Amygdalus kurdistanica and A. orazii spp. nov. (Rosaceae) from Iran

Amygdalus kurdistanica Attar, Maroofi & Vafadar and A. orazii Maroofi, Attar & Vafadar, two new species of the genus Amygdalus L. from western Iran are described and illustrated. Amygdalus kurdistanica is closely related to A. haussknechtii (C. K. Schneider) Bornm. var. pubescens but differs by leaf and petiole size, drupe shape, pedicel indumentum and style length. Amygdalus orazii is closely related to A. communis L. but can be distinguished from A. communis by the following characters: leaf and petiole size, drupe size, pedicel length and sepal length.     

Mitochondrial Mutation in Iranian Patients with Multiple Sclerosis,Correlation Between Haplogroups H,A and Clinical Manifestations

As multiple sclerosis (MS) has long been known to be associated with Leber, hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), a disease caused by mitochondrial (mtDNA) mutations, in this study we assessed possible involvement of mtDNA point mutation in MS patients. Fifty-two MS patients whose disease was confirmed with revised McDonald criteria and referred to Iranian Center of Neurological Research of Imam Khomeini hospital during 2006–2007 entered the study. Secondary mtDNA mutations, age, gender, clinical disability according to expanded disability status scale (EDSS), course of the disease, and presenting symptoms were the variables investigated in this study. DNA purification was performed by Diatom DNA Extraction Kit. Analysis of data was done by SPSS V11.5. The prevalent mutations with frequency of 19.2% were J, L, and T haplogroups. Haplotype A was more prevalent in patients with younger age of onset (P-value = 0.012) and high proportion of haplogroup H was associated with optic nerve involvement (P-value = 0.015). No motor symptoms were seen in haplogroup H patients. There is no significant relationship between duration of the disease and EDSS in different mutation of mtDNA.     

Birth of Beagle dogs by somatic cell nuclear transfer

The present study was undertaken to evaluate two enucleation methods for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), and to standardize the optimum number of embryos for transfer to each recipient for canines. Oocytes retrieved from outbreed dogs were reconstructed with adult somatic cells from a male Beagle dog. A total of 134 or 267 oocytes were enucleated either by aspiration or squeezing method, fused with two DC pulses of 1.75 kV/cm for 15 μs electrical stimulation, chemically activated after 1 h of fusion using 10 μM calcium ionophore for 4 min and cultured 4 h in 1.9 mM 6-dimethylaminopurine. Finally, 103 or 214 embryos for aspiration or squeezing method were transferred to 6 or 11 naturally synchronized recipients, respectively. A total of 53, 317 and 342 embryos were transferred to 7, 17 and 12 recipients for the group of 4–10, 11–25 and 26–40 embryos, respectively. There was no difference between fusion rate (76.87% vs. 80.15%), full term pregnancy rate (16.66% vs. 27.27%) and percent of live puppies born (0.97% vs. 1.87%) for aspiration and squeezing method (P > 0.05). Production efficiency of cloned dogs was significantly affected by the number of embryos transferred to each recipient. No pregnancy was established for the group of 4–10 embryos (n = 7) and 26–40 embryos (n = 12) while pregnancy was detected in 23.53% recipients received a group of 11–25 embryos (n = 17). Among them, five (1.76%) live puppies were born (P < 0.05). These data show an increase in the overall efficiency of SCNT in canine species.     

Phylogenetic relationships of Puccinia horiana and other rust pathogens of Chrysanthemum × morifolium based on rDNA ITS sequence analysis

Isolates of the most important Puccinia species that have been reported on Chrysanthemum × morifolium were collected and the sequences of their ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 were determined and used as phylogenetic markers. The focus of this study was on Puccinia horiana, due to its quarantine status and its impact in commercial chrysanthemum production. Three technical adjustments were needed to reliably obtain the nucleotide sequences starting from fresh or dried samples. The complete rDNA ITS nucleotide sequences of P. horiana, Puccinia chrysanthemi, and Puccinia tanaceti isolates of varying age and geographic origin were determined. We also identified an as yet undescribed Puccinia species on six old herbarium samples from chrysanthemum. This new species is morphologically similar to P. chrysanthemi and near identical to recent rust samples from Artemisia tridentata. P. tanaceti could not be confirmed as a pathogen of chrysanthemum. Different rDNA ITS sequences were present in P. horiana, with intra-isolate and inter-isolate variability in the length of three nucleotide repeat regions in the different rDNA tandem copies. We also identified three ITS types within P. horiana, with the rarer types displaying up to 67 bp nucleotide sequence differences. These rarer ITS types were detected at low copy number in all isolates. In general, very little rDNA ITS sequence variation was observed between P. horiana isolates from 1903 and 2003, and among isolates from different continents. Phylogenetic analyses using distance, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian methods confirmed P. horiana, P. chrysanthemi, and the new Puccinia sp. as well-resolved groups, with P. horiana clustering in the clade where the economically important rust species of the Poaceae are located, and P. chrysanthemi and the new Puccinia sp. clustering in the clade where the majority of the rust fungi with hosts in the Asteraceae is located.     

Biotransformation of monoterpenes by Oocystis pusilla

The biotransformation of several monoterpenes by the locally isolated unicellular microalga, Oocystis pusilla was investigated. The metabolites were identified by thin layer chromatography and GC/MS. The results showed that O. pusilla had the ability to reduce the C=C double bond in (+)-carvone to yield trans-dihydrocarvone and traces of cis-dihydrocarvone. O. pusilla also converted (+)-limonene to trans-carveol, as the main product, and yielded carvone and trans-limonene oxide. Furthermore, (−)-linalool was converted to trans-furanoid and trans-pyranoid linalool oxide, thymol was converted to thymoquinone, (−)-carveol was converted to carvone and trans-dihydrocarvone, (−)-menthone and (+)-pulegone were converted to menthol, (L)-citronellal was converted to citronellol, and (+)-β-pinene was converted to trans-pinocarveol.     

