A pan‐apicomplexan phosphoinositide‐binding protein acts in malarial microneme exocytosis

Invasion of human red blood cells by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum is an essential step in the development of the disease. Consequently, the molecular players involved in host cell invasion represent important targets for inhibitor design and vaccine development. The process of merozoite invasion is a succession of steps underlined by the sequential secretion of the organelles of the apical complex. However, little is known with regard to how their contents are exocytosed. Here, we identify a phosphoinositide‐binding protein conserved in apicomplexan parasites and show that it is important for the attachment and subsequent invasion of the erythrocyte by the merozoite. Critically, removing the protein from its site of action by knock sideways preferentially prevents the secretion of certain types of micronemes. Our results therefore provide evidence for a role of phosphoinositide lipids in the malaria invasion process and provide further insight into the secretion of microneme organelle populations, which is potentially applicable to diverse apicomplexan parasites.

Association of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein and clinical findings with HLA-DQ8 allele in Rheumatoid Arthritis patients

Background ― Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory, autoimmune disease induced by certain auto-antigens. HLADRB1*0401 allele has a significant relationship with RA incident. Additionally, DQβ1*0301, *302(DQ8), *303, and *304 can increase RA risk especially in DQA1*0301 and *302 coincident. Recent studies suggest that distribution of this allele is different in various populations Material and Methods ― 70 patients and 70 healthy controls were analyzed for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele by specific primerpolymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR) method. Patients were evaluated in terms of ESR and CRP. Data analysis was performed in SPSS V.17. Results ― HLA-DQ8 allele was significantly more frequent in RA patients compared to control (P<0.0001). However, no significant relationship was observed between increased ESR (P=0.527), CRP (P=0.505), and mean counts of arthritic (P=0.691) and tender joints (P=0.669) among the patients who were carriers of HLA-DQ8. Conclusion ― There is a significant association between RA and HLA-DQ8 allele, this allele can increase susceptibility to RA. These findings might relate to the ethnical variations of RA patients but we couldn’t find a significant association between CRP and ESR with HLA-DQ8. We recommend to add specific inflammatory markers to CRP as well as assess ESR in larger sample sizes to obtain accurate results.

The Prevalence and Determinants of Using Withdrawal to Avoid Pregnancy in Tabriz, Iran

Withdrawal is an old main traditional method which is used by the couples in many societies for regulating the births in the early stages of the fertility transition (1-4). During the 1980s, over two-fifths (42.3%) of urban couples employed withdrawal. In fact, when other methods were not readily available, withdrawal played an important role in reducing fertility in urban areas of Iran (5). After restarting the population policy in the 1980s, contraceptive methods became available throughout the country and their use rose from 49% to 70% in 1990 (6). In addition, the proportion of married women using modern contraceptive methods increased from 26% in 1976 (7) to 56.98% in 2011 (8). However, at present, significant proportions of Iranian couples rely on withdrawal in order to avoid unwanted pregnancy. According to 2011 demographic and health survey (DHS), the prevalence rate of withdrawal was 21.10 % (i.e., 24.36% in urban and 13.40% in rural areas) among the currently married women whose age varied from 15 to 49 years old (8). It is noted that the failure rate of withdrawal is between 4 and 24% (9) while the rate of pill and IUD failure is 3 and 1%, respectively (10). The probability of unwanted pregnancy and subsequent induced abortion may increase due to the high rate of failure of withdrawal. In 2000, nearly 7.8% of unwanted pregnancy was estimated to be related to withdrawal (11,12). The current study mainly sought to examine the determinants of employing withdrawal among the couples who lived in Tabriz. Based on 2000 and 2010 DHS, using this contraceptive method increased from 14.3% to 17.37% in East Azarbayjan province (7,8). However, women’s mortality rates may increase due to high failure rates of this method, as well as the risk of unwanted pregnancy and abortion (12). Thus, from the perspective of public health and population policy, identifying the factors which affect the use of withdrawal instead of other methods is of great significance. Studying the prevalence of withdrawal and its determinants is important in new demographic conditions in Iran. Based on the literature review, the majority of women rely on traditional methods due to the lack of family planning services or inadequate knowledge regarding family planning (13). The providers of family planning and reproductive health services are considered important sources of comprehensive information about family planning and therefore, their idea and knowledge respecting the efficacy or adverse effects of contraception methods can influence the women’s choices in this regard Abstract Objectives: Despite the increasing knowledge about family planning and modern contraceptive methods, as well as high failure rates of the traditional method, a significant percentage of couples use withdrawal for contraception. Accordingly, the present study mainly aimed to investigate the determinants of using withdrawal to avoid pregnancy in Tabriz. Materials and Methods: The sample of the study included 383 married women aged 15-49 years. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to determine factors associated with using withdrawal as a contraceptive method. Results: Based on the results, about 19.5% of the women were relying on withdrawal. In addition, 55% reported that they were currently using a modern method to avoid pregnancy while the remaining 25.5% used no method in order to prevent contraception. The results of multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that university-educated couples with no child who were within the age range of 15-24 and born in urban areas were more likely to use withdrawal rather than modern contraceptive methods (P<0.05). Conclusions: In general, the rate of employing the traditional method in Iran and, especially in Tabriz is increasing. Regarding higher proportion of withdrawal use among higher educated women due to the fear of side effects resulted from other methods, family planning providers and reproductive health services should be sensitive to the women’s concern and provide programs to decrease the unmet need of family planning.

