Injectable Cell-based Tissue Engineered Bone Formulations

PhDCurrent golden standard therapy for bone repair and regeneration involves the use of auto grafts. Nevertheless, there are many drawbacks associated with auto grafts including donor site morbidity, requirement for an invasive surgery, post-operative pain and infection. The use of injectable tissue engineered bone is an attractive alternative, providing a minimally invasive approach to regenerate bone. It offers faster healing, less pain and exact conformation to irregular defects. The present work is designed to achieve injectable formulations of tissue engineered bone that fulfil the requirements needed. It involves investigation of potential polymeric binders that are biocompatible, biodegradable and allow bone formation when combined with cells. Chitosan binders were tested for biocompatibility, biodegradability, gelation, angiogenic potential and osteogenic differentiation and bone formation when mixed with goat and human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (gMSCs, hMSCs). An in vivo bone formation study was performed to investigate the bone formation ability of gMSCs in contact with chitosan binder. Chick chorioallantoic membrane assay was carried out to examine the angiogenic potential of the chitosan binder combined with/without hMSCs. Furthermore, MC3T3-El cells were employed to assess the osteogenic potential of cells exposed to chitosan polymeric systems. Chitosan binder was proved to be an attractive polymer to carry cell-scaffold combination. hMSCs were able to survive and differentiate along the osteogenic lineage when encapsulated with 1.5% (w/v) chitosan-15% (w/v) glycerol phosphate (GP)-0.18% (w/v) hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) in a 14-day study. Furthermore, chitosan-GP-HEC solutions demonstrated fast gelation at 37°C. Chitosan was biodegradable following 42 days in the presence/absence of lysozyme. Moreover, gMSCs combined with chitosan binder produced 24.6 ± 13.7% bone comparable to the control group after a 6-week implantation in mice. Chitosan was shown to be nonangiogenic unlike hMSCs which showed angiogenic potential. Also, chitosan was found to be osteogenic at 2 and 0.05 mg/ml concentrations

Blue-emitting copper nanoparticles as a fluorescent probe for detection of cyanide ions

A simple and green method for the determination of cyanide ions (CN−) has been developed which is based on copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) acting as a fluorescent probe in aqueous solutions. In this study, fluorescent CuNPs have been synthesized in the presence of ascorbic acid which acts both as a reducing and protecting agent. The preparation of CuNPs by this method is very simple, low cost, high yield, and reproducible. The prepared CuNPs have the small average diameter of 10 nm and show a blue emission at 440 nm. However, upon the addition of CN− into the CuNPs sensing system, its fluorescence was quenched considerably as a result of the strong interaction between cyanide and copper. Under optimized conditions, a good relationship was observed between the fluorescence quenching of the system and the concentration of CN− in the range of 0.5–18 μmol L−1 with a detection limit of 0.37 μmol L−1. In addition, the developed sensor has a high selectivity and simple operations. Furthermore, as a cost-effective and selective fluorescent probe, the CuNPs sensor was successfully employed for the detection of CN− ions in water samples

The Prevalence of Accommodative Insufficiency among Students of an Iranian Medical School

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of accommodative insufficiency in a student population from Iran.Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 596 eyes from 298 participants (157 males, 141 females) in age range of 18 to 29 years among students from Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, between 2014 and 2015. The amplitude of accommodation among volunteers in this study was evaluated using the Donder's push up method. Then, the minimum normal amplitude of accommodation for a given age was estimated by Hofstetter formula (15 - 0.25 * age in years), and then the prevalence of accommodative insufficiency among the study population was determined according to this calculations. Results: We found the prevalence of accommodative insufficiency to be 7.2% in the study population. The prevalence of accommodative insufficiency was 4.1% and 7.25% among males and females respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The prevalence of accommodative insufficiency in our study population was less than previous studies among children, which might be explained by the role of natural selection (people with accommodative disorders might have less chance of excelling in education and entering higher education institutes than patients without this disorder). We also found a statistically significant higher prevalence of accommodative insufficiency among female college aged students compared to male students.Keywords: Accommodation, insufficiency, prevalence, eye, Iran

