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Toxoplasmosis has been categorized as one of the long-lasting protozoan parasitic infections. It affects almost one-third of the world's population. In recent years, several documented studies have elucidated that infected individuals have a remarkably higher incidence of distinct health problems and show various adverse effects. In the PCR-positive COVID-19 patients in Gonbad-e-Kavus, Kalaleh, and Minoodasht counties in the northern part of Iran from June 2021 to December 2021, we sought to investigate any potential relationships between the severity of COVID-19 symptoms and acute and latent toxoplasmosis caused by

Leishmaniasis is one of the tropical and subtropical diseases which, according to WHO, has the priority of control. The list of anti-leishmanial drugs is limited and requires side effects, high costs, and long-term treatments. Various species, parasite resistance, and simultaneous diseases are among the factors that affect the effectiveness of treatment. Due to these problems and based on satisfactory records of previous studies using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) against infectious diseases, this study aimed to evaluate the antileishmanial effect of

Background and Aims: A monoclonal antibody (mAb) can unambiguously identify, quantify, and purify an antigen or particular epitope at a large scale. The superiority of these antibodies lies in their specificity for the antigenic determinant. So, this study aims to prepare mouse mAb-secreting hybridoma against human gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and determine the produced antibody's characters. Materials and Methods: Mouse splenic B lymphocytes immunized with recombinant human IFN-γ were fused with mouse SP2/0 cells. The hybridized cells were selected by hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine and hypoxanthine-thymidine media to obtain monoclonal antibody-producing hybridoma cells. Finally, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and western blot were used to confirm the creation of antibody-secreting hybridoma cells. Results: mAb against IFN-γ were produced by fusing SP2/0 mouse non-secretory myeloma cell line with the spleen cells of immunized mice. This antibody's indirect ELISA optical density was 2.055 on average, and the desired antibody bands were confirmed in SDS-PAGE compared to Septicol® (commercial antibody). Also, in the western blot, the desired antibody could bind to the antigen. IFN-γ transferred on nitrocellulose membrane. In ELISA and western blot tests, anti-mouse IgG conjugated antibodies were used; therefore, the mAb IgG isotype was taken into consideration. Conclusion: In this study, a mouse mAb was obtained by immunization of Balb/C mice and fusion of spleen cells of these mice with the SP2/0 cells, which can specifically bind to recombinant human IFN-γ and can be used to detect IFN-γ secretion in all types of intracellular infections, including latent tuberculosis.

Purpose The aim of this study was to design a predictive radiobiological model of normal brain tissue in low-grade glioma following radiotherapy based on imaging and molecular biomarkers. Methods Fifteen patients with primary brain tumors prospectively participated in this study and underwent radiation therapy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were obtained from the patients, including T1 and T2 weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and a generalized equivalent dose (gEUD) was calculated. The radiobiological model of the normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) was performed using the variables gEUD; axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) of the corpus callosum; and serum protein S100B by univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Results Changes in AD, RD, and S100B from baseline up to the six months after treatment had an increasing trend and were significant in some time points (P-Value

The in-situ formation of oil in water emulsions can contribute to the oil mobilization when combined with Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD). The produced fluids in SAGD operations and sand pack SAGD experiments often show the existence of both oil in water and water in oil emulsions. Due to the opaque nature of sand packs, however, it is unclear whether the emulsions are formed in-situ during the flow through porous media or in the production tubing. This study aims at understanding the impact of a surfactant known as "High-temperature Emulsifying Agent" (HEA) as an additive on the SAGD process and the possibility of forming preferred oil in water emulsions. The high-temperature fluid flow experiments are performed in 2.5D glass micromodels which are placed in a custom built compact high pressure-high temperature (HPHT) visual cell. Hot water and HEA solution (3000 ppm concentration) at 82 °C are injected at a constant rate of 5 μl/min. The injected fluid first displaces bitumen in the form of an advancing finger, forming a condensate-bitumen interface which is slowly advancing towards the production port at the bottom end of the model. Hot water initially displaces bitumen from the pores leaving a film of bitumen on the grain surfaces which is eventually removed as the injection continues. Water droplets dispersed in bitumen are observed at the areas experiencing high shear forces, i.e., near the main two-phase front and close to the production port. In contrast to the hot water process, no oil film is observed during the HEA injection. In the presence of HEA solution, oil in water emulsion is formed at the condensate-bitumen interface and ahead of the interface deep in the oil zone. The latter could be the result of corner flow which promotes the fast distribution of HEA solution throughout the model, ahead of the main water-oil interface. This work provides insights on the role of surfactants in forming oil in water emulsions in steam-based bitumen production. A novel HPHT visual cell enables the rapid assessment of solvent-surfactant-steam recovery processes and a better understanding of the active emulsifying mechanism in this system.

