Groups whose degree graph has three independent vertices

Let G be a finite group, and let cd(G) denote the set of degrees of the irreducible complex characters of G. This paper is a contribution to the study of the degree graph of G, that is, the prime graph built on the set cd(G). Namely, we characterize finite groups whose degree graph has three independent vertices (i.e., three vertices that are pairwise non-adjacent). Our result turns out to be a generalization of several previously-known theorems concerning the structure of the degree graph

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)

Spectrum of mutations of thalassemia among couples from izeh city, khuzestan province, iran

Hemoglobinopathies are inherited blood disorders with an autosomal recessive pattern. We aimed to evaluate the frequency of mutations of thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies among couples referred to health centers of Izeh in Khuzestan Province, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 150 couples referred to Izeh Health Centers in 2015-2018. DNA was isolated from peripheral venous blood samples and then the HBB gene was analyzed by using Sanger sequencing. For molecular analysis of α-globin gene, multiplex Gap-PCR and ARMS-PCR was performed to identify mutations of α-thalassemia. Results: DNA analysis revealed 13 different mutations for beta thalassemia in studied couples. Three mutations including 36/37 (-T), IVS-II-1 (G>A) and IVS-I-110 (G>A) accounted for 20.7, 19.3 and 13.3% of beta thalassemia mutations, respectively. For alpha thalassemia; α3.7 (49.5%),--MED (19.1 %) and-α4.2 (3.1%) were identified as the most common mutations. Conclusion: Considering common alpha and beta mutations of this geographic area of Iran could be useful concerning genetic counselling in of the population where the rate of consanguineous marriage is high

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

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

Histopathological and biochemical effects of aqueous extract of Tragopogon graminifolius on the liver tissues of Wistar rats fed with high-fat diet

The fatty liver disease is one of the most usual metabolic diseases among people around the world. Appropriate strategies for treating this disease are prioritized by each country. The purpose of the new research was to survey the therapeutical property of aqueous extract of Tragopogon graminifolius on the high-fat diet-induced fatty liver disease in Wistar male rats. In this study, 60 rats were used. A total of ten rats were chosen as the negative control, and the rest of them were treated with a high-fat diet for 4 months. Then, the animals were randomly divided into six subgroups, including negative healthy control, untreated negative control, and four groups receiving the aqueous extract of T. graminifolius at 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg concentrations. After 2 months, the rats were sacrificed, and the blood and liver samples of them were collected for biochemical and histopathological parameter analysis. All doses of T. graminifolius could significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decrease the raised levels of ALP, AST, ALT, GGT, cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride, total and conjugated bilirubin, and glucose and increased HDL, total protein, albumin, SOD, and CAT as compared to the untreated group. Also, aqueous extract of T. graminifolius decreased the degree of hepatic steatosis as compared to the untreated group. In conclusion, the obtained results demonstrated the hepatoprotective effect of T. graminifolius aqueous extract. © 2018, Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature

Iranian HIV/AIDS patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis: identification, prevalence and antifungal susceptibility of Candida species

