Implication of complex vertebral malformation and deficiency of uridine monophosphate synthase on molecular-based testing in the Iranian Holstein bulls population

The aim of this study was to identify the deficiency of uridine monophosphate synthase (DUMPS) and the complex vertebral malformation (CVM) in Iranian Holstein bulls. A total of 144 blood samples were prepared of Holstein bulls in Abbas Abad Animal Breeding Center and Ferdowsi University of Mashhad's Dairy Farm in Khorasan state of Iran. Genomic PCR-RFLP protocol was performed to amplify the polymorphic region of the bovine uridine monophosphate synthase UMPS gene. Also, genomic PCR-SSCP method was performed for CVM to amplify the polymorphic region of the bovine solutecarrier family 35 member 3 (SLC35A3) genes. The results of this study demonstrated that there was no carrier of DUMPS and CVM in Iranian bulls in these centers

Shear wave velocity prediction using seismic attributes and well log data

Formation’s properties can be estimated indirectly using joint analysis of compressional and shear wave velocities. Shear wave data isnot usually acquired during well logging, which is most likely for costsaving purposes. Even if shear data is available, the logging programs provide only sparsely sampled one-dimensional measurements: this informationis inadequate to estimate reservoir rock properties. Thus, if the shear wave data can be obtained using seismic methods, the results can be used across the field to estimate reservoir properties. The aim of this paper is to use seismic attributes for prediction of shear wave velocity in a field located in southern part of Iran. Independent component analysis(ICA) was used to select the most relevant attributes to shear velocity data. Considering the nonlinear relationship between seismic attributes and shear wave velocity, multi-layer feed forward neural network was used for prediction of shear wave velocity and promising results were presented

Improving discriminating power in data envelopment models based on deviation variables framework

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordLack of discriminating power in efficiency values remain a major contention in the literature of data envelopment analysis (DEA). To overcome this problem, a well-known procedure for ranking efficient units; that is, the super-efficiency model was proposed. The method enables an extreme efficient DMU to achieve an efficiency value greater than one by excluding the DMU under evaluation from the reference set of the DEA model. However, infeasibility problems may persist while applying the super-efficiency DEA model under the constant returns-to-scale (CRS), and this problem tends to be compounded under the variable returns-to-scale (VRS). In order to address this drawback sufficiently, we extend the deviation variable form of classical VRS technique and propose a procedure for ranking efficient units based on the deviation variables values framework in both forms – CRS and VRS. With our proposed method, scholars who wish to prescribe theories based on a set of contextual factors need not remove large number of DMUs that are infeasible, thus avoiding problems in generalizability of their findings. We illustrate the performance and validate the efficacy of our proposed method against alternative methods with two established numerical examples.National Natural Science Foundation of Chin

Protective effects of curcumin and vitamin E against chlorpyrifos-induced lung oxidative damage

There are increasing concerns regarding the toxic effects of chlorpyrifos (CPF) on human health. Curcumin (CUR) is a yellow pigment isolated from turmeric ground rhizome of Curcuma longa Linn., which has been identified as an antioxidant agent. This study was designed to examine the protective effect of CUR and vitamin E (Vit E) on CPF-induced lung toxicity. Rats were divided into seven groups: control, CPF (13.5 mg/kg, orally), CPF + CUR (100 and 300 mg/kg, respectively, orally), CPF + α-tocopherol (Vit E, 150 mg/kg, intraperitoneally), CPF and CUR (100 and 300 mg/kg, respectively) in combination with α-tocopherol. The regimens were administered once daily for 28 days. At the end of the treatment period, lungs were collected for evaluation of oxidative factors and histopathological parameters. CUR and Vit E led to a decrease in lipid peroxidation in the lungs of the CPF-injected animals (48% and 51%, respectively). Glutathione peroxidase inhibited by CPF (91.9 nmol/min/mg protein) was induced again by CUR and Vit E (167.1 and 171.8 nmol/min/mg protein). CUR and Vit E caused a significant induction of superoxide dismutase (103.4 U/mg protein). Catalase activity almost returned to normalcy in CPF-intoxicated rats subjected to CUR + Vit E treatment ( p &lt; 0.001). Lung sections from CPF-treated rats displayed histopathological damages, while coadministration of CUR and Vit E resulted in apparently normal morphology with a significant decrease in injuries ( p &lt; 0.05). Our findings revealed that coadministration of Vit E and CUR to CPF-treated animals prevents the oxidative damages in the lung tissues. </jats:p

