eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
1
4
article
A report on Allelic Variation in Helicobacter pylori dupA: A viewpoint
Golzar Fatahi
golzar.fatahi@gmail.com
1
Amin Talebi Bezmin Abadi
amin.talebi@modares.ac.ir
2
Tarbiat Modares University, Dept of Bacteriology, P.O. Box: 14115-111, Tehran, Iran
Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is the pivotal cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer diseases (PUD) and gastric cancer. Morphologically, the bacterium is spiral, Gram-negative and microaerophilic which survives lifespan in the human stomach in case of weak antibiotic therapy. There is a major difference in the pattern of global prevalence of H. pylori infection based on different levels of urbanization, hygiene, sanitation, access to clean water and other socioeconomic factors. To date, many studies have attempted to find significant associations between specific gastroduodenal diseases and dupA-positive strains, but no conclusive conclusion has been declared. The main reason for these inconsistent findings is the various methodologies applied in experiments which in turn have resulted in inaccurate observation. Our analysis showed that the existence of various alleles located in the dupA cluster would be a novel explanation for different associations found between this bacterial gene and diseases. In detailed experiments examining our proposed alleles using a large number of patients can be useful to disclose a significant clinical association between H. pylori dupA-positive strains and duodenal ulcer.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-253-en.pdf
Helicobacter pylori
dupA
duodenal ulcer
allelic variation
eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
5
10
article
Blimp-1 Expression as an Exhaustion Transcription Factor in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Saeid Taghiloo
saeid.taghiloo@yahoo.com
1
Esmaeil Allahmoradi
s.allahmoradi69@gmail.com
2
Mohsen Tehrani
drmtehrani@gmail.com
3
Ghasem Janbabaei
janbabai@yahoo.com
4
Ramin Shekarriz
raminshf@gmail.com
5
Hossein Asgarian-Omran
asgarianhossein@yahoo.com
6
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Background: PPreviously, it was shown that exhausted CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) co-express the two immune-inhibitory receptors, Tim-3 and PD-1. Present study investigated the expression of Blimp-1, a transcription factor involved in T cell exhaustion, in patients with CLL.
Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from 25 untreated CLL patients and 15 sex- and age-matched normal subjects. CLL patients were clinically classified according to the Rai staging system. The relative expression of Blimp-1 mRNA was determined by quantitative Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) after normalization with β-actin.
Results: Expression of Blimp-1 mRNA was much higher in CLL patients than in normal controls (p=0.001). Moreover, Blimp-1 was more expressed in patients with advanced clinical stages of CLL compared to those with early stages of the disease (p=0.01). Interestingly, the Blimp-1 expression was correlated with the frequencies of exhausted Tim-3+/PD-1+/CD4+ and Tim-3+/PD-1+/CD8+ T cells in CLL patients.
Conclusion: Our results highlight the role of Blimp-1 transcription factor in T cell exhaustion of CLL.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-249-en.pdf
Exhausted T cell
Blimp-1
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
11
20
article
Prevalence of Prediabetes and its Risk Factors among the Employees of Ambo University, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Rajamanickam Vinodhini
sivaniswetha@yahoo.com
1
Legesse Kebede
kebede01@yahoo.com
2
Girma Teka
takagirma@gmail.com
3
Bersisa Asana
asber228@gmail.com
4
Tesfaye Abel
abeltesfaye3@yahoo.com
5
Unit of Biochemistry, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ambo University, Ambo Town, Ethiopia.
Department of Internal Medicine, Ambo University Referral Hospital
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences
Department of Surgery, Ambo University Referral Hospital
Department of Surgery
Background: Prediabetes is a metabolic condition which is characterized by the presence of higher levels of blood glucose. It can be treated by lowering high blood glucose level and maintaining the healthy lifestyle habits, healthy meal plan and regular exercise. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of prediabetes and to identify the risk factors involved in its progression.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study design was adapted for the present research work. The targeted participants were adults under the age group of 35-59 years. This research included all voluntary individuals who were screened according to the guidelines of the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC). This study protocol included self-administered questionnaires; anthropometric data and blood biochemistry. A total of 380 respondents arrived at the baseline sample in which 16 subjects who had diabetes were excluded and the remaining 364 samples with normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) were included as the study subjects. All statistical analysis was carried out by IBM SPSS statistics 20.0 software. The recorded p values are on the basis of two-sided tests with a statistical significance of p ≤ 0.05.
