Frequency of Prevalence of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Clinical Samples and the Evaluation of the Role of Efflux Pump in Determining Antibiotic Resistance

In this study 193 Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from urinary tract infections, ulcers, sputum and blood. Initially, Mac agar medium was used to isolate the bacterium, and for each suspected isolate, pink and aqueous colonies were stained and biochemical tests of catalase, oxidase, TSI, IMVIC Test and urase were performed. Confirmation of the isolates using 16SrRNA sequencing Some isolates are evaluated. Then all isolates evaluated for sensitivity to antibiotics such as Ampicillin, Amoxicillin clavulanate, Piperacillin, Cefoxitin, Cefuroxime Imipenem, Tetracyclines, Nitrofurantoin, Polymyxin B Colistin, they use disk diffusion test. In the process, the presence of the acr efflux pump gene is confirmed by using an specific primer namely Acr primer, and finally, using phenylalaninearginine- beta naphthylamide inhibitor, the relationship between antibiotic resistance and efflux pump function is evaluated. Overall, 50.2% of the collected samples contained Klebsiella. Thus, 193 of 384 clinical specimens contained Klebsiella. Of the 193 positive samples, the groin lesions had the highest percentage and the abscess had lowest percentage of Klebsiella infection, although Klebsiella was significantly separated from the throat, sputum, catheter and foley. Antibiotics, cefazolin, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, tetracycline had higher antibacterial activity. Results were analyzed by Whonet 5 and SPSS software

Decoding the genetics of speech and language: Genetic insight into the functional elements

زمینه و هدف: مدت زمان مدیدی است که تصور می‌شود توانایی انسان برای کسب قابلیت زبان توسط ساختار ژنتیکی او کد می‌شود. با این حال، تنها به تازگی شواهد ژنتیکی متعددی برای اثبات اساس ژنتیکی احتمالی ِزبان در دسترس است. در طول دهه گذشته، واریانت‌های ژنتیکی مختلفی شناسایی شده‌اند که ممکن است افراد را به جنبه‌های مختلف اختلالات زبان مستعد کنند. اختلالات زبان و گفتار طیف گسترده‌ای از شرایط با فنوتیپ‌های هتروژن و همپوشان را پوشش می‌دهند که می‌توانند علل پیچیده‌ی ژنتیکی و محیطی داشته باشند. ر‌وش بررسی: در این مطالعه مروری، جستجوی نظام ‌مندی در پایگاه‌های الکترونیکی معتبر (Googlescholar, Pubmed, Sciencedirect و Scopus) انجام شد و مقالات انگلیسی مرتبط با موضوع به وسیله‌ی انتخاب کلمات کلیدی زبان، ژنتیک، ژن FOXP2، ژن‌های کاندید و غیره مورد جستجو و استخراج قرار گرفتند. یافته ‌ها: در این مقاله‌ی مروری، بحث می‌کنیم که چگونه شناسایی و مطالعه‌ی ژن‌های خاص، از جمله: FOXP2، CNTNAP2، FOXP1، DCDC2، DYX1C1، ROBO1، KIAA0319، ATP2C2، CMIP، CYP19A1، SRPX2، MRPL19، C2ORF3 و DOCK4، می‌تواند درک ما از سبب‌شناسی اختلالات تکلم و اساس بیولوژیکی اکتساب زبان را افزایش دهد. نتیجه ‌گیری: شناسایی ژن‌های مرتبط با فنوتیپ‌های زبان و تکلم، و توصیف عملکردهای طبیعی و نابجای این ژن‌ها در سال‌های اخیر، جزئیات پیچیده‌ی مکانیسم‌های مولکولی و شناختی را مشخص کرده و دیدگاه ارزشمندی از اساس بیولوژیکی زبان ارائه کرده است

RORA and Autism in The Isfahan Population: Is There An Epigenetic Relationship.

