Serological and molecular survey of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis in stray dogs (Canis familiaris) from an endemic focus in Meshkin-Shahr district in Ardabil province, Iran.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL),a protozoan disease caused by Leishmania infantum is a major public health problem and cause of death among infants aged under 1 year and the elderly in endemic foci of Iran. The aim of this study is to determine the status of L.infantum infection in stray dogs from Meshkin-Shahr, a typical endemic area of VL in Iran. METHODS: Sixty-eight randomly trapped stray dogs in Meshkin-Shahr area were tested for L. infantum infection using the direct agglutination test (DAT) from June to October 2016. The confirmation of seropositive samples was performed by Microscopic slides of spleen, culture and then PCR. The molecular methods performed by ITS1-PCR, RFLP-PCR and kDNA-PCR. The allof kDNA -PCR products were sequenced. RESULTS: Out of 68 examined stray dogs, 17 (25.0%) were positive for L. infantum by DAT (1:320 titers or higher). Parasite test showed that all of seropositive samples have amastigote forms in their spleens but only 3 out of them could be cultured. The kDNA-PCR confirmed all of seropositive samples but ITS1-PCR and RFLP-PCR only confirmed 3 out of 17 (17.6%) seropositive samples. The sequenced products showed 94% homology with L. infantum. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: The results showed a high prevalence of L. infantum infection in dogs in an endemic area of CVL and it provided key information for designing control programs against canine and human leishmaniasis.

Fabrication of moiré on curved surfaces.

Moiré is an appealing visual effect observable when two or more repetitive patterns are superposed. Fabrication of moiré effects has already proven to be useful in a range of applications, from art to engineering. Here, we introduce a method for designing and fabricating level-line moirés on curved surfaces. These moiré shapes are obtained by superposing a partly absorbing layer and a layer formed by an array of cylindrical lenses or by two layers of cylindrical lenses. We formulate the problem of placing an array of cylindrical lenses on a curved surface as a design problem with a small number of dimensions. The range of possible solutions can therefore be explored by a human observer. We demonstrate the quality of our method by rendered simulations and by fabrication. The resulting static displays can be manufactured using different fabrication techniques, from multi-material 3D printing to molding.

Mutation analysis of Phenylalanine hydroxylase gene in Iranian patients with Phenylketonuria.

Background: Phenylketonuria as the most common genetic metabolic disorder is the result of disruption of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. This study was carried out to explore the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene mutation status of Iranian phenylketonuria patients. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 30 patients, and hot spot areas of the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene, including exons 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12 were studied through polymerase chain reaction and sequencing techniques. Results: Eight different mutations, including 5 missense mutations, 1 splice mutation, 1 nonsense mutation, and 1 Silent/Splice mutation were detected. These mutations were R243X, R261Q, R261X, P281L, R241C, V399V, E280K, and IVS11+1G>C. V399V and R241C were reported for the first time in Iranian population. Three polymorphisms including Q232Q, V245V and L385L and 3 novel intronic variants including IVS10-15A>C, IVS6+44T>G, and IVS6+36 T>G were also detected in this study. Conclusion: The results of this study prove the heterogeneous status of phenylalanine hydroxylase gene mutations in the Iranian population, which can be useful in carrier testing and genetic counseling.

Enhancing catalysis studies with chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT): Conversation with ChatGPT.

The progress made in natural language processing (NLP) and large language models (LLMs), such as generative pre-trained transformers, (GPT) has provided exciting opportunities for enhancing research across various fields. Within the realm of catalysis studies, GPT-driven models present valuable support in expediting the exploration and comprehension of catalytic processes. This research underscores the significance of ChatGPT in catalysis research, emphasizing its prowess as a valuable tool for furthering scientific inquiries. It suggests that for an outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst as a case study, scientists can leverage ChatGPT to extract deeper insights and brainstorm innovative approaches to grasp the mechanism better and refine current systems.

Silica nanoparticles-induced cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in A549 cell lines.

