Identification of giardia lamblia-specific antigens in infected human and gerbil feces by western immunoblotting

Western immunoblot analysis of aqueous extracts of feces obtained from five giardiasis patients and from experimentally infected gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) with rabbit antiserum to Giardia lamblia cysts has revealed antigens of three molecular weight groups. A stepladderlike, evenly-spaced set of strongly reactive antigens (darkest at a molecular weight [m.w.] of 55,000 to 70,000) appeared in the gerbil feces from day 4 (first experiment) or day 2 (second experiment) and lasted to about day 7 but disappeared completely by day 8 and did not reappear later. These antigenic bands were seen in gerbils infected with two isolates of G. lamblia. These bands were not revealed when antiserum to trophozoites was used as the probe, nor were they evident in specimens from the patients or in a preparation of sonicated cysts. A second group of antigens, represented by two to three low-m.w. bands of approximately 15,000 to 20,000, was evident in both the blots of gerbil feces after approximately day 8 and the specimens from the giardiasis patients. The third group of antigens revealed by blotting experiments was a high-m.w. band (approximately 110,000) which appeared on a number of days (beginning of day 8 of gerbil infection), but this band was not seen in the human specimens. A clear band corresponding to the previously reported GSA-65 antigen was not seen in either the gerbil or the human samples. Some low- and high-m.w. bands were also detected by antitrophozoite serum in the gerbil samples, but these were weak and unimpressive compared with those visualized using anticyst serum. A monoclonal antibody-based antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that Giardia spp.-specific stool antigen rose suddenly at day 3 of gerbil infection, at the time when fecal cyst numbers began to rise rapidly

Application of the stages of change model to dairy consumption among students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

زمینه و هدف: الگوی مراحل تغییر در برخی از مطالعات به منظور شناخت مراحل تغییر رژیم غذایی به کار رفته است. این مطالعه با هدف بررسی کاربرد الگوی مراحل تغییر برای مصرف لبنیات در دانشجویان دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهرکرد انجام شد. روش بررسی: در این مطالعه مقطعی 423 نفر از دانشجویان دانشگاه علوم پزشکی شهرکرد در سال 1390 بررسی شدند. نمونه گیری به روش تصادفی خوشه ای دو مرحله ای انجام شد. جهت جمع آوری اطلاعات از پرسشنامه 3 بخشی استفاده شد که شامل اطلاعات دموگرافیک، پرسشنامه استاندارد بسامد مصرف غذایی (FFQ) و پرسشنامه استاندارد مراحل تغییر بود. داده ها با استفاده از آزمون های آماری کای-اسکوئر، من ویتنی، کروسکال والیس و رگرسیون لجستیک در نرم افزار SPSS آنالیز شدند. یافته ها: میانگین سنی دانشجویان 3/3 ± 1/22 سال (با دامنه 35-18 سال) بود. 4/67 آن ها مونث و 21 متاهل بودند. بیشترین و کمترین فراوانی مصرف لبنیات به ترتیب مربوط به پنیر و کشک بود. اکثر دانشجویان (1/78) روزانه سهم کافی از لبنیات مصرف نمی کردند. در دانشجویان مجرد نسبت به افراد متاهل سهم مصرف روزانه لبنیات بیشتر بود (05/0>P). بررسی مصرف لبنیات بر اساس الگوی مراحل تغییر نشان داد که اکثر دانشجویان (1/24) در مرحله تفکر و کمترین آن ها در مرحله پیش از تفکر (4/10) بودند. 6/54 از دانشجویان در مراحل قبل از عمل (پیش از تفکر، تفکر و آمادگی) و 4/45 در مراحل بعد از عمل (اقدام و نگهداری) برای ایجاد تغییر بودند. نتیجه گیری: از نظر مدل فرا تئوری یا مراحل تغییر، بیشتر دانشجویان مورد بررسی در مراحل قبل از عمل به ویژه مرحله تفکر قرار داشتند همچنین اکثر دانشجویان سهم کافی از لبنیات مصرف نمی کردند؛ لذا این تئوری می تواند برای طراحی مداخلاتی جهت افزایش مصرف لبنیات در این گروه از جمعیت مناسب باشد

Easily manufactured TiO2 hollow fibers for quantum dot sensitized solar cells

TiO2 hollow fibers with high surface area were manufactured by a simple synthesis method, using natural cellulose fibers as template. The effective light scattering properties of the hollow fibers, originating from their micron size, were observed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. In spite of the micrometric length of the TiO2 hollow fibers, the walls were highly porous and high surface area (78.2 m2 g 1 ) was obtained by the BET method. TiO2 hollow fibers alone and mixed with other TiO2 pastes were sensitized with CdSe quantum dots (QDs) by Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) and integrated as a photoanode in quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). High power conversion efficiency was obtained, 3.24% (Voc = 503 mV, Jsc = 11.92 mA cm 2 , FF = 0.54), and a clear correspondence of the cell performance with the photoanode structure was observed. The unique properties of these fibers: high surface area, effective light scattering, hollow structure to facile electrolyte diffusion and the rather high efficiencies obtained here suggest that hollow fibers can be introduced as promising nanostructures to make highly efficient quantum dot sensitized solar cells

