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The increased utilization of mechanically stable synthetic matrices, particularly silica gel as a solid support and its surface modification by covalent polymer grafting through a spacer unit for extractive concentration of trace neodymium in human biological fluid and environmental samples are highlighted in the present article. First, silica surface was modified by silylation with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane followed by graft polymerization. Modified silica was grafted with polymer containing a functional monomer for metal chelating, poly[1-(N, N-bis-carboxymethyl)amino-3-allylglycerol-co -dimethylacrylamide] (poly(AGE/IDA-co-DMAA). The resulting sorbent has been characterized by FTIR, elemental analysis, FT-Raman, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The sorption capacity of the functionalized sorbent was 53.3 mg g−1. The chelating sorbent can be reused for 15 cycles of sorption–desorption without any significant change in sorption capacity. The profile of neodymium uptake on this sorbent reflects good accessibility of the chelating sites in the poly(AGE/IDA-co-DMAA)-grafted silica gel. Scatchard analysis revealed that the homogeneous binding sites were formed in the polymers. The equilibrium adsorption data of Nd(III) on modified sorbent were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Redlich–Peterson models. The method was successfully applied for determination of neodymium ions in human plasma and sea water sample. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 31: 257–270, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/adv.20249

The reactive intermediate generated by the reaction of alkyl isocyanides and dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates was trapped by N-aryl-3-hydroxynaphthalene-2-carboxamide for the preparation of substituted 4H-chromenes in good yields.

Summary Objective In the present study, we evaluated the occurrence of fungal rhinosinusitis (FRS) and those causative agents in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) from Sari city, the capital of Mazandaran, a northern province of Iran. Patients and methods During one year, we studied FRS in 50 consecutive patients with CRS undergoing endoscopic sinus surgery at Boo Ali hospital from Sari city, Iran. Surgical sinus specimens were analyzed by histopathological and mycological methods. These samples were also processed for fungal culture. Total serum IgE was evaluated in all patients. Results Nasal obstruction and congestion was the commonest (96.0%) clinical presentation. Out of 50 patients, 70.0% and 40.0% patients were positive for fungi by microscopic and culture methods, respectively. Aspergillus (45.0%) was the commonest isolated fungi. Twelve (24.0%) patients showed allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS). Nasal polyps, history of atopy and eosinophilic mucin were seen in all patients with AFRS. Three (6.0%) patients met criteria for sinus fungal ball. Aspergillus was the most prevalent isolated fungi from all categories of FRS. Conclusion In concordant to other studies from warm and humid regions, we also showed that FRS is a common disorder in patients with CRS and Aspergillus as the prevalent isolated fungi in these patients. Sinonasal polyps, history of atopy and eosinophilic mucin showed strong association with AFRS, therefore, using of these items as important criteria in diagnosis of AFRS are emphasized.

Problem statement: In this research, the Variational Homotopy Perturba tion Method (VHPM) which is a combination of Variational Iterat ion Method (VIM) and Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) used for the Zakharove-Kuznetsov equations (ZK-equations). Approach: These two methods are proposed by chinese researcher J.H.He. M.A.Noor improved these two methods and established the VHPM. The numerical solution of ZK-equation is of great importance dut to it's ability to model of traveling wave and nuclear fusion so, f inding it's solution is very important. Results: In this study we presented an efficient and reliable t reatment of the VHPM for this nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (PDEs). This method is based on Lagrange multipliers for identification of optimal value of parameters in a functional and Homotopy Perturbation Method. By applying this method we found the solution of ZK-equations with simple and reliable method and without time consuming calculations. Comparisons were made among the Variational Iteration Method (VIM), Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM) and the proposed method. Conclusion: The results revealed that the proposed method is very effective and can be used for other nonlinear problems in applied mathematics. In following sections, first we introd uce the applied method , then we used that for finding the solution of our equations and finally t he effectiveness and usefulness of proposed method was shown in comparison with other methods.

