Reviewing the role of cardiac exosomes in myocardial repair at a glance

Exosome-based therapy is an emerging novel approach for myocardial infarction (MI) treatment. Exosomes are identified as extracellular vesicles that are produced within multivesicular bodies in the cells' cytosols and then are secreted from the cells. Exosomes are 30–100 nm in diameter that are released from viable cells and are different from other secreted vesicles such as apoptotic bodies and microvesicles in their origin and contents such as RNAs, proteins, and nucleic acid. The recent advances in exosome research have demonstrated the role of these bionanovesicles in the physiological, pathological, and molecular aspects of the heart. The results of in vitro and preclinical models have shown that exosomes from different cardiac cells can improve cardiac function following MI. For example, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) containing exosomes can affect the proliferation, survival, and differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes. Moreover, MSCs- and CPCs-derived exosomes can enhance the migration of endothelial cells. Exosome-based therapy approaches augment the cardiac function by multiple means, such as reducing fibrosis, stimulation of vascular angiogenesis, and proliferation of cardiomyocytes that result in replacing damaged heart tissue with newly generated functional myocytes. This review article aims to briefly discuss the recent advancements in the role of secreted exosomes in myocardial repair by focusing on cardiac cells-derived exosomes.     

Reaction of sunflower varieties to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum under various inoculation methods,time of field evaluation and phylogenic stages of host

Sunflower cultivation is affected seriously by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary in Iran, particularly north-western areas. Because of economic and environmental harms by chemical control, it is necessary to develop cultivars with adequate genetic resistance for reduction of yield losses. The purpose of this study was to find an effective method of inoculation with S. sclerotiorum under field evaluations. Three stem-inoculation techniques including: 1 – mycelium plug, 2 – oxalic acid solution (OAS) and 3 – infested wheat seeds with Sclerotinia mycelium were employed under field conditions. Four genotypes including Ghalami (local variety in market), Confeta, Allstar and Master were used in this study. The lesion length, lesion width and lesion as up and down leading on the stem from inoculation site were measured after 3, 7, 10 and 14 days of inoculation. The analysis of variance showed significant difference between all employed techniques and incubation days after inoculation. Mycelial plug (MP) inoculation technique produced significantly more developed lesions on the treated stems. In spite of this effect, Master variety demonstrated reasonable resistance reaction against the disease. The progress of disease in wounded treatments was also faster than the non-wounded ones. And, the shortest time to obtain significant differences between varieties was 10?days after inoculation. By comparison of results of lesion length at flowering and seed-filling stages, the more obvious effectiveness of the disease was observed at the second stage. Finally, there were negative correlations between mean temperature and mean lesion length in all three inoculation methods.     

Two new species of Chrysis Linnaeus (Hymenoptera,Chrysididae) from Iran

The Iranian species in the Chrysis pulchella and C. varidens species groups are investigated. Six species are recognized, two of which are described for the first time: Chrysis gamberoonensis Farhad, Rosa and Talebi sp. nov. and Chrysis brunneamarginata Farhad, Rosa and Talebi sp. nov.. Chrysis gamberoonensis Farhad, Rosa and Talebi sp. nov. belongs to the C. pulchella group and is recognizable within this species group by its unique blue body coloration, scattered mesosoma punctures, polished pit row with elongated pits, and a small median tooth on the lateral edge of metasomal tergum 3. Chrysis brunneamarginata Farhad, Rosa and Talebi sp. nov. belongs to the C. varidens group and is recognizable by the usually colorless apical rim of metasomal tergum 3, and the unique shape of the anterior corners of the scutellum which are enlarged, thickened and directed backward covering the axillary trough. Dichotomous keys and distributional data for Iranian species included in these species groups are provided. Chrysis schwarzi Linsenmaier, 1968 is raised to species rank. The number of Iranian Chrysis species and subspecies is raised to 122.www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F419F860-3B90-4679-9A19-2CF5C255AE6B     

Enantiomeric impurities in chiral catalysts,auxiliaries, and synthons used in enantioselective syntheses. Part 5

The enantiomeric excess of chiral starting materials is one of the important factors determining the enantiopurity of products in asymmetric synthesis. Fifty‐one commercially available chiral reagents used as building blocks, catalysts, and auxiliaries in various enantioselective syntheses were assayed for their enantiomeric purity. The test results were classified within five impurities level (ie, <0.01%, 0.01%‐0.1%, 0.1%‐1%, 1%‐10%, >10%). Previously from 1998 to 2013, several reports have been published on the enantiomeric composition of more than 300 chiral reagents. This series of papers is necessitated by the fact that new reagents are forthcoming and that the enantiomeric purity of the same reagent can vary from batch to batch and/or from supplier to supplier. This report presents chiral liquid chromatography (LC) and gas chromatography (GC) methods to separate enantiomers of chiral compounds and evaluate their enantiomeric purities. The accurate and efficient LC analysis was done using newly introduced superficially porous particle (SPP 2.7 μm) based chiral stationary phases (TeicoShell, VancoShell, LarihcShell‐P, and NicoShell).     

