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     

Application of silver nanoparticles as an antibacterial mordant in wool natural dyeing: Synthesis,antibacterial activity,and color characteristics

Madder is a natural colorant which is commonly applied with metal salts as a mordant to improve its affinity to fibers and color fastness. Madder produces an insoluble complex or lake in the presence of metal ions on mordanted fabric. In this study, wool fabric was pretreated with AgNPs (silver nanoparticles) as a mordant, then dyed with madder. The wool fabric samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their colorimetric characteristics were evaluated. The formation of spherical silver nanoparticle was confirmed using UV-Visible spectroscopy, SEM images, and elemental analysis. The average size of synthesized silver nanoparticles on the surface of wool fibers is around 73 nm. The dyed wool samples were pretreated with different concentration of Ag⁺ ions or AgNPs, which showed higher color strength value compared to untreated dyed wool fabric. This pretreatment also presented good antibacterial activity.     

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     

Effects of Deficit Irrigation and Fertilizer Use on Vegetative Growth of Drip Irrigated Cherry Trees

ABSTRACT

The effects of deficit irrigation and fertilizer use under drip irrigation (DI), on vegetative growth of mature cherry trees were studied in two field experiments. Treatments for the assessment of deficit irrigation consisted of two drip line arrays: double drip lines (T1) and loop (T2) as main treatments. Three irrigation levels: irrigation at 100% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc or I1), 75% ETc or I2, and 50% ETc or I3, constituted the sub-treatments. To assess soil fertility practices, the main treatments consisted of T1 and single drip line (T3) arrays; sub-treatments were two fertilizer regimes: basic fertilizer recommendation plus 0.5 m³ sheep manure per tree (F1) and basic fertilizer recommendation plus 1300 g potassium sulfate, 350 g of zinc (Zn), 140 g of iron (Fe), and 600 g ammonium phosphate (F2). Total irrigation amount, which was applied routinely in control treatment (7466.7 m³ha^{? 1}), was less than the crop water requirement (8764.5 m³ ha^{? 1}). A significant correlation between both the length of young branches and canopy volume with annual applied irrigation water was observed. Mean canopy volume under T1 was 26.0 m³ tree^{? 1}, which was significantly less than 28.6 m³ tree^{? 1} under T2. Water use efficiency (kg m^{? 3}) was increased by water stress, but there was no significant yield reduction from I1 to I2. Concentration of Fe, phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) in leaf samples increased with the use of double drip lines array compared to use of single drip line array and it was higher under F2 fertilizer level. The concentration of calcium (Ca) in leaf samples was higher than critical level in all treatments. We conclude that I2 irrigation level and F2 fertilizer management was the most efficient practice for cherry trees in the study area.     

Occurrence of anti-<Emphasis Type="Italic">Toxoplasma gondii</Emphasis> antibodies in female cattle in south-west of Iran

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is a significant disease in livestock and humans. In Iran, studies shows that T. gondii infection in humans is relatively high and prevalence is associated mainly with consumption of undercooked meat or meat products. We have examined 450 serum samples from female cattle distributed over all Ahvaz, the center of Khouzestan province, south-west of Iran. IgG antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test using whole tachyzoites of T. gondii, and found in 71 (15.77%) of 450 cattle with titers of 1:25 in 38, 1:50 in 18, 1:100 in 11, 1:200 in three and 1:400 in one. Titers of antibodies were decreased in cattle over 2 years old. These results indicate that T. gondii infection in cattle of Khouzestan is relatively considerable, but not very high and consumption of beef may be a source of infection for humans in south-west of Iran.     

Evaluating and modeling the spatiotemporal pattern of regional-scale salinized land expansion in highly sensitive shoreline landscape of southeastern Iran

Taking an area of about 2.3×10⁴ km² of southeastern Iran, this study aims to detect and predict regional-scale salt-affected lands. Three sets of Landsat images, each set containing 4 images for 1986, 2000, and 2015 were acquired as the main source of data. Radiometric, atmospheric and cutline blending methods were used to improve the quality of images and help better classify salinized land areas under the support vector machine method. A set of landscape metrics was also employed to detect the spatial pattern of salinized land expansion from 1986 to 2015. Four factors including distance to sea, distance to sea water channels, slope, and elevation were identified as the main contributing factors to land salinization. These factors were then integrated using the multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) procedure to generate land sensitivity map to salinization and also to calibrate the cellular-automata (CA) Markov chain (CA-Markov) model for simulation of salt-affected lands up to 2030, 2040 and 2050. The results of this study showed a dramatic dispersive expansion of salinized land from 7.7 % to 12.7% of the total study area from 1986 to 2015. The majority of areas prone to salinization and the highest sensitivity of land to salinization was found to be in the southeastern parts of the region. The result of the MCE-informed CA-Markov model revealed that 20.3% of the study area is likely to be converted to salinized lands by 2050. The findings of this research provided a view of the magnitude and direction of salinized land expansion in a past-to-future time period which should be considered in future land development strategies.     

Growth and fitness of triazine-susceptible and triazine-resistant common waterhemp (Amaranthus tuberculatus var. rudis)

Two greenhouse trials were conducted over a 2 year period (2004 and 2005) to compare the relative growth potential and fitness of triazine-susceptible (TS) and triazine-resistant (TR) waterhemp biotypes. Waterhemp plants from each biotype were grown in 6 L pots in the greenhouse in a completely randomized design. There was no difference in leaf number, plant height, plant biomass, time to bud or time to flower between the two biotypes. The TR female waterhemp plants produced 30% less reproductive biomass and 39% less seed than the TS biotype. The fitness penalty associated with triazine resistance was related to reproductive capability, not to vegetative growth.     

Mathematical and statistical modeling of morphometric and planar parameters of barchans in Pashoeyeh Erg in the west of Lut Desert,Iran

Barchan dunes are among the most common accumulative phenomena made by wind erosion, which are usually formed in regions where the prevailing wind direction is almost constant throughout the year and there is not enough sand to completely cover the land surface. Barchans are among the most common windy landscapes in Pashoueyeh Erg in the west of Lut Desert, Iran. This study aims to elaborate on morphological properties of barchans in this region using mathematical and statistical models. The results of these methods are very important in investigating barchan shapes and identifying their behavior. Barchan shapes were mathematically modeled by simulating them in the coordinate system through nonlinear parabolic equations, so that two separate equations were calculated for barchan windward and slip-face parabolas. The type and intensity of relationships between barchan morphology and mathematical parameters were determined by the statistical modeling. The results indicated that the existing relationships followed the power correlation with the maximum coefficient of determination and minimum error of estimate. Combining the above two methods is a powerful basis for stimulating barchans in virtual and laboratory environments. The most important result of this study is to convert the mathematical and statistical models of barchan morphology to each other. Focal length is one of the most important parameters of barchan parabolas, suggesting different states of barchans in comparison with each other. As the barchan's focal length decreases, its opening becomes narrower, and the divergence of the barchan's horns reduces. Barchans with longer focal length have greater width, dimensions, and volume. In general, identifying and estimating the morphometric and planar parameters of barchans is effective in how they move, how much they move, and how they behave in the environment. These cases play an important role in the management of desert areas.