Chronic diseases like diabetes are incurable diseases witch can be controlled and the patients are always exposed to stressful physical, mental, and social factors, so this study aims at determining the quality of life in the diabetes patients and assessing its different dimensions. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was done in 2008, statistical society was all patients with diabetes in khoramabad who referred to hospital to cure their diseases, of them 150 cases were selected using simple random sampling and then data was gathered by a self-fulfilling questionnaire made of two sections the demographic and the quality of life. The quality of life included three parts: physical, mental and social dimension. To credit questionnaire the contents credit and external credit type were used and to determine constancy, Kern Bach α coefficient was used. Based on the obtained score, the quality of life for patients was divided into two parts, non-optimal (points below 54) and optimal (=54 or more than it). Results: The results revealed that the quality of life was non- optimal in 58. 3% of the cases and optimal in 41. 7% of the cases, While 79. 9% of the cases in physical dimension and 71. 5% of them in mental dimension had non- optimal quality of life, although 80. 6% of the cases had optimal quality of life in social dimension. In addition, age, sex, marital status, career, education and the duration of the diabetes had statistically significant relation with the quality of life. Conclusion: Regarding the fact that half of the patients had non- optimal quality of life in physical and mental dimensions, it is recommended that the authorities take advisory, educational, material activities to improve patients’ quality of life.

Introduction: The use of low energy isotopes such as 103 Pd in brachytherapy for the treatment of cancers such as prostate, eye, head, neck, breast and cervix is increasing. In this regard, different models of Pd- 103 seeds have been designed and manufactured at the Agricultural, Medical and Industrial Research School (AMIRS) of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. In this research, the dosimetric parameters of the second model of Pd-103 seed manufactured at AMIRS have been calculated and measured. Materials and Methods: The dosimetric parameters of the second Pd-103 seed manufactured at AMIRS were determined according to TG-43U1 protocol using Monte Carlo calculations (MCNP4C computer code) and measurements performed using TLD-GR200A dosimeters in a Perspex phantom. The parameters include dose rate constant, geometry function, radial dose function, anisotropy function, anisotropy factor and anisotropy constant. Results: It was found that by using MCNP4C code the calculated dose rate constant in water and Perspex was 0.706±0.001 and 0.501±0.001 cGyh -1 U -1 , respectively. Using the calculated geometry function, the radial dose function and the anisotropy function were determined by experimental and theoretical methods in water and Perspex phantom. Also, the calculated value of anisotropy constant in water was equal to 0.88. Discussion and Conclusion: A discrepancy of less than 10% between the calculated and the measured values indicates a reasonable agreement between the simulation and the measurement method. Also, the dosimetric parameters of this seed have been compared to the dosimetric parameters of the first Pd-103 seed manufactured at AMIRS and some other seeds. The obtained results indicate that the seeds manufactured at AMIRS have acceptable dosimetric parameters suitable for brachytherapy applications.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of pollen of saffron extract cream in the treatment of thermal induced burn wounds and to compare its results with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) in rats. Animals were divided into four groups and administrated a topical cream including control, base, saffron (20%) or SSD (1%) at 24 hour after a burn injury that was induced by hot water. In special days, according to a pre-planned schedule, animal's weight, wound size, as well as skin histo-pathology were determined in different groups under topical treatments. On day 25, average size of wound was 5.5, 4, 0.9 and 4.1 cm2 in control, base, saffron and silver groups. The wound size of saffron group was significantly smaller than other groups. Histological comparison has shown that saffron significantly increased re-epithelialization in burn wounds, as compared to other cream-treated wounds. Although the exact mechanism of saffron is unclear, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of saffron may have contributed to the wound healing. The results of this study raise the possibility of potential efficacy of saffron in accelerating wound healing in burn injuries.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) consist of more than 100 types and are known to be associated with numerous malignant tumors, including carcinomas of the mucosal and cutaneous epithelium. Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most frequently occurring malignancy worldwide in the Caucasian population. Some studies have shown that NMSC biopsy specimens harbor cutaneous as well as mucosal human papillomavirus, suggesting that mucosal types may play a role in development and progression of the tumor in skin. To investigate the presence of mucosal HPV types in skin lesions, we performed a retrospective study in which 288 paraffin embedded biopsies from benign and malignant skin lesions (NMSC) were collected. Using nested PCR with MY09/11 and GP5+/6+ primers mucosal HPVs were detected in 25.7% of malignant specimens, but just in 0.7% of benign lesions. Direct sequencing revealed HPV18 as the most frequent type, which was found in 75% of HPV-positive specimens. HPV16 and HPV56 were also detected, 22.3 and 2.7%, respectively. These findings suggest that, high-risk mucosal HPV types recently identified as significant risk factors for cervical cancer, may also represent a risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer.