Among the myriad of nanoparticles, silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) have gained significant attention since they are extensively produced and used across several kinds of industries. Because of its widespread usage, there has been increasing concern about the potential health effects. This study aims to evaluate the effects of SiO2NPs on Interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene expression in human lung epithelial cell lines (A549). In this study, A549 cells were exposed to SiO2NPs at concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 50, 100, and 200 µg/mL for 24 and 48 h. The IL-6 gene expression was assessed using Real-Time RT-PCR. Additionally, the impact of SiO2NPs on the viability of A549 cells was determined by MTT assay. Statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism software 8.0. MTT assay results indicated a concentration-dependent impact on cell survival. After 24 h, survival decreased from 80 to 68% (1-100 µg/mL), rising to 77% at higher concentrations. After 48 h, survival dropped from 97 to 80%, decreasing to 90% at higher concentrations. RT-PCR showed a dose-response relationship in cellular toxicity up to 10 µg/mL. At higher concentrations, there was increased IL-6 gene expression, mitigating SiO2NP-induced cytotoxic effects. The study shows that the viability and proliferation of A549 cells are impacted by different SiO2NPs concentrations. There may be a potential correlation between IL-6 gene expression reduction and a mechanism linked to cellular toxicity. However, at higher concentrations, an unknown mechanism increases IL-6 gene expression, reducing SiO2NPs' cytotoxic effects. These effects are concentration-dependent and not influenced by exposure times. Further investigation is recommended to determine this mechanism's nature and implications, particularly in cancer research.

High inflammatory cytokines gene expression can be detected in workers with prolonged exposure to silver and silica nanoparticles in industries.

Occupational health must be strictly considered in industries particularly in nanoparticle factories where workers were exposed to different types of chemicals. We measured the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in workers who developed skin lesions after exposure to silver and silica nanoparticles. Using a questionnaire in this cross-sectional study, we identified 110 workers in nanoparticle industries who were exposed to silver and silica nanoparticles. We also included 40 healthy subjects as controls from the administrative department of the same factories who were not exposed to nanoparticles. Peripheral blood samples used to measure the mRNA levels of inflammatory cytokines by qRT-PCR. In comparison with the control group, the workers who developed skin lesions had significantly higher levels of interleukin IL4, IL6, IL8, and TNF-α, particularly after two or three decades of exposure to silver and silica nanoparticles. Participants who were exposed to silver had higher levels of IL6 and IL8 compared with those who were exposed to silica. Necessary measures must be considered to protect workers in nanoparticle industries against the potential toxic effects of these compounds. Our network pharmacology study suggests corresponding biochemical pathways for these disorders.

HLA-DRB1 alleles as predisposing and resisting factor in women suffering from vulvovaginal candidiasis.

BACKGROUND: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a vaginal mucosal infection that usually affects women in their reproductive age. When the signs of VVC persist on a daily basis or last for a long time and repeat at least three times per year, the disease is considered chronic and recurrent. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of HLA-DRB1 alleles in patients with recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). STUDY DESIGN: 120 patients with RVVC and 136 age-matched healthy controls underwent low-resolution HLA-DRB typing performed using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) technique. RESULTS: In the present work, we studied different genes that encode HLA-DRB (HLA-DRB1 / HLA-DRB3 / HLA-DRB4 / HLA-DRB5) and showed that HLA-DRB1×14, found in 25% of the patients. In the present study, the significant frequency of HLA-DRB1×10 in the control group suggests a resistant role of this allele to RVVC infections CONCLUSIONS: In the HLA-DRB region, the DRB1×14 allele showed a higher frequency in the patients with RVVC than in the controls. Moreover, the higher frequency of DRB1×10 observed in the controls than in the patients with RVVC. These results demonstrate the HLA-DRB1 alleles are in relation with both susceptibility and immunity factors in RVVC infection and possible susceptible role of HLA-DRB1×14.

Investigating the expression of ALS2 and ALS9 genes along with allele frequency of ALS9 in patients with vulvovaginal candidiasis.

