Comparison of Trace Element Concentrations in Ambient Air of Industrial and Residential Areas in Tehran City

Tehran is densely populated possessing unhealthy and polluted air. There are 22 municipality districts in Tehran, and considerable numbers of industries are located within each district. Due to adverse environmental and health effects of trace elements in urban air, this study has been carried out to measure and compare concentration of trace elements including Ag, As, Br, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Mn, Hf, La, Sb, Sc, Sm, Th, and Zn in industrial (district 21) and residential (district 22) areas. For this purpose, total suspended particles were collected in two different time intervals in the year 2008. As a result, maximum and minimum concentrations in residential area associated with Mn (2.9 μg/m³) and Hf (2.92 × 10⁻⁴ μg/m³), respectively. Also, in industrial sites, these concentrations are higher for Mn (4.79 × 10⁻¹ μg/m³) and Hf (6.65 × 10⁻⁴ μg/m³). The concentrations of Mn (2.07 μg/m³) and Hf (7.46 × 10⁻⁴ μg/m³) in traffic zone are close to residential values. General, concentrations of Ce, Co, Cs, La, Sc, Sm, Th, Br, and Hf in industrial area were higher than in residential area. The source of these elements in Tehran's air is mainly anthropogenic. According to the achieved results, the concentration levels of As, Cr, and Zn were close together in both residential and industrial zones. Therefore, these elements could have been originated from natural sources. Also, results show that levels of Ag, Mn, Sb, and Cu in residential area were higher than in industrial area. Finally, obtained data indicated that the trends of average concentration of trace elements in industrial area (from low to high) follow as Hf<Cs<Sm<Th<La<Ce<Sc<Co<Ag<As<Sb<Cr<Br<Zn<Cu<Mn and, in residential area, are in order of Hf<Cs<La<Th<Ce<Sc<Sm<Co<As<Ag<Br<Sb<Cr<Zn<Cu<Mn.     

The F-actin-microtubule crosslinker Shot is a platform for Krasavietz-mediated translational regulation of midline axon repulsion

Axon extension and guidance require a coordinated assembly of F-actin and microtubules as well as regulated translation. The molecular basis of how the translation of mRNAs encoding guidance proteins could be closely tied to the pace of cytoskeletal assembly is poorly understood. Previous studies have shown that the F-actin-microtubule crosslinker Short stop (Shot) is required for motor and sensory axon extension in the Drosophila embryo. Here, we provide biochemical and genetic evidence that Shot functions with a novel translation inhibitor, Krasavietz (Kra, Exba), to steer longitudinally directed CNS axons away from the midline. Kra binds directly to the C-terminus of Shot, and this interaction is required for the activity of Shot to support midline axon repulsion. shot and kra mutations lead to weak robo-like phenotypes, and synergistically affect midline avoidance of CNS axons. We also show that shot and kra dominantly enhance the frequency of midline crossovers in embryos heterozygous for slit or robo, and that in kra mutant embryos, some Robo-positive axons ectopically cross the midline that normally expresses the repellent Slit. Finally, we demonstrate that Kra also interacts with the translation initiation factor eIF2beta and inhibits translation in vitro. Together, these data suggest that Kra-mediated translational regulation plays important roles in midline axon repulsion and that Shot functions as a direct physical link between translational regulation and cytoskeleton reorganization.     

In Vitro Interaction of Geldanamycin with Triazoles and Echinocandins Against Common and Emerging Candida Species

Mycopathologia - The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro interactions of geldanamycin (Hsp90-inhibitor) with triazoles and echinocandins against common and emerging Candida species....     

Mesenchymal stem cells as the game-changing tools in the treatment of various organs disorders: Mirage or reality?

