Background and Aim: Culture and specific staining (including Zeil-Nelson and fluorescent methods) are standard measures for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). Because these methods are time-consuming and, sometimes, due to their low accuracy faster and more accurate methods are necessitated. Methods, which can substitute invasive procedures, when obtaining smear samples and culture is not possible, and in addition to being simple and fast, they have an acceptable diagnostic accuracy.The aim of the present study was to verify the diagnostic value of blood Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method in pulmonary TB.Materials and Methods: This case-control study included 64 proven pulmonary TB cases (according to The National TB Protocol) and 28 subjects who were completely healthy. 4.5ml of blood was derived from each participant and then mixed with 0.5ml EDTA. Finally, DNA extraction and PCR testing using SI 6110 primers was performed for all blood samples.Results: Mean age of the cases and controls was 49.8±18.6 and 48.2±18.5, respectively. 49.2% of the cases and 25% of controls were male. Blood PCR in 23 patients with TB was positive, but none of the controls had a positive PCR (thus, sensitivity of 35.7% and specificity of 100%).Conclusion: With regard to specificity of 100% in PCR method (despite its low sensitivity), in conditions where there is no access to an appropriate specimen, a positive blood PCR can obviate invasive procedures and rapid and definitive diagnosis of the disorder and timely treatment of the patient, his life is saved.

Background: The genitourinary system is one of he most common sites of infection in non-pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The clinical symptoms and radiologic findings of urinary TB are nonspecific. Current diagnostic tests are of low sensitivity and labor-intensive. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate diagnostic value of urine PCR in genitourinary tuberculosis (GNTB).Methods: This was a descriptive study on 33 patients with confirmed genitourinary TB. Demographic data, clinical symptoms, laboratory and radiologic findings were collected. For each patient, three consecutive early morning urine specimens were examined by PCR. The diagnostic value of PCR in mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in comparison with standard microbiological methods was assessed.Findings: There were 33 patients with a mean age of 47.27 16.1 years. The most common presenting symptoms were irritative voiding symptoms (51.5%), flanks pain (27.2%), gross hematuria (9%) and suprapubic pain (9%). Laboratory findings in U/A were hematuria (75.8%) and pyuria (60.6%). IVU was abnormal in 61.5% of patients. Most common abnormalities were pyelocalyceal dilation (44%), ureteral stricture and hydroureter (37%) and multiple small calyceal deformities (25%). Of the 33 patients PCR for MTB was positive in 16 cases (48.5%). In patients with abnormal IVU, PCR was positive in 62.5%.Conclusion: A high index of clinical suspicion is necessary for diagnosis of GUTB. PCR is recommended for instant diagnosis and screening before further examination, it cannot be the only method in identification of GUTB.

In this study, the compatibility of polypropylene (PP)/polybutene-1 (PB-1) homopolymer blends before and after a long-chain branching process was studied. The blends were prepared and long-chain branched directly via a reactive extrusion process in the presence of a free radical initiator and trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TMPTMA) poly functional monomer. The optimum percentage of TMPTMA and PB-1 resin was determined by measuring the grafting efficiency and by studying the rheological behavior in steady state shear and transient extensional mode and the morphology of samples was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The morphology observations, which were also approved by rheological data, demonstrated an enhanced compatibility for the blend branched with 1. 5wt% of TMPTMA and 10wt% of PB-1 resin. The highest grafting efficiency of 37% and branch index of 5. 2 were achieved for this blend composition. The zero-shear viscosity (η 0) of PP increased from 4500 Pa. s to 6800 Pa. s after branching process, and further enhanced to 2400 Pa. s by using 10 wt% PB-1 resin. The long-chain branched structure of blend resulted in a prominent higher zero-shear viscosity, a longer relaxation time and a pronounced strain-hardening behaviors. The branch index of blend samples were determined, and their branching behavior was quantified using extensional viscosity data.

Today, many different methods are applied for the correct use of foods and to prevent their deterioration. Ensuring healthy conditions for people in food consumption and consumption of healthy foods is very important for human welfare. In this study, food spoilage, the factors that cause food spoilage, its effects on a global basis, food transport systems (cold chain) and measures that prevent or delay food spoilage are discussed.

