial episode of infection. Alignment of nucleotide and their deduced amino acid sequences between pair sequences of primary and secondary isolates revealed 8 and 6 dissimilarities respectively for the first case, and 9 and 7 dissimilarities for the second case. Although microscopical examination of recurrent thick blood smear of the third patient confirmed new P. vivax infection, the venous blood sample was accidentally missed. Sequencing results of primary and returned isolates 1P, 1S, 2P, 2S and 3P in this study showed an identity with BP13, T117, BP13, TC28 and Chesson genotypes respectively., Conclusion: The returned (secondary) isolates may account to be for the sake of reinfection.