VEGF gene mRNA expression in patients with coronary artery disease

To assess the expression of vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) mRNA in unstimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with and without coronary artery disease (CAD). We also studied whether the functional VEGF -2,578C/A polymorphism may influence the level of VEGF mRNA expression in individuals undergoing coronary angiography because chest pain. We assessed 50 consecutive patients with angiographically confirmed CAD (CAD+). Also, 50 consecutive individuals with normal coronary studies were included in the study for comparison. VEGF mRNA expression was examined using quantitative real-time PCR and genotyping for VEGF -2,578C/A was performed using ARMS-PCR technique. VEGF mRNA expression was significantly decreased in CAD+ patients when compared to CAD- individuals (p = 0.01). The frequency of VEGF -2578 allele C and genotype CC was increased in CAD+ patients. In this regard, homozygosity for the CC genotype was more commonly observed in CAD+ (30 %) than in those without CAD disease (18 %). However, the difference was slightly out of the range of significance (p = 0.1). In addition, a trend for reduction in the expression of VEGF mRNA was observed when patients carrying the VEGF -2,578AA genotype were compared with those VEGF -2,578AC heterozygous or those homozygous for the VEGF -2,578CC genotype. VEGF gene expression is decreased in individuals with CAD+ disease. The VEGF -2,578C/A polymorphism may influences the expression of VEGF.     

Biodegradation pathway and detoxification of the diazo dye Reactive Black 5 by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

The in vivo biodegradation of the diazo dye Reactive Black 5 (RB5) by Phanerochaete chrysosporium immobilised on cubes of nylon sponge and on sunflower-seed shells (SS) in laboratory-scale bioreactors was investigated. The SS cultivation led to the best results with a decolouration percentage of 90.3% in 72 h for an initial RB5 concentration of 100 mg/L. It was found that the addition of 0.4 mM veratryl alcohol (VA) into the medium considerably increased the decolouration rate in SS cultivation. However, the addition of VA had no effect in the nylon cultivation. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) revealed that RB5 was transformed into one metabolite after 24 h. UV-vis spectroscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) also confirmed the biodegradation of RB5. Toxicity of RB5 solutions before and after fungal treatment was assayed using Sinorhizobium meliloti as a sensitive soil microorganism. P. chrysosporium transformed the toxic dye RB5 into a non-toxic product.     

Interleukin-18 gene promoter and serum level in women with ovarian cancer

IL-18, initially defined as a potent inducer of IFN- γ production, is a systemic, multifunctional cytokine with both pro-cancerous and anti-cancer activities. The contribution of the IL-18 promoter polymorphisms at positions −607 (C/A) and −137 (G/C) to cancer development has been reported. We sought to examine IL-18 serum level and its polymorphisms in Iranian women with ovarian cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at positions −607 (C/A) and −137 (G/C) were analyzed by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction in 85 women with ovarian cancer and 158 healthy controls. IL-18 serum level was determined using ELISA method. No significant association was found between the allele, genotype, and haplotype distributions of the SNPs and ovarian cancer. Mean IL-18 serum level was significantly higher in patients than in controls (P = 0.008). Comparing IL-18 serum levels with genotypes at positions −607 and −137 revealed no significant difference. No association was also found between IL-18 levels and the disease stage. In conclusion, our results indicate that IL-18 promoter polymorphisms at positions −607 (C/A) and −137 (G/C) appear not to confer susceptibility to ovarian cancer in Iranian population; however, IL-18 serum level increases in ovarian cancer patients.     

Rip3 knockdown rescues photoreceptor cell death in blind pde6c zebrafish

Achromatopsia is a progressive autosomal recessive retinal disease characterized by early loss of cone photoreceptors and later rod photoreceptor loss. In most cases, mutations have been identified in CNGA3, CNGB3, GNAT2, PDE6C or PDE6H genes. Owing to this genetic heterogeneity, mutation-independent therapeutic schemes aimed at preventing cone cell death are very attractive treatment strategies. In pde6c^w59 mutant zebrafish, cone photoreceptors expressed high levels of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1) and receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) kinases, key regulators of necroptotic cell death. In contrast, rod photoreceptor cells were alternatively immunopositive for caspase-3 indicating activation of caspase-dependent apoptosis in these cells. Morpholino gene knockdown of rip3 in pde6c^w59 embryos rescued the dying cone photoreceptors by inhibiting the formation of reactive oxygen species and by inhibiting second-order neuron remodelling in the inner retina. In rip3 morphant larvae, visual function was restored in the cones by upregulation of the rod phosphodiesterase genes (pde6a and pde6b), compensating for the lack of cone pde6c suggesting that cones are able to adapt to their local environment. Furthermore, we demonstrated through pharmacological inhibition of RIP1 and RIP3 activity that cone cell death was also delayed. Collectively, these results demonstrate that the underlying mechanism of cone cell death in the pde6c^w59 mutant retina is through necroptosis, whereas rod photoreceptor bystander death occurs through a caspase-dependent mechanism. This suggests that targeting the RIP kinase signalling pathway could be an effective therapeutic intervention in retinal degeneration patients. As bystander cell death is an important feature of many retinal diseases, combinatorial approaches targeting different cell death pathways may evolve as an important general principle in treatment.     

