The structure Biology and Application of Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) in Phytomedicine: With special up-to-date references to lectins

Lectins first discovered more than 100 years ago in plants, they are now known to be present throughout nature. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA), the lectin extract from the red kidney bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris), contain potent, cell agglutinating and mitogenic activities. They play a role in biological recognition phenomena involving cells and proteins towards medical applications. The present article is a brief review of the history of lectin in nature.  By reviewing the web-based search for all types of peer review articles published, was initiated using ISI web of Sciences and Medline / PubMed, and other pertinent references on websites about lectins. Here, we present a brief account of 100-plus years of lectin research and show how these proteins have become the focus of intense interest for biologists and in particular for the research and applications in medicine. Phytohemagglutinin, has been widely used for mitotic stimulation to human lymphocytes, cell arrest, or apoptosis, potential sources for developing novel  pharmaceutical preparation    and intensive interest for health care services, biologist and phytomedicine  research can be considere

Perceptions of the Meanings and Meaning-Making Factors of Yazd Traditional Houses Based on the Approach of Cultural Semiotics

Abstract| As the first place in the formation of human experience aspects, the house can be the basis of the thought and culture of society. These aspects of identity in the semantic system of architectural texts in traditional Iranian houses are beyond what is visible. This meaning can be found through reading, perception, contemplation, and exploration of the underlying and hidden layers of these houses. This study is based on the approach of cultural semiotics, trying to understand the structure of traditional buildings by relying on the method of cultural semiotics and discovering the hidden cultures and traditions in these houses by understanding symbolic concepts. The study is trying to answer these main questions: How are meanings formed in traditional houses of Yazd and what factors lead to the formation of the meanings? This study uses the descriptive-analytical method and is based on the cultural semiotics approach proposed by Yuri Lotman and Roland Posner. In this regard, the association or differences and conflicts between symbolic systems in the context of traditional houses in Yazd were first examined. Its previous interpretations were then reviewed, and its symbolic transformations were explained using Lotman’s cultural semiotics approach. The results suggest that the meanings in traditional houses are defined as an entrance complex and the central courtyard and are repeated as multiple texts with the correlation of all the indicators. These similarities in symbolic systems are intertwined in the whole and components, which are based on the relationship between object and context, unity and plurality homomorphism, boundedness, and interaction, and developed in the framework of the semiosphere of Yazd’s cultural space

Weed seed bank dynamics under various rotations and field production resources

Weed seed bank dynamics in corn, sugar beet and wheat plots in rotation with wheat were studied under conventional and ecological management systems during 2 years. The experiment was laid out in a split- plot design in a randomized complete block, where 3 crop rotations were assigned to main plots and 5 cropping systems including high–input, medium–input, low–input, integrated and organic systems were allocated to subplots. The results showed that crop species and weed management practices in different cropping systems significantly affected weed seed bank composition. However, weed seed bank dynamics were indirectly affected by crop rotation. The highest mean weed seed density and weed species diversity in soil surface layer was observed in organic system while high–input system had the lowest seed density. Weed seed density of soil surface layer in organic and low–input systems were twice of that in deeper soil layer. However, in high–input system weed seed bank was uniformly distributed over soil layers. The highest weed seed density was observed in continuous wheat plots where seeds were mainly accumulated at soil surface layer. Corn-wheat and sugar beet-wheat rotations led to a lower seed bank density and more uniform distribution of weed seeds in soil

Identification of homogeneously staining regions in leukemia patients

Homogeneously staining regions (HSR) or double minute chromosomes (dmin) are autonomously replicating extra-chromosomal elements that are frequently associated with gene amplification in a variety of cancers. The diagnosis of leukemia patients was based on characterization of the leukemic cells obtained from bone marrow cytogenetics. This study report two cases, one with Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia without maturation (AML-M1), aged 23-year-old female, and the other with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-blast crisis, a 28-year-old female associated with double minute chromosomes. Most cases of acute myeloid leukemia with dmin in the literature (including our cases) have been diagnosed as having acute myeloid leukemia