Controlled transport of liquid droplets on solid surfaces is critical in many practical applications, such as self-cleaning surfaces, coating, drug delivery, and agriculture. Non-adhesive liquid drops levitate on solid surfaces; therefore, they are highly mobile and directed toward desired locations by external stimuli. Although research on liquid-repellent surfaces has proliferated, the existing methods are still limited to creating surface roughness or coating the liquid droplets. Here, we create non-contact aqueous drops on hydrophilic surfaces in an oleic environment and use them to deposit submicrometer droplets encapsulating nanoparticles on solid surfaces. A glass surface is buried under an oil phase that contains a high concentration of Span 80 surfactants, and a drop of silica nanoparticle dispersion is released on the solid surface. We study the effect of surfactant concentration in oil and nanoparticle concentration in water on wetting dynamics and report a plethora of droplet spreading regimes from fully wetting to non-wetting. We find a threshold Span 80 concentration above which surfactant assemblies are formed on the solid and prevent the direct contact of the drop with the surface. At the same time, water-in-oil emulsions are generated at the drop-oil interface. The drop moves and leaves a trace of emulsions with encapsulated nanoparticles on the solid. We demonstrate the possibility of local surface coating with hydrophilic nanoparticles in a hydrophobic medium. The developed methodology in this study is a generic approach facilitating the droplet patterning in numerous applications, from pharmaceutical polymetric carriers to the formulation of cosmetics, insecticides, and biomedical diagnoses.

Background Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) is a significant clinical problem, given the lack of therapeutic options. The CRKP strains have emerged as an essential worldwide healthcare issue during the last 10 years. Global expansion of the CRKP has made it a significant public health hazard. We must consider to novel therapeutic techniques. Bacteriophages are potent restorative cases against infections with multiple drug-resistant bacteria. The Phages offer promising prospects for the treatment of CRKP infections. Objective In this study, a novel K. pneumoniae phage vB_KshKPC-M was isolated, characterized, and sequenced, which was able to infect and lyse Carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae host specifically. Methods One hundred clinical isolates of K. pneumoniae were collected from patients with COVID-19 associated with ventilator-associated acute pneumonia hospitalized at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, Iran, from 2020 to 2021. Initially, all samples were cultured, and bacterial isolates identified by conventional biochemical tests, and then the ureD gene was used by PCR to confirm the isolates. The Antibiotic susceptibility test in the disc diffusion method and Minimum inhibitory concentrations for Colistin was done and interpreted according to guidelines. Phenotypic and molecular methods determined the Carbapenem resistance of isolates. The blaKPC, blaNDM, and blaOXA-23 genes were amplified for this detection. Biofilm determination of CRKP isolates was performed using a quantitative microtiter plate (MTP) method. The phage was isolated from wastewater during the summer season at a specific position from Beheshti Hospital (Kashan, Iran). The sample was processed and purified against the bacterial host, a CRKP strain isolated from a patient suffering from COVID-19 pneumoniae and resistance to Colistin with high potency for biofilm production. This isolate is called Kp100. The separated phages were diluted and titration by the double overlay agar plaque assay. The separate Phage is concentrated with 10% PEG and stored at −80 °C until use. The phage host range was identified by the spot test method. The purified phage morphology was determined using a transmission electron microscope. The phage stability tests (pH and temperature) were analyzed. The effect of cationic ions on phage adsorption was evaluated. The optimal titer of bacteriophage was determined to reduce the concentration of the CRKP strain. One-step growth assays were performed to identify the purified phage burst’s latent cycle and size. The SDS-PAGE was used for phage proteins analysis. Phage DNA was extracted by chloroform technique, and the whole genome of lytic phage was sequenced using Illumina HiSeq technology (Illumina, San Diego, CA). For quality assurance and preprocessing, such as trimming, Geneious Prime 2021.2.2 and Spades 3.9.0. The whole genome sequence of the lytic phage is linked to the GenBank database accession number. RASTtk—v1.073 was used to predict and annotate the ORFs. Prediction of ORF was performed using PHASTER software. ResFinder is used to assess the presence of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes in the genome. The tRNAs can-SE v2.0.6 is used to determine the presence of tRNA in the genome. Linear genome comparisons of phages and visualization of coding regions were performed using Easyfig 2.2.3 and Mauve 2.4.0. Phage lifestyles were predicted using the program PHACTS. Phylogenetic analysis and amino acid sequences of phage core proteins, such as the major capsid protein. Phylogenies were reconstructed using the Neighbor-Joining method with 1000 bootstrap repeat. HHpred software was used to predict depolymerase. In this study, GraphPad Prism version 9.1 was used for the statistical analysis. Student’s t-test was used to compare the sets and the control sets, and the significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results Phage vB_KshKPC-M is assigned to the Siphoviridae, order Caudovirales. It was identified as a linear double-stranded DNA phage of 54,378 bp with 50.08% G + C content, had a relatively broad host range (97.7%), a short latency of 20 min, and a high burst size of 260 PFU/cell, and was maintained stable at different pH (3–11) and temperature (45–65 °C). The vB_KshKPC-M genome contains 91 open-reading frames. No tRNA, antibiotic resistance, toxin, virulence-related genes, or lysogen-forming gene clusters were detected in the phage genome. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that phage vB_KshKPC-M has sequence similarity to the Klebsiella phages, phage 13 (NC_049844.1), phage Sushi (NC_028774.1), phage vB_KpnD_PeteCarol (OL539448.1) and phage PWKp14 (MZ634345.1). Conclusion The broad host range and antibacterial activity make it a promising candidate for future phage therapy applications. The isolated phage was able to lyse most of the antibiotic-resistant clinical isolates. Therefore, this phage can be used alone or as a phage mixture in future studies to control and inhibit respiratory infections caused by these bacteria, especially in treating respiratory infections caused by resistant strains in sick patients.

