Leishmanicidal Activity of Films Containing Paromomycin and Gentamicin Sulfate both In Vitro and In Vivo

Background: Based on the efficacy of paromomycin ointment and recent ongoing clinical trials of combination of paromomycin and gentamicin, a new physical form of films of the paromomy­cin and gentamicin was prepared and anti-Leishmania activities of the prepared films were as­sessed in vitro and in vivo.Methods: Paromomycin 15% and gentamicin 0.5% was incorporated in a film using ethyl cellu­lose and HPMC (Hydroxyl Propyl Methyl Cellulose). In order to assess the drug release and anti-Leishmania activities of the preparation, a clone L. major parasite was established using a set of modified NNN medium without overlay liquid layer. Therapeutic effects of the films were evalu­ated using Balb/c mice model. The mice were inoculated with 2×106 L. major promastigotes (MRHO/IR/75/ER) and then when the lesions developed the mice were randomly divided in 3 groups, 10 mice per group, and treated with either perpetrated films or placebo for 28 days or left untreated.Results: Growth inhibition of cloned promastigotes showed that the films have enough releasing capacity and in vivo system, the films containing paromomycin and gentamicin was able to re­duce the lesion size and induced complete cure in 80% of the mice but relapse was seen in 60% of the cured mice and overall 50% cure rate was seen during 20 weeks period of the study.Conclusion: It seems that the prepared films might be further used in human clinical trials

Paternal age increases the risk for autism in an Iranian population sample

Background: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which is known to have a strong genetic component and is most likely oligogenic. However, the necessary role of environmental factors has been well documented. Prior research suggests that parental characteristics, such as age and level of education, may be associated with a risk of autism. Parental age has been shown to be associated with many disorders, such as schizophrenia, childhood cancer and fetal death. However, results from studies of parental age and autism are inconsistent. Methods: In the present study, we investigated the association of autism with parental age in 179 autism cases and 1611 matched cohort children from Iran. Each case was matched with nine cohort controls on parental education, sex, order of birth, consanguineous marriage, urbanism and province of residence. The Cox regression model was used to carry out conditional logistic regression on the matched data. Results: There was a significant association between higher paternal age, but not maternal age, and an increasing risk of autism. An analysis of the combined effect of parental age and education also revealed that parents with higher education had an increased risk of having autistic children, with a dose-response effect of parental age. Conclusions: This study, which is the first epidemiological study of autism in Iran, provides evidence of the association of paternal age and risk of autism

Mycobiota and aflatoxin B1 contamination of rainbow trout (Oncorhinchus mykiss) feed with emphasis to Aspergillus section Flavi

In the present study, mycobiota and natural occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in pellet feed and feed ingredients used in a feed manufacturing plant for rainbow trout nutrition was investigated. The samples were cultured on the standard isolation media for 2 weeks at 28 ºC. Identification of fungal isolates was implemented based on the macro- and microscopic morphological criteria. AFB1 was detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Based on the results obtained, a total of 109 fungal isolates were identified of which Aspergillus was the prominent genus (57.0%), followed by Penicillium (12.84%), Absidia (11.01%) and Pseudallscheria (10.10%). The most frequent Aspergillus species was A. flavus (60.66%) isolated from all feed ingredients as well as pellet feed. Among 37 A. flavus isolates, 19 (51.35%) were able to produce AFB1 on YES broth in the range of 10.2 to 612.8 µg/g fungal dry weight. HPLC analysis of trout feed showed that pellet feed and all feed ingredients tested except gluten were contaminated with different levels of AFB1 in the range of 1.83 to 67.35 µg/kg. Unacceptable levels of AFB1 were reported for feed including soybean, fish meal and wheat. These results indicate the importance of AF contamination of trout feed in amounts higher than the acceptable level as a risk factor for fish farming production

Physical, chemical and biological quality assessment of aqueduct (Qanat) water for drinking, agriculture and irrigation of urban green spaces

