Seroprevalence of anti-Hp and anti-cagA antibodies among healthy persons in Golestan province, northeast of Iran (2010)

Background: The major cause of peptic ulcer disease is helicobacter pylori (Hp), and it is also implicated in the pathogenesis of adenocarcinoma of the distal stomach and gastric lymphoma. The incidence of peptic ulcer disease, atrophic gastritis, and gastric adenocarcinoma are more common in people infected of cagA positive strains of Hp. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the anti-Hp and anti-cagA antibodies among healthy persons in Golestan province-North of Iran. Methods: The blood samples of 1028 healthy people were collected all over Golestan province by cluster sampling. A demographic questionnaire was completed and body mass index (BMI) was calculated for each case. Hp-IgG (Pishtaz teb Co. Iran) and anti- cagA (DIA.PRO Italy) titer were evaluated by Elisa method. Data were collected and analyzed. Results: Six hundred-eighty three individuals (66.4%) were positive for Hp and 395 (57.8%) of them were cagA positive. Hp positive cases were (66.3%) and (66.6%) in male and female, respectively. Prevalence of cagA was 56.3% and 58.9%, respectively. The most seropositivity of Helicobacter Pylori (75.4%) was in 55-64 years old (p<0.001). Prevalence of cagA (63.4%) was more in age between 15-24 years. Conclusion: Prevalence of anti-Hp antibody and strains of cagA seropositive in healthy persons of this province of Iran were relatively high. Preventive protocol for reducing of the infection is recommended

Prevalence of Panton-valentine gene in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical samples and healthy carriers in Gorgan city, north of Iran

Aim. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a nosocomial and community acquired pathogen. S. aureus is a pathogen that causes several types of disease from skin infections to systemic diseases that is because of having several virulence factors such as enzymes, toxins, superantigens and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (pvl). pvl is a bi-component leukotoxin that destroy PMNs and monocytes and causes furunculosis, abscesses and necrotizing soft tissue infections in patients without any risk factors for such infections. The goal of this study was determine the prevalence of pvl gene in S. aureus isolated from patients and healthy carriers in Gorgan city, north of Iran. Methods. One hundred seventy isolates of S. aureus, 95 from patients and 75 healthy carriers, were collected during one year. After identification and purification, DNA extraction was done by phenol-chloroform method. Amplification of pvl gene was done by specific primer and polymerase chain reaction method. Results. Among the 170 isolates of S. aureus, 20 contained pvl gene. The frequency of isolates contained pvl gene in MRSA and MSSA isolates were 21.6, 19.3, which was not statistically significant. The frequency of these genes was not related to age, sex and source of isolation from patients. Conclusion. The frequency of pvl gene in this region were much higher than expected. © Copyright 2016 Edizioni Minerva Medica

Environmental mycobacteria in areas of high and low tuberculosis prevalence in the Islamic Republic of Iran

This research compared the numbers and types of different Mycobacterium species in soil samples taken from 2 areas of Golestan province, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1 with a high prevalence of tuberculosis and 1 with a low prevalence. From 220 samples, 91 grew positive cultures (41.4%) and 161 different strains were diagnosed. The most common species isolated were Mycobacterium fortuitum, M. flavescens and M. chelonae. The frequencies of environmental Mycobacterium in the low-prevalence area were much higher than in the high-prevalence area, perhaps due to different environmental factors

Antimicrobial effects of folk medicinal plants from the North of Iran against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Background: Medicinal plants have been used traditionally in Golestan province (north of Iran), against Mycobacterium tuberculosis or the clinical signs of tuberculosis (TB). Objectives: This study aimed to define the inhibitory effects of ethanolic extracts of six of these medicinal plants against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: Peganum harmala (seed extract), Punica granatum (peel extract), Digitalis sp. (leaf extract), fruit extract of Citrus lemon, Rosa canina and Berberis vulgaris were extracted in ethanol and their activity against M. tuberculosis isolates were determined by the agar diffusion method. The zone of inhibition (at 200 to 1.6 mg/mL) was measured and the results were compared with isoniazid and rifampin as standard positive controls. Also the concentration of vitamin C of each the extracts was evaluated. Results: The ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala seed and Punica granatum peel exhibited potential activity against all M. tuberculosis isolates with mean inhibitory zone of 18.7 and 18.8 mm, at 200 mg/mL concentration. The mean inhibitory zone around isoniazid and rifampinwere 19.2 and 18.8 mm. Ethanolic extract of Citrus lemon showed moderate inhibitory activity only against sensitive (non MDR; non multi drug resistant) strains of M. tuberculosis, and Digitalis sp. showed inhibitory effects on five isolates. Ascorbic acid content was 43.3 mg/dL in Punica granatum and Digitalis sp. and only 9.1 mg/dL in ethanolic extract of Peganum harmala. Conclusions: The highest content of vitamin C was observed in the extract of Punica granatum, which was observed to be highly active against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while the P. harmala must have contained other phytochemical constituents that contributed to the anti-tuberculosis effects of this plant. Our findings showed that ethanolic extracts of P. granatum and P. harmala had anti-TB effects comparable to isoniazid and rifampin and can be good candidates for novel and safe natural products against tuberculosis. © 2015, Pediatric Infections Research Center

Genistein induces a protective immunomodulatory effect in a mouse model of cervical cancer

