Identification of Leishmania species causing cutaneous leishmaniasis using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) in Kharve,Iran

Background:

Leishmaniasis, especially cutaneous leishmaniasis, is considered an important health problem in many parts of Iran including Kharve, Khorasan Razavi province. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is caused by various species of Leishmania, each having a different secondary host. Thus, identifying the parasites’ specie is of paramount importance for containment strategy planning. The morphological differentiation of Leishmania species is not possible, rendering the molecular methods as the sole means to this purpose. Therefore, to identify the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kharve, Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD-PCR) was used.

Methods:

The disease was first confirmed by direct smears. Samples were gathered from 22 patients with established cutaneous leishmaniasis. The samples were immediately cultured in NNN medium, followed by sub-culture in RPMI-1640. Afterwards, DNA was extracted and amplified using RAPD-PCR. Electrophoresis patterns from each isolate were compared with reference strains of Leishmania major (L. major) and Leishmania tropica (L. tropica).

Results:

The results of this study indicated that the parasite causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kharve is L. tropica.

Conclusion:

It seems that L. tropica is the only causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kharve, and RAPD-PCR is a suitable tool for Leishmania characterization in epidemiological studies.Key Words: Leishmania major, Leishmania tropica, RAPD-PCR, Khorasan, Kharve     

Focus: Preventive Medicine: The Impact of the Social Distancing Policy on COVID-19 Incidence Cases and Deaths in Iran from February 2020 to January 2021: Insights from an Interrupted Time Series Analysis

Background: In December 2019, a viral outbreak occurred in China, and rapidly spread out worldwide. Due to the lack of immediately available vaccines and effective drugs, many policy- and decision-makers have focused on non-pharmacological methods, including social distancing. This study was aimed at assessing the effects of the implementation of this policy in Iran, one of the countries most affected by COVID-19. We conducted a quasi-experimental study, utilizing the interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) approach. Methods: We collected daily data between February 20, 2020 and January 29, 2021, through governmental websites from 954 public hospitals and healthcare settings. The Iranian government launched the social distancing policy on March 27, 2020. Statistical analyses, including ITSA, were carried out with R software Version 3.6.1 (London, UK). Results: During the study period, 1,398,835 confirmed incidence cases and 57,734 deaths occurred. We found a decrease of -179.93 (95% CI: -380.11 to -20.25, P-value=0.078) confirmed incidence cases following the implementation of the social distancing policy, corresponding to a daily decrease in the trend of -31.17 (95% CI: -46.95 to -15.40, P-value=0.08). Moreover, we found a decrease of -28.28 (95% CI: -43.55 to -13.01, P-value=0.05) deaths, corresponding to a daily decrease in the trend of -4.52 (95% CI: -5.25 to -3.78, P-value=0.003). Conclusion: The growth rate of confirmed incidence cases and deaths from COVID-19 in Iran has decreased from March 27, 2020 to January 29, 2021, after the implementation of social distancing. By implementing this policy in all countries, the burden of COVID-19 may be mitigated.     

The Relationship Between Menopause and Metabolic Syndrome: Experimental and Bioinformatics Analysis

Biochemical Genetics - Menopausal hormonal changes have been associated with the emergence of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its consequences such as type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular...     

Combination of conserved recombinant proteins (NP & 3M2e) formulated with Alum protected BALB/c mice against influenza A/PR8/H1N1 virus challenge

Biotechnology Letters - Influenza is one of the most important agents of pandemic outbreak causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Vaccination strategies of influenza must be adapted annually...     

A systematic review of extracellular vesicles as non-invasive biomarkers in glioma diagnosis,prognosis, and treatment response monitoring

Molecular Biology Reports - The present systematic review was done to investigate the possible application of Extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment response...     

Biohydrogen production from CO-rich syngas via a locally isolated Rhodopseudomonas palustris PT

Biohydrogen production through water–gas shift (WGS) reaction by a biocatalyst was conducted in batch fermentation. The isolated photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris PT was able to utilize carbon monoxide and simultaneously produce hydrogen. Light exposure was provided as an indispensable requirement for the first stage of bacterial growth, but throughout the hydrogen production stage, the energy requirement was met through the WGS reaction. At ambient pressure and temperature, the effect of various sodium acetate concentrations in presence of CO-rich syngas on cell growth, carbon monoxide consumption, and biohydrogen production was also investigated. Maximal efficiency of hydrogen production in response to carbon monoxide consumption was recorded at 86 % and the highest concentration of hydrogen at 33.5 mmol/l was achieved with sodium acetate concentration of 1.5 g/l. The obtained results proved that the local isolate; R. palustris PT, was able to utilize CO-rich syngas and generate biohydrogen via WGS reaction.     

