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The influenza A virus is of global concern for the poultry industry, especially the H5 subtype as it has the potential to become highly pathogenic for poultry and mankind. Recently, plant expression systems have gained interest as an alternative for the production of vaccine antigens. The goal of the present study was to investigate the possibility of expressing the HA1 protein in Nicotiana tabacum via agroinfiltration. In this study, the Hemagglutinin type 1 (HA1) of a high pathogenic avian influenza virus of the H5N1 subtype was synthesized and transiently expressed in Nicotiana tabacum. To examine the possibility of expressing the HA1 protein in N. tabacum, a cDNA fragment encoding the HA1 gene was synthesized de novo, modified with a Kozak sequence, a C-terminal hexa-Histidine (6His) tag, and an endoplasmic retention signal (KDEL). The construct was cloned into vector and the resulting - HA1 plasmid was agro-infiltrated into N. tabacum. The relative gene expression of recombinant plant-produced HA1 was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Guided by the gene expression profile, HA1 protein was extracted at 3 dpi and subsequently purified utilizing the 6His tag. A recombinant HA1 protein was immunogenically detected by conjugated polyhistidine antibody in western blot, dot blot and ELISA assay. In order to verify the right conformation of HA1 produced in plants, western blot was also done using mouse monoclonal anti-influenza A virus (H5N1/HA1) [2B7]. The results of Real Time PCR assay indicated that the foreign gene was transcribed in transfected leaves. Migration size of protein was detected at 45 kD by Western blotting and demonstrated no discrepancy compared to the positive control (HA1). ELISA results showed that the HA1 was expressed in the transfected leaves in high level as the yield of recombinant protein was 8.8 % of TSP and the yield of purified HA1 was 0.16 g purified protein per kg fresh weight of leaves. This is the first research about the transient expression of the tobacco-made HA1 protein where a synthetic sequence was used for its expression. Here, the efficacy of agro-infiltration for expression of HA1 antigen in tobacco was illustrated. Agro-infiltration expedites the process of recombinant antigens expression in plant tissues. Accordingly, our results provide great opportunity for the exploration of transiently plant-manufactured HA1 as vaccine candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impending influenza virus pandemic requires global vaccination to prevent large-scale mortality and morbidity, but traditional influenza virus vaccine production is too slow for rapid responses. In this study, bacterial system has been developed for expression and purification of properly folded HA1 antigen as a rapid response to emerging pandemic strains. Here, a recombinant H5N1 (A/Indonesia/05/05) hemagglutinin globular domain, the synthesized HA1 (1-320 amino acids), was amplified and cloned into pET-28a bacterial expression vector. Then, his-tagged HA1 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 under 1 mM IPTG induction. The protein expression was optimized under a time-course induction study and further purified using Ni-NTA chromatography. Migration size of protein was detected at 40 KDa by Western blot using anti-His tag monoclonal antibody and demonstrated no discrepancy compared to its calculated molecular weight. Since most antigenic sites are in the HA1 domain of HA, using this domain of influenza virus as antigen is of great importance in vaccine development. The ability of the antibody stimulation against HA1 expressed in bacterial cells is also examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. Upon immunization of rabbits, oligomeric HA1 elicited potent neutralizing antibodies and high levels of serum antibody binding to HA1. Our findings suggest that HA1-based vaccines can be produced efficiently in bacterial systems and can be easily upscaled in response to a pandemic influenza virus threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We cloned a vacuolar Na+/H+ antiporter cDNA (Lf NHX1) from Leptochloa fusca L. by cDNA and RACE methods using degenerate primers. [•] Lf NHX sequence contains 2,452 nucleotides and an open-reading frame of 1,620 nucleotides. [•] The effects of NaCl stress were surveyed on Na+/H+ antiporter at early times of NaCl treatment through the Real time PCR. [•] Ion content of treated and controls were surveyed. [•] Treated plants accumulated more Na+? in roots and kept a relative high Na+?/K?