Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

About: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services is a education organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 19456 authors who have published 33659 publications receiving 365676 citations.

Tumor-associated macrophages: role in cancer development and therapeutic implications.

Abstract: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are known to play important roles in the initiation and progression of human cancers, as well as in angiogenesis. TAMs are considered as main components of the tumor microenvironment. Targeting TAMs may serve as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of cancer. In this review, the signaling pathways, origin, function, polarization and clinical application of TAMs are discussed. The role of TAMs in tumor initiation, progression, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis are also emphasized. In addition, a variety of clinical and pre-clinical approaches to target TAMs are discussed. Clinical therapeutic approaches that show most promise include blocking the extravasation of TAMs along with using TAMs as diagnostic biomarkers for cancer progression. The targeting of TAMs in a variety of clinical settings appears to be a promising strategy for decreasing metastasis formation and for improving patient outcome.

Anti-Candida albicans activity of some Iranian plants used in traditional medicine

Abstract: Summary Objective To screen anti- Candida albicans activity of the essential oils of 16 Iranian medicinal plants. Materials and methods Anti- C. albicans effect of plant oils, amphotericin B, nystatin and ketoconazole were determined by disc diffusion and broth macrodilution methods. Results Fourteen (87%) out of the 16 plants were found to be active. These oils confirmed the existence of a significant activity against C. albicans tested with minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 150 to 2300 μg/ml using broth macrodilution method and the growth inhibition zone ranging from 16 to 55 mm using disc diffusion method. The essential oils of Zataria multiflora, Thymus kotschyanus, Cuminum cyminum and Plargonium graveolens showed significant activity against C. albicans ( P Conclusion The oils that showed strong anti- Candida activity are worth of further investigations in order to identify the active compounds and their clinical applications for the treatment of candidiasis.

Electrospun cellulose acetate/gelatin nanofibrous wound dressing containing berberine for diabetic foot ulcer healing: in vitro and in vivo studies.

Abstract: Functional wound dressing with tailored physicochemical and biological properties is vital for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) treatment. Our main objective in the current study was to fabricate Cellulose Acetate/Gelatin (CA/Gel) electrospun mat loaded with berberine (Beri) as the DFU-specific wound dressing. The wound healing efficacy of the fabricated dressings was evaluated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The results demonstrated an average nanofiber diameter of 502 ± 150 nm, and the tensile strength, contact angle, porosity, water vapor permeability and water uptake ratio of CA/Gel nanofibers were around 2.83 ± 0.08 MPa, 58.07 ± 2.35°, 78.17 ± 1.04%, 11.23 ± 1.05 mg/cm2/hr, and 12.78 ± 0.32%, respectively, while these values for CA/Gel/Beri nanofibers were 2.69 ± 0.05 MPa, 56.93 ± 1°, 76.17 ± 0.76%, 10.17 ± 0.21 mg/cm2/hr, and 14.37 ± 0.42%, respectively. The antibacterial evaluations demonstrated that the dressings exhibited potent antibacterial activity. The collagen density of 88.8 ± 6.7% and the angiogenesis score of 19.8 ± 3.8 obtained in the animal studies indicate a proper wound healing. These findings implied that the incorporation of berberine did not compromise the physical properties of dressing, while improving the biological activities. In conclusion, our results indicated that the prepared mat is a proper wound dressing for DFU management and treatment.

Deletion of a remote enhancer near ATOH7 disrupts retinal neurogenesis, causing NCRNA disease

Abstract: People with nonsyndromic congenital retinal nonattachment (NCRNA) are blind from birth. The authors show that NCRNA is caused by a deletion spanning a remote cis regulatory element upstream from ATOH7 (Math5), a transcription factor gene required for retinal development. The deleted region is a conserved secondary transcriptional enhancer of ATOH7.