The combination of Cytokines and albendazole therapy for prophylaxis and treatment of experimental/hydatid cyst.

Albendazole is appropriate chemotherapy for treatment and prophylaxis of cystic echinococcosis (CE). The recent studies show Cytokine therapy could be useful for chronic and progressive diseases, therefore, the use of cytokine in prophylaxis and treatment of hydatidosis could be considerable. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of interleukin-12 + interferon-gamma, in combination with albendazole for prophylaxis and treatment of CE in Balb/c mice. Albendazole and cytokines were administrated for prophylaxis and treatment in CE. The efficacy of this agents were determined by measuring of size, weight, number of cysts, histology and lymphocyte response. Lymphocyte stimulation index and production of interleukin-12 and interferon-gamma were measured by MTT assay and ELISA respectively. Combination of albendazole and cytokines was very effective for prophylaxis and treatment in experimental CE.

Screening of cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis in rural inhabitants of Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran.

Echinococcosis and toxocariasis are considered two important zoonotic diseases worldwide. The aim of the study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of cystic echinococcosis and toxocariasis and identify the role of variable factors such as age, gender, occupation, level of education, and having contact with domestic dogs and cats in the transmission of the parasites in rural inhabitants of Khuzestan Province, located in the southwest of Iran. A total of 410 rural inhabitants, who had contact with domestic dogs and cats, were randomly enrolled in the current study. Antigen B (AgB) was purified from the hydatid cyst fluid, and the ELISA test was performed for seropositive detection of cystic echinococcosis. Toxocara IgG was evaluated by ELISA DRG kit, and the positive samples were examined by Western blotting IgG LDBIO kit to confirm and validate the results of ELISA. Of the 410 sera examined, 20 (4.9%) samples were positive for cystic echinococcosis by ELISA test. A significant association was observed on the different type of occupations and seropositivity (p<0.05), but no significant differences were observed between age groups, gender, and educational levels for cystic echinococcosis. Eight (2.0%) cases were found to be positive for toxocariasis by ELISA, but none of the positive cases was confirmed by the Western blotting test. Our study showed that factors such as education, raising awareness, and health improvement in Khuzestan Province may have influenced the prevalence of echinococcosis and toxocariasis in recent years. Local health and sanitary authorities should pay more attention to the health problems in the rural areas.

A new class of cancer-associated PTEN mutations defined by membrane translocation defects.

Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), which negatively regulates tumorigenic phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PIP3) signaling, is a commonly mutated tumor suppressor. The majority of cancer-associated PTEN mutations block its essential PIP3 phosphatase activity. However, there is a group of clinically identified PTEN mutations that maintain enzymatic activity, and it is unknown how these mutations contribute to tumor pathogenesis. Here, we show that these enzymatically competent PTEN mutants fail to translocate to the plasma membrane where PTEN converts PIP3 to PI(4,5)P2. Artificial membrane tethering of the PTEN mutants effectively restores tumor suppressor activity and represses excess PIP3 signaling in cells. Thus, our findings reveal a novel mechanism of tumorigenic PTEN deficiency.

An in vitro study on suppressive effects of Leishmania major on IL-2Rα expression on peripheral human T lymphocyte.

Leishmania sp. is an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes significant morbidity and mortality in many parts of the world. The parasite can escape from host immune system by several mechanisms. Understanding biological behavior of the parasite can help us to control and treatment leishmaniasis. Therefore current study was conducted to determine suppresive effect of Leishmania major on IL-2Rα expression in the human peripheral T Lymphocytes. Human peripheral T Lymphocyte were co-cultured with standard strain of Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/EK) in RPMI1640 medium. Infected cells were stained with FITC-labelled anti-CD25 (IL-2Rα chain MAb) and Picoerithrin-labelled anti-CD4 (CD4 MAb) and analyzed by flow cytometry. The results showed that L. major suppressed IL- 2Rα expression in activated T cells as well as inhibited lymphocyte proliferation 6h after infection and was increased up to 36 hour later. This finding also indicated that suppressed IL- 2R expression was increased when the number of promastigote was added up to 7.5×10(6) cells/ml. Inhibition of IL-2R expression by the parasite might play a critical role for escaping from host immune system. Understanding biological characterization of the Leishmania can be useful for vaccine development and also cytokine therapy.

Molecular characterization of livestock and human isolates of Echinococcus granulosus from south-west Iran.

Hydatidosis is an important public health problem in several parts of Iran. The aim of this molecular study is to investigate Echinococcus granulosus genotypes as the causative agents of hydatidosis in the south-west of Iran (Khuzestan province). In this study, isolates of 334 hydatid cysts were collected from the liver and lungs of 141 sheep, 104 cattle, 84 goats and 5 human cases. DNA was extracted and examined by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR. In addition, fragments of genes coding for ITS1 were sequenced. The results of RFLP-PCR analysis revealed the presence of the G1 genotype in all human, cattle, goat and sheep isolates. Furthermore, no camel strain (G6) was detected among all samples in the regions studied. The molecular findings indicate that the predominant genotype involved in E. granulosus transmission in south-west Iran is the common sheep strain (G1 genotype), which occurs in human, cattle, sheep and goat populations. In conclusion, these results may have important implications for hydatid disease control in the areas studied.

Isolation and genotyping of acanthamoeba strains from environmental sources in ahvaz city, khuzestan province, southern iran.

BACKGROUND: Acanthamoeba spp. are free-living amoebae commonly found in the environmental sources such as water, soil, and air. This ubiquitous amoeba is the causative agent of amoebic keratitis (AK). The objective of the present study was to investigate the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in water and soil sources in Ahvaz City, Khuzestan Province, southern Iran. METHODS: In general, 110 samples of water and soil were taken from different localities of Ahvaz including agricultural canals, rivers, and swimming pools. Filtration and cultivation were carried out on non-nutrient agar medium (NNA). Axenic cultivation was performed for all of positive isolates. PCR analysis was conducted on positive samples. Sequencing was done for 15 PCR products. Genotypes were identified by Blast search and homology analysis. RESULTS: Acanthamoeba spp. was found in 43 (71.6%) of samples of water and 13 (26%) soil samples. Genotyping of 15 samples proved that Acanthamoeba belonged to T4 (86.6%), T2 (6.6%), and T5 (6.6%) genotypes. CONCLUSION: TYI-S-33 medium could be better than PYG medium for Acanthamoeba axenic culture.