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.     

Mitigating effect of nano-zerovalent iron,iron sulfate and EDTA against oxidative stress induced by chromium in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Helianthus annuus</Emphasis> L.

Due to its wide industrial application, chromium (Cr) is known to be a critical environmental pollutant. Contamination of water and agricultural soil by Cr inhibits crop productivity and their physiological and biochemical processes. The objective of the current work was to investigate the effects of appropriate reducing agents such as EDTA, iron sulfate (Fe²⁺), and zerovalent nano iron (Fe⁰ nanoparticles) on growth and physiology of sunflower plants under Cr(VI) stress. Results showed that the Cr uptake increased by increasing the amount of EDTA, leading to a significant reduction in morphological and physiological parameters except for MDA and H₂O₂ contents. Treatment with Fe⁰ nanoparticles and Fe²⁺ reduced Cr concentration in root and shoot, increased root and shoot dry weight, plastid pigments (chlorophyll and carotenoids) and proline contents; however, the level of MDA and H₂O₂ decreased significantly. All parameters were affected by Fe²⁺ during the first week of sampling; however, Fe⁰ nanoparticles affected all traits until the end of the third sampling stage. A statistically significant and positive correlation was found between root Cr concentration and MDA and H₂O₂ seedlings treated with EDTA, Fe²⁺, and Fe⁰ grown under Cr stress. From the result of this study, it can be concluded that sunflower has the potential for accumulation of Cr as a heavy metal, and treatment with Fe⁰ nanoparticles to prevent Cr uptake is more effective than other employed treatments.     

Effects of foliar application of 6-benzylaminopurine on yield and oil content in two spring safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) cultivars

To study the effect of an exogenous cytokinin application on safflower yield, an experiment was conducted in 2012–2013. Two cultivars of safflower (Goldasht and Zendehrood) and five concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 μM) were applied at the flowering stage. Results indicated that the application of 75 μM of BAP showed increased seed and oil yield by 17.54 and 18.29 % over the control, respectively. The increase in seed yield by application of BAP was attributed to the increase in characters like number of heads per plant, number of seeds per head, and 1,000 seed weight. Applying of BAP increased oil content compared with the control. To determine the concentration of cytokinin which has the highest performance for increasing seed yield, regression analysis were estimated showing that in the Zendehrood cultivar, the application of 43 μM of BAP produced the highest seed yield, and in the Goldasht cultivar the application of 73 μM of BAP during flowering produced the highest seed yield.     

Identification of Botrytis spp. on Plants Grown in Iran

A total of 363 isolates were collected from all over Iran. They were isolated from apple, arum lily, briar rose, bride wort, broad bean, camellia, canola, carnation, cucumber, egg plant, feijoa, geranium, gerbera, gladiolus, grape, guilder rose, hibiscus, iris, kiwifruit, oleander, onion, orange, pear, pomegranate, primrose, quince, redbud, robinia, rose, rubber plant, sow thiste, spathe flower, strawberry, tomato, violet, wall flower and wheat. To identify the species, morphological characters such as conidiophore length, conidial and sclerotial dimensions were measured. According to morphological and cultural characters, eight Botrytis species were identified: B. aclada sensu lato, B. cinerea, B. fabae, B. convoluta, B. gladiolorum, B. paeoniae, B. pelargonii and B. porri. As far as we are aware, this is the first report of the last five species from Iran. These species were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using necrosis and ethylene‐inducing protein (NEP2) and C729 primers. A 835 bp band was amplified in B. cinerea, B. fabae and B. pelargonii, using NEP2, but not in others. However, C729 primers amplified a 700 bp band in B. cinerea and B. pelargonii and a 600 bp in B. fabae.     

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system: Estimation of soil aggregates stability

In present study, the capabilities of multiple linear regression (MLR) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in developing pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for estimating geometric mean diameter (GMD) and mean weight diameter (MWD), from routine soil properties and combination of routine soil properties and fractal dimension of aggregates were evaluated. For this reason 101 samples were collected form the Northwest of Iran and some their properties such as soil texture, pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and organic matter (OM), fractal dimension of aggregates between number-diameter (Dn), mass-diameter (Dmt), and bulk density-diameter (Dmy) were determined and used as an input variables for determining of mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) by MLR and ANFIS PTFs. Results showed that the application of fractal dimension of aggregates as a predictor in two methods improved the accuracy of PTFs. As well as, results showed that ANFIS have greater potential for determination of the relationships between soil aggregate stability indices and other soil properties in compared with MLR. Therefore using of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in developing pedotransfer functions is recommended.