Showing papers by "Islamic Azad University published in 1970"

Microbial transformation of citral by Penicillium sp..

Abstract: Thymol is present in the essential oils from herbs and spices, such as thyme. It is produced by these plant species as a chemical defense against phytopathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, this compound has attracted great attention in food industry, i.e., it has been used as a natural preservative in foods such as cheese to prevent fungal growth. Previous studies concerning the biotransformation of nerol by Penicillium sp. and microbial transformation of citral by sporulated surface cultures method (SSCM) of Penicillium digitatum have been reported. The objective of this research was to study the pathway involved during biotransformation of citral by Penicillium sp. using two methods. The culture preparation was done using different microbial methods and incubation periods to obtain Penicillium for citral biotransformation. The biotransformation products were identified by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). A comparison of the two methods showed that SSCM was more effective, its major products were thymol (21.5 %), geranial (18.6 %) and nerol (13.7 %). LM produced only one compound — thymol — with a low efficiency.

Grain-Borne Mycoflora and Fumonisin B1 From Fresh-Harvested and Stored Rice in Northern Iran

Abstract: Results: Mycoflora profiles of fresh and stored rice grains showed that Aspergillus species (37.3%, 40.7%) were the predominant fungal agents, followed by Fusarium (21.6%, 16.2%), Mucor (19.6%, 16.7%) and Rhizopus (9.8%, 11.1%), respectively. In HPLC analysis, most of the rice samples (96.7%) collected were found to be positive for FB1 with mean levels ranging from not detected to 56.2 mg/kg for fresh samples and from 4.3 to 42.8 mg/kg for stored ones. FB1 levels varied from one zone to another and throughout the storage time, showing a decreasing trend in most zones. Conclusions: Rice samples with a high prevalence of diverse species of toxigenic fungi, in particular Aspergillus and Fusarium species, and high levels of FB1 in many samples indicate the need for proper surveillance and monitoring exclusively for the prevention of fungi and FB1 in rice produced in Mazandaran province before it reaches the consumer.

Comparing Perceived Social Support and Perceived Stress in Healthy Pregnant Women and Pregnant Women with Preeclampsia

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a prevalent side effect of pregnancy. Different studies have reported different results about the relationship between mental stress and blood pressure disorders. In addition, social support is highly important to help women who experience risky pregnancy in adapting to the stressors they experience. This study aimed to compare perceived social support and perceived stress in women with and without preeclampsia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Fifty pregnant women definitely diagnosed with preeclampsia and 50 healthy pregnant women visiting public hospitals including Hazrat Masoumeh, Motazedi,and Imam Reza in Kermanshah-Iran took part in a descriptiveanalytical study from June 2017 to January 2018. Data gathering tools included demographics questionnaire, social support appraisals scale and perceived stress scale. The collected data was analyzed with SPSS (v.20) using independent t-test. RESULTS: The mean score of perceived social support in the preeclampsia and non-preeclampsia groups were 69.88±7.3 and 76.80±7.6 respectively (P<0.01). The mean score of perceived stress in the preeclampsia and non-preeclampsia groups were 35.6±8.7 and 26.01±5.56 respectively (P<0.01). This means that compared with healthy women, women with preeclampsia perceived more stress and less social support. CONCLUSION: In comparison with healthy pregnant women, women with preeclampsia perceived more stress and less social support. Healthcare providers should recommended to pay more attention to improving social support and attenuating stress in pregnant women.

Cloning of the Recombinant Cytochrome P450 Cyp141 Protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a Diagnostic Target and Vaccine Candidate.

Abstract: Background: Tuberculosis has been announced as a global emergency by World Health Organization and the second infectious agent of mortality worldwide. The general policy in the development of new vaccines is to develop some vaccines with higher efficiency not only for infants but also for adults compared with the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine. Recently, cytochrome P450 cyp141 has been introduced as a new target for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical samples. Objectives: The aim of this study was to clone this gene in order to pave the way for more evaluation. Materials and Methods: M. tuberculosis H37Rv DNA was extracted by a standard phenol-chlorophorm protocol. After designing the specific primers, P450 cyp141 gene was replicated by PCR. The purified PCR products were then subcloned into the pTZ57R/T plasmid vector. After extraction, enzyme digestion, and recombinant pTZ57R/T-cyp141 plasmid vector sequencing, the aforementioned products were cloned into a pET-26b plasmid vector. Then, the recombinant pET26b-cyp141 plasmid molecules were transformed to Escherichia coli strain BL21 (DE3) using the transformation method. Next, the recombinant pET26b-cyp141 plasmids were purified and evaluated by the enzyme digestion analysis. Results: The cloning of P450 cyp141 gene was confirmed by the enzyme digestion and sequencing of the recombinant pTZ57R/T-cyp141 and pET26b-cyp141 plasmid vectors. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrated that the P450 cyp141 gene was successfully cloned into a pET26b plasmid vector as an expression vector. In this paper, for the first time in Iran, this gene was cloned for more purposes, including the expression and purification of the recombinant cytochrome P450 cyp141 protein.