Results: The present study showed the higher prevalence of prediabetes with normal glucose tolerance, impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) as 79.7%, 8.0%, 6.8% and 5.5% respectively. The total estimated prevalence of prediabetes was 20.3% which includes 12.6% of males and 28.2% of females. As per WHO guidelines 23.0% of pre-obese and 34.4% of obese in the target groups whose BMI ≥ 25 with their risk estimate of 2.28 (0.8-6.5) for males and 2.25 (1.03-4.9) for females are in the prediabetic groups. According to the seventh report of joint national committee (JNC) standards around 20.3% of hypertensive individuals with OR: 0.5 (0.21-1.3) for males and OR: 0.12 (0.1- 0.30) for females were in prediabetes. Sex, age, occupation, income, alcohol drinking, and elevation in modified risk factors including body mass index (BMI), waist to hip ratio (WHR), blood pressure (BP), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) were significantly associated with prediabetes.
Conclusion: The present study indicated a higher prevalence of prediabetes and the effect of possible risk factors in the target population. Hence self-care should be prioritized in the community to maintain the normal BP, blood glucose, BMI and regular physical exercise. It is highly recommended to conduct various intervention programs in the form of counseling and health education after the clients are successively screened for prediabetes. This strategy helps in the management of prediabetes and controls a huge number of people from the risk of T2DM.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-252-en.pdf
Oral glucose tolerance test
Prevalence
pre-diabetes
Risk factors
eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
21
25
article
Molecular Detection of Enterococcal Surface Protein (esp) Gene in Enterococcus faecalis Isolated from Dental Calculus of Patients in Sari, Iran
Mona Akhondnezhad
monaakhondnezhad@gmail.com
1
Mehrnaz Bakhti
mehrnazbakhti@gmail.com
2
Mohtaram Nasrolahei
mnasrollahei@yahoo.com
3
Bizhan Shabankhani
shabankhani@yahoo.com
4
Hamid Reza Goli
goli59@gmail.com
5
1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran
1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran
1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran
Faculty of Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran
1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran
Background: Enterococci are important gram-positive bacteria causing dental calculus in human beings; however, the role of these bacteria in oral cavity is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Enterococcal Surface Protein (esp) gene in Enterococcus faecalis isolated from dental calculus in the city of Sari, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In the present study, 207 dental calculus samples were collected from patients. The isolates were identified by growth on Bile Esculin agar, Gram stain, Catalase test, Growth at 6.5% NaCl, PYR and arabinose fermentation test. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates was determined by disk agar diffusion method. The presence of esp gene was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results: Among the 56 (27%) enterococci isolated from dental calculus, 43 (76.7%) were determined as E. faecalis. The resistance rate to ampicillin, vancomycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin in E. faecalis isolates was estimated as 13.9%, 4.6%, 11.6%, 6.9% and 13.9%, respectively. The esp gene was detected in 18.6% of E. faecalis isolates. Among the isolates containing esp gene, 33.3%, 50%, 40%, 33.3% and 33.3% of them were resistant to ampicillin, vancomycin, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, respectively.
Conclusion: E. faecalis is an important organism causing dental calculus but the presence of esp gene had no correlation with the resistance to tested antimicrobial agents.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-234-en.pdf
Enterococcus faecalis
Dental Calculus
esp gene
PCR
eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
26
31
article
Expression and Purification of Soluble form of Human Parathyroid Hormone (rhPTH1-34) by Trx Tag in E. coli
Sanaz Yari
sanazyari1991@gmail.com
1
Farida Behzadian
fbehzadian@yahoo.com
2
Hamideh Rouhani nejad
rohaninejhad@gmail.com
3
Mohammad reza Masoumian
masoumian.mr@gmail.com
4
Mahdi Karimi
karimi_mhi92@yahoo.com
5
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
Background: Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) is secreted by parathyroid glands and controls the level of calcium in bones and kidney. PTH is a small polypeptide with 84 amino acids, but the first 34 amino acids of which are enough for hormone biological activity and can be used in the treatment of Osteoporosis. The expression efficiency of recombinant human parathyroid hormone rhPTH (1-34) or Teriparatide using a cleavable fusion protein strategy was compared in two strains of E. coli.
