New Full-Diversity Space-Time-Frequency Block Codes with Simplified Decoders for MIMO-OFDM Systems

Multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) is known as a promising solution for wideband wireless communications. This is why it has been considered as a powerful candidate for IEEE 802.11n standard. Numerous space-frequency block codes (SFBCs) and space-time- frequency block codes (STFBCs) have been proposed so far for implementing MIMO-OFDM systems. In this paper, at first we propose new full-diversity STFBCs with high coding gain in time-varying channels; the construct method for this structure is using orthogonal space-time block code for any arbitrary number of transmit antenna and then we propose a decoder with linear complexity for our proposed coding scheme. Simulation results verify that the proposed STFBCs outperform other recently published STFBCs

Gene Diversity of Trichomonas vaginalis Isolates

Background: Trichomonas vaginalis is protozoan parasite responsible for trichomoniasis and is more common in high-risk behavior group such as prostitute individuals. Interest in trichomoni­asis is due to increase one's susceptibility to viruses such as herpes, human papillomavirus and HIV. The aim of this study was to find genotypic differences between the isolates.Methods: Forty isolates from prisoners' women in Tehran province were used in this study. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was used to determine genetic differ­ences among isolates and was correlated with patient's records. By each primer the banding pat­tern size of each isolates was scored (bp), genetic differences were studied, and the genealogical tree was constructed by using NTSYS software program and UPGMA method.Results: The least number of bands were seen by using primer OPD8 and the most by using OPD3. Results showed no significant difference in isolates from different geographical areas in Iran. By using primer OPD1 specific amplified fragment with length 1300 base pair were found in only 8 isolates. All these isolates were belonged to addicted women; however, six belonged to asymptomatic patients and two to symptomatic ones.Conclusion: There was not much genetic diversity in T vaginalis isolates from three different geo­graphical areas

Cerebritis and Neutropenia in A Child with ana Negative Lupus

ObjectiveSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune systemic disease with unknown etiology, affects virtually every part of the body; involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and is the least understood aspect of the disease. neutropenia is very uncommon in childhood lupus. True negative anti nuclear antibody (ANA) tests in patients with lupus are now very rare. The patient reported here was a 12-year-old girl with ANA negative lupus cerebritis who presented with left hemiparesia after a generalized seizure, with neutropenia observed during its course

Características palinológicas de las subspecies de Linum mucronatum Bertol. con heterostilia

Linum mucronatum is a heterostylous species from sect. Syllinum with four subspecies in Iran. The present study examines palynological characteristics of the heterostylous subspecies of Linum mucronatum, pollen characters of brevistylous individuals (pins) as well as longistylous individuals (thrums) of these plants by scanning electron microscope and light microscope using the prolonged acetolysis procedure. Sixteen qualitative and quantitative characters were investigated. Pollen equatorial shapes varied between pin and thrum individuals of each subspecies with the exception of L. mucronatum subsp. assyriacum. Pollen sculptures varied between pin and thrum samples of each subspecies and were seen in the gemmate, clavate and baculate shapes. In addition, quantitative palynological characters differed between plants and ANOVA test showed significant variations for traits such as equatorial length, colpi width and apocolpium diameter. Hetrostylous individuals of each subspecies were separated from others in the UPGMA tree and also in the PCO and PCA plots. This study confirmed variations in pollen features between pin and thrum individuals of each subspecies.Linum mucronatum es una especie con heterostilia, que pertenece a la sección Syllinum del género Linum, y tiene cuatro subespecies en Irán. En el presente estudio se examinan las características palinológicas de las subespecies heterostilas de Linum mucronatum Bertol., así como los caracteres polínicos de individuos de los morfos brevistilo (pin) y longistilo (thrum) de estas plantas, mediante microscopía electrónica de scanning y microscopía óptica usando el método de acetolisis prolongada. Se estudiaron un total de 16 caracteres cualitativos y cuantitativos. La forma ecuatorial del polen varía entre los morfos pin y thrum en todas las subspecies, excepto en L. mucronatum subsp. assyriacum. La ornamentación también varía entre las muestras de morfos pin y thrum de cada subespecie, en los que se puede observar polen gemado, clavado y baculado. En algunos caracteres palinológicos cuantitativos, se encontraron también diferencias entre morfos y el test de ANOVA muestra que son significativas en cuanto a la longitud ecuatorial, la anchura de los colpos y el diámetro del apocolpio. Los individuos heterostilos de cada susbespecie aparecen separados en el árbol UPGMA y también en los gráficos de PCO y PCA. Este estudio confirma las diferencias en las características del polen entre individuos pin y thrum de cada una de las subespecies

Antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation of Enterococcus faecalis in patient and environmental samples

Background: Enterococci are opportunistic pathogens and are a major factor in nosocomial infections. They may contain ebp operon, which upon expression makes them highly prone to biofilm formation on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to detect the polymorphism of ebp genes in Enterococcus faecalis. Materials and Methods: Samples were isolated from patients (n = 58) and hospital environments (n = 32) of two hospitals in Tehran, Iran. All enterococcal species were identified by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR); the antibiotic resistance pattern against nine antibiotics was determined. The ebp A, ebp B, ebp C and srt C genes were detected by PCR and the biofilm formation by the isolates was evaluated using the microtiter plate method. The genetic diversity of ebp genes was analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Results: The results indicated that, 86 of patient and 29 of environmental isolates carried ebp genes. The ability of the isolates to strongly attach was 62 and 71 for patient and environmental samples, respectively. The RFLP of the ebp showed no genetic variations amongst the isolates. Conclusions: The results of the antibiotic resistance and other data suggest that there is a possible common clone of E. faecalis, which could rapidly disseminate in patients and the environment. © 2015, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

