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

Reliability of center of pressure measures of postural stability in patients with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injury

The aim of this study was to estimate the test-retest reliability of some commonly used center of pressure measures in postural control investigations of sport injuries under the diverse stressful postural conditions. Twelve patients with anterior cruciate ligament injury were evaluated on two separate sessions. The center of pressure was recorded from force platform and the following measures were calculated (1) standard deviation of amplitude (2) mean velocity (3) standard deviation of velocity (4) phase plane parameters and (5) area (95 confidence ellipse). Relative and absolute reliability was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient and coefficient of variation, respectively. Mean velocity and total phase plane parameters were the most reliable measures having high to very high correlation across all postural conditions. The mean and range of intra-class correlation coefficient for mean velocity and total phase plane parameters were 0.88 (range: 0.80 to 0.96) and 0.81 (range: 0.71 to 0.88), respectively. Interestingly, pattern of the coefficient of variation values was, to a great extent, consistent with the intra-class correlation coefficients. Therefore, mean velocity and total phase plane parameters may be sensitive center of pressure measures to differentiate balance between Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injured patients and to evaluate the effect of a rehabilitation program in this population. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information

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 mm and 135.9 mm, 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

A genome-wide association study for calving interval in holstein dairy cows using weighted single-step genomic BLUP approach

peer reviewe

Genome-wide association for milk production and lactation curve parameters in Holstein dairy cows

peer reviewe

Genetic parameters for milk urea and its relationship with milk yield and compositions in Holstein dairy cows

peer reviewe

Validation of a Persian-version of Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in Iranians with knee injuries

Objective: To adapt culturally and validate Persian-version of the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in a sample of Iranians with knee injuries. Methods: Cultural adaptation included providing of forward and backward translations, quality rating and pilot testing. A sample of 147 patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), meniscus and combined (ACL and meniscus) injuries was asked to complete two questionnaires including the KOOS and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). The KOOS was readministered to 54 patients 6-8 days after the first visit. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were assessed, using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha, respectively. Dimensionality was assessed, using item-scale correlation after correction for overlap and construct validity, using a priori hypothesized correlations with the SF-36. Results: All patients found the Persian-version of the KOOS to be clear and unambiguous in pilot testing. Minimum ICC level of 0.70 was exceeded by all subscales with the exception of Sport and Recreation (Sport/Rec) subscale. Minimum Cronbach's alpha level of 0.70 was exceeded by all subscales with the exception of Symptoms and Knee-related Quality of Life (QoL). Minimum Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.40 for each item-scale was exceeded by 34 items. All priori hypotheses were supported by the presence of higher correlations between similar constructs than between dissimilar constructs of the KOOS and SF-36. Conclusion: The Persian-version of the KOOS is a culturally-adapted, reliable and valid outcome measure to be used in Iranian patients with knee injuries, with its psychometric properties in agreement with the original versions. © 2008 Osteoarthritis Research Society International

Non-linear dynamical features of center of pressure extracted by recurrence quantification analysis in people with unilateral anterior cruciate ligament injury

Knowledge about the non-linear dynamical pattern of postural sway may provide important insights into the adaptability (flexibility) of human postural control in response to everyday stresses imposed on the body. A commonly used non-linear tool, i.e. recurrence quantification analysis, was chosen to investigate the effect of prior anterior cruciate ligament injury on the deterministic pattern of postural sway under different conditions of postural and cognitive difficulty. In double leg stance, as postural difficulty increased from open-eyes to closed-eyes and rigid-surface to foam-surface, the centre of pressure regularity (determinism) increased as well. In comparison to healthy counterparts, subjects with prior anterior cruciate ligament injury produced more regularity when maintaining balance on their injured leg. Also, for both the double and single leg stance balance conditions, the performance of a secondary cognitive task (a backward digit span task) caused less center of pressure regularity than the single postural task, which suggests that both study populations required the same amount of cognitive involvement for maintaining balance. Center of pressure dynamic patterns exhibited by the anterior cruciate ligament deficient patients were more regular than those of the healthy controls indicating " complexity loss" and may be indicative of the reduced adaptability (flexibility) of a balance system to sudden perturbations. © 2010 Elsevier B.V

Effect of pre-warmed intravenous fluid therapy on prevention of postoperative shivering after caesarean section

Background & Aim: Hypothermia is a main side effect during surgery in which blood pressure, heart rate, intra cranial pressure, oxygen consumption, pain and discomfort increase. The rate of cesarean section in Iran is three times more than global standard. This study aimed to investigate effect of pre-warmed intravenous fluid therapy on prevention of shivering after general anesthesia in cesarean section. Methods & Materials: A total of 62 women undergoing general anesthesia for elective cesarean section were randomly allocated into two intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, patients received pre-warmed serum (37°C) and in the control group, patients received serum at room temperature (25.5°C). The postoperative shivering and some homodynamic parameters of the participants were assessed in recovery room. Results: The mean of body temperature in the intervention and control groups were 35.9°C±0.48 and 35.42°C±0.6, respectively (P<0.05). The incidence of post operative shivering in the intervention and control groups were 13 and 35, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: Infusion of pre-warmed serum (37°C) would prevent postoperative shivering and could improve nursing care for women underwent general anesthesia in cesarean section