ABSTRACT
Background: Riboflavin [vitamin B2] is an essential component of the basic metabo-lism, and an important nutritional and growth factor in humans, animals, plants and micro-organisms. It has been widely used in the fields of pharmaceuticals, feed and food additives. The industrial production of riboflavin mostly relies on the microbial fermentation. Designing an appropriate fermentation medium is of crucial importance to improve the riboflavin production
Methods: In this study, sequential methodology combining a screening test of minerals by Plackett-Burman [PB] and an optimization test by Central Composite Design [CCD] was applied to enhance riboflavin production by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6051 in shake flasks
Results: Initially, one-factor-at-a-time approach was applied to evaluate the effect of different carbon sources. The results showed that fructose was significantly most effective on biomass and riboflavin production. After that, 13 minerals [CaCl2, CuCl, FeCl3, FeSO4, AlCl3, Na3MoO4, Co[NO3]2, NaCl, KH2PO4, K2HPO4, MgSO4, ZnSO4, and MnSO4] were studied with the screening test. The results revealed that concentration of MgSO4, K2HPO4, and FeSO4 had greater influence on riboflavin production [p<0.05]. A CCD with five factors [concentration of fructose, MgSO4, K2HPO4, FeSO4, and yeast extract] at five levels was then used to determine the maximum riboflavin concentration. The optimal concentrations [g/l] of these variables determined by Response Surface Methodology [RSM] were fructose, 38.10; MgSO4, 0.85; K2HPO4, 2.27; FeSO4, 0.02; and yeast extract, 4.37
Conclusion: Statistical experimental design offers a practicable approach to the implementation of medium optimization. From an industrial view point, our optimum medium, besides fructose and a small amount of yeast extract, is mainly composed of common and cheap inorganic salts, which are available to the industrial riboflavin production
ABSTRACT
Objective:To survey the prevalence of cattle ticks in Nur County and prepare a list of tick fauna in this district. Methods: This investigation was carried out on 150 head of cattle ticks of rural areas of Nur city which is located in Mazandaran province during spring and summer seasons of 2011. The collected ticks were identified using light microscope and available systematic keys. Results:A total number of 1 563 ticks were isolated from examined cattle and their genus and numbers including:Ixodes ricinus 51%(111 male and 691 female) and Boophilus annulatus 49%(83 male and 678 female), respectively. Conclusions:Results of the current investigation indicate the presence of two species of acarine ectoparasites which have potential health risk Ixodes ricinus and Boophilus annulatus. More studies are required to increase our data concerning ticks and other ectopreasites of ruminants in other areas of Mazandaran province and should be noted to their ability in transmission of infectious agents.
ABSTRACT
Exposure to high dosages of sulfur mustard [SM] can cause bone marrow depression, immune system suppression, impairment of the immune functions, and eventually results in diseases due to secondary immune disorders. In this article, we have studied the effects of this poison on Iranian veterans by analysis of related published studies. In a systematic search, the effects of SM gas on Iranian victims were reviewed. We used known international medical databases such as ISI, Medline, Scopus and Iranian databases such as Iranmedex and Irandoc. About 350 published articles were assessed. Among them, 43 articles were related to immunologic field. No special evaluation was conducted on the quality of the reviewed manuscripts and the credit of journal was considered sufficient. In accomplished studies conducted on Iranian people, both cellular and humoral immunity were affected. The reported changes were as follows: increasing the number of inflammatory cells in chronic phase which indicates ongoing active alveolitis, neutrophils [in chronic bronchitis], eosinophils, CRP titer, RF titer, IgG [especially in asthmatic patterns] ,IgM, Ig E, IL-6, TFG-beta1target protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and decreasing the number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, natural killer cells [NKCs], IL-8and IL-6 in blood. Eventually, in reported changes, chemo taxis factors, plasma opsonins and nitroblue tetrazolium [NBT] test were normal. In sever and prolonged exposure to mustard gas, the immune system would be suppressed. Therefore, the victims should be monitored for infections and even cancers
ABSTRACT
Background: oral lichen planus is a common mucocutaneous disorder with unknown etiology. While current data suggest that oral lichen planus is a cell-mediated disease, differential diagnosis of this disease and oral lichenoid lesions is very problematic, both clinically and histopathologically. This study aimed to compare immunohistochemical features of these similar diseases
Methods: this was a descriptive-analytic study in which formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue sections of 30 oral lichen planus and 30 oral lichenoid lesions were immunohistochemically analyzed for number and distribution of IgG+ cells. A standard biotin-streptavidin procedure after antigen retrieval was used. Data were analyzed in SPSS software using Mann-Whitney U test
Results: there were some significant differences in distribution of IgG+ cells among different locations in oral lichen planus and also in oral lichenoid lesions separately; but the differences between distribution of IgG+ cells between the two groups of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions were not significant
Conclusion: there was no significant difference in number and distribution of IgG+ cells between the two groups. So, this study can suggest that location of IgG is similar in samples of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions and consequently, this marker cannot help us differentiate them from each other. Other markers can be analyzed in further studies in order to find an appropriate distinguisher between the two lesions