+ ratio in comparison with control [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Vacuolar H+-translocation pyrophosphatase (V-PPase) and Na+/H+ antiporter (VNa +/H+) are important transporters in plant cells and have essential roles against abiotic stresses. In this study, the effects of salt stress were surveyed on the transcription of VPPase pump and Na+/H+ antiporter genes at early times of NaCl treatment in roots of halophytic grass Leptochloa fusca through the Real Time PCR. The first results showed that L. fusca has high ability for accumulating Na+ under saline conditions. Real-Time PCR analysis demonstrated that the expression level of V-PPase and V-Na+/H+ increased in response to different levels of NaCl treatment, but the transcriptional increase of VNa +/H+ gene was higher than that of the V-PPase gene, indicating that V-Na+/H+ had a crucial role in salt tolerance in this plant. These results indicated that coordinate upregulations of V-PPase expression and Na+/H+ antiporter expression were correlated with Na+ sequestering into vacuoles of L. fusca. It was also shown that increase e in the expression level of V-Na+/H+ and V-PPase was correlated with the accumulation of sodium in roots, suggesting a physiological role for these antiporters and pump in Na+ compartmentation during adaptation to high salinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We sought to evaluate the routine echo-Doppler screening of carotid artery stenosis in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Methods: A total of 2179 consecutive patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting alone or with other cardiac surgery at Tehran Heart Center, Tehran-Iran, between January 2005 and January 2006 were included in this retrospective study. Carotid Doppler was performed for 1604 (81.48%) of these patients. Results: The patients' age ranged between 20 and 84 years (mean: 58.33, SD: 10.08 years). Of the 1604 patients studied, 1186 (73.9%) were men, 592 (36.9%) had diabetes, 598 (37.3%) were smokers, and 194 (12.1%) cases had significant left main stenosis. Twenty-one (1.3%) patients had significant carotid stenosis (> 60% stenosis), which constituted 0.9% of all the bypass surgery candidates. Post-operative cerebrovascular accident was not detected in any of the patients with significant carotid stenosis, but cerebrovascular accident occurred in 22 (1.4%) of the patients without carotid stenosis. Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) was conducted in 15 patients. In our univariate analysis, female gender (p value = 0.023), hypertension (p value = 0.055), peripheral vascular disease (p value < 0.001), and age (p value = 0.001) were significant in the development of carotid stenosis. Conclusion: Pre-operative duplex carotid screening seems to be necessary in patients when there is hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, female gender, and advanced age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is the most frequent catastrophic event of the aorta; it occurs nearly three times as frequently as the rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Sixty percent of dissection cases are classified as proximal or type A and 40% as distal or type B, according to the Stanford Classification. The most frequent causes of death in acute type B dissection are aortic rupture and malperfusion syndrome. We herein review recent data suggesting different management modalities of type B aortic dissection, including medical, surgical, and endovascular treatments. Although medical therapy is still the standard approach in uncomplicated cases, there are subgroups of patients who may benefit from endovascular management. Endovascular techniques or surgery are valuable options for complicated cases. Hybrid suites, multidisciplinary approaches, and good imaging techniques can be considered as the key to success in this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atrial myxomas are the most common cardiac neoplasms. They consist of 2 macroscopic features of solid, papillary, and myxoma cells in abundant mucopolysaccharide stroma in microscopic examination. The majority of patients may experience central or peripheral embolization, intracardiac obstruction, or constitutional symptoms. We sought to investigate the clinical presentation and pathological features of atrial myxomas in the population that underwent cardiac surgery at our institution. Methods: Nineteen patients undergoing atrial myxoma excision were collected prospectively from the 18,300 patients who underwent cardiac surgery between January 2001 and June 2008 at Tehran Heart Center. Results: Our study population consisted of 8 men and 11 women with a mean age of 54.05 ± 7.33 years. All of the cases had left atrial tumors. The solid myxoma group (79%) was comprised of 8 females and 7 males, while papillary myxoma (21%) was detected in 3 females and 1 male. In our study, 6 patients (32%) had hypertension (HTN), 4 (21%) had diabetes mellitus, and 5 (26.3%) had hyperlipidemia. Smoking and opium addiction were detected in 6 (32%) and 3 (16%) patients, respectively. Dyspnea was the most prevalent presenting symptom occurring in 12 patients (63%), followed by chest pain in 7 (37%), and neurological symptoms in 5 (26%). Hypertension was more prevalent in the patients with neurological symptoms than in those without them (P=0.046). Five patients were anemic, and 5 cases had leukocytosis. Anemia was detected in 75% of the patients with papillary tumors compared to 13.3% of the patients with solid tumors (P=0.037). Thrombocytosis