OBJECTIVE Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty in verbal and non-verbal communication, impaired social interaction, and restricted and repetitive behavior. It has been recently introduced as a multigenic disorder with significant epigenetic effects on its pathology. Recently, epigenetic silencing of retinoic acid receptor- related orphan receptor alpha (RORα) gene (which has an essential role in neural tissue development) was shown to have occurred in autistic children due to methylation of its promoter region. This may thus explain a significant part of the molecular pathogenesis of autism. Therefore, we aimed to confirm this finding by implementing a case-control (experimental) study in the population of Isfahan. MATERIALS AND METHODS The methylation status of a 136 bp sequence of a GpG island (encompassing 13 CpG sites) in the RORA promoter region (positions -200 to -64) as an experimental study was examined in the lymphocyte cells of 30 autistic children after sodium bisulfite treatment using the melting curve analysis-methylation (MCA-Meth) assay compared with normal children. Also, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was used to estimate the level of mRNA transcripts and to evaluate MCA-Meth analysis results. RESULTS This study revealed no methylation in the examined promoter regions in both autistic and normal children, with the melting curve of all studied samples being comparable to that of the non-methylated control. The results of MCA-Meth analysis were also consistent with qRT-PCR results. We therefore observed no significant difference in the levels of RORα transcripts in the blood lymphocytes between autistic and healthy children. CONCLUSION The methylation of the RORA promoter region may not be considered as a common epigenetic risk factor for autism in all populations. Hence, the molecular pathogenesis of autism remains unclear in the population investigated

An overview on the evolution of language and genetics of speech disorders

Language, as an exclusive salient of human kind, is the requisite of development and formation of the human society; thus, it is at the topmost of human evolutionary features. Language and speech can be studied in various fields such as biology. Biolinguistics is an interdisciplinary field in which biological development of language is studied. It aims to find the functioning cycle in mind that enables humans to perceive the principles and bases of language. Language genetics, a subfield of biolinguistics, traces genetic factors in the formation and perception of language. Although a variety of theories have been introduced to explain the origins of language, considering recent studies, acquiring essential genetic abilities for speaking are undoubtedly of the most crucial necessities of this skill. Researchers have recently found defective genes in a wide spectrum of language disorders, through which they strongly confirm that speech systems rely on these genes to function properly. However, there is no report on a study which answers this question clearly: considering the origins of language and human evolution, is the proper function of genes, genetic structures, and general requirements necessary for speaking? The evolution of language and genetics of speech disorders along with the outstanding improvements and recent studies are discussed in this review article. © 2014, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved

RORA and Autism in Isfahan population: Is there an epigenetic relationship

Objective: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty in verbal and non-verbal communication, impaired social interaction, and restricted and repetitive behavior. It has been recently introduced as a multigenic disorder with significant epigenetic effects on its pathology. Recently, epigenetic silencing of retinoic acid receptorrelated orphan receptor alpha (RORα) gene (which has an essential role in neural tissue development) was shown to have occurred in autistic children due to methylation of its promoter region. This may thus explain a significant part of the molecular pathogenesis of autism. Therefore, we aimed to confirm this finding by implementing a case-control (experimental) study in the population of Isfahan. Materials and Methods: The methylation status of a 136 bp sequence of a GpG island (encompassing 13 CpG sites) in the RORA promoter region (positions - 200 to - 64) as an experimental study was examined in the lymphocyte cells of 30 autistic children after sodium bisulfite treatment using the melting curve analysis-methylation (MCA-Meth) assay compared with normal children. Also, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis was used to estimate the level of mRNA transcripts and to evaluate MCA-Meth analysis results. Results: This study revealed no methylation in the examined promoter regions in both autistic and normal children, with the melting curve of all studied samples being comparable to that of the non-methylated control. The results of MCA-Meth analysis were also consistent with qRT-PCR results. We therefore observed no significant difference in the levels of RORα transcripts in the blood lymphocytes between autistic and healthy children. Conclusion: The methylation of the RORA promoter region may not be considered as a common epigenetic risk factor for autism in all populations. Hence, the molecular pathogenesis of autism remains unclear in the population investigated

Foreign-Currency and Monetary Geopolitics of United States and Its Effects on the Future of the International System