Background Cancer-testis antigens are among the new promising biomarkers, especially for targeted therapy. Aberrant and specific expression of these proteins has been reported in some tumor tissues. Also understanding their differential role in normal and cancer tissues may introduce them as new candidates for biomarker in cancer. Methods AKAP3 expression was investigated in 162 tumors, normal adjacent and normal tissues of the breast with Real-Time PCR. Also the correlation between the gene expression and clinico-pathologic features of the tumors and treatment regimen was evaluated. Results There was an association between lack of AKAP3 expression in tumor tissues and triple negative status (p=. 03). There was also a correlation between lack of this marker and tumor size (p = .01) and stage (p = .04). Lack of AKAP3 in normal adjacent tissues was associated with poor prognosis. Kaplan Meier plot demonstrated a remarkable better 5-year disease free survival in AKAP3 positive normal adjacent group. Conclusions It was found that this relationship is originated from the difference in AKAP3 expression, not therapy distribution between two groups of patients. Thus, it may be a proper biomarker candidate for triple negative breast cancer patients. Also, testing AKAP3 in normal tissue of the patients may be used to predict the outcome of the treatment.

Enhancement of repair potential for degenerative brain diseases has been a research priority during recent years. Considering recent advancements in the field of direct transdifferentiation, conversion of astrocytes as a prominent component of glial scars to the progenitor cells that contribute to the repair mechanisms seems interesting. Recently, we have reported miR-302/367-mediated in vivo conversion of astrocytes into neuroblasts and neurons. In the current study, we used miR-302/367 and valproate (VPA) to show the possibility of conversion of astrocytes to oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and myelinating cells in a cuprizone (CPZ)-induced model of demyelination. Evaluation of behavioural impairment following CPZ and consequent to the treatments showed functional recovery from impairments. Enhanced remyelination was detected by luxol fast blue staining and immunostaining against two mature myelin markers, myelin basic protein and proteolipid protein. Tracing of transduced cells with green fluorescent protein showed their contribution toward generation of new myelinating cells. These findings have suggested that in vivo specific targeting of astrocytes for forced expression of the miR-302/367 cluster and VPA administration may increase the brain's potential for repairing myelin insults by the generation of oligodendroglia from astrocytes. This finding may open a new avenue for enhancement of brain repair in neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Copyright © 2017 John WileySons, Ltd.

Background:Medicinal plants have a long history in treating blood disorders, which is one of the most common problems in today's advanced world. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a medicinal plant with a high content of polyphenols and has antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of fennel on some hematological indices in male rats. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, thirty male Wistar rats were divided into six groups (five rats in each group). The first group (control) did not receive any dose; the second group (sham) received 1 mL normal saline (extraction solvent); and the experimental groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively received 1 mL hydro alcoholic extract of fennel in four doses of 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg of body weight every 48 hours for 30 days by gavage. One day after the last gavage following induction of anesthesia and taking blood from the heart of rats, measurement of red and white blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit and tests of bleeding and coagulation time (CT) were performed. The data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA test using SPSS15 software. Results: Fennel increased mean RBC (7.54 ± 0.53 × 106) and WBC (5.89 ± 0.78 × 103) values, especially at a dose of 250 mg/mL and CT (2.45 ± 0.20) at a dose of 500mg/mL compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Fennel increased red and white blood cells probably due to the presence of polyphenols and antioxidant activity of fennel and reduced negative effects of free radicals on blood cells.

The Effects of Avocado Fruit Methanolic Extract on Human Gastric Adenocarcinoma Cell Line in Comparison with Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancerrelated deaths in worldwide. Adenocarcinomas comprise the majority of stomach cancers that are usually diagnosed in the late stage with low survival rate and have prompted considerable interest in neo adjuvant therapies to improve longevity. It has been reported that neoplasias in the gastrointestinal system are mostly due to change in dietary habits. The therapeutic effect of herbal materials in suppression of cancer cell proliferation was shown. In this study, we evaluated the efficiency of methanolic extract of avocado fruit on the inhibition of growth of gastric adenocarcinoma cell line, in comparison with normal cells.

