Genetic Polymorphism of CYP2C9 among Sistani Ethnic Group in Gorgan

Background: Cytochrome P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) is involved in metabolism of many important drugs and its genotype variations is thought to affect drug efficacy and the treatment process. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of CYP2C9 allele and genotypic variants in Sistani ethnic group, living in Gorgan, South East of Caspian Sea and North East of Iran. Subjects and Methods: This study included 140 Sistani, referred to the health center of Gorgan. CYP2C9 genotyping was carried out by Polymerase Chain Reaction -Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism technique. Results: The allele frequency of CYP2C9*1, CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 was 76.1%, 16.1% and 7.8%, respectively. The frequency of CYP2C9*1/*1,CYP2C9*1/*2, CYP2C9*1/*3, CYP2C9*2/*2, CYP2C9*2/*3 and CYP2C9*3/*3 genotypes was 53.9%, 22.1%, 11.4%, 2.9%, 4.3% and nil, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that different genotypes of CYP2C9 may influence the pharmacokinetics of some drugs. Determining the pharmacokinetic effects of CYP2C9 genotypes may help physicians choose optimal dosage of some drugs for treatment and prevention of their side effects. Since different ethnic groups from all over the world use medications, it is necessary to investigate the pharmacokinetic effects of CYP2C9 genotypes in different populations.Keywords: Polymorphism of CYP2C9, Sistani ethnic group, PCR-RFL

The Effect of Accelerated Aging on Germination Characteristics, Seed Reserve Utilization and Malondialdehyde Content of Two Wheat Cultivars

In this study experiment was conducted to evaluated the effect of accelerated aging on germination characteristics, seed reserve utilization and malondialdehyde of two wheat cultivars. The experiment was conducted in factorial with a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. Results of variance analysis showed that, seed aging had significant effects on germination percentage, germination index, normal seedling percentage, mean time to germination, malondialdehyde content, seedling dry weight, weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve and electrical conductivity. The highest germination percentage, germination index, normal seedling percentage, seedling dry weight and weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve and the minimum mean time to germination, electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde content were attained from Verinak cultivar under control conditions (0 day aging). Results indicates that germination percentage, germination index, normal seedling percentage, seedling dry weight, and weight of utilized (mobilized) seed reserve decreased significantly as seed aging progressed. But, mean time to germination, electrical conductivity and malondialdehyde content increased significantly as seed aging progressed. Also, the decrease in seed reserve mobilization rate was the cause of decreased other traits

Evaluation of drought stress at vegetative growth stage on the grain yield formation and some physiological traits as well as fluorescence parameters of different bread wheat cultivars

The effects of water stress on grain yield, its components, and physiological traits during the vegetative stage of wheat have been evaluated. Greenhouse trials were carried out by using factorial experiment based on randomized complete block design (RCBD) in three replications. Moisture stress was applied at vegetative growth stage (soil moisture was around 50% of field capacity from the beginning of stem elongation to flowering stage) and different wheat cultivars (such as Pishtaz, DN-11, Sivand and Marvdasht) were evaluated as the second factor. Water stress significantly decreased grain yield by decreasing the number of grains per spike. Under water stress from the beginning of stem elongation to flowering stages, Sivand and DN-11 cultivars had the lowest grain yield. The lowest and the highest reductions in grain yield and biological yield were detected in Marvdasht and DN-11, respectively. Results show that Marvdasht had the highest, while DN-11 had the lowest relative water constant (RWC) and performance index (PI) values. Water stress significantly decreased the chlorophyll content, PI and RWC values, at the same time significantly increased the carotenoid concentration, whereas the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) did not change. According to the results, Pishtaz and Marvdasht cultivars are tolerant against drought stress and can recover very fast after stress is eliminated

Audit of the Standard Precautions Formulated against the Transmission of Bloodborne Diseases in the Hemodialysis Wards of the Hospital Affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences (2014)