Reviewing the solutions of improving open spaces in primarygirls’schools from students’perspective (Case study: Tabriz city)

Background and Objectives:Research shows that the presence of students in nature and outdoors reduces stress, increases vitality and mobility, increases concentration, etc. Therefore, children should not be deprived of the blessing of being in this environment. Today, due to the increase in construction in Iran and the development of the culture of apartment living in courtyards, it is smaller and in most cases unusable, and has given way to a terrace in each apartment unit. This has limited the child's contact with nature and natural environments, and since children often spend most of their time in school after home, the school yard can provide a good place for them to spend time in nature. Spending time in the school yard, whether it is a waste of recreational or educational opportunities, can partially compensate for the lack of connection between children and the outdoors. School yard is a part of the physical space which can have a significant impact on raising the level of learning, growth and education of students. Neglecting these spaces in recent decades represents the necessity of attention to this issue. Therefore, the present study seeks to emphasize the importance of open spaces in schools in order to improve the current conditions of schools according to the needs of students as the main beneficiaries. Method and Materials: In order to meet these goals, descriptive-analytical method based on library studies and field studies was used. Eight elementary girls’ schools were randomly selected and studied in Tabriz city. In this paper, it has been tried to use collaborative methods such as drawing, writing, and interviewing students about their expectations of the school's yard. A total of 280students were interviewed and their paintings were examined. The data were coded in MAXQDA11 software and finally, to assess the students’ satisfaction the paired t-test and Wilcoxon test were run using SPSS software. Findings: The results indicate that there is a significant difference between the state of the school yard and its ideal state. Finally, some suggestions are provided to improve the quality of the school yards.The findings of the study could be used in designing elementary schools such as: increasing the connection between outdoors and indoors, division of functions, using of the flexible materials with pretty colors on the floor and walls, and using of the flexible furniture. Conclusion: According to the research and research findings, it can be concluded that the environment of children can act as a deterrent or facilitator in their learning, growth and development. The rate of learning and development of the child increases when they connects with the environment, the open space and nature. Therefore, by creating a suitable environment and in accordance with their opinion, the desire of children to be present in the environment should be increased. A key factor in designing is the ability of children to create their own learning environments, rather than being in an environment where everything is pre-determined. In response to the first question of the research, we can mention the increase of sports equipment and attention to quality and observance of scale by 97% and the increase of greenery by 96%, which have the largest share among students' demands. In response to other research questions, it should be said that there is a difference between their demands from the school yard and the current situation, and with the solutions proposed in this research, their demands can be approached to achieve ideal conditions

Distribution of \u3ci\u3eEscherichia coli\u3c/i\u3e Passaged through Processing Equipment during Ground Beef Production Using Inoculated Trimmings

The contamination of raw ground beef by Escherichia coli O157:H7 is not only a public health issue but also an economic concern to meat processors. When E. coli O157:H7 is detected in a ground beef sample, the product lots made immediately before and after the lot represented by the positive sample are discarded or diverted to lethality treatment. However, there is little data to base decisions on how much product must be diverted. Therefore, five 2,000-lb (907-kg) combo bins of beef trimmings were processed into 10-lb (4.54-kg) chubs of raw ground beef, wherein the second combo of meat was contaminated with a green fluorescent protein (GFP)–expressing strain of E. coli. This was performed at two different commercial ground beef processing facilities, and at a third establishment where ground beef chubs from the second grinding establishment were mechanically split and repackaged into 3-lb (1.36-kg) loaves in trays. The GFP E. coli was tracked through the production of 10-lb (4.54-kg) chubs and the strain could not be detected after 26.5% more material (500 lb or 227 kg) and 87.8% more material (1,840 lb or 835 kg) followed the contaminated combo at each establishment, respectively. Three-pound (1.36-kg) loaves were no longer positive after just 8.6% more initially noncontaminated material (72 lb or 33 kg) was processed. The GFP strain could not be detected postprocessing in any residual meat or fat collected from the equipment used in the three trials. These results indicate that diversion to a safe end point (lethality or rendering) of the positive lot of ground beef, plus the lot before and lot after should remove contaminated ground beef, and as such provides support for the current industry practice. Further, the distribution and flow of E. coli on beef trimmings through various commercial equipment was different; thus, each establishment needs to consider this data when segregating lots of ground beef and establishing sampling protocols to monitor production

Hydrostatic cyclic expansion extrusion (HCEE) as a novel severe plastic deformation process for producing long nanostructured metals

