ABSTRACT
Free living amoebas are abiquitous in environmental sources. Some species of these organisms are causative agent of fetal diseases in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. Member of four genera including: Acanthamoeba spp., Balamuthia mandrillaris, Naegleria fowleri and Sappinia diploidea causes infection of the central nervous system, lungs, sinuses, eyes and skin in human being. Due to progresses of human knowledge about these protozoa, it is possible that other free living amoeba may be found as potential agents of human and animals infections and death. Because of prevalence of Acanthamoeba keratitis in Iran, Familiarity with these species is important
ABSTRACT
Treatment of cancer patients using conventional chemotherapy causes serious side effects and, at best, merely extends the patient's lifespan by a few years. The potential of alternative therapies may therefore be of great benefit in cancer control. The effect of Trigonella Foenum Graecum seed extract has been previously reported on some neoplastic cells. Here, its effect is evaluated on human acute myeloblastic leukemia cell lines. The cell line KG-1 was treated with various concentrations of Fenugreek seeds extract with various durations. Cellular enumeration, viability test, staining and light microscopy, and apoptosis induction were evaluated. Results showed significant cytotoxic effect of Fenugreek seeds extract against this cell line which resulted in growth inhibition, cell death and morphological changes. Apoptosis induction was not considerable. Fenugreek seeds extract did not change the count and morphology of normal lymphocytes. Applying herbal medicines could be an effective and safe treatment for leukemia. To our knowledge, this is the first study that suggests significant chemotherapeutic effects of Fenugreek seeds against these cell lines
Subject(s)
Humans , Plant Extracts , Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy , Treatment Outcome , Apoptosis , Antifibrinolytic AgentsABSTRACT
Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar are two morphologically indistinguishable human protozoan parasites that are genetically distinct species. The potential invasive pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica and non-invasive parasite Entamoeba dispar can be differentiated by molecular and other methods. We used polymerase chain reaction [PCR] to determine the ratio of the two species in a population in Tehran and Karaj in central Iran. Materials and Human stool samples [n=12 148] were randomly collected in Tehran and Karaj and examined for E. histolytica/E. dispar cysts with direct and formalin-ether methods. Eighty-seven [0.7%] cases were positive, of which 49 [62.8%] isolates were successfully cultured in Robinson = s medium. A pair of oligonucleotide primers designed from sequence data for genomic DNA coding the 30-KD surface antigen of E. histolytica/E. dispar was used to amplify a 374 base-pair [bp] fragment. The electrophoretic pattern of the PCR product digested with Hinfl restriction enzyme was used for differentiation of the two species. The restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP] pattern obtained from a standard E. histolytica isolate had two fragments [219 bp and 155 bp], but the standard isolate of E. dispar showed three fragments [155, 152 and 67 bp]. Differential diagnosis of 49 isolates of E. histolytica/E. dispar from Tehran and Karaj using PCR-RFLP revealed that 46 [93.9%] were E. dispar while only 2 [4.1%] were E. histolytica. One person [2%] had a mixed infection and showed both patterns. The differential diagnosis of the potentially pathogenic parasite E. histolytica from the non-pathogenic E. dispar is of clinical and epidemiological importance. This study demonstrated that E. dispar is much more prevalent than E. histolytica among the = cyst passers = in Tehran and Karaj in Central Iran