Comparative evaluation of Anyplex II MTB/MDR/XDR and resazurin microtiter assay for detection of drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Awareness of Nurses/nurse Midwives Regarding Magnesium Sulfate Administration to Pre-Eclamptic /Eclamptic Mothers

Background: Hypertension is the most common medical problem encountered in pregnancy and remains an important cause of maternal, and fetal, morbidity and mortality. It complicates up to15% of pregnant mothers and accounts for approximately a quarter of all antenatal admissions. The hypertensive disorders of pregnancy cover a spectrum of conditions, of which pre eclampsia poses the greatest potential risk and remains one of the most common causes of maternal death in the UK. The aim of the study is to examine the nurses/nurse midwives knowledge regarding Magnesium Sulfate administration to pre-eclamptic /eclamptic mothers. Materials and Methods, study design is a descriptive – cross sectional hospital based study, at Bhari Teaching Hospital, Saad Abualla, and Omdurman Maternity Hospital, Khartoum State, Sudan. Sample sizeis 50 nurses/nurse midwives who are working in obstetrical wards are all enrolled in this study as total coverage. Data collection technique and tools: structured interview questionnaire sheet was developed to assess the nurses/nurse midwives' knowledge regarding Magnesium Sulfate administration to pre-eclamptic /eclamptic mothers and parameters of monitoring the patient. Data processing and statistical analysis: Data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences program (SPSS). Validity and reliability of instruments: The instruments were pre-tested in the pilot study before final data collection for reliability. Ethical consideration: from Ethical Committees, general medical directors of selected hospitals and verbal agree from the nurses who are working in obstetric words.

A numerical algorithm for solving the Cauchy singular integral equation based on Hermite polynomials

A numerical algorithm based on Hermite polynomials for solving the Cauchy singular integral equation in general form is presented. The Hermite polynomial interpolation of unknown functions is first introduced. This scheme is used for approximating the solution of the Cauchy singular integral equation. This approach requires the solution of a system of linear algebraic equations. Two examples demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Nutritients, phytochemicals and colour parameters of microwave and steam blanched dried beetroot [Beta vulgaris (L.) var. Conditiva] leaves

Mating with seminal vesicle-excised male can affect the uterus phospholipid fatty-acids composition during implantation in an experimental mouse model

No comprehensive information is available about uterus fatty acid (FA) change during implantation period and possible effects of the seminal vesicle secretion on it.

Assessment of phytoplankton species in gut and feces of cultured tilapia fish in Egyptian fishponds: Implications for feeding and bloom control

Aim: This study was carried out to determine which phytoplankton species, as a natural food, can be ingested and digested by Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.). Methods: During this study, phytoplankton in the gut contents of Nile tilapia collected from three fishponds in southern Egypt were investigated during the period Oct. 2012-Sep. 2013. Samples of tilapia fish were grown in aquarium containing filtered pond water to detect undigested phytoplankton species in the feces. Results: The majority of the phytoplankton found in the gut of Nile tilapia was Cyanobacteria (36-50%) and Chlorophyta (27-38%). Other groups such Diatoms, Euglenophyta and Dinophyta were also found but with lower percentages (<19%). The most important and dominant phytoplankton species found in Tilapia gut were the potentially toxic cyanobacteria, Anabaena, Anabaenopsis, Cylindrospermopsis, Microcystis and Planktothrix. Only diatoms were recorded in the feces, indicating the ability of Tilapia to digest all phytoplankton except diatoms. Conclusions: The data of this study could be useful for biomanipulation of nuisance phytoplankton blooms in eutrophic aquacultures.

Physicochemical and cytotoxicity analysis of green synthesis carbon dots for cell imaging.

Carbon dots (CDs) have outstanding optical properties, biocompatibility, and photostability, making them attractive for imaging applications. A facile and green one-step hydrothermal synthesis method is proposed, which can be safely used in a wide range of applications such as chemical sensing, bioimaging, and optoelectronics. In this study, we report green synthesis of carbon dots from bitter orange juice (Citrus Aurantium) by hydrothermal treatment for the first time. We studied effects of time, temperature, and pH on fluorescence of CDs, characterized them using various spectroscopic and microscopic methods, and evaluated their toxicity to different cell lines. Identifying an optimum reaction condition of 180 ºC for 7 h heating gave CDs that showed pH-dependent fluorescence, with the largest fluorescence at a pH of 7.0. The CDs were 1-2 nm in size with a spherical morphology and negative surface charge. The CDs showed a high quantum yield of 19.9 %, reasonable photostability, excellent water solubility, and long fluorescence lifetime. A one step hydrothermal rout led to various hydrophilic functional groups on the surface of the CDs. Our results showed that the CDs were non-toxic over a large concentration range and effective for imaging of cells, indicating their potential as imaging probes in medical diagnostics and biosensor applications.