Comparison of the Antifungal effect of Licorice Root, Althoca Officinalis Extracts and Ketoconazole on Malassezia Furfur

Background & Aim: Malassezia furfur is a lipophilic yeast and is known as the agent of skin diseases, especially tinea versicolor. The aim of this study was to compare the antifungal effect of licorice root, Althoca officinalis extracts and ketoconazole on Malassezia furfur. Methods: In this study, the antifungal effect of ethanolic extracts of Althoca officinalis root and licorice and ketoconazole on Malassezia furfur was evaluated by broth dilution method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum concentration of fatality (MFC) for each of the compounds was calculated according to visual reading and the number of fungal colonies (CFU) compared with the control group. The gathered data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney test. Results: MIC range of Althoca officinalis flower, Althoca officinalis root, licorice root extracts and ketoconazole was determined as: 18.25, 300, 500 and 2.65 µg/ml. MFC range for extracts of Althoca officinalis flower and ketoconazole was determined as: 50 ≤ and 32 ≤ µg/ml. Conclusion: The present study showed that Althoca officinalis flower extract compared with the Althoca officinalis root and licorice root extracts have a higher antifungal effect. Also ketoconazole, compared with these extracts, have a high antifungal effect on Malassezia furfur

Antibiotische Empfindlichkeit, molekulare Typisierung und Biofilmbildung klinischer Streptococcus agalactiae Isolate im Nordwestiran

Background: Group B Streptococcus (S. agalactiae ) is one of the colonizing bacteria in pregnant women which can be a causative agent of meningitis and neonatal sepsis. This organism has also been increasingly related to invasive infections in non-pregnant adults. Objective: In present study, we aimed to characterize the clonality of biofilm-producing S. agalactiae isolates from various sources from two different clinical laboratories in Tehran, Iran.Materials and Methods: S. agalactiae isolates were collected from community-acquired (CA) and hospital-acquired (HA) infections in pregnant and non-pregnant adults. The antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and biofilm formation ability were determined. In addition, pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to verify the clonal diversity of isolates.Results: Out of the 87 isolates, 15 (16.6%) formed biofilm. The antibiotic resistance rate was 98.85% for clindamycin, 98.85% for tetracycline, followed by 29.88% for erythromycin, 9.19% for moxifloxacin and 6.89% for levofloxacin. The PFGE patterns revealed a total of 16 different clusters consisting of 6 single types (STs). Conclusion: This study evaluated the biofilm formation of clinical S. agalactiae , which may be a step towards understanding its role in pathological processes. Biofilm formation was significant only in the hypervirulent ST-17 clone. Intraclonal spread of isolates indicates that a local lineage of isolates is responsible for infection by these bacteria.Hintergrund: Streptokokken der Gruppe B (S. agalactiae ) können bei schwangeren Frauen kolonisieren und Meningitis und Sepsis bei Neugeborenen verursachen. Der Erreger wird zunehmend auch mit invasiven Infektionen bei nicht schwangeren Erwachsenen in Verbindung gebracht.Zielsetzung: In der vorliegenden Studie sollte die Klonalität Biofilm-produzierender Isolate von S. agalactiae charakterisiert werden, die aus verschiedenen Quellen in zwei klinischen Laboratorien in Teheran, Iran, isoliert wurden. Material und Methode: Die Isolate von S. agalactiae wurden bei schwangeren und nicht schwangeren Frauen aus ambulant (CA) und stationär erworbenen (HA) Infektionen gewonnen. Bestimmt wurden die Resistenz und die Biofilmbildung. Die klonale Diversität der Isolate wurde mittels Pulsfeld-Gel-Elektrophorese (PFGE)-Technik bestätigt.Ergebnisse: Von 87 Isolaten bildeten 15 (16,6%) einen Biofilm. Die Resistenzrate betrug für Clindamycin 98,9%, für Tetracyclin 98,9%, für Erythromycin 29,9%, für Moxifloxacin 9,2% und für Levofloxacin 6,9%. Die PFGE-Muster zeigten 16 verschiedene Cluster, die aus 6 Einzeltypen (STs) bestanden.Schlussfolgerung: Diese Studie untersuchte die Biofilmbildung von klinischen S. agalactiae Isolaten, die ein Schritt zum Verständnis in der Pathogenese sein könnte. Die Biofilmbildung war nur bei einem hypervirulenten ST-17-Klon signifikant. Die intraklonale Ausbreitung der Isolate deutet darauf hin, dass eine lokale Linie von Isolaten für die Infektion durch diese Bakterien verantwortlich ist