Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Volume:17 Issue: 12, Dec 2015

Genes are involved in the control of stem cell self-renewal as a new class of molecular markers of cancer.
In this study, the expression of Oct4, Nanog and Sox2 in cell lines MIA Paca-2, PA-TU-8902 and AsPC-1 and pancreatic cancer tissue were examined.
In this experimental study, cell lines, MIA Paca-2, PA-TU-8902 and AsPC-1, were cultured in DMEM (Dulbecco’s Modified Eagles Medium) and RPMI-1640 (Roswell Park Memorial Institute) containing FBS 10% (fetal bovine serum) in a 37°C incubator containing Co2 5% and humidity 90%. Samples of tumor and non-cancer pancreatic tumor were purchased Iran tumor bank. Extraction of RNA and synthesis of cDNA was performed. Expression levels of Oct4, Nanog and Sox2 were determined using Real-time PCR. The protein expression levels of target genes in the cell lines were studied by flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry.
The expression rate of Oct4, Nanog and Sox2 is more in the cancer cell lines than those in the control (normal tissue) samples. The protein expression levels of target genes in the cell lines were confirmed by flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry.
The genes are involved in stem cell self-renewal as a new class of molecular markers of cancer that detected in the pancreatic cell lines. Maybe, these genes play important role in the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells.

The freezing of immature testis tissue and then the transplant of it can be considered as a major step in fertility preservation for young boys with cancer, the survival of animal generation exposed to extinction and cloning animalistic desirable species. One of the most prevalent of damages in during the freezing-thawing process is oxidative stress.
The objective of this study was to investigate the antioxidant effects of selenium compound (Na2SeO3) on rate of seminiferous tubules injury in during of cryopreservation.
In this experimental study, 8 BALB/c immature male mice (6 - 8 days old) were randomly selected, and the testes removed surgically (n = 16). The testes divided into 2 groups: experimental group, control group (opposite testes). For each of the two experimental and control groups, two types of soluble (freezing solution and thawing solution) were prepared. These solutions, which contain 2 mg/mL solution of Na2SeO3 and control solution, were prepared in the DMEM (Dulbecco’s modified eagle medium) base medium. Of each group were 4 testes into fast freezing-thawing procedure and 4 testes were into slow freezing-thawing procedure. Then this testis for analyzing injury, after preparatory process, was stained with hematoxylin-eosin.
At the slow freezing-thawing procedure, seminiferous tubules injury significantly reduced in experimental group compared to control group. At the fast freezing-thawing procedure, seminiferous tubules injury significantly reduced in experimental group compared with of control group.
It seems that Se due to its antioxidant properties, the harmful effects of freezing-thawing process reduces and protects seminiferous tubules from oxidative injury.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious and growing phenomenon in contemporary medicine and has emerged as one of the pre-eminent public health concerns of the 21st century.
In this study, antibacterial activity of Mespilus germanica extract against some pathogenic bacterial strains (Streptococcus pyogene, Listeria innocua, Enterobacter aerogenes and Klebsiella pneumoniae) was evaluated.
In this experimental study, maceration extraction method was used for M. germanica extract. Disk diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial effect and broth microdilution method was used to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS-18 statistical software and analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey test.
Antimicrobial activity was assessed by inhibition diameters which were found to range from 8 to 21.5 mm for the two extracts against all the bacterial strains tested. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) for the extracts were later determined by three fold serial dilutions method and they ranged 2 - 64 mg/mL against all the strains and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) for the extracts were later determined by three fold serial dilutions method and they ranged 4 - 128 mg/mL against all the strains.
The M. germanica extract showed the more effective impact on the growth S. pyogene and L. innocua than E. aerogenes and K. pneumoniae (P

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is a common disease with a high morbidity, mortality and increase in miscarriages.
The purpose of this study was to assessment the correlation between C677T and A1298C mutations on the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene with total plasma homocysteine levels and deep venous thrombosis in pregnant women at risk of thrombosis.
Patients and In this case-control study, 120 pregnant women with risk of DVT and 100 pregnant women without risk of DVT were included in the study. Assay for identification of MTHFR mutations was carried out by PCR-RFLP. Total plasma homocysteine was measured by ELISA method.
Homozygous (MM) mutations of MTHFRC677T and A1298C were not associated with DVT in pregnant women with and without DVT, respectively. Plasma homocysteine levels were significantly higher in pregnant women with DVT (18.3 ± 5.9 μmol/L) than in the pregnant women without DVT (8.9 ± 6.4 μmol/L) in C677T and A1298C mutations on the MTHFR gene, respectively (P = 0.021).
Our results showed that MTHFRC677T and MTHFRA1289C polymorphisms are not connected with total plasma homocysteine levels in pregnant women with and without DVT. Also, plasma homocysteine levels were significantly higher in pregnant women with DVT.