Background: Cancer/testis antigens (CTAs) are members of a group of proteins which are normally expressed in testis germ cells and to a lesser extent in the ovaries. Because of recent reports about their aberrant and specific expression in some tumoral tissues, they may play a role as new candidates for targeted therapy. Therefore, the study of the expression pattern of these biomarkers and its relationship with clinical features of the patients is a subject of great interest. Methods: In this study, expression of PIWIL2 and genes was studied by multiplex RT-PCR in 65 breast tissue samples including 30 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC), 30 normal adjacent tissue samples and five normal breast tissue samples and 2 normal testicular tissue samples as positive controls. beta actin was considered as internal control. Results: Results of gel electrophoresis analysis demonstrated no significant expression of target genes in any sample except testis. Simultaneously, beta actin was expressed in all the samples. Conclusions: The present study indicates lack of PIWIL2 and PL2L60 expression at mRNA level in breast cancer. Although cell lines can be used in cancer research, they are not representative of tumor tissues. More studies investigating the expression of these genes at protein level will help us decide whether to apply these candidate genes as tumor markers or not.

In this paper, a new algorithm based on SQP method is presented to solve the nonlinear inequality constrained optimization problem. As compared with the other existing SQP methods, per single iteration, the basic feasible descent direction is computed by solving at most two equality constrained quadratic programming. Furthermore, there is no need for any auxiliary problem to obtain the coefficients and update the parameters. Under some suitable conditions, the global and superlinear convergence are shown. Keywords: Global convergence, Inequality constrained optimization, Nonlinear programming problem, SQP method, Superlinear convergence rate.

The main goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of new adsorbent, treatedPeganum harmala-Lseeds (TPHS), for the removal of Ni (II) from aqueous solution. Batch experiments were performed as a function of various experimental parameters. The adsorption studies included both equilibrium adsorption isotherms and kinetics. Equilibrium data fitted very well with the Langmuir isotherm model. Maximum adsorption capacity was determined 91.74 mg/g at pH 7. Kinetics studies showed better applicability for pseudo-second-order model for both adsorbents. The negative value ofΔG°confirmed the feasibility and spontaneity of TPHS for Ni (II) adsorption.

Background & Objective: This study was designed for the first time for the detec- tion of mutant BRAF V600E and its correlation with clinicophathologic features in a sample of Iranian patients with pathologically proved pigmented skin neoplasms. Methods: 82 paraffin-embedded blocks, including melanocytic nevi, malignant melanoma, Basel cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma were evaluated for BRAF V600E expression by immunohistochemistry in the patients admitted to Ibn Sina Hospital, in the city of Sari, Mazandaran province, North of Iran. The evaluation of immunohistochemical staining was performed by two of the authoring pathologists, and staining intensity was graded from negative (0), weak (1+), moderate (2+) to strong (3+). If twenty percent (or greater) of the tumor cells showed modest to strong cytoplasmic immunoreactivity (score 3+), the neoplasm was considered positive for this tumor marker. Results: Among 82 studied patients, 12 cases (60%) of the malignant melanoma group revealed a high intensity of immunostaining for BRAF V600E, while a signifi- cant expression of this marker did not occur in the other investigated skin neoplasm. A great relation between BRAF (V600E) expression and the histologic type of skin cancer was noted. No significant relationship with other parameters such as gender, age, and the grade differentiation of the non-melanoma skin cancer was found. BRAF V600E was weakly correlated with the Clark level of cutaneous malignant melanoma. Conclusion: This data provided further evidence for the strong role of the BRAF V600E mutation in the development of cutaneous malignant melanoma, compared to non-melanoma skin cancers in the North of Iran. We advised future studies to evaluate the beneficial effects of anti-BRAF V600E target therapy on the Iranian melanoma patient who harbors this marker by way of immunostaining tumor tissue.

Background: Staphylococci release a large number of enzymes. Some of these, such as coagulase, beta- lactamase, hemolysins and biofilms are considered indices of pathogenicity. Objectives: The aim of the current study was based on the isolation and identification of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococci (CNS) strains from various skin lesions and examining their biofilms, beta- lactamase, hemolysins production and antibiotic resistance pattern. Materials and Methods: Sixty one infected wounds and 39 skin infections samples were collected and examined. After the culture and identification, examination for production of hemolysins, beta- lactamase, biofilm and susceptibility toward 9 antimicrobials was performed. Results: Out of 75 isolated Staphylococci, sixty (80%) were biofilm producers. Two overall prevalence of 28.5% and 100% of ß-lactamase production were recorded for isolated S. aureus and CNS, respectively. Twenty out of 49 (40.8%), the same number of α- and β- hemolytic S. aureus, were isolated while six (12.24%) were ∂ -hemolysin producers. Twenty two of Twenty six (84.6%) isolates of CNS, were hemolysin producers that all were ∂ type. The S. aureus isolates from wound infections, show a high sensitivity pattern to all examined antibiotics, this sensitivity pattern for isolates from skin dermatitis is relatively low, though. Conclusions: High percentage of hemolysins, biofilm and beta lactamase production by isolated Staphylococci, suggests an important role of these virulence factors in the pathogenesis of isolated Staphylococci from dermatitis lesions. The S. aureus isolates from wound infections, show a high sensitivity pattern to all examined antibiotics. Only ciprofloxacin was found to be active against all isolates from dedermatitis lesions.

Endogenous D-serine is known to modulate glutamatergic transmission via interaction with the glycine site of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. D-serine is synthesized by racemization of L-serine using an enzymatic reaction catalyzed by serine racemase. Although much attention has been focused on the role of D-serine within the central nervous system, the physiological role of D-serine in enteric nervous system has not been investigated. Lower esophageal sphincter (LES) function is known to be modulated by NMDA-dependent mechanisms. The present study was aimed to study the expression of enzymes involved in D-serine metabolism and the function of D-serine in lower esophageal sphincter in rats. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting showed the expression of serine racemase in isolated rat LES. Electrical field stimulation was used to induce non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) contraction/relaxation of isolated rat LES in an organ bath using an isometric force transducer. The organ bath studies on isolated rat LES showed that incubation with D-serine (100 μM) is associated with a significant increase in the NANC contraction of isolated LES. This effect of exogenous D-serine was inhibited by NMDA receptor antagonists (MK-801), suggesting that NMDA receptors are involved in the effects of D-serine on NANC contraction of LES. Incubation with D-serine did not show a significant effect on NANC relaxation within our experimental setting. The results of this study suggest that serine racemase is expressed in LES and D-serine modulates contraction of the lower esophageal sphincter in rats.

The reactive intermediate generated by the reaction of alkyl isocyanides and acetylenedicarboxylates is trapped by carboxamide (I) yielding substituted 4H-chromenes (IV).

Background. Psoriasis is a common, genetically determined inflammatory and proliferative disease of the skin. Psychological stress can exacerbate the disease. This study sought to investigate the depression and anxiety disorders among patients with psoriasis and control group.Method. In this hospital-based case-control study, One hundred patients with psoriasis (case) referred to the dermatology department and 100 patients with otolaryngology problems and dermatological healthy volunteers (control) who referred to the Otolaryngology Department of Bouali Sina Hospital in Sari, Iran, in 2007 were studied. Demographic characteristics were recorded. Beck Depression Inventory and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale I-II were administered to the patients in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and descriptive statistical tests.Results. From One-hundred patients in each group, 44 (45%) were men. Depression score was 67% and 12% in psoriatic patients and control, respectively. The Beck depression scores of patients with psoriasis were significantly higher than scores of the control group (P<0.05). Based on Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale, anxiety was found in 45% of patients in case group and 18% of controls.Conclusion. The results revealed that psoriatic patients reported significantly higher degrees of depression and anxiety than controls. In addition, psoriatic women were more depressed than psoriatic men.