Tissue-Electronics Interfaces

Tissue-electronics interfaces provide a two-way communication between biological tissue and external electronics devices to record electrophysiological signals and stimulation of the living organs. This Chapter presents an overview of significant progresses in tissue-electronics interfaces. At first, we evaluate principal properties of the living tissue microenvironment important for tissue-specific equipment design. Next, we study charge transfer mechanisms in the biological tissues, bulk electrode materials, and tissue-electronics interfaces. After that, we highlight the current developing and promising advanced biomaterials for the neural electrodes, significantly leading to the development of bionanoelectronics and bionic organs. Finally, the challenges and future outlook of the neural interfaces will be discussed

Ethical and Islamic Considerations about Transgenic Animals

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objectives: Biotechnology has wide applications in various fields of medicine, industry, agriculture and environment and as a high technology will play an important role in the future of the world. Transgenic animals due to causing theoretically and practically problems are ethical concerns. Species identity of this type of animals is morally confusion. Since transgenic animals must endure the transfer of a specific gene in their genome, the severe consequences may be achieved from this insertion. Unlike animals have undergone horizontal gene transfer during evolution, transgenic animals are not protected by evolutionary processes of gene loss and gain. Therefore, the protection of animals and consumers rights should be considered if the use of this technology will be continued. Produced transgenic animals as clinical models are designed so that they show as much as possible all of the relevant features and symptoms of disease. Scientific debate is whether humans are allowed to manipulate genetic characteristics only for achieving their goals. As the above contents indicate special rules and supervision should be established to prevent any deviation and unethical use of biotechnology. In Islam, researchers have different opinions about using transgenic organisms. The use of genetically modified crops and consequently research and development of technologies related to them are permitted in Shia religion but this permission is subject to observe various aspects of the safety and ethics need to be provided. In the present study, we investigated the application of transgenic animals, the view of Islam(Shia) to transgenic organisms and genetically modified crops, as well as the need to comply with ethical issues in researches and experiments on animals within the framework of internationally accepted rules and Islamic regulations.Keywords:  Transgenic animals, Biotechnology, Ethical considerations, Animals RightsFor downloading the full-text of this article please click here.

Evaluation of the effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of Terminalia chebula fruits on diazinon-induced liver toxicity and oxidative stress in rats

Objective: Diazinon causes oxidative stress and dysfunction of the liver. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of Terminalia chebula, on some biochemical and histopathological parameters of liver tissue in diazinon-administered rats. Materials and Methods: Wistar rats were orally administered with 25 mg/kg body weight diazinon. Vehicle (distilled water) and silymarin (50 mg/kg body weight) were used as the negative and positive control groups, respectively. Diazinon-administered groups were treated with T.chebula (Terminalia chebula) fruit extract (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg). After 15 days of treatment, the blood specimens and liver samples were examined. Results: In diazinon-treated group, the levels of serum urea, high density lipoprotein (HDL), and liver superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and vitamin C significantly decreased (

Urinary arsenic, cadmium, manganese, nickel, and vanadium levels of schoolchildren in the vicinity of the industrialised area of Asaluyeh, Iran

Asaluyeh is one of the most heavily industrialised areas in the world where gas, petrochemical, and many downstream industries are located. This study aims to survey the biomonitoring of four metals and one metalloid in children living in the vicinity of Asaluyeh area. To do this, we analysed the creatinine-adjusted urinary levels of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), vanadium (V), manganese (Mn), and nickel (Ni) in 184 elementary schoolchildren (99 boys and 85 girls) living in Asaluyeh and compared them with a reference population. The comparisons were done for two seasons (spring and fall). The results showed that in the case area (Asaluyeh), the levels of As, V, Mn, and Ni were significantly higher and that of Cd was not significantly higher than the reference city for both seasons. The mean concentration of metal(loid)s in Asaluyeh (case) and Sadabad (reference) area as μg g−1 creatinine was As 2.90 and 2.24, V 0.06 and 0.03, Mn 0.28 and 0.25, Ni 0.54 and 0.29, and Cd 0.31 and 0.28 in spring and As 3.08 and 2.28, V 0.07 and 0.03, Mn 0.30 and 0.26, Ni 0.91 and 0.30, and Cd 0.36 and 0.31 in the fall. Seasonal variations played a key role in determining urinary metal(loid) concentration, as we saw the significant level of As, Cd, V, and Ni in fall than in spring. With regard to the impact of gender on the absorption and accumulation of urinary metal(loid)s, boys showed higher levels of the studied elements, especially for As, than girls as outdoor activities are more popular among boys. Due to the values being lower than those reported in literature, more research is needed on various population groups and other exposure sources in order to judge whether living in the vicinity of the gas and petrochemical industries in Asaluyeh is a threat to nearby residents

