[Allometric growth rate of the spinal cord in relation to the vertebral column during prenatal life in male and female goats [Capra hircus]]

Total and regional allometric growth rates and termination sites of the spinal cord related to the respective vertebra were studied in 36 goat fetuses, from the Ahvaz slaughterhouse. These specimens were assigned to 3 groups, group 1 [CRL 10-20 cm], group 2 [CRL 21-30 cm], and group 3 [CRL 31-40 cm], each consisting of 6 male and 6 female fetuses. Observations in all 3 groups revealed that although the growth of the vertebral column was greater than that of the spinal cord, the difference in growth was not constant throughout the spine. While in cervical and thoracic regions the growth rate of the spinal cord in relation to the vertebral column was almost isometric, in the caudal part of the spine there was marked decline in growth of the spinal cord compared to the respective regions of the vertebral column. Craniocaudally, the allometric growth rate became drastically negative. There was no significant difference [P>0.05] between males and females. Except in thoracic region, all other regions showed significant differences [P<0.01] between similar regions in all 3 groups. In the lumbar region of group 2 no significant difference was found [P>0.05]. As a consequence of the negative allometric growth of the spinal cord in relation to the vertebral column in the caudal part of the spine, the conus medullaris was displaced from S4-S5 in group 1 to S2 in group 3. No significant difference [P>0.05] between male and female fetuses concerning the termination of the spinal cord was found

[The effect of eight weeks aerobic interval training on adiponectin serum levels, lipid profile and HS-CRP in women with type II diabetes]

Introduction: the direct relationship between inflammation and resistance to insulin has been well codumented. It also has been demonstrated that the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of eight weeks aerobic interval training on adiponectin serum levels, lipid profiles and HS-CRP in women with type II diabetes

Materials and Methods: in this study, 18 patients with type II diabetes were enrolled in two groups [experimental and control]. The experimental group underwent aerobic interval training and pedaling on the ergometer bicycle with 65 to 80 percent of their maximum leg power, three times a week for eight weeks. Blood samples were obtained in two pre-test and post-test steps to measure the adiponectin serum levels and HS-CRP by the ELISA method and lipid profiles using biochemical methods

Results: statistical analysis showed that after eight weeks of aerobic interval training, adiponectin serum levels, lipid profiles and HS-CRP of the experimental group showed no significant differences in comparison with the controls [p>0.05]

Conclusion: results indicate that in women with type II diabetes, aerobic interval training, three times a week, for eight weeks with 65 to 80 percent of maximum leg power, improves resistance to insulin but, has no effect on adiponectin serum levels, lipid profiles and HS-CRP

[Molecular typing of Salmonella enteritidis strains isolated in several laboratory centers in Tehran by ERIC-PCR]

Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serotype enteritidis is one of the most frequent serotypes that cause gastroenteritis and bacteremia in human. The aim of the present study was to study the molecular types of Salmonella enteritidis strains isolated from different laboratory centers in Tehran by ERIC-PCR. In this descriptive study from April 2008 to December 2011, Salmonella isolates were obtained from the patients admitted to several hospitals in Tehran. Salmonella isolates were identified by the standard microbiological methods and were serotyped by slide agglutination with commercial mono and polyvalent antisera. Molecular typing of the strains and their genetic relationship were investigated by using ERIC-PCR. All Salmonella enteritidis strains investigated by ERIC-PCR were type able. This technique produced 6 to 17 amplified DNA bands with 200 to 3200 different bp. In general, ERIC-PCR differentiated all Salmonella enterica serotype enteritidis isolates into nine distinct clusters [E1-E9], however the majority of the strains [35%] belonged to cluster E1. In this study the most common serotype was Salmonella enteritidis and ERIC-PCR showed that the strains belonged to diverse genotypic clusters

[Frequency of sialic acid binding adhesin gene in Helicobacter pylori isolated from patient with gastroduodenal diseases]

