Thermal aggregation of hen egg white lysozyme: effect of polyamines

Protein aggregation is a serious problem for both biotechnology and cell biology. Diseases such as prion misfolding, Alzheimer’s, and other amyloidosis are phenomena for which protein aggregation in our living cells is of considerable relevance. Human lysozyme has been shown to form amyloid fibrils in individuals suffering from nonneuropathic systemic amyloidosis, all of which have point mutations in the lysozyme gene. In this study, we investigated effect of small additives on the thermal aggregation of lysozyme. The main finding of this work is that multiple amine groups, spermine and spermidine, play pivotal roles in preventing the thermal aggregation of lysozyme. Our results showed that effect of spermine is more than spermidine

Acute transverse myelitis of childhood due to novel coronavirus disease 2019: The first pediatric case report and review of literature

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic appears to have some streaks of severity in pediatrics. These streaks include variable signs of respiratory distress, a new entity called multisysteminflammatory syndrome, and some evidences of neurological symptoms involving both central and peripheral nervous systems.Here, we described the first pediatric patient with COVID-19 who presented with acute transverse myelitis. An 11-year-old otherwise healthy girl presented to our clinic with acute onset of lower limbs paresis, urinary and fecal retention, alongside epigastric pain, and fever for 3 days. A neurological examination revealed a severe flaccid paraplegia in her lower limbs associated with a sensory level at T5. She was evaluated systematically for all probable causes of her symptoms, and finally, due to having a positive nasopharyngeal PCR test, she was considered to suffer from post-COVID-19 transverse myelitis. She underwent intravenous-immunoglobulin, methylprednisolone pulse, and other supportive cares without obvious results. Therefore, she underwent seven sessions of plasma exchange with little effects on muscle strength. The focal inflammation and injury of the spinal cord, otherwise known as transverse myelitis, have a wide array of potential etiologies. Transverse myelitis has been well documented to be the result of viral and bacterial infections. We believe our patient was not involved in a cytokine storm status due to good CRP, IL-6 and Ferritin levels. Albeit, we cannot certainly consider the patient to have a direct viral impact or involved in a late immunity process. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TM in the field of pediatrics occurred after COVID-19. Thus, this is critical to note that children can present with some severe types of COVID-19

Personal, family and societal educational needs assessment of individuals with spinal cord injury in Iran

Objectives: To explore individuals’ perception of the personal, family and societal educational needs following a spinal cord injury. Methods: Sixty-one patients who sustained a traumatic SCI between March 2015 and June 2016 referred to Brain and Spinal Cord Injury Research Center were included in a cross sectional study and completed an online survey containing open-and closed-ended questions, in Iran. Participants’ responses were analyzed i using a qualitative approach with a thematic analysis. Results: Following a thematic analysis of the patient’s perceived educational needs, 3 themes and 14 subthemes were identified. The 3 themes included personal, family, and societal educational perceived needs. Within personal educational needs, there were 7 subthemes which included personal independence and transportation, financial independence, life skills modification, knowledge about SCI, prevention of SCI complications, relationships and sexual function, and psychological adjustments. Among family educational needs, the 3 subthemes were caregiver skills and communication, first aid and emergency skills, and emotional and psychological support. For societal educational needs, the 4 subthemes described were social integration, interpersonal communication skills, SCI awareness and injury prevention, sympathize while avoiding pity. Conclusion: According to our findings, people with SCI have various needs that need to be addressed. Educational support should be a part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program and geared towards addressing the patients’ personal and family needs, while educating the community about SCI in order to allow for reintegration into society

New Molecular Aspects of Cardiac Arrest; Promoting Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Approaches

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a method to improve survival of patients with cardiac arrest. This study aimed to identify the key genes affected five minutes after cardiac arrest, hoping to elevate the efficacy of CPR.Methods: In this bioinformatics study differentially expressed genes of six pigs were downloaded from GEO and screened. The significant and characterized genes were analyzed via calculating fold change and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. The crucial nodes were determined based on centrality parameters and their related biological processes were investigated via ClueGO.Results: 17 significant up-regulated (LogFC ≥ 2) and 22 down-regulated (LogFC < -0.5) genes were detected. Transthyretin (TTR logFC = 4.59) and Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor (GNRHR logFC = 3.84) had higher logFC among up-regulated and down-regulated genes, respectively. The critical genes including four up-regulated and five down-regulated genes were detected from network analysis. GNRHR and Prolactin precursor (PRL) were among the most important down res 5 minutes after cardiac arrest and Beta-2 adrenergic receptor and Cadherin-1 were among the most important up regulated gens. Conclusion: The introduced potential biomarkers could reveal a new molecular aspect for CPR performance and pituitary gland protection was highlighted in this respect.  

Effect of polyamines on thermal inactivation of hen egg white lysozyme

     Lysozyme is considered as part of the innate immune system. It has stimulated considerable interest as a natural food preservative. Lysozyme has been shown to be effective in preserving a variety of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, seafood and wine, for which many Japanese patents have been granted. The relatively high thermal stability of lysozyme also makes it attractive for use in pasteurized and heat-sterilized food products, possibly allowing reduced thermal processes, and therefore, minimized nutritional and sensory quality loss. In this study, we investigated effect of polyamines on the thermal inactivation of lysozyme by kinetics curves. Our results showed that polyamines can decrease the thermal inactivation of lysozyme; the effect of spermine on the thermal inactivation of lysozyme was more than that of the spermidine.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Death Attitude Profile

Introduction: The type of human attitude toward death, as an unavoidable event, can affect the human approach to the themes of the worldly life and the afterlife. This study aimed to identify the factor structure of Persian version of Death Attitude Profile. Methods: In this descriptive survey research, 444 students of Jamia al-Zahra Seminary and Khomein Azad University, were selected by convenient sampling method. They responded to Persian version of the Death Attitude Profile. Results: Analysis of the findings indicated the Persian version of this profile, while deleting some items, supports the same 5-factor structure of the original form. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.79 in the research sample. Conclusion: The obtained psychometric properties indicated the validity and reliability of this scale in Iranian society. Therefore, It can be used to measure the attitudinal properties of individuals to death. Declaration of Interest: None