Genetic and morphological diversity of the genus penicillium from mazandaran and tehran provinces, Iran

Background: The genus Penicillium contains a large number of ubiquitous environmental taxa, of which some species are clinically important. Identification of Penicillium down to the species level is currently based on polyphasic criteria, including phenotypic features and genetic markers. Biodiversity of the genus Penicillium from Mazandaran and Tehran provinces has not been described. Objectives: The current paper focused on the environmental biodiversity of Penicillium isolates within some areas of Mazandaran and Tehran provinces, based on morphological traits and the molecular data from partial sequence of the β-tubulin (BT2) gene. Materials and Methods: A total of 400 strains were isolated from the environment and investigated using morphological tests and sequencing of BT2, in order to characterize the spectrum of the Penicillium species. Results: Sequence analysis of BT2 and morphological criteria of 20 strains representative of 10 species showed that Penicillium chrysogenum was the most prevalent species (n = 6), followed by P. polonicum (n = 3), P. glabrum (n = 2), P. palitans (n = 2), P. melanoconidium (n = 2), and other species, including P. expansum, P. canescense, P. griseofulvum, P. italicum, and P. raistrickii with one case each. Conclusions: It was shown that partial β-tubulin sequence, as a reliable genetic target, supported specific morphological criteria for identification of the Penicillium species. Like other assessments throughout the world, P. chrysogenum remains the most frequent environmental Penicillium species in Mazandaran and Tehran Provinces. © 2016 Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

Effect of Fragmentation of Land on Agricultural Mechanization Development using AHP Technique

The agricultural sector is in need of a rapid transition from traditional and livelihoods to the stage of advanced production and commercialization, in order to provide food security for the community and to play an effective role in strengthening national independence. Mechanization is an approach that allows the agricultural sector to achieve the stage of commercial production. Without mechanization, there is no clear vision of a dynamic and sustainable agriculture that can rectify the food needs sensibly. The development of mechanization in agricultural societies, especially in the rural areas, has been accompanied by problems that the identification of the factors affecting it can help plan to eliminate them. Therefore, in the present study, the effect of the fragmentation of land on the development of agricultural mechanization in the rural districts has been investigated. The research type is applied and descriptive-analytic, survey method has been used and information has been collected through a questionnaire from 420 users in Jiroft city. The data were analyzed using a hierarchical analytical process technique using Expert Choice11 software. The research findings show that the family-social factor in the city of Jiroft was the main deterrent to the lack of development of mechanization and the cultural-communication, educational-technical, lawful-legal, and economic-financial factors were placed in the next priorities. It is proposed to implement the development of mechanization, the modernization of modern technology, education and promotion, building trust, credit and financial facilities for the modernization of agricultural implements

Zinc as effective element in improving and treatment of prostate cancer

Background: Prostate cancer which is the second most common cancer in men after lung cancer is a disease in which malignant cells begin to multiply rapidly in a disordered way. The condition causes the size of the prostate gland to increase. This disease could have a slow growth rate and take a long time before clinical manifestations appear and in cases it can grow rapidly and attack bones and other tissues. Materials and Methods: Pubmed, Google and Medline databases were searched. Results: Vegetarian diet is effective in the prevention of prostate cancer. Beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, due to high zinc, are considered protective against prostate cancer. In addition, high concentrations of zinc in the prostate gland show its important role in the healthy. Also it has been seen that in patients with prostate cancer, levels of zinc in this gland reduced. Studies have shown that men who eat foods rich in zinc or receive zinc supplements have a reduced risk of this cancer. Conclusion: Lack of zinc not only causes DNA damage, but it also may disrupt the ability of cells to respond to DNA damage and may increase the risk of prostate cancer progression. Adequate zinc levels are essential for maintaining the health of prostate cells, but zinc supplements may help prevent the growth of prostate cancer

In Vitro Effects of Wistar Rat Prenatal and Postnatal Cerebrospinal Fluid on Neural Differentiation and P roliferation of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Bone Marrow.