was detected in 1 patient. Plasma cells infiltration were found in 1 papillary and 14 solid tumors. Neutrophils were detected in 9 solid and 1 papillary tumor. Three solid tumors revealed mineralized circumscribed nodules (Gamna-Gandy bodies). In patients with chest pain, the neutrophil count in the tumor tissue, not in the blood, was not significantly different from that observed in patients without chest pain (85.7% vs. 33.3%, respectively, P=0.057). Discussion: Our data demonstrated the histological features of atrial myxomas correlated to some of the patients' clinical findings. This study identifies for the first time the correlation between HTN and CNS symptoms in atrial myxoma. The presence of these findings could be due to the production of different mediators such as interleukins. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on peripheral vascular disease (PVD) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: A total of 13702 consecutive patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at Tehran Heart Center between January 2002 and March 2007 were included in this study. The demographic data, PVD, and outcome of these patients were reviewed. CABG patients before surgery were detected for PVD (stenosis >=70% in the abdominal aorta; renal, carotid, and iliac arteries; or any other peripheral vascular system) with physical examination and past medical history. The suspected cases of PVD were, thereafter, confirmed via Doppler sonography or invasive angiography. Results: This study recruited 4344 diabetic patients (mean age 59.30±8.7 years) and 9358 non-diabetic patients (mean age 58.42±9.9 years). The diabetics were significantly older and had a higher incidence of PVD (2.7% vs. 1.8%), female gender, hypertension, renal failure, smoking, and dyslipidemia than the non-diabetics (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to family history and left main disease. Also, the mean ejection fraction (EF) was 48.85%±10.4 and 49.35%±10. In the patients with and without DM, respectively; and the difference was significant (P=0.008). The in-hospital mortality rate (mortality over a 30-day post-operative period) was 1.8% in the diabetics and 0.7% in the non-diabetics (P<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, PVD, left main disease, age, female gender, and EF were significant in the development of mortality amongst the diabetic patients with a respective odds ratio of 4.17, 5.54, 1.03, 2.86, and 0.95 (P<=0.050). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, PVD was significantly higher in the diabetics than in those without DM (OR=1.283, 95% CI: 1.001- 1.644; P=0.049). In the diabetic patients, carotid (1.13% vs. 0.83%), subclavian (0.05% vs. 0.02%), femoral (0.18% vs. 0.09%), renal (0.62% vs. 0.25%), and tibialis (0.16% vs. 0.06%) arteries had a higher incidence of stenosis than those in the non-diabetics. Conclusion: We conclude that in diabetic patients with concomitant CAD, special attention must be directed towards the diagnosis of PVD using physical examination, Doppler sonography; and where needed, CT-angiography or invasive angiography. Also, in risk assessment, the presence of PVD should be strongly considered for CAD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Behcet's disease is a multisystem disorder and classified as 'vasculitic syndrome with a wide variety of clinical manifestations.' Cardiac involvement is very rare but can occur with different presentations including: pericarditis, cardiomyopathy, endocarditis, endomyocardial fibrosis, intracavitary thrombosis, and coronary artery disease. Great vessel involvement is more common. Recurrent Phlebitis, commonly involving large vessels (superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, hepatic veins) and cerebral veins are the sole presentation in this regard. Arterial involvement is expressed by aneurysm or pseudoaneurysmal formation. Due to the wide variety of cardiovascular manifestations and the resulting high mortality, cardiac surgeons should be familiar with this disease. In this paper we review the articles and introduce our four cases presenting with aneurysm of ascending aorta with free aortic insufficiency, aneurysm of descending aorta, pulmonary artery aneurysm, and pseudoaneurysm of aortic arch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acinetobacter lwoffii, an important nosocomial pathogen, is a gram-negative aerobic bacillus that is a component of the normal flora on the skin, oropharynx, and perineum of about 20-25% of healthy individuals. We herein present a case of a 66-year-old man with combined mitral and aortic valve endocarditis associated with multi-drug resistance acinetobacter lowffii bacteremia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding gene expression kinetics and the underlying physiological mechanisms in stress combinations is a challenge for the purpose of stress resistance breeding. The novelty of this study is correlating the physiological mechanisms with the expression of key target genes in tall fescue under a combination of various salinity