Effects of egg aging on the metabolites of ovarian fluid in rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss

Nuclear magnetic resonance ‐based metabolomics was applied to study effects of egg aging on ovarian fluid metabolites in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. The eggs of three females were pooled and then assigned to three plastic vials for 18 days in vitro storage at 4°C. Ovarian fluid samples were taken 0, 6, 12 and 18 days after storage. Three groups of metabolites including amino acids, osmolytes and energy metabolites were found to change during storage period. The glucose levels of ovarian fluid showed significant decreases on days 12 and 18 after storage (p < .05). For acetoacetate and acetate, significant increases were observed, respectively, on days 12 and 18 after storage (p < .05). The creatine levels of ovarian fluid increased significantly on days 12 and 18 after storage (p < .05). Lactate levels in ovarian fluid elevated during storage period (p < .05). Glycerol levels showed a significant increase on days 12 and 18 after storage (p < .05). The values of osmolytes in ovarian fluid (e.g., betaine, taurine, trimethylamine‐N‐oxide, N,N‐dimethylglycine) showed a decreasing trend on day 12 which continued until the end of storage on day 18 (p < .05). Almost all amino acids elevated on days 12 and 18 after storage (p < .05). After an apparent elevation in isoleucine levels on days 6 and 12, this amino acid decreased on day 18 after storage (p < .05). The osmolytes might act as antioxidant against free‐radicals produced as a result of over‐ripening. Glucose can be used as energy resource for eggs and bacteria during ova storage. Also, change pattern of amino acids indicate hydrolysis of proteins as the time of storage increases.     

The effect of pod elimination on water stress in relation to antioxidant enzymes activity and proline in three annual medics species

Despite the importance of pod removal in the seeds of annual medics, there have been few studies carried out in this area. In this research, the role of pod removal in growth and biochemical enzyme activities was examined in three annual medic species during drought stress and subsequent recovery. This study was carried out as a factorial experiment based on a completely randomized design. The treatments were carried out on annual medic species of three levels: Medicago rigidula, M. scutellata, M. polymorpha, presence or removal of the pod and water stress. Water stress was split into the following four levels: 100%, 80%, 60%, and 40% field capacity (FC) during the stress period. The results showed that drought stress and subsequent recovery increased proline content and antioxidant enzyme activity. The highest proline content and antioxidant enzyme activity was observed in M. Scutellata. However, the rate at which proline increased, decreased at 40% FC whereas the antioxidant enzyme reached their highest activity at 40% FC. The antioxidant enzymes’ activity and proline content without the pod experiment were significantly higher than with the pod experiment. Since the activation of an antioxidant system and the increasing of the proline content helps the plants with stress induced damages, our results indicated that elimination of pods of annual medics before sowing helps seedlings to perform better under drought stress. This data is useful to gain a better understanding of the physiological basis of the changes in drought resistance as well as the crop breeding projects.     

Study the Effects of Siderophore-Producing Bacteria on Zinc and Phosphorous Nutrition of Canola and Maize Plants

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are soil bacteria that are able to colonize rhizosphere and to enhance plant growth by means of a wide variety of mechanisms. In the present study, Myristica yunnanensis and Stenotrophomonas chelatiphaga strains were recognized as new records in Iran flora. According to the results, these strains significantly affected plants’ zinc and phosphorous contents which could be due to the production of phytosiderophore. Siderophore-producing bacteria increased canola zinc (Zn) content as strategy-I plant, while in maize, it can be said that probably the effect of phytosiderophore produced by plant on increasing root and shoot Zn content was more than siderophore produced by bacteria. These isolates could be used as bio-input for improving the plant productivity as a substitute to chemical fertilizers and also to correct the nutrient deficiencies in canola and maize for sustainable agriculture.     

