Search

Abstract Background Equine neuroaxonal dystrophy/equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (eNAD/EDM) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder associated with a vitamin E deficiency within the first year of life. Vitamin E consists of 8 isoforms metabolized by the CYP4F2 enzyme. No antemortem diagnostic test currently exists for eNAD/EDM. Hypothesis/Objectives Based on the association of α‐tocopherol deficiency with the development of eNAD/EDM, we hypothesized that the rate of α‐tocopherol, but not γ‐tocopherol or tocotrienol metabolism, would be increased in eNAD/EDM‐affected horses. Animals Vitamin E metabolism: Proof of concept (POC) study; eNAD/EDM‐affected (n = 5) and control (n = 6) horses. Validation study: eNAD/EDM‐affected Quarter Horses (QHs; n = 6), cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy affected (n = 6) horses and control (n = 29) horses. CYP4F2 expression and copy number: eNAD/EDM‐affected (n = 12) and age‐ and sex‐matched control (n = 11‐12) horses. Methods The rates of α‐tocopherol/tocotrienol and γ‐tocopherol/tocotrienol metabolism were assessed in equine serum (POC and validation) and urine (POC only) using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS). Quantitative reverse‐transcriptase PCR (qRT‐PCR) and droplet digital (dd)‐PCR were used to assay expression and genomic copy number of a CYP4F2 equine ortholog. Results Metabolic rate of α‐tocopherol was increased in eNAD/EDM horses (POC,P

Abstract Introduction The age-standardized incidence rate for gastric cancer is estimated to be 11.1% worldwide and 39.1% for Ardabil province in northwest Iran. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) occur in coding and non-coding regions, contributing to cancer susceptibility. To identify SNPs predisposing individuals to gastric cancer in this region, we compared 263 variants between the Ardabil population and other populations. Materials and methods Whole exome sequencing was used to determine the distribution of variants in the genomic DNA of 150 volunteers (aged

The rice blast disease caused by Pyricularia oryzae Cavara is among the most severe plant diseases in the world. The utilization of natural antagonists, such as fungal endophytes, can be a good method to control the spread of this disease. In the present study, 68 fungal isolates were obtained from 160 rice samples collected in Guilan province fields, Iran. Morphological and molecular characteristics were used for the identification of these fungi. According to the results, the fungal isolates were Alternaria citri (Penz.) Mussat, Alternaria infectoria Simmons, Aspergillus fumigatus Fresen, Fusarium verticillioides (Sacc.) Nirenberg, Trichoderma harzianum Rifai, Trichoderma virens (Mill., Giddens & Foster) Arx, Trichoderma viride Pers., Ulocladium consortiale (Thum) Simmons, and Pyricularia oryzae . Eight isolates that did not cause any plant disease were selected for biocontrol studies in vitro . The dual culture, culture filtrate, slide culture, and volatile metabolites methods were used in search of natural endophytic antagonists of Pyricularia oryzae . It was found that T. harzianum, T. virens, T. viride, A. fumigatus , and A. citri isolates caused the highest percentage of mycelial growth inhibition of P. oryzae in vitro . In the greenhouse experiments, all of the studied isolates reduced the P. oryzae disease rating, with T. harzianum isolate being the most effective antagonist (27.36% reduction in the disease rating), followed by T. virens, T. viride , and A. fumigatus (20.75%, 17.92%, and 16.98%, respectively). Furthermore, in greenhouse conditions, these antagonistic fungi increased the height, fresh weight, and dry weight of plants. The results of this research showed that there are various fungi in the natural flora of rice plants that possess potential biological properties against rice blast disease that can be implemented into practice.

