The Association of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) with the Pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori

H. pylori pathogenesis is related to various virulence factor which some of them involved to adhesions. Urease as a main pathogenecity factor to attach to HLA-II is expressed on the surface of Gastric Epithelial Cells (GECs). Apoptosis induced by caspase3 activation as a result of urease effects on Spermine-Spermidine cycle. There is a contribution of HLA-DQA1 gene to the host's response against H. pylon. HLA allele type as an immune-genetic factors are related to host susceptibility to H. pylori. HLA-DQA1 might be contributed to the susceptibility or resistance to H. pylori infection. Based on the existed evidences the current review aimed to evaluate the results obtained by different studies carried out so far on correlation of human HLA and the pathogenesis of the H. pylori in gastric epithelial cells

Partial discharge behavior under operational and anomalous conditions in HVDC systems

Power cables undergo various types of overstressing conditions during their operation that influence the integrity of their insulation systems. This causes accelerated ageing and might lead to their premature failure in severe cases. This paper presents an investigation of the impacts of various dynamic electric fields produced by ripples, polarity reversal and transient switching impulses on partial discharge (PD) activity within solid dielectrics with the aim of considering such phenomena in high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable systems. Appropriate terminal voltages of a generic HVDC converter were reproduced - with different harmonic contaminations - and applied to the test samples. The effects of systematic operational polarity reversal and superimposed switching impulses with the possibility of transient polarity reversal were also studied in this investigation. The experimental results show that the PD is greatly affected by the dynamic changes of electric field represented by polarity reversal, ripples and switching. The findings of this study will assist in understanding the behaviour of PDs under HVDC conditions and would be of interest to asset managers considering the effects of such conditions on the insulation diagnostics

Effects of the physical form of diet on growth performance, ascites and sudden death syndrome incidences in broiler chickens

ΔΕΝ ΔΙΑΤΙΘΕΤΑΙ ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗThis experiment was conducted to determine the effects of the diet physical form, Mash (M), Pellet (P) and Extruded (E) on the growth performance, carcass characteristics and metabolic disorders ascites (AS) and as well as sudden death syndrome (SDS) in the broiler chickens. In this respect, feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG) and mortalitywere recorded throughout the experiment and biochemical parameters, hematology and carcass characteristics were tested at 35 and 42 days of age respectively. The results showed that with the increase of the average daily weight gain (ADWG) (p<0.01), the relative breast weight to the carcass weight (p<0.05), better feed conversion ratio (p<0.01), the lower relative cecum weight and gizzard to the carcass weight (p<0.05) were observed by applying the E diet form, as compared with the other treatments. A significant increase in the average daily feed intake (ADFI) was also observed by using the P diet form (p<0.01). Hematological parameters including hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (HCT), urea, uric acid, triglyceride, the ratio of low-density lipoprotein to high-density lipoprotein (LDL/HDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), enzyme activities of aspartate aminotransferase(AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of the blood serum were lowered by applying the M treatment, as compared with the other treatments (p<0.05). The results indicated that the performance and carcass characteristics were improved by the E and P diet forms; also, with raising the hematology parameters in these treatments, the mortality of ascites and SDS was increased

Response of lettuce to Cd-enriched water and irrigation frequencies

This pot experiment was an attempt to investigate a broad response of lettuce to different cadmium (Cd) levels of irrigation water (0, 5, 10 and 20 mg l-1) under different irrigation intervals (1, 2 and 4 days). The results showed that increased level of soil Cd through irrigation eventually decreased the yield of lettuce in all cases; however, in some cases yield was increased with lower doses of Cd application. No injury symptoms were observed other than plant height and yield reduction. Shoot dry weight proved to be the most sensitive parameters to the cadmium, especially under water stress conditions. The results also showed that the concentrations of nutrient elements in lettuce shoot were suppressed by water stress. The presence of cadmium in irrigation water did not significantly affect the absorption of nutrient elements by plants except for Fe. Shoot Cd concentration and its uptake decreased with increasing irrigation frequencies and the reverse trend occurred with increasing Cd levels of irrigation water. However, the values were higher than recommended guideline in all conditions. Also, shoot Cd content showed a significant positive correlation with the final accumulated Cd concentration of soil and was expressed by a plateau model under the dry irrigation regime and linear models at other irrigation intervals. Overall, shoot Cd concentration was predicted by using a simple linear regression model regardless of evapotranspiration and transpiration rate of plant.Key words: Cadmium toxicity; chemical composition; irrigation frequency; lettuce

Sonographic evaluation of cervical lymphadenopathy; Comparison of metastatic and reactive lymph nodes in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using gray scale and doppler techniques