Sialic acid binding adhesin gene is one of the most important factors contributing to adhesin of Helicobacter pylori [H. pylori] to epithelial cell layer of stomach. The prevalence rates of sialic acid binding adhesin gene vary in different geographic areas. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of sialic acid binding adhesin coding gene in the patients with different gastroduodenal diseases. This is a cross-sectional study. One hundred twenty patients with GI symptoms were enrolled in this study. Two gastric biopsy specimens were taken from each of the patients for rapid urease test [RUT] and DNA extraction. Presence of H. pylori was investigated by RUT and urease A gene [ureA] PCR. sialic acid binding adhesin gene was detected by using gene specific primers. Among 120 samples, presence of H. pylori was confirmed in 82 cases, of which 64 strains [78%] were positive for sialic acid binding adhesin gene. The frequency of this gene was 84.6%, 86.7%, 77.8% and 72.2% for gartric cancer, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer and gastritis [%66.7] respectively. The frequency of sialic acid binding adhesin gene in different samples was almost the same. Discrepancies in the frequency of this gene in different studies may be related to geographical diversity or use of different primers for detection of this gene

[ effect of endurance training accompanied by fasting and a period of detraining on serum leptin and fructosamine in overweight men]

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of endurance training accompanied by fasting and a period of detraining on serum leptin and fructosamine in overweight men. Twenty-one healthy male subjects [Mean +/- SD; age 25.2 +/- 3.7 years; weight 78.3 +/- 12.7 kg; BMI 26,1 +/- 3.7] voluntarily participated in the study and were divided into the fasting [F] and endurance training+ fasting [F+ET] groups. The F+ET group performed a training program on treadmills for four weeks, 3 times per week during Ramadan. The energy expenditure in each exercise session during at the first week of Ramadan was 500 Kcal and increased to 800 Kcal per session by the last week of Ramadan. At the end of Ramadan, the F+ET group stopped training and fasting and underwent 2 weeks of detraining, and the F group returned to a normal diet during this period. Anthropometric characteristics were measured and three blood samples were taken before, at the end of Ramadan and after detraining. Data were analyzed by using repeated measures of ANOVA with a between group factor. The between-group comparison showed that changes in serum leptin and fructosamine were not significantly different between the two groups [p>0.05]. Furthermore, serum leptin and fructosamine levels did not change [within-group comparison] in the F and F+ET groups [p>0.05]. Based on the findings of the present study it could be concluded that compared to fasting per se, combining endurance training and fasting do not induce more changes in leptin and fructoseamine

Genotypic analysis of E. coli strains isolated from patients with cystitis and pyelonephritis

Urinary tract infection is the most common health problem affecting millions of people each year, mainly caused by a large genetically heterogeneous group of Escherichia coli called uropathogenic E. coli. This study investigates the genotypic analysis of E. coli strains isolated from patients with cystitis and pyelonephritis. During 2008-2009, 90 E. coli strains were analyzed, consisting of 48 isolates causing pyelonephritis in children and 42 isolates causing cystitis. Having identified the strains by standard methods, they were subtyped by pulsed field gel electrophoresis [PFGE] and their corresponding patterns were compared using dendrogram. Sixty five PFGE profiles were obtained from the genome of E. coli strains by this genotyping method. Thirty six and thirty three patterns were obtained for pyelonephritis and cystitis, respectively. Most strains exhibited twelve and thirteen bands and the patterns with eight or nineteen bands had the lowest rate. Genome sizes of the strains were between 1610-4170 kbp. With due attention to these results, genetic patterns showed that the strains had different clonalities and it could be suggested in some cases that the strains causing pyelonephritis or cystitis have common patterns and different diseases could be explained by different gene factors

[Laboratory assessment of fracture resistance of endodontically treated teeth restored with three different post and core systems]

Prefabricated posts are advantageous in restoring endodontically treated teeth because of their lower cost and operation time. Since selecting a suitable restoration is important in the survival of these teeth, in this study fracture resistance and the mode of failure of endodontically treated teeth restored with three different post and core systems were evaluated. In this in vitro study, 36 human premolars were divided into three groups; namely, group 1, non precious cast post and core; group 2, prefabricated metal post with amalgam core; group 3, FRC post and composite core. All groups received crowning. Specimens were thermocycled and loaded until definite failure. The fracture resistance and failure modes were analyzed with one way ANOVA and Fisher Exact tests. The mean failure load for the three groups was 794, 647 and 724 N, respectively. Statistical analysis did not show any significant differences between the fracture resistance of the three experimental groups [P=0.0579]. All failures in group 1, eight in group 2 and three in group 3, were unrestorable. Fisher's Exact test showed significant difference between group 3 and the two other groups [P<0.05]. If there is a 2-mm ferrule, the type of post and core does not have a significant effect on the fracture resistance, but it has a significant effect on the failure mode