Neuronal Cell Reconstruction with Umbilical Cord Blood Cells in the Brain Hypoxia-Ischemia

Background: Brain hypoxia-ischemia is a human neonatal injury that is considered a candidate for stem cell therapy. Methods: The possible therapeutic potential of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) stem cells was evaluated in 14-day-old rats subjected to the right common carotid occlusion, a model of neonatal brain hypoxia-ischemia. Seven days after hypoxia-ischemia, rats received either saline solution or 4 × 10⁵ HUCB cells i.v. Rats in control group did not receive any injection. After two weeks, rats were assessed using two motor tests. Subsequently, rats were scarified for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: Our immunohistochemical findings demonstrated selective migration of the injected HUCB cells to the ischemic area as well as reduction in infarct volume. Seven days after surgery, we found significant recovery in the behavioral performance in the test group (12.7 +/- 0.3) compared to the sham group (10.0 +/-0.05), a trend which continued to day 14 (15.3 ± 0.3 vs. 11.9 ± 0.5, P<0.05). Postural and motor asymmetries at days 7 and 14 in the test group showed a significant decrease in the percentage of right turns in comparison to the sham group (75% and 59% vs. 97% and 96%, P<0.05). Conclusion: The results show the potential of HUCB stem cells in reduction of neurologic deficits associated with neonatal hypoxia-ischemia. Key Words: Hypoxia-Ischemia, Nerve cell, Umbilical Cord Blood     

Association between p53?Codon 72 (Arg72Pro) Polymorphism and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma in Iranian Patients

Background: Glaucomatous neuropathy is a type of cell death due to apoptosis. The p53 gene is one of the regulatory genes of apoptosis. Recently, the association between the p53 gene encoding for proline at codon 72 and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) has been studied in some ethnic groups. This study is the first association analysis of POAG and p53 codon 72 polymorphism in Iranian patients. Methods: A cohort of 65 unrelated patients with POAG (age range from 12-62 years, mean ± SD of 40.16 ± 17.51 years) and 65 unrelated control subjects (without glaucoma, age range of 14-63 years, mean ± SD of 35.64 ± 13.61 years) were selected. In Iranian POAG patients and normal healthy controls, the p53 codon 72 polymorphism in exon 4 was amplified using polymerase chain reaction. The amplified DNA fragments were digested with the BstUI restriction enzyme, and the digestion patterns were used to identify the alleles for the polymorphic site. Results: Comparisons revealed significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies of Pro72Arg between POAG patients and control group. A higher risk of POAG was associated with allele Pro (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.2–3.4) and genotype Pro/Pro (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 0.13-12.7). Conclusion: The p53 Pro72 allele was more frequent in Iranian POAG patients than in the control group (P<0.05). The present findings show that the individuals with the Pro/Pro genotype may be more likely to develop POAG. However, additional studies are necessary to confirm this association. Key Words: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), Glaucoma, p53, Codon 72, Iran     

Simultaneous Analysis of Multidrug Resistance 1(MDR1) C3435T,G2677T/A,and C1236T Genotypes in Hamadan City Population,West of Iran

Background: One of the limitations in the treatment of common diseases such as cancer chemotherapy is development of multidrug resistance (MDR). Polymorphisms could alter the expression level of MDR1 gene, which plays an important role in MDR. In this research, the frequency of C3435T, C1236T, and G2677T/A polymorphisms of MDR1 gene was investigated in a large group of population from Hamadan city to provide a sample data resource. Methods: Peripheral blood (2 ml) was taken, and DNA extraction was carried out. Multiplexed mutagenically separated PCR, which was followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining, was applied to detect the mentioned polymorphisms in 935 individuals. Sequencing performed for confirmation of gel electrophoresis resulted in 10 random cases. In total, alleles and genotypes of 933 persons (776 women and 157 men) were determined. Results: The most frequent alleles of the polymorphisms were: 3435T, C1236, and G2677. The most frequent genotypes were: 3435C/T, 1236C/T, and 2677G/A, and their concurrent presence was also found as the most frequent simultaneous genotypes. There was not any meaningful difference among the prevalence of these genotypes in groups of men and women. Conclusion: Our results were close to those of other studies performed in Iran and compared to the other ethnic groups, which showed more similarity to Asian peoples than Europeans. As an aspect of personalized medicine, it could be used by chemotherapists to improve the routine methods of cancer treatment.Key Words: Gene polymorphism, Multi-drug resistance, Neoplasm     