Oropharyngeal candidiasis is the commonest mucocutaneous infection in HIV-positive individuals. Herein, samples were taken from oral cavities of 150 HIV-infected patients and cultured on Sabouraud-dextrose agar; 89 (59·3) of 150 patients had positive culture for Candida and presented clinical sign of classical oral candidiasis. Totally, 102 morphologically distinct colonies were isolated from Candida positive cultures and subsequently identified by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing assay, presenting the following frequency: 54 C. albicans (52·9), 16 C. dubliniensis (15·7), 12 C. tropicalis (11·8), 9 C. glabrata (8·8), 7 C. kefyr (6·9) and 4 C. africana (3·9). Additionally, multiple Candida species were co-isolated from 13·5 (12/89) patients. Regarding the antifungal susceptibility test, which was performed by CLSI protocol (M27-A3/M27-S3), all Candida isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B and caspofungin, while some of them were resistant to fluconazole (17·6; 16 C. albicans, 1 C. dubliniensis and 1 C. glabrata), itraconazole (16·7; 15 C. albicans, 1 C. dubliniensis and 1 C. tropicalis) and voriconazole (5·9; 5 C. albicans and 1 C. tropicalis). Collectively, our findings reinforce the urgent necessity to find new therapeutic agents to treat oral candidiasis in HIV-positive patients, especially due to the high incidence of azole-resistant Candida strains and the increased frequency of non-C. albicans species. Significance and Impact of the Study: The Candida species recovered from oral cavity of 150 Iranian HIV/AIDS patients and their antifungal susceptibility profiles were reported. Candida albicans was the commonest Candida species, followed by C. dubliniensis, C. tropicalis, C. glabrata, C. kefyr and C. africana. All Candida isolates were susceptible to amphotericin B and caspofungin, while resistance to azoles was detected. The growing drug-resistance profile reported in clinical isolates of C. albicans and non-C. albicans strains is a serious problem in hospitals worldwide. Consequently, the suitable antifungal choice to treat the HIV/AIDS population with oral candidiasis needs to be rethought and new therapeutic options must urgently arise. © 2018 The Society for Applied Microbiolog

Hesperetin is a potent bioactivator that activates SIRT1-AMPK signaling pathway in HepG2 cells

Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is a deacetylase enzyme that plays crucial roles in controlling many cellular processes and its downregulation has been implicated in different metabolic disorders. Recently, several polyphenols have been considered as the effective therapeutic approaches that appear to influence SIRT1. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of hesperetin, a citrus polyphenolic flavonoid, on SIRT1 and AMP-activated kinase (AMPK). HepG2 cells were treated with hesperetin in the presence or absence of EX-527, a SIRT1 specific inhibitor, for 24 h. Resveratrol was used as a positive control. SIRT1 gene expression, protein level, and activity were measured by RT-PCR, Western blotting, and fluorometric assay, respectively. AMPK phosphorylation was also determined by Western blotting. Our results indicated a significant increase in SIRT1 protein level and activity as well as an induction of AMPK phosphorylation by hesperetin. These effects of hesperetin were abolished by EX-527. Furthermore, hesperetin reversed the EX-527 inhibitory effects on SIRT1 protein expression and AMPK phosphorylation. These findings suggest that hesperetin can be a novel SIRT1 activator, even stronger than resveratrol. Therefore, the current study may introduce hesperetin as a new strategy aimed at upregulation SIRT1-AMPK pathway resulting in various cellular processes regulation. © 2019, University of Navarra

Assessment of the anti-anemic effect of aqueous extract of Allium eriophyllum Boiss leaf in phenylhydrazine-treated Wistar male rats

There are many medicinal plants in Iranian traditional medicine which are used to treat anemia. One of these plants is Allium eriophyllum Boiss. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-anemic potential of aqueous extract of A. eriophyllum leaf. After collection of the plant, its extract was obtained using Soxhlet extractor. In this study, 60 rats were used. Induction of hemolytic anemia was done by three injections of phenylhydrazine in 50 animals. After 1 day, the rats were divided into six subgroups, including negative healthy control, untreated negative control, and four groups receiving the A. eriophyllum at 20, 40, 80, and 160 mg/kg concentrations. At the end of day 15 of treatment, the animals of all groups were sacrificed, and blood samples were drawn immediately from the animals’ hearts to analyze the biochemical and hematological parameters. The data were analyzed by SPSS-21 software. Different doses of A. eriophyllum significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced the raised levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), urea, creatinine, ferrous, ferritin, and erythropoietin and increased the levels of body weight, white blood cell (WBC), lymphocyte, neutrophils, monocytes, platelet, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) as compared to the untreated group. Seemingly, aqueous extract of A. eriophyllum can be used for the treatment of hemolytic anemia. © 2018, Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature