Effect of interleukin-22 on immunogenicity of DNA vaccine encoding TSA gene of leishmania major in BALB/c mice

Background and purpose: Previous Research shows the use of plasmids containing genes TSA to be useful as vaccines for Leishmania major. Recently, the role of interleukin-22 (IL-22) in tissue repair has been demonstrated. In this research, the effect of IL-22 on encoding TSA gene of Leishmania major in BALB/c mice was assessed

LEGO: A tool to improve problem solving and teamwork skills of students in science

The aim of the present research is to compare problem solving and teamwork skills of the students that benefit from the educational Lego and the traditional method of teaching in science in third grade of elementary school in Tabriz. Therefore, in a quasi-experimental study using pre-test and post-test with control group, 40 students were selected randomly and placed in two groups- experimental and control- (learning by Lego and traditional method). In order to equalize the members of groups the student's GPA were controlled and pre-test and IQ test has been done. Before implementing the LEGO, for experimental and control groups, problem solving and teamwork pre-tests were used. The experimental group was exposed to the independent variable and the control group was taught through the classical teaching methods which currently used in the country and finally, both groups were exposed to problem-solving and teamwork post-tests. The results showed that the student's problem solving and teamwork skills, that benefit from the educational Lego was much more than who used traditional methods

On-site measurement of soil moisture content using an acoustic system

Precision agriculture is a farming management concept based on observing and responding to intra-field variations.  One of the most important soil properties in farming is soil moisture content and it is necessary to develop new technique for measuring this property in a precision farming system.  This study investigates the measurement of moisture content in soil using an on-site, easy to use and real-time acoustic wave system.  The system consists of the propagation of acoustic waves such as sweep frequency sound wave (10-300 Hz) and multiple tone sound waves (120 Hz) through the soil.  Some properties of these acoustic waves enable estimation of soil water content such as peak amplitude (A), total power (TP), total harmonic distortion (THD) and signal to noise ratio (SNR).  The results showed that the best model for estimating the soil moisture content was the model that expressed relationship between A and soil moisture content with R2 = 0.999 (using sweep frequency) and relationship between TP and soil moisture content with R2 = 0.999 (using multiple tone).  It is argued that the change in the sound characteristics related to the soil moisture content can be used for a continuous monitoring and control of irrigation of crops.   Keywords: acoustic waves, soil moisture content, sound propertie

Reduction in ischemic brain injury following the administration of pentoxifylline after transient global ischemia/reperfusion in a rat model

Background: It is well known that the hippocampus, the CA1 Pyramidal cells in particular, is selectively vulnerable during global cerebral ischemia. Recently, it is observed that pentoxifylline has a neuroprotective effect. This study explored the pharmacological relationship between ischemiainduced cell death of the hippocampus and the efficacy of a vasodilator agent (pentoxifylline) in the prevention of delayed neuronal death. Methods: This experimental study was performed on 4 groups: control, ischemia, experimental (200mg/kg pentoxifylline injection one hour prior to and one hour following ischemia) and vehicle (normal saline). Transient global ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion. To investigate the apoptotic bodies and caspase-3 activities as a central role in the execution phase of apoptosis, the brains were prepared for the TUNEL technique. Results: Pentoxifylline administration limited apoptosis and caspase-3 activities in rats' hippocampi. Our data showed no significant difference between the number of apoptotic bodies in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the control and pentoxifylline -treated groups (p= 0.994). The results of one- way ANOVA revealed that that ischemia significantly increased caspase-3 levels in the hippocampus (p< 0.05); however, the level of caspase-3 in pentoxifylline -treated rats was less than the ischemic group. Conclusion: These results suggest that the neuroprotective effect of pentoxifylline (200mg/kg) may be accompanied by a reduction in ischemic damage within the CA1 region of the hippocampus in rats subjected to transient global cerebral ischemia

The Effect of Vitamin D3 Alone and Mixed With IFN-γ on Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii (RH Strain) Proliferation and Nitric Oxide (NO) Production in Infected Macrophages of BALB/C Mice

Introduction: Toxoplasma gondii is an obligatory interacelullar parasite that infects nucleated cells in its intermediate hosts. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of vitamin D3 on the multiplication of T. gondii in peritoneal macrophage of Balb/c mice and nitric oxide production by macrophages. Methods: According to usage of vitamin D3 (one dose or seven doses) and INFγ in vitro and in vivo, this study was divided into four experiments. In all experiments, the macrophages were col­lected from peritoneum and cultured in RPMI-1640. Then the supernatants were collected after 24 h and their nitric oxide was measure. After 96 h, the macrophages were collected and stained and the number of tachyzoites was measured. Results: The first experiment (the mice were infected with tachyzoites and after 2 h, got one dose vita­min D3 intraperitonealy) showed the best results. The mean of tachyzoites per macrophages was 2.37, and mean ± SD of nitric oxide was 187.8 ± 9.Discussion: High-level production of nitric oxide may be related to the only one injection of vita­min D3. The injection in long time might suppress the immune system

Efficacy of topical chamomile on the incidence of phlebitis due to an amiodarone infusion in coronary care patients: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Amiodarone is a useful antiarrhythmic drug. Phlebitis, caused by intravenous amiodarone, is common in patients in coronary care units (CCUs). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical chamomile on the incidence of phlebitis due to the administration of an amiodarone infusion into the peripheral vein. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS: This was a randomized, double-blind clinical trial, conducted on 40 patients (n = 20 per group) in two groups-an intervention group (chamomile ointment) and a control group (lanoline, as a placebo), hospitalized in the CCUs and undergoing an amiodarone infusion into the peripheral vein over 24 h. Following the cannulation and commencement of the infusion, placebo or chamomile ointment was rubbed in, up to 10 cm superior to the catheter and repeated every eight hours for three days. The cannula site was then assessed based on the phlebitis checklist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence and time of occurrence of phlebitis, relative risk, severity of phlebitis were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: Nineteen patients (19/20) in the control group had phlebitis on the first day of the study and one patient (20/20) on the second day. In the intervention group, phlebitis occurred in 13 cases (13/20) on the first day and another two (2/7) was found on the second day. The incidence of phlebitis was significantly different between two groups (P = 0.023). The cumulative incidence of phlebitis in the intervention group (15/20) is significantly later and lower than that in the control group (20/20) during two days (P = 0.008). Two patients in the intervention group did not develop phlebitis at all during the 3-day study. Also, the relative risk of phlebitis in the two groups was 0.68 (P = 0.008 5). A significant difference was not observed with regard to phlebitis severity in both groups. CONCLUSION: It seems that phlebitis occurred to a lesser extent and at a later time frame in the intervention group compared to control group. Topical chamomile may be effective in decreasing the incidence of phlebitis due to an amiodarone infusion

Expression of Plasmid Encoded GRA4 Gene of Toxoplasma gondii RH Strain in CHO Eukaryotic Cells

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a common infection all around the world. During pregnancy; it may lead to congenital disorders or abortion in human and animals. Severe damage of toxoplasmosis indicates to require effective vaccine. One of dense granules antigen is GRA4 that secrete from tachyzoite and bradyzoite. GRA4 genome is unique without intron and is one of the major immunogenic proteins from Toxoplasma gondii. Methods: We confirmed the cloning of GRA4 gene into pcDNA3 by restriction enzyme and PCR of GRA4 gene with pcGRA4 plasmids as template. Then with using calcium- phosphate method we transfected the pcGRA4 into CHO (Chinesehamster ovary) cells. The yielded protein was separated by SDS-PAGE and moved by electroblotting to nitrocellulose paper. Results: Result of SDS-PAGE analysis showed the appearance of band approximately 42 kDa which was absent in the negative control, that was able to identify toxoplasmosis antibody IgM+ serum in western blot analysis. Conclusion: pcGRA4 plasmid is able to synthesis of antigenic protein in CHO cells. The ability of pcGRA4 for induction of protective immune response against toxoplasmosis will be evaluated in mouse model

Characterizing archaeological bronze corrosion products intersecting electrochemical impedance measurements with voltammetry of immobilized particles

[EN] Application of electrochemical impedance measurements to microparticulate deposits of copper corrosion products attached to graphite electrodes in contact with 0.10 M aqueous HClO4 electrolyte is described. The impedance measurements were sensitive to the applied potential and the amount of solid sample and were modeled taking into account the contribution of the uncovered base electrode. Several pairs of circuit elements provide monotonic variations which are able to characterize different corrosion compounds regardless the amount of microparticulate solid on the electrode. Application to a set of archaeological samples from the archaeological Roman site of Gadara (Jordan, 4th century AD) permitted to establish a grouping of such samples suggesting different provenances/manufacturing techniques.Financial support from the MINECO ProjectsCTQ2014-53736-C3-1-P and CTQ2014-53736-C3-2-P which are also supported with ERDF funds and Grants ES-2012-052716 and EEBB-I-16-11558 is gratefully acknowledgedRedondo-Marugan, J.; Piquero-Cilla, J.; Domenech Carbo, MT.; Ramírez-Barat, B.; Al Sekhaneh, W.; Capelo, S.; Doménech Carbó, A. (2017). Characterizing archaeological bronze corrosion products intersecting electrochemical impedance measurements with voltammetry of immobilized particles. Electrochimica Acta. 246:269-279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2017.05.190S26927924

The effect of iron re-deposition on the corrosion of impurity-containing magnesium

This article provides a contribution towards the mechanistic understanding of surface phenomena observed during the corrosion of Mg-based substrates particularly in the low anodic polarization range. The concept considers the recent literature explaining cathodic hydrogen evolution from noble acting areas even during global anodic polarization. Heavy metal impurities in the ppm range or intermetallics are always present even in highly pure magnesium. Their potential effect was investigated here in more detail. The experimental results contribute to understanding the role of iron impurities in dark area formation and suggest a way for linking the observed phenomena to the recent literature. The shown enhanced cathodic activity of dark areas especially at the corrosion front and the superfluous hydrogen are linked to an iron re-deposition mechanism due to iron reduction. The proposed mechanism is based on the results obtained from innovative characterisation techniques using magnetic fields, diffraction experiments and transmission electron microscopy, which show the formation of iron rich zones, especially at the corrosion front offering "in statu nascendi" metallic Fe films acting as active cathodes for hydrogen reduction