A study on common bean cultivars to identify sources of resistance against the black bean aphid,Aphis fabae Scopoli (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Black bean aphid is an important common bean pest in the world. Aphids damage crops both directly by their feeding and by spreading viruses. Also, they indirectly damages with excretion honeydew and smokes moulds growth through some physiological processes and transmission of viruses. Resistant cultivars application is the main strategy to control Aphis fabae Scopoli. In this experiment, different lines and cultivars were infested with five wingless adult aphids. After 7 and 14?days, plants were evaluated and aphid population was counted and recorded. After 45?days when plants reached to the flowering stage, test was repeated. Result showed that there was a significant difference among cultivars in number of adult aphid in two-leaf stage. Most of the number of adult at the first week in two-leaf stage observed on Goynok cultivar that had significant difference to other lines and cultivars. Number of adults and nymphs among the line and cultivar at flowering stage did not show significant difference. Number of deployed aphids after two weeks was significantly higher than the first week that observed in all cultivars. Totally, the most resistant cultivar was Sayad and the most susceptible cultivar was Goynok.     

Schizophyllan production by newly isolated fungus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizophyllum commune</Emphasis> IBRC-M 30213: optimization of culture medium using response surface methodology

Schizophyllan (SPG) is a commercially attractive biopolymer produced by Schizophyllum commune. An investigation on the potential for SPG production by Iranian native S. commune was conducted based on culture medium, fermentation conditions and bioreactor type, . Nine native fungal strains were isolated from the northern forest of Iran at different times. Based on growth rate and SPG production, one strain was selected for further study. Optimal medium composition and inoculum size for maximizing SPG production and minimizing biomass were determined using central composite design by setting sucrose, yeast extract, inoculum size, carboxymethyl cellulose and oleic acid in the ranges of 50–200 g/L, 1–4 g/L, 2–10%, 2–12 g/L and 0.032–0.222%, respectively. The results showed that optimal results were obtained at 93.47 g/L sucrose, 1.87 g/L yeast extract, 7.68% inoculum size, 9.07 g/L carboxymethyl cellulose and 0.13% oleic acid, with maximum SPG production of 9.97 g/L and minimum biomass of 35.18 g/L. Under these optimal conditions, the production of SPG was studied in stirred tank and bubble column bioreactors. The results revealed greater production in the stirred tank because of better mixing of the culture medium. The SPG produced was characterized using rheometery, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance), scanning electron microscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The results of these characterizations demonstrated the similarity of the SPG produced by S. commune IBRC-M 30213 to commercial SPG. Thus, the SPG produced shows good potential as a polysaccharide for use in various industries.     

The clinical significance of miR-335, miR-124, miR-218 and miR-484 downregulation in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading types of malignancy worldwide, particularly in Asian populations. Although the exact molecular mechanism of GC development remains unknown, microRNA (miRNA) has recently been shown to be involved. The current study aims to investigate the expression levels of bioinformatically ranked miRNAs in gastric tissues. Using bioinformatics tools, we prioritized miRNAs thought to be implicated in GC. Furthermore, polyA-qPCR was used to validate bioinformatics findings in 40 GC, 31 normal gastric tissue (NG) and 45 gastric dysplasia (GD) samples. As identified by bioinformatics analysis, miR-335 was shown to be the top-ranked miRNA implicated in GC. Moreover, a significant downregulation of miR-335, miR-124, miR-218 and miR-484 was found in GC and GD compared to NG samples. We found bioinformatics to be an efficient approach to finding candidate miRNAs relevant to GC development. Finally, the findings show that downregulation of miRNAs such as miR-124 and miR-218 in gastric tissue can be a significant indicator for neoplastic transformation.     

Association of genetic polymorphisms of glutathione-S-transferase genes (GSTT1, GSTM1, and GSTP1) and susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Zahedan, Southeast Iran

Oxidative damage is thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) are involved in cell protection against oxidative stress. We examined whether GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 polymorphisms are associated with NAFLD in a sample of the Iranian population. The current case-control study included 83 patients with NAFLD and 93 healthy subjects. The GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms were analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The GSTP1 polymorphism was detected by tetra amplification refractory mutation system-PCR assay. The GSTM1-null genotype was significantly associated with the development of NAFLD (odds ratios [OR]=2.171, 95% confidence intervals [CI]=1.188-3.970, p=0.015). The GSTP1 Val allele was shown to be a risk factor for NAFLD (OR=1.739, 95% CI=1.089-2.777, p=0.024). The GSTT1 polymorphism was not significantly different between control and patient groups (p=0.221). This study showed that GSTM1 and GSTP1, but not GSTT1, genetic polymorphisms are associated with NAFLD in a sample of the Iranian population, and may be used to determine the risk of development of NAFLD.     