Recently a growing attention in scientific community has been gathered on potential application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in various fields of medicine. Owing to the fact that they can be easily isolated from different sources, and simply proliferated in large quantities while keeping their original biological characteristics, they can be successfully used as cell-based therapeutics. Engineering MSCs and other type of stem cells to be carriers of therapeutic agents is a new tactic in the targeted gene and cell therapy of cancers and degenerative diseases. Various useful properties of MSCs including tropism toward tumor/injury site(s), weakly immunogenic, production of anti-inflammatory molecules, and safety against normal tissues have made them prone for regenerative medicine, targeted therapy and treating injured tissues, and immunological abnormalities. In this review, we introduce latest advances, methods, and applications of MSCs in gene therapy of various malignant organ disorders. Additionally, we will cover the problems and challenges which researchers have faced with when trying to translate their basic experimental findings in MSCs research to clinically applicable therapeutics.     

Expression and localization of transient receptor potential channels in the bovine uterus epithelium throughout the estrous cycle

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are expressed in the endometrium but it is unknown if they are modulated through the estrous cycle (EC). This study was undertaken to identify the modulation of the TRPC gene and protein isoforms in bovine uterine epithelium, as a model for human, throughout the EC. Changes in the expression of TRPC genes in bovine uterine epithelium throughout the EC were measured using Real-Time PCR, while immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry were used to determine the localization of these channels. Out of the 7 members of the TRPC family, TRPC1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 genes were expressed in bovine uterine epithelial tissue and TRPC 5 and 7 were not. Gene expression levels of all TRPC isoforms underwent cyclical changes throughout the EC. Moreover, cyclical changes were detected in the protein levels of TRPC1 and TRPC6 throughout the EC. These findings show that TRPC channels are modulated through the EC and therefore may have a role in reproductive events.

     

Wrapped omentum with periosteum concurrent with adipose derived adult stem cells for bone tissue engineering in dog model

Adipose derived adult stem cells (ASCs) are multipotent cells that are able to differentiate into osteoblasts in presence of certain factors. The histological characteristics of periosteum makes it a specific tissue with a unique capacity to be engineered. Higher flexibility of the greater omentum is useful for reconstructive surgery. These criteria make it suitable for tissue engineering. The present study was designed to evaluate bone tissue engineering with periosteal free graft concurrent with ASCs and pedicle omentum in dog model. Twelve young female indigenous dogs were used in this experiment. In omental group (n = 4), end of omentum was wrapped by periosteum of the radial bone in abdomen of each dog. In omental-autogenously ASCs group (n = 4), 1 ml of ASCs was injected into the wrapped omentum with periosteum while in omental-allogenously ASCs group (n = 4), 1 ml of allogenous ASCs was injected. Lateral view radiographs were taken from the abdominal cavity postoperatively at the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th weeks post-surgery. Eight weeks after operation the dogs were re-anesthetized and the wrapped omenum by periosteum in all groups was found and removed for histopathological evaluation. Our results showed that omentum–periosteum, omental-periosteum-autogenous ASCs and omental-periosteum-allogenous ASCs groups demonstrated bone tissue formation in the abdominal cavity in dog model. The radiological, macroscopical and histological findings of the present study by the end of 8 weeks post-surgery indicate bone tissue engineering in all three groups in an equal level. The present study has shown that the wrapped omentum with periosteum concurrent with ASCs (autogenous or allogenous ASCs) lead to a favorable bone tissue formation. We suggested that it may be useful when pedicle graft omentum used concurrent with periosteum in the bone defect reconstruction, and this phenomenon should be studied in future.     

Characterization of Soil Contamination in Miduk Mining District,SW Iran

In this study, 30 soil samples were collected from 0–5 cm and 15–20 cm depths in the vicinity of the Miduk Porphyry Copper Mine in Kerman Province, southeast Iran. The samples were analyzed for total concentrations of eight potentially toxic elements. The bioavailability of trace elements is determined using sequential extraction analysis. Average concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn in soil samples are 26.9, 0.49, 56.31, 201.18, 1.77, 45.6, 83.87, and 191.94 mg kg^?1, respectively. Also, to assess the bioaccumulation of the analyzed elements, the roots and the leaves of three plant species were sampled and analyzed. The mobility of the analyzed trace elements shows the following decreasing order: Cd > Mo > Ni > Zn > Cu > Cr >Pb> As. The distribution pattern of elements indicates that elemental concentration in Miduk soils is highly influenced by bedrock composition, while soil pollution is mostly affected by ancient mining.