Strongyloides stercoralis: The Most Prevalent Parasitic Cause of Eosinophilia in Gilan Province, Northern Iran

Background: Eosinophilia occurs in a wide variety of situations such as parasitic infections, aller­gic disorders, and malignancies. Most cases of eosinophilia of parasitic origin, especially those with a tissue migration life cycles consists of human infections by helminth parasites. The aim of present study was to determine the parasitic causes of eosinophilia in patients in a major endemic area of human fascioliasis in Gilan Province, northern part of Iran.Methods: One hundred and fifty patients presenting with an elevated eosinophilia attending infec­tious disease clinics with or without clinical symptoms, were examined. After clinical his­tory evaluation and physical examination, coprological examinations were performed using the formalin-ether and the Kato-Katz techniques for detection of Fasciola sp. and intestinal parasites.Results: Forty two percent of patients were infected with S. stercoralis, nine (6%) were found to be infected with Fasciola sp. while only a single patient (0.7%) were infected by Ttrichostrongy­lus sp.Conclusion: Local clinicians in Gilan may consider eosinophilia as a suggestive indication for diagnosis of human fascioliasis, especially when microscopic stool and/or serological tests are negative. Based on the results, local physicians should consider S. stercoralis as the potential causes of eosinophilia in patients with elevated eosinophilia

Numerical and experimental investigations of interdigital transducer configurations for efficient droplet streaming and jetting induced by surface acoustic waves

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) based technologies have recently been explored for various sensing and microfluidic applications, and numerous experimental studies and numerical modelling of SAW streaming and liquid-solid interactions have been performed. However, the large deformation of droplet interface actuated by SAWs has not been widely explored, mainly due to the complex physics of SAW-droplet interactions and interfacial phenomena. In this paper, a computational interface tracking method is developed based on the couple level set the volume of fluid (CLSVOF) approach to simulate the interactions between liquid and acoustic waves and deformation of the liquid-air surface. A dynamic contact angle boundary condition is developed and validated by experimental results to simulate the three-phase contact line dynamics. The modified CLSVOF method is then used to study the droplet jetting and internal streaming behaviours by analyzing the energy terms within the liquid medium. Furthermore, by applying the numerical model, effects of configurations and positions of two interdigital transducers (IDTs) on droplet actuation have been investigated to achieve efficient mixing, separation, and jetting. Results show that two perfectly aligned IDTs are optimal for mixing applications. In contrast, two offset IDTs are optimal for concentration and separation applications. The maximum jetting velocity and minimum jetting time are achieved by using a pair of aligned IDTs, whereas by using the two offset IDTs, effective liquid mixing and jetting are observed which can be used in bioprinting applications

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease and its associated risk factors: The first report from Iran using both microalbuminuria and urine sediment

Background: The incidence of major risk factors of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the world is on the rise, and it is expected that this incidence and prevalence, particularly in developing countries, will continue to increase. Using data on urinary sediment and microalbuminuria, we aimed to estimate the prevalence of CKD in northeast Iran. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the prevalence of CKD in a sample of 1557 regionally representative people, aged � 18 years, was analyzed. CKD was determined based on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and microalbuminuria. Life style data, urine and blood samples were collected. Urine samples without any proteinuria in the initial dipstick test were checked for qualitative microalbuminuria. If the latter was positive, quantitative microalbuminuria was evaluated. Results: 1557 subjects with a mean age of 56.76 ± 12.04 years were enrolled in this study. Based on the modifcation of diet in renal disease (MDRD) equation, 137 subjects (8.89%) were categorized as CKD stages III-V. Based on urine abnormalities, the prevalence of combined CKD stages I and II was 10.63%, and based on macro- and microalbuminuria it was 14.53%. The prevalence of CKD was significantly associated with sex, age, marital status, education, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HTN), ischemic heart disease (IHD), waist to hip ratio, myocardial infarction (MI), and cerebrovascular accident (CVA). Conclusion: CKD and its main risk factors are common and represent a definite health threat in this region of Iran. Using and standardizing less expensive screening tests in low resource countries could be a good alternative that may improve the outcome through early detection of CKD

The localization of amyloid precursor protein to ependymal cilia in vertebrates and its role in ciliogenesis and brain development in zebrafish

