Effect of Carob [Ceratonia siliqua L.] oral supplementation on changes of semen parameters, oxidative stress, in?ammatory biomarkers and reproductive hormones in infertile men

Background and Aim: Reduction in sperm motility is one of the main causes of male infertility. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Carob supplementation on sperm parameters, inflammatory factors, oxidative stress indices and sex hormones in the men with idiopathic infertility

Materials and methods: This study was a randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial which included 60 men with asthenospermia. The patients were assigned to intervention and placebo groups [n =30]. The intervention group received 1500 mg Carob / day [three 500 mg capsules], and the placebo group received three placebo capsules / day for 12 weeks. The parameters of sperm, total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde concentration, inflammatory markers and plasma sex hormones were measured at the beginning and at the end of the study. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software and independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean values of changes between the two groups. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant

Results: Differences in the changes in number, concentration and the percentage of motile sperms, total antioxidant capacity, concentration of MDA and plasma inflammatory markers were significant after the intervention [p<0.05]. Changes in sex hormones were not significant in the two groups [P>0.05]

Conclusion: Increased concentration and motility of the sperm and decreased oxidative stress and inflammatory factors were observed in the intervention group. Use of plants with antioxidant capacity can be one of the ways to cope with oxidative damage to sperm in this group of infertile men

Planarians: an In Vivo Model for Regenerative Medicine

The emergence of regenerative medicine has raised the hope of treating an extraordinary range of disease and serious injuries. Understanding the processes of cell proliferation, differentiation and pattern formation in regenerative organisms could help find ways to enhance the poor regenerative abilities shown by many other animals, including humans. Recently, planarians have emerged as an attractive model in which to study regeneration. These animals are considering as in vivo plate, during which we can study the behavior and characristics of stem cells in their own niche. A variety of characteristic such as: simplicity, easy to manipulate experimentally, the existence of more than 100 years of literature, makes these animals an extraordinary model for regenerative medicine researches. Among planarians free-living freshwater hermaphrodite Schmidtea mediterranea has emerged as a suitable model system because it displays robust regenerative properties and, unlike most other planarians, it is a stable diploid with a genome size of about 4.8x108 base pairs, nearly half that of other common planarians. Planarian regeneration involves two highly flexible systems: pluripotent neoblasts that can generate any new cell type and muscle cells that provide positional instructions for the regeneration of anybody region. neoblasts represent roughly 25~30 percent of all planarian cells and are scattered broadly through the parenchyma, being absent only from the animal head tips and the pharynx. Two models for neo-blast specification have been proposed; the naive model posits that all neoblasts are stem cells with the same potential and are a largely homogeneous population.

Helicobacter pylori genotypes can predict gastric tissue histopathology: a longitudinal study of Iranian patients

Several factors have been suggested to account for differences in the virulence of Helicobacter pylori infections in various populations. Evidence suggests the existence of different strains of H. pylori with different degrees of virulence. The present study aimed to investigate the gastric histopathology in Iranian patients infected with H. pylori and to investigate the relationship between the severity of gastritis and four different bacterial virulence-associated genotypes. All of the patients with positive results from a pathological examination, a rapid urease test, and PCR analysis for H. pylori infection were consecutively included into the study. The classification and grading of gastritis were performed according to the Sydney System. Esophagitis was classified endoscopically according to the Savary-Miller grading system. The primers used in this study targeted 16S rRNa [521 bp], Urease A [411 bp], Cag A [400 bp], and 26 kDa [303 bp]. Twenty-eight patients were included in the study. The presence of Cag A showed a significant relationship with higher gastritis grades [3.0 +/- 0.7 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.9, p = 0.024] and higher scores for H. pylori infection [3.0 +/- 0.7 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.7, p = 0.027]. The patients infected with 26 kDa-positive H. pylori had significantly higher infection scores [3.5 +/- 0.6 vs. 2.5 +/- 0.6, p = 0.020]. This study showed that CagA-positive H. pylori infection is associated with more severe gastritis and with increased bacterial density and inflammation in the biopsy specimens. The 303-bp positive genotype was also significantly associated with higher grades of esophagitis. Additional in-depth trials will be helpful in extending our findings. H. pylori [Helicobacter pylori], PCR [polymerase chain reaction]

Vascular endothelial growth factor in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in sulfur mustard exposed lung patients

To determine the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor isoform consisting of 165 amino acids [VEGF165] in Bronchoalveolar Lavage fluid from Mustard Exposed Patients. Bronchoscopy with Bronchoalveolar Lavage was performed on sulphur mustard exposed patients. A total of 39 patients with documented exposure to Sulfur Mustard during the Iran-Iraq war participated in this study, of which 38 patients were males and one patient was female. The mean +/- SD age of patients was 41 +/- 6.6 years. The mean time after exposure to sulfure mustard was 19 +/- 1.7 years. Eighteen patients had concomitant war injuries but they were not related to the respiratory system. While twenty-two patients had a history of submassive persistent hemoptysis. There was no case with massive hemoptysis. Most of the patients had small airway obstruction [FEV1/FVC% = 78.14 +/- 9.76 and FEV% = 82.79 +/- 18.23]. Twenty-three patients had significant air trapping in the chest. High Resolution Computed Tomography was compatible with BOS. VEGF 165 concentrations in BALF were 36.87 +/- 34.68 pg/ml. When corrected to total protein of Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid [BALF] it was 0.76 +/- 0.70 pg/mg. BALF of VEGF did not correlate with hemoptysis or air trapping in chest HRCT. Thus, there was also no correlation between level of VEGF165 in BALF and any of PFT indexes [FVC, FEV1, MMEF or PEF]. Although VEGF is one of the cytokines which has an important role in chronic pulmonary disorders, it seems that it has no essential role in the severity of Mustard Lung Disease

Molecular screening of staphylococcal enterotoxin B gene in clinical isolates

The role of staphylococcal enterotoxin B [SEB] in food poisoning is well known, however its role in other diseases remains to be explored. The aim of this study is the molecular screening and characterization of the SEB gene in clinically isolated strains. In this experimentally study, 300 Staphylococcus aureus [S. aureus] strains isolated from clinical samples were assayed. The isolated strains were confirmed by conventional bacteriological methods. Polymerase chain reaction [PCR] was used to determine the enterotoxin B [ent B] gene. Assessment of toxin production in all strains that contained the ent B gene was then performed. Finally, using specific antibody against SEB, a Western-blot was applied to confirm detection of enterotoxin B production. Results indicated that only 5% of the 300 clinically isolated S. aureus contained the ent B gene. All strains which contained the ent B gene produced a proteinous enterotoxin B. The results of sequence determination of the PCR product were compared with the gene bank database and 98% similarity was achieved. The results of the Western-blot confirmed that enterotoxin B was produced in strains that contained the ent B gene. The results of this study indicate that 5% of clinically isolated S. aureus strains produce enterotoxin B. Considering that the enterotoxin B is an important superantigen, it is possible that a delay in diagnosis and lack of early proper treatment can cause an incidence of late complications, particularly in staphylococcal chronic infections. For this reason, it is suggested that in addition to detecting bacteria, an enterotoxin B detection test should be performed to control its toxigenicity

[Comparison of the PCR and LAMP techniques in the diagnosis of salmonella infection]

There are several techniques for the diagnosing of salmonella infectious. Several molecular methods such as PCR and hybridization assay have recently been used for the detection of this bacterium. However, these methods require precision instruments for amplification and complex procedures, which are the major obstacles to the widespread use of these methods in relatively small scale clinical laboratories, clinics and the filed laboratories. Recently, a new, rapid and sensitive technique called loop-mediated isothermal amplification [LAMP] was developed. In this study we used 7 different strains of salmonella to compare the PCR with LAMP method. For PCR test we used thermocycler, but The LAMP reaction can be conducted under isothermal conditions by using only one type of enzyme and four primers recognizing six distinct regions. The most important merit of this method is that no denaturation of the DNA template is required, so, technique is simple and no need to thermocycler machine and several temperatures cycles. Conventional PCR method for the detection of Salmonella with standard thermocylcer takes 3 hrs but, with LAMP method we were able to amplify and detect the salmonella in very simple thermal block made in IRAN. After Optimization of the process it was possible to rapidly detect and identify Salmonella typhi bacteria within 90 minutes. This method was also 100 times more sensitive comparing to the PCR method. According to the results, comparing LAMP isothermal amplification method for detection and identification of Salmonella with conventional PCR we have been able to determine the simplicity, speed [3 times] and the superior sensitivity [100 times] of the LAMP to PCR method. This Method is more simple, faster and cheaper [10 times]. Another advantage is independence to cycle's temperature and thermo-cycling and replacement with one thermo block which is very simple, inexpensive and made in inside the country