Materials and Methods: A cassette was designed and fully synthesized for prokaryotic expression of rhPTH using pET system. From 5’ to 3’, the cassette consisted of: Trx tag to increase the solubility of protein, His tag for purification and detection of protein, enterokinase site to cleave all fusion moieties, and an optimized gene code for Teriparatide corresponding to the amino acid sequence of hPTH. This cassette was cloned into pET32a vector. The vector was simultaneously transformed and expressed in two different E. coli strains. The ability of strains for expression of this recombinant pharmaceutical was compared. Early expression was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western Blotting. The soluble fusion protein was harvested and purified by immobilized affinity chromatography. Then the fusion moiety was released from Teriparatide by enterokinase digestion.
Results: The fusion form of rhPTH was efficiently expressed in both E. coli strains. However, the percentage of the target protein to the total protein content in Rosetta-gami was more than its amount in BL21 (60 % vs 25%).The fusion protein was highly purified with Ni-NTA column. Up to 18.5 mg/ml of pure fusion protein has been obtained from 1-liter Rosetta-gami strain of E. coli. The pure Teriparatide was released by enterokinase digestion.
Conclusion: The pure rhPTH (1-34) produced here, could be the subject for biological activity and quality control assessments, and following formulation processing, it could be applied as a peptide drug in the treatment of Osteoporosis.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-246-en.pdf
Enterokinase
Fusion protein
parathyroid hormone
BL21
Rosetta-gami
eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
32
36
article
Antibacterial Effect of Plantago Ovata and Lallemantia Iberica Seed Extracts against Some Bacteria
Leila Karami
1
Najmeh Ghahtan
2
Hassan Habibi
h.habibi@pgu.ac.ir
3
Assistant professor of Agriculture and natural sciences college, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
Student of horticultural sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
Assistant professor of Agriculture and natural sciences college, Persian Gulf University, Bushehr, Iran
Background: Researchers are seeking new plant compounds as an alternative to chemical drugs and antibiotics due to the increasing resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics. This study investigated the antibacterial effect of Plantago ovata and Lallemantia iberica L. seed extracts on some foodborne human pathogenic bacteria.
Materials and Methods: Disk-diffusion antibiotic sensitivity testing, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of plant extracts in comparison to the tetracycline, as a control antibiotic.
Results: The results of this experiment showed that the L. iberica seed extract had the greatest effect on Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus sphaericus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and did not have inhibitory effect or moderate inhibitory effect against other bacteria. Also, P. ovata extract had a high and moderate effect against Bacillus sphaericus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively. This extract had no inhibitory effect on the other bacteria. Tetracycline also had a significant inhibitory effect on all tested bacteria.
Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that extracts of some Iranian native plants can be a suitable alternative to the existing antibiotics.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-254-en.pdf
Medicinal plants
Disk diffusion
Plantago ovate
Lallementia iberica L
eng
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
Research in Molecular Medicine
2322-1348
2322-133X
2017-08
5
3
37
40
article
Molecular Detection of Zonula Occludens Toxin (zot) Genes in Vibrio Cholerae O1 using PCR
Seyedeh Mahnaz Mousavi
delnaz404m@yahoo.com
1
Mehdi Zeinoddini
zeinoddini@modares.ac.ir
2
Azadeh Azizi
azizi.a@modares.ac.ir
3
AliReza Saeedinia
a.seedinia@modares.ac.ir
4
Arina Monazah
monazah.arina@gmail.com
5
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Malek Ashtar University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Background: Zot (Zonula occludens toxin) is one of the secretion toxins of Vibrio cholerae in small intestine that binds to certain receptors in the epithelial cells and causes a change in the structure of tight junction. The purpose of this research is rapid detection of zot enterotoxin gene using PCR.
Materials and Methods: The genomic DNA was extracted by DNA isolation kit and gene amplification was carried out by the zot gene-specific primers. Then, PCR products were investigated by electrophoresis on 1.2% agarose gel stained by ethidium bromide. Also, the specificity of primers was measured using bacterial samples other than V. cholerae, such as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli )ETEC(, Salmonela. typhi and Aeromonas hydrophila. The sensitivity of the PCR reaction was also evaluated using serial dilutions of V. cholerae O1 concentration (cfu/ml).
Results: The data showed that the designed primers specificity for zot gene was successful and the sensitivity of this method was determined about 142 cfu/ml.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this molecular detection can be used as a simple diagnostic kit in clinical laboratories for identification of V. cholerae.
http://rmm.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-248-en.pdf
Vibrio cholerae
zot
PCR
Diagnostic.