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) is expressed in many tissues in human, mice and in zebrafish. In zebrafish, there are two orthologues, Appa and Appb. Interestingly, some cellular processes associated with APP overlap with cilia-mediated functions. Whereas the localization of APP to primary cilia of in vitro-cultured cells has been reported, we addressed the presence of APP in motile and in non-motile sensory cilia and its potential implication for ciliogenesis using zebrafish, mouse, and human samples. We report that Appa and Appb are expressed by ciliated cells and become localized at the membrane of cilia in the olfactory epithelium, otic vesicle and in the brain ventricles of zebrafish embryos. App in ependymal cilia persisted in adult zebrafish and was also detected in mouse and human brain. Finally, we found morphologically abnormal ependymal cilia and smaller brain ventricles in appa-/-appb-/- mutant zebrafish. Our findings demonstrate an evolutionary conserved localisation of APP to cilia and suggest a role of App in ciliogenesis and cilia-related functions

Molecular and Seroepidemiological Survey of Visceral Leishmaniasis among Humans and Domestic Dogs in Mazandaran Province, North of Iran

Background: New cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been reported recently in some parts of Mazandaran Province, north of Iran where the first human case of VL was reported in 1949. This study aimed to determine the present status of Leishmania infantum infection among humans and domestic dogs using serological and molecular methods in central parts of Mazandaran Province. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, blood samples were randomly collected from 402 humans and fortynine domestic dogs throughout 2009 and 2010 in the central part of Mazandaran Province including Semeskadeh and Kiakola districts where recent cases of human visceral leishmaniasis had been reported there. All the collected samples were tested by direct agglutination test (DAT) for the detection of anti-Leishmania infantum antibodies as well as convenience PCR assay on whole blood samples for detection of leishmanial infection and identification of Leishmania species. Results: None of 402 collected human (402) and dog (49) blood samples showed anti Leishmania infantum antibodies at titers 1:3200 and 1:320 as cut-off values of DAT, respectively but only 2 of domestic dogs (4.1 %) were found PCR-positive corresponding to L.infantum. Conclusion: This study confirms the circulation of L. infantum at least among domestic dogs an

Surface Acoustic Waves to Control Droplet Impact onto Superhydrophobic and Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces

Superhydrophobic coatings and slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have shown their potentials in self-cleaning, anti-icing, anti-erosion, and antibiofouling applications. Various studies have been done on controlling the droplet impact on such surfaces using passive methods such as modifying the lubricant layer thickness in SLIPS. Despite their effectiveness, passive methods lack on-demand control over the impact dynamics of droplets. This paper introduces a new method to actively control the droplet impact onto superhydrophobic and SLIPS surfaces using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). In this study, we designed and fabricated SLIPS on ZnO/aluminum thin-film SAW devices and investigated different scenarios of droplet impact on the surfaces compared to those on similar superhydrophobic-coated surfaces. Our results showed that SAWs have insignificant influences on the impact dynamics of a porous and superhydrophobic surface without an infused oil layer. However, after infusion with oil, SAW energy could be effectively transferred to the droplet, thus modifying its impact dynamics onto the superhydrophobic surface. Results showed that by applying SAWs, the spreading and retraction behaviors of the droplets are altered on the SLIPS surface, leading to a change in a droplet impact regime from deposition to complete rebound with altered rebounding angles. Moreover, the contact time was reduced up to 30% when applying SAWs on surfaces with an optimum oil lubricant thickness of ∼8 μm. Our work offers an effective way of applying SAW technology along with SLIPS to effectively reduce the contact time and alter the droplet rebound angles

MiR-144: A new possible therapeutic target and diagnostic/prognostic tool in cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and non-coding RNAs that display aberrant expression in the tissue and plasma of cancer patients when tested in comparison to healthy individuals. In past decades, research data proposed that miRNAs could be diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in cancer patients. It has been confirmed that miRNAs can act either as oncogenes by silencing tumor inhibitors or as tumor suppressors by targeting oncoproteins. MiR-144s are located in the chromosomal region 17q11.2, which is subject to significant damage in many types of cancers. In this review, we assess the involvement of miR-144s in several cancer types by illustrating the possible target genes that are related to each cancer, and we also briefly describe the clinical applications of miR-144s as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in cancers

Investigation of Chemical Properties of Green Tea Ethanolic Extract and Its Inhibitory and Lethal Effects on Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer (Causing Rot in Strawberry and Grapes)