Generally adopted design strategies for enhancing the photocatalytic activity are aimed at tuning properties such as the visible light response, the exposed crystal facets, and the nanocrystal shape. Here, we present a different approach for designing efficient photocatalysts displaying a substrate-specific reactivity upon defect engineering. The defective anisotropic brookite TiO2 photocatalyst functionalized with Pt nanocrystals are tested for alcohol photoreforming showing up to an 11-fold increase in methanol oxidation rate, compared to the unreduced one, whilst presenting much lower ethanol or isopropanol specific oxidation rates. We demonstrate that the alcohol oxidation and hydrogen evolution reactions are tightly related, and when the substrate-specific alcohol oxidation ability is increased, the hydrogen evolution is significantly boosted. The reduced anisotropic brookite shows up to twenty-six-fold higher specific photoactivity with respect to anatase and brookite with isotropic nanocrystals, reflecting the different type of defective catalytic sites formed depending on the TiO2 polymorph and its crystal shape. Advanced in-situ characterizations and theoretical investigations reveal that controlled engineering over oxygen vacancies and lattice strain produces large electron polarons hosting the substrate-specific active sites for alcohol photo-oxidation.

Background and aims: Regarding the increasing numbers of clinical antimonial-resistant Leishmaniasis, understanding the reasons for drug resistance is helpful. This study aimed to find the expression level of the genes related to resistance, P-glycoprotein A (PgpA), G-glutamylcysteine synthetase 1 (Gsh1), and aquaglyceroporin 1 (Aqp1) in antimonial-resistant clinical isolates. Methods: Samples were isolated from leishmaniasis ulcers of 10 non-healing patients and the species were identified by the nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. In vitro experiments were performed using the amastigote-macrophage model by J774 cell line, and in vivo studies were conducted by animal model, the Balb/c mice. Finally, the values of genes expression were determined by quantitative-reverse transcription (q-RT) real-time PCR method and then compared with non-resistant Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER). Results: Molecular identification showed that all isolated protozoa were L. major. The isolated samples from clinical resistant patients represented no increase in expression in the tested resistance genes (P>0.05). Finally, it was found that the lack of improvements in patients was not associated with the increased expression of resistance genes. Conclusion: In general, no inherent resistance was observed in the tested samples neither a correlation between the healing of lesions and the level of genes expression.

Leishmaniosis, a vector-born disease that infects humans and other vertebrates, is the result of infection with Leishmania species belong to the family Trypanosomatidae. The present study was performed to determine the status of cutaneous leishmaniosis in Isfahan province. Samples were taken from the margin of skin ulcers of patients with suspected CL referred to the medical health centers in Isfahan province. Also, ear and snout samples were taken from the rodents. In total, 85 parasitologically positive samples were subjected to the PCR-RFLP method based on the nagt gene for identification of Leishmania species, also 11 samples were subjected to sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. For all positive samples, a 1450-1460 bp band of the nagt gene was amplified in PCR method. The digestion pattern of ACC1 enzyme in 79 of patients indicated L. major and in one sample was similar to L. tropica. Four rodent reservoirs distingue as L. major and one sample as L. turanica. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the species identification and three haplotypes were reported. The results of the current study showed that L. major is the predominant species of Leishmania parasites in Isfahan province and the main reservoir of CL is Rhombomys opimus. Also, the nagt gene is a useful and practical marker for determining different species of Leishmania parasites as well as their phylogenetic analysis.

