Comparison of Elevated Liver Enzymes in Type 2 Diabetic Patients in User and Non-User of Statin

Background: Type-2 diabetes is a risk factor for progressive non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the majority of diabetic patients have blood lipid disorders, so they take statin drugs. Statins have the adverse effects such as liver dysfunction and increase in liver enzymes. The purpose of this study was to compare the liver enzymes in type 2 diabetic patients who are user and non-user of statin.Methods: In a case-control study, increased liver enzymes (ALT and AST > 40 U/L) were measured in blood samples of 200 type II diabetic patients (with and without statin consumption) who referred to Mashhad Diabetes Clinic in Mashhad city (Iran), during May to November 2017. Levels of liver enzymes and anthropometric indices were measured for both groups. Liver enzymes were assessed at the baseline of two groups. The SPSS 20th software was used for data analysis.Results: The mean of Body mass index in two groups of diabetic patients with and without statin consumption had a significant difference (

Homology Modeling and Molecular Docking of the Leishmania Protein Kinase, E9BJT5, A New Target for Leishmaniasis Therapeutics

Background & Objective: Leishmaniasis is taken into account as a parasitic disease caused by the Leishmania genus. A major challenge of the leishmaniasis is associated with the occurrence of treatment failure after drug treatment. Target identification is a significant factor to reach a drug development. Hence, protein kinases play an important role in drug designing (e.g, LmxMPK and CRK3). This study is developed to predict and assess the three-dimensional structure for E9BJT5 protein in Leishmania and its binding affinity for different calcium channel blockers. Materials & Methods: The three-dimensional structure was predicted and assessed for the protein by the I-TASSER and Procheck servers, respectively. In the molecular docking method, interactions between different calcium channel blockers and the predicted model of E9BJT5 were investigated using the Autodock vina in PyRx 0.8 software. Thereafter, the interaction results were analyzed by Chimera software, and thus the stronger potential interactions were identified. Results: Docking results showed that the lidoflazine and lercanidipine (the values were -8.3 and -7.6 kcal/mol, respectively) were obtained as the top-ranked drugs in the binding to the active site of the protein. Conclusion: In this study, using in silico approach, the E9BJT5 protein could be a viable target for designing the novel drugs against the Leishmania parasite. The docking results demonstrated that two drugs (i.e., lidoplasin and lercantipine) may be considered as anti-leishmanial drugs. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the interactions between these drugs and the target

Effect of propofol and isoflurane on gas exchange parameters following one-lung ventilation in thoracic surgery: a double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial

Background: The use of anesthetic drugs with minimal inhibitory effects on the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) could have a decisive role in preventing the hypoxemia during one-lung ventilation (OLV). Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of propofol and isoflurane on the changes in gas exchange parameters following OLV in thoracic surgery. Methods: This double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on patients who were candidates for elective right thoracotomy referred to the central operating room of Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, during February 2016-2017. Patients with age range of 18 to 75 years, class I and II American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and thoracotomy with OLV for pulmonary resection or cyst drainage were included. The patients were randomly allocated (1:1 ratio) into two groups of propofol (P, 50-100μg/kg/min) and isoflurane (I, 1 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) 1.1%). Partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2), partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) and arterial oxygen saturation (SPO2) were recorded before and 15 minutes after OLV and compared between the two groups. The comparison of the mean gas exchange parameters before and 15 minutes after OLV was performed using Mann-Whitney test in SPSS version 19 software. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In this study, 122 patients with mean age of 59.4±14.1 years (two groups of 61) were studied. Both groups were matched for age or gender. The two groups had no significant difference in the gas exchange parameters before the OLV. Only PaCO2 (p=0.001) and ETCO2 (p=0.001) were significantly higher in the propofol group after 15 minutes OLV than in the isoflurane group. However, PaO2 (p=0.67), O2Sat (p=0.333) and PaCO2-ETCO2 gradient (p=0.809) showed no significant difference between the two groups at this minute. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the propofol or isoflurane selection seems to have no significant effect on the arterial oxygenation. On the other hand, isoflurane and propofol could be an appropriate anesthetic for thoracic surgery by normalizing the carbon dioxide gradient range during the OLV. Clinical Trial Registration: The study was also registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT2015123013159N8). Funding: The study was financially supported by the Deputy of Research of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (grant number: 940119)

Chemical variation of leaf essential oil at different stages of plant growth and in vitro antibacterial activity of Thymus vulgaris Lamiaceae, from Iran

The essential oil components of the leaves were isolated by hydrodistillation from Thymus vulgaris (T.) Lamiaceae, at different stages of plant growth. The essential oils from T. Lamiaceae leaves were obtained in yields of 0.83–1.39% (w/w). The oils were studied by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and thirty-six components were identified in the oil. The major components in the leaf oils were: thymol (38.23–63.01%), o-cymene (5.56–15.47%), γ-terpinene (4.43–7.17%), borneol (1.72–6.65%), 4-terpineol (1.24–5.16%) and 1,8-cineole (0.09–1.54%). The results showed that the oil yield and the major constituents' percentage of the leaf were different at different stages of plant growth. The essential oils of T. Lamiaceae leaves were tested against five strains of Gram positive bacteria (g+) and five strains of Gram negative bacteria (g−). The average minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of essential oils were determined using agar dilution method against the organisms by agar dilution method

