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This paper reports the biotransformation of carvone, limonene, β-pinene, thymol, and linalool using whole-cell-immobilized microalgal strains isolated from paddy fields of Iran. The strains was recognized by morphological characterization and assigned according to amplified 16S/18S rRNA genes by PCR. Ten unialgal strains including Chlorella, Oocystis, Chlamydomonas, and Synechococcus were immobilized in calcium alginate beads. After a 24-h incubation with substrates, characterization and identification of biotransformation products were done by GC/MS. None of the isolated immobilized microalgae converted β-pinene. In contrast, most of these strains biotransformed carvone and limonene to the related compounds. Some strains only reduced the C = C double bond to yield the dihydrocarvone isomers while others reduced the ketone to give the dihydrocarveol. The transformation ratio showed that Oocystis sp. MCCS 033 and Synechococcus sp. MCCS 035 produced dihydrocarvone isomers with the highest efficiency. Furthermore, limonene was converted into a mixture of five corresponding products and the maximum yield was 52.1% for carvone, the bioconverted product. Only one strain, Synechococcus sp. MCCS 034, oxidized thymol, and the product obtained from thymol was thymoquinone. Also, linalooloxide isomers and dihydrolinalool were obtained from linalool, and finally dihydrolinalool was the main product. These results showed a novel conversion pathway of linalool-forming dihydrolinalool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the pattern of local immune cell infiltration in human cystic echinococcosis (CE) by identifying the subtypes of immune cells using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Fifty surgically removed hydatid cyst samples and surrounding tissues were collected from patients referred to Al-Zahra Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. IHC was performed on the surrounding host tissue of hydatid cysts using anti-human CD3, CD19, CD8, CD4, CD68, CD56, Ki-67 and Foxp3 (forkhead box P3) antibodies. The results were then compared to hepatocellular carcinoma and chronic hepatitis. In the host-tissue reaction site of liver hydatid cysts, a distinct pattern of local immune cell response, which outwardly consisted of a pack of the fibrous elements, a layer of palisading macrophages, an eosinophil-containing layer and a layer of accumulated lymphocytes, was observed. However, in some cases there were no positive cells for CD56+ natural killer cells and Foxp3+ regulatory T cells. The CD3+ T cells were the predominant inflammatory cells in all groups, followed by CD19+ B cells. It can be concluded that different immune cells are involved in the local response to human hydatid cysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare vascular neoplasm that can be potentially low malignant and mainly affects infants and adolescents. This tumor usually is seen in the skin, soft tissue, and retroperitoneum. This study is a case of KHE in the long bone of the ulna. The subject was a 7-year-old female patient with osteolytic lesion in the forearm without cutaneous lesions. Histologically, the neoplasms comprised of nodules of spindle-to oval-shaped cells that grew in an infiltrative fashion. The results of 2-year follow-up of the patient after enblec resection were desirable and no recurrence was observed. This is the first study to report a case of KHE of the bone in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the possible mechanism through which Artemisinin induced apoptosis in pancreatic cell line. Methods: Column chromatography, thin layer chromatography (TLC) and proton NMR spectroscopy were used to purify Artemisinin. The flowcytometry was employed to detect apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Results: The results indicated that 50% inhibiting concentration (IC value) for pancreatic cell line (RIN) was 45 μmol/L of Artemisinin. Artemisinin had no cytotoxic effect on the growth of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The mechanism of apoptosis was evaluated by measuring intracellular ROS. It was shown that Artemisinin-induced apoptosis occurred independently of the binding of CD95L to CD95 receptor in the RIN cells. Moreover, Artemisinin, in a dose-dependent manner, could significantly increase the level of ROS. Conclusion: Artemisinin can induce apoptosis in the RIN cells via the generation of ROS and triggering the intrinsic pathway of cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the image processing methods for the extraction of early uterine cervix cancer cell features, which are intended to improve the efficiency of expert diagnosis. Also cited are the effectiveness of the ThinPrep Pap smear screening as an early diagnostic process for detecting cervical cancer, as well as the various factors that determine an abnormal cell including size, shape, and chromaticity.

A new species of the genus Acrobeles is described from natural areas in Tehran province, Iran. Acrobeles iranicus sp. n. is characterised by having a body 400–441 μ m long in females, 'double' cuticle with rows of interannular punctations, lateral field with two incisures, labial probolae 9–12 μ m long, pharyngeal corpus slightly fusiform and 2–4 times isthmus length, postuterine sac 5–15 μ m or 0.2–0.5 times as long as body diam. and bearing larger cells in its proximal part and conical female tail (31–36 μ m, c = 11.5–13.6, c′ = 2.3–2.9). In addition, Iranian populations of another three previously known species are studied: A. andalusicus, A. complexus and A. singulus, the third species having the male described for the first time. Descriptions, measurements and illustrations, including SEM photographs, are provided for all four species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]