Objective: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) plays an important role in cortical development during the fetal stages. Embryonic CSF (E-CSF) consists of numerous neurotrophic and growth factors that regulate neurogenesis, differentiation, and proliferation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multi-potential stem cells that can differentiate into mesenchymal and non-mesenchymal cells, including neural cells. This study evaluates the prenatal and postnatal effects of CSF on proliferation and neural differentiation of bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) at gestational ages E19, E20, and the first day after birth (P1). Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, we confirmed the mesenchymal nature of BM-MSCs according to their adherence properties and surface markers (CD44, CD73 and CD45). The multi-potential characteristics of BMMSCs were verified by assessments of the osteogenic and adipogenic potentials of these cells. Under appropriate in vitro conditions, the BM-MSCs cultures were incubated with and without additional pre- and postnatal CSF. The MTT assay was used to quantify cellular proliferation and viability. Immunocytochemistry was used to study the expression of MAP-2 and β-III tubulin in the BM-MSCs. We used ImageJ software to measure the length of the neurites in the cultured cells. Results: BM-MSCs differentiated into neuronal cell types when exposed to basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF). Viability and proliferation of the BM-MSCs conditioned with E19, E20, and P1 CSF increased compared to the control group. We observed significantly elevated neural differentiation of the BM-MSCS cultured in the CSF-supplemented medium from E19 compared to cultures conditioned with E20 and P1 CSF group. Conclusion: The results have confirmed that E19, E20, and P1 CSF could induce proliferation and differentiation of BM-MSCs though they are age dependent factors. The presented data support a significant, conductive role of CSF components in neuronal survival, proliferation, and differentiation

Prevalence of aminoglycoside resistance and ant(2”)-I gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn wound specimens in Yazd

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important causative agents among the hospital acquired infections, especially in ICU and burn units. Enzymatic inactivation of aminoglycosides by aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes is the main mechanism of resistance to these antibiotics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The aim of this study was to study the aminoglycoside resistance and ant (2”)-I in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn specimens in Yazd, Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates (no=73) during July 2014 to April 2015. All burn wound samples were initially identified by the standard biochemical methods and their aminoglycoside resistance was studied using the disc diffusion method according to CLSI recommendations. PCR method was carried out for the detection of aminoglycoside resistance using ant (2”)-I gene specific primers. Results: Forty (54.8) out of 73 cases were male (mean age 29±2.25 years). The resistance rates as determined by the disk diffusion method were: Kanamycin (89), Gentamicin (67.1), Tobramycin (58.9) and Amikacin (60.3). The PCR results showed that 63 (86.3) of the isolates were harbored the ant (2”)-I gene. Conclusion: The results of this study show that resistance to aminoglycosides is high in pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn wounds. The presence of gene ant (2”)-I was widely reported. In addition, there was a significant relationship between this gene and resistance to aminoglycosides

Cryptococcosis: Emergence of cryptococcus gattii in animals and zoonotic potential

Cryptococcosis is one of the most serious fungal diseases of animals worldwide, affecting a wide variety of mammals (including humans) and, occasionally, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The disease is caused by pathogenic members of the encapsulated, melanin-forming, basidiomycetous yeast genus Cryptococcus, namely, Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii species complexes. These two species have different ecological niches across climate zones: C. neoformans has been isolated primarily from soil and avian excrement, whereas C. gattii is mainly associated with decaying wood and other plant materials, particularly in and around various species of trees. Cryptococcosis, which appears to be acquired by the inhalation of yeasts from environmental niches and penetration into the sinonasal cavity (animals) or pulmonary alveoli (humans) of the host, followed by hematogenous dissemination (humans) or penetration of the cribriform plate of the ethmoid bones (many animals), often manifests as skin and soft tissue infections, rhinosinusitis, pneumonia, and meningoencephalitis. Animals and people may become infected via the same environmental source; however, no convincingmammal-to-mammal transmission has been documented to date. This chapter highlights the diseases and complications that Cryptococcus species may cause in invertebrates, cold- and warm-blooded animals, marine mammals, and nonhuman primates. The potential role of animal hosts as sentinels of human cryptococcosis is discussed. © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018