HIV/HBV Co-infections: epidemiology, natural history, and treatment: a review article

Hepatitis B virus [HBV] infection, one of the major health priorities, accounts approximately for 350 million chronic cases and a global total of 33 million people were living with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] in the world. Co-infection with HIV and the HBV presents a significant challenge to health care providers, with different prevalence rates in different parts of the world. It is important to screen all HIV infected individuals for HBV infection and reverse. Infection with HBV becomes more violent in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency syndrome. HIV/HBV co-infected individuals are at increased risk of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and of experiencing HAART toxicity. In this review, the latest statistics on epidemiology of HIV, HBV and their co-infection has been presented along with prominent characteristics of HBV. Transmission routes which are the common between HBV and HIV are described and the most important ones are described according to the regional and age features. Also, there is a series of actions being performed once HBV infections occur to prevent HIV or to diagnose if the HBV-infected individuals are also infected with HIV. As in treatment case, some of the frequent treatment methods including applying interferon and using nucleoside and nucleotide analogues have been discussed. Finally, we would explain the new recommendations for treating patients who were co-infected with HBV and HIV, including staging HBV and HIV treatment, based on the stage of each disease. It also outlines the optimal treatment options, whether the patient is treated for HBV first, HIV first, or HIV and HBV together

Electrocardiographic changes in the littermate mongrel dogs from birth to six months of life

Evaluation of the cardiovascular system of canine pediatrics requires awareness of the anatomical and physiological changes occurring from birth to six months of age. The aim of this study was to report electrocardiographic changes in the littermate mongrel dogs from birth to six months. Serial six-lead electrocardiograms were recorded from ten normal littermate mongrel dogs kept on right lateral recumbency, aged between birth and six months. Heart rate significantly decreased until the age of six months, reaching values of 99 +/- 5 beats per min. Age as well as body weight caused a gradual increase in duration of the P wave, P-R and Q-T intervals, S-T segment and also amplitude of the R and T waves. Sinus rhythm was commonplace in dogs under 18-week-old and sinus arrhythmia was found from 16 weeks of age. Sex only influenced the amplitude of the R and Q waves. Males had higher mean values of the R wave amplitude [0.991 +/- 0.050] than females [0.740 +/- 0.039], but females had higher mean values of the Q wave amplitude [0.256 +/- 0.013] than males [0.217 +/- 0.010]. The mean electrical axis [ +/- SD] of QRS waves in this study was 69.61° +/- 21.47°. The possible dependence of the electrocardiographic alterations on age should be taken into consideration in practical veterinary medicine when working with dogs of different ages

Specific PCR assay for rapid and direct detection of Neisseria meningitidis in cerebrospinal fluid specimens

Neisseria meninigitidis is one of the most frequently encountered microorganisms associated with central nervous system infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate a PCR-based assay for specific and rapid detection of N. meninigitidis in CSF specimens. Since April 2002 to July 2006, 130 CSF specimens were collected from patients suspected of having baterial meningitis. Bacterial isolation and identification was carried out according to the standard bacteriological methods. The PCR was used to amplify a 101bp fragment of capsular transport gene A [ctr A] of N. meningitidis. PCR yielded an amplified product with the expected size of 101 base pair fragment. Sensitivity test proved 500 mg of N. meningitidis DNA as the final detection limit and specificity test revealed no cross-reaction for a wide range of respiratory pathogenic organisms. The PCR assay was more sensitive than the bacterial culturing. It might be possible to apply this procedure for rapid diagnosis of meningococci in clinical samples

[Developmental study of prenatal goat testis]