High resolution melting technique for molecular epidemiological studies of cystic echinococcosis: Differentiating G1, G3, and G6 genotypes of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato

Reliable and rapid genotyping of large number of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato isolates is crucial for understanding the epidemiology and transmission of cystic echinococcosis. We have developed a method for distinguishing and discriminating common genotypes of E. granulosus s.l. (G1, G3, and G6) in Iran. This method is based on polymerase chain reaction coupled with high resolution melting curve (HRM), ramping from 70 to 86 C with fluorescence data acquisition set at 0.1 C increments and continuous fluorescence monitoring. Consistency of this technique was assessed by inter- and intra-assays. Assessment of intra- and inter-assay variability showed low and acceptable coefficient of variations ranging from 0.09 to 0.17 %. Two hundred and eighty E. granulosus s.l. isolates from sheep, cattle, and camel were used to evaluate the applicability and accuracy of the method. The isolates were categorized as G1 (93, 94, and 25 %), G3 (7, 4, and 4 %), and G6 (0, 2, and 71 %) for sheep, cattle, and camel, respectively. HRM results were completely compatible with those obtained from sequencing and rostellar hook measurement. This method proved to be a valuable screening tool for large-scale molecular epidemiological studies. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

The pollen morphological diversity of Ziziphora clinopodioides (Lamiaceae)

A cogent medicinal and aromatic plant, Ziziphora clinopodioides (Lamiaceae) is a perennial herb, its aerial parts is used as a wild vegetable or additive in foods to proffer pleasant aroma and flavour. There are many discussions about the intraspecific classification of this species and several subspecies have been introduced for it in different flora. These subspecies are morphologically very similar and identification of them is very difficult and in some cases, impossible. Therefore, in the present study, the pollen grains morphology of nine subspecies (32 specimens) of Z. clinopodioides were probed and documented in details utilising the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In total, eleven pollen morphological characteristics were investigated and analysed by PAST software. The obtained results showed that pollen grains were hexacolpate and their equatorial views were sub-oblate to prolate. The exine ornamentation types of the pollen grains are bireticulate, microreticulate, reticulate and bireticulate-reticulate. The ANOVA test did not show significant difference for the studied quantitative traits. Although, the results of the multivariate analysis revealed a high diversity amongst the specimens even in the specimens of a single subspecies; it did not confirm the separation of subspecies in Z. clinopodioides

Report of Psyllaephagus stenopsyllae (Hym.: Encyrtidae) from Iran

The Asiatic citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hom.: Psyllidae), is one of the most important pests on citrus in tropical and subtropical Asia. It was detected in Iran during the recent years and distributed in some parts of Hormozgan and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces. During the survey carried out to determine natural enemies of this psyllid, a nymphal parasitoid wasp was identified as Psyllaephagus stenopsyllae (Tachikawa). This is the first report of P. stenopsyllae in Iran. This species has previously been reported from Taiwan, China and Japan as a parasitoid of Stenopsylla nigricornis Kuwayama and Trioza zyzygii Li & Yong (Hom.: Psyllidae)

Treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus by persian medicine: A case report

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is a chronic disease in adults. The standard treatment in this type of hydrocephalus is shunting which is accompanied by some complications and there is also uncertainty about response to treatment. Therefore, surgery is performed in only 10-20 of the cases with iNPH. Currently, oral acetazolamide and repetitive lumbar puncture for drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid are recommended in many patients. In this case report, a 34-year-old female patient with iNPH is introduced who received acetazolamide for the past two years, and repetitive lumbar punctures. These treatments reduced her symptoms for a short time, but had never disappeared the symptoms and after a while they intensified again. The patient was treated by Persian medicine and nutrition modification was also done. Within one year, there was no recurrence of the disease and no need for lumbar puncture. This case report highlights the need for further research on Persian medicine in treatment of iNPH. It is believed that Persian medicine could be of great benefit along with current treatments of hydrocephalus. © 2019, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Genotype-phenotype correlation and description of two novel mutations in Iranian patients with glycogen storage disease 1b (GSD1b)

Background: Glycogen storage disease (GSD) is a rare inborn error of the synthesis or degradation of glycogen metabolism. GSD1, the most common type of GSD, is categorized into GSD1a and GSD1b which caused by the deficiency of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) and glucose-6-phosphate transporter (SLC37A4), respectively. The high rates of consanguineous marriages in Iran provide a desirable context to facilitate finding the homozygous pathogenic mutations. This study designates to evaluate the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with GSD1b to assess the possible genotype-phenotype correlation. Results: Autozygosity mapping was performed on nineteen GSD suspected families to suggest the causative loci. The mapping was done using two panels of short tandem repeat (STR) markers linked to the corresponding genes. The patients with autozygous haplotype block for the markers flanking the genes were selected for direct sequencing. Six patients showed autozygosity in the candidate markers for SLC37A4. Three causative variants were detected. The recurrent mutation of c.10421043delCT (p.Leu348Valfs*53) and a novel missense mutation of c.365G > A (p.G122E) in the homozygous state were identified in the SLC37A4. In silico analysis was performed to predict the pathogenicity of the variants. A novel whole SLC37A4 gene deletion using long-range PCR and sequencing was confirmed as well. Severe and moderate neutropenia was observed in patients with frameshift and missense variants, respectively. The sibling with the whole gene deletion has shown both severe neutropenia and leukopenia. Conclusions: The results showed that the hematological findings may have an appropriate correlation with the genotype findings. However, for a definite genotype-phenotype correlation, specifically for the clinical and biochemical phenotype, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed. © 2020 The Author(s)