Providing Functional Communication Test for Persian Patients and Determining Its Validity and Reliability.

The International Classification of Impairment, Disabilities and Health by the World Health Organization had a profound influence on assessing and treating people with acquired brain injuries (ABI), which cause a movement from using impairment-based intervention to use therapies that focused on improving the participation and function of the individual's daily life. Although the first step of any therapy plan is to measure the damaged function of the related dimension, no available functional communication test for Persian-speaking people with ABI is available. Our purpose of this study was to provide a Functional Communication Test for Persian-speaking patients to measure the strengths and weakness of communication in dementia-free patients with ABI. In this cross-sectional study, the first version of the Persian Functional Communication Test (P-FUCT) was designed based on the structure of the most common functional communication tests such as ASHA-FACS and CADL. The content validity ratio (CVR) were determined. The final version of P-FUCT was administered on 30 dementia-free patients with ABI completed once by a clinician and once by the caregivers and the correlation between the scores was obtained. Concurrently, the P-WAB-1 was administered to assess the concurrent validity of the P-FUCT. The results indicated that P-FUCT has an acceptable level of internal consistency (alpha = 0.96), inter-rater 0.91 and intra-rater measurements 0.95 p < 0.05 with an adequate CVR of 0.71. The correlation between P-WAB-1 and P-FUCT scores completed by clinicians and the caregivers was r = 0/79 and r = 0/80. The P-FUCT is a valid and reliable assessment tool can be use for measuring the function communication ability of dementia-free patients with ABI.

Effects of curcumin-piperine supplementation on systemic immunity in young women with premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea: A randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and primary dysmenorrhea (PD) are common gynecological complications and there is evidence that inflammation may be an important factor in their etiology. There is a relationship between PMS and PD with susceptibility to allergic disorders. We aimed to assess the effect of curcumin co-administered with piperine on serum IL-10, IL-12 and IgE levels in patients with PD and PMS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 80 patients were recruited to this triple-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Participants were randomly allocated to curcumin (n = 40) and control groups (n = 40). Each participant received one capsule (500 mg of curcuminoid plus piperine, or placebo) daily, from 7 days before until 3 days after menstruation for three consecutive menstrual cycles. RESULTS: Serum IgE, IL-10 and IL-12 levels were quantified by using an ELISA kit. No significant differences were found between the two groups at baseline, including: age, BMI, and dietary intakes (P > 0.05). Curcumin + piperine treatment was associated with a significant reduction in the mean serum levels of IgE [from 223.6 ± 258.7 IU/mL to 161.3 ± 240.7; P = 0.001]; but there were no significant changes in the placebo group (P = 0.12). Serum concentrations of IL-10 and IL-12 before and after the trial period did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Curcumin plus piperine might be have positive effect on serum IgE levels with no significant changes on serum IL-10 and IL-12 in healthy young women with PMS and PD. Studies with higher doses and longer durations of treatment with curcumin are required to confirm these findings.

Phage Therapy as an Approach to Control Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis Infection in Mice.

INTRODUCTION: Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a cause of food-borne human illness. Given the prevalence of antibiotic resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis and the lack of antibiotic efficacy in future years, its replacement with other agents is necessary. One of the most useful agents is bacteriophages. METHODS: S. Enteritidis was identified using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay. The effective bacteriophages were isolated from hospital wastewater samples. The effects of the bacteriophages were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: The phage SE20 belonged to the Podoviridae family, and the genome size was 40 kb. The evaluation of phage SE20 at variable pH ranges showed its susceptibility to pH < 3 and pH > 12. The animal model showed that mice infected with S. Enteritidis developed hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, but did not experience gastrointestinal complications after receiving the bacteriophages. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that phage SE20 is a promising candidate for controlling salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Enteritidis.

Citrobacter freundii Foodborne Disease Outbreaks Related to Environmental Conditions in Yazd Province, Iran.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess associations of Citrobacter freundii foodborne outbreaks with environmental factors in various regions of Yazd Province, Iran, 2012-2016. METHODS: The public health surveillance data were used for one period of five years reported foodborne disease outbreaks in various regions of the Province. Multilevel regression statistical method was used to analyze associations of climatic and demographic variables with outbreaks. Significant associations were tested using likelihood ratio tests. RESULTS: Results showed a significant association between C. freundii outbreaks and air dust conditions, age groups and various regional cities. CONCLUSION: The current study revealed necessity of etiologic agent identification for use in foodborne disease outbreak guidance in future outbreaks. Systemic surveillance schemes can help prevent and control similar scenarios using reports of environmental effects on foodborne disease outbreaks.