Efficiency of Banks in Iran: Semi-Parametric Approach

ABSTRACT Objective of the present survey is to measure and compare efficiency of ten commercial and specialized banks in Iran and introducing the efficient banks in various years as well as studying why these banks are efficient or inefficient and then evaluating the impact of environmental variables such as unemployment rate, inflation rate and gross domestic product (by fixed price) on efficiency level of banks during the period [2005][2006][2007][2008][2009]. Results demonstrate a reverse significant relationship among unemployment rate and inflation rate and direct significant relationship of gross domestic product on banks' efficiency

ARA lncRNA, is upregulated in liver and breast tumor tissues

Important regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently found, and reported as useful biomarkers in cancer. To identify a potential expression of the new discovered lncRNA (ARA), during promotes cell proliferation, apoptosis inhibit, migration and cell cycle arrest, we firstly evaluate its expression in two cancer tissues (breast cancer and liver cancer) and then compared its variability expression in tumor versus non-tumor samples. Expression profile of ARA lncRNA was evaluated using qRT-PCR in paired tumor and marginal non-tumor samples collected from patients who had been referred to the Shiraz General. After RNA extraction from tissue samples, cDNA synthesis and RT-qPCR method were performed according to the protocols. ARA lncRNA expression level was calculated using 2-ΔΔCt method. Principal-component analysis followed by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses was performed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of selected lncRNA. Our data revealed a significant upregulation (P < 0.001) of ARA in breast and liver tumor tissues, in comparison to same patients non-tumor marginal samples. Also, there was a significant difference between the expression of ARA lncRNA in breast cancer and liver cancer patients (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the results of our study suggest a possible role of ARA lncRNA in proliferation of breast and liver tissues, as well as its potential usefulness as a novel diagnostic biomarker for breast and liver tumor

The Effect of Extended Injection of Subcutaneous Heparin on Pain Intensity and Bruising Incidence

Background: Reducing patients’ pain is one of the main goals of providing clinical services, which requires nursing skill. As a simple technique, increasing the duration of subcutaneous heparin injection may affect the intensity of pain and bruising. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of increasing the heparin injection time on pain intensity and bruising associated with subcutaneous injection. Methods: The present quasi-experimental study consisted of 86 patients, admitted to our hospital, who were treated with subcutaneous heparin injection. A McGill pain intensity questionnaire was used to measure pain severity in a purposive sampling. All of the subjects received subcutaneous heparin twice for 10 seconds. They also were injected twice with heparin infusion, although it was for 30 seconds this time. The interval between the two injections was 24 h, and the intensity of the pain was measured after each injection. The Pearson correlation coefficient was measured, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the t-test were used to analyze the data. Results: Eighty patients received heparin. The body mass indexes were reported as 52 (60%) and 34 (40%) for subjects within the age range of 18.5-24.9 and 25-29.9, respectively. Regarding the mean of pain intensity, there was a significant difference between the 10 and 30 s injections (p ˂ 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant difference in bruising rates between the two methods 48 and 72 h after injection (p ˂ 0.05). The ANOVA test showed a significant association between gender and bruising (p = 0.001). Conclusion: According to the results, by elevating the duration of heparin injection, the severity of pain was reduced, and, therefore, the patients felt more comfortable. Trial Registration: The trial was registered at the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR) with the TCTR identification of TCTR20160221001. Funding: This research was supported by the research cluster grant (88186-25/01/89) from Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. The authors received no financial support for the authorship and/or publication of this article