Background & Objective: Hemodialysis ward personnel are at a higher risk of contact with blood and body fluids and sharp objects due to the conditions of these wards and frequent contact with hemodialysis patients. The present study aimed to audit the standard precautions in the hemodialysis wards of the hospitals affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 60 nurses in the hemodialysis wards of the hospital affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, who were selected via census sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made demographic questionnaire and standard precautionary checklist. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 12 using frequency tables, mean, standard deviation, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation-coefficient. Results: The standard precautions against the transmission of bloodborne diseases were not at a poor level in any of the hemodialysis wards of the hospitals affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. In addition, the highest observance of the standard precautions was observed in the hemodialysis staff of Lordegan Shohada Hospital. Conclusion: The standard precautions against the transmission of bloodborne diseases were assessed in the hemodialysis wards of the hospitals affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, and these principles were observed to be on moderate and favorable levels. Keywords: Auditing, Formulated Standards, Bloodborne Diseases, Hemodialysi

Efficient Bayesian estimation and combination of GARCH-type models

This chapter proposes an up-to-date review of estimation strategies available for the Bayesian inference of GARCH-type models. The emphasis is put on a novel efficient procedure named AdMitIS. The methodology automatically constructs a mixture of Student-t distributions as an approximation to the posterior density of the model parameters. This density is then used in importance sampling for model estimation, model selection and model combination. The procedure is fully automatic which avoids difficult and time consuming tuning of MCMC strategies. The AdMitIS methodology is illustrated with an empirical application to S&P index log-returns where non-nested GARCH-type models are estimated and combined to predict the distribution of next-day ahead log-returns

Different physiological and biochemical responses in maize hybrids subjected to drought stress at vegetative and reproductive stages

The growth and development of all plants are seriously limited by a variety of environmental stresses. In this study, responses in crop yield, physiological and biochemical traits were investigated in maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids such as SC704, SC700 (FAO 700), SC647 (FAO 600), SC500 (FAO 500), SC370 (FAO 300) and SC260 (FAO 200) subjected to drought stress induced by stopping irrigation at vegetative stage (4-5 leaves) and reproductive stage (anthesis). The results showed that drought stress had a significant effect on these characteristics. The yield and its components decreased considerably under water stress: the main factors that caused reduction of yield were the decrease in the number of grain per ear and 1000-grain weight. Reduction of yield in short maturity hybrids was higher than in other ones. Activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) as well as permeability of plasma membrane increased significantly, but ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity decreased under water stress. Maximum quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and performance index (PI) revealed a significant reduction in leaves in comparison with control plants. The content of soluble proteins in leaves reduced with increasing drought stress. These results suggested that water stress lead to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which caused an increased membrane permeability and oxidative stress in the maize plants. Furthermore, maize hybrids with higher levels of antioxidant enzyme activities showed higher resistance to drought stress and produced higher yield under stress. So that SC704 and SC700 were the most tolerant, however, SC647 and SC500 were drought semi-tolerant to water stress, and SC370 and SC260 were the most sensitive

Reinforcement of Calcium Phosphate Cement with Hybrid Silk Fibroin/Kappa-Carrageenan Nanofibers

Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) offer a promising solution for treating bone defects due to their osteoconductive, injectable, biocompatible, and bone replacement properties. However, their brittle nature restricts their utilization to non-load-bearing applications. In this study, the impact of hybrid silk fibroin (SF) and kappa-carrageenan (k-CG) nanofibers as reinforcements in CPC was investigated. The CPC composite was fabricated by incorporating electrospun nanofibers in 1, 3, and 5% volume fractions. The morphology, mineralization, mechanical properties, setting time, injectability, cell adhesion, and mineralization of the CPC composites were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the addition of the nanofibers improved the CPC mixture, leading to an increase in compressive strength (14.8 ± 0.3 MPa compared to 8.1 ± 0.4 MPa of the unreinforced CPC). Similar improvements were seen in the bending strength and work fracture (WOF). The MC3T3-E1 cell culture experiments indicated that cells attached well to the surfaces of all cement samples and tended to join their adjacent cells. Additionally, the CPC composites showed higher cell mineralization after a culture period of 14 days, indicating that the SF/k-CG combination has potential for applications as a CPC reinforcement and bone cell regeneration promoter

Human chorionic gonadotropin attenuates amyloid-β plaques induced by streptozotocin in the rat brain by affecting cytochrome c-ir neuron density