Introduction Strawberry and grapes are generally infected with pathogenic fungi (e.g., Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus stolonifera, etc.). Synthetic fungicides are commonly used as the first line of defense against post-harvest pathogens on packaging lines. However, disposal of toxic waste is a costly process and the hazardous waste causes serious environmental problems. In addition, fungal pathogens have shown a worrying trend of resistance to these fungicides, thus shortening the shelf life of products. Compounds that can be equally effective in controlling pathogens, but preventing or minimizing the waste problems will be inevitable. The large volume of internationally processed agricultural products, as well as the increasing demand for organically produced fruits, emphasizes the need to replace synthetic fungicides with safer and biodegradable alternatives. Natural plant-derived products effectively meet this criterion and have great potential to influence modern agricultural research. Catechins and other polyphenols in green tea show strong antioxidant activity. Also, the antimicrobial activity of green tea extract against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans has been reported. Therefore, the present study was performed to prepare the ethanolic extract of green tea and to determine the content of total phenol, total flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and its antifungal effect against Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, and Rhizopus stolonifer (causing rot in strawberry and grapes).   Materials and Methods Fresh green tea leaves were dried at room temperature and then powdered. Then, ethanol (70%) was added to the powdered leaves (solvent to powder ratio of 10:1 v/w) and the mixture was refluxed for 120 min. The resulting mixture was filtered through a filter paper and then concentrated under vacuum and finally dried in an oven. Total phenol content (by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent at 756 nm), total flavonoid content (spectrophotometrically at 510 nm), antioxidant activity (by DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods), and antifungal effect (by disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum fungicidal concentration) of the extract were evaluated.   Results and Discussion The extract contained 175.60 mg GAE /g total phenol and 47.53 mg QE/g total flavonoids and its antioxidant activity using DPPH and ABTS free radical assays was 78.89% and 86.57%, respectively. The results of antifungal activity showed that the diameter of the growth inhibition zone increased significantly with increasing the concentration of the extract, and Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer were the most sensitive and resistant fungal strains to the extract, respectively. The minimum fungicidal concentrations for the strains of Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer were 64 and 512 mg/ml, respectively.   Conclusion The results of the present study showed that the ethanolic extract of green tea could be considered as potential source of natural antioxidant and antifungal agents. The presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds may be responsible for the antifungal and antioxidant effects of the extract. However, due to the fact that this study was performed with the crude extract of green tea, it is difficult to identify compounds responsible for antifungal and antioxidant activity. On this point, only the separation of the components of the extract allows the detection of antifungal and antioxidant compounds. This study provides a basis for further researches, in particular the use of these antioxidants and antifungal compounds. Green tea extract is especially suitable for products with high sensitivity to lipid oxidation and infection with molds

A scaling procedure for straightforward computation of sorptivity

This research has been supported by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (grant no. ANR-17-CE04-010).Sorptivity is a parameter of primary importance in the study of unsaturated flow in soils. This hydraulic parameter is required to model water infiltration into vertical soil profiles. Sorptivity can be directly estimated from the soil hydraulic functions (water retention and hydraulic conductivity curves), using the integral formulation of Parlange (1975). However, calculating sorptivity in this manner requires the prior determination of the soil hydraulic diffusivity and its numerical integration between initial and final saturation degrees, which may be difficult in some situations (e.g., coarse soil with diffusivity functions that are quasi-infinite close to saturation). In this paper, we present a procedure to compute sorptivity using a scaling parameter, cp, that corresponds to the sorptivity of a unit soil (i.e., unit values for all parameters and zero residual water content) that is utterly dry at the initial state and saturated at the final state. The cp parameter was computed numerically and analytically for five hydraulic models: delta (i.e., Green and Ampt), Brooks and Corey, van Genuchten–Mualem, van Genuchten–Burdine, and Kosugi. Based on the results, we proposed brand new analytical expressions for some of the models and validated previous formulations for the other models. We also tabulated the output values so that they can easily be used to determine the actual sorptivity value for any case. At the same time, our numerical results showed that the relation between cp and the hydraulic shape parameters strongly depends on the chosen model. These results highlight the need for careful selection of the proper model for the description of the water retention and hydraulic conductivity functions when estimating sorptivity.French National Research Agency (ANR) European Commission ANR-17-CE04-01

SWPT: An automated GIS-based tool for prioritization of sub-watersheds based on morphometric and topo-hydrological factors

© 2019 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University The sub-watershed prioritization is the ranking of different areas of a river basin according to their need to proper planning and management of soil and water resources. Decision makers should optimally allocate the investments to critical sub-watersheds in an economically effective and technically efficient manner. Hence, this study aimed at developing a user-friendly geographic information system (GIS) tool, Sub-Watershed Prioritization Tool (SWPT), using the Python programming language to decrease any possible uncertainty. It used geospatial–statistical techniques for analyzing morphometric and topo-hydrological factors and automatically identifying critical and priority sub-watersheds. In order to assess the capability and reliability of the SWPT tool, it was successfully applied in a watershed in the Golestan Province, Northern Iran. Historical records of flood and landslide events indicated that the SWPT correctly recognized critical sub-watersheds. It provided a cost-effective approach for prioritization of sub-watersheds. Therefore, the SWPT is practically applicable and replicable to other regions where gauge data is not available for each sub-watershed