The immunopathobiology of T cells in stress condition: a review

Several factors impact the immune responses such as the chemical nature of antigens, the physiologic and metabolic condition of the responsive cells, the site of antigen recognition, and neuroendocrine and pharmacological received agents. Incompatibility of host immune responses to the entrapped antigens leads to an immune pathological manner instead of an immune protection which results in the disharmony of the immune effective factors. Besides the fact that stress is one of the most common effective factors in human life, it also contributed to the protection, suppression, and pathology of the immune system. In this review article, the direct and indirect effects of the stress on the function of T cells and the contributed mechanism of action will be discussed. © 2020, Cell Stress Society International

The association between vaginal candidiasis and health-promoting lifestyle in Iranian women: A cross-sectional study

Objectives: Vulvovaginal candidiasis is the second most common gynecological infection in the world that can bring about unfavorable consequences for the health and life of the women of reproductive age. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of vulvovaginal candidiasis and its relationship with the health-promoting lifestyle in Boukan, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with the participation of 320 married women aged 15-49 years who referred to all health centers of Boukan. The subjects were selected using a convenience sampling technique from October 2018 to March 2019. Written informed consent was obtained from the participants who were then asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II (HPLP-II). Finally, the data were analyzed in SPSS, version 24. Results: A total of 124 women (38.8) had vulvovaginal candidiasis, and the total mean (standard deviation) score of health-promoting lifestyle was 2.4 (0.2) from the possible range of 1-4. None of the demographic characteristics and vulvovaginal candidiasis were significantly related based on the results (P 0.05). Conclusions: In general, more than one-third of the participants had vulvovaginal candidiasis. Eventually, the infection had no statistically significant relationship with any of the characteristics of demographic information and health-promoting lifestyle. © 2020 The Author(s)

Numerical modeling of polloution distribution in the Nayban bay

In this study COHERENS which is a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was employed in order to model and survey dispersion of pollution in Nayband bay. In this model Navier-Stokes equation, continunity equation and transport equations of salinity and temperature in 3-D are solved. Cartesian coordinate for the horizontal and sigma coordinate with five layers was used for the vertical profile. Monthly mean atmospheric parameters and 4 major tidal components (M2, S2, O1, and K1) of the bay were used as the inputs of the model. In this model, uniform grid of 79*100 was used. Once the model was adjusted and the data inserted, the model was run for the bay. Then tidal currents were validated with field observation which resulted in prediction of horizontal dispersion of pollution in different layers. The results showed that dispersion is highly affected by tidal currents. These results can be applied to predict dispersion of pollution in Nayband bay

Ectoparasites of hedgehogs: From flea mite phoresy to their role as vectors of pathogens

Hedgehogs are synanthropic mammals, reservoirs of several vector-borne pathogens and hosts of ectoparasites. Arthropod-borne pathogens (i.e., Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., and Anaplasmataceae) were molecularly investigated in ectoparasites collected on hedgehogs (n = 213) from Iran (161 Hemiechinus auritus, 5 Erinaceus concolor) and Italy (47 Erinaceus europaeus). In Iran, most animals examined (n = 153; 92.2%) were infested by ticks (Rhipicephalus turanicus, Hyalomma dromedarii), and 7 (4.2%) by fleas (Archeopsylla erinacei, Ctenocephalides felis). Of the hedgehogs infested by arthropods in Italy (i.e., 44.7%), 18 (38.3%) were infested by fleas (Ar. erinacei), 7 (14.9%) by ticks (Haemaphysalis erinacei, Rh. turanicus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato), and 6 (12.8%) by mites (Caparinia tripilis, Acarus nidicolous, Ornithonyssus spp.). Phoretic behavior of C. tripilis on Ar. erinacei was detected in two flea specimens from Italy. At the molecular analysis Rickettsia spp. was detected in 93.3% of the fleas of Italy. In Iran, Rickettsia spp. was detected in 8.0% out of 212 Rh. turanicus ticks, and in 85.7% of the Ar. erinacei fleas examined. The 16S rRNA gene for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp. was amplified in 4.2% of the 212 Rh. turanicus ticks. All sequences of Rickettsia spp. from fleas presented 100% nucleotide identity with Rickettsia asembonensis, whereas Rickettsia spp. from Rh. turanicus presented 99.84%–100% nucleotide identity with Rickettsia slovaca, except for one sequence, identical to Rickettsia massiliae. The sequences of the 16S rRNA gene revealed 99.57%–100% nucleotide identity with Anaplasma spp., except for one, identical to Ehrlichia spp. A new phoretic association between C. tripilis mites and Ar. erinacei fleas has been herein reported, which could be an important route for the spreading of this mite through hedgehog populations. Additionally, spotted fever group rickettsiae were herein detected in ticks and fleas, and Anaplasma/Ehrlichia spp. in ticks, suggesting that hedgehogs play a role as reservoirs for these vector-borne pathogens

A Comprehensive Investigation on Common Polymorphisms in the MDR1/ABCB1 Transporter Gene and Susceptibility to Colorectal Cancer