Background: During antigen capture and processing, mature dendritic cells (DC) express large amounts of peptide-MHC complexes and accessory molecules on their surface. DC are antigen-presenting cells that have an important role in tolerance and autoimmunity. The transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) cytokine has a regulatory role on the immune and non-immune cells. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of TGF-β1 on the induction of human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) expression on the DC which is derived from monocyte. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the effect of TGF-β1 in induction HLA-G expression on the monocyte-derived DC by flowcytometry and then CD4+ T cell proliferative responses in the presence of DC-treated TGF-β1 was studied. Results: The results of this study showed that DC bearing HLA-G down-regulated activation of CD4+ T cells and production of IL-6 and IL-17 in comparison with control (P

Morning report is an educational process in which participants try to solve a diagnostic problem by discussing the patients (1). In spite of this fact that morning report is one of the most practical, clinical, and educational methods in the world, there is no special paradigm for it (2). Thus, it is necessary to assess it for students’ educational planning. Because there was no reference about the compatibility between the diagnosis reported in morning reports and educational curriculum, all the recorded information about the patients in morning reports between 2006 and 2010 was selected as research population. All of the information was recorded in information sheets. Then, the compatibility between diagnosis presented in morning report and educational curriculum of pediatrics department was assessed. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 16) using chi-square, independent t-test and, analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings showed that most of the cases were recorded in 2007 (29% of all cases). Fewest cases were recorded in 2008. 57.3% of all patients were male. 72.4% were compatible with educational curriculum and 27.6% were not included in educational curriculum. Most reported diseases were toxicity, seizures, fever seizures, and icterus, respectively. In this study, the compatibility of patients and educational curriculum (72.4) was compatible with the findings of the study conducted by Durning et al. (2003) in which they compared the content of morning reports with principles of standard guidelines and showed that they were in line with each other (3). Further, the findings of this study indicated that the compatibility of patients and educational curriculum has decreased during the recent years. Spickard et al. (2000) in a research titled “Outpatient Morning Report: A New Conference for Internal Medicine Residency Programs” showed that residents choose morning report topics in most cases (73%) while just 20% of medical students share the topic selection (4). The results of Spickard’s study are compatible with the findings of the present study indicating the morning reports are being more specialized. Most reported diseases in the current study were toxicities, seizures, and icterus, respectively, while the results of Westman’s study entitled “ Factors Influencing Morning Report Case Presentations” showed that most reported cases were cardiac (20.3%), infectious (13.2%), gastro-intestinal (11.5%), lung (11%), hematologic (10.1%), and general medicine (6.2%) diseases (5). Because in the current study only the pediatrics wards were assessed, differences are reasonable. In the end, since 51 cases in morning reports were not compatible with educational curriculum, we suggest more studies be conducted to analyze whether to add theoretical curriculum to the educational program or not

Background: Castleman’s disease or angiofollicular lymphoid hyperplasia is a rare benign lymph node hyperplasia usually presenting as an asymptomatic mediastinal mass in children. The disease can present at any extra thoracic site with lymphoid tissue such as retroperitoneal, mesentery, axilla, and pelvis. Hepatic localization castleman disease is very rare in children. Herein, we reported a case of Castleman’s disease arising from the lymph node in hilum of liver. Case presentation: A 5 -year-old girl with chief complaint of abdominal pain for two months which exaggerated in last three days was referred to the hospital. On routine physical examination, only a generalized abdominal pain was noticed. Routine laboratory investigations and Chest X-Ray were normal. Abdominal Sonography revealed a 3.7 × 3.1 cm solid mass in the hilum of the liver. On the MRI images, a lobulated mass in the portal hepatic associated with mass effect on the portal vein was visible. Histological examination revealed expansion of mantle zone in lymphatic nodules accompanied by burnt out germinal centers. This pattern was matched with the diagnosis of the hyaline-vascular type of Castleman disease. The patient underwent a laparotomy. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course. Conclusion: This pattern was matched with the diagnosis of the hyaline-vascular type of Castleman disease.