Objective(s): Amyloid β plaques, in Alzheimer’s disease, are deposits in different areas of the brain such as prefrontal cortex, molecular layer of the cerebellum, and the hippocampal formation. Amyloid β aggregates lead to the release of cytochrome c and finally neuronal cell death in brain tissue. hCG has critical roles in brain development, neuron differentiation, and function. Therefore, we investigated the effect of hCG on the density of the congophilic Aβ plaque and cytochrome c-ir neurons in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum of Streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rats. Materials and Methods: Alzheimer model in rats (except the control group) was induced by streptozotocin (3 mg/kg, Intracerebroventricularly (ICV)). Experimental group rats received streptozotocin and then different doses of hCG (50, 100, and 200 IU, intraperitoneally) for 3 days. 48 hr after last drug injection and after histological processing, the brain sections were stained by congo red for congophilic amyloid β plaques and cytochrome c in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum were immunohistochemically stained. Results: Density of congophilic Aβ plaques and cytochrome c-immunoreactive neurons was significantly higher in ICV STZ treated rats than controls. Treatment with three doses of hCG significantly decreased the density of congophilic Aβ plaques and cytochrome c-immunoreactive neurons in the rat hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and cerebellum in ICV STZ-treated rats (

Reinforcement of Calcium Phosphate Cement with Hybrid Silk Fibroin/Kappa-Carrageenan Nanofibers

Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) offer a promising solution for treating bone defects due to their osteoconductive, injectable, biocompatible, and bone replacement properties. However, their brittle nature restricts their utilization to non-load-bearing applications. In this study, the impact of hybrid silk fibroin (SF) and kappa-carrageenan (k-CG) nanofibers as reinforcements in CPC was investigated. The CPC composite was fabricated by incorporating electrospun nanofibers in 1, 3, and 5% volume fractions. The morphology, mineralization, mechanical properties, setting time, injectability, cell adhesion, and mineralization of the CPC composites were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the addition of the nanofibers improved the CPC mixture, leading to an increase in compressive strength (14.8 ± 0.3 MPa compared to 8.1 ± 0.4 MPa of the unreinforced CPC). Similar improvements were seen in the bending strength and work fracture (WOF). The MC3T3-E1 cell culture experiments indicated that cells attached well to the surfaces of all cement samples and tended to join their adjacent cells. Additionally, the CPC composites showed higher cell mineralization after a culture period of 14 days, indicating that the SF/k-CG combination has potential for applications as a CPC reinforcement and bone cell regeneration promoter.This research was funded by the Materials and Energy Research Center (MERC, Iran), Grant Number 781398057

The Effects of Different Levels of Salinity and Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) on Early Growth and Germination of Wheat Seedling

Salt stress as a major adverse factor can lower germination, ion toxicity, reduction in enzymatic and photosynthetic efficiency and other physiological disorders and ultimately lower crop productivity in salinity zones. As growth regulators are involved in altering growth processes in plants, it is possible that they might even reduce the detrimental effects of salinity by stimulating growth. But their physiological roles are not well known. In example, about the roles of IAA in salinity conditions are not similar viewpoints. For this purpose a factorial experiment based on completely randomized design was conducted with influence of foliar application of Indole-3-Acetic Acid (IAA) in farm on germination percent and seedling growth parameters of wheat (cv. Marvdasht) under different levels (0, 40, 80 and 120 mM) of NaCl salinity with 3 replications, during 2012 in the laboratory research of the Department of plant breading and agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Maragheh University in Maragheh state in Iran. The results of this study indicate, that salinity decreased the plumule, radicle and seedling length and plumule, radicle and seedling dry weight, seed germination and seedling vigor index, whereas increase in mean germination time and no signification plumule/radicle ratio observed in the cultivar tested. Also, application of IAA at cell division stage of grain growth caused significant increase in seedling growth parameters under different salinity levels. The interaction between application of IAA and salinity levels significantly affected final germination percentage. Highest final germination percentage was recorded with IAA with increasing salinity level from 0 up to 120 mM NaCl (98.3, 98.3, 96.7 and 100% without significant differences between them, respectively)