Molecular detection of Leptospira spp. in the urine of cattle in northern Iran.

Leptospirosis is a zoonosis of worldwide distribution, caused by Leptospira interrogans and is considered as an emerging global public health problem. Transmission usually results from direct or indirect exposure to the urine or other body fluids of leptospiruric animals which may become a source of infection for human or other animals. Having a humid climate with plenty of annual rainfall, Guilan province is a suitable environment for maintaining Leptospira spp. Hence, early detection of Leptospira spp. in the host prompts control and protection, and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a suitable method. The present report aimed to demonstrate the PCR analysis of bovine urine for detection of leptospiral DNA. A total of 98 urine samples were randomly collected from cattle bladder in Rasht abattoir of Iran and the presence of leptospiral DNA was assayed by PCR amplification of rrs (16S rRNA) gene and the results confirmed by nested PCR. Out of 98 urine samples in 42 samples leptospires DNA was identified with the frequency of 43%. The high presence of the organism in the urine of carriers is a serious threat to the dairy farms and to the public health which requires an effective control measure in the north provinces of Iran.

Prolonged survival associated with the use of intraoperative carmustine (Gliadel) in a paediatric patient with recurrent grade III astrocytoma.

A 15-year-old female presented with a middle cranial fossa anaplastic astrocytoma that was completely excised. She received local radiotherapy (54 Gy) and oral temozolomide. Five months after therapy, MRI showed local relapse. She underwent resection of the tumour with implantation of seven carmustine-impregnated wafers (Gliadel). She then received six cycles of procarbazine and lomustine therapy. Three years later, she is well and disease free. This case supports the further investigation of Gliadel in children and young people with relapsed high-grade glioma, particularly in the setting of a second complete resection.

Characterization and stability of nanostructured lipid carriers as drug delivery system.

Recently more focus has been put to the development of innovative drug-delivery systems that includes polymer nanoparticles, emulsions and liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs). The SLNs have been proposed to be an alternative colloidal drug delivery system. The aim of this study was preparation and characterization of solid lipid nanoparticle (SLN) using varieties of emulsifier for encapsulation of the drug with poor water solubility. In these study four types of solid lipid nanoparticles were prepared based on different compositions of palm oil (S154) and lecithin (Lipoid 100) using the high pressure homogenization method. The SLN formulation had the following (palm oil+lecithin) compositions: SLN-01 (90 + 10%, respectively), SLN-02 (80 + 20%, respectively), SLN-03 (70 + 30%, respectively) and SLN-04 (60 + 40%, respectively). The SLNs were characterized and the optimum stability factors for one year storage determined. The parameters used to characterize the SLNs were particle size and polydispersity index (particle sizer), zeta potential (zetasizer), crystallinity (differential scanning calorimetry and wide angle X-ray diffraction), ultrastructure (transmission electron microscopy). Varying the palm oil and lecithin compositions resulted in SLNs of variable sizes and zeta potentials. The particle sizes of SLN-01, SLN-02, SLN-03 and SLN-04 were 298.40 +/- 11.80, 255.40 +/- 3.20, 145.00 +/- 3.39 and 273.00 +/- 86.50 nm, respectively, while the zeta potentials were -19.44 +/- 60.00, -19.50 +/- 1.80, -17.83 +/- 10.00 and -13.33 +/- 2.30 mV, respectively. Thermoanalysis and X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the SLNs had lower crystallinity than bulk lipid. The SLNs were generally round and uniform in shape under transmission electron microscopy. The SLN dimensional data suggested they had high quality physicochemical characteristics, which are conducive for the loading of poor water solubility drugs.

Bacterial, fungal and parasitic contamination of cockroaches in public hospitals of Hamadan, Iran.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: To determine the possible role of cockroaches in dissemination of medically important microorganisms, a study was carried out in public hospitals and residential areas of Hamadan city, west of Iran. Bacteria, fungi and parasites of medical importance were isolated and identified. The total number of Blattella germanica collected from hospitals were 133 as the case group. The cockroaches collected from residential areas were 45 as the control group. METHODS: A total of 178 cockroaches were collected, over a period of two years (133 from hospitals; and 45 from residential areas) in Hamadan. Medically important microorganisms were isolated from external and internal surfaces using standard methods. RESULTS: In the case group, 130 out of 133 (98%) Blattella germanica showed contamination with high bacterial load (more than 1 x 10(3)) whereas only 2 out of 45 (4.45%) cockroaches of the control group were carrying medically important bacteria with high bacterial load. Bacteriological examinations revealed that almost all test cockroaches had at least one of the following microorganisms either in their body surface or digestive tract. Enterobacter (22.6%), Klebsiela (21%), Enterococcus (17.3%), Staphylococcus (16.5%), Esherichia coli and Streptococcus (8.3%), Pseudomonas (3%), and also Shigella, Haemophilus and group A beta-hemolytic Streptococcus each less than 1%. In addition the results showed (74.4.%) of test cockroaches harboured fungi-Candida (48.9%), Mucor (10.5%), Aspergillus niger (7.5%), Rhizopus (4.5) and also Penicillium and Aspergillus fumigans each 1.5%. Some parasitic worms of medical importance were also isolated from the test cockroaches, but carriage rates were low. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The data from this study emphasise the importance of cockroaches as potential vectors of medically important microorganisms such as pathogenic bacteria and fungi in hospital environments.

The antimitotic effect of the neem terpenoid azadirachtin on cultured insect cells.

When cultured insect cells (Sf9) were grown in the presence of 5 x 10(-6) M azadirachtin, there was a rapid increase in the mitotic index, with the appearance of many aberrant mitotic figures. Flow cytometry established that cells accumulated in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, and that the effect was concentration-dependent. At 10(-8) M a period of 20 h was necessary to raise the proportion in G2/M to 42% above the control values, but at 5 x 10(-6) M more than 90% of the cells were in this phase. Azadirachtin had the same effect on C6/36 mosquito cells, but failed to affect L929 murine fibroblast cells even at a concentration of 10(-4) M over 72 h. Experiments with colchcine and taxol showed similarities of action between azadirachtin and colchicine, and azadirachtin was apparently able to displace colchicine-fluorescein from binding-sites in living insect cells. Another similarity between azdirachtin and colchicine was that both phytochemicals prevented the polymerisatrion in vitro of mammalian tubulin, although the azadirachtin was much less effective.