In vitro activities of 15 antifungal drugs against a large collection of clinical isolates of Microsporum canis

PubMedID: 31408550Background: Microsporum canis is a zoophilic species, found to be the most frequently isolated species in animals. M. canis causes sporadic outbreaks of infections in humans, such as the one that occurred in Canada, where more than 1000 human cases were detected over an 8-year period. Despite the medical importance of M. canis infections, there are limited in vitro data on the antifungal susceptibility to antifungal drugs, including new generation triazoles and imidazoles. Objective: The aim of the current study was to comprehensively evaluate the in vitro activity of new azoles and comparator drugs against a large panel of M. canis isolates using a microdilution assay. Methods: The in vitro susceptibility to novel triazoles and imidazoles was compared to that of other antifungal drugs using a large collection of M. canis clinical isolates (n = 208) obtained from patients and animals with dermatophytosis in Iran, France and Turkey. Results: All isolates exhibited high susceptibility to the majority of the tested antifungal agents. However, luliconazole, lanoconazole and efinaconazole, as well as econazole, demonstrated superior activity against all strains in comparis on with the other drugs. Conclusion: FDA-approved antifungal drugs, that is luliconazole, efinaconazole and lanoconazole, showed the highest antifungal activity and should be promising candidates for the treatment of dermatophytosis caused by M canis. However, their therapeutic effectiveness remains to be determined in clinical settings. © 2019 Blackwell Verlag Gmb

Identification of Candida species using PCR-RFLP in cancer patients in Iran

Opportunistic infections caused by Non- Candida albicans have been increasing. Traditional methods that are used to identify clinical isolates of Candida species are time-consuming and not appropriate for rapid, accurate and reliable identification. Purpose: To identify Candida spp isolated from cancer patients using PCR-restriction enzyme. Materials and methods: Using universal primers, ITS1 and ITS4, in this study, we could amplify ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA regions at both 80 clinical isolates and 3 standard strains. The PCR products were digested with two restriction enzymes MspI and BlnI separately. Result: We successfully identified all isolated species using two restriction enzymes (MspI, BlnI). Candida albicans was the most common species (77.5%), followed by C. glabrata (15%), C. tropicalis (5%), C. krusei (2.5%). Although the primers and enzyme had the ability to identify C. parapsilosis, C. guilliermondii, C. dubliniensis, present isolates did not include these among identified ones. Conclusion: RFLP-PCR using ITSI and ITS4 primers and restriction enzyme is a rapid, easy, reliable and also applicable method in clinical laboratory for identification of medically important Candida spp

Determination of genetic diversity of Leishmania species using mini-circle kDNA, in Iran-Iraq countries border

Background and Objective: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is one of the most important diseases worldwide, with a different range of prevalence in endemic areas. Anthroponotic and zoonotic CL are two epidemiological forms of CL, in Iran. Although Ilam Province in the west of Iran is one of the main endemic areas of the disease, there is no inclusive study to determine the genetic variations of parasite in these areas. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic diversity of Leishmania species in Ilam Province, using mini-circle kDNA gene. Materials and Methods: Direct smears were taken from skin lesions of 200 suspected cases of CL. Smears were stained, screened under light microscope. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed, using specific kinetoplast DNA primers. Data were analyzed, using the molecular bio-software. Results: All the samples were positive by direct examination. PCR results showed all cases were positive for Leishmania major. Although all isolated cases belong to a different county of Ilam province, all were positive for L. major with intra-species genetic diversity, divided into four clades in the dendrogram. Interpretation and Conclusion: This variation can affect drug resistance and controlling strategies of parasite. It is possible that different species of sand flies and rodents are the vector and reservoir of parasite, respectively; however, further studies are needed to validate this