Experimental and analytical study of anisotropic strength properties of bovine cortical bone

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology - This paper is focused on specification of conditions at failure in bovine cortical bone. Both experimental and analytical studies are conducted. The...     

Effect of fungicidal essential oils against Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer rot fungus in vitro conditions

The development of natural crop protection products as alternatives to the use of synthetic fungicides is currently popular. The aim of this study is to evaluate the antifungal effects of several essential oils against the fungal pathogens, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer, under in vitro condition. Four essential oils (fennel, black caraway, peppermint and thyme) were each tested at five concentrations (0, 200, 400, 600 or 800 μl l^?1). In vitro results showed that the essential oil of black caraway and fennel had the highest fungicidal effect against B. cinerea and R. stolonifer, respectively. The growth of B. cinerea was completely inhibited by the essential oil of black caraway at 400 μl l^?1. Fennel oil perfectly inhibited growth of R. stolonifer fungus colonies at concentration higher than 600 μl L^?1 in potato dextrose agar medium. Percentage of spores germination was the lowest in medium of Fennel and black caraway essential oils, and was the highest in Thyme ones. These results show that plant essential oils can have a strong effect on reducing post-harvest decay. These plant essential oils could provide an alternative to synthetic chemicals to control post-harvest phytopathogenic fungi on fruit.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of benzofuran appended benzothiazepine derivatives as inhibitors of butyrylcholinesterase and antimicrobial agents

A series of bezofuran appended 1,5-benzothiazepine compounds 7a–v was designed, synthesized and evaluated as cholinesterase inhibitors. The biological assay experiments showed that most of the compounds displayed a clearly selective inhibition for butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), while a weak or no effect towards acetylcholinesterase (AChE) was detected. All analogs exhibited varied BChE inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ value ranging between 1.0?±?0.01 and 72?±?2.8?μM when compared with the standard donepezil (IC₅₀, 2.63?±?0.28?μM). Among the synthesized derivatives, compounds 7l, 7m and 7k exhibited the highest BChE inhibition with IC₅₀ values of 1.0, 1.0 and 1.8?μM, respectively. The results from a Lineweaver-Burk plot indicated a mixed-type inhibition for compound 7l with BChE. In addition, docking studies confirmed the results obtained through in vitro experiments and showed that most potent compounds bind to both the catalytic anionic site (CAS) and peripheral anionic site (PAS) of BChE active site. The synthesized compounds were also evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activities. The results indicated that the compounds possessed a broad spectrum of activity against the tested microorganisms and showed high activity against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria and fungi.     

Assessment of metals in agricultural soil of surrounding areas of Urmia Lake,northwest Iran: A preliminary ecological risk assessment and source identification

The aim of this study was to quantify the levels of toxic heavy metals and sodium in topsoil of farmlands around the Urmia Lake. A total of 96 topsoil samples were collected, pre-treated, and analyzed for metals using ICP-AES.

Median concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Na in sampling sites were 5, 0.26, 30, 40, 13, 84, and 251 mg/kg, respectively. The enrichment factor, geoaccumulation index, and contamination factor of the metals ranked them in the order of: Na > Pb > Cu > As > Cd > Zn > Ni, indicating minor contamination for them except Na and Pb with moderate contamination. Furthermore, the spatial analysis indicated that Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, and Zn had similar distribution patterns in the north and northwest lands of the lake. Principal component analysis revealed anthropogenic sources for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soil, whereas, sources of As and Na were most likely related to the dust emitting from the dried bed of Urmia Lake and from a cement industry. Potential ecological risk index in 7% of the sampling sites was at serious or considerable pollution level, and Cd and Pb were identified as the main pollutants.     

17th Chromosome‐Centric Human Proteome Project Symposium in Tehran

This report describes the 17th Chromosome‐Centric Human Proteome Project which was held in Tehran, Iran, April 27 and 28, 2017. A brief summary of the symposium's talks including new technical and computational approaches for the identification of novel proteins from non‐coding genomic regions, physicochemical and biological causes of missing proteins, and the close interactions between Chromosome‐ and Biology/Disease‐driven Human Proteome Project are presented. A synopsis of decisions made on the prospective programs to maintain collaborative works, share resources and information, and establishment of a newly organized working group, the task force for missing protein analysis are discussed.