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aqueduct is one of the most complex and amazing inventions of human history, created to meet the most vital needs of human society in arid and semiarid regions areas. If aqueducts are properly maintained, reconstructed, and restored, they can be valuable water supply system from ground water resources. The quality of the water in these sources will have a direct impact on the consumer of its consumption, so it seems necessary to check the water quality of these sources.METHODS: This study investigated the state of five aqueducts in Tehran using parameters such as calcium, magnesium, phosphate, sulfate, turbidity, total hardness, nitrate, alkalinity, electrical conductivity, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand, total coliform and fecal coliform. Then the obtained values were compared with the permissible limits of the World Health Organization and the national standard of Iran. The data was analyzed using SPSS26 software and a one-sample t-test.FINDINGS: The results of water quality during a one-year survey period showed that the parameters of alkalinity, electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, sulfate, and nitrate were below the maximum desirable and permissible standards of the national standard of Iran and the World Health Organization, and therefore will not create any restrictions for drinking and agricultural use. Total hardness, phosphate, turbidity, calcium, magnesium, and chlorine have discrepancies with the national standards of Iran and the World Health Organization and these components must be adjusted for use. According to the one-sample t-test, there was a significant difference between the average and the permissible values of all parameters except magnesium at the 95% confidence level. All aqueducts except the America aqueduct had levels of fecal coliform that were higher than the maximum allowed by the environmental standards therefore, before using the aqueduct, it must be purified to control the environmental standards.. However, the total coliform, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, Chemical Oxygen Demand levels were not a problem. In addition, the water quality of these sources was placed in a group (C3S1) based on the Wilcox diagram.CONCLUSION: The physical and chemical analysis of the studied aqueduct water showed that the water quality is suitable for the irrigation of green spaces and salt-resistant plants. The biological characteristics of the studied aqueduct water also revealed that these sources were polluted by domestic and industrial effluents. This issue will only grow worse with time, as the amount of rainwater decreases and the amount of pollution in the underground water sources increases

Frequency of a very rare 35delG mutation in two ethnic groups of Iranian populations

The 35delG mutation in the Connexin 26 gene (Cx26), at the DNFB1 locus is the most common mutation in the patients with autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL). We have studied a total of 224 deaf cases from 189 families in two populations of Iran (Sistan va Bluchestan and Hormozgan provinces) by prescreening nested PCR, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and consequent direct sequencing method for all cases. The aim of the present work was to find prevalence of GJB2 mutations in the populations studied. Four different GJB2 mutations including 35delG, W24X, R127H and (V27I + E114 G) were identified in 11 of 189 families (5.8). Two polymorphisms (V27I and V153I) also were detected in 14 families. A polymorphism S86T was determined in all cases. Homozygote 35delG mutation was found only in 1 of 189 families (0.5).The rate of Cx26 mutations found in this study was lower than other Iranian populations. So the cause of deafness in the populations studied remains to be detected in other loci or genes. © 2014, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

Autosomal recessive and sporadic non syndromic hearing loss and the incidence of Cx26 mutations in a province of Iran

Despite the enormous heterogeneity of genetic hearing loss, mutations in the GJB2 (connexin 26) gene located on "DFNB1" locus (13q12) account for up to 50 of cases of autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) in some populations. This study describes the analysis of 100 autosomal recessive and sporadic nonsyndromic hearing loss individuals from 79 families each having at least one deaf child in Chehar Mahal va Bakhtiari province in west of Iran. We have investigated the prevalence of the connexin 26 gene mutations using nested PCR strategy to screen the predominant 35delG mutation and subsequent direct sequencing to detect other Cx26 mutations. Seven different genetic variants were detected from which one novel variant was including 363delC. The 35delG was the most common mutation found in 5 of 79 families (6.3). Cx26 related deafness mutations (35delG,V27I; E114G) and R127H) were found in 12 of 158 chromosomes studied (7.8%). We conclude that the association of Cx26 mutations with deafness in Chehar Mahal va Bakhtiari province is low and looks like most other populations of Iran

Transcription of toll-like receptors 2, 3, 4 and 9, FoxP3 and Th17 cytokines in a susceptible experimental model of canine Leishmania infantum infection