Radioprotective effects of vitamin A against gamma radiation in mouse bone marrow cells.

Radioprotectors by neutralizing the effects of free radicals, reduce the destructive effects of radiation. In this protocol article, the radioprotectory effect of vitamin A on micronuclei induced by gamma radiation was evaluated using micronucleus test. Vitamin A was injected intraperitoneally at 100 and 400 mg/kg two hours before 2 Gray (Gy) of gamma radiation. Animals were sacrificed after 24 h, and then specimens of the bone marrow were smeared and stained. The number of micronuclei were counted in polychromatic cells. Both dosage of vitamin A reduced the micronucleus in bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes (MnPCE) level, which is statistically significant. The appropriate amount of vitamin A for protection in mice is 100 mg/kg, which protect the bone marrow of mice against clastogenic effects of radiation. The results of the study showed that vitamin A, possibly with an antioxidant mechanism, eliminates the effects of free radicals from ionizing radiation on bone marrow cells and reduces genetic damage. •The data of radioprotective effects of vitamin A showed that administration of 100 mg/kg vitamin A to mice prior to 2 Gy of gamma radiation has reduced the micronucleus levels in PCE cells by a factor of 2.62.•Administration of 100 mg/kg vitamin A, which is much smaller than LD50 of vitamin A (LD50 for intraperitoneal injection = 1510 ± 240 mg/kg) can protect mice.•Vitamin A reduces the harmful effects of ionizing radiation on DNA, due to the antioxidant activity and the trapping of free radicals produced by radiation, and diminish the genetic damage caused by radiation.•Vitamin A has no effect on the proliferation and differentiation rate of bone marrow cells.

Learning Organizations of Protein Energy Landscapes: An Application on Decoy Selection in Template-Free Protein Structure Prediction.

The protein energy landscape, which lifts the protein structure space by associating energies with structures, has been useful in improving our understanding of the relationship between structure, dynamics, and function. Currently, however, it is challenging to automatically extract and utilize the underlying organization of an energy landscape to the link structural states it houses to biological activity. In this chapter, we first report on two computational approaches that extract such an organization, one that ignores energies and operates directly in the structure space and another that operates on the energy landscape associated with the structure space. We then describe two complementary approaches, one based on unsupervised learning and another based on supervised learning. Both approaches utilize the extracted organization to address the problem of decoy selection in template-free protein structure prediction. The presented results make the case that learning organizations of protein energy landscapes advances our ability to link structures to biological activity.

Graph-Based Community Detection for Decoy Selection in Template-Free Protein Structure Prediction.

Significant efforts in wet and dry laboratories are devoted to resolving molecular structures. In particular, computational methods can now compute thousands of tertiary structures that populate the structure space of a protein molecule of interest. These advances are now allowing us to turn our attention to analysis methodologies that are able to organize the computed structures in order to highlight functionally relevant structural states. In this paper, we propose a methodology that leverages community detection methods, designed originally to detect communities in social networks, to organize computationally probed protein structure spaces. We report a principled comparison of such methods along several metrics on proteins of diverse folds and lengths. We present a rigorous evaluation in the context of decoy selection in template-free protein structure prediction. The results make the case that network-based community detection methods warrant further investigation to advance analysis of protein structure spaces for automated selection of functionally relevant structures.

Phage therapy as an approach to control salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis infection in mice

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a cause of food-borne human illness. Given the prevalence of antibiotic resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis and the lack of antibiotic efficacy in future years, its replacement with other agents is necessary. One of the most useful agents is bacteriophages. METHODS S. Enteritidis was identified using a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay. The effective bacteriophages were isolated from hospital wastewater samples. The effects of the bacteriophages were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS The phage SE20 belonged to the Podoviridae family, and the genome size was 40 kb. The evaluation of phage SE20 at variable pH ranges showed its susceptibility to pH < 3 and pH > 12. The animal model showed that mice infected with S. Enteritidis developed hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, but did not experience gastrointestinal complications after receiving the bacteriophages. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that phage SE20 is a promising candidate for controlling salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Enteritidis.

Molecular epidemiology and genetic characterization of Shigella in pediatric patients in Iran.

Infection with Shigella is considered a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children with diarrhea in developing countries, especially in Iran. Due to the importance of country-level epidemiological data, molecular characterization of genetic determinants of Shigella spp. is a necessity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of integron types, bla-CTX-M, bla-SHV and blaTEM ß-lactamase genes of Shigella isolates in pediatric patients in Tehran, Iran. In a time period of 18 months from May 2015 to August 2017, 75 Shigella spp. were isolated from non-duplicative diarrheal stool specimens in six different hospitals in Tehran. The isolates from patients were further analyzed for their antibiotic susceptibility and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production. Polymerase chain reaction was performed for amplification of the integrons (I, II, III), TEM, SHV, CTX-M15. The prevalence of S. sonnei, S. flexneri, S. dysenteriae and S. boydii were 40 (53.3%), 33 (44%), 1 (1.3%) and 1 (1.3%), respectively. The results of an antimicrobial resistance test showed that the high percentage of resistance to nalidixic acid (NA), ampicillin (AMP) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT) included 38 (50.6%), 59 (81.3%) and 64 (88%) isolates, respectively. Further results revealed that 52% and 76% of Shigella isolates carried intI and intII genes, respectively. In this study, the rates of CTX-M (10.7%), SHV (28%) and TEM (21.3%) were determined, all of which were positive for blaCTX-M15. This study showed the high prevalence of multidrug resistant S. sonnei and S. flexneri. Furthermore, it highlighted the increasing integrons (intI and intII) and ESBL genes, especially blaCTX-M15, in Shigella isolates.

Female Fertility Preservation, Clinical and Experimental Options.

Recently, due to tremendous progress in prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment of different kinds of malignancies, demands on fertility preservation were raised significantly in developed countries. Fertility failure is one of the most detrimental consequences of radio/cytotoxic treatment procedures in women who could overcome their cancer disease. For women who are involved in cancer diseases, there are multiple options regarding their fertility preservation and those could be selected according to patient's age, the risk of ovarian involvement, the available time and the type of cancer with different levels of advantages and disadvantages. Although there are multiple options, but embryo cryopreservation and ovarian tissue cryopreservation are the most reliable methods for permature and post-mature puberty, respectively. In addition, other approaches like artificial ovary, isolation and cryopreservation of follicles and mature and immature oocyte preservation are under investigations and the success rate of oocyte vitrification is increasing. Therefore, the techniques have the potential to be used in clinic in near future. The presence of comprehensive consultation, before the onset of any kind of cancer treatment procedures, is an indispensable issue which would help patients to make up their mind in choosing the immediate and the best available fertility preservation option.

Isolation and identification of specific bacteriophage against enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and in vitro and in vivo characterization of bacteriophage.

In recent years, the increasing resistance of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) to commonly used antibiotics has made it difficult to choose the best treatment option. Bacteriophage therapy could be a potent alternative to antibiotic therapy for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The aim of the present study was to isolate and identify a specific bacteriophage against EPEC and characterize bacteriophage in vitro and in vivo. The specific bacteriophage was isolated, and the effect of phage therapy on 48 mice (Balb/c) was investigated. Animals were divided into six groups, including A: PBS (negative control); B: bacteria (positive control); C: bacteria + ciprofloxacin (after 24 h); D: bacteria + bacteriophage (after 24 h); E: bacteria + ciprofloxacin + bacteriophage (after 24 h) and F: bacteriophage + bacteria (after 24 h). Specific bacteriophage against EPEC was isolated from hospital sewage. The bacteriophage had an icosahedral head (120 nm) and a tail (138 nm). The single dose of the bacteriophage (2 × 109 pfu ml-1) was able to control the infection. Unfortunately, because of the misuse of antibiotics by EPEC infected patients, the antibiotic resistant bacteria will become prevalent in the future and the treatment of EPEC infection is going to become more difficult than ever.

The Growth of Preantral Follicles and the Impact of Different Supplementations and Circumstances: A Review Study with Focus on Bovine and Human Preantral Follicles.

One of the most important concerns cancer survivors face is fertility. Current treatment modalities often result in damage to the reproductive system. Different options have been proposed to preserve the fertility of affected women, and many attempts have been made to improve their chance of childbearing after therapy. Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue and follicles before the onset of cancer treatment and then either transplantation of ovarian tissue or culture of ovarian tissue and individual follicles in vitro is a commonly cited approach. Extensive research is being done to design an optimal condition for the culture of ovarian follicles. Improving follicle culture systems by understanding their actual growth needs might be a crucial step toward fertility preservation in cancer patients. This review article will try to provide a summary of the role of different factors and conditions on growth of human and bovine preantral follicles in vitro.

Mouse preantral follicle growth in 3D co-culture system using human menstrual blood mesenchymal stem cell.

Follicle culture provides a condition which can help investigators to evaluate various aspects of ovarian follicle growth and development and impact of different components and supplementations as well as presumably application of follicle culture approach in fertility preservation procedures. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), particularly those isolated from menstrual blood has the potential to be used as a tool for improvement of fertility. In the current study, a 3D co-culture system with mice preantral follicles and human Menstrual Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MenSCs) using either collagen or alginate beads was designed to investigate whether this system allows better preantral follicles growth and development. Results showed that MenSCs increase the indices of follicular growth including survival rate, diameter, and antrum formation as well as the rate of in vitro maturation (IVM) in both collagen and alginates beads. Although statistically not significant, alginate was found to be superior in terms of supporting survival rate and antrum formation. Hormone assay demonstrated that the amount of secreted 17 ß-estradiol and progesterone in both 3D systems increased dramatically after 12 days, with the highest levels in system employing MenSCs. Data also demonstrated that relative expression of studied genes increased for Bmp15 and Gdf9 and decreased for Mater when follicles were cultured in the presence of MenSCs. Collectively, results of the present study showed that MenSCs could improve indices of follicular growth and maturation in vitro. Further studies are needed before a clinical application of MenSCs-induced IVM is considered.

Phage therapy: assessment of the efficacy of a bacteriophage isolated in the treatment of salmonellosis induced by Salmonella enteritidis in mice.

AIM: This work aims to isolate and perform comparative studies of a phages active against a Salmonella enteritidis strain from Iran. Also, suitable phage candidates for therapy of mice will be selected. BACKGROUND: Bacteriophage is of particular interest as a biocontrol agent in the prevention of food-borne illnesses. In recent years tend to use bacteriophages to control pathogenic bacteria has increased. A bacteriophage is considered to be a potent antibiotic alternative for treating bacterial infections. METHODS: the specific phages against Salmonella Enteritidis was isolated and candidates for therapy of mice will be selected. Mouses divided into the six specific groups. Groups of mice were as follows: A: Bacteri (control) B: Bacteri+ bacteriophage (Simultaneous), C: Bacteri + bacteriophage Four days later, D: Bacteriophage + bacteri four days later E: Bacteri+ Ciprofloxacin (Simultaneous) F: Bacteri+ ciprofloxacin+ bacteriophage (Simultaneous). RESULTS: In this study, a lytic bacteriophage is isolated and it shows that phage has a head size of 46 nm and without a tail, by using an electron microscope. Oral administration of a single dose of 2 × 109 PFU/mouse bacteriophage enable to protect mouse against salmonellosis and it causes treatment of salmonellosis in mice. CONCLUSION: The use of this phage compared to ciprofloxacin shows that in addition of the treatment of mouse, it also prevents weight loss.

Improved Isolation, Proliferation, and Differentiation Capacity of Mouse Ovarian Putative Stem Cells.

The recent discovery of ovarian stem cells in postnatal mammalian ovaries, also referred to as putative stem cells (PSCs), and their roles in mammalian fertility has challenged the long-existing theory that women are endowed with a certain number of germ cells. The rare amount of PSCs is the major limitation for utilizing them through different applications. Therefore, this study was conducted in six phases to find a way to increase the number of Fragilis- and mouse vasa homolog (MVH)-positive sorted cells from 14-day-old NMRI strain mice. Results showed that there is a population of Fragilis- and MVH-positive cells with pluripotent stem cell characteristics, which can be isolated and expanded for months in vitro. PSCs increase their proliferation capacity under the influence of some mitogenic agents, and our results showed that different doses of stem cell factor (SCF) induce PSC proliferation with the maximum increase observed at 50 ng/mL. SCF was also able to increase the number of Fragilis- and MVH-positive cells after sorting by magnetic-activated cell sorting and enhance colony formation efficiency in sorted cells. Differentiation capacity assay indicated that there is a basic level of spontaneous differentiation toward oocyte-like cells during 3 days of culture. However, relative gene expression was significantly higher in the follicle-stimulating hormone-treated groups, especially in the Fragilis- sorted PSCs. We suggest that higher number of PSCs provides us either a greater source of energy that can be injected into energy-impaired oocytes in women with a history of repeat IVF failure or a good source for research.

Comparison of Human Amniotic, Chorionic, and Umbilical Cord Multipotent Mesenchymal Stem Cells Regarding Their Capacity for Differentiation Toward Female Germ Cells.