Management of Third Stage of Labor: A Comparison of Intraumbilical Oxytocin and Placental Cord Drainage

Abstract: Introduction: Postpartum hemorrhage is an important cause of maternal morbidity and mortality. There are some active and physiologic methods for management of third stage of labor. This study is aimed to evaluate and compare the efficacy of intraumbilical vein injection of oxytocin and placental cord drainage in the management of third stage of labor. Methods: In this prospective clinical trial, 152 women received 20 ml of a 0.9% saline solution with either 20 units of oxytocin injected in the umbilical vein after clamping (Group A, n = 51), placental cord drainage (Group B, n = 50) or no intervention (Group C, n = 51). The primary outcome was mean duration of third stage of labor. Results: The third stage of labor was significantly shorter in group A and B as compared to group C (3.50, 3.54 vs. 5.16min, P = 0.001). There were no reports of need for manual removal of placenta or retained placenta. Conclusion: The use of intraumbilical injection of oxytocin and placental cord drainage in the third stage of labor significantly reduced the duration of the third stage.

Indicators of Mental Health in Various Iranian Populations

Abstract: Background: Promoting mental health and preventing mental disorders are of the main concerns for every country. Achieving these goals requires effective indexes for evaluating mental health. Therefore, to develop mental health enhancement programs in Iran, there is a need to measure the state of mental health in Iran. Objectives: This study aimed to select a set of mental health indicators that can be used to monitor the status of mental health in Iran. Materials and Methods: This research work used Q-methodology which combines both quantitative and qualitative research methods for establishment of mental health indicators in Iran. In this study, 30 participants were chosen by purposive sampling from different types of professionals in the field of mental health. Results: Twenty seven mental health indicators were obtained from the Q-methodology. The most important indicators obtained in this study are as follows: annual prevalence of mental disorders, suicide rates, number of mental health professionals, mental health expenditures and suicide related deaths. Conclusions: This study provides mental health indices for measuring mental health status in Iran. These mental health indices can be used to measure progress in the reform policies and community mental health services.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha polymorphism and susceptibility to multiple sclerosis in the Iranian population.

Abstract: Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated disease of polygenic etiology. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) microsatellite as a proinflammatory cytokine is believed to play an important role in the etiology of this disease. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of TNF-α microsatellite sequence variation in patients with MS and its risk factor in the southern Iranian population. Patients and Methods: This polymorphism was investigated in an Iranian population of 163 native southern people [81 patients with MS according to the poser criteria and 82 healthy controls (HC) with the same age, sex, social, ethnical and geographical features (Hormozgan and Fars provinces)]. All the controls were nonimmunological, neurological patients. All the cases and controls were chosen randomly and genotyped for polymorphism of TNF-α microsatellite. Results: The frequencies of TNF-α*11 (0.25, P < 0.005) and TNF-α*10 (P < 0.005) alleles increased in patients with MS compared with controls, showing a significant difference among the studied population. Conclusions: The current study adds evidence to the association of TNF-α gene polymorphism and MS in this southern south Iranian population which is consistent with the genetic analysis of MS in Europeans (GAMES) project reports and these two alleles reported in this study may be one of the genetic risk factor for MS. Furthermore, this data can be used to build the Iranian gene bank for future studies.