Introduction: The increasing trend of cancer morbidity and mortality is a major human health concern, indicating the necessity for the design and introduction of novel anticancer compounds. The use of nanotechnology products is a new approach to cancer treatment. Therefore, the current study was performed to synthesize Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles (NPs) functionalized with glutamine and conjugated to Thiosemicarbazide (TiO2@Gln-TSC) to inhibit the proliferation of liver cancer cells line (HepG2) and evaluate the effect of TiO2@Gln-TSC NPs on the expression of apoptotic genes. Material & Methods: TiO2@Gln-TSC NPs were synthesized by a chemical method and characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cytotoxicity of the Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles was evaluated by the MTT assay, and relative gene expression was studied by Real Time PCR method. Findings: The results showed that the synthesized Titanium Dioxide nanoparticles were spherical with a size range of 59 to 82 nm. The particles had a considerable anti-proliferative effect on liver cancer cells line with IC50 of 80 µg/mL. The treatment of the cancer cell line with TiO2@Gln-TSC NPs significantly increased the expression of the CASP3, BAX, and BCL2 by 2.8, 2.7, and 1.3 folds, respectively, which indicated the activation of apoptotic pathways in the treated cells. Discussion & Conclusion: The results showed that the TiO2@Gln-TSC NPs could inhibit the proliferation of liver cancer cells line and by triggering the apoptosis pathway.

Background: The spread of antibiotic resistance and the emergence of MDR strains, especially in gram-negative bacteria, has led to combining antibiotics to treat infections caused by these bacteria. The study aimed to evaluate some antibiotics' synergistic effect on multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates isolated from clinical samples between thyroid dysfunction and asymptomatic bacteriuria in women of reproductive and postmenopausal age. Materials and Methods: P. aeruginosa was isolated from Rasht city hospitals (North of Iran) clinical specimens with multiple antibiotic resistance. The antibiotic resistance of isolates was determined by the disk diffusion method. The screening checklist evaluated the synergistic effects of ciprofloxacin, colistin, meropenem, and gentamicin. Results: The combination of meropenem and colistin in four isolates was additive, and in two isolates was indifferent. The combined effect of ciprofloxacin and colistin was also incremental in 4 isolates and indifferent in 2 isolates. The combined effect of gentamicin and colistin was indifferent in all selected strains. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that combinations of colistin with ciprofloxacin and colistin with meropenem were successful against resistant isolates, while a combination of gentamicin and colistin showed no synergistic effect. Since the characteristics of each clinical isolate differ from the other isolates, more study with more isolates is recommended to make any precise and definite recommendation.

Keypoints A chimeric bioinspired adhesive protein has been generated for use in wet condition Enhanced adhesion strength of chimeric protein due to the curli proteins GvpA and CsgA Amyloid structure of GvpA and CsgA led to efficient self-assembly of obtained protein

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen that is responsible for a broad range of human infections. Infections caused by drug-resistant S. aureus are a global health threat. Biofilm formation capability of S. aureus, which is an important factor in infection establishment and drug resistance and thus therapeutic failure, is mainly mediated by ica operon, which is responsible for the production of polysaccharide intercellular adhesions. Inhibition of bacterial biofilm as a promising antibacterial approach has gained attention recently. In addition, several natural compounds, especially of plant origin, have displayed anti-biofilm potential against bacteria. Allicin is the major bioactive compound found in garlic (Allium sativum) and is responsible for its antimicrobial activity. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of garlic extract in combination with ciprofloxacin on the biofilm formation of pathogenic S. aureus. Antimicrobial effects and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of either the agent alone or in combination were determined, and the bacterial biofilm formation and expression of the icaA gene were investigated. The results showed that garlic extract in combination with ciprofloxacin had a strong biofilm inhibitory potential and reduced biofilm formation by 54-61% compared to the control. The reduction of bacterial biofilm can be attributed to the reduction of the icaA gene, which was reduced by 59-65%. Thus, this study showed that garlic extract can be used as a promising anti-biofilm agent in combination with antibiotics and can be a good candidate to combat bacterial infections.