This Article has been retracted (( Quorum-Sensing Signaling System in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: A Method to Overcome the Bacteria’s antibioticResistance By Identifying Dual Inhibitors and Using NSAIDs in Combination with Antibiotic Against Biofilm))

This Article has been retracted Background and Aims: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), are used as analgesic and antipyretic agents. In this study NSAIDs were used to overcome the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms to Tobramycin antibiotics. The aim of this study was to find an easy and low-cost method, using NSAIDs and Tobramycin, to deal with the biofilms of P. aeruginosa.. Materials and Methods: Follwoing molecular remodeling, NSAIDs were used alongside Tobramycin against PAO1 strain of P. aeroginusa . The Plate Reader measured the absorbance of crystal violet solution in ethanol. The Infiltration rate of NSAIDs in biofilms and its absorbance were measured by Tetrazolium salt and Plate Reader, respectively. Results: After performing the docking techniques, the most suitable conformation of NSAIDs, to inhibit LasR and PqsE proteins, were chosen. Having worked on dual inhibitors, we could find a configuration  in which the inhibition coefficient was at its lowest level for both PqsE and LasR. After analyzing the growth of P. aeruginosa biofilms near NSAIDs by using Tobramycin and measuring the absorption of crystal violet in ethanol, as a measure of composed biofilm, The findings showed a lower rate of biofilm formation by bacteria treated with NSAIDS and Tombramycin. [P1]  Conclusions: Based on the constructional similarities in some NSAIDs, like Piroxicam, Meloxicam and Homoserine lactones (AHLS), these drugs can be used as quorum-sensing system inhibitors to inhibit LasR and PqsE protein and hence reduce the P. aeruginosa pathogenesis.  [P1]Not mentioned in the abstract in Persia

Determination of Lead and Cadmium in cow’s Milk and Elimination by Using Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

Background and Objectives: Heavy metals such as cadmium and lead are the most important toxins spreading through various ways like water, soil, and air in nature and easily enter human food chain. It is essential to determine the cumulative and harmful effects of these metals in nutrients, especially in cow milk because it is a unique source of food for all ages and it contains both essential and nonessential trace elements. Materials and Methods: A total of 100 milk samples were directly collected from healthy cows in Zabol located on east of Iran. The samples were tested to determine lead and cadmium residues. The rates of the heavy metals were determined using a Rayleigh atomic absorption spectrum equipped with hollow cathode lamps (HCL) at 283.3 nm for lead (Pb) and at 228.8 nm for cadmium (Cd). By using the photo-catalytic titanium dioxide nanoparticles, these toxic metals were removed. Results: The mean &plusmn; SD of the concentration of lead and cadmium in raw milk were 9.175&plusmn; 2.5 and 4.557 &plusmn; 1.081 ppb, respectively. Also, the P-values of Kalmogorov&ndash; Smiranov test for lead and cadmium were respectively 0.057 ppb (P>0.05) and 0.435 ppb (P>0.05). TiO2 nanoparticles were used to eliminate and remove lead and cadmium in milk samples. The results showed that there was a significant difference between lead and cadmium contents before and after adding TiO2 nanoparticles (P<0.05). Conclusions: According to results of this study, there was a very low amount of toxic metals. So, it seems that it is not necessary to use TiO2 in milk samples but these days it used frequently as an additive to some samples like milk to remove these pollutants. Keywords: lead, cadmium, milk, atomic absorption spectroscopy, TiO2 nanoparticle

The Expression of TLR2 and TLR3 in Sertoli Cells of Azoospermic Patients

Objective: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on Sertoli cells are thought to have essential roles in sperm protection. This study was conducted to investigate the expression of TLR2 and TLR3 in Sertoli cells of men with azoospermia. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, testicular biopsies were taken from ten azoospermic men. Following enzymatic dissociation, the samples were moved to lectin coated petri dishes. After a few passages, all cells were cultivated and Seroli cells were sorted by flow cytometry. To confirm Sertoli cell purification, alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and immunohistochemistry assays were employed. The expression of TLR2 and TLR3 at the transcript and protein levels was examined with real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-QPCR) and western blot, respectively. Results: Isolation, purification and cultivation of human Sertoli cells were performed successfully. Efficacy of purification of Sertoli cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) sorter was ~97%. The type of cultured cells was confirmed by vimentin and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) receptor markers. Furthermore, the existence of anti- Müllerian hormone in culture was confirmed. RT-PCR showed that both genes were expressed in Sertoli cells. Consistently, proteins of both were also expressed in Sertoli cells. Moreover, QPCR showed that the relative expression of TLR3 transcripts was significantly higher than TLR2 in Sertoli cells. Although both genes are expressed in fibroblast cells, their level of expression was significantly lower than in Sertoli cells. Conclusion: This study confirmed expression of TLR2 and TLR3 in human Sertoli cells. This may be an indicator of their roles in developing immunity against pathogens as well as allo- and auto-antigens or viral antigens in seminiferous tubules