BACKGROUND The problem of resistance to antiparasitic drugs, associated with their side effects, suggest exploring other alternatives, including medicinal plants. Dracocephalum kotschyi (D. kotschyi), for example, from Lamiaceae family, is a plant widely used in Iran and in many countries, and to which interesting pharmacological properties have been attributed. This study aimed to investigate in vitro and in vivo anti-Toxoplasma activities of D. kotschyi extract in experimental models of acute toxoplasmosis. METHODS Anti-Toxoplasma activity of the extracts in vitro was performed on Vero Cell, using the MTT test. Vero cell were infected with (3 × 105 tachyzoites/well) following treatment with Dichloromethane (F1), dichloromethane: methanol (F2), methanol (F3), methanol: water (F4), and deionized water (F5) extracts of D. kotschyi, and pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine (positive control). MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) was used to measure cell viability. Effects of extracts on tachyzoites viability were evaluated by trypan blue exclusion method, followed by light microscopy. For in vivo test, 18 groups of 8-10-week-old Inbred Balb/c mice weighing 18-20 g, were intraperitoneally infected with 2 × 103 tachyzoites and then treated with sterile PBS (negative control), pyrimethamine (25 mg/kg) and sulfadiazine (500 mg/kg) as positive controls, and F1 to F5 extracts (at doses 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg). RESULTS The 50% Inhibitory Concentration of F1 extract, F2 extract, Sulfadiazine (Positive control) and Pyrimethamine (Positive control) were 8.77 µg, 7.1 µg 391.18 µg, and 84.20 µg, respectively, while the selectivity indices were 15.667, 30.197, 1.552 and 4.064, respectively. In vivo anti-Toxoplasma activity test showed that Methanol: water (F-4) 50 extract was more active than the positive control. CONCLUSIONS Indeed, the extract allowed a survival rate of 10% of the mice, compared to 0% for all the other groups. D. kotschyi has the potential to be valorized in the management of toxoplasmosis.

Background Scorpion stings comprise a serious problem throughout the globe, especially in regions where they are more frequent. Despite a recent upsurge of interest in scorpion venoms by various research groups, there remain many challenges. Objective Therefore, in this study, we aimed to study the toxicity and protein composition of venoms of Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda, three scorpion species collected in Iran. Materials and Methods Scorpion species were collected from Esfahan farm scorpion company and maintained in the laboratory in containers that mimic their natural habitat. Venom was extracted from A. crassicauda, H. schach and H. saulcyi by electrical stimulation of 8 and 10 V. The toxicity of each venom was established by using four groups of male Swiss albino mice aged 2 months (weighting 18–20 g) for testing each dose of venom. One group was used as a control. Venom was injected into mice by subcutaneous route. Then, animals were monitored for 24 h and LD50 was estimated by the graphic method of Miller and Tainter. Thus, high‐performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS/MS) method was used to determine amino acids in the venom, and protein concentrations were determined by the Biuret method. Results LD50 of scorpion venoms by subcutaneous route was found to be 1.70 mg/kg b.w (A. crassicauda), 1.47 mg/kg b.w (H. saulcyi) and 0.85 mg/kg b.w (H. schach). A. crassicauda, H. saulcyi and H. schach contain 26, 30, and 31 amino acids, respectively. A. crassicauda contains low concentrations of alpha‐aminoadipic acid, beta‐aminoisobutyric acid, beta‐alanine and citrulline. H. saulcyi contains a concentration of hydroxylysine, whereas H. schach has no such concentration. A. crassicauda also had the highest levels of tyrosine and threonine. Only A. crassicauda venom contains a low proportion of proteins (14.80%) compared with those of H. schach (16.26%) and H. saulcyi (16.20%). Albumin content in the venoms was 11.7% (H. saulcyi), 5.4% (H. schach) and 4.4% (A. crassicauda). Conclusion Scorpions venoms have a variable toxicity and an interesting composition in amino acids and proteins. Work on the development of anti‐venom is fundamental., This study could be useful for understanding the venom extraction and toxicity, the protein and amino acid diversities of three species of scorpions (Hottentotta saulcyi, Hottentotta schach and Androctonus crassicauda). The results from this study show that H. saulcyi and H. schach contain more amino acids and protein and have higher toxicity than A. crassicauda.

