mehran vatanchian

 There is a worldwide trend towards substitute synthetic antioxidants with natural alternatives to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis (UC). This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Dracocephalum kotschyi extract on tissue injury and oxidative stress in an acetic-acid induced colitis model.

48 male Wistar rats were allocated to 6 groups: healthy control, colitis control, and 4 treatment groups which administrated 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg of D. kotschyi extract respectively, and 200 mg/kg sulfasalazine once daily for 8 days after colitis induced. Colitis severity was assessed using histologic and macroscopic changes of damaged colon, and enzymatic antioxidant activities like superoxide dismutase (SOD), total thiol (–SH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and lipid peroxidation marker MDA (malondialdehyde) were evaluated.

D. kotschyi extract (50mg/kg) decreased colonic macroscopic and histological damage scores, which were accompanied by a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation, and an increase in colonic antioxidant markers.

 The results suggest that D. kotschyi extract is effective against oxidative bowel damages induced in IBD and its beneficial effect is, at least in part, due to its antioxidant properties.

The application of non-viral systems for delivering genes to cells is becoming a very interesting issue, especially in the treatment of neoplasms such as Breast Cancer (BC). Polymer-based non-viral systems are safe and feasible gene carriers to be used in targeted cancer therapy. SALL4 gene encodes a transcription factor and is overexpressed in some cancers.

In this study, carboxyalkylated-PEI25 (25 kDa) was used to deliver plasmids expressing SALL4-siRNA into MCF-7 cells. DLS and AFM were applied to determine the size of nanoparticles. The MTT method was used to assess cytotoxicity, and the efficiency of transfection was confirmed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Finally, the effect of silencing SALL4 was investigated on the migration of MCF7 cells using the scratch test.

The results showed that transferring the SALL4-siRNA using PEI25G10C50 reduced the expression of the corresponding transcription factor by 14 folds which attenuated the migration of MCF-7 cells by 58%.

In conclusion, PEI25G10C50 can serve as an effective gene delivery system for treating BC by targeting SALL-4.

An experiment was conducted with 855 fertilized eggs in 8 treatments (injection in 5th day of incubation) and 11 treatments (injection in 17th day of incubation) with 3 replicates of 15 eggs each. Treatments included first control (no injection)، second control (injection of 0. 5 ml. of sodium chloride); in 5th day، experimental treatments included 30 and 45 mg. silver nanoparticles، and 100 mg. of thyme and savoury. In 17th day treatments included 30، 45، and 60 mg. silver nanoparticles، and 100، 150، and 175 mg. of thyme and savoury extracts. Injection in 5th day indicated that the bursa weight reached its maximum in treatments 75 and 100 mg. of thyme، and 75 mg. of savoury، and in treatments with 30 and 45 mg. of silver nanoparticles had a minimum level (P).

To improve anatomical atlases, we tried to create a printable 3D atlas of rabbit''s anatomy based on the Anaglyph. In this study, twenty white rabbits euthanized and dissected. All 3D images were reconstructed by means of «stereo photo maker (SPM®)» software. By this atlas, users can easily understand nomenclature, the topography and, certainly, the transposition of the anatomical structures in each image even if they are not at the dissecting room. The novelty of this atlas may encourage students to spend more time and concentrate on the material more as opposed to the classical atlases, thereby, leading to better understanding of anatomy. It is worth mentioning that this atlas has been prepared as an example for other works.

The objective of the present study was to survey the presence of Sarcocystis in sheep''s brain in North Khorasan Province. In general, 80 samples of sheep''s brain were collected from slaugh­tered sheep in slaughterhouses of North Khorasan Province. Tissue digestion method was used for observing bradyzoites in tissues. Histopathological pro­cessing tracing Sarcocystis and ensuing structural change in the brain tissue were conducted. PCR analysis was conducted on all the brain samples. Sequencing was done for one PCR product. Genotype was identified by Blast search and homology analysis. Sarcocystis spp. was found in one of the brain samples (1.25%) using tis­sue digestion method. The presence of bradyzoite was also confirmed in the pre­pared histopathological sections. PCR analysis was positive in one of samples. Genotyping of one sample proved that Sarcocystis species was Sarcocystis ovicanis and the nucleotide sequence of this parasite was deposited in the GenBank data­base under accession number No.KF489431. Sarcocystis ovicanis can involve brain tissue of sheep and conse­quently causes clinical symptoms.

Gut–brain axis (GBA) is very important in creation and modulation of gastrointestinal problems. Aloe vera gel has gastroprotective properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of aqueous extract of Aloe vera leaves on the gastric acid secretion and brain and intestinal water content following acetic acid gastric ulcer induction. Gastric ulcer was induced by injection of 20% acetic acid into the subserosal layer in male rats. Rats were randomly assigned into three groups: intact group, gastric ulcer group and Aloe vera group (treatment with Aloe vera following gastric ulcer induction). The acid levels and brain and intestinal water content of each sample were measured eight days after the gastric ulcer induction. Gastric acid levels were significantly decreased in Aloe vera group when compared with gastric ulcer group (p<0.05). However, there were no differences in acid output between gastric ulcer and Aloe vera groups with intact group. After Aloe vera administration, the amount of brain water content had no difference with intact and gastric ulcer groups (p<0.05). The duodenal water content in Aloe vera group was significantly reduced compared with intact group (p<0.05) but gastric ulcer group had no significant difference with intact and Aloe vera group. The administration of Aloe vera has an inhibitory effect on the gastric acid output.