The US dollar is still considered as the main strategic deposit among the currencies of different countries of the world and the policies of the World Bank and the International Financial Organizations have been and will always be influenced by the US economy. Despite the economic crises and commercial balance deficits in the United States, dollar has maintained its high position in and its domination over foreign exchanges and foreign-currency deposits of the countries. The novelty of the present research relies on its consideration of the political properties of the governments and the geopolitical effects of these countries on the position of their monetary and foreign-currency policies and consequently, on the international financial organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, which can determine the future of international economy and the political relations among countries. Our research proves that the political development of the United States and its geopolitical situation have been of the effective factors on dollar growth; and unless the competitors acquire such a relative advantage, they will not be able to seriously challenge the currency of dollar and the monetary policies of the United States, at least in a short time. KEYWORDS: Foreign Currency; Monetary Geopolitics; Foreign Currency Competition; Universal Currency; Dollar Hegemony

Ethnic Challenges in Iran: A Case Study of Ardabil

One of the problems of an international community like Iran is the ethnic group and the challenges that in many cases have jeopardized many countries and led to the collapse of political systems. The aim of the present study is to find the reasons and causes for these challenges and ethnic crises in Iran with the emphasis on ethnic studies in Ardabil as a case study. This study attempts to provide the appropriate guidelines for the management of ethnic diversity and appropriate policy to respect the characteristics, values, and cultures of the ethnic groups and thus creating solidarity and enhancing national integrity. This paper focuses on the current crises, especially the crises that occurred due to the insults of a state newspaper against Turkish citizens of Azerbaijan in 2005. So, the main question of this study addresses the causes of this challenge in Ardabil province and whether these factors were constant or have changed as the time is passed.The findings of this study show that the ethnic, social, and other kinds of insults against ethnic groups had a significant role in creating ethnic challenges in the destruction of national solidarity for 99 %, the ethnic discrimination and injustice against ethnic groups for 97%, the role of multiculturalism and respect for ethnic groups’ cultures in national solidarity for 89%, and finally discrimination in government economic investment in Ardabil comparing with central provinces of the country for 85%.The results obtained in this study indicate that the role of internal factors comparing with the external counterparts on ethnic crisis in Ardabil province is very notable

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasitic Infection Among Inhabitants and Tribes of Chelgerd, Iran, 2008-2009.

INTRODUCTION Although a notable development in treating and controlling of parasitic infections in recent years has occurred but, these infections are still counted as important problems in many countries. AIM The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in the inhabitant and tribe populations who were referred to central health care of Chelgerd, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out from April 2008 to October 2009 in Chelgerd, Iran. A total of 655 samples of feces from inhabitants and tribes were collected and each sample was examined by Direct smear, formol- ethyl acetate concentration and Trichorom staining. RESULTS Out of 655 stool samples, 367(56%) patients revealed at least one intestinal parasite (pathogenic /non-pathogenic protozoa/helminth), 233(67.7%) in tribes and 134(43%) in inhabitants. There was significant difference between infected inhabitants and infected tribes (p=0.001). Although the intestinal parasitic infections were more in female than male it was not statistically significant (p=0.52). There was no significant difference in various age groups. Common intestinal parasitic infections which were detected in both the populations were Giardia intestinalis (28.2%) and Blastocystis hominis (27.5%). CONCLUSIONS We found that the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was higher in the tribe than inhabitant populations. Prevalence of intestinal protozoa infections was much higher than the helminthic infections. These findings reflect poor sanitary conditions in this region. They should be educated and provided better facilities to get rid of intestinal parasitic infections

Mutations of Dual Oxidase 2 (DUOX2) Gene among patients with Permanent and Transient Congenital Hypothyroidism

Objective: The prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is high in Isfahan, Iran. In addition, it has different etiologies compared with other countries. The rate of parental consanguinity is also high in the city. Moreover, DUOX2 gene is effective in transient CH and permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the mutations of DUOX2 gene in patients with transient CH and permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis. Methodology: In this descriptive, prospective study, patients diagnosed with transient and permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis during CH screening program were selected. Venous blood samples were obtained to determine the 3 mutations (Q36H, R376W, and D506N) of DUOX2 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method by specific primers and complementary methods such as restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and singlestrand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). Results: In this study, 25 patients with transient CH and 33 subjects with permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis were studied. In addition, 30 children were studied as the control group. We did not find any mutations of the 3 mentioned mutations of DUOX2 gene. Conclusion: Considering the findings of the current study, further studies with other methods are required to evaluate other gene mutations such as pendrin, sodium-iodide symporter (NIS) and thyroglobuli