Background: Cervical lymphadenopathy could be seen in several pathologic processes. An accurate differentiation between these conditions is of utmost importance to select an appropriate therapy and assess the prognosis. Gray scale and Doppler are appropriate sonographic techniques for evaluating internal and external features of lymph nodes. Although, various criteria have been proposed to differentiate metastatic lymph nodes from benign ones, the most valuable and specific sonographic features are still under dispute. Objectives: The present study was designed to determine valuable sonographic features for differentiating metastasis from benign nodes using gray scale and Doppler sonography. Patients and Methods: A prospective diagnostic study was performed on 63 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treated and referred to surgery clinic of Hazrat Rasoul Akram hospital from November 2010 to June 2012 with complaint of palpable cervical lymph node. All patients� necks were scanned multidirectionally by gray-scale and Doppler techniques. After sonography, lymph nodes were biopsied and investigated to find out whether they were metastatic or reactive. Finally, demographic, sonographic and pathologic data were statistically analyzed by SPSS ver. 16 software using t-test, a nonparametric test and ROC analysis. Ninety five percent confidence interval was considered for all parameters. Results: The study included 41 males and 22 females with a mean age of 57.56 ± 13.79 years. The number of metastatic lymph nodes was 47, while the remaining 16 were reactive. There were significant differences in length (P = 0.037), width (P = 0.001), resistance index (P < 0.001), pulsatility index (P < 0.001) and systolic velocity (P < 0.001) of metastatic and reactive lymph nodes. Cut points for resistive and pulsatility indexes and systolic velocity were calculated as 0.695, 1.35 and 16.5, respectively. The most valuable factor for defining a lymph node as metastatic was circulation pattern with accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 94, 85 and 93, respectively. Conclusion: Gray scale sonography in combination with Doppler sonography could be a trustworthy technique in differentiating metastatic lymph nodes from reactive ones. Although, circulation pattern had a higher diagnostic accuracy in the present study, combination of sonographic characteristics could be more beneficial in differentiating metastatic cervical nodes from reactive ones. © 2015, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Iranian Society of Radiology

Associations Between MMPI-2-RF Scale Scores and Institutional Violence Among Patients Detained Under Sexually Violent Predator Laws

Sexually violent predator (SVP) laws allow the postprison civil commitment of sex offenders to a secure psychiatric hospital because of mental abnormality and posing a serious risk to public safety. Research on predictors of future institutional violence in this population is lacking because adequately sized samples are difficult to obtain. In the current study, we examined psychological predictors of future institutional violence in a sample of 171 psychiatrically hospitalized males detained or civilly committed under an SVP laws. Using the Minnesota Multiphasic-Personality Inventory-2–Restructured Form (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008/2011), we found that scales assessing thought dysfunction, emotional dysregulation, and externalizing behaviors were associated with future physical violence at the hospital. Relative risk ratio analyses indicated that SVPs producing elevations on these scales were at 1.5–2.5 times greater risk of future physical violence than those without elevations. Overall, the results suggest the Minnesota Multiphasic-Personality Inventory-2–Restructured Form is associated with future institutional violence among SVPs. Implications and limitations of these findings are discussed

Contribution of Blastocystishominis subtypes and associated inflammatory factors in development of irritable bowel syndrome

Blastocystis hominis with worldwide distribution is a human intestinal protozoa found in all countries. There have been differences in the severity of the pathogenesis of various Blastocystis spp. and a concomitant variation in the plasma concentration of the cytokines in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. In the present study, we aimed to demonstrate the contribution of B. hominis subtypes in the development of irritable bowel syndrome. Stool samples were collected from patients with gastrointestinal disorders. All samples were evaluated through native-lugol method. Total DNA was extracted. A PCR protocol was developed to amplify a specific region of the SSU ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined by immunoassay methods. The ClustalW algorithm was applied to align and blast the nucleotide sequences of the amplified region of the SSU rDNA gene. To evaluate the phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary of the nucleotide sequences, we used the MEGA software. In this study, we found 26 haplotypes of B. hominis in the studied samples which were collectively belong to five subtypes (ST1, ST2 in patients without irritable bowel syndrome vs. ST3 and two unknown subtypes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome). Result of ELISA showed a high level of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the serum of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The genetic heterogeneity of B. hominis and the existence of different subtypes of the protozoan in patients with IBS may shed light to the fact that some subtypes of parasites may involve in the pathogenesis of IBS

Contribution of Blastocystishominis subtypes and associated inflammatory factors in development of irritable bowel syndrome

Blastocystis hominis with worldwide distribution is a human intestinal protozoa found in all countries. There have been differences in the severity of the pathogenesis of various Blastocystis spp. and a concomitant variation in the plasma concentration of the cytokines in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. In the present study, we aimed to demonstrate the contribution of B. hominis subtypes in the development of irritable bowel syndrome. Stool samples were collected from patients with gastrointestinal disorders. All samples were evaluated through native-lugol method. Total DNA was extracted. A PCR protocol was developed to amplify a specific region of the SSU ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene. Serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha were determined by immunoassay methods. The ClustalW algorithm was applied to align and blast the nucleotide sequences of the amplified region of the SSU rDNA gene. To evaluate the phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary of the nucleotide sequences, we used the MEGA software. In this study, we found 26 haplotypes of B. hominis in the studied samples which were collectively belong to five subtypes (ST1, ST2 in patients without irritable bowel syndrome vs. ST3 and two unknown subtypes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome). Result of ELISA showed a high level of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the serum of patients with irritable bowel syndrome. The genetic heterogeneity of B. hominis and the existence of different subtypes of the protozoan in patients with IBS may shed light to the fact that some subtypes of parasites may involve in the pathogenesis of IBS