MEDICAL LABORATORY JOURNAL
Year:2019 | Volume:13 | Issue:1|Papers Count:8

Background and Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a gram negative opportunistic pathogen and an important cause of wound infections and nosocomial infections. The purpose of this study was to study inhibitory effects of a new ointment prepared from medicinal plants against P. aeruginosa isolates. Methods: In this study, an ointment called ZOUSH was prepared from mixing alcoholic extracts of Satureja khuzestaniea, Zataria multiflora, Mentha mozaffariani Jamzad, honey and polyurethane. Minimal inhibitory concentration of ZOUSH and its compositions alone or combined was determined using the disk diffusion method. Results: S. khuzestaniea, Z. multiflora and Mentha mozaffariani Jamzad had inhibitory effects against P. aeruginosa. The ZOUSH ointment had greater antibacterial effects than the any of its compositions used solely or combined. The diameter of inhibition zone had a direct relationship with the concentration of the extracts. Moreover, the antibacterial effect of the ZOUSH ointment was identical to that of polymyxine B (300 μ g). Conclusion: We demonstrated that the ZOUSH ointment has inhibitory effects against P. aerugionosa. The inhibition zone diameter is directly correlated with the concentration of the extracts. Our results suggest that the ointment could be useful for treatment of burn wounds and skin infections.

Background and Objectives: Poliomyelitis remains a major public health problem in developing countries, which signify the need for extensive diagnostic and prevention research. The aim of the present study was to design monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against poliovirus type I with biomedical, diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Methods: B-cells were isolated from a mouse challenged with polio antigen injection. The B-cell were fused with myeloma tumor cells. After evaluation and screening of approximately 250 hybridoma colons by ELISA, 35 colons with the highest antibody titer and no cross-reactivity were selected and subsequently cloned by limiting dilution. Finally, three colons capable of secreting MAbs against epitopes of poliovirus type I were used for MAb production. Next, the MAbs were characterized by antibody assays, isotyping, epitope analysis (western blot), cross-reactivity test, stability test, sterility test and mycoplasma test. Results: The results indicated that the MAbs were of IgG1 kappa chain, had good stability and no cross-reactivity. In western blot, a band at 26 kDa which is associated to VP3 neutralization protein was observed. Conclusion: These serotype-specific MAbs can be potentially used for identification of type I poliovirus for research, diagnostic and prevention purposes.

Background and Objectives: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a gene involved in development of breast cancer. Normally, HER2 receptors control breast cells growth and division. HER2 overexpression is the cause of almost 20% of all breast cancer incidents. The phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K) pathway is important in the oncogenic function of HER2. It has been reported that compounds, such as selenium significantly attenuate oxidative stress-induced activation of the PI3K pathway, and can exert antitumor effects by downregulating PI3K activation. In this study, we evaluated association of selenium level and HER2 expression in breast cancer tissue. Methods: Atomic absorption spectrometry and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate selenium content and HER2 expression in 30 tissue sets (tumor and adjacent tissue) collected from 30 women diagnosed with breast cancer. Results: HER2 was expressed in about 30% of the samples. In HER2-positive tissues, mean level of selenium was 268. 15 μ g/L in tumors and 165. 36 μ g/L in tumor margins. In HER2-negative tissues, mean level of selenium was 206. 43 μ g/L in tumors and 184. 39 μ g/L in tumor margins. There was no significant association between selenium level and HER2 expression (P>0. 05). Conclusion: Based on the results, we conclude that there is no association between Se level and HER2 expression in breast cancer tissue.

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is one of the most common diseases and a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that regular exercise can affect apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of high-intensity interval training on the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax as important apoptosis factors in diabetic rats. Methods: After inducing diabetes in 20 male Wistar rats (weighing 250 ± 1. 15 g), the rats were randomly divided into a control group and a training group. The training group performed high-intensity interval training five days a week for four weeks, and the control group did not perform any training. After the intervention, RNA was extracted and TCF mRNA was subjected to real time RT-PCR for measuring Bax and Bcl-2 expression in the heart tissue of diabetic rats. Data were analyzed by IBM SPSS Statistics V22 using independent t-test. P-values less than 0. 05 were considered as statistically significant. Results: The expression of Bcl-2 increased significantly and the expression of Bax decreased significantly after the four-week training intervention. Conclusion: The high-intensity interval training can have beneficial effects on the expression of apoptotic genes in rats with type 2 diabetes.