There are some reports about development of prenatal ruminants' testis. But there is not any report about it in goat; so the present study was performed on 23 goats fetuses collected from Ahvaz slaughterhouse. After measuring fetuses crown rump length [CRL], their approximate ages were determined. On the basis of the CRL, the fetuses were divided into 6 groups. Then testes were extruded out and fixed and tissue sections were prepared by routine procedures and then were stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin and Periodic Acid Schiff. The biometric results showed a reasonable increase in the number of sertoli cells and gonocytes, diameter of sex cord and tunica albuginea during the development age dependences. The number of sex cords in each microscopic field showed an increase first and decreased thereafter. There is no difference between prenatal goat testis developments with prenatal testicular stages in other ruminants

prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial uropathogens isolated from pediatric patients

Urinary tract infection [UTI] is considered as the most common bacterial infectious disease seen among the pediatric patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of bacterial uropathogens isolated from the pediatric patients with urinary tract infections. This descriptive study was conducted in Children Medical Center, Tehran, Iran from March 2006 to Feb 2007. Clean-catch midstream urine specimens were obtained from the patients and cultured on the appropriate bacteriological media. Bacterial isolates were identified by standard biochemical and serological tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed according to CLSI guidelines. From 14199 urine specimens, 16.2% had positive results for bacterial cultures. Nine hundred twenty one strains were identified as Escherichia coli; 412 as Klebsiella spp., 285 as Coagulase negative Staphylocococci, 202 as Enterococcus spp., 158 as Pseudomonas spp., and 83 as Staphylococcus aureus. E. coli isolates showed high resistance to carbenicillin [68%], ampicillin [96%], trimethoprim-sulfomethoxazol [70%] and kanamycin [65%]. More than 30% of isolates of Klebsiella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacter spp. have shown high degree of resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Our findings reinforce the need for ongoing investigation to show trends in antibiotic resistance, which can help to prescribing of antibiotics in clinics

survey of traditional Iranian food products for contamination with toxigenic Clostridium botulinum

This study aimed to determine the rate of Clostridium botulinum contamination in some traditional Iranian food products [cheese, kashk and salted fish] and evaluate the efficacy of the mouse bioassay method in detection of C. botulinum toxins in these foods. A total of 131 samples [57 cheese, 11 kashk and 63 salted fish] were collected and examined to determine the rate of contamination by C. botulinum. Standard monovalent anti-toxins were used to determine the types of toxin. C. botulinum bacteria were detected in 4.58% of the examined samples [1.52% of cheese and 3.06% of salted fish samples]. While no contamination was detected in the kashk samples, C. botulinum types A and E were found to be dominant in cheese and salted fish samples, respectively. These results indicate-some traditional Iranian foods may be contaminated with different types of C. botulinum, and the consumption of these products, either raw or cooked, may contribute to food-borne intoxications

developmental study of ventricular and interventricular walls thickness of fetal heart in goats

The increasing processes of body and heart weight, the index changes of heart to body weight rat and of heart walls thickness [ventricular and inter ventricular] were studied on 160 goat fetus [2groups male and female] from 7 to 22 week ages [at the first to the end of fetal period]. Data analys in SPSS and by ANOVAshowed that the influence of age in all of 6 studied parameters was signifie [p < 0.01].conclusion: The increasing process of heart weight is followed by ageing and by Bod weight. The index of heart to body weight ratio decreases while the body weight increases. The Averag of maximum thickness of left ventricle wall is more than, interventricular [septum] and of this is mo than of right, frequently. The increasing processes of thickness for left ventricle and septum are simila while the right has an independence model

[ prevalence of multi drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus in patients admitted to Baqiyatallah Hospital [2005]]

This cross-sectional study was done with the purpose of determining the prevalence of nosocomial multi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among the patients admitted to Baqiyatallah hospital in 2005. S. aureus was isolated with the frequency of 1.3%. The highest prevalence of nosocomial infection caused by this organism occurred in ICU [54%] and would samples were most frequently reported to be positive

Rapid detection of different serovares of Salmonella entrica by multiplex PCR

Typhoid fever is still one of the serious public health problems in many geographic areas and is endemic in most countries. Aim of current study was to evaluate a shortened time -Multiplex PCR for rapid detection of different Salmonella enterica serovars. The PCR primers for three target genes tyv.prt and invA were subjected for amplification by PCR. By using simple DNA extraction method, rapid PCR cycles and rapid electrophoresis procedure with simple and very cheap buffer were utilized in 200 to 300 volts for 15 minutes to separate the PCR products. The results showed that all reference and clinical isolates of S. enterica were accurately identified by this assay with no cross reaction with other enterobacterial strains tested. Detection limit of the reaction was to be fewer than 10[-1] colony forming unit. These data indicate that the optimized rapid cycle multiplex PCR is a potentially valuable tool for rapid diagnosis of S. enterica using a conventional thermal cycler. This method reduced the reaction time of PCR from 3.5 h to less than 1 h.

