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Background: Aichivirus as a new member of Picornaviridae family was detected and isolated in Japan. Aichivirus species, which belongs to genus Kobuvirus, include of three genotypes A, B and C. Based on previous reports to detect aichiviruses in stool samples as well as environmental samples such as river waters and sewage waters, it has been demonstrated that Aichivirus infect humans by fecal-oral routs. In order to establish an examination for the prevalence of Aichivirus among pediatric patients involved to acute gastroenteritis, we conducted a RT-qPCR assay for detection and quantification of Aichivirus in collected stool samples. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 160 stool samples from September 2018 to May 2019 were collected from presenting pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis in Karaj hospital, Iran. After viral RNA extraction, the RT-PCR was performed to amplify the 3CD junction region of Aichivirus. Results: Out of the 160 samples tested, the Aichivirus genomic RNA was detected in 13/160 (8.1%) of stool samples. The maximum viral prevalence rate was related to December (30.7%). The co-infection of Aichivirus with Salivirus and Saffold virus also assessed, among which high double or triple mixedinfections were determined. Conclusion: This is the first documentation of Aichivirus detection in stool samples that demonstrates Aichivirus has been circulating among Iranian pediatric patients. Our results indicate that Aichivirus in association with Salivirus and Saffold virus may be considered as a causative agent of acute gastroenteritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Aichi virus (AiV) is an emerging virus, which belongs to Kobuvirus genus of the Picornaviridae family. AiV was recently determined as an etiologic agent of gastroenteritis in susceptible humans. After shedding of virus particles from affected people, AiV particles can contaminate water sources. Then, infection with this virus occurs in humans by the fecal-oral route after exposure with contaminated waters. Thus far, some research around the world demonstrated that different kinds of water sources including river water, ground water and treated or untreated sewage water have contamination with AiVs. Molecular detection of AiV has been mostly depended on reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) methods, which targeted 3CD junction region of the virus genome. Methods: The present study aims to assess the molecular detection of AiVs in treated and untreated sewage water and river water specimens by the development of reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay for all AiV genotypes. Results: Out of 50 samples tested (consisting of 28 river water samples and 22 sewage water samples), the AiV genomic RNA was identified in 15/28 (~50%) river water samples and in 14/22 (~70%) sewage samples. Conclusion: Our results, for the first time, indicate that AiVs have been circulating in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online instruction is now a common practice in higher education. Due to the great demand for online instruction, roles and competencies of online instructors have received significant attention to be determined. This study is a systematic review of 11 years of research (2010–2020) on the higher education context's online instructor roles and competencies. The study aims to classify the roles and competencies of higher education instructors in online teaching and learning environments. Forty-three articles were selected from 9 major academic databases using search strings and manual screening protocols. The literature analysis emphasized a total of thirteen roles and eight competency categories. Communication, development, and management have been identified as top online instructors’ roles. While “planning, design, and organization”, “interaction”, and “assessment” have been found as top online instructors’ competencies. Further, the time trend analysis showed that communication and developing were the most repetitive roles, and two approaches to identify competencies were found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human cultural vision in religious rituals and ceremonies of different religions, denominations and sects is of such a difference that this difference sometimes puts them in complete contradiction with each other. Apparently, every religion speaks of the eternal principles that must be followed by that religion's followers and seeks to raise reasons of the veracity of its own claims as well as the refutation of the claims of other religions in order to prove its own supremacy in the face of the inferiority of the other religions. Today, man needs to have an interpretation and perspective of these diversities and to offer a judgement of their veracity, rightness or deviance may it make the best choice in rational terms. Referring to the ideas of thinkers is one of the methods that can help the humans to identify or mitigate these challenges. Thus, this study aims at assaying the perception of religious other from the point of view of the human scientists. The approach of this research is based on the qualitative method focusing on thematic analysis, data collection through semistructured interviews as well as the analysis of the findings based on the stages of the thematic analysis. The research field is constituted by the professors of the universities of Tehran city. Sampling process continued in a purposeful manner among the professors of philosophy and sociology up to 8 cases until the theoretical saturation. The results of the research show that religious other within Iranian cultural context includes eight sub themes: Sunni, Zoroastrians, Christians, Jews, Mandaeans, Yarsans, Derwishes and Baha'is. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The present study implemented an RT-qPCR assay for the detection and quantification of human cosavirus in stool specimens from pediatric patients involved in acute gastroenteritis. Background: Human cosavirus is a newly recognized virus that seems to be partly related to acute gastroenteritis in pediatric patients. However, the relationship between human cosavirus and diseases in humans is unclear Methods: From January 2018 to December 2019, a total of 160 stool samples were collected from pediatric patients presenting with acute gastroenteritis in a hospital in Karaj, Iran. After viral RNA extraction, RT-qPCR was performed to amplify the 5'UTR region of the human cosavirus genome and viral load was analyzed. Results The human cosavirus genomic RNA was detected in 4/160 (2.5%) stool samples tested. The maximum viral load was determined to be 4.6*106 copies/ml in one sample obtained from a 4-year-old patient. Conclusion: The human cosavirus as a new member of the Picornaviridae family was illustrated in fecal samples from pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis in Iran. This is the first documentation of human cosavirus circulation in Iranian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Saffold virus as a new member of cardiovirus genus in picornaviridae family has been suggested to be related to diarrheic cases and human airway diseases. However, relationship between Saffold virus and human diseases is unclear. In order to establish an investigation for the occurrence of Saffold virus among pediatric patients involved to acute gastroenteritis, we implemented a RT-PCR assay for detection and quantification of Saffold virus in stool specimens. Materials and Methods: In this study, a total of 160 stool samples from September 2018 to May 2019 were collected from presenting pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis in a Karaj hospital, Iran. After viral RNA extraction, the RT-PCR was performed to amplify the 5'UTR region of Saffold virus genome. Results: Out of the 160 samples tested, the Saffold virus genomic RNA was detected in 26/160 (16.2%) of stool samples. The high Saffold virus detection rate was related to February (6/26 or 23%). The co-infection of Saffold virus with Aichivirus and Salivirus as other new emerging viruses was also assessed, among which high double or triple mixed-infections were determined. Conclusion: This is the first documentation of Saffold virus detection in stool samples that demonstrates Saffold virus has been circulating among Iranian pediatric patients. Our results indicated that Saffold virus in association with Aichivirus and Salivirus may be possibly considered as causative agent of acute gastroenteritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim: struct in a prime-boost vaccination regimen, compared to commercial vaccine. Methods: Cloning to pcDNA3.1(+) and expression of rabies virus glycoprotein gene in BSR cell line were performed followed by SDSPAGE and Western blot analysis of the expressed glycoprotein. The resulting genetic construct was used as a DNA vaccine by injecting 80 μg of the plasmid to MNRI mice twice. Prime-Boost vaccination strategy was performed using 80 μg plasmid construct as prime dose and the second dose of an inactivated rabies virus vaccine. Production of rabies virus neutralizing antibody (RVNA) titers of the serum samples were determined by RFFIT. Results: In comparisons between heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy and DNA vaccinations, the potency of group D that received Prime-Boost vaccine with the second dose of pcDNA3.1(+)-Gp was enhanced significantly compared to the group C which had received pcDNA3.1(+)-Gp as first injection. Conclusion: In this study, RVGP expressing construct was used in a comparative approach between Prime-Boost vaccination strategy and DNA vaccination and compared with the standard method of rabies vaccination. It was concluded that this strategy could lead to induction of acceptable humoral immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary zinc as an essential micronutrient plays a major role in controlling the rate of fish performance and reproduction. Given the liver is an important organ for metabolism and some receptors in the liver are critical for maintaining fertility, it has been hypothesized that it may contributes to reproductive indices. In the present work, we investigated the effects of feeding with different sources of zinc supplements on transcriptome profiling of male rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) broodstocks fed for 16 weeks on a diet supplemented with 40 mg. kg−1 of mineral zinc supplement (MZ), 40 mg. kg−1 of zinc nanoparticles (ZN) and control diet containing no zinc supplement (CD). Transcriptome sequencing analysis of the liver generated 39 million high-quality reads using an Illumina HiSeq™ 4000 platform, which were de novo assembled into 77,406 unique transcript fragments (unigenes) with mean length of 985 bp across the treatment groups. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis identified 528, 416 and 327 differentially expressed unigenes (DEGs) in liver in response to MZ, ZN and CD diets, respectively. Furthermore, eight immune-related genes were chosen for quantitative real-time PCR analysis to validate the RNA-Seq data and the result shown that one gene was downregulated and seven genes were upregulated, consistent with the results of our RNA-Seq analysis. The results revealed that mineral zinc supplement showed a strong inhibitory effect on the genes of O. mykiss. Dietary zinc in MZ up-regulated 89.4% of DEGs compared to ZN, however, 93.7% of the DEGs in CD were depressed compared to ZN. This transcriptomic research has provided valuable information for understanding the molecular mechanism and potential physiologically pathway of dietary zinc. These findings also provide molecular support to the notion that dietary zinc is useful materials in commercial diets for broodstock rainbow trout. • This study obtained the transcriptome profile of O. mykiss fed different zinc sources for the first time. • This study investigated the effects of dietary zinc on the liver of O. mykiss by transcriptome analysis. • Mineral zinc mediate the PPAR and complement and coagulation cascade signaling pathways to impact immune system of O. mykiss • 327 differentially-expressed genes were annotated to 156 signaling pathways in KEGG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]