Pathobiology Research
Year:2016 | Volume:19 | Issue:1|Papers Count:9

Objective: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is an opportunistic pathogen with numerous virulence factors considered to be one of the most etiological agents in nosocomial infections. The emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR)P. aeruginosa has become a serious, worldwide public health threat. This study intended to determine the frequency ofphzM, phzS, phzH, phzI, and phzII genes in MDR P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical samples.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examined 93 isolates of P. aeruginosa collected from different clinical samples in Zanjan during 1393-94. After identification of isolates by biochemical tests, we performed the antibiotic susceptibility test (Kirby-Bauer) per CLSI guidelines. Then, total DNA was extracted for PCR analysis to detectphzM, phzS, phzH, phzI, and phzII genes.Results: P. aeruginosa isolates exhibited high-level resistance to Erythromycin and Cefoxitin (95.6%). Amikacin showed the highest activity against isolates with 73.2% susceptibility. There were 88 (94.6%) MDR isolates. The genes had the following frequency among MDR isolates: phzI (96.5%), phzII (93.1%), phzM (45.4%), phzS (27.2%), andphzH (27.2%).Conclusion: The pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa is clearly multifactorial as shown by the large numbers of virulence factors and the broad spectrum of diseases this bacterium causes. The results indicated a greater frequency ofphzI and phzII genes in MDR P. aeruginosastrains. This finding could be an alarm for the infections caused by this microorganism.

Objective: Numerous researches have been conducted to comprehend the anti-cancer effects of curcumin (Cu). Although the anti-proliferative properties of Cu on cancerous cells is known, the clinical application of this gold substrate is limited. This limitation is mostly due to low solubility, inefficient bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and improper uptake. In this study, we have synthesized a novel biodegradable gemini surfactant (Gs), after which the curcumin (Cu) molecules were encapsulated within the polymer to overcome its physicochemical limitations.Methods: We prepared Gs-Cu nanoparticles by the nano precipitation method. Size and polydispersity index of the nanoparticles were determined by the dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique. The release profile of Cu from the polymer matrix was studied, and the MTT assay and cellular uptake of Gs-Cu on MDA-MB-231 cells were investigated in vitro.Results: The Gs polymer had the capability to form polymersomes in an aqueous solution; a narrow size distribution was obtained (PDI≅0.3). The encapsulation efficiency approximated 87%. We observed a sustained release profile due to incorporation of Cu into the polymer matrix. The Gs-Cu complex showed more cytotoxicity compared to free Cu because of the higher rate of cellular internalization.Conclusions: The data indicate that Gs polymersomes can be regarded as nanocarriers for hydrophobic curcumin molecules.

Objective: Regardless of the legal aspects of the gender imbalance problem, community concerns is added to the importance of the issue, gender discrimination, giving the girl the boy vice versa. According to the ethical aspect of research, it is necessary to recognize the ethical dimensions of the jurisprudence and legal attempts to answer the fundamental question that has permitted fetal sex selection Method: We undertook this research by a library study, along with collection of jurists’opinions, and written law from several countries.Results: Gender selection has pros and cons. Some agrees only in cases of necessity, such as the presence of a medical disorder in one gender.Conclusion: Gender selection is not forbidden by non-Islamic roles or the Quran. People may do it if they avoid corruption.

