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In this study, the aqueous seed extract of Trachyspermum copticum was employed to fabricate silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for their antibacterial performance. The structural characteristics of the phytofabricated AgNPs were investigated using ultraviolet–visible, energy dispersive X-ray, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, field emission scanning electron microscope, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Further, the antibacterial effects of AgNPs were evaluated against two standard gram-positive strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes and two standard gram-negative strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The findings showed the phytofabrication of spherical-shaped AgNPs with a Z-average diameter of 119.7 nm and the polydispersity index of 0.56. The minimum inhibitory concentration of AgNPs against S. aureus, S. pyogenes, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae strains was 0.25, 1, 0.5, and 0.5 μg·mL−1, respectively. In addition, the minimum bactericidal concentration of these nanoparticles (NPs) against the mentioned strains was 8, 16, 4, and 4 μg·mL−1, respectively. Furthermore, the AgNPs enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species significantly in all studied bacteria compared to the control (P < 0.05) suggesting an oxidative-associated antibacterial mechanism of AgNPs. Moreover, a dose-dependent cell death was found in all bacterial samples based on flow cytometry analysis. Overall, this study showed a biological approach for the biosynthesis of AgNPs with significant antibacterial effects.

BackgroundThe intestinal microbiome is an appealing target for interventions in ESKD because of its likely contribution to uremic toxicity. Before conducting clinical trials of microbiome-altering treatments, it is necessary to understand the within-person and between-person variability in the composition and function of the gut microbiome in patients with ESKD.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter, nonrandomized, crossover feasibility study of patients on maintenance hemodialysis consisting of three phases: pretreatment (8 weeks); treatment, during which the prebiotic, p-inulin, was administered at a dosage of 8 g twice daily (12 weeks); and post-treatment (8 weeks). Stool samples were collected 1-2 times per week and blood was collected weekly for 28 weeks. The gut microbiome was characterized using 16S ribosomal-RNA sequencing and metabolomic profiling.ResultsA total of 11 of the 13 participants completed the 28-week study. Interparticipant variability was greater than intraparticipant variability for microbiome composition (P

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that secretome of mesenchymal stem cells has many anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties, which makes it a suitable candidate for the treatment of autoimmune and degenerative diseases. Dipeptidyl Peptidase-IV (DPP-IV)/CD26 and Aminopeptidase N (APN)/CD13 are ubiquitous ecto-enzymes which can digest various substrates including some chemokines and neuropeptides that are involved in inflammatory conditions. Objective: To evaluate the enzymatic activity of DPP-IV/CD26 and APN/CD13 in MSC conditioned media (MSC-CM). Methods: The MSCs were isolated from the mouse’s abdominal adipose tissues and were cultured without or with preconditioning by adding 2 µg/mL phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), nitric oxide (NO), as well as the enzymatic activities of DPP-IV/CD26 and APN/CD13 were measured in MSC-CM. Results: The level of IL-10 and the enzyme activity of APN/CD13 did not show any changes in the MSC-CM of stimulated and non-stimulated cells. However, NO production was increased after treatment by LPS or PMA; nevertheless, the DPP-IV/CD26 activity was decreased in MSC-CM merely following the stimulation of cells with LPS. Conclusion: Our results indicated that MSC‐secretome had DPP-IV/CD26 and APN/CD13 activity. The DPP-IV/CD26 activity was decreased following stimulation of MSCs by toll-like receptor 4 agonist. Further studies are needed to reveal the possible contribution of DPP-IV/CD26 and APN/CD13 in the anti-inflammatory functions of MSC-CM.

Considering the high importance of the optimization problem, this study evaluated mathematical programming models by considering various methods of estimating model coefficients. Correct and accurate data must be entered into the model to get accurate and robust result from the model. Most input data to the presented model are technical and objective function coefficients. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the information related to these coefficients with the utmost precision and, as much as possible, to develop a suitable scientific method to estimate the value of these coefficients [5]. Finding the best method for estimating the coefficients of mathematical programming models can significantly optimize the final values of the variables extracted from the mathematical programming model. For this reason, it is essential to study the methods used so far in this field and examine their advantages and disadvantages. This review study investigated various methods of estimating technical coefficients of mathematical planning models in the conditions of possible decision-making and uncertainty after reviewing 117 articles published between 1955 and 2022. These methods include fuzzy methods, statistical methods, and data analysis methods. Statistical methods such as regression methods, time series methods, exponential smoothing, and linear non-linear and non-parametric, machine learning and data mining methods were investigated in this article. The methods of data-driven analysis explained in this article can be referred to as decision trees, random forests and the Lasso methods. After evaluating and comparing these methods, suggestions for choosing the best method were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Gallic acid (GA), a potent anti-oxidant, plays an important role in reducing diabetic induced cardiac disorders. Therefore, the present investigation was purposed to determine the beneficial effect of GA in cardiac arrhythmias during reperfusion in diabetes induced by alloxan. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats (200–250 g) were randomly divided into three groups (eight in each group): control (C), diabetic (D), and diabetic treated with GA (D+G) groups. GA was administered by gavage (25 mg/kg, daily) for eight weeks. Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan (120 mg/kg). Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury was performed by ischemia and then reperfusion (30 and 120 min, respectively). The score and magnitude of arrhythmias, creatine kinase (CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) of the heart, electrocardiographic, and hemodynamic parameters were measured. One-way ANOVA followed by LSD tests were used for the differences between groups. The percentage of incidence was also evaluated by Fisher’s exact test. Results: The duration (P