Background: Dermatophytes are a group of fungi that attack keratinous tissues of the skin, hair, and nail in humans and animals, and cause infections called dermatophytosis (tinea). Since identification of pathogenic fungi at the species level is essential for the detection of the source, control and prevention, and identifying epidemiology of infection, it is necessary to use specific and sensitive diagnostic methods to identify the causes of dermatophytosis. Methods: The clinical samples (skin, nail, and hair) of patients with dermatophytosis in Mashhad City, Iran, were cultured in Mycosyl Agar culture media, and the DNA of obtained dermatophyte colonies were extracted by specific kit. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene was amplified and sequenced by ITS1, ITS4 primers. Finally, the sequencing results were analyzed using SeqMan software, and were compared with the data of the global genebank. Findings: In this study, 80 dermatophyte isolates were sequenced, which included 9 dermatophyte species as 23 (28. 8%) Trichophyton (T. ) interdigital, 18 (22. 5%) T. tunsorans, 10 (12. 5%) Epidermophyton fluccosum, 10 (12. 5%) of T. mentagrophytes, 8 (10%) Microsporum canis, 4 (5%) T. rubrum, 4 (5%) T. benhamiae, 2 (2. 5%) Nannizzia (N. ) fulvum, 1 (1. 2%) N. persicolor. Conclusion: According to report the rare species of dermatophytes in this study, the use of molecular methods such as sequencing of the ITS gene can determine the diversity of dermatophytes in a region more precisely than morphological methods.

In this research, pollen grains of ten species and two subspecies of the genus Hypericum in Iran belonging to four sections were studied using light and scanning electron microscopy. The pollen grains are monad, isopolar to subisopolar and heteropolar, prolate, subprolate, spheroidal and prolate-spheroidal in shape, small to medium in size. The outline of pollen grains varies from round to triangular, quadrangular and ovate from polar view and elliptical, tetrahedral, quadrangular, round and ovate from equatorial view; 3 and 4 syncolporate to 3, 4 and 6 zonocolporate. Based on exine sculpturing, pore shape, size and muri thickness, the examined species are divided in two main types including scrobiculate and micro reticulate and 2 subtypes including small pore / thick muri and large pore / thin muri. The pores are arranged from irregular to regular-irregular with regular intervals. The current result revealed taxonomically important palynological data of the genus Hypericum. These traits can be used for infrageneric classification, especially at sectional and species levels.

A survey on the morphology and biology of the elm leaf-mining moth Bucculatrix ulmifoliae was conducted under natural conditions. The developmental periods of 1th+2th, 3th, 4th and 5th larval instars as well as pupa were calculated as 6.40 ± 0.67, 1.76 ± 0.12, 1.92 ± 0.20, 3.51 ± 0.37, 9.61 ± 0.77 days, in a cage at field; and 6.40 ± 0.66, 1.50 ± 0.27, 1.78 ± 0.47, 2.71 ± 0.48, 7.64 ± 0.33 days at the laboratory (25 ± 2°C, RH 65 ± 5 and 16L: 8D hours) respectively. The average life span of the moth was obtained as 23.04 ± 1.02 days at the laboratory and 25.84 ± 0.91 days at the field. Adults of the first generation appeared in early April. The fertile females laid their eggs underside of leaves near the midribs. Upon hatching, the first instar larva penetrates directly via base of the egg into the leaf tissue and creates the mine. B. ulmifoliae had three generations of which the second generation showed its tendency for oviposition. Third generation was observed from the first half of August, and overwintering started at the first half of September. The first and second instars mined the leaf and fed inside, while the other instars fed externally on the underside. Bucculatrix ulmifoliae has three generations a year and overwintering as a pupa in a cocoon in the crevices of barks and fallen leaves on the ground.

The present research is aimed to analyses the morphological typology of Persian on the basis of the framework of Distributed Morphology (DM). According to the findings of DM, the predominant tendency of Persian's morphological type is defined here on a two-dimensional chart; a chart provided by Aikhenvald (2007) from the conjugation typology of languages, which itself was defined on the basis of the criteria proposed by Sapir. The horizontal axis in this diagram deals with the degree of internal complexity of words and its horizontal axis includes the transparency of morphological boundaries between the morphemes within a grammatical word. Accordingly, the main research questions are to determine: the position of Persian language on the basis of “ degree of internal complexity of words” , as well as, its typology on the basis of “ border transparency criteria” . To analyses the grammatical structures of Persian, a variety of diverse structures, among different Persian text types, including stories, textbooks, scenarios, and research papers was gathered, which contained a total number of nine thousand and six hundred words. The investigation on the first question on the basis of Greenberg’ s quantitative standards illustrates that, by achieving a number of one thousand and five hundred and six words from the above-mentioned index, the orientation of today’ s Persian language, according to the “ degree of internal complexity of words” or what is called as “ word combinability criteria” , is towards “ analytic” language type. Considering the second question, the research demonstrates that in view of the “ border transparency criteria” for morphemes which indicates ways to connect morphemes, Persian language is more inclined towards “ agglutinating” language type. Finally, it can be concluded that based on the findings of DM, the dominant tendency of morphosyntactic structures of Persian is towards “ agglutinating-analytic” languages. Therefore, the research findings in considering Persian within the DM framework approves its grouping within agglutinating-analytic language types, though in comparison to the previous studies, the reduction of the statistical results here illustrates the main tendency of Persian's morphological type towards analytic languages and its movement towards becoming more analytic.