Immunology of HCV and HBV in renal failure and transplantation

Viral hepatitis has a special relationship to renal diseases. Hepatitis B and C viruses [HBV and HCV] infections are more prevalent in renal failure patients than in general population, an important cause of morbidity and mortality of renal failure patients on chronic dialysis and after renal transplantation. The association is largely due to the frequent use of blood products in patients with end-stage kidney diseases and multiple invasive medical procedures to which these patients are exposed. The effects of renal failure on the general health and immune status of patients with renal diseases also make viral hepatitis more difficult to diagnose as well as to manage. Finally, there have been few studies of the natural history and therapy of viral hepatitis in renal failure patients, making conclusions difficult. This paper will review the prevalence, incidence, clinical features, and natural histories of HBV and HCV infections and suggest recommendations for management and therapy in renal failure patients and patients undergoing renal transplantation

Evaluation of mitochondrial DNAHV2 region: an approach to personal identification via maternal generation

Mitochondrial DNA [mtDNA] has several features, which makes it useful for personal identification especially when there isn 't enough nuclear DNA. The high copy, resistance to degradation, and short size are some of them. mtDNA has a zone that is called hypervariable region [HVR] and is divided in two regions: HVl and HV2. 10 unrelated families in 3 sequential maternal generations [grandmother, mother, and grandchild] were selected randomly. Blood samples were taken and mtDNA extracted. Then HV2 sequence analysis was determined. 49 polymorphic nucleotide positions were found in this region. The sequence of HV2 and the occurred polymorphisms were similar in each family except 5 sites ofheteroplasmy. The average number of nucleotide differences between families was 2.8 nucleotides. mtDNA sequence analysis of the hypervariable regions is an effective tool for personal identification, especially for old, small, and highly degraded samples

Molecular aspects of hepatocellular carcinoma caused by hepatitis C virus

The hepatitis C virus [HCV] is a small, enveloped, single-stranded positive sense RNA virus with a diameter of about 50 nm belonging to the Hepacivirus genus of the family Flaviviridae. The HCV genome is translated to produce a single protein of around 3011 amino acids. This "polyprotein" is then proteolytically processed by viral and cellular proteases to produce structural [core protein, envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2, ARFP/F protein, p7] and nonstructural [NS2-3 autoprotease, NS3-4A, NS4B, NS5A, NS5B] proteins. Hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] is one of the most frequent malignant tumors worldwide, with increasing incidence. It is estimated that approximately 300-400 thousands of people in the IRAN and 4 million in the United States are persistently infected. It is important for tumor control to identify the factors that predispose patients to death. A large number of molecular factors have been shown to associate with the invasiveness of HCC, and have potential prognostic significance

Cromoglycate: a healing agent in acute chlorine-induced lung damage

In the present study the effectiveness of sodium cromoglycate in treatment of alveolar damage induced by chlorine gas in rats was investigated. Chlorine was generated by chemical interaction between potassium permanganate and concentrated hydrochloric acid. The rats were exposed to sublethal dose of chlorine gas. Treatment with 2.5 mg of 1 ml nebulized sodium cromoglycate solution over 5 minutes was initiated 30 minutes after exposure followed by twice daily treatment for 21 days. Results of this study show that cromoglycate reduced alveolar thickness, septal rupture, hemorrhage and detachment of the epithelial lining of the bronchioles induced by chlorine gas