Placenta harbors a plentiful source of various cells with stem cells or stem-like cell properties, which can be used in therapeutic procedures and research. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted much attention due to their specific differentiation potential and tolerogenic properties. MSCs have been isolated from different parts of placenta; however, in this study, we isolated MSCs from amnion and chorion membrane, as well as umbilical cord (Wharton's jelly [WJ]) and compared their capacity regarding differentiation toward female germ cells under influence of 10 ng/mL BMP4. All placenta samples were collected from delivering mothers by normal cesarean section and cells were isolated by different methods. Results showed that all isolated cells were mostly positive for the MSC markers CD73, CD166, and CD105, and minimally reacted with CD34 and CD45 (hematopoietic markers). After differentiation induction using third passage cultured cells, immunocytochemistry staining showed that cells were positive for germline cell-related genes Ssea4, Oct4, and Ddx4, and oocyte-related gene Gdf9. RT-qPCR results indicated that human chorion MSCs (hCMSCs) had a greater potential to be differentiated into female germline cells. Moreover, the results of this study indicate that human umbilical cord MSCs originated from either male or female umbilical cord have the same differentiation potential into female germline cells. We recommend that for presumptive application of MSCs for infertility treatment and research, hUMSCs are best candidates due to their higher differentiation potential, ease of proliferation and expansion, and low immunogenicity.

Differentiation of Mouse Ovarian Stem Cells Toward Oocyte-Like Structure by Coculture with Granulosa Cells.

An increasing body of evidence has confirmed existence and function of ovarian stem cells (OSCs). In this study, a novel approach on differentiation of OSCs into oocyte-like cells (OLCs) has been addressed. Recently, different methods have been recruited to isolate and describe aspects of OSCs, but newer and more convenient strategies in isolation are still growing. Herein, a morphology-based method was used to isolate OSCs. Cell suspension of mouse neonatal ovaries was cultured and formed colonies were harvested mechanically and cultivated on mouse embryonic fibroblasts. For differentiation induction, colonies transferred on inactive granulosa cells. Results showed that cells in colonies were positive for alkaline phosphatase activity and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed the pluripotency characteristics of cells. Immunofluorescence revealed a positive signal for OCT4, DAZL, MVH, and SSEA1 in colonies as well. Results of RT-PCR and immunofluorescence confirmed that some OLCs were generated within the germ stem cell (GSCs) colonies. The applicability of morphological selection for isolation of GSCs was verified. This method is easier and more economic than other techniques. Our results demonstrate that granulosa cells were effective in inducing the differentiation of OSCs into OLCs through direct cell-to-cell contacts.

The effects of unilateral varicose ovarian vein on antioxidant capacity and oocyte quality in rat ovary.

OBJECTIVES: Several researchers have reported the relationship between infertility in male and varicocele for so many years but the implication of varicocele in female patients is remains elusive. Here, we aim to examine the effects of unilateral varicose ovarian vein on antioxidant capacity and oocyte quality of rat ovary after the experimental creation of varicocele in female rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, thirty adult female albino rats were divided into three equal groups: Group 1 as the control group has 10 rats, Group 2 as the sham group has 10 rats and they underwent a sham operation and finally Group 3 has the varicocele group has 10 rats. Antioxidant assays for superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase were performed using specific assay kits and gene expression for Bax, Bmp-15, Hsp-27 and Gdf-9 was done via real time PCR. RESULTS: The adverse effects of the experimentally induced varicocele were reported and recorded on the left ovary compared to the right sided ovary (no varicocele induction) in the varicocele group. Real time PCR data shows that the expression of Gdf-9, Hsp-27 and Bmp-15 genes were all significantly reduced at p≤ 0.05. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that reduced gene expression of Bmp-15, Gdf-9 and Hsp-27, increased gene expression of bax and an imbalance between pro-oxidant/antioxidant ratio are few of the several mechanisms by which varicocele may lead to infertility in female.

Used protocols for isolation and propagation of ovarian stem cells, different cells with different traits.

Although existence of ovarian stem cells (OSCs) in mammalian postnatal ovary is still under controversy, however, it has been almost accepted that OSCs are contributing actively to folliculogenesis and neo-oogenesis. Recently, various methods with different efficacies have been employed for OSCs isolation from ovarian tissue, which these methods could be chosen depends on aim of isolation and accessible equipments and materials in lab. Although isolated OSCs from different methods have various traits and characterizations, which might become from their different nature and origin, however these stem cells are promising source for woman infertility treatment or source of energy for women with a history of repeat IVF failure in near future. This review has brought together and summarized currently used protocols for isolation and propagation of OSCs in vitro.