Background: Genistein (GEN), a naturally occurring flavonoid present in soy bean, has attracted scientific interest for its possible benefits in cancer. Objective: The potential immunomodulatory effects of genistein on the immune system and against TC-1 tumor cell line were evaluated in adult female C57BL/6 mice. Methods: Mice were treated with GEN 10 days before to 10 days after the tumor induction. Thirty days after the last GEN treatment, lymphocyte proliferation, Lactase Dehydrogenase (LDH) cytolytic activity and cytokine secretion were analyzed in GEN and control groups. Results: The results showed that ingestion of genistein significantly increased lymphocyte proliferation and LDH release. Furthermore, the treatment with genistein also caused a significant increment in interferon gamma (IFN-γ). In addition, the treatment achieved significant therapeutic effect in tumor models compared to the control group. These results indicated that the effect of GEN on tumor growth may be attributed to its effect on lymphocyte proliferation, cytolytic activity and IFN-γ production. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that GEN exerts an immunomodulatory effect in a mouse model of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) associated-cervical cancer

Synthesis and crystallographic characterization of new heterotrinuclear oxo-centered complex

New oxo-centered trinuclear mixed-metal complex, of [Fe2ZnO(CHCl2CO2)6(CHCl2CO2)3].NO3 was synthesized by the direct reaction between metal nitrates and dichloroacetic acid. These compounds have a typical μ3-oxo trinuclear structure: (a) three metal atoms are situated in the apexes of the equilateral triangle; (b) μ3-oxygen atom and six dichloroacetate ligands fulfil the bridge functions and (c) the monodentate CHCl2CO2 ligands complete the octahedral geometry of the metal ions. This complex were characterized by elemental analyses (CHN), atomic absorption spectroscopy and spectral (IR, electronic) studies. This is new types of oxo-bridged mixed-metal complex in which the carboxylate ligand is dichloroacetic acid. The UV spectra of the complex exhibited strong bands in the region 213 and 257 nm which are related to the (π → π*) and (n → π*) transitions of the CHCl2CO2 ligands, respectively. The IR spectra of this compound showed two strong stretching vibrations bands, indicating a bridging coordination mode of the carboxylic group by presence of νasym (M2M'O) vibrations of the ligand in the infrared spectra.               KEY WORDS: Oxo-centered, Trinuclear complexes, Carboxylic ligand, Crystallographic data, IR spectra Bull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2018, 32(3), 491-500.DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/bcse.v32i3.

Asymmetric Localization by Second-Harmonic Generation

We introduce a nonlinear photonic system that enables asymmetric localization and unidirectional transfer of an electromagnetic wave through the second-harmonic generation process. Our proposed scattering setup consists of a noncentrosymmetric nonlinear slab with nonlinear susceptibility χ(2) placed to the left side of a one-dimensional periodic linear photonic crystal with an embedded defect. We engineered the linear lattice to allow the localization of a selected frequency 2ω⋆ while frequency ω⋆ is in the gap. Thus in our proposed scattering setup, a left-incident coherent transverse electric wave with frequency ω⋆ partially converts to frequency 2ω⋆ and becomes localized at the defect layer while the unconverted remaining field with frequency ω⋆ exponentially decays throughout the lattice and gets reflected. For a right-incident wave with frequency ω⋆ there will not be any frequency conversion and the incident wave gets fully reflected. Our proposed structure will find application in designing optical components such as optical sensors, switches, transistors, and logic elements

Asymmetric Localization by Second-Harmonic Generation

We introduce a nonlinear photonic system that enables asymmetric localization and unidirectional transfer of an electromagnetic wave through the second-harmonic generation process. Our proposed scattering setup consists of a noncentrosymmetric nonlinear slab with nonlinear susceptibility χ(2) placed to the left side of a one-dimensional periodic linear photonic crystal with an embedded defect. We engineered the linear lattice to allow the localization of a selected frequency 2ω⋆ while frequency ω⋆ is in the gap. Thus in our proposed scattering setup, a left-incident coherent transverse electric wave with frequency ω⋆ partially converts to frequency 2ω⋆ and becomes localized at the defect layer while the unconverted remaining field with frequency ω⋆ exponentially decays throughout the lattice and gets reflected. For a right-incident wave with frequency ω⋆ there will not be any frequency conversion and the incident wave gets fully reflected. Our proposed structure will find application in designing optical components such as optical sensors, switches, transistors, and logic elements

Prevalence and molecular characterization of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes isolated from fish, shrimp, and cooked ready-to-eat (RTE) aquatic products in Iran

The prevalence of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes was investigated by biochemical and molecular methods in a total of 201 fish, shrimp, and ready-to-eat seafood samples collected from Iranian supermarkets. Thirty-six samples were also collected from a seafood processing plant. Twenty-one (8.86) of the total retail and processing plant samples (237) were positive for Listeria spp., confirmed by a simplex PCR assay for the prs gene. Seven (2.95) of the total samples were also positive for L. monocytogenes. The presence of four virulence-associated genes in the seafood isolates (inlA, inlC, inlJ, and hlyA) was examined using PCR and the results were compared with seven clinical L. monocytogenes strains. All virulence genes were detected in six fish isolates. One fish isolate did not show amplification of the inlJ and inlC genes. However, all seven clinical strains were positive for internalin genes. Furthermore, a multiplex PCR assay was employed to evaluate the major L. monocytogenes genoserogroups' distribution. The results revealed that the serotypes of lineage II are most frequently present in clinical and food isolates. In summary, PCR screening for both the major L. monocytogenes serovars and virulence genes revealed the potential public health risk posed by L. monocytogenes in aquatic products. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd