A Fast, Highly Efficient, and Green Protocol for Synthesis of Biscoumarins Catalyzed by Silica Sulfuric Acid Nanoparticles as a Reusable Catalyst

Silica sulfuric acid nanoparticles have been prepared and shown to efficiently catalyse the reaction between an aromatic aldehyde or phenylglyoxal and a 4-hydroxycoumarin at reflux in EtOH to afford the biscoumarin derivatives in high yield

Effects of the Municipal Solid Waste Landfill on the Quality of Water Resources in Khalkhal: A Case Study

Transmission of leachate from municipal solid waste landfills can potentially threaten ecosystems and human societies when the landfill has no system for collecting and treating leachate. Leachate produced from landfills finds its way through the soil to groundwater and surrounding surface waters, leading to pollution of water resources. This study aimed to investigate the effects of leachate from Khalkhal landfill (a city in Ardabil province, northwestern Iran) on the quality of groundwater and surrounding surface water. During 2019-2020, 4 wells (one control well located upstream of the landfill and three wells located downstream of the landfill) and two stations of the surface water resource of the Herochai river were spots for sampling. First, we did sampling during high and low rainfall seasons in accordance with the standards. Second, we analyzed the values of some physical, chemical, and biological quality parameters according to standard methods. The sampling of the soil texture was conducted following ASTM D 422 standards. Then, the soil was analyzed at Reference Laboratory of Water, Soil, and Plant in Ardabil province. The value of most parameters measured in the water of downstream wells was lower than the limit recommended by the Iranian and World Health Organization, indicating no limitation for drinking and agricultural uses. The quality of the Herochai river water was also relatively undesirable in terms of turbidity and total coliform in some samples. Additionally, consistent with the study results, no difference was observed between high and low rainfall seasons. According to the results obtained from different parameters, Schuler and Wilcox diagrams, and landfill water pollution index (LWPI), the quality of upstream and downstream water resources of Khalkhal municipal solid waste landfill was not much different. In other words, the landfill did not affect water

Removal of E.coli and S. aureus from aqueous solution by using electrocoagulation/ electroflotation process

Background and aims: Electrocoagulation is an electrochemical method for the treatment of water and waste water. Water disinfection by electrochemical methods has been increasingly carried out recently. The aim of this applied research is to investigate the removal of E. coli and S. aureus bacteria from drinking water by using Electrocoagulation (EC) - Electroflotation (EF) with Stainless Steel - Graphite felt electrodes parallel with the monopole mode. Methods: An experimental study was conducted in a batch system. In this study, the contaminated water samples were prepared by adding104, 105 and 106 CFU/ml E. coli and S. aureus. Independent variables Including: different concentrations of E.coli and S. aureus bacteria (104, 105 and 106 CFU/ml), reaction time (5, 10, 15 and 20 min), initial pH (7, 8 and 9), electrode gap (1, 2 and 3 cm), current density (0.83, 1.67 and 3.3 mA/cm2) to determine the optimum conditions were investigated. One-way ANOVA was used to analyze the results. Results: The results show that in the optimum conditions with increasing the pH from 7 to 9 removal efficiency of bacterial strains of E.coli and S. aureus were decreased significantly from 100% to 80% and 100% to 83%, respectively. In initial concentration of 105 CFU/ml, optimum conditions were obtained for current density, reaction time and electrodes gap; 3.3 mA/cm2, 20 min and 2 cm, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results, E.coli and S. aureus removal efficiency in optimum conditions was obtained, 100%. Thus, the EC/EF process can be used for removal of pathogenic bacteria from drinking water

A Fast, Highly Efficient, and Green Protocol for Synthesis of Biscoumarins Catalyzed by Silica Sulfuric Acid Nanoparticles as a Reusable Catalyst

Silica sulfuric acid nanoparticles have been prepared and shown to efficiently catalyse the reaction between an aromatic aldehyde or phenylglyoxal and a 4-hydroxycoumarin at reflux in EtOH to afford the biscoumarin derivatives in high yield

Immunotherapy of Prostate Cancer Patients could Overexpress The Virulence Factor Genes of E.faecalis