and osmotic stress treatments. Four drought- and salt-responsive genes belonging to different crucial pathways evaluated included one transcription factor FabZIP69, one for the cytosolic polyamine synthetase FaADC1, one for ABA signaling FaCYP707A1, and another one for the specific Na + /H + plasma membrane antiporter FaSOS1 involve in osmotic homeostasis. FaSOS1, FaCYP707A1, and FabZIP69 were induced early at 6 h after NaCl treatment, while FaSOS1 and FaCYP707A1 were transcribed gradually after exposure to PEG. However, stress interactions showed a significantly increased expression in all genes. Expression of these genes was positively correlated to Pro, SSs, IL, DPPH, and antioxidant enzyme activity and negatively correlated with RWC, total Chl, and MSI. Chemical analyses showed that tall fescue plants exposed to the combination of stresses exhibited increased quantity of reactive oxygen species (H 2 O 2 ), EL and DPPH, and higher levels of antioxidant enzyme activities (CAT, and SOD), Pro, and SSs content, compared with control seedlings. Under dual-stress conditions, the expression of FabZIP69 was effective in controlling the expression of FaSOS1 and FaADC1 genes differently., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Somatic embryogenesis (SE) depends on a variety of developmental pathways that are influenced by several environmental factors. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between environmental and genetic factors by identifying the gene networks involved in SE through gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). For determination of SE effective transcription factors, upstream sequences of core-enriched genes were analyzed. The results indicated that response to hormones is one of the biological pathways activated by the enriched TFs at all stages of somatic embryogenesis and about half of the hormonal pathways were enriched. On the fifth day after 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) treatment, the activity of hormone-affecting genes reached its maximum. At this time, more transcription factors regulated the enriched genes compared to the other stages of somatic embryogenesis. MYBs, AT-HOOKs, and HSFs are the main families of transcription factors which affect core-enriched genes during SE. CCA1 , PRR7 , and TOC1 and their related genes at the center of protein-protein interaction of SE-key transcription factors, involved in the regulation of the circadian clock. Gene expression analysis of CCA1 , PRR7 , and TOC1 revealed that the genes involved in circadian clock reached their maximum activity when embryonic cells formed. Also, auxin response elements were identified at the upstream of SE-circadian clock transcription factors, indicating that they might mediate between auxin signaling and SE-related hormonal pathways as well as SE marker genes such as AGL15 , BBM , and LEC s. Based on these results, it is possible that the cellular circadian rhythm activates various developmental pathways under the influence of auxin signal transduction and their interactions determine the induction of somatic embryogenesis . According to the results of this study, modifying pathways affected by SE-related transcription factors such as circadian rhythm may result in cell reprogramming and increase somatic embryogenesis efficiency., Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03546-7., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2023, Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Mentha longifolia L. is well-known to be one of the most pervasive wild-growing species of the Lamiaceae family, which has extensive beneficial properties in the fields of pharmacology and biological products. In the present study, the correlation between Inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers and morpho-chemical parameters of twenty different M. longifolia accessions (MLACs) were assessed. The geographic information system (GIS) has been employed to interpret the original habitat of the accessions in Iran. ISSR analysis indicated a remarkable difference in the studied accessions, segregated them into three main groups, constructed by an unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic (UPGMA) and principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). A total of 89 bands were generated by 12 ISSR primers, among which 82 (91.97 %) of them were polymorphic. The cluster analysis based on agro-morphological data scattered MLACs into two main groups. The essential oils (EOs) were analyzed through GC/FID/MS, and four chemotypes were characterized according to the major constituents. Pulegone ranged from 0.17 to 69.50 % was the main oil constituent with the highest content. Also, HPLC-PDA was employed to identify and to quantify the phenolic compounds in the MeOH extracts of MLACs. Heatmap cluster based on phenolic compounds produced three main categories of accessions. The components identified in the extracts were rosmarinic acid, rutin, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, and p-coumaric acid, which among them rosmarinic acid (RA) varied from 39.16 to 261.55 mg/100 g (DW) as a predominant constituent. Subsequently, multiple regression analyses between ISSR fragments and morpho-chemical data illustrated considerable relationships in the plant materials. The high variation and correlation observed in metabolic and phenotypic traits of MLACs establish an adequate source to conduct reserves conservation programs., (© 2021 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice) is a medicinal plant with valuable specialised metabolites such as triterpene sweetener glycyrrhizin. Salinity stress is the main environmental stress limiting plant growth and development. The effects of six levels of NaCl (0, 100, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mM) on growth, osmolyte content, oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzyme activities, K + /Na + ratio, glycyrrhizin content, and gene expression of glycyrrhizin biosynthesis (bAS, CYP88D6, and CYP72A154) were investigated in licorice rhizomes of two populations. The results showed that the salt stress progressively reduced the growth parameters and increased the proline concentrations in the rhizomes. K + /Na + ratio showed a significant decrease under salinity as compared to the controls. Salt stress resulted in oxidative stress on the rhizomes, as indicated by increased lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide concentrations and elevated the activities of antioxidant enzymes (i.e., ascorbate peroxidase and superoxide dismutase). The glycyrrhizin content increased only under 100 and 200 mM NaCl treatments. The same trend was observed in the expression of bAS, CYP88D6, and CYP72A154 genes in Fars population. Fars population was found to have more glycyrrhizin content than Khorasan population. But, growth, glycyrrhizin content, and biosynthesis genes of glycyrrhizin showed more reduction in Khorasan population as compared to those of Fars population. The results indicate that the application of 100 mM NaCl up-regulated the expression of key genes involved in the biosynthesis of triterpenoid saponins and directly enhanced the production of glycyrrhizin. Accordingly, G. glabra can be introduced as a halophyte plant., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

There is an urgent need to develop novel drugs for osteoporosis which occurs due to estrogen deficiency. Phytoestrogens derived from medicinal plants would be the best alternative to chemical drugs with harmful side effects. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of ferutinin compared to 17β-estradiol (E2) on bone mineralization of zebrafish larvae. Regarding the lack of publications, the histology analysis was performed after exposure to E2 to find effective treatment on bone mineralization of developing zebrafish larvae. Then, the larvae were exposed to four concentrations of ferutinin at three time points to assess the mortality, the expression of some related genes and histology of the ceratohyal and hyomandibular of treated larvae. The RT-PCR result of the treatment groups demonstrated the similar expression pattern in the larvae which were exposed to 1.25 μg/mL of ferutinin and 2 µM of E2 at 2 dpf, which confirmed the result of histology analysis. In addition, RT-qPCR of high concentration of ferutinin and E2 demonstrated that bmp2a/b and esr1 were downregulated and upregulated when the larvae were exposed to 5 μg/mL of ferutinin and 10 µM of E2, respectively.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate variations in yields, volatile composition and biological activities of essential oils (EOs) obtained from the aerial parts of Zhumeria majdae collected from five localities of the south of Iran., Materials and Methods: The EOs were analyzed using gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques. The antioxidant activity of the EOs was tested using DPPH and β-carotene/linoleic acid assays. In vitro cytotoxicity was tested against two cancer cell lines (A375 and MCF7) using MTT assay., Results: The oils yield varied from 6.3% (S2) to 10.2% (V/W) (S4). All of five investigated EOs samples presented three major compounds: linalool (24.4-34.6%), camphor (26.1-34.7%) and trans-linalool oxide (7.6-28.6%). Although the main constituents were common, their percentages were different. Among samples, S1 had a better antioxidant activity in both DPPH and β-carotene/linoleic acid methods (IC 50 = 8.01 and 11.77 mg/ml, respectively). In vitro cytotoxicity against two cancer cell lines of human melanoma cell line (A375) and breast cancer cell line (MCF7), showed a moderate cytotoxicity of S3 against A375 cells with IC 50 value of 624 μg/ml., Conclusion: Tangezagh (S4) plant materials revealed the highest level of oil yield as the region is recommended for collecting the plant samples.Taken together, despite the weak antioxidant and moderate cytotoxic activities of tested EOs, this study suggested a proper potential for possible use of the EOs of Z. majdae for pharmaceutical and perfume industries., Competing Interests: The Authors declares that there is no conflict of interest.

Variegation in flower color is commonly observed in many plant species and also occurs on Petunia (Petunia hybrida) as an ornamental plant. Variegated plants are of highly valuable in the floricultural market. Agroinfiltration is an Agrobacterium-mediated transient assay for the analysis of gene function and genetic modification in leaves, flowers and fruit tissues of various plants. Transient RNAi-induced silencing by agroinfiltration has been developed in leaves and fruits of several plant species. Here we report the establishment of a transient hairpin RNAi-induced silencing system for color modification assay in floral tissues of Petunia with different colors. chiRNAi construct was cloned into the pBI121 vector under the control of 35S promoter. Transient RNA silencing of chi in the floral tissues of Petunia was induced by delivering 530 bp chi hairpin RNAs (hpRNAs) into the petals of flowers using agroinfiltration. Impaired anthocyanin accumulation and reduction of endogenous mRNAs of the corresponding targets were observed in the infiltrated areas of the petals of four colors of Petunia. Silencing of the endogenous chi mRNAs was highly effective in reduction of chi gene and anthocyanin accumulation. This transient silencing system is a prototype for modification of the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway in Petunia through chi gene suppression.

Objectives: Graft stenosis is a major complication of coronary artery bypass grafting with autologous saphenous vein grafts. Nitric oxide (NO) is believed to prevent this phenomenon. We studied the effect of perivascular application of an NO donor on the degree of stenosis of such grafts in an ovine model., Methods: Twenty white Iranian ewes were randomized to coronary artery bypass grafting using autologous saphenous vein grafts with application of an elastomer gel containing diethylenetriamine NO adduct in 0.9% sodium chloride solution around the grafted vessel (intervention group) or with the gel containing the saline solution alone (controls). Graft vessels were studied after 1 year using spot angiography and histological examination., Results: The mean degree of stenosis was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the controls as found by histology (92.3 ± 5.5 vs. 80.9 ± 8.3%; p = 0.004). Although the difference in the angiographic score was not significant, the mean score was still lower in the intervention group (9.5 ± 11.3 vs. 12.0 ± 11.8)., Conclusions: Perivascular application of an NO donor was, at least histologically, effective in reducing graft stenosis in our ovine model. This can be a step toward the development of drug-eluting coronary artery bypass grafts., (Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Aim: Obesity is commonly thought to be a risk factor for morbidity and mortality after cardiac surgery. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of variations in body mass index on in-hospital outcome of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)., Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective review of 10191 consecutive patients who had undergone isolated CABG at the center from February 2002 to November 2006. Patients were divided into four groups according to Body Mass Index (BMI). Underweight patients (BMI<18.5 kg/m(2)) were assigned to group 1 and obese patients (BMI 30 kg/m(2)) were put into group 4. Patients with normal BMI and those who were overweight were placed in group 2 and 3 respectively., Results: Analysis of the BMI groups showed: of 10191 patients 0.7% was underweight; 31.2% of cases had normal BMI, 47.1%; overweight and 21.0% were obese. Compared with other groups, the members of the obese group were younger, included more women and were more likely to have all the risk factors for coronary artery disease except for cigarette smoking (P<0.0001). The underweight patients had an excess of left main coronary artery disease, previous history of myocardial infarction. In-hospital mortality did not show any difference between groups (P=0.46). There was a significant increase in postoperative gastrointestinal complications among the underweight group in comparison with other groups (P=0.027)., Conclusions: According to this study, obese patients undergoing CABG are not at a greater risk of perioperative death and other adverse outcomes compared to normal weight. After CABG, underweight patients are at higher risk of developing gastrointestinal complications compared to normal patients.

