Neuroprotective Effects of Polysialic Acid and SIGLEC-11 in Activated Phagocytic Cells

SIGLEC-11 is an inhibitory receptor expressed on microglial cells and macrophages and can recognize α 2→8 linked Sias structures. The surface of neuron is decorated by different lengths of polySias. PolySia-SIGLEC-11 interaction is important to keep normal physiological conditions in neuron-microglia co-culture systems. However, till now it was not clear which length of polySia is recognized by SIGLEC-11. In this study the low molecular weight polySia with average degree of polymerization 20 (polySia avDP20), among different polySia lengths, introduced as the best length which was recognized by SIGLEC-11. PolySia avDP20 pre-treatment upon Aβ or debris stimulation kept superoxide release of microglia/macrophages as low as of untreated cells. This effect was not observed when cells were pre-treated with monoSia or oligoSias. Furthermore, compared to other polySia lengths (avDP60 and avDP180), polySia avDP20 had no effect on the metabolic activity of cells. Knockdown of SIGLEC-11 was enough to prevent the inhibitory function of polySia avDP20. Additional experiments showed that the anti-superoxide effect of polySia avDP20 was as potent as Trolox and SOD1. Phagocytosis analysis in iPSdM cells and macrophages revealed that polySia avDP20 pre-treatment did reduce uptake of Aβ and debris, which are inflammatory phagocytosis stimulants. Neurons were differentiated from pNSCs to investigate the consequence of polySia avDP20 addition to co-cultures with iPSdM/macrophages. Co-culture of Aβ or LPS stimulated iPSdM/macrophage with neurons led to shorter neurite length. This length could stay like untreated neurons if polySia avDP20 was present. Thus, this study suggests polySia avDP20 as a ligand for SIGLEC-11 receptor to reduce the inflammatory response of phagocytes towards provoking stimulants

When Patriarchy Strikes: An Exclusive Interview with Qaisra Shahraz

Qaisra Shahraz is a UK-based novelist, activist and educationist. She was born in Pakistan and has spent most of her life in the Western world. Qaisra Shahraz as an author and intellectual represents the New Age Muslim Woman who have started exploring the theme of 'the suppressed half' in the traditional societies. Her writings are the testimony of an 'unusual traverse', as she says, through the uncrossed boundaries 'hitherto untouched'. She realises all Muslim women, veiled or unveiled, under forceful, manipulative and hegemonic pre-literate societies in Pakistan and Afghanistan Muslim women suffer a similar fate under forceful, manipulative and hegemonic pre-literate societies in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Qaisra tries to uncover the ways in which the 'women are being held captive; physically, socially, and culturally' in a prevailing feudalistic atmosphere of 'not-cosmopolitan' areas like Sindh

Qaisra Shahraz in Interview with Claire Chambers

Qaisra Shahraz is a popular and acclaimed Pakistan-born and Manchester-resident screenwriter, educationalist, novelist and short story author. She was recently recognised as number 1 out of the 50 most influential women in Manchester. Last year she won the National Diversity “Lifetime Achiever” Award for services to literature, education, women’s rights and interfaith relationships. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and advisor to Asia Pacific Writers & Translators partnerships. Her novels have been translated into many languages including Mandarin. In this interview, Claire Chambers discusses her new short story collection The Concubine and the Slave-Catcher in detail with Shahraz, as well as asking her to give readers a preview of her current work

The role of Guidance and Planning on Safety of Ophthalmic Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This is an Editorial and does not have an abstract

The burden of injuries in Iranian children in 2005

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Child injury is recognized as a global health problem. Injuries caused the highest burden of disease among the total population of Iran in 2003. We aimed to estimate the morbidity, mortality, and disease burden caused by child injuries in the 0- to 14-year-old population of Iran in 2005.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We estimated average age- and sex-specific mortality rates for different types of child injuries from 2001 to 2006 using Iran's death registration data. Incidence rates for nonfatal outcomes of child injuries in 2005 were estimated through a time- and place-limited sample hospital registry study for injuries. We used the World Health Organization's methods for estimation of years of life lost due to premature mortality and years lived with disability in 2005.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Injuries were the most important cause of death in children ages 1 to 14, with 35, 33.4, 24.9, and 22.9 deaths per 100,000 in the 0-14, 1-4, 5-9, and 10-14 age groups respectively. Road transport injuries were responsible for the highest death rate per 100,000 population among all types of injuries in children, with 15.5 for ages 0-14, 16.1 for ages 1-4, 16.3 for ages 5-9, and 13.1 for ages 10-14. Incidence rates of injuries leading to hospitalization were 459, 530, and 439 per 100,000 in the 0-14, 1-4, and 5-14 age groups respectively. Incidence rates of injuries leading to outpatient care were 1,812, 2,390, and 1,650 per 100,000 in the same age groups respectively. Among injury types, falls and burns had the highest hospitalization and outpatient care incidence rates.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Injuries, particularly road transport injuries, were the most important health problem of children in Iran in 2003 and 2005. Strong social policy is needed to ensure child survival.</p