Prostate cancer is the most prevalent and second cause of death from cancer in men worldwide. Immunotherapy is a new method for the treatment of several cancers that fights cancer cells by strengthening the immune system through some medications. While immunotherapy is a useful method for cancer treatment; its side effects still are not totally clarified. Numbers of prostate cancer patients which take immunotherapy are experiencing prostate inflammation and prostatitis after treatment period. Enterococcus faecalis is Gram-positive and catalase-negative cocci that are common in the intestines of humans and other animals and cause most enterococcal infections such as intestinal infections, prostatitis, gastroenteritis and endocarditic. Present study aimed to evaluate the mRNA level of virulence genes which are involved in Enterococcus faecalis pathogenesis in prostate cancer patients that treated by immunotherapy. Expression level of gelatinase E (gelE) and Enterococcal surface protein (esp) genes were examined by Real time PCR in three groups of 68 male subjects. Group A normal subjects, group B prostate cancer patients before start treatment and group C prostate cancer patients after six months immunotherapy period. Results were showed significant (P<0.05) over expression of both genes (gelE and esp ) in group C against the group B. According to the results, it is reasonable that immunotherapy may have side effects such as increasing the pathogenicity risk of microflora in patients. Maybe these side effects could cause further infections after ending the immunotherapy of cancer. Antibiotic usage after or at the same time of immunotherapy period could prevent possible infections of microflora including E. faecalis

شیوع مصرف غیرپزشکی ریتالین در بین دانشجویان پزشکی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی مشهد

مقدمه: این مطالعه با هدف تعیین میزان شیوع مصرف غیرپزشکی ریتالین در بین دانشجویان پزشکی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی مشهد انجام شد.روش‌ کار: در این مطالعه مقطعی، 607 دانشجو از 645 دانشجوی پزشکی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی مشهد در سال 98-1397 به روش نمونه‌گیری تصادفی انتخاب شدند. آنها یک پرسشنامه محقق ساخته در مورد نگرش به مصرف ریتالین را تکمیل کردند که روایی آن توسط پنج روانپزشک تایید شد. داده ها با استفاده از آزمون های توصیفی، مجذور خی و نرم افزار SPSS 16 مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرار گرفت.یافته‌ها: در مطالعه حاضر 607 دانشجو (292 مرد و 315 زن) شرکت کردند. 68 نفر (2/11%) از آنها سابقه مصرف غیرپزشکی ریتالین داشتند. سایر مواد رایج در بین دانشجویان الکل (7%)، سیگار (11%) و بنزودیازپین ها (5.2%) بودند. همچنین بین جنسیت، مقطع تحصیلی و وضعیت تاهل با مصرف غیرپزشکی ریتالین در دانشجویان رابطه معنی داری وجود نداشت (05/0 P>).نتیجه‌گیری: بر اساس نتایج، مصرف غیرپزشکی ریتالین در بین دانشجویان بیشتر از الکل و سیگار است. همچنین برخی از دانشجویان نسبت به مصرف ریتالین برای افزایش تمرکز و بهبود عملکرد در امتحانات دیدگاه مثبتی دارند. با توجه به احتمال وابستگی شدید به این ماده، به آگاهی بیشتر و اقدامات پیشگیرانه در بین دانشجویان، نیاز است

Chemotherapy Could Induce Antibiotic Resistance in E. Faecalis in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Iran. There are many effective methods of treatment of it. As a conventional treatment, chemotherapy has become a part of treatment scheme for patients with colorectal cancer. Enterococci are intestinal commensals. They are opportunistic pathogens which cause millions of human and animal infections annually. The aim of this study was to investigate the side effects of chemotherapy of sufferers from colon cancer on the antibiotic resistance of microflora. Methods: In this study, participants were divided into three groups: Group A: 300 colorectal cancer patients before the start of the cancer chemotherapy, group B: 300 healthy people living with patients at least for recent 12 months and group C includes 300 patients with colorectal cancer after six weeks chemotherapy. RNA was extracted from the stool of all the participants of the study. Following the RNA extraction from stool samples, cDNA libraries were constructed. Eight virulent genes (vanA, vanB, gelE, esp, asa1, aggA, efaA and enlA) of E. faecalis were evaluated by real-time qPCR. Results: The results were showed the expression level of the virulent genes in the group of the patients after chemotherapy was significantly higher than the two groups of B and C (P<0.05). Although the expression of these genes in the group of patients before chemotherapy was higher than that of the control group, this increase was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: It seems that chemotherapy could change the balance of mRNA expression of microflora such as antibiotic resistance genes. These could be responsible for infections arisen after ending the chemotherapy of cancer