Neuroprotective effect of melatonin on radiation-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in the brainstem of rats

This study aimed to determine the effects of melatonin on irradiation-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress in the brainstem region of Wistar rats. Therefore, the animals underwent whole-brain X-radiation with a single dose of 25 Gy in the presence or absence of melatonin pretreatment at a concentration of 100 mg/kg BW. The rats were allocated into four groups (10 rats in each group): namely, vehicle control (VC), 100 mg/kg of melatonin alone (MLT), irradiation-only (RAD), and irradiation plus 100 mg/kg of melatonin (RAM). An hour before irradiation, the animals received intraperitoneal (IP) melatonin and then were killed after 6 hr, followed by measurement of nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the brainstem region. Furthermore, the western blot analysis technique was performed to assess the caspase-3 expression level. Results showed significantly higher MDA and NO levels in the brainstem tissues for the RAD group when compared with the VC group (p < .001). Moreover, the irradiated rats exhibited a significant decrease in the levels of CAT, SOD, GPx, and TAC (p < .01, p < .001, p < .001, and p < .001, respectively) in comparison to the VC group. The results of apoptosis assessment revealed that the expression level of caspase-3 significantly rose in the RAD group in comparison with the VC group (p < .001). Pretreatment with melatonin ameliorated the radiation-induced adverse effects by decreasing the MDA and NO levels (p < .001) and increasing the antioxidant enzyme activities (p < .001). Consequently, the caspase-3 protein expression level in the RAM group showed a significant reduction in comparison with the RAD group (p < .001). In conclusion, melatonin approximately showed a capacity for neuroprotective activity in managing irradiation-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in the brainstem of rats; however, the use of melatonin as a neuroprotective agent in humans requires further study, particularly clinical trials.     

Scolicidal effects of Olea europaea and Satureja khuzestanica extracts on protoscolices of hydatid cysts

Treatment of hydatid disease is mainly surgical, with medical treatment being reserved as a coadjuvant treatment. Use of effective scolicidal agents during surgery of cystic echinococcosis is essential to reduce the recurrence rate. The goal of this study was to evaluate the in vitro scolicidal effects of hydroalcoholic extracts of Satureja khuzestanica leaves and aqueous extracts of Olea europaea leaves on hydatid cyst protoscolices. Echinococcus granulosus protoscolices were collected from the liver of sheep infected with the hydatid cyst. Various concentrations of plant extracts were used in different exposure times for viability assay of protoscolices. Among the olive leaf extracts tested, 0.1% and 0.01% concentrations had strong scolicidal effects in 120 min. S. khuzestanica 0.1% had very strong scolicidal effects in 30, 60, and 120 min of exposure times and the mortality rate decreased with the lower concentration. The finding have shown that the scolicidal activity of S. khuzestanica against cystic echinococosis protoscolices were more effective, while the O. europaea extract showed less effects.     

Effect of soil application of humic acid on nutrients uptake,essential oil and chemical compositions of garden thyme (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Thymus vulgaris</Emphasis> L.) under greenhouse conditions

Humic acid is natural biological organic, which has a high effect on plant growth and quality. However, the mechanisms of the promoting effect of humic acid on the volatile composition were rarely reported. In this study, the effects of soil application of humic acid on the chemical composition and nutrients uptake of Thymus vulgaris were investigated. Treatments comprised 0, 50, 75 and 100 g m^?2. Essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analyzed using GC–MS and GC–FID. Essential oil content was enhanced by increase of the humic acid level and its content ranged from 0.8% (control) to 2.0% (75 g m^?2). Thirty-two volatile compounds were identified and these compounds were considerably affected by humic acid. The highest percentage of thymol (74.15%), carvacrol (6.20%), p-cymene (4.24%), borneol (3.42%), trans-caryophyllene (1.70%) and cis-sabinene hydrate (1.35%) as major compounds were observed in T. vulgaris under 100 g m^?2 humic acid. There was a linear relationship (R² = 97%) between humic acid levels and thymol as a major compound. The oils were dominated by oxygenated monoterpenes followed by monoterpene hydrocarbons and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. Based on the path coefficient analysis, the highest direct effects on essential oil content were observed in monoterpene esters (3.465) and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (3.146). The humic acid application also enhanced the uptake of N, P, K, Mg and Fe in garden thyme. The highest N (2.42%), P (0.75%), K (2.63%), Mg (0.23%) and Fe (1436.58 ppm) were observed in medium supplemented with 100 g m^?2 humic acid. In all, the utilization of humic acid could positively change nutrients uptake, essential oil content and its major constituents in T. vulgaris.     

Changes of trehalose content and trehalose-degrading activity during fruit-body formation and autolysis in Pleurotus sp.

We studied how the content and degrading activity of trehalose changed during fruit-body development and autolysis. During the process of autolysis, the trehalose content of whole fruit-bodies decreased sharply whereas the trehalose-degrading activity increased toward the inner region from the outer region of the pilei. Conversely, the trehalose content during autolysis decreased toward the inner region from the outer region of the pilei, and further decreased toward the bottom region from the top region of the stipes.