Assessment of Phenolic Contents and Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activities of Extracts from Four Varieties of Iranian Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Seeds

  Background and objective: Every year, large quantities of date palm seeds are produced as byproducts in date processing and packaging industries, which is discarded or used as low-value materials for animal feeds and composts. However, these bioresources may include potentials to produce high-value added products in food industries. The major aim of the current study was to assess phenolic profiles and contents and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of four Iranian date palm seed extracts, namely Zahedi, Kabkab, Mazafati and Rabbi.Material and methods: Total phenolic contents, phenolic compounds profile and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts from four Iranian date palm seeds were assessed using Folin-Ciocalteu, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, 2, 2-diphenyl-1picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, agar disc diffusion and broth microdilution methods, respectively.Results and conclusion: Total phenolic contents varied 1480-3380 mg GAE 100 g-1 dw. cinnamic, chlorogenic, caffeic and 3, 5-dihydroxybenzoic acid included the primary phenolic compounds, respectively. Of the varieties, Kabkab and Mazafati seed extracts with IC50 values of 16.56 and 22.6 µg ml-1 demonstrated the highest and lowest radical scavenging activity, respectively. Results obtained from disc diffusion method revealed that all extracts included inhibitory effects against Staphylococcus aureus, but not against Escherichia coli. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration of the extracts ranged 1.563.125 and 3.125-12.5 mg ml-1 for Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Based on the findings, Iranian date seeds are good sources of extractable phenolic compounds with notable antioxidant activities, which can be used as natural additives in formulations of various products such as functional foods and dietary supplements. Furthermore, these seeds can be converted to value added products through biotechnological processes.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.   

Evaluation and comparison of SYBR Green I Real-Time PCR and TaqMan Real-Time PCR methods for quantitative assay of Listeria monocytogenes in nutrient broth and milk

Specific traditional plate count method and real-time PCR systems based on SYBR Green I and TaqMan technologies using a specific primer pair and probe for amplification of iap-gene were used for quantitative assay of Listeria monocytogenes in seven decimal serial dilution series of nutrient broth and milk samples containing 1.58 to 1.58×107 cfu /ml and the real-time PCR methods were compared with the plate count method with respect to accuracy and sensitivity. In this study, the plate count method was performed using surface-plating of 0.1 ml of each sample on Palcam Agar. The lowest detectable level for this method was 1.58×10 cfu/ml for both nutrient broth and milk samples. Using purified DNA as a template for generation of standard curves, as few as four copies of the iap-gene could be detected per reaction with both real-time PCR assays, indicating that they were highly sensitive. When these real-time PCR assays were applied to quantification of L. monocytogenes in decimal serial dilution series of nutrient broth and milk samples, 3.16×10 to 3.16×105 copies per reaction (equals to 1.58×103 to 1.58×107 cfu/ml L. monocytogenes) were detectable. As logarithmic cycles, for Plate Count and both molecular assays, the quantitative results of the detectable steps were similar to the inoculation levels

Utjecaj esencijalnog ulja biljke Echinophora platyloba i primarnog kondenzata dima na suzbijanje rasta bakterije Staphylococcus aureus u goveđem mesu