Floristic changes at Khersan Glacier Territory, Alamkuh Mountain, Central Alborz, North of Iran

Abstract: Kavousi K, Nejadsattari T, Asri Y, Ejtehadi H, Khavari-Nejad RA. 2016. Floristic changes at Khersan Glacier Territory, Alamkuh Mountain, Central Alborz, North of Iran. Biodiversitas 17: 11-15. Extensive investigation in subnival-nival area aroundKhersan glacier moraine introduced 71 vascular plant species. From this list 43 species have been listed in Noroozi et al. (2011) in “subnival-nival vascular plant species of Iran : a unique high mountain flora and its threat from climate warming” and the others are new for subnival-nival area of Iran. Among this plant list 31 species had introduced with Kotschy (1861a.), Bornmuller  (1906), Melchior (1937), Klein (1982), European researchers and the other is named for the first time from Khersan glacier territory. Many species suchas Astragalus macrosemius, Pseudocamelina kleinii, Crepis multicaulis subsp. congesta, Didymophysa fedtschenkoana and Drabamelanopus due to glacier condition have very sensitive habitat, vulnerable and only gathered from restrict area with conservation value.Vegetation change happened in many nival and subnival areas with upward movement in the same habitat and movement from loweraltitude at alpine towards summit in subnival and nival. Carex oreophila, Campanula stevenii, Bromus brachystachyus, Oxytropisimmersa, Erigeron uniflorus, Trachydium pauciradiatum, Scorzonera radicosa and some other species are surprisingly movement tosubnival area and many nival and subnival species such as Didymophysa aucheri, Didymophysa fedtschenkoana, Dracocephalumaucheri and Arabis caucasica have come significantly upward in nival. The movement is different in all side of Khersan glacier morainein north, south and the east (besise moraine tongue) slops and limited with presence of soil natural generation and other ecological remarks. Limitation for soil generation starts at different altitude in northern, southern and eastern slopes of Khersan glacier valley. This study examined changes of flora in Khersan glacier territory during recent decades according to extensive data gathering, full list of Khersan glacier territory introduced Barbarea stricta, Draba melanopus, Pseudocamelina kleinii, Crepis multicaulis subsp. congesta as new report for flora of Iran and flora Iranica area.

Association of transforming growth factor-β1 gene polymorphism with Visceral leishmaniasis in an Iranian population

Abstract: Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar is a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan of Leishmania genus and in Iran by Leishmania infantum. Cytokines have a major role in determining progression and severity of clinical manifestations in VL. The role of TGF-β1 in VL has been recognized since 1992. We investigated polymorphism in the TGF-β1 gene, which is a cytokine known to have a role in onset and severity of the disease. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was done on 85 pateints with confirmed VL, 106 healthy seronegative controls and 99 seropositive controls. Salting out method was used to extract DNA and the amplification refractory mutation system (AR123MS)-PCR procedure was used for detecting polymorphism at TGFβ1 (-509) C/T. Results: The frequency of TGF-β1 CC, CT and TT genotypes among all subjects were 21.4%, 71% and 7.6% respectively. Statistical analysis of distribution of genotypes was performed using Chi-Square test and reveal a significant difference among groups (P = 0.00). Conclusion: To our knowledge this study demonstrates for the first time the association of the cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 gene polymorphism in Iranian patients with VL. Individuals with the transforming growth factor-β1 (-509) CT genotype may have increased susceptibility to Visceral leishmaniasis.

Molecular phylogeny of Acer monspessulanum L. subspecies from Iran inferred using the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA

Abstract: Khademi H, Mehregan I, Assadi M, Nejadsatari T, Zarre S. 2015. Molecular phylogeny of Acer monspessulanum L. subspecies from Iran inferred using the ITS region of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Biodiversitas 17: 16-23. This study was carried out on the Acer monspessulanum complex growing wild in Iran. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences for 75 samples representing five different subspecies of Acer monspessulanum were analyzed. Beside this, 86 previously published ITS sequences from GenBank were used to test the monophyly of the complex worldwide. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using Bayesian inference and maximum parsimony. The results indicate that most samples of A. monspessulanum species from Iran were part of a monophyletic clade with 8 samples of A. ibericum from Georgia, A. hyrcanum from Iran and one of A. sempervirens from Greece (PP= 1; BS= 79%). Our results indicate that use of morphological characteristics coupled with molecular data will be most effective.

Zernike radial polynomials method for solving nonlinear singular boundary value problems arising in physiology

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide a new numerical method for solving nonlinear singular differential equations that arise in biology problem. These kind of problems appear in various biology problems like oxygen diffusion in red blood cells, distribution of heat source in human head and cancer tumor growth and etc. In this paper this equations are solved by a new numerical method by using Zernike radial polynomials. In the proposed method for the first time the operational matrix of derivative for Zernike radial polynomials is derived and by using this operational matrices of derivative of Zernike radial functions the differential equation convert to a system of algebraic equations that can be solved easily. The implementation of this proposed method is simple and attractive. Finally some applied models are presented to compare the results by other method results, and they show the accuracy and efficiency of the presented method.