Cellulose nanocrystal hydrogels, while mechanically weak, have high water content, are biocompatible and easily processed. Further improvement is needed to make cellulose nanocrystal hydrogels mechanically stable and self-healable. Herein, using quantitative fluorescence signal analysis, we assess stability, collapse, and level of self-healing of cellulose nanocrystal hydrogels with different cellulose nanocrystals and sodium chloride concentrations. We use the mean signal intensity obtained by confocal laser scanning microscopy to measure signal loss of the samples made of cellulose nanocrystal with different concentrations and as a function of initial gel height and sodium chloride loading. The cellulose nanocrystal dynamics inside the gels based on universality curve is unraveled which links the zeta potentials to the immobile particle percentages and the storage modulus as a function of sodium chloride/cellulose nanocrystal concentration ratio. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching recovery analysis shows that for the ratio of sodium chloride/cellulose nanocrystals beyond 0.1, the mobility of the ensemble of cellulose nanocrystals particles becomes severely restricted. Hydrogel sample with low cellulose nanocrystal concentrations (6 g/L and 10 g/L) experience a more substantial collapse rate under gravity than the rate observed for samples with a high concentration (30 g/L). Increasing the cellulose nanocrystal concentration hinders particle mobility and thus impedes the self-healing process. Quantification of the gel collapse behavior of cellulose nanocrystal gel and its self-healing property is critical in many applications, including water and air filters, oil spill sponges, and tissue engineering.

Achieving new contrast enhancer agents that can produce high-resolution images in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with a minimum dose and side effects has always been important.Herein, the pegylated curcumin-coated manganese-zinc ferrite nanoparticles (MZF@CA-PEG-CUR NPs) have been reported as an MR imaging nanoprobe in hepatocellular carcinoma detection in the murine model for the first time. In vitro studies were done on HEPA 1-6 cancer cells and L929 as normal cells, and in vivo studies were done on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using xenograft models of HCC.The prepared NP had a diameter of 105 nm with narrow size distribution and was superparamagnetic with a saturated magnetization (Ms) of 39 emu/g. The NP was biocompatible without any significant hemolysis and cytotoxicity. Prussian blue staining showed more cellular uptake of HEPA 1-6 compared to L929 control cells after incubation (P 0.05). The concentration of Fe in mice blood confirmed the plasma half-life of about 3 h; it seems the PEGylation increased the circulation time. ICP-OES of Fe showed the highest tumor localization for MZF@CA-CUR-PEG NPs, due to passive accumulation, compared to the other mice studied organs. The rThis study demonstrated that the MZF@CA-CUR-PEG nanoprobe could be a promising candidate as an MR imaging agent in hepatocellular carcinoma early detection.

Introduction: Iran is one of the most important hot spots for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in the world. To date, no studies have been done on both epidemiological aspects along with the length of the treatment course of CL. This study aimed to determine the relative frequency of CL in patients with suspected skin lesions and the duration of healing after treatment with different regimens. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on patients with CL referred to the skin diseases and leishmaniasis research center (SDLRC) in Isfahan during the years 2018 to 2019. Among 389 patients with suspected skin lesions, 150 cases were included with proven CL. Information such as age, sex, education, location, size of the lesion, duration of treatment, and the rate of recovery were recorded. SPSS software version 20 was used for data analysis, the chi-square, Fisher´s Exact, and one Way ANOVA tests were used with a significant level of p < 0.05. Results: Among 350 admitted cases, 150 cases were CL. positive (42.85%). The rate of complete recovery was higher in cases with an average age of 33.55 ±18.9 years (P =0.077). There was 34 cases more than the other groups in this range of age. ( The rate of complete recovery in patients with a history of migration to endemic areas was higher than in patients without a history of migration (P = 0.81)). The rate of complete recovery in patients whose means treatment duration was 59.03 ± 41.43 days was higher than other recovery periods (P = 0.23). Conclusion: The rate of complete recovery was higher in adult cases than the other groups. In this study, it was proved that the rate of recovery of patients had the significant relationship with the average duration of treatment.

Background This study aimed to investigate the effect of plants extract on anti-inflammatory, antioxidant properties on metastasis. Methods At first, the phenolic compounds in Moringa oleifera were confirmed by HPLC and spectrophotometer methods, then the anticancer effect of phenolic compounds sulforaphane and Moringa oleifera on B16F10 cancer cells was investigated. Then, induction of melanoma tumor by B16F10 cell line was induced in C57BL6 mice, and the mice were treated with extract. Quercetin, gallic acid, and caffeic acid were identified in extract. Results The rate of cell death in the sulforaphane-exposed cell group was lower than in the cell treated with Moringa oleifera group. Tumor volume in all three doses of 0.04, 0.08, 0.02 g Moringa extract or phenolic compounds decreased significantly after one week and two weeks (P P Moringa oleifera extract in reducing the life of cancer cells and tumor volume in mice. With further studies, Moringa oleifera can be introduced as an anticancer drug with more confidence. It is recommended to perform studies in human tests.