In this paper, hydrostatic cyclic expansion extrusion (HCEE) is developed as a new severe plastic deformation technique for processing of the relatively longer ultrafine grained samples. Increasing the length of the processed sample, decreasing the processing load astonishingly, and increasing the hydrostatic stresses are the main advantages of HCEE. In this process, pressurized hydraulic fluid surrounded workplace played the primary role in reducing the friction load and in reducing consequently total load. The HCEE process was applied to commercial pure aluminum 1050 samples at room temperature, and then microstructural evolution and mechanical properties were examined. Microstructure analysis using back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that a significant grain refinement is achieved after the HCEE process. The average size of grains and subgrains decreased to ~700 nm after two passes of the HCEE process from the initial value of 50 µm in the unprocessed sample. Yield and ultimate strength were increased from 40 MPa and 52 MPa to 125 MPa and 137 MPa after two passes of HCEE process. Also, microhardness was increased from 36 HV to 45 HV after the first pass. The process seems to be very promising for industrial application of SPD processing which suffer from the main challenge of limited sample size

Genome Diversification in Phylogenetic Lineages I and II of \u3ci\u3eListeria monocytogenes\u3c/i\u3e: Identification of Segments Unique to Lineage II Populations

Thirteen different serotypes of Listeria monocytogenes can be distinguished on the basis of variation in somatic and flagellar antigens. Although the known virulence genes are present in all serotypes, greater than 90% of human cases of listeriosis are caused by serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b and nearly all outbreaks of food-borne listeriosis have been caused by serotype 4b strains. Phylogenetic analysis of these three common clinical serotypes places them into two different lineages, with serotypes 1/2b and 4b belonging to lineage I and 1/2a belonging to lineage II. To begin examining evolution of the genome in these serotypes, DNA microarray analysis was used to identify lineage-specific and serotype-specific differences in genome content. A set of 44 strains representing serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b was probed with a shotgun DNA microarray constructed from the serotype 1/2a strain 10403s. Clones spanning 47 different genes in 16 different contiguous segments relative to the lineage II 1/2a genome were found to be absent in all lineage I strains tested (serotype 4b and 1/2b) and an additional nine were altered exclusively in 4b strains. Southern hybridization confirmed that conserved alterations were, in all but two loci, due to absence of the segments from the genome. Genes within these contiguous segments comprise five functional categories, including genes involved in synthesis of cell surface molecules and regulation of virulence gene expression. Phylogenetic reconstruction and examination of compositional bias in the regions of difference are consistent with a model in which the ancestor of the two lineages had the 1/2 somatic serotype and the regions absent in the lineage I genome arose by loss of ancestral sequences

Serotypes, virulence genes and intimin types of Shiga toxin (verocytotoxin)-producing Escherichia coli isolates from minced beef in Lugo (Spain) from 1995 through 2003

BACKGROUND: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have emerged as pathogens that can cause food-borne infections and severe and potentially fatal illnesses in humans, such as haemorrhagic colitis (HC) and haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). In Spain, like in many other countries, STEC strains have been frequently isolated from ruminants, and represent a significant cause of sporadic cases of human infection. In view of the lack of data on STEC isolated from food in Spain, the objectives of this study were to determine the level of microbiological contamination and the prevalence of STEC O157:H7 and non-O157 in a large sampling of minced beef collected from 30 local stores in Lugo city between 1995 and 2003. Also to establish if those STEC isolated from food possessed the same virulence profiles as STEC strains causing human infections. RESULTS: STEC were detected in 95 (12%) of the 785 minced beef samples tested. STEC O157:H7 was isolated from eight (1.0%) samples and non-O157 STEC from 90 (11%) samples. Ninety-six STEC isolates were further characterized by PCR and serotyping. PCR showed that 28 (29%) isolates carried stx(1 )genes, 49 (51%) possessed stx(2 )genes, and 19 (20%) both stx(1 )and stx(2). Enterohemolysin (ehxA) and intimin (eae) virulence genes were detected in 43 (45%) and in 25 (26%) of the isolates, respectively. Typing of the eae variants detected four types: γ1 (nine isolates), β1 (eight isolates), ε1 (three isolates), and θ (two isolates). The majority (68%) of STEC isolates belonged to serotypes previously detected in human STEC and 38% to serotypes associated with STEC isolated from patients with HUS. Ten new serotypes not previously described in raw beef products were also detected. The highly virulent seropathotypes O26:H11 stx(1 )eae-β1, O157:H7 stx(1)stx(2 )eae-γ1 and O157:H7 stx(2)eae-γ1, which are the most frequently observed among STEC causing human infections in Spain, were detected in 10 of the 96 STEC isolates. Furthermore, phage typing of STEC O157:H7 isolates showed that the majority (seven of eight isolates) belonged to the main phage types previously detected in STEC O157:H7 strains associated with severe human illnesses. CONCLUSION: The results of this study do not differ greatly from those reported in other countries with regard to prevalence of O157 and non-O157 STEC in minced beef. As we suspected, serotypes different from O157:H7 also play an important role in food contamination in Spain, including the highly virulent seropathotype O26:H11 stx(1 )eae-β1. Thus, our data confirm minced beef in the city of Lugo as vehicles of highly pathogenic STEC. This requires that control measures to be introduced and implemented to increase the safety of minced beef