Search

Objective(s): Polyethylenimine (PEI) is one of the most widely used polymers in gene delivery. The aim of this study was to modify PEI by replacing some of its primary amines with Brevinin 2R (BR-2R) peptide in order to increase the efficiency of gene delivery.Materials and Methods: Polyethylenimine was modified by BR-2R peptide by two different approaches; A) conjugation methods including (І) using succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP), (П) EDC/NHS protocol and (ПІ) EDC/NHS+6-bromohexanoic acid protocol, and B) physical interaction method. The modified polymers were characterized for their ability of plasmid condensation, number of primary amines, size and zeta potential. The transfection efficiency and cytotoxicity were evaluated on HEK293, L929, WEHI164 and Neuro2A cell lines by green fluorescent protein (GFP)-based plasmid (pGFP) reporter gene and viability assays, respectively. Apoptosis induction ability was also evaluated via PI/Annexin V assay. Results: Polyplex had size and zeta potential between 200-270 nm and +21.5- +28.4 mV, respectively. All vectors were able to condense plasmid DNA in C/P=4 (carrier-plasmid ratio). Transfection results on the Neuro2A cell line showed that the vector containing the BR-2R peptide, which was synthesized using EDC-NHS protocol had the best transfection efficiency. Conclusion: Our results showed that conjugation of Brevinin 2R as cell penetrating peptide to polyethyleneimine could enhance the transfection ability of the polymer.

This paper presents the findings of a basic study on biochemical characteristics and activity of lysozyme extracted from a commercially important fish, Caspian kutum, Rutilus kutum, Kamensky 1901. The enzyme was purified by the ammonium sulphate precipitation method and cationic exchange chromatography. Molecular weight of lysozyme was estimated as 15.8kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimum pH and temperature were 6.0 and 45.0°C, respectively,while the Km and Vmax values were 0.00007g mL-1 and 200units min-1, respectively. Thermo-stability of the enzyme was low at the temperatures higher than 50°C. The enzyme activity increased in the presence of NaCl (1-50mM), KCl (1-50mM) and CrCl2 (1-5mM), then decreased at the higher concentrations. Furthermore, the enzyme activity significantly decreased in the presence of FeCl2 and CuCl2 (1-100mM), but not stable in the presence of MgCl2. SDS inhibited the activity, but the enzyme exhibited a good degree of resistance to urea. Fluorescence quenching was observed in the presence of FeCl2 and CuCl2. Emission intensities in the presence of NaCl, KCl, CrCl2 and SDS were elevated, while was negligible for the urea. Our results exhibitedthat NaCl and KCl are well-established salts for elevating the enzyme activity.However, the purified lysozyme did not display a moderate stability against others salts. Besides, the purified lysozyme from R. kutum was not heat stable. Therefore, some phenomena such as water hardness and warming can exert negative effects on the innate immunity of the fish. So, the enzyme structure can be made more stable by medium engineering through changing the salt composition of aqueous solution.

Meaning in life seems to be a significant factor in characterizing the elderly’s well-being, health and quality of life. However, meaning in life has scarcely been covered by researchers. Hence, the main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of life review based group counseling on meaning in life in the elderly. This study was a quasi-experimental of pretest-posttest and control group with a follow-up design. The statistical population consisted of all the aged the member of community centers in Tehran, Iran, of which Omid and Melal were selected randomly. It was convenience sampling through which the statistical samples were selected in that selected among people who had been scored less than the cut-off point in Crumbaugh and Maholick's Purpose in Life Test were eight participants from each community center. Life review intervention was performed through 15 weekly 90-minute sessions. Having been undergone through the Analysis of Covariance‌, the results demonstrated that the life review intervention has a significant effect on meaning in life in the elderly (P

Abstract Background Tropical theileriosis is widely distributed from North Africa to East Asia. It is a tick-borne disease caused by Theileria annulata, an obligate two-host intracellular protozoan parasite of cattle. Theileria annulata use leukocytes and red blood cells for completion of the life-cycle in mammalian hosts. The stage of Theileria annulata in monocytes and B lymphocytes of cattle is an important step in pathogenicity and diagnosis of the disease. Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) are a distinct class of glycolipid structures found in eukaryotic cells and are implicated in several biological functions. GPIs are particularly abundant in protozoan parasites, where they are found as free glycolipids or attached to proteins in the plasma membrane. Results In this study we first isolated and purified schizonts of Theileria annulata from infected leukocytes in Theileria annulata vaccine cell line (S15) by aerolysin-percoll technique. Then, the free GPIs of schizont stage and isolated GPI from cell membrane glycoproteins were purified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Furthermore, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on the serum samples obtained from naturally infected, as well as Theileria annulata-vaccinated animals, confirmed a significant (P