Printing a structured network of functionalized droplets in a liquid medium enables engineering collectives of living cells for functional purposes and promises enormous applications in processes ranging from energy storage to tissue engineering. Current approaches are limited to drop-by-drop printing or face limitations in reproducing the sophisticated internal features of a structured material and its interactions with the surrounding media. Here, we report a simple approach for creating stable liquid filaments of silica nanoparticle dispersions and use them as inks to print all-in-liquid materials that consist of a network of droplets. Silica nanoparticles stabilize liquid filaments at Weber numbers two orders of magnitude smaller than previously reported in liquid-liquid systems by rapidly producing a concentrated emulsion zone at the oil-water interface. We experimentally demonstrate the printed aqueous phase is emulsified in-situ; consequently, a 3D structure is achieved with flexible walls consisting of layered emulsions. The tube-like printed features have a spongy texture resembling miniaturized versions of “tube sponges” found in the oceans. A scaling analysis based on the interplay between hydrodynamics and emulsification kinetics reveals that filaments are formed when emulsions are generated and remain at the interface during the printing period. Stabilized filaments are utilized for printing liquid-based fluidic channels.

Introduction: Today, the parasitic contamination of edible vegetables, which are usually consumed raw, is one of the important issues of human societies. Parasitic contamination has been repeatedly identified in previous studies on edible vegetables. Due to the changes in farmers’ behavior regarding the use of fertilizers for agricultural land fertility over recent years, some changes have certainly happened in the contamination level of these crops, which are investigated in this study. Objectives: The present study seeks to examine the changes in the infection of vegetables caused by the use of chemical fertilizers as an alternative to animal and human excretion for the fertilization of cultivatable soil. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted using the descriptive cross-sectional method in Isfahan, Iran. In this regard, 70 samples from 10 types of edible vegetables, including leek, basil, mint, spring onion, radish, parsley, lettuce, cress, tarragon, and coriander, were prepared from 70 vegetable shops of the city. Each sample was placed in a separate bag and evaluated after washing, centrifugation, sedimentation, and staining. Eventually, the results were reported as descriptive statistics. Results: None of the prepared samples were contaminated with the pathogen parasite in the present study. Conclusion: Due to the change in farmers’ behavior concerning fertilization of agricultural products, it seems that the parasitic contamination of these products has lowered, and it is necessary to focus on other contaminants of these products, such as chemicals.

The evaporation of particle-laden sessile droplets is associated with capillary-driven outward flow and leaves nonuniform coffee-ring-like particle patterns due to far-from-equilibrium effects. Traditionally, the surface energies of the drop and solid phases are tuned, or external forces are applied to suppress the coffee-ring; however, achieving a uniform and repeatable particle deposition is extremely challenging. Here, we report a simple, scalable, and noninvasive technique that yields uniform and exceptionally ordered particle deposits on a microscale surface area by placing the droplet on a near neutral-wet shadow mold attached to a hydrophilic substrate. The simplicity of the method, no external forces, and no tuning materials’ physiochemical properties make the present generic approach an excellent candidate for a wide range of sensitive applications. We demonstrate the utility of this method for fabricating ordered mono- and multilayer patternable coatings, producing nanofilters with controlled pore size, and creating reproducible functionalized nanosensors.

Hypothesis Traditionally, double emulsions are produced in the presence of both oil-soluble and water-soluble surfactants in sequential droplet formation settings or unique fluidic designs. Micelles, assemblies of surfactants in liquid mediums, can generate single emulsion droplets without requiring input energy. We hypothesize that the synergy between nanoparticles in one phase, and micelles in the other phase can spontaneously generate double emulsions. Nanoparticles can become surface-activated by adsorbing surfactants and form the second type of emulsions from the initially emulsified phase by micelles. Experiments We design a thermodynamically-driven emulsification platform where double emulsions are spontaneously formed as soon an aqueous nanoparticle dispersion is placed in contact with an oleic micellar solution. Confocal and cryogenic-scanning electron microscopies are utilized to characterize structure and intensity of emulsions at various concentrations of silica nanoparticle and Span micelles. The rate of particle surface activation and emulsification and the amount of water intake are quantified using dynamic light scattering, dynamic interfacial tension, and density measurements. Findings Nanoscale water droplets nucleate in the oil in form of swollen micelles. Over time, nanoparticles form a water-shell encapsulating the swollen-micelle rich oil phase. The gradual surfaceactivation of nanoparticles is key in self-double emulsification and controlling the emulsion intensity. We build on this new discovery and design a novel system for double emulsification. Incorporating nanoparticles into spontaneous emulsification systems opens novel routes for designing emulsion-based materials.

We study the influence of cellulose nanocrystals on the oil–water interfacial viscoelasticity and consequently on the emulsification and the three-phase (oil–water–solid) contact-line movement. Cel...

