@article{ author = {Farahmand, Mahin and Nahrevanian, Hossei}, title = {Application of Recombinant Proteins for Serodiagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Humans and Dogs}, abstract ={Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic disease caused by leishmania species. Dogs are considered to be the main reservoir of VL. A number of methods and antigen-based assays are used for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis. However, currently available methods are mainly based on direct examination of tissues for the presence of parasites, which is highly invasive. A variety of serological tests are commonly applied for VL diagnosis, including indirect fluorescence antibody test, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), dot-ELISA, direct agglutination test, Western-blotting, and immunochromatographic test. However, when soluble antigens are used, serological tests are less specific due to cross-reactivity with other parasitic diseases. Several studies have attempted to replace soluble antigens with recombinant proteins to improve the sensitivity and the specificity of the immunodiagnostic tests. Major technological advances in recombinant antigens as reagents for the serological diagnosis of VL have led to high sensitivity and specificity of these serological tests. A great number of recombinant proteins have been shown to be effective for the diagnosis of leishmania infection in dogs, the major reservoir of L. infantum. Although few recombinant proteins with high efficacy provide reasonable results for the diagnosis of human and canine VL, more optimization is still needed for the appropriate antigens to provide high-throughput performance. This review aims to explore the application of different recombinant proteins for the serodiagnosis of VL in humans and dogs.}, Keywords = {Visceral leishmaniasis, Recombinant proteins, Diagnosis}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {128-134}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {Application of Recombinant Proteins for Serodiagnosis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Humans and Dogs}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.001}, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1637-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1637-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {Amiri, Fatemeh and Molaei, Sedigheh and Bahadori, Marzie and Nasiri, Fatemeh and Deyhim, Mohammad Reza and Jalili, Mohammad Ali and Nourani, Mohammad Reza and HabibiRoudkenar, Mehryar}, title = {Autophagy-Modulated Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Accelerate Liver Restoration in Mouse Models of Acute Liver Failure}, abstract ={Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been recently received increasing attention for cell-based therapy, especially in regenerative medicine. However, the low survival rate of these cells restricts their therapeutic applications. It is hypothesized that autophagy might play an important role in cellular homeostasis and survival. This study aims to investigate the regenerative potentials of autophagy-modulated MSCs for the treatment of acute liver failure (ALF) in mice. Methods: ALF was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of 1.5 ml/kg carbon tetrachloride. Mice were intravenously infused with MSCs, which were suppressed in their autophagy pathway. Blood and liver samples were collected at different intervals (24, 48 and 72 h) after the transplantation of MSCs. Both the liver enzymes and tissue necrosis levels were evaluated using biochemical and histopathological assessments. The survival rate of the transplanted mice was also recorded during one week. Results: Biochemical and pathological results indicated that 1.5 ml/kg carbon tetrachloride induces ALF in mice. A significant reduction of liver enzymes and necrosis score were observed in autophagy-modulated MSC-transplanted mice compared to sham (with no cell therapy) after 24 h. After 72 h, liver enzymes reached their normal levels in mice transplanted with autophagy-suppressed MSCs. Interestingly, normal histology without necrosis was also observed. Conclusion: Autophagy suppression in MSCs ameliorates their liver regeneration potentials due to paracrine effects and might be suggested as a new strategy for the improvement of cell therapy in ALF. }, Keywords = {Acute liver failure, Mesenchymal stem cells, Autophagy}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {135-144}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.002 }, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1643-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1643-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {Milani, Saeideh and Bandehpour, Mojgan and Sharifi, Zohreh and Kazemi, Bahram}, title = {Suppressive Effect of Constructed shRNAs against Apollon Induces Apoptosis and Growth Inhibition in the HeLa Cell Line}, abstract ={Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer worldwide. Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) block apoptosis; therefore, therapeutic strategies targeting IAPs have attracted the interest of researchers in recent years. Apollon, a member of IAPs, inhibits apoptosis and cell death. RNA interference is a pathway in which small interfering RNA (siRNA) or shRNA (short hairpin RNA) inactivates the expression of target genes. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of constructed shRNAs on apoptosis and growth inhibition through the suppression of apollon mRNA in HeLa cell line. Methods: Three shRNAs with binding ability to three different target sites of the first region of apollon gene were designed and cloned in pRNAin-H1.2/Neo vector. shRNA plasmids were then transfected in HeLa cells using electroporation. Down-regulation effects of apollon and the viability of HeLa cells were analyzed by RT-PCR, lactate dehydrogenase assay, and MTT assay, respectively. Also, the induction and morphological markers of apoptosis were evaluated by caspase assay and immunocytochemistry method. Results: The expression of shRNA in HeLa cells caused a significant decrease in the level of apollon mRNA1. In addition, shRNA1 effectively increased the mRNA level of Smac (as the antagonist of apollon), reduced the viability of HeLa cells and exhibited immunocytochemical apoptotic markers in this cell line. Conclusion: Apollon gene silencing can induce apoptosis and growth impairment in HeLa cells. In this regard, apollon can be considered a candidate therapeutic target in HeLa cells as a positive human papillomavirus cancer cell line.