The role of catecholamines in mesenchymal stem cell fate

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells found in many adult tissues, especially bone marrow (BM) and are capable of differentiation into various lineage cells such as osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes and myocytes. Moreover, MSCs can be mobilized from connective tissue into circulation and from there to damaged sites to contribute to regeneration processes. MSCs commitment and differentiation are controlled by complex activities involving signal transduction through cytokines and catecholamines. There has been an increasing interest in recent years in the neural system, functioning in the support of stem cells like MSCs. Recent efforts have indicated that the catecholamine released from neural and not neural cells could be affected characteristics of MSCs. However, there have not been review studies of most aspects involved in catecholamines-mediated functions of MSCs. Thus, in this review paper, we will try to describe the current state of catecholamines in MSCs destination and discuss strategies being used for catecholamines for migration of these cells to damaged tissues. Then, the role of the nervous system in the induction of osteogenesis, adipogenesis, chondrogenesis and myogenesis from MSCs is discussed. Recent progress in studies of signaling transduction of catecholamines in determination of the final fate of MSCs is highlighted. Hence, the knowledge of interaction between MSCs with the neural system could be applied towards the development of new diagnostic and treatment alternatives for human diseases.     

Bioceramic-collagen scaffolds loaded with human adipose-tissue derived stem cells for bone tissue engineering

The combination of bioceramics and stem cells has attracted the interest of research community for bone tissue engineering applications. In the present study, a combination of Bio-Oss^® and type 1 collagen gel as scaffold were loaded with human adipose-tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) after isolation and characterization, and the capacity of them for bone regeneration was investigated in rat critical size defects using digital mammography, multi-slice spiral computed tomography imaging and histological analysis. 8 weeks after implantation, no mortality or sign of inflammation was observed in the site of defect. According to the results of imaging analysis, a higher level of bone regeneration was observed in the rats receiving Bio-Oss^®-Gel compared to untreated group. In addition, MSC-seeded Bio-Oss-Gel induced the highest bone reconstruction among all groups. Histological staining confirmed these findings and impressive osseointegration was observed in MSC-seeded Bio-Oss-Gel compared with Bio-Oss-Gel. On the whole, it was demonstrated that combination of AT-MSCs, Bio-Oss and Gel synergistically enhanced bone regeneration and reconstruction and also could serve as an appropriate structure to bone regenerative medicine and tissue engineering application.     

Psychrophilic endophytic fungi with biological activity inhabit Cupressaceae plant family

Psychrophilic microorganisms are cold-adapted organisms that have an optimum growth temperature below 15 °C, and often below 5 °C. Endophytic microorganisms live inside healthy plants and biosynthesize an array of secondary metabolites which confer major ecological benefits to their host. We provide information, for the first time, on an endophytic association between bioactive psychrophilic fungi and trees in Cupressaceae plant family living in temperate to cold, semi-arid habitats. We have recovered psychrophilic endophytic fungi (PEF) from healthy foliar tissues of Cupressus arizonica, Cupressus sempervirens and Thuja orientalis (Cupressaceae, Coniferales). In total, 23 such fungi were found out of 110 endophytic fungal isolates. They were identified as ascomycetous fungi, more specifically Phoma herbarum, Phoma sp. and Dothideomycetes spp., all from Dothideomycetes. The optimal growth temperature for all these 23 fungal isolates was 4 °C, and the PEF isolates were able to biosynthesize secondary metabolite at this temperature. Extracted metabolites from PEF showed significant antiproliferative/cytotoxic, antifungal and antibacterial effects against phytopathogenic fungi and bacteria. Of special interest was their antibacterial activity against the ice-nucleation active bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. Accordingly, we suggest that evergreen Cupressaceae plants may benefit from their psychrophilic endophytic fungi during cold stress. Whether such endosymbionts confer any ecological and evolutionary benefits to their host plants remains to be investigated in vivo.