This study aimed to screen the natural infection rate of Leishmania major in Phlebotomus papatasi and Phlebotomus alexandri in two counties (Mehran and Dehloran) of Ilam province as cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic areas in the west of Iran. Furthermore, the genetic diversity of parasite species that are isolated from vectors, was investigated. Sandflies were collected by sticky traps from May 2018 to October 2018. Afterward, specimens were prepared for species identification by morphological features. DNA was extracted from female sandflies, and minicircle kDNA was used to identify Leishmania isolates through nested-PCR, followed by genetic diversity between Leishmania isolates was investigated by sequence analysis of the amplified minicircle kDNA. Natural infection of the L. major was shown in all positive specimens using nested-PCR. Analysis of data from 14 isolates displayed a high level of genetic diversity in L. major. In the phylogenetic trees, all of the L. major isolates occurred in six clusters. Clusters I, II, III, and VI contained isolated strains from P. papatasi. While clusters IV and V contained isolated strains from P. alexandri. Genetic diversity of L. major isolated from vectors was investigated in western Iran for the first time. According to the results of this study, probably “various clones of L. major populations are distributed in the study area.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a prevalent infectious disease with considerable morbidity annually. Here, we aimed to investigate the likely variations in gene expression of glycoprotein63 (gp63), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), histone, arginase, cysteine protease B (CPB), Leishmania homologue of receptors for activated C kinase (LACK), small hydrophilic endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein (SHERP) in metacyclic promastigotes of L. major isolated from Phlebotomus papatasi sand flies and promastigotes excessively cultured in culture medium. The parasites were collected from suspected CL cases in Pasteur Institute of Iran, cultured and inoculated into the female BALB/c mice (2×106 promastigotes). Sand flies were trapped in Qom province, fed with the blood of euthanized infected mice and subsequently dissected in order to isolate the midgut including stomodeal valve. The metacyclic promastigotes were isolated from Ph. papatasi (Pro-Ppap) using peanut agglutinin test (PNA), then continuously cultured in RPMI-1640 medium enriched with fetal bovine serum, penicillin (100 U/ml) and streptomycin (100 mg/ml) to reach stationary phase (Pro-Stat). The gene expression was evaluated in both parasitic stages (Pro-Ppap and Pro-Stat) using qRT-PCR. Out results showed a significant increased gene expression at Pro-Ppap stage for gp63 (P = 0.002), SHERP (P = 0.001) and histone (P = 0.026) genes, in comparison with Pro-Stat stage. Noticeably, significant changes were, also, demonstrated in 10th to 15th passages [gp63 (P = 0.041), arginase (P = 0.016), LACK (P = 0.025)] and in 5th to 20th passage (SHERP) (P = 0.029). In conclusion, the findings of the present study seem to be essential in designing Leishmania studies, in particular regarding host-parasite interaction, immunization and infectivity studies.

Polyoxometalates (POMs) are mineral nanoclusters with many advantages in various diagnostic fields, in particular cancer detection. This study aimed to synthesize and evaluate the performance of gadolinium–manganese–molybdenum polyoxometalate (Gd-Mn-Mo; POM) nanoparticles coated with chitosan–imidazolium (POM@CSIm NPs) for detecting 4T1 breast cancer cells by magnetic resonance imaging in vitro and in vivo. The POM@Cs-Im NPs were fabricated and characterized by FTIR, ICP-OES, CHNS, UV–visible, XRD, VSM, DLS, Zeta potential, and SEM. Cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, and MR imaging in vivo and in vitro of L929 and 4T1 cells were also assessed. The efficacy of nanoclusters was demonstrated using MR images of BALB/C mice bearing a 4T1 tumor in vivo. The evaluation of the in vitro cytotoxicity of the designed NPs showed their high biocompatibility. In fluorescence imaging and flow cytometry, NPs had a higher uptake rate by 4T1 than L929 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, NPs significantly increased the signal strength of MR images, and its relaxivity (r1) was calculated as 4.71 mM−1 s−1. MR imaging also confirmed the attachment of nanoclusters to cancer cells and their selective accumulation in the tumor region. Overall, the results showed that fabricated POM@CSIm NPs have considerable potential as an MR imaging nano-agent for early 4T1 cancer detection.