ATP Binding Cassette B1 (ABCB1) is a transporter with a broad substrate specificity involved in the elimination of several carcinogens from the gut. Several polymorphic variants within the ABCB1 gene have been reported as modulators of ABCB1-mediated transport. We investigated the impact of ABCB1 genetic variants on colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. A hybrid tagging/functional approach was performed to select 28 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were genotyped in 1,321 Czech subjects, 699 CRC cases and 622 controls. In addition, six potentially functional SNPs were genotyped in 3,662 German subjects, 1,809 cases and 1,853 controls from the DACHS study. We found that three functional SNPs (rs1202168, rs1045642 and rs868755) were associated with CRC risk in the German population. Carriers of the rs1202168_T and rs868755_T alleles had an increased risk for CRC (Ptrend = 0.016 and 0.029, respectively), while individuals bearing the rs1045642_C allele showed a decreased risk of CRC (Ptrend = 0.022). We sought to replicate the most significant results in an independent case-control study of 3,803 subjects, 2,169 cases and 1,634 controls carried out in the North of Germany. None of the SNPs tested were significantly associated with CRC risk in the replication study. In conclusion, in this study of about 8,800 individuals we show that ABCB1 gene polymorphisms play at best a minor role in the susceptibility to CRC

ESTIMATING SOIL MOISTURE USING POLSAR DATA: A MACHINE LEARNING APPROACH

Soil moisture is an important parameter that affects several environmental processes. This parameter has many important functions in numerous sciences including agriculture, hydrology, aerology, flood prediction, and drought occurrence. However, field procedures for moisture calculations are not feasible in a vast agricultural region territory. This is due to the difficulty in calculating soil moisture in vast territories and high-cost nature as well as spatial and local variability of soil moisture. Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (PolSAR) imaging is a powerful tool for estimating soil moisture. These images provide a wide field of view and high spatial resolution. For estimating soil moisture, in this study, a model of support vector regression (SVR) is proposed based on obtained data from AIRSAR in 2003 in C, L, and P channels. In this endeavor, sequential forward selection (SFS) and sequential backward selection (SBS) are evaluated to select suitable features of polarized image dataset for high efficient modeling. We compare the obtained data with in-situ data. Output results show that the SBS-SVR method results in higher modeling accuracy compared to SFS-SVR model. Statistical parameters obtained from this method show an R2 of 97% and an RMSE of lower than 0.00041 (m3/m3) for P, L, and C channels, which has provided better accuracy compared to other feature selection algorithms

The impact of extra virgin olive oil on primary dysmenorrhea in comparison to the ibuprofen

The chemical treatments of primary dysmenorrhea have some side effects. Therefore, the present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of Extra Virgin olive oil and Ibuprofen for treatment of primary dysmenorrhea among female students. Materials and Methods: In a single blinded crossover clinical trial, female single students 17-30 years old, moderate and sever primary dysmenorrhea were enrolled to the study. Chronic disease, allergies, pelvic or abdominal surgery, stressors in the past two months, irregular menstrual cycles, use of oral contraceptives during 3 months ago were excluded from the study. Screening for primary dysmenorrhea was done by a visual analog scale. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The participants were followed up for 5 menstruation cycles. The subjects in group 1 took 25 cc of extra virgin olive oil daily for 2 months (starting two weeks before the start of the menstruation cycle) and completed a questionnaire containing items on pain visual analogue scale for two consecutive cycles. After a 4-week washout period they received 400 mg Ibuprofen three times a day in the first 3 days of menstruation. Group 2 was treated basically similarly, except that they received Ibuprofen during the two first cycle and extra virgin olive oil during the two second cycle. The collected data were analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics, t-test and linear mixed models. The pain severity difference was significant before and after intervention in both groups. The pain severity decreased to 3.8 ± 2.2 after intervention in Ibuprofen group and 1.1 ± 0.8 after intervention in Extra Virgin olive oil group. There was a significant difference in pain severity between the two groups after the intervention (P= 0.001). The Extra Virgin olive oil is effective in primary dysmenorrhea. It is recommended as a food supplement

Bisphenol A adsorption using modified aloe vera leaf-wastes derived bio-sorbents from aqueous solution: kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic studies

Reactive-oxygen-species are produced more often in the body when bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine-disrupting-substance, is present. In this investigation, bio-sorbents from an aqueous solution adapted from Aloe-vera were used to survey BPA removal. Aloe-vera leaf wastes were used to create activated carbon, which was then analyzed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Zeta potential, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques. It was revealed that the adsorption process adheres to the Freundlich isotherm model with R-2>0.96 and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with R-2>0.99 under ideal conditions (pH = 3, contact time = 45 min, concentration of BPA = 20 mg.L-1, and concentration of the adsorbent = 2 g.L-1). After five-cycle, the efficacy of removal was greater than 70. The removal of phenolic-chemicals from industrial-effluent can be accomplished with the assistance of this adsorbent in a cost-effective and effective-approach