Background and Aim: Renal transplantation is one of the main treatments of chronic renal disease that creates a more optimal condition and reduces the risk of fatality. The most common reason behind the functional problems of transplanted kidney in its initial postoperation phase is acute renal transplant rejection, the timely diagnosis of which would help the doctors, begin the required treatments immediately to maintain renal functionality, and prevent further irrecoverable damages. Therefore, identifying the variables which are accurate and reliable predictors of renal transplant rejection can be hugely beneficial. Materials and Methods: In this historical cohort study, 87 nondiabetic patients with renal failure who had received treatments at Kidney Transplantation Department of Imam Reza and Ghaem Hospitals of Mashhad, Iran, were selected and their demographic and clinical characteristics were collected. Among these data, creatinine, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and serum insulin, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and T3 and T4 hormones were measured four times after the transplant operation. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.3 and MedCalc 13 software. First, the missing data were imputed with appropriate imputation methods, and then using logistic regression and area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the most important detectors of acute renal transplant rejection were determined. Significance level (α) was set at 0.01. Results: Using logistic regression analysis and drawing ROC curves for average value of four measurements, the effect of serum creatinine and T4 hormone was found statistically significant (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Results showed that among six variables that were studied (creatinine, FBS, insulin, TSH, T3, and T4), serum creatinine and T4 hormone were statistically significant and also were the most important of acute renal transplant rejection.

Considerable economic importance and wide range of applications of thermo-stable amylases in various industries has significantly increased the demand for amylase production with optimal stability properties. Natural bacterial flora of hot springs can be used as new sources for α- amylase production due to high tolerance to heat and stability in different pH ranges. In this study, Ghinarjeh hyperthermal hot spring was studied to identify the bacterial species that have amylase activity. Bacterial clones producing amylase were identified based on biochemical characteristics and molecular methods. In the next step, the growth conditions of isolated bacteria and amylase production were optimized. Finally, after extraction and purification of α- amylase enzyme from isolated clones, biochemical characteristics were evaluated. The results showed that isolated bacterial clone is a member of the genus Bacillus, and also indicated that the purified enzyme is a thermostable, and calcium-independent amylase enzyme. The purified amylase showed maximum activity at pH˷ 8, however the enzyme is active and stable in a broad range of acidic and alkaline pH (3.5- 10). The enzyme has maximum hydrolysis activity at 80°C and 80% of this activity remains at 50-70°C. According to this study, this bacterial strain can be suitable and promising source for production of high performance, thermostable amylase in order to use at industrial level.

Abstract Background: The aim of current study was to investigate the existence of any possible relationship between the components of self-knowledge and affiliation with delinquent peers at tendency to addiction among high school student girls. Materials and Methods: The research method is correlation. 132 high school student grils were selected through a random cluster sampling method in 2014-2015 academic years, and responded to the self-knowledge, affiliation with delinquent peers, and tendency to addiction scale questionnaires. For data analysis, the Pearson coefficient and stepwise regression are used. Results: The findings of the study showed that, among the components of self knowledge, there is a meaningful and negative relationship between self-observation with tendency to addiction (p

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007217.].

Leishmaniasis, as a major health problem in tropical and sub-tropical areas in the world, needs novel, safe, nontoxic and plausible therapeutic solutions for its control. As a part of innate immune system, natural antimicrobial peptides have a potential to be used as new generation of antibiotics especially after persistent resistance of conventional antimicrobial agents. Brevinin 2R, a member of Defensin families of host defense peptides, showed promising effects against bacterial and fungal infections as well as cancerous cell lines. In the current research, the anti-leishmanial effect of Brevinin 2R and its lauric acid conjugate was investigated against Leishmania major (L. major) parasite. The data revealed that, conjugation of fatty acid to Brevinin 2R, strengthen its effect on L. major promastigotes as well as toxicity and hemolytic effect. These peptides showed anitleishmanial activity through cell membrane disruption and changes in the electrical and mitochondrial membrane potential. No signs of apoptosis induction or caspase activation were detected. Despite its hemolytic and cytotoxic effect in in vitro conditions, lauric acid- Brevinin 2R (L- Brevinin 2R) did not show site specific adverse reactions in animal model. Treatment course with L- Brevinin 2R in the L. major infected mice exhibited decreased parasite load in the lymph nodes adjacent to the infected site despite cytokine production profile and footpad swelling data.