Variety of positive as well as negative regulatory signals are provided by antigen presenting cell in particular by dendritic cells. In this research, we studied the capacity of dendritic cells to expand antigen-specific T regulatory cells.We also investigated the role of TGF-beta in induction inhibitory functions of dendritic cells in mixed leukocyte reactions.Dendritic cells were generated from blood CD14(+) monocytes with granulocyte-Monocyte colony stimulating factor and interleukin-4 with or without TGF-beta (TGF-beta-GM-DC or GM-DC). CD4(+) T cell were isolated to assess lymphocyte proliferation by lymphocyte transformation test assay and the ratio of CD4(+)FOXp3(+) CD25(+) T cells were determined by fluorescene-activated cell sorter. T cell proliferation responses in GM-DC showed a significance antigen-specific proliferative response comparing with TGFbeta-GM -DC. T Cell proliferation was inhibited in co-culture system containing DC-treated TGF-beta. It can be suggested that the expsansion of T regulatory by TGF-beta-GM-DC provides a means for antigen specific control of unwanted immune reactions.

Background The conversion of astrocytes to neuroblasts holds great promise for treatment of neurodegenerative and traumatic brain diseases. Methodology and Principal Findings Here we have shown that adult human astrocytes could be reprogrammed to neuroblasts by miR-302/367, both in vivo and in vitro. However, the reprogramming of adult mouse astrocytes to neuroblasts required valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor. Following induction of astrocytes toward neurons the expression of pluripotency markers were not detected, which suggested direct cell conversion. We did not observed tumor formation during two months follow up. Conclusions and Significance These results show that neuroblasts can be generated directly from adult human and mouse astrocytes by miR-302/367-driven induction. This approach seems promising for converting glial scar cells into neuroblasts in a wide range of neurological diseases.

ObjectivePsoriasis is a common, genetically determined inflammatory and proliferative disease of the skin. Psychological stress can also exacerbate the disease. The goal of the present study was to compare depression and anxiety symptom in patients with psoriasis and control group.MethodsOne-hundred patients with psoriasis (case) referred to the dermatology department and 100 patients with Otolaryngology problems and dermatological healthy volunteers (control) who referred to the Otolaryngology department of Bouali Sina hospital in Sari/Iran in 2007 were studied. Demographic characteristics were recorded. Then the Beck Depression Inventory and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale I-II were administered to the patients in both groups. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical software and descriptive statistical tests.ResultsFrom 100 patients in each studied group, 44 (45%) were men. Patients with psoriasis and controls had depression scores of 67% and 12%, respectively. The Beck depression scores of patients with psoriasis were significantly higher than scores of the control group (P < 0.05). Based on Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Scale, anxiety was found in 45% of patients in case group and 18% of controls.ConclusionThe results revealed that Psoriasis patients reported significantly higher degrees of depression and anxiety than controls. In addition, psoriatic women were more depressed than psoriatic men.

Background: The genus Malassezia is part of the normal mycota of the skin of humans and other warm-blooded animals as etiological agents of pityriasis versicolor. Objectives: Several species from the Malassezia genus are known based on morphological, biochemical and molecular approaches. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the distribution of Malassezia species in patients with pityriasis versicolor based on morphological, physiological and biochemical criteria in Sari, Iran. Materials and Methods: In total, among 134 patients clinically suspected of having pityriasis versicolor, attending the Department of Mycology, Boali Sina Hospital and Referral Laboratory of the Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, 116/134 (86.5%) positive patients for Malassezia elements, namely, yeast cells and short hyphae in microscopic examination, were included in the study. All 116 samples were inoculated on plates containing modified Leeming and Notman agar medium and identified at species level based on mycological criteria. Results: However, only 100/116 (86.2%) or 100/134 (74.6 %) of the patients showed Malassezia spp in culture. Malassezia. globosa (54%) was the most commonly isolated species followed by M. furfur (32%), M. slooffiae (6%), M. restricta (6%) and M. sympodialis (2%). Mixed Malassezia species were not identified. Conclusions: M. globosa was found to be the predominant pityriasis versicolor isolate in Sari, Iran. Since Malassezia species show different responses in their antifungal therapy, thus correct identification of Malassezia species and antifungal susceptibility test could facilitate selection of appropriate antifungal agents.