Sex steroids in the seminal fluid and milt quality indices in the endangered Caspian brown trout,Salmo trutta caspius

In this study, the relationships between the seminal fluid sex steroids sperm quality parameters (i.e. sperm motility and sperm production were investigated in the endangered Caspian brown trout. According to results, the variation of sex steroid concentrations was comparatively high. The seminal fluid levels of 17α‐Hydroxyprogesterone (OHP) had positive correlation with percentage and duration of sperm motility. Similar correlation was found between the seminal fluid concentration of testosterone (T) and estradiol‐17β (E2) with sperm concentration. As well as, there was no significant correlation between progesterone (P) with sperm quality indices. The significant correlation of some steroids i.e. OHP, T and E2 and sperm quality parameters of Caspian brown trout confirms the key role of these steroids in acquisition of the potential of motility during final stage of the maturation.     

Incubation rate and larvae size of Persian sturgeon (Acipenser persicus Borodin 1897) in relation to sperm restripping

In this study, 11 wild male brood fish were used and their mean ages were 15.08 ± 1.66. The luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone analogue (LH‐RH‐A₂) was used to stimulate twice in few days interval (3–7 days) and then semen samples were stripped. The results showed that there was significant difference among the percentage of motile spermatozoa, sperm density and spermatocrit during two strippings (P < 0.05). The duration of sperm motility in first and second stripping was 315/83 ± 162.16 and 212.5 ± 110.53 s respectively. Also, sperm pH was 8.41 ± 0.53 and 8.05 ± 0.33 in first and second stripping respectively. There was significant differences between hatching rate, as well as larvae size significantly changed in both hatching and initiation of active feeding (P < 0.05).     

Effect of weed interference on Zea mays: Growth analysis

In order to investigate the effect of weed competition on corn, growth trials were conducted in Shushtar, Iran, using a comparative growth analysis. In this study, two sets of treatments were imposed, based on the phenological stages of corn development, using a randomized complete block design with three replicates. The results showed that barnyardgrass and redroot pigweed were the most dominant weeds in these trials. Increasing the duration of weed interference reduced the corn leaf area index gradually. The reduction in the corn leaf area index led to a decline in the crop growth rate as a result of a reduction in the ability of corn to capture light and its photosynthetic ability. The total dry matter and relative growth rate of corn were decreased when the weeds were removed later as a result of a reduction in the leaf area index. According to these results, the leaf area index has a critical role in weed–crop competition.     

High performance fibers production process using Taguchi experimental design

In this research, results of an experimental interaction effect of operating parameters on tensile strength carbon fibers from a commercial PAN-based precursor are investigated. Ten parameters at two and four levels (L₃₂=2¹×4⁹) were investigated: stabilization temperature at first stage (STFIS), stabilization duration time at first stage (SDTFIS), stabilization temperature at second stage (STSS), stabilization duration time at second stage (SDTSS), stabilization temperature at third stage (STTS), stabilization duration time at third stage (SDTTS), stabilization temperature at fourth stage (STFOS), stabilization duration time at fourth stage (SDTFOS), carbonization temperature (CT), and carbonization duration time (CDT). In this study, Taguchi method was used initially to plan a minimum number of experiments. Statistical analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA), was also employed to determine the relationship between experimental conditions and yield levels. ANOVA was applied to calculate sum of square, variance, ratio of factor variance to error variance and contribution percentage of each factor on response. The results show that increasing all of parameters improves tensile strength performance. The optimum levels of influential factors, determined for tensile strength are STFIS 200 °C, SDTFIS 120 min, STSS 225 °C, SDTSS 120 min, STTS 240 °C, SDTTS 120 min, STFOS 260 °C, SDTFOS 60 min, CT 1400 °C and CDT 10 min. The results showed that CT and ODTFIS are the most and the less effective factors on response, respectively.