Resveratrol potentially increased the tumoricidal effect of doxorubicin on SKOV3 cancer stem cells in vitro

Ovarian cancer is associated with a high percentage of recurrence of tumor and resistance to chemotherapy. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) form a rare population with a significant capacity to begin and expand malignant diseases. Eliminating the drug resistance of CSCs by factors that have fewer side effects to the patient is vital. To investigate the effect of resveratrol (RES) and doxorubicin (DOX) on drug resistance and apoptosis of CSCs; at the first, isolation of CSCs from SKOV3 ovarian carcinoma cells and their dosage adjustment (IC₅₀) with RES and DOX was performed. Then, isolated CSCs were treated with RES and DOX IC ₅₀ of 55 and 250 nM, respectively. Subsequently, their effects on drug resistance and cell death were evaluated using real-time polymerase chain reaction, rhodamine 123 uptakes. The results of the present study demonstrated that treatment of SKOV3 with 55 μM of RES and 250 nM of DOX simultaneously increased cell viability in CSCs to DOX after 24 and 48 hours by increasing the expression of Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX) and caspase-3 genes, and decreased the expression and function of multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) and multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) genes indicated by intracellular the rhodamine 123 content. Treatment of RES could increase the activity of DOX cell viability in CSCs originated from SKOV3 ovarian carcinoma and decrease drug resistance capacity to DOX.     

Three novel pigmentation mutants generated by genome-wide random ENU mutagenesis in the mouse

Three mutant mice with pigmentation phenotypes were recovered from a genomewide random mouse chemical mutagenesis study. White toes (Whto; MGI:1861986), Belly spot and white toes (Bswt; MGI:2152776) and Dark footpads 2 (Dfp2; MGI:1861991) were identified following visual inspection of progeny from a male exposed to the point mutagen ethylnitrosourea (ENU). In order to rapidly localize the causative mutations, genome-wide linkage scans were performed on pooled DNA samples from backcross animals for each mutant line. Whto was mapped to proximal mouse chromosome (Mmu) 7 between Cen (the centromere) and D7Mit112 (8.0 cM from the centromere), Bswt was mapped to centric Mmul between D1Mit214 (32.1 cM) and D1Mit480 (32.8 cM) and Dfp2 was mapped to proximalMmu4 between Cen and D4Mit18 (5.2 cM). Whto, Bswt and Dfp2 may provide novel starting points in furthering the elucidation of genetic and biochemical pathways relevant to pigmentation and associated biological processes.     

Error minimization explains the codon usage of highly expressed genes in Escherichia coli

Different organisms use synonymous codons with different preferences. Several measures have been introduced to compute the extent of codon usage bias within a gene or genome, among which the codon adaptation index (CAI) has been shown to be well correlated with mRNA levels of Escherichia coli. In this work an error adaptation index (eAI) is introduced, which estimates the level at which a gene can tolerate the effects of mistranslations. It is shown that the eAI has a strong correlation with CAI, as well as with mRNA levels, which suggests that the codons of highly expressed genes are selected so that mistranslation would have the minimum possible effect on the structure and function of the related proteins.     

Demographic parameters of wrinkling aphid of pistachio leaf, Forda hirsuta Mordv. (Hem.:Pemphigidae) insitu of Rafsanjan's orchards

Wrinkling aphid of pistachio leaf, Forda hirsuta Mordv. (Hem.:Pemphigidae) is one of the pests of pistachio trees. This aphid caused the shrinkage, thickening, and changing the color of the pistachio leaves. Since insect feeds from leave edges, the thick and rolled upward wrinkles were formed, which its green color turned into red. Therefore, its economical damages are out of direct feeding from plant extraction, twisting pistachio leaves, and the decrease of photosynthesis. In this research two orchards and 10 trees that each of them were selected in Rafsanjan region and 58 fundatrix galls, 120 nymphal galls were marked and the demographic parameters for apterus parthenogenesis female of this aphid were calculated via daily observations. The results indicated that intrinsic rates of increase (r) for 1, 2 and 3 generations were 0.01, 0.0638 and 0.0575 femal/femal/days respectively, Doubling time (DT) were 69.31, 10.52 and 12.04 days, respectively, net fecundity rates were 1.71, 11.5 and 7.37 femal/femal/days, respectively, Net fertility rates were 1.11, 8.87 and 5.01 days, respectively, and mean generation times (Tc) were calculated to be 31.5, 32.2 and 31.87 days, respectively. Other reproductive parameters such as gross hatch rate, gross fecundity rate, gross fertility rate, mean age gross fecundity and fertility, mean age net fecundity and fertility, mean age hatch, finite rate of increase (lambda), intrinsic birth rate (b) intrinsic death rate (d) and daily reproductive rate were also calculated. The results revealed that population parameters especially r in the first and second generations were lowest and highest, respectively and mean longevity of fundatrix was 30 days and the born nymphs made separate galls in the edge of pistachio leaves.