Background and Objectives: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is the most common X-linked disorder of human erythrocytes in which cells are susceptible towards hemolytic changes and could be destroyed by peroxides. Extracts of Ilex spinigera and Gleditsia caspica leaves have excellent free radical scavenging activity. We investigated the protective effects of these extracts against hemolysis induced by some drugs in G6PD-deficient erythrocytes. Methods: Blood samples were collected from males with and without G6PD deficiency. Hemolysis induced by aspirin, phenylhydrazine hydrochloride and phenacetin was assessed in the presence and absence of the extracts. The amount of released hemoglobin was determined by reading absorbance at 540 nm. Results: The methanol extract of G. caspica had significant protective effects against phenacetin-induced hemolysis in G6PD-deficient human erythrocytes (P<0. 05). However, the I. spinigera extract had no significant anti-hemolytic effects on these cells. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the extract of G. caspica could be a potential drug with antioxidant and anti-hemolytic properties for patients with G6PD deficiency.

Background and objectives: Accurate diagnosis of preterm rupture of membrane (PROM) is critical during pregnancy, and researchers are seeking ways to decrease the rate of false negative results in diagnostic tests. In the present study, we compare diagnostic properties of Amnisure test and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) test for diagnosis of PROM. Methods: The study was performed on singleton pregnant women (gestational age: 20 to 41 weeks) who were referred to the Taleghani Hospital in Tehran (Iran) between December 2016 and December 2017. The study included 44 PROM patients and 44 control pregnant women. Speculum examination for cervicovaginal fluid washing, hCG test and Amnisure test were performed for all of patients. Statistical analysis of data was performed in SPSS software package (Version 18, Chicago, IL, USA) using t-test, Chi-square test, and Mann-Whitney test. P-values less than 0. 05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The Amnisure test had better sensitivity and specificity compared with the β-hCG test (95. 5% and 97. 7% vs. 93. 2% and 95. 5%). The Amnisure test also had higher positive and negative predictive values than the β-hCG test (97. 7% and 95. 5% vs. 93. 3% and 94. 3%). Diagnostic accuracy of the Amnisure test was also higher than that of the β-hCG test (96. 6% vs. 94. 3%). Conclusion: According to the results, the two tests have almost equal diagnostic power for detection of PROM during pregnancy.

Background and Objectives: Leptospirosis is a widespread zoonotic disease that is transmitted directly or indirectly from animals to humans. Humans mainly acquire pathogenic leptospires through mucosal or percutaneous exposure to environment contaminated with urine from an infected animal. We aimed to identify pathogenic leptospiral serovars by detection of the ompL37 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Methods: Sixteen pathogenic leptospiral serovars and a saprophytic serovar, L. biflexa were cultured in modified semisolid Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris medium containing 5% rabbit serum. Genomic DNA extraction was done using the phenolchlorophorm method. The ompL37 gene was amplified using specific primers. PCR products were analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results: The ompL37 gene was amplified only in the pathogenic leptospiral serovars. We detected no amplified fragment for the saprophytic serovar. Conclusion: Leptospirosis may be confused with other infectious diseases, and therefore, its early and accurate diagnosis is crucial. We showed that molecular detection of pathogenic leptospires based on the ompL37 gene could be used for laboratory diagnosis of leptospirosis.

Background and Objectives: Implementing quality management system (QMS) in medical laboratories improves quality of procedures and enhances the staff’ s skill development. It prevents frequent inaccuracies in both clinical and laboratory procedures caused by lack of regulatory compliance, safety precautions and inadequate facilities. The purpose of this study is to evaluate effect of implementing QMS based on essential standards NABH (MLP) and NABL (ISO 15189: 2012) in a medical laboratory on quality of services. Methods: Important quality indicators such as external quality assurance services (EQAS), rework, turnaround time (TAT) and feedback were monitored for four months, following implementing the QMS standards in a medical laboratory. Results: We found that implementation of the QMS program improved the tested indicators of quality. Overall percentage of rework reduced significantly. Conclusion: Implementation of QMS improves overall quality of laboratory procedures. It significantly reduces laboratory errors and progressively improves quality, efficiency, and outcomes, thus enabling delivery of timely and accurate services for patients.