Biological treatment of wastewater containing an azo dye using mixed culture in alternating anaerobic/aerobic sequencing batch reactors

The performance of one stage anaerobic/aerobic processes for the biological treatment of synthetic wastewaters containing Acid Red 18 was studied. In addition, a method for evaluating dye mineralization using lumped parameters was investigated. The selected initial dye concentrations were 0, 35, 70, 140, and 280 mg/L, in reactors R1 ～ R5, respectively. This study showed that average COD removal was not lower than 85% while the remaining COD originated from Acid Red 18 and its degradation products. The majority of the dye removal occurred in the anaerobic phases and the aerobic phase contributions were insignificant. The kinetics data of dye removal showed that the increase in initial dye concentration (35 ～ 280 mg/L) caused a decrease in first-order kinetic rate constants (0.0593 ～ 0.0384/h). The overall mineralization of AR 18 dye was at least 44, 35, 13, and 0% in R2 ～ R5, respectively. Increase in initial dye concentrations had no significant effect on sludge characteristics.     

Establishing a cGMP pancreatic islet processing facility: the first experience in Iran

It has been predicted that one of the greatest increase in prevalence of diabetes will happen in the Middle East bear in the next decades. The aim of standard therapeutic strategies for diabetes is better control of complications. In contrast, some new strategies like cell and gene therapy have aimed to cure the disease. In recent years, significant progress has occurred in beta-cell replacement therapies with a progressive improvement of short-term and long term outcomes. In year 2005, considering the impact of the disease in Iran and the promising results of the Edmonton protocol, the funding for establishing a current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) islet processing facility by Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center was approved by Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Several islet isolations were performed following establishment of cGMP facility and recruitment of all required equipments for process validation and experimental purpose. Finally the first successful clinical islet isolation and transplantation was performed in September 2010. In spite of a high cost of the procedure it is considered beneficial and may prevent long term complications and the costs associated with secondary cares. In this article we will briefly describe our experience in setting up a cGMP islet processing facility which can provide valuable information for regional countries interested to establish similar facilities.     

Effects of vitamin D supplementation on the bone specific biomarkers in HIV infected individuals under treatment with efavirenz

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: It was reported that antiretroviral drugs such as efavirenz can increase the catabolism of vitamin D in HIV infected individuals. We have not found any study that evaluated effects of vitamin D supplementation on the bone specific biomarkers in HIV positive patients under treatment with antiretroviral regimen containing efavirenz. FINDINGS: Vitamin D deficiency was detected in 88.4 % of included patients. Baseline osteocalcin, but not collagen telopeptidase, serum levels were lower than normal range in all of these individuals. Both bone biomarkers' concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.001 for both of them) after supplementation of vitamin D and it was more predominant for osteocalcin. CONCLUSION: In the HIV-infected patients under treatment with efavirenz, vitamin D deficiency is prevalent. After supplementation with single dose of 300,000 IU vitamin D in this population, the activation of osteoblasts and osteoclasts stimulates bone formation and resorption respectively with favorable bone formation without any adverse event. Significant percent of HIV infected individuals are vitamin d deficient that could benefit from vitamin D supplementation.     

Differentiation of human ES cell-derived neural progenitors to neuronal cells with regional specific identity by co-culturing of notochord and somite

Limitations to the in vivo study of human nervous system development make it necessary to design an in vitro model to evaluate the in vivo effects of surrounding tissues on neurogenesis and regional identity of the human neural plate. Rostral neural progenitors (NPs) were initially generated from adherent human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in a defined condition and characterized. Then, to find the role of somites (S) and notochords (N) in rostro-caudal (RC) and dorso-ventral (DV) patterning of neuronal cells, NPs were co-cultured with microencapsulated chicken S or N in alginate beads. In this study, N induced more neurogenesis as evaluated by expression of TUJ1 and MAP2-positive cells. Additionally, N induced spinal cord ventral brachiothoracic identity as well as NPs proliferation. We observed a synergic effect on motoneuron induction when S and N were used together. Moreover, S induced hindbrain identity in differentiated neuronal cells from NPs. These results indicate that highly enriched NPs can be generated in an adherent and defined system from hESCs. Moreover, S and N tissues highly influenced neuronal differentiation in point of proliferation, neurogenesis, and RC and DV regional identity. These results indicate a very simple and efficient protocol to mimic in vivo events of human neural development in vitro which is important in the context of developmental neuroscience and cellular replacement therapies.     

Differential proteome analysis of a selected bacterial strain isolated from a high background radiation area in response to radium stress

The present study describes the response of a bacterial strain, isolated from a hot spring in an area with the highest levels of natural radiation, under radium ((226)Ra) stress. The bacterium has been characterized as a novel and efficient radium biosorbent and identified as a variant of Serratia marcescens by biochemical tests and molecular recognition. In order to gain insights into key cellular events that allow this strain to survive and undergo (226)Ra adaptation and biosorption, the strain was tested under two experimental conditions of 1000 and 6000 Bq (226)Ra stress. A proteomic approach involving two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry was used to identify the differentially expressed proteins under (226)Ra stress. Functional assessment of identified proteins with significantly altered expression levels revealed several mechanisms thought to be involved in (226)Ra adaptation and conferring resistant phenotype to the isolate, including general stress adaptation, anti-oxidative stress, protein and nucleic acid synthesis, energy metabolism, efflux and transport proteins. It suggests that this strain through evolution is particularly well adapted to the high background radiation environment and could represent an alternative source to remove (226)Ra from such areas as well as industrial radionuclide polluted wastewaters.