Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran
Volume:23 Issue: 2, Spring2012

The influence of salinity on the different polyamine fractions (free, conjugated, and bound) was compared in a natrophilic halophyte (Beta vulgaris L. cv. IC) and a salt sensitive glycophyte (Nicotiana rustica L. cv. Basmas). Low-level salinity (25 mM NaCl) and high salinity (150 and 50 mM NaCl for sugar beet and tobacco, respectively) were supplied in hydroponics. Under low salinity shoot dry weight increased in sugar beet, but decreased in tobacco. Under high salinity growth reduction in sugar beet and tobacco were similar. However, sugar beet accumulated higher Na and Cl in roots and shoots than tobacco. Low salinity caused an increase (22%) in the rate of net CO2 assimilation in sugar beet. This parameter was depressed in both species under high salinity. Sugar beet had constitutively higher free spermine levels in roots and shoots than tobacco. Spermidine levels were constitutively higher in shoots of sugar beet and in roots of tobacco. Under salt stress tobacco plants tended to increase free polyamine levels. The most important salt–induced rise in polyamine titer, however, was found in roots and shoots of sugar beet. In sugar beet roots the bound putrescine fraction increased 9.3-fold under growth- stimulating salt supply (25mM) and 20-fold under salt stress (150 mM). In tobacco roots this fraction only increased 2.3 and 3.8-fold under mild (25 mM) and high salt stress (50 mM), respectively. Our results provide support to the view that bound putrescine contributes to the protection against salt stress in the natrophilic sugar beet.

The lung cancer is one of the most dangerous cancers and is also the leading cause of cancer death worldwide، accounting for about 1. 3 million deaths annually. However in clinical practice، lung cancer therapies commonly do with chemotherapy، although it is hard because the lung cancer may progress to metastasis stage. The metastasis of lung cancer is highly dependent of expression of matrix metalloproteinase، and correlated with phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways. Therefore agents’ down expressed matrix metalloproteinase or suppressed phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways could inhibit the metastasis stage. In this study we aimed to investigate the effects of genistein، an isoflavonoid، on A-549 cell line. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release، Microculture tetrazolium test (MTT assay)، real-time PCR and zymography were used to evaluate the effects of genistein on cell cytotoxicity، cell proliferation، expression of mRNA and protein of MMP-2 in lung cancer A549 cell line. The results indicated that genistein، in a dose-dependent manner، without applying any cytotoxic effect، inhibited cell proliferation and downregulated MMP-2 mRNA and protein expression in A549 cell line. In addition، results of inhibition of ERK1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways phosphorylation by ELISA indicated that genistein inhibited phosphorylation rate of both pathways. Therefore it seems that genistein can decrease recurrence and decreased the migration and invasion of human non-small cell lung cancer cells (A549 cell line) by an efficient antimetastatic effect. This issue should be further examined for the clinical treatment.

A new series of noncyclic ionophores containing two to four furan units (Ia to IIIb) i.e. 1,1-difurylethane (Ia), 2,5-bis(methylfurfuryl)furan (IIa) and 1,1’ ethyledenebis[5-(methylfurfuryl)furan] (IIIa), 2,2-difurylpropane (Ib), 2,5-bis (dimethylfurfuryl)furan(IIb), 2,2’-isopropylidenebis[5-(dimethylfurfuryl)furan] (IIIb) have been synthesized by the condensation of furan with acetaldehyde and acetone in ethanol separately in the presence of concentrated hydrochloric acid. These ionophores were used for the extraction of alkali metal ions from aqueous to organic phase in chloroform membrane using picrate, dinitrophenolate and orthonitrophenolate salts. All ionophores of series (a) and (b) extract K+ selectively over Na+ and ligands IIa and IIb show the best extraction efficiency for K+ among these series. Among anions, orthonitrophenolate is found to be the best in comparison to dinitrophenolate and picrate during extraction. Thus, we can control the extraction of cations by altering anion.

Dihydropyridines (DHPs) with carboxamides in the 3 and 5 positions show anti-tuberculosis activity. The purpose of the present study was to synthesize new DHPs that would possibly possess anti-tuberculosis activity. So a series of N-aryl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxamides (3-38) was prepared. They were screened as antitubercular agents against one type of fast growing Mycobacterium (M. smegmatis). The compounds that passed this first screening were then tested against slow-growing Mycobacterium (BCG). Minimum bacteriocidal concentrations (MBCs) were determined using the agar proportion method. The cytotoxic effect of two active compounds against HeLa cell lines was determined using an MTT assay method. N,N-Bisphenyl-4-[1-(4-fluorobenzyl)-2-methylthioimidazole-5-yl]-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxamide 27 and N,N-bisphenyl-4-[1-(2-chlorobenzyl)-2-methylthioimidazole-5-yl]-2,6-dimethyl-1,4-dihydropyridine-3,5-dicarboxamide 33 were the most potent compounds tested, showing MBCs of 16 and 32 μg/ml, respectively. Their activities were comparable to that of isoniazid (32 μg/ml). In the MTT assay, these two compounds showed moderate toxicity.