Antimicrobial susceptibility and AP-PCR typing of acinetobacter Spp. strains

Acinetobacter spp., as important opportunistic pathogens, have been found to be responsible for an increasing number of nosocomial infections. This study was undertaken to investigate the antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular typing of Iranian isolates of A. baumannii. The study was conducted over a period of 19 months in three hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Acinetobacter spp. Were isolated from different clinical specimens using standard bacteriological methods. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed according to the standard CLSI guideline using 17 antibiotic disks. The AP-PCR fingerprinting was carried out using ARB11 primer. The PCR product was run and visualized in 2% agarose gels and stained with ethidium bromide. The AP-PCR profiles were grouped depending on the patterns of the amplified bands. Sixty seven strains of Acinetobacter spp. [including 21 A. baumannii and 46 non- A. baumannii] were isolated. The sources of these isolates were blood, urine, wound, and respiratory tract. A. baumannii isolates were further studied. Results showed that all A. baumannii isolates were resistant to at least 11 antibiotics tested. AP-PCR analysis of A. baumannii strains resulted in 7 different patterns. The dominant AP-PCR pattern was E [57.1%]. Acinetobacter spp. are still important nosocomial pathogens in the region studied and most of isolates were multi-drug resistant. Our results also indicate that the AP-PCR technique represents a rapid and simple means for typing of A. baumannii

[ prevalence of nosocomial infections in respiratory tract caused by multi drug resistance bacteria in patients submitted in Baqyiatallah Hospital]

Background: pneumonia is the second most frequent nosocomial infection. The incidence ranges from 4 to 50 cases per 1000 hospital admissions. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of nosocomial lower respiratory tract infection caused by multi drug resistance bacteria in patients submitted in Baqyiatallah hospital during one year of period

Materials and Methods: the study was conducted prospectively during a period of 12 months from March to February 2005 in Baqyiqtallah hospital in Tehran, Iran and focusing on respiratory tract microbiology in the first 24 h following diagnosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Bacterial strains were isolated from various clinical samples of patients and identified by the conventional methods. Susceptibility testing was performed on isolates using the agar disc-diffusion technique

Results: the prevalence of nosocomial pneuminia during this study period was 41.7%.The most nosocomial infections were belonged to intensive care unit [ICU]. The most prevalent organism was Staphylococcus aureus [41.4%] followed by Pseudomonas auroginosa [26.7%]

Conclusion: nosocomial pneumonia rate in current study was lower than those reported by other researchers; however, the most prevalence of nosocomial pneumonia was from ICU and patients with more than 50 years of ages. There is a need to study more the causes of nosocomial pneumonia and development of preventative strategies in order to prevent the spread of nosocomial infections

Sex differentiation in goat fetus

Reproduction in domestic animals, as a major source of food and other products for human, has great importance and study of related subjects including sex differentiation and gonadogenesis during fetal life can solve many questions on normal development and various disorders of urogenital system. Since studies on sex differentiation in goat fetus are scarce, this study was performed. Twenty-five goat fetuses with 5-40 mm crown-rump lengths [CRL] were obtained from slaughter-house and fixed in 10% formalin solution immediately. The development and features of external genitalia of these fetuses as well as their sex differentiation were then examined. In externally indifferentiated fetuses, the cranial half of the body was cut away at the diaphragmatic level and serial sections, 6-micron thick, were prepared and the ovarian and testicular differentiation was studied. Results showed that considering the development of the external genitalia, external sex differentiation occurs at 31 mm CRL in male fetuses and at 33 mm CRL in female fetuses. Microscopic studies suggested that testicular tissue differentiation occurs at 23 mm CRL with formation of tunica albuginea and medullary cords. Ovarian tissue differentiation occurs at 38 mm CRL with establishment of cortical and medullary regions