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases the risk of diabetes. Olea europaea fruit exerts protective effects on metabolic disorders. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of O. europaea fruit extracts on sucrose-induced MetS in rats. Methods: Male adult Wistar rats (200±50 g, n=32) were randomly divided into four groups (n=8) consisting of control group, untreated sucrose group (sucrose 50% in drinking water for 10 weeks), sucrose plus aqueous extract of O. europaea fruit treated group (200 mg/kg) and sucrose plus hydroalcoholic extract of O. europaea fruit treated group (200 mg/kg) by gavage for 2 weeks. Body weight, serum glucose, insulin, leptin, lipid profile, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and hepatic enzymes were measured. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA, SPSS, 16.0). P

Aim: Although people with HER2-positive breast cancer benefit from approved HER2-targeted therapy, acquiring resistance to the therapies occurs. Animal models can play a part in gaining a deep understanding of such a process and addressing questions concerning developing and improving immunotherapy approaches. Materials and Methods: To develop such a model, we transfected murine 4T1 cells with the pCMV6-Neo-HER2 construct and evaluated HER2 expression and its effects on the established cell line behavior in vitro and in vivo. Results: Data illustrated that human HER2 protein was expressed on isolated 4T1-HER2 clones in vitro and in vivo. Except for proliferation over 48 hours, such expression did not change 4T1-HER2 characteristics compared to 4T1 in vitro. Notwithstanding the reduction in proliferation, the rate of tumorigenicity was 90% in challenged mice and Herceptin therapy significantly decreased tumors' growth and metastasis compared to the control group. Conclusion: We describe a murine model for HER2-positive breast cancer not only helping shed light on the mechanisms by which the tumor evades antitumor immunity but also playing a key role in making breast cancer more sensitive to novel immunotherapy modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a nosocomial pathogen resistant to most antimicrobial treatments. Furthermore, it persists in adverse environments thereby forming biofilms on various surfaces. Researchers have therefore focused on antibiofilm strategies using nanoparticles due to their unique physicochemical properties. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SIONPs) have recently shown to possess antimicrobial and anti-biofilm characteristics. In this study, the effects of SIONPs and some antibiotics were tested against strong biofilmproducing P. aeruginosa isolates.Materials and Methods: 60 isolates of P.aeruginosa were screened for biofilm formation on microtiter plates using 0.1%w/v crystal violet (CV) staining. Twenty isolates producing strong biofilms were selected for further study on the effects of antimicrobial agents. Microdilution method was used to assay twenty isolates susceptible to antibiotics. The effects of antibiotics and SIONPs on biofilm formation were determined by the microdilution method and 0.1% CV staining. The checkerboard dilution technique was used to determine the combined effects of SIONPs and imipenem. Results: In twenty isolates, the rate of resistance to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, amikacin, azithromycin was 65, 75, 45 and 95% respectively. SIONPs at 30 µg/ml reduced biofilm biomass in 11 isolates; however it stimulated biofilm formation in 9 isolates. The effects of SIONPs in combination with imipenem in the 10 isolates were different exhibiting synergistic or antagonistic relationships.Conclusion: P. aeruginosa has increasingly developed resistance to many antimicrobial agents but the resistance to nanoparticles is less frequently been reported. However, iron oxide nanoparticles could enhance biofilm production in isolate- dependent manner because they may possibly utilize this nanoparticle as an iron source, an important element in biofilm production. The exact mechanism of these effects however, remains to be elucidated.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), one of the most significant causes of lymphoid and epithelial cancers, has been linked to oral carcinogenesis; however, this etiological association remains controversial. To investigate this association, the present study aimed to determine the prevalence of EBV in cancerous and non-cancerous oral tissues from Ahvaz, Iran. In total, 164 blocks of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues from oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), including 76 tongue squamous cell carcinomas and 88 non-cancerous tongue tissues, were collected from Ahvaz Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran, from December 2014 to March 2019, for this case-control study. The tissues were cut into 15-µm-thick sections, and DNA was extracted using a solution of Phenol, Chloroform, and Isoamyl Alcohol. The EBV detection and typing were performed using nested polymerase chain reaction. The EBV was detected in 9 (5.48%) out of the 164 samples studied, including 4 (5.26%) of the 76 SCC cases and 5 (5.68%) of the 88 samples in the control group (P>0.05). The EBV was positive in 2.40% of the 83 male and 8.6% of the 81 female samples (P>0.05). In terms of the histological grades of the case group, 3 (3/57) and 1 (1/13) of the EBV-positive samples were well and moderately differentiated, respectively (P>0.05). For EBV typing, the 9 EBV-positive samples were tested, and it was found that 2 and 7 of the cases were EBV type I and II, respectively. Results of the current study demonstrated the low frequency of EBV in Iranian patients with OSCC, with EBV type II predominating. Further studies are required to clarify the association between EBV and OSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]