Identification of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms as Markers of Genetic Susceptibility for Alopecia Areata Disease Risk

Abstract | Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disease, leading to disfiguring hair loss that susceptibility loci and the genetic basis of AA have been largely unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was the scrutiny the susceptible genes of Alopecia areata amongst patients and healthy adult in Iranian populations. Methods: four variants polymorphisms (rs1701704, rs10760706, rs9275572, rs694739) were studied by Tetra Arms PCR, Sequencing methods in 200 Iranian healthy adult blood donors and 200 patients with Alopecia Areata (AA). Results: Results were showed that 4 SNPs had P-values <0.05 for association with Alopecia areata. 3 of 4 SNPs, was demonstrated significant association in analyses 100 AT/AU cases versus 100 AA, which is localised in IKZF4, STX17, PRDX5, HLA-DQB1 (rs1701704, rs10760706, rs694739 and rs9275572 respectively). Conclusions: In this study, 3 of 4 SNP-associated loci were associated significantly with association with the development of Alopecia areata. In another word, the presence of them may be a contributing factor for prognosis of the development of the disease to Totalis and Universalis

Chemotherapy Could Induce Antibiotic Resistance in E. Faecalis in Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Iran. There are many effective methods of treatment of it. As a conventional treatment, chemotherapy has become a part of treatment scheme for patients with colorectal cancer. Enterococci are intestinal commensals. They are opportunistic pathogens which cause millions of human and animal infections annually. The aim of this study was to investigate the side effects of chemotherapy of sufferers from colon cancer on the antibiotic resistance of microflora. Methods: In this study, participants were divided into three groups: Group A: 300 colorectal cancer patients before the start of the cancer chemotherapy, group B: 300 healthy people living with patients at least for recent 12 months and group C includes 300 patients with colorectal cancer after six weeks chemotherapy. RNA was extracted from the stool of all the participants of the study. Following the RNA extraction from stool samples, cDNA libraries were constructed. Eight virulent genes (vanA, vanB, gelE, esp, asa1, aggA, efaA and enlA) of E. faecalis were evaluated by real-time qPCR. Results: The results were showed the expression level of the virulent genes in the group of the patients after chemotherapy was significantly higher than the two groups of B and C (P<0.05). Although the expression of these genes in the group of patients before chemotherapy was higher than that of the control group, this increase was not significant (P>0.05). Conclusions: It seems that chemotherapy could change the balance of mRNA expression of microflora such as antibiotic resistance genes. These could be responsible for infections arisen after ending the chemotherapy of cancer

Immunotherapy of Prostate Cancer may Change mRNA Level of Virulence Factor Genes in E.Faecalis of Microflora

FDA has approved the immunotherapy for prostate cancer in 2010. Immunotherapy is the treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response and is well known as specific and noninvasive method for cancer treatment; but side effects of this method are not clarified. Enterococci are Gram positive coccies, which are intestinal commensals and microflora of humans and other mammalians. Most enterococcal infections in human such as gastroenteritis, intestinal infections, prostatitis and endocarditic are causing by Enterococcus faecalis. Present study aimed to evaluate the side effects of immunotherapy on E. faecalis of microflora. Methods: mRNA level of 10 virulent genes (gelE, esp, asa1, aggA, cylA, cylB, cylM, Eep, efaA and enlA) which are involved in pathogenesis of E. faecalis, were examined in stool samples of two groups of men by quantitative real time PCR. Group A includes 359 prostate cancer patients and group B contains 360 normal family members of patients, which were lived with them at least for recent 12 months. Gene expression assessments in patient’s group were operated before start and after finishing a six weeks’ period of cancer vaccines immunotherapy. Results: Results were showed significant (P<0.05) over expression of 8 genes (gelE(P=0.001). asa1(P=0.001), esp (P=0.002), aggA(P=0.001), efaA(P=0.002), enlA(P=0.001), cylA(P=0.003) and cylB(P=0.003) in patients after treatment compared to before treatment. Also significant over expression of these 8 genes has been detected in patients after treatment in compare with normal related subjects. No significant alterations were observed in expression of virulence genes between normal subjects and patients before treatment. Conclusions: it seems that immunotherapy may carry side effects such as increasing the pathogenicity risk of microflora in treated patients. These side effects could cause further infections after ending the immunotherapy of cancer. Based on these results, antibiotic treatments after immunotherapy for prevention of potential infections could be recommended