}, Keywords = {Coronary artery disease, Single nucleotide polymorphisms, Genetic association study, Iran}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {145-151}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {Suppressive Effect of Constructed shRNAs against Apollon Induces Apoptosis and Growth Inhibition of Hella Cell Line}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.003}, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1613-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1613-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {Mohammadzadeh, Ghorban and Ghaffari, Mohammad-Ali and Heibar, Habib and Bazyar, Mohamm}, title = {Association of two Common Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs +45T/G and +276G/T) of ADIPOQ Gene with Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetic Patients}, abstract ={Background: Adiponectin, an adipocyte-secreted hormone, is known to have anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic properties. In the present study, the association between two common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (+45T/G and +276G/T) of ADIOPQ gene and coronary artery disease (CAD) was assessed in the subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: Genotypes of two SNPs were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism in 200 subjects with T2DM (100 subjects with CAD and 100 without CAD). Results: The frequency of TT genotype of +276G/T was significantly elevated in CAD compared to controls (χ2=7.967, P=0.019). A similar difference was found in the allele frequency of +276G/T between two groups (χ2=3.895, P=0.048). The increased risk of CAD was associated with +276 TT genotype when compared to reference GG genotype (OR=5.158; 95% CI=1.016-26.182, P=0.048). However, no similar difference was found in genotype and allele frequencies of SNP +45T/G between two groups. There was a CAD protective haplotype combination of +276 wild-type and +45 mutant-type allele (276G-45G) (OR=0.37, 95% CI=0.16-0.86, P=0.022) in the subject population. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that T allele of SNP +276G/T is more associated with the increased risk of CAD in subjects with T2DM. Also, a haplotype combination of +45G/+276G of these two SNPs has a protective effect on the risk of CAD.}, Keywords = {Adiponectin, Type 2 diabetes, Cronary artery disease, Single nucleotide polymorphisms}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {152-160}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {Association of two Common Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs +45T/G and +276G/T) of ADIPOQ Gene on Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetic Patients}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.004}, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1618-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1618-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {Babaee, Fatemeh and Safaeian, Leila and Zolfaghari, Behzad and HaghjooJavanmard, Shaghayegh}, title = {Cytoprotective Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Pinus eldarica Bark against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Endothelial Cells}, abstract ={Background: Pinus eldarica is a widely growing pine in Iran consisting of biologically active constituents with antioxidant properties. This study investigates the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of P. eldarica bark against oxidative damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Methods: The total phenolic content of p. eldarica extract was determined using Folin-Ciocalteu method. The cytotoxicity of P. eldarica extract (25-1000 µg/ml) on HUVECs was assessed using 3-(4,5- Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. Cytoprotective effect of P. eldarica extract (25-500 µg/ml) on H2O2-induced oxidative stress was also evaluated by MTT assay. The intra- and extra-cellular hydroperoxides concentration and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were measured in pretreated cells. Results: The total phenolic content of P. eldarica extract was estimated as 37.04±1.8% gallic acid equivalent. P. eldarica extract (25-1000 µg/ml) had no cytotoxic effect on HUVECs viability. The pretreatment of HUVECs with P. eldarica extract at the concentrations of 50-500 µg/ml significantly reduced the cytotoxicity of H2O2. P. eldarica extract decreased hydroperoxides concentration and increased FRAP value in intra-cellular fluid at the concentration range of 100-500 µg/ml and in extra-cellular fluid at the concentration range of 25-500 µg/ml. Conclusions: This study revealed the antioxidant and cytoprotective effects of P. eldarica extract against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HUVECs.  Concerning the high content of phenolic compounds in P. eldarica, more research is needed to evaluate its clinical value in endothelial dysfunction and in other oxidative conditions. }, Keywords = {Pinus eldarica, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, Oxidative stress, Antioxidants}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {161-167}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {Cytoprotective Effect of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Pinus eldarica Bark against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress in Human Endothelial Cells}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.005 }, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1648-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1648-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {AzimehHosseini, Sayedeh and Bouzari, Maji}, title = {Detection of SENV Virus in Healthy, Hepatitis B- and Hepatitis C-Infected Individuals in Yazd Province, Iran}, abstract ={Background: SEN virus (SENV) is the latest virus proposed as a cause of unknown hepatitis cases. Among nine detected genotypes of the virus, genotypes D and H are more frequent in hepatitis cases of unknown origin. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of SENV-D and SENV-H genotypes in the sera of healthy individuals and hepatitis B and C patients. Methods: Totally, 200 serum samples from healthy individuals as well as 50 hepatitis B and 50 hepatitis C patients were collected. Anti-HCV (hepatitis C virus), anti-human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B surface antigen and anti-HBV (hepatitis B virus) core antigen were detected, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. Viral DNA was subjected to nested PCR. Fisher's exact and unpaired ANOVA tests were used for statistical analyses. Results: SENV was detected in 90%, 66%, and 46% of the healthy individuals HBV and HCV-positive individuals, respectively. The frequency of SENV and its two genotypes were significantly lower in hepatitis B and hepatitis C patients (P<0.01). Also, the frequency of SENV-H was higher than SENV-D in all studied groups. In SENV-positive HBV patients, the level of ALT and AST enzymes were significantly less than SENV-negative patients (P<0.05). It was the same for SENV-H-negative and -positive cases. Conclusions: The levels of liver enzymes were significantly lower in HBV patients co-infected with SENV compared to HBV patients (P<0.05), indicating a positive impact of the virus in liver pathology by decreasing liver damage and thus decreasing the liver enzymes.}, Keywords = {Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), SEN virus (SENV)}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {168-174}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {Detection of SENV Virus in Healthy, Hepatitis B- and Hepatitis C-Infected Individuals in Yazd Province, Iran}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.006}, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1662-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1662-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {Ghasemian, Abdolmajid and NajarPeerayeh, Shahin and Bakhshi, Bita and Mirzaee, Mohse}, title = {Comparison of Biofilm Formation between Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus}, abstract ={Background: The aim of this study was to compare the biofilm formation and the prevalence of biofilm-associated genes between the isolates of methicillin-resistant (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) Staphylococcus aureus. Methods: In total, 209 S. aureus isolates were collected. The antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted using nine antibiotics according to the guidelines of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Phenotypic biofilm formation was performed with microtiter plate assay. The polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect icaA, icaD, icaB, icaC, clfA, clfB, fnbA, fnbB, fib, cna, eno, ebps, bbp, mecA, and SCCmec types as well as agr group genes with specific primers. Results: Sixty-four (30.62%) isolates were resistant to methicillin, and 54 (83%) MRSA harbored SCCmec III. Furthermore, 122 (58.3%) isolates belonged to agr group I. Twenty-six (36.1%) MRSA and 42 (28.9%) MSSA isolates were strong biofilm producers (no significant difference). The prevalence of icaA, icaD, icaB, and icaC genes in MSSA isolates was 71, 41, 76, and 72%, respectively. The frequency of clfA, clfB, fnbA, fnbB, fib, cna, eno, ebps, and bbp in MSSA was 100, 100, 56, 46, 74, 54, 78%, 11, and 1%, respectively. However, in MRSA isolates, the frequency was 97, 97, 64, 51, 76, 56, 79, and 12% with no track of bbp, respectively. Conclusion: Statistical difference between MSSA and MRSA regarding biofilm formation and the frequency of all biofilm-encoding genes was not significant. The majority of the S. aureus isolates harbored clfA, clfB, eno, fib, icaA, and icaD genes. }, Keywords = {Biofilm, methicillin-resistant, Staphylococcus aureus}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {175-181}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {Comparison of Biofilm Formation between Methicillin-Resistant and Methicillin-Susceptible Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.007}, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1663-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1663-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} } @article{ author = {Shokrollahi, Narjes and Shahbazzadeh, Delavar and Pooshang-Bagheri, Kamran and Habibi-Anbouhi, Mahdi and Jahanian-Najafabadi, Ali and Behdani, Mahdi}, title = {A Model to Study the Phenotypic Changes of Insect Cell Transfection by Copepod Super Green Fluorescent Protein (cop-GFP) in Baculovirus Expression System}, abstract ={Background: Baculovirus expression system is one of the most attractive and powerful eukaryotic expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins. The presence of a biomarker is required to monitor transfection efficiency or protein expression levels in insect cells. Methods: The aim of this study was to construct a baculovirus expression vector encoding a copepod super green fluorescent protein (copGFP). In this light, the resultant vector was constructed and used for transfection of Spodoptera frugiperda cells. Results: Expression of the copGFP protein in insect cells was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy and Western-blot analysis. Conclusion: The application of copGFP control bacmid can be considered as an appropriate control for insect cell transfection.}, Keywords = {Baculovirus, Sf9, Transfection}, volume = {20}, Number = {3}, pages = {182-186}, publisher = {Pasteur Institute of Iran}, title_fa = {A Model to Study the Phenotypic Changes of Insect Cell Transfection by Copepod Super Green Fluorescent Protein (cop-GFP) in Baculovirus Expression System}, abstract_fa ={}, keywords_fa = {}, doi = {10.7508/ibj.2016.03.008}, url = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1554-en.html}, eprint = {http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/article-1-1554-en.pdf}, journal = {Iranian Biomedical Journal}, issn = {1028-852X}, eissn = {2008-823X}, year = {2016} }