BACKGROUND: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a vaginal mucosal infection that usually infects women in their reproductive age. When the signs of VVC persist on a daily basis or last for a long time and repeat at least three times per year, the disease is considered chronic and recurrent. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the expression rate of 2 genes responsible for adhesion and virulence of candida in RVVC patients using Real-time PCR, and comparing them together and assess the presence or absence of ALS9-2 allele in these patients. PATIENTS/METHODS: The vaginal discharge was collected from 120 women aged (22-55) attending lolagar hospital which were all diagnosed with RVVC and 120 age-matched healthy controls. The expression rate of ALS2 and ALS 9 genes was quantified using real-time PCR. PCR method was used for Identification of ALS9 gene alleles. RESULTS: Results showed an increase in ALS2 gene expression and a decrease in ALS9 gene expression, comparing to basic level and standard sample. 42.5% (51 of total 120 samples) contained the small allele. CONCLUSIONS: The significant difference in expression rates of ALS2 and ALS9 genes indicates their different roles in making morphogenesis changes during the virulence of Candida albicans. Emergence of heterogeneous form and detection of ALS's short allele in invasive form of fungi proves the significant pathogenic role of this allele, specially when attached to mucosal tissue. Invasive and recurrent form of the disease can be accompanied by genetic-morphologic changes in fungi. Considering the form of this disease and the reduction in ALS9 gene expression, it can be concluded that this gene plays a significant role in attachment and initiation of the pathogenic phase.

Filaggrin gene polymorphisms in Iranian ichthyosis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis patients.

BACKGROUND: Filaggrin is a key structural epidermal protein in terminal differentiation and formation of skin barrier. The important role of filaggrin and its effects in various cutaneous and noncutaneous disorders initiated a cascade of considerable research in recent years. Loss-of-function mutations in FLG, the human gene encoding profilaggrin/filaggrin, is the cause of the common skin condition ichthyosis vulgaris (IV) and major genetic predisposing factor for atopic dermatitis (AD). Several null mutations in the FLG gene that lead to a decrease or absence of filaggrin in skin and predispose these conditions have been described. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigative genetic polymorphism of FLG in Iranian patients with IV and AD. METHODS: In the current study, we carried out full sequencing of the entire FLG coding region in 30 IV patients and 30 AD patients, and also 60 healthy controls. RESULTS: In our research, we identified 43 variants reported previously and two novel variants. CONCLUSION: In our study, in the AD and IV patients, loss-of-function FLG mutation was not found. This means that another mechanism other than FLG nonsense mutation is involved in the pathogenesis of these patients.

FabSquare: Fabricating Photopolymer Objects by Mold 3D Printing and UV Curing.

The FabSquare system is a personal fabrication method that lets users fabricate objects by molding photopolymers inside a 3D printed mold. The molds are printed with UV-transparent materials that allow for UV curing--the polymerization and solidification of the fluid content. The molds can be repeatedly reused to fabricate identical objects or create new objects with identical geometry, but different components. Because the necessary equipment is easily obtainable and affordable, the FabSquare approach is suitable for ordinary users in nonspecialized labs, allowing them to rapidly fabricate a range of objects. https://extras.computer.org/extra/mcg2017030034s1.mp4https://extras.computer.org/extra/mcg2017030034s2.pdf.

Treatment of 100 chronic thalassemic leg wounds by plasma-rich platelets.

OBJECTIVE: Thalassemia is a heterogeneous group of congenital hemoglobinopathies caused by mutations in the globin gene complex that result in an unbalanced globin synthesis. Unmatched globin chains bind to the cytosolic surface of red blood cell membrane where they cause oxidative damage that might in part be responsible for membrane weakness. The deformability of red blood cells and hypercoagulable state in thalassemic patients have been incriminated in leg ulcer formation, as this might cause ischemia to the skin and consequently friability and ulceration. METHODS: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) gel is considered an advanced wound therapy for chronic and acute wounds. PRP gel consists of cytokines, growth factors, chemokines, and a fibrin scaffold derived from a patient's blood. In this study, we treated 100 thalassemic leg wounds using PRP. RESULTS: There was wound size reduction in patients after 4 weeks of treatment. In wounds with 2-3.5 cm2 surface area, complete closure happened after 12.5 weeks, 5-12 cm2 wounds completely closed after 13.2 weeks, and finally, 4.5-6 cm2 wounds healed completely after 14 weeks. None of the wounds reopened after 8 months of monitoring. CONCLUSION: This study will help extrapolation of the use of PRP for at least thalassemic leg wound treatment.