In the current study, the antibacterial effect of Echinophora platyloba essential oil and common liquid smoke (individually and in combination) against Staphylococcus aureus in beef meat samples is investigated. Using an automated microbiological growth analyser and the turbidimetric technique, the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of the essential oil and liquid smoke were determined. Anti-S. aureus activity of essential oil and liquid smoke (individually and in combination) was defined by disk diffusion assay, generation time and cell constituent release. Apart from that, the interactions between these two compounds were measured by the checkerboard assay and by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) indices. Related MIC values of essential oil and smoke were found to be 7200 and 5500 mg/L, and MBC values were 8500 and 8000 mg/L, respectively. The conducted organoleptic assay showed that the addition of 0.05 g of essential oil and 0.6 g of liquid smoke to 100 g of meat samples did not have adverse effect on the overall acceptance. Weaker antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus was observed when only Echinophora platyloba essential oil was used than when it was used in combination with liquid smoke.U radu je ispitan pojedinačni i zbirni učinak esencijalnog ulja biljke Echinophora platyloba i primarnog kondenzata dima na suzbijanje rasta bakterije Staphylococcus aureus u uzorcima goveđeg mesa. Pomoću automatskog sustava za detekciju mikrobiološkog rasta i turbidimetrije određene su minimalna inhibicijska koncentracija i minimalna baktericidna koncentracija esencijalnog ulja i primarnog kondenzata dima. Pojedinačni i zbirni antibakterijski učinak esencijalnog ulja i primarnog kondenzata dima ispitani su disk difuzijskom metodom, određivanjem generacijskog vremena i mjerenjem apsorbancije otpuštenog staničnog sadržaja bakterije Staphylococcus aureus. Osim toga, ispitana je interakcija između ta dva antimikrobna agensa mikrorazrjeđenjem u bujonu (tzv. checkerboard testom) i određivanjem indeksa interakcije. Minimalna inhibicijska koncentracija esencijalnog ulja bila je 7200 mg/L, a primarnog kondenzata dima 5500 mg/L, dok je minimalna baktericidna koncentracija esencijalnog ulja bila 8500 mg/L, a primarnog kondenzata dima 8000 mg/L. Ispitana su organoleptička svojstva uzoraka mesa i utvrđeno je da dodatak 0,05 g esencijalnog ulja i 0,6 g kondenzata dima u 100 g uzorka nije utjecao na prihvatljivost proizvoda. Esencijalno ulje biljke Echinophora platyloba imalo je slabiji učinak na suzbijanje rasta bakterije Staphylococcus aureus od kombinacije esencijalnog ulja i primarnog kondenzata dima

An economic analysis of premarriage prevention of hepatitis B transmission in Iran

BACKGROUND: To assess the economic aspects of HBV (hepatitis B virus) transmission prevention for premarriage individuals in a country with cultural backgrounds like Iran and intermediate endemicity of HBV infection. METHODS: A cost-effectiveness analysis model was used from the health care system and society perspectives. The effectiveness was defined as the number of chronic HBV infections averted owing to one of the following strategies: 1) HBsAg screening to find those would-be couples one of whom is HBsAg positive and putting seronegative subjects on a protection protocol comprising HBV vaccination, single dose HBIG and condom protection. 2) HBsAg screening as above, in addition to performing HBcAb screening in the HBsAg negative spouses of the HBsAg positive persons and giving the protocol only to HBcAb negative ones. Sensitivity and threshold analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The cost of each chronic infection averted was 202$and 197$ for the strategies 1 and 2, respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that strategy 2 was always slightly cheaper than strategy 1. The discounted threshold value for the lifetime costs of chronic liver disease, above which the model was cost saving was 2818$in strategy 1 and 2747$ in strategy 2. CONCLUSIONS: Though premarriage prevention of HBV transmission in the countries with cultural backgrounds similar to Iran seems cost saving, further studies determining precise costs of HBV infection in Iran can lead to a better analysis

Myocardial Infarction in Iran: Epidemiology, Management, and Prognosis

Background: Cardiovascular diseases, specifically acute myocardial infarction (AMI), are the leading cause of death worldwide. In this review, we explain the characteristics of AMI in Iran. Methods: We searched PubMed, Google, and Google Scholar for articles containing myocardial infarction, STEMI, and MI+ Iran in English and Persian words. Results: The age-standardized incidence rate of MI was 73.3 per 100 000. The mean±SD age of patients was 61.20±13.40 years. In-hospital mortality of patients with AMI in the IMIR was 12.1%. Concerning AMI complications reported in the IMIR, 5.8% of patients experienced ventricular tachycardia, and 2.5% experienced ventricular fibrillation. The 1-year mortality rate in the IPACE2 study was 4.3%. Conclusion: Only a few national studies are available in Iran regarding patients with AMI. A federal surveillance program continuously monitoring and tracking coronary events is essential to improve the general population’s health