Recently, cancer immunotherapy has gained lots of attention to replace the current chemoradiation approaches and multi-epitope cancer vaccines are manifesting as the next generation of cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, in this study, we used multiple immunoinformatics approaches along with other computational approaches to design a novel multi-epitope vaccine against breast cancer. The most immunogenic regions of the BORIS cancer-testis antigen were selected according to the binding affinity to MHC-I and II molecules as well as containing multiple cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes by multiple immunoinformatics servers. The selected regions were linked together by GPGPG linker. Also, a T helper epitope (PADRE) and the TLR-4/MD-2 agonist (L7/L12 ribosomal protein from mycobacterium) were incorporated by A(EAAAK)3A linker to form the final vaccine construct. Then, its physicochemical properties, cleavage sites, TAP transport efficiency, B cell epitopes, IFN-γ inducing epitopes and population coverage were predicted. The final vaccine construct was reverse translated, codon-optimized and inserted into pcDNA3.1 to form the DNA vaccine. The final vaccine construct was a stable, immunogenic and non-allergenic protein that contained numerous CTL epitopes, IFN-γ inducing epitopes and several linear and conformational B cell epitopes. Also, the final vaccine construct formed stable and significant interactions with TLR-4/MD-2 complex according to molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Moreover, its world population coverage for HLA-I and HLA-II were about 93% and 96%, respectively. Taking together, these preliminary results can be used as an appropriate platform for further experimental investigations. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

The stability of the waterfront in a heterogeneous porous medium and in the absence of gravity effects is controlled by capillary and viscous forces. Under oil-wet conditions, waterflood is a drainage process and the displacement front advances in zones with larger pores where capillary forces are lower, and the rate of displacement is higher compared to zones with smaller pores. Hence, in a waterflood process, a transition zone is formed where the water saturation gradually decreases from a trailing front to the leading end of advanced water fingers. In a heterogeneous medium, oil–water capillary pressure fluctuates due to variations of pore sizes in flooding paths. The difference in the capillary pressures between leading and trailing zones can help with the stability of the waterfront when the capillary pressure in frontal zones is increased by displacing oil through smaller pores. However, this mechanism creates a limited pressure gradient in the oil phase, so the waterfront instabilities continue to grow, especially at the adverse mobility ratio and high displacement rates. In this study, different oil samples with low, medium and high viscosities are displaced by water in an oil-wet medium containing pore-level heterogeneities. Herein, the effect of flow swing, which is introduced to the direction of oil–water displacement, on waterflood performance is investigated. Under flow-swing conditions, we reverse the fluid flow direction periodically; however, the overall volume of injected water is maintained the same for all scenarios by adjusting the periods of the forward and reverse steps. The flow reversal promotes the refill of water paths with oil, hence attenuating the advanced fingers. Consequently, the sweep efficiency of waterflood is improved and higher oil sweep efficiency is obtained at the time of breakthrough. The flow-swing mechanism is more effective when oscillations of capillary pressure result in a faster flow of oil between trailing and leading zones, thus decreasing the waterfront instabilities. The new process can be optimized and utilized at larger scales for improving the sweep efficiency of flooding operations.

Stimuli-responsive emulsifiers have emerged as a class of smart agents that can permit regulated stabilization and destabilization of emulsions, which is essential for food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, and petroleum industries. Here, we report the synthesis of novel "smart" hydroxyapatite (HaP) magnetic nanoparticles and their corresponding stimuli-responsive Pickering emulsions and explore their movement under confined spaces using a microfluidic platform. Pickering emulsions prepared with our magnetic stearic acid-functionalized Fe2O3@HaP nanoparticles exhibited pronounced pH-responsive behavior. We observed that the diameter of emulsion droplets decreases with an increase in pH. Swift demulsification was achieved by lowering the pH, whereas the reformation of emulsions was achieved by increasing the pH; this emulsification-demulsification cycling was successful for at least ten cycles. We used a microfluidic platform to test the stability of the emulsions under flowing conditions and their response to a magnetic field. We observed that the emulsion stability was diminished and droplet coalescence was enhanced by the application of the magnetic field. The smart nanoparticles we developed and their HaP-based emulsions present promising materials for pharmaceutical and petroleum industries, where responsive emulsions with controlled stabilities are required.

Background: Genotyping study and genetic diversity increase basic information about the parasites that cause malaria disease. These studies may support new treatment for disease, and control program in the future. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the genetic structure and genotypes frequency based on MSP-3a gene of Plasmodium vivax in patients with Malaria reported in Isfahan City, Iran. Methods: Forty samples of patients infected with Plasmodium vivax, who were referred to laboratories of Isfahan health centers, were collected. The samples were tested using specific primers based on MSP-3a gene by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Findings: Based on PCR product size, three genotypes of PvMSP-3a gene as A (about 1900 bp), B (about 1600 bp), and C (about 1200 bp) were observed. The most frequent genotype was genotype A with 72%, and 10% of the patients showed both genotype A and B. Conclusion: The results show that PvMSP-3α genotype can be used as a genetic marker in both endemic and imported malaria areas. This gene also is acceptable as epidemiologic marker for diagnosis of Plasmodium vivax genotyping, and detection of mixed infection having both genotypes.