Prevalence of Cryptosporidium Spp. in Camels and Involved People in Yazd Province, Iran

Background: Although infection of dromedary camels with Cryptosporidium spp. is rare in Iran, it is considered a zoonotic threat to the keepers and herders of camels. Thus we investigated the prevalence of Cryptosporidium in these two hosts in Yazd Province, a semi-arid region in center of Iran.Methods: This study was conducted during 4 seasons (winter 2008, summer 2009, winter 2009 and summer 2010). Fecal samples (n=200) were collected from live camels. Also, 100 abomasal mucosa and related fecal samples of the slaughtered camels were investigated. Stool samples from 100 individuals who were in persistent contact with camels were also obtained. After staining by modified Ziehl-Neelsen method, the prepared specimens were studied microscopically. Results were analyzed using SPSS 16.Results: The rate of infection in feces and abomasal mucosa of camels were 20.33% and 12%, respectively. In addition, simultaneous fecal and mucosal infection was detected in 3 cases in winter. Statistical analyses showed no significant relation between infection and age of camels, as well as their sex and the season. Cryptosporidiosis in people who were in long-term contact with camels was also investigated microscopically by obtaining stool samples of 100 individuals (50 in summers, 50 in winters), 24 of them being infected with Cryptosporidium spp. The rate of infection was higher in winter than summer (16/50 compared with 8/50).Conclusion: The prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in camels and involved humans in Yazd Province is relatively considerable and of public health importance

The Cytotoxic Effects of Sio2 Nanoparticles on Human Blood Mononuclear Cells

Introduction: Regarding the increasing use of silicon dioxide nanoparticles in medical biotechnology and probable side effects and diseases resulting from its usage, this study was performed to assess the toxic effects of different concentrations of SiO2 nanoparticles on human blood mononuclear leukocytes using the MTT assay. Methods: In this laboratory trial study, we prepared suspensions of blood mononuclear cells from 10 young healthy men and also different concentrations of the nanoparticles (1, 10, 100, 500, 1000 and 1500µg/mL). The cells were then incubated with these nanoparticles for 24 hours at 37 °c, and finally the percent of dead cells were measured by MTT assay kit using spectrophotometer reading at 490 nm after 6 and 24 hours of incubation. Positive and negative controls and blanking were applied, too. Results: A significant difference was found in percent of dead cells between the different concentrations of SiO2 nanoparticles and also between the exposed cells and control group (p<0.05). There was increasing cytotoxicity in 6 hours as well as 24 hours exposure with higher concentrations of the nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity after 24 hours exposure to 10 µg/mL of nanoparticles was about 6 times that of the 1 µg/mL. Conclusion: This study showed for the first time that SiO2 with a concentration of 1 µg/mL has cytotoxicity on human blood mononuclear cells. Cytotoxic effects of this nanoparticle are time- and concentration-dependent

The study of the stability, toxicity and antimicrobial effect of allicin solution

Abstract Introduction: Allicin is extracted from Garlic, and can attach to the tiol groups of proteins by tiosulfanate group. This attachment leads to damage of various proteins and enzymes of microbes, and can affect wide spectrum of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. The aim of this study was to investigate the stability, toxicity and antimicrobial effect of allicin solution. Methods: First, serial concentrations of allicin solution were prepared, and exposed to suspension of standard isolates of bacteria (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, andPsodomonasaerogina) and fungi (Aspergillusnige rand Candida albicans).The minimum inhibitory concentration(MIC50 and MIC90) of this compound against each isolate was determined. To evaluate the toxicity of allicin solution, the suspension of skin cells of Balb/C mice was prepared, and incubated with serial concentrations of allicin for 6, 12 and 24 h. Then, cell viability was calculated by MTT assay, based on control. To evaluate stability of allicin solution,some pieces of sterilized marble were prepared, and their surfaces were treated with the solution of allicin. After 6, 12 and 24 h,marbles were sampled, inoculated on the nutrient agar, and incubated for 48 h at 37 &deg;C. Finally, the number of colonies grown on each plate was counted. Results: The micro-dilution test showed that allicin solution had antimicrobial effecton the all bacterial and fungal isolates which studied. This study also showed that the toxicity of allicin solution slightly dependent on the time and concentration, but increase the time until 24 h had nota significant impact on the reducing of stability. Conclusions: The allicin solution has antimicrobial activity and its toxicity is negligible. Also, this material has high stability in the environmental conditions. Keywords: Antimicrobial activity, Nanoparticles, Allicin, Toxicity, Stabilit

Coinhibition of overexpressed genes in acute myeloid leukemia subtype M2 by gold nanoparticles functionalized with five antisense oligonucleotides and one anti-CD33(+)/CD34(+) aptamer

The aim of this study was to evaluate an engineered nanostructure to silence five important oncogenes, including BAG1, MDM2, Bcl-2, BIRC5 (survivin) and XIAP, in acute myeloid leukemia subtype 2 (AML-M2). The smart nanostructures were functionalized gold nanoparticles (FGNs) containing five antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) and one anti-CD33(+)/CD34(+) aptamer. First, the best AO for each gene was selected with the OligoWalk online software, and then different arrangements of AOs were evaluated with the RNAstructure software. Thereafter, naked gold nanoparticles (NGNs) were synthesized by the reaction of 1000 mm HAuCl 4 with 10 μg ml -1 ascorbic acid. Next, five AOs and one anti-CD33(+)/CD34(+) aptamer were attached to NGNs through serial reactions. Later, 5 ml of heparinized blood samples from five AML-M2 patients were prepared, cancerous cells were isolated and then incubated with three concentrations (75, 150 and 300 μg ml -1) each of FGNs, NGNs, gold nanoparticles functionalized with scrambled oligonucleotides (GNFSONs) and doxorubicin. Finally, cell death percentage and gene expressions were measured by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and real-time PCR, respectively. This study showed that FGNs and doxorubicin led to more cell death compared with NGNs and GNFSONs (P<0.05). Interestingly, all concentrations of FGNs led to a decrease in gene expression. As an important finding, although all concentrations of doxorubicin could also inhibit the expression of genes, FGNs had more effect (P<0.05). Moreover, both NGNs and GNFSONs could silence all genes only at a concentration of 300 μg ml -1. For BCL2 and XIAP, a dose-dependent pattern was observed, but there was no similar pattern for others. © 2016 Nature America, Inc., part of Springer Nature