Molecular and morphological characterization of the tapeworm Taenia hydatigena (Pallas, 1766) in sheep from Iran

Although Taenia hydatigena is one of the most prevalent taeniid species of livestock, very little molecular genetic information exists for this parasite. Up to 100 sheep isolates of T. hydatigena were collected from 19 abattoirs located in the provinces of Tehran, Alborz and Kerman. A calibrated microscope was used to measure the larval rostellar hook lengths. Following DNA extraction, fragments of cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) and 12S rRNA genes were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction method and the amplicons were subjected to sequencing. The mean total length of large and small hooks was 203.4 μm and 135.9 μm, respectively. Forty CO1 and 39 12S rRNA sequence haplotypes were obtained in the study. The levels of pairwise nucleotide variation between individual haplotypes of CO1 and 12S rRNA genes were determined to be between 0.3-3.4% and 0.2-2.1%, respectively. The overall nucleotide variation among all the CO1 haplotypes was 9.7%, and for all the 12S rRNA haplotypes it was 10.1%. A significant difference was observed between rostellar hook morphometry and both CO1 and 12S rRNA sequence variability. A significantly high level of genetic variation was observed in the present study. The results showed that the 12S rRNA gene is more variable than CO1. © 2013 Cambridge University Press

Molecular evaluation of genetic diversity using gliadin alleles in Iranian landrace wheat Triticum aesativum L.

Historiam-se os passos da investigação da epigrafia da civitas Igaeditanorum. Apresenta-se o corpus das inscrições que referem libertos e procura mostrar-se a importância que esta ‘classe’ social deteve neste aglomerado urbano em que a riqueza – proveniente, por exemplo, da exploração aurífera – lhe proporcionou relevante papel sociopolítico logo nos primórdios da Lusitânia romana

Cohort Profile:The Dutch Perined-Lifelines birth cohort

BACKGROUND: Maternal nutrition status (e.g. dietary/nutrient intake) during pregnancy has been associated with pregnancy outcomes including birth weight, infant survival and metabolic health of the offspring during later life. During the past few years, maternal dietary intake, at least three months before conception, has been shown to affect pregnancy outcomes also. However, literature investigating this link is still scarce. The studies that have looked at preconception dietary intake in relation to pregnancy outcome were either animal studies, had small sample sizes or focused on only selected macronutrient intake rather than complete (macro)nutrient composition or dietary intakes (e.g. food groups). Therefore, we aim to investigate the association between preconception diet and pregnancy outcomes in a linked birth cohort. The main objective of this manuscript is to describe the methodology of establishing this birth cohort and to describe both the characteristics of the study population included as well as the representativeness in terms of dietary intake. METHODS: We created the birth cohort by linking two existing databases; a large population-based cohort study in the Netherlands (The Lifelines Cohort study) and the Dutch national birth registry (Perined), through a 'trusted third party'. The birth cohort contains information on maternal dietary intake during preconception as well as pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In the Lifelines Cohort study, 3,418 pregnancies were available for linking with Perined. In total, 2,368 pregnancies (86.9%) were linked with Perined, resulting in the birth cohort. With this linked cohort we are able to provide insights on the associations between dietary intake before conception and pregnancy outcomes. Such data could potentially improve nutritional care for women of childbearing age. Lifestyle changes in the period preceding pregnancy may be most effective in improving pregnancy outcomes. A focus on this window of opportunity may provide both sufficient time, as well as a period when women are potentially motivated to adopt health optimizing behaviours

A Genome-Wide Association Study for Calving Interval in Holstein Dairy Cows Using Weighted Single-Step Genomic BLUP Approach.

The aim of the present study was to identify genomic region(s) associated with the length of the calving interval in primiparous (n = 6866) and multiparous (n = 5071) Holstein cows. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) solutions were estimated using a weighted single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (WssGBLUP) approach and imputed high-density panel (777 k) genotypes. The effects of markers and the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) of the animals were obtained by five iterations of WssGBLUP. The results showed that the accuracies of GEBVs with WssGBLUP improved by +5.4 to +5.7, (primiparous cows) and +9.4 to +9.7 (multiparous cows) percent points over accuracies from the pedigree-based BLUP. The most accurate genomic evaluation was provided at the second iteration of WssGBLUP, which was used to identify associated genomic regions using a windows-based GWAS procedure. The proportion of additive genetic variance explained by windows of 50 consecutive SNPs (with an average of 165 Kb) was calculated and the region(s) that accounted for equal to or more than 0.20% of the total additive genetic variance were used to search for candidate genes. Three windows of 50 consecutive SNPs (BTA3, BTA6, and BTA7) were identified to be associated with the length of the calving interval in primi- and multiparous cows, while the window with the highest percentage of explained genetic variance was located on BTA3 position 49.42 to 49.52 Mb. There were five genes including , , , , and inside the windows associated with the length of the calving interval. The biological process terms including alanine transport, L-alanine transport, proline transport, and glycine transport were identified as the most important terms enriched by the genes inside the identified windows

Investigating the Relationship between hs-CRP Serum Level and Insulin Resistance (HOMA IR) Six Weeks after Childbirth in Patients with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Some patients with GDM (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus) still experience impaired glucose tolerance after childbirth and will be affected by diabetes mellitus type 2. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between hs-CRP serum levels with insulin resistance six weeks after childbirth in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus type 2. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 110 patients with GDM were evaluated in terms of the insulin resistance index (HOMA), hs-CRP serum, and the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) six weeks after childbirth. Their anthropometric indices were measured in the early pregnancy. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis were used to analyze data in SPSS 16. Results: The mean of hs-CRP was 8.72 µg/ml among the patients in this study. It is higher than the normal range. Moreover, 24.5% of the patients were suffering from impaired glucose tolerance, and hs-CRP levels were higher than the normal range in 92.6% of these patients. Furthermore, 41.8% of patients showed insulin resistance, and hs-CRP levels were high among 73.9% of them. After age adjustment, the increase in hs-CRP serum level was significantly correlated with insulin resistance (HOMA) and the one-hour and two-hour OGTTs (p=0.007 and p<0.001, respectively). Conclusion: It appears that age adjustment can help us figure out the relationship between the increase in hs-CRP serum and insulin resistance in pregnant mothers with diabetes six weeks after childbirth