A new series of N-[2-(1H-1,2,3-benzotriazol-1-yl)ethyl]-4-(substitutedphenyl)-3-chloro-2-oxo-1-iminoazetidine, compounds 4(a-j) were synthesized. The structures of all the synthesized compounds were confirmed by chemical and spectral analyses such as IR, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FAB-Mass. The compounds 4(a-j) were screened for their antibacterial, antifungal and antitubercular activities and gave acceptable results.

Late Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian schists have been occurred in southwest of Zanjan city from the Soltanieh belt. The Soltanieh belt in northwest of Iran is uplifted basement of Precambrian-Paleozoic in main central Iran zone and includes outcrops of Precambrian, Paleozoic and Mesozoic Formations. Late Neoproterozoic-Early Cambrian schists, the oldest stratigraphy unit in the region, consist of phyllite, chlorite schist, mica schist and staurolite schist. Field and microstructural studies show several deformational phases in which the first phase (D1) is well characterized by S1 schistosity subparallel to the axial planes of F1 fold. D2 is a post D1-phase of deformation recognized by kink-like mesoscopic folds that fold S1 and the third phase (D3) is characterized by strongly developed crenulation cleavage (S3). Considering textural relationship, microstructural domain and mineral chemistry two main metamorphic events (M1 and M2) have been recognized. Geothermobarometry of the M2 assemblage containing white mica, chlorite, biotite, plagioclase and quartz in the KNCMFASH system considering water saturated condition, yields pressure of 6.3Kbar and temperature of 690°C and the P-T estimates for the M1 assemblage containing white mica, chlorite, biotite, plagioclase, staurolite and quartz yield pressure of 8.5Kbar and temperature of 580°C. The obtained clockwise P-T path shows an early intermediate pressure Barrovian type metamorphism (M1) following by a low pressure Buchan type metamorphism (M2). The deduced clockwise P-T path is characteristic of the metamorphic evolution of orogenic belts and probably originated through the convergence of the Gondwana and Eurasian plates during the Pan-African orogeny.

The Alborz coal basin is located in northern part of Iran. The coal deposits of Shahrood in eastern Alborz, Zirab in central Alborz and Abyek in western Alborz were studied as typical coalfields of the basin. Shemshak Formation which is the main coal-bearing sequence was formed during the Triassic-Jurassic in the basin. It consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale and claystone, which variedly alternate with coal seams. The coal seams have relatively low quality because of highly disturbed and tectonized, having been subjected to multiple phases of orogenic deformation. The coals of Alborz basin are bituminous type and are dominated by macerals of vitrinite group and have relatively low proportions of exinite and fusinite. They contain different minerals such as clays (mostly argillite), pyrite and quartz as well as plant remains such as Cladophlebis, Marattia and Pachypteris. To compare the main geochemical characters of three typical coalfields of Alborz basin, we analyzed 18 samples for major oxides, ash and SO3 content. The geochemical data show that the enrichment factor for major elements is less than 2. The Ti, P and Mn are enriched with high enrichment factor of 3, 18 and 7, respectively. The mineralogical and petrographic characters of the samples indicate that the coals were formed in lagoons and peat-swamps, fluvial flood plain to lacustrine depositional systems that experienced subtropical to tropical climatic conditions.

The purpose of this paper is to provide some asymptotic results for nonparametric estimator of the Lorenz curve and Lorenz process for the case in which data are assumed to be strong mixing subject to random left truncation. First, we show that nonparametric estimator of the Lorenz curve is uniformly strongly consistent for the associated Lorenz curve. Also, a strong Gaussian approximation for the associated Lorenz process is established under appropriate assumptions. Using this strong Gaussian approximation, a law of the iterated logarithm for the Lorenz process is also derived.

In this paper، we study a special class of generalized Douglas-Weyl metrics whose Douglas curvature is constant along any Finslerian geodesic. We prove that for every Landsberg metric in this class of Finsler metrics، Ē = 0 if and only if H = 0. Then we show that every Finsler metric of non-zero isotropic flag curvature in this class of metrics is a Riemannian if and only if Ē = 0.