The study aimed to compare the acute effects of low resistance exercises with partial and complete blood flow restriction (BFR) and heavy resistance exercise on growth hormone (GH), myostatin, testosterone, and cortisol in competitive wrestlers. Forty elite wrestlers were randomly divided into four groups (n=10); low resistance training with complete BFR (LRT+CBFR), low resistance training with partial BFR (LRT+PBFR), low resistance training (LRT), and heavy resistance training (HRT). Blood samples were collected before and after the intervention, and a specific ELISA kit measured variables. Analysis of covariance and paired t-test was performed to analyze the data. There were no significant differences in the variables between the four interventions. Intra-group results showed a significant decrease in myostatin levels in the HRT group (p=0.02), and a significant increase in GH in the LRT+CBFR (p=0.02) and LRT+PBFR (p=0.03), testosterone in the HRT group (p=0.04) and cortisol in the three groups LRT+CBFR (p=0.02), LRT+PBFR (p=0.01) and HRT (p=0.04). Despite the similarity of the changes in the four interventions, due to the percentage of changes, it seems that low resistance training with BFR could produce similar anabolic effects to high-intensity resistance training.

Background & Objectives: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and Ardabil province is in the top ranks in the world. MicroRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules with a length of 18 to 21 nucleotides and due to their regulatory role in post- transcriptional gene expression; single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could affect their function on target genes regulation. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 150 healthy volunteers, which were born and living in Ardabil province, 30 SNPs in microRNA genes have been detected by the Whole Exome Sequencing assay. Then, the obtained results were evaluated using Sanger-based PCR-Sequencing method. The Pearson correlation test was used for finding significant relationships. Results: After confirming the WES results, the population frequency of the selected variants was compared with the general populations of Iran, Europe and the world. Based on the age-standardized rate (ASR), six variants with significant differences, including rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2292832, rs2505901 and rs6505162 were observed. Conclusion: According to the previous case-control studies which indicate the association between the variants rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2505901, and rs6505162 and gastric carcinogenesis in various populations, the observed significant differences in our population could imply on the presence of the cancer susceptibility in Ardabil province.

Introduction: ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a relatively common cause of mortality among patients. The effects of risk factors as predictors of mortality in patients has been shown in different studies. The present study was performed aiming to evaluate the association between a family history of premature coronary artery diseases (CADs) with clinical outcomes among patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for STEMI. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in Shahid Madani Hospital of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran, on 200 patients with STEMI with a PCI. 100 out of these 200 patients had a family history of premature CAD. Patients were followed up within 48 hours after PCI, as well as one year after admission, and the secondary outcomes including myocardial infarction (MI), heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), pulmonary edema, and death were evaluated. Results: The mean age of the patients with positive and negative family history of premature CAD was 56.37 ± 8.20 and 61.72 ± 7.42 years, respectively. The mean age of the patients with a family history of a premature CAD was significantly lower than that of patients without a family history of a premature CAD (P = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the frequency of CAD risk factors, angiographic findings, and its complications, ST-segment resolution and frequency of secondary outcomes during 48 hours and one year after admission between the study groups (P > 0.050). Conclusion: The present study showed that a family history of premature CAD does not predict the clinical outcomes in patients treated with PCI for STEMI which should be validated across future studies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of eight weeks of high intensive exercise on selected biomechanical and anthropometrical variables in elite wrestlers. Methods: Sixteen young wrestlers (age 19.1±1 years and weight 74.9±17.3 kg) attending the national Greco-Roman camps participated in this study. Biomechanical and anthropometrical variables included weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, balance, general body speed and acceleration, active range of motion of the joints, upper and lower extremities power and hand grip strength. These variables were measured before and after 8 weeks (67 sessions) of special exercise training. The normality of data was checked by Kolmogorov- Smirnov normality measure and data were analyzed with Paired- samples t-test to compare variables before and after training program, with a significance level of (P≤0.05). Results: Results showed that there were significant differences between weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, semi-dynamic balance in the medial and anterior-medial directions, upper extremities power, the range of lateral flexion to the right of the neck and hip flexion of pre and post-test. Conclusion: Based on the results, it seems that applied training program had main effect on biomechanical and anthropometrical variables such as weight, body fat percentage, body mass index, power, balance and active range of motion of elite wrestlers that will increase the qualitative athletic performance