Responsibility attitude in a sample of Iranian obsessive-compulsive patients

Background: The study of distorted beliefs about responsibility attitude and interpretation has become the central theme in Salkovskis' (1985) and Rachman and Hodgson's (1980) models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Aims: The aim of this research is to assess the responsibility attitude in Iranian OCD patients. Methods: Twenty OCD patients were selected through available sampling from the case referred to psychology clinics. Two other patient groups comprised of 20 non-OCD anxiety disorder patients and 20 non-clinical participants were also chosen as comparison groups. All participants completed the Responsibility Attitude Scale (RAS) and Responsibility Interpretation Questionnaire (RIQ). Results: Analyses revealed statistically significant differences between OCD group and comparison groups on both RAS and RIQ. In addition, both RAS and RIQ scores were associated with the severity of OCD assessed by the Yale-Brown scale. Conclusions: These findings suggest that responsibility attitude and interpretations are the prominent features of OCD in Iranian patients and are associated with the severity of illness. Copyright © 2005 Sage Publications

Assessment of body mass index and hand anthropometric measurements as independent risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome

The goal of this study was to clarify the role of body mass index (BMI) (weight divided by square of height; kg/m2) and hand anthropometric measurements as independent risk determinants in the development of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and their relationship to the severity of CTS. A total of 131 patients with clinical symptoms of CTS and 131 normal subjects were enrolled, of whom 121 were female both in the CTS cases and the controls. All cases were electrodiagnostically confirmed and assigned to three severity groups. BMI, wrist ratio, shape index, digit index and hand length/height ratio were measured in all participants. Mean values for each item were compared between cases and controls and severity subgroups. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine independent CTS risk factors. The mean values of BMI, wrist ratio and shape index were significantly higher in all CTS patients and females compared to controls, whereas in males only BMI and wrist ratio were higher. The patients in the mild severity subgroup had a significantly lower age and wrist ratio. BMI, wrist ratio and shape index were found to be independent risk factors of CTS development in all patients and females. Our study showed BMI, wrist ratio and shape index as independent risk factors for CTS. These findings are of potential anatomical and clinical importance and outline the risk factors of anatomical malfunction of the wrist in CTS. (Folia Morphol 2008; 67: 36-42

The Effect of Notch Tip Position on the Charpy Impact Energy for Bainitic and Martensitic Functionally Graded Steel

As stated for arrester configuration, no precise mathematical modelling was presented to correlate the Charpy impact energy of FGSs to the morphology of each layer. This is an actual gap in the literature. The main aim of the present work is to fill this gap and provide a new analytical model for the assessment of the Charpy impact energy of FGSs in the form of crack arrester configuration. Moreover, three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis by ABAQUS software was performed to simulate the Chapry impact energy process of FGS specimens in the form of crack arrester configuration.Функционально-градиентные стали, которые относятся к группе функционально-градиентных материалов, обладающих упругопластическими свойствами, получают из аустенитной нержавеющей и малоуглеродистой ферритной сталей путем электрошлаковой переплавки. При использовании функционально-градиентных сталей можно улучшить механические свойства композитов, содержащих мартенситные и бейнитные хрупкие фазы. Представленная аналитическая модель позволяет оценить ударную энергию разрушения образцов Шарпи из бейнитно-мартенситных сталей с учетом зависимости между ударной энергией и размером пластической зоны в вершине надреза. Сравниваются величины ударной энергии для образцов Шарпи из функционально-градиентных сталей и однородного материала, соответствующего слою материала вблизи вершины надреза. С использованием программного комплекса ABAQUS выполнено трехмерное конечноэлементное моделирование данного процесса. Согласно закону Холломана для пластической зоны получены характеристики материала в различных его слоях. Рассматривалось экспоненциальное изменение характеристик материала по ширине образца. Предложенная модель позволяет получить результаты, хорошо согласующиеся с имеющимися экспериментальными данными и результатами конечноэлементных расчетов.Функціонально-градієнтні сталі, що відносяться до групи функціонально-градієнтних матеріалів із пружно-пластичними властивостями, отримують із нержавіючої сталі шляхом електрошлакової переплавки. При використанні функціонально-градієнтних сталей можно поліпшити механічні властивості композитів із мартенситними і бейн ітними крихкими фазами. Запропонована аналітична модель дозволяє оцінити ударну енергію руйнування зразків Шарпі з бейнітно-мартенситних сталей з урахуванням залежності між ударною енергією і розміром пластичної зони у вершині надрізу. Порівнюються величини ударної енергії для зразків Шарпі з функціонально-градієнтних сплавів та з однорідного матеріалу, що відповідає шару матеріалу біля вершини надрізу. Із використанням програмного комплексу ABAQUS виконано тривимірне скінченноелементне моделювання даного процесу. Згідно із законом Холломана, для пластичної зони отримано характеристики матеріалу в різних його шарах. Розглядалась експоненціальна зміна характеристик матеріалу по ширині зразка. Запропонована модель дозволяє отримати результати, які добре узгоджуються з відомими експериментальними даними і результатами скінченноелементних розрахунків