Recent investigations get focused on characterization and isolation of natural compounds with pharmaceutical applications from terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem. Marine invertebrate natural products have been proposed due to various structural diversity. Ophiocoma eraniceus (O. erinaceus) is a brittle star species belonging to Echinodermata that distributed in Qeshm island in the Persian Gulf. Recent scientist researches have concentrated on discovery of natural resources with pharmacological and biomedical potential.
This experiment aimed to discover phytochemical analysis and in vitro antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of O. erinaceus methanolic extract.
In this experimental study, the phytochemical analysis were conducted to determine saponin, phenolic and flavonoid content of brittle star and the free radical scavenging activity with two in vitro assays. In addition, the effect of methanolic brittle star extract on TGF-β expression were analysed by RT-PCR.
The phytochemical studies established the presence of saponins, phenol, and flavonoids compounds in the brittle star extract and the antioxidant results from DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), ABTS (azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) revealed that O. erinaceus displayed antioxidant activity as dose dependent manner. On the other hand, O. erinaceus extract inhibited TGF-β expression which indicate anti-inflammatory properties of O. erinaceus.
In conclusion, these results clearly exhibited that the O. erinaceus methanolic extract possess valuable constituents that may correspond as a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent useful in biomedicine.

Because survivin has a significant role as an inhibitor in breast cancer (BC) advancement and development and its productivity and interactions may well be under the effects of polymorphisms in the gene promoter we investigated a common polymorphism (-31G/C) that has been reported to be influential on the survivin expression in different forms of cancer. But the observations did not show any correlation between this SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) and breast cancer disease at least in our study population (east Azerbaijan, Iran). The (-31G/C polymorphism is the cause of over expression of survivin once it de-represses the cell cycle-dependent transcription of survivin gene.
In this paper, the aim has been to study the role of -31G/C in breast cancer in the hospitals of the province of east Azerbaijan, Iran.
Patients and In this case-control study, 5 mL of peripheral blood samples of 82 healthy subjects and 94 breast cancer patients with pathologically confirmed were gathered. We analyzed -31G/C single nucleotide polymorphisms of survivin promoter with using of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and gene sequencing. The required samples were acquired from two of the general hospitals in Tabriz.
Statistical analysis revealed that genotype frequencies and allele distribution of the survivin promoter -31G/C for both controls and cases were similar. There has been no statistically noteworthy association between breast cancer and the variant genotypes (CC and CG).
Seemingly, there has been no statistically association between -31G/C polymorphism with BC and clinicopathological characteristics in the population being investigated in this paper.

One of the therapeutic approaches to lower postprandial blood glucose is to inhibition breakdown of starch by inhibiting carbohydrate hydrolysis enzymes. Alpha-amylase catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-(1, 4)-D-glycosidic linkages of starch and other glucose polymers. Inhibitors of this enzyme could be used in the treatment of diabetes.
Based on this purpose we examined the effect of curcumin on alpha amylase and its IC50 and Ki.
In this experimental study, 60 rats were divided into two major groups, normal and diabetic, and each was subsequently divided into five subgroups. One of them as control group that received grape seed oil and four of them as experimental groups that received curcumin at 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg (each group include six rats). Blood glucose levels were measured every three days. Serum insulin levels were measured three times, in the first day, middle and end of the experimental period. The activity of serum alpha amylase was measured in the end of experimental period.
The results showed that curcumin is a competitive inhibitor for alpha amylase with IC50 = 51.32 µM and Ki = 20.17 µM. In both diabetic and normal groups in all doses nearly dose dependent manner reduced blood glucose and insulin levels. In both diabetic and normal groups decreased levels of serum alpha amylase activity.
It may be concluded that curcumin is a potent inhibitor of alpha amylase and has beneficial effects in the treatment of overweight and diabetes

Selenium is an antioxidant trace element that is capable protects various tissues against damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury.
This study examines the selenium effect on antioxidant activity and recovery from sciatic nerve ischemia-reperfusion in adult rats.
In this experimental study, 80 adult male Wistar rats weighing 250 - 300 g were used. They were divided into ten groups (n = 8 per group). The first group received sham surgery only. The second group received 0.2 mg/kg selenium without ischemia-reperfusion surgery and eight remaining groups were divided to four control groups and four experimental groups which the latter groups received 0.2 mg/kg selenium. All ischemia groups were rendered in ischemic for 3 hours and reperfused for various times of 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. Half of the groups had experimental selenium (0.2 mg/kg) intraperitoneal injection treatment immediately after ischemia. According to a schedule for each group of rats bled and then centrifuged, and serum was prepared for assessment of activity levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT), nitric oxide (NO), paraoxonase (POX), and malondialdehyde (MDA).
Comparison of the serum GPX, CAT, NO, POX, and MDA levels in the groups that received selenium with corresponding control group showed that selenium can increase plasma activity levels of GPX, POX and decrease activity levels of NO.
Selenium with decreased activity levels of NO and increased activity GPX and POX can decrease ischemia-reperfusion injury in lower limb especially sciatic nerve.

In this study, the antibacterial activity of Mangle negro extract against selected pathogens from Enterobacteriaceae and Bacillaceae was evaluated.
The antibacterial activity of M. negro ethanolic and aqueous extracts were evaluated, through disk agar diffusion method, extract on medium surface method and microdilution method.
This experimental study after collection and preparation of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of M. negro, their effects against human pathogen microorganism were determined.
The ethanolic and aqueous extracts inhibited the growth of all the organisms tested. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts ranged between 4 mg/mL and 64 mg/mL.
The study demonstrated that the ethanolic leaf extract of M. negro hold an excellent potential as an antibacterial agent.