Objective: Breast cancer is considered a heterogeneous disease, characterized by different biological and phenotypic features which make its diagnosis and treatment challenging.We have sought to investigate the expression levels of key components of the Hedgehog signaling pathway, correlation between the signal transducer Smo, and clinic opathologic features (lymph node metastasis and metastasis stage) in invasive breast carcinoma. Also, we examined the inverse correlation between expression levels of Smo and Claudin-1 (an important gene involved in cell tight junctions).Methods: In this case-control study, we assessed 36 pairs of tumor and adjacent normal tissue specimens obtained from patients with invasive ductal breast carcinoma. The expression levels of key components of Hedgehog signaling (Smo, Gli1 and Ptch), Claudin-1, E-cadherin, and MMP2 were measured by qRT-PCR. The correlations between Smo expression with some clinic opathologic parameters were also analyzed.Results: We found up-regulation of Hedgehog signaling in invasive breast carcinoma samples compared to normal adjacent tissues. Up regulation of the signal transducer Smo correlated with tumor stages and lymph node metastasis of the breast tumors. Interestingly, this correlation was affected by the expression of Her2. A significant correlation existed between expression levels of the signal transducer Smo and Claudin-1, E-cadherin as an epithelial cell marker, and MMP2 as a metastasis-related gene in advanced metastatic tumor samples.Conclusion: Taken together, our study revealed a new layer of molecular complexity which should be considered in the management of patients with invasive breast carcinoma. The results suggested a key role for Hedgehog signaling in invasive breast carcinoma. In terms of the inverse correlation between expression levels of Claudin-1 and Hedgehog signaling, Claudin-1 could serve as a candidate gene in diagnostic studies. Thus, its clinical significance should be further clarified.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the testes cultures of patients with previous histories of maturation arrest in spermatogenesis and find the appropriate methods to overcome this problem.Methods: We divided spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) isolated from testes biopsies into 3 groups: 1) culture of SSCs without feeder layer; 2) co-culture of SSCs with patient derived Sertoli cells; and 3) co-culture of SSCs on Sertoli cell feeder layer derived from healthy donors. We calculated the numbers and diameters of stem cell-derived colonies and the percentage of cell viability in the different groups. The presence of SSCs at different culture times was determined by immunochemistry, alkaline phosphatase, and xenotransplantation of SSCs into an azoospermic mouse model.Results: The microenvironment of the feeder layer derived from the patient’s own Sertoli cells produced numerous (36.1±4) large colonies (213.2±17 mm) after 3 weeks of culture. However, the ratio of germ cell-specific expressions of Stra8 (2.3) and Vasa (2.2) was more than the pluripotency gene, Nanog (0.45) in SSCs cultured on the Sertoli cell layer of a healthy person. After xenotransplantation of human SSCs into the testis of an azoospermic mouse model, we observed that the cells grow on basement membrane of seminiferous tubules, which confirmed their nature.Conclusion: SSCs could be co-cultured with Sertoli cells derived from healthy donors in order to overcome the arrest of spermatogenesis observed in the co-culture of SSCs with patient-derived Sertoli cells. The results of the present study indicated that spermatogenesis could possibly be resumed in cancer patients previously treated by chemotherapy and∕or radiotherapy.

Objective: In the present study we investigated the effect of a dynamic culture in a shake flask bioreactor (SFB) on the proliferation and differentiation to osteoblasts for human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured on multilayered electrospun PCL-nHA scaffolds.Methods: First, we prepared PCL-nHA scaffolds by electro spinning. After culturing the hMSCs on the scaffolds in a static state, the seeded scaffolds were divided into two groups (static and SFB culture) and incubated up to 21 days. We assessed biocompatibility and cell differentiation by the MTT, calcium, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assays on days 7, 14, and 21.Results: The MTT assay evaluated hMSCs proliferation rate on the scaffold layers. There was greater cell proliferation (optical density values) on the layers in the bioreactor (OD=2.18) compared to the static state condition (OD=1.68) on day 21. In order to study osteogenic differentiation, we determined the amount of calcium deposition and ALP activity. We observed a 1.6-fold greater level of calcium deposition for the dynamic culture compared to the static culture, which showed increased cell differentiation within the bioreactor on day 21. The ALP results showed that during 14 days, ALP activity within the bioreactor was 1.55-fold higher than the static culture.Conclusion: The SFB culture displayed a higher proliferation and differentiation of stem cells on PCL-nHA multilayered scaffolds compared to the static state condition.