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) due to Leishmania infantum is a chronic zoonotic systemic disease resulting from complex interactions between protozoa and the canine immune system. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential components of the innate immune system and facilitate the early detection of many infections. However, the role of TLRs in CanL remains unknown and information describing TLR transcription during infection is extremely scarce. The aim of this research project was to investigate the impact of L. infantum infection on canine TLR transcription using a susceptible model. The objectives of this study were to evaluate transcription of TLRs 2, 3, 4 and 9 by means of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in skin, spleen, lymph node and liver in the presence or absence of experimental L. infantum infection in Beagle dogs. These findings were compared with clinical and serological data, parasite densities in infected tissues and transcription of IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3 in different tissues in non-infected dogs (n = 10), and at six months (n = 24) and 15 months (n = 7) post infection. Results revealed significant down regulation of transcription with disease progression in lymph node samples for TLR3, TLR4, TLR9, IL-17, IL-22 and FoxP3. In spleen samples, significant down regulation of transcription was seen in TLR4 and IL-22 when both infected groups were compared with controls. In liver samples, down regulation of transcription was evident with disease progression for IL-22. In the skin, upregulation was seen only for TLR9 and FoxP3 in the early stages of infection. Subtle changes or down regulation in TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and FoxP3 are indicative of the silent establishment of infection that Leishmania is renowned for. These observations provide new insights about TLR transcription, Th17 cytokines and Foxp3 in the liver, spleen, lymph node and skin in CanL and highlight possible markers of disease susceptibility in this model

Chemical profiles and cytotoxic activities of essential oils from six species of Baccharis subgenus Coridifoliae (Asteraceae).

This article augments the current know ledge about the chemical-biological properties of Baccharis subgenus Coridifoliae and discusses the therapeutic potentials of these economically unexploited plants

Artificial propagation and Culture of Rutilus frisii kutum of Autumn form for restocking

The Kutum, Rutilus frisii kutum, is one of the most important bony fishes in Iranian coastal of Caspian Sea. Its harvest range is between 9000-10000 tons in a year, nearly 60% of the income of Bony fish fishery produced by kutum fishery. The stock of this species reduced drastically in 1982 and the catch slumped to the less than 250 tons in a year. Kutum spawning grounds deterioration, illegal catch, and lack of restocking program were the main cause of the decline. This Spices in nature comprised by two distinct form, autumn and spring form. It is worth to be mentioned, by the effect of Caspian Sea Bony fishes Research Center s experts in 1983, artificial spawning and releasing the fries to the sea were commenced and the catch steadily improved. But all activities concerning restocking of kutum concentrated in spring form, as at present about 260 million its fries are released into sea for restocking by Iranian Fisheries Organization, but for above reasons and lack of restocking program, the populations of autumn form gravely shrinked and neared to be extinct. Therefore, to enhance the biodiversity and boost fishers livelihood of kutum in Caspian Sea this project implemented by cooperation of Iranian Fisheries Organization (IFRO) and Caspian Environment Program (CEP) in Aquaculture Institute (Inland Waters). In this project, brooders caught from Anzali lagoon and maintained in two different condition, include of floating cages in Anzali lagoon and earthen ponds in Sefidrud Fisheries Research Station. The results showed that there weren’t significant differences between two maintenance statuses in maturation period and other reproductive characteristics of brooders. The ratio of male to female was 1 to 1.4. Minimum and maximum weight measured 1450 to 3100 g (with average of 1850 g) in female and 670 to 1900 g (with average of 1165 g) in male, respectively. The first natural spawning of brooders occurred in the end of January in temperature of 8 till 10 °C in concrete ponds. Also, some of maintained brooders in earthen ponds spawned in February. The average number of absolute, function and relative fecundity determined 88565 16809, 73805 14008 and 48670 12056, respectively. For artificial spawning, male and female brooders injected by pituitary gland with dose of 2-3 and 4-5 mg/kg body weight, respectively. Approximately, 10 and 8 present of female were over-ripe and immature in March (artificial spawning time), respectively. More than 59 % of injected female brooders induced to spawning in first stage after 10-12 hours and 13 % of them in twice stage and 7-8 hours after first stage. And also, 27.6% of females didn’t positive response to injection. Dry method used for eggs fecundity and incubation period lasted 7- 10 days in 14-16 °C. In totally, eggs fertilization were more than 95% and the average of eggs fertilization percent in throughout of period measured more than 92.7 6 %. Eyed eggs appearance occurred 3 days after fecundity and its mean was 92.7 15.1%. Larvae after yolk sac absorption feed with dry milk for 4-5 days and then introduced into fertilized earthen ponds (500 m2 and equipped to aerators) in intensive condition and fed with micro pellet food for 3-4 month. In finally, more than 1.8 million fries of 1-2 g and some more than 5 g produced and released into Anzali lagoon to its restocking for first time. It is expected that continuing of restocking process of autumn form kutum by Iranian Fisheries Organization eventuate to population increasing of this form in Caspian Sea in future