Aim: Significant carotid stenosis (>or=70%) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) can increase the risk of perioperative cerebral vascular accident (CVA). In this study, we compared the results of two common operative strategies: concomitant carotid endarterectomy and CABG versus carotid stenting and CABG., Methods: This cohort study was conducted from January 2001 to September 2006. Significant carotid artery stenosis was detected in patients who were candidates for CABG at the Tehran Heart Center. The stenosis was detected by carotid Doppler screening and was confirmed by magnetic resonance angiography. Reluctant patients or those with previous major CVA, significant bilateral carotid stenosis and intracranial lesions were excluded. Patients were divided into 2 groups. Group A underwent concomitant carotid endarterectomy and CABG (n=19), while carotid stenting and CABG were done in group B (n=28)., Results: The mean age in group A was 67.37+/-7.09 years and 65.57+/-8.13 years in group B. The mean hospital stay (days) was 18.68+/-7.95 in group A and 26.35+/-77.04 in group B (P=0.01). The median charge was dollars 252.79 in group A and dollars 2206.66 in group B (P <0.0001). There was a significant difference in frequency of hypotension and bradycardia between the 2 groups (P <0.05). There were 2 cases of in-hospital mortality in each group (10.5% and 7.1%, respectively). Two postoperative strokes occurred in group A and 3 in group B (10.5% and 10.7%, respectively)., Conclusion: Concomitant carotid endarterectomy and CABG is as safe as carotid stenting and CABG, with fewer neurologic events and less hypotension, bradycardia, cost and shorter hospital stay.

In this study, multiple shoot induction and whole plant regeneration from decapitated embryo axes of three chick peal genotypes including MCC252, MCC283 and MCC505 were evaluated on modified Murashige and Skoog's medium (MMS) which, its vitamins were replaced by vitamins of B5 medium, supplemented with varied concentration of thidiazuron (0.1, 0.2 mg L(-1)) or 6-benzylaminopurin (1,2 mg L(-1)) or zeatin (1, 2 mg L(-1)) treatments. BAP was found to be the most effective cytokinin in normal multiple shoot induction. Shoots were elongated on growth regulator-free medium and then rooted on two media containing 1/4 MMS salts and B5 vitamins + 3% sucrose + 0.8% agar with indol-3-butyric acid (0.4 or 1 mg L(-1)). The highest rooting frequency resulted in a medium including 0.4 mg L(-1) IBA. It was found that different shoot induction media also positively affected rooting, where a medium with 2 mg L(-1) BAP in MCC252/MCC505 and a medium with 2 mg L(-1) zeatin in MCC283 were the best media in shoot induction that produced high frequency, thick spread roots. Plantlets were preliminary acclimatized in liquid medium (1/4 MMS salts and B5 vitamins + 3% sucrose + 0.4 mg L(-1) IBA) for 7 to 14 days, then transferred to pots filled by cocopit: perlite (1:1) and kept in a growth chamber until their shoots and roots were well developed. This resulted in more than 70% survival rate.

Background: Sternal wound infection (SWI) is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of cardiac surgery. Predisposing factors for SWI are multiple with varied frequencies in different studies. The purpose of this study was to assess the incidence, risk factors, and mortality of SWI after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at Tehran Heart Center., Methods: This study prospectively evaluated multiple risk factors for SWI in 9201 patients who underwent CABG at Tehran Heart Center between January 2002 and February 2006. Cases of SWI were confirmed based on the criteria of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Deep SWI (bone and mediastinitis) was categorized according to the Oakley classification., Results: In the study period, 9201 CABGs were performed with a total SWI rate of 0.47 percent (44 cases) and deep SWI of 0.22 percent (21 cases). Perioperative (in-hospital) mortality was 9.1% for total SWI and about 14% for deep SWI versus 1.1% for non-SWI CABG patients. Female gender, preoperative hypertension, high functional class, diabetes mellitus, obesity, prolonged intubation time (more than 48 h), and re-exploration for bleeding were significant risk factors for developing SWI (p = 0.05) in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis, hypertension (OR = 10.7), re-exploration (OR = 13.4), and female gender (OR = 2.7) were identified as significant predictors of SWI (p < 0.05 for all). The rate of SWI was relatively similar in 3 groups of prophylactic antibiotic regimen (Cefazolin, Cefazolin + Gentamycin and Cefazolin + Amikacin: 0.5%, 0.5%, and 0.34% respectively)., Conclusion: Rarely reported previously, the two risk factors of hypertension and the female gender were significant risk factors in our study. Conversely, some other risk factors such as cigarette smoking and age mentioned as significant in other reports were not significant in our study. Further studies are needed for better documentation.