In this study, NiO/ Rosa Canina-L seeds activated carbon nanocomposite (NiO/ACNC) was prepared by adding dropwise NaOH solution (2 mol/L) to raise the suspension pH to around 9 at room temperature under ultrasonic irradiation (200 W) as an efficient method and characterized by FE-SEM, FTIR and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The effect of different parameters such as contact time (0–120 min), initial metal ion concentration (25–200 mg/L), temperature (298, 318 and 333 K), amount of adsorbent (0.002–0.007 g) and the solution’s initial pH (1–7) on the adsorption of Pb (II) was investigated in batch-scale experiments. The equilibrium data were well fitted by Langmuir model type 1 (R 2 > 0.99). The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity (q m ) of NiO/ACNC was 1428.57 mg/L. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°) were also calculated. The results showed that the adsorption of Pb (II) onto NiO/ACNC was feasible, spontaneous and exothermic under studied conditions. In addition, a fuzzy-logic-based model including multiple inputs and one output was developed to predict the removal efficiency of Pb (II) from aqueous solution. Four input variables including pH, contact time (min), dosage (g) and initial concentration of Pb (II) were fuzzified using an artificial intelligence-based approach. The fuzzy subsets consisted of triangular membership functions with eight levels and a total of 26 rules in the IF-THEN approach which was implemented on a Mamdani-type of fuzzy inference system. Fuzzy data exhibited small deviation with satisfactory coefficient of determination (R 2 > 0.98) that clearly proved very good performance of fuzzy-logic-based model in prediction of removal efficiency of Pb (II). It was confirmed that NiO/ACNC had a great potential as a novel adsorbent to remove Pb (II) from aqueous solution.

Background: There is little evidence about antioxidant properties of vitamin D. Recent studies suggest that oxidative stress may play a major role in the pathophysiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the association of vitamin D with oxidative stress is still not known in PCOS. Objective: The goal of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and oxidative stress markers in PCOS group compared to control group. Materials and Methods: 60 PCOS women (20-40 yr old) and 90 healthy women as control group were participated in this case-control study. Fasting serum level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D 25(OH) D, glucose, insulin, calcium, malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), also homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and fasting glucose to insulin ratio (FGIR) were measured. Results: It was found that the mean of serum 25(OH)D was lower in the PCOS group (10.76±4.17) than in the control group (12.07±6.26) but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.125). Fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and MDA were significantly higher in the PCOS patients as compared to the controls, whereas PC level did not differ for the two groups (p=0.156). No significant correlations were found between 25(OH) D levels and oxidative stress markers (MDA and PC). Conclusion: The findings indicated no significant differences in the serum 25(OH) D levels between the PCOS patients and the matched controls. Also, no correlation was found between the serum vitamin D levels and oxidative stress markers in both groups

Background: Recently, due to the steep increase in cancer lethality statistics, pharmaceutical societies seek approaches for designing drugs with higher efficiency and lower expenses. Plant-based drugs have therefore gained much attention, due to their abundance and ease of accessibility, and their higher effectiveness. Methods: Wild-grown caper [Capparis spinosa (C. spinosa)] was collected from northern Iran and next 100 g of the powder was added to 300 ml of a solvent (Ethanol 80), the solution was mixed for 72 hr and later filtered via Whatman filter papers. The solvent was taken out under vacuum conditions and extracts were then collected and stored in glass vials. The High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was used to assay quercetin which consisted of the following specifications: C18 column, UV detector wavelength of 260 nm, mobile phase acetonitrile and water and flow rate of 1 ml/min. In this study, the anti-cancer effects of C. spinosa extract on HeLa, MCF7, Saos and Fibroblast cancer cell lines have been investigated. Results: The amount of quercetin was assessed by HPLC. The anti-tumor activity and the antioxidant level of hydroalcoholic extract of C. spinosa have been evaluated with MTT assay and FRAP technique, respectively. HPLC data showed quercetin form the major component of C. spinosa extract. In addition, FRAP data indicated that C. spinosa extract had high antioxidant activity and MTT assay indicated that C. spinosa extract effectively decreased the cancer cell lines. Conclusion: The quercetin in C. spinosa extract had significant anti-tumor effects and may be regarded as an ideal natural drug for cancer therapy.