Mutation characterization and heterodimer analysis of patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency: Including one novel mutation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Leukocyte adhesion deficiency type 1 (LAD-I) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder of neutrophil migration, characterized by severe, recurrent bacterial infections, inadequate pus formation and impaired wound healing. The ITGB2 gene encodes the ß2 integrin subunit (CD18) of the leukocyte adhesion cell molecules, and mutations in this gene cause LAD-I. The aim of the current study was to investigate the mutations in patients diagnosed with LAD-I and functional studies of the impact of two previously reported and a novel mutation on the expression of the CD18/CD11a heterodimer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood samples were taken from three patients who had signed the consent form. Genomic DNA was extracted and ITGB2 exons and flanking intronic regions were amplified by polymerase chain reaction. Mutation screening was performed after Sanger sequencing of PCR products. For functional studies, COS-7 cells were co-transfected with an expression vector containing cDNA encoding mutant CD18 proteins and normal CD11a. Flow cytometry analysis of CD18/CD11a expression was assessed by dimer-specific IB4 monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: Two previously reported mutations and one novel mutation,p. Cys562Tyr, were found. All mutations reduced CD18/CD11 heterodimer expression. CONCLUSION: Our strategy recognized the p.Cys562Tyr mutation as a pathogenic alteration that does not support CD18 heterodimer formation. Therefore, it can be put into a panel of carrier and prenatal diagnosis programs.

N -Ink Printer Characterization With Barycentric Subdivision.

Printing with a large number of inks, also called N -ink printing, is a challenging task. The challenges comprise spectral modeling of the printer, color separation, halftoning, and limitations of the amount of inks. Juxtaposed halftoning, a perfectly dot-off-dot halftoning method, has proved to be useful to address some of these challenges. However, for juxtaposed halftones, prediction of colors as a function of ink area coverages has not yet been fully investigated. The goal of this paper is to introduce a spectral prediction model for N -ink juxtaposed-halftone prints. As the area-coverage domain of juxtaposed inks forms a simplex, we propose a cellular subdivision of the area-coverage domain using the barycentric subdivision of simplexes. The barycentric subdivision provides algorithmically straightforward means to design and implement an N -ink color prediction model. Within the subdomain cells, the Yule-Nielsen spectral Neugebauer model is used for the spectral prediction. Our proposed model is highly accurate for prints with a large number of inks while requiring a relatively low number of calibration samples.

Juxtaposed color halftoning relying on discrete lines.

Most halftoning techniques allow screen dots to overlap. They rely on the assumption that the inks are transparent, i.e., the inks do not scatter a significant portion of the light back to the air. However, many special effect inks, such as metallic inks, iridescent inks, or pigmented inks, are not transparent. In order to create halftone images, halftone dots formed by such inks should be juxtaposed, i.e., printed side by side. We propose an efficient juxtaposed color halftoning technique for placing any desired number of colorant layers side by side without overlapping. The method uses a monochrome library of screen elements made of discrete lines with rational thicknesses. Discrete line juxtaposed color halftoning is performed efficiently by multiple accesses to the screen element library.

Clinical correlations between chronic hepatitis C infection and decreasing bone mass density after treatment with interferon-alpha

Objective: To compare the bone mass density in chronic hepatitis patients before and after interferon-a treatment. Methods: A total of 70 patients with chronic hepatitis C were treated with interferon-a and were evaluated. The treatment dosage was three million IU three times a week for one year. All the patients underwent bone mass density detection at lumbar spine and femoral neck before and after the interferon-a treatment. All the necessary information such as age, sex, and laboratory test, history of occurrence of fractures, lifestyle, and menopause status was collected by interviewers face-to-face from participants at the research visit. Smoking was categorized by whether participants were nonsmokers or smokers. Menopause was designated if there had been complete cessation of menses for more than 12 months. All statistical analyses were performed by SPSS version 14 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Among 70 patients, 52%were male, 48%were female and the mean age was (57.0 ± 9.6) years (range: 24–79). Twenty-nine percent of the patients had a history of smoking. The mean body mass index was (24.4 ± 3.6) kg/m2 (range:18.4–35.3). Of the 70 cases, 21 had high fibrosis-4. The prevalence of overall fracture history was 2.9%(two patients). Conclusions: Chronic hepatitis C virus infection did increase the risk of development of metabolic bone disease in this cohort. Indeed, greater reduction of bone mass density occurs in advanced liver fibrosis. The bone loss in earlier stages of chronic hepatitis C infection is likely to result from increased bone reduction rather than decreased bone formation. Overall, these observations suggest an important role for chronic hepatitis C virus infection in increased bone turnover in osteodystrophy pathogenesis.