Medical Laboratory Journal
Volume:14 Issue: 3, May-Jun 2020

Human breast milk is the primary food for newborns that possess all essential nutrients for their growth and health. However, breast milk can be contaminated with various toxins including aflatoxin M1 (AFM1), a hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1 formed in the liver and excreted into the breast milk. This toxin can have immunosuppressive, mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic effects. The present study aimed to investigate the level of AFM1 in human breast milk samples from Jiroft (Kerman Province), Iran.

A total of 84 human breast milk samples were collected from lactating mothers who were referred to number one clinic in Jiroft from April 2016 to January 2017. The level of AFM1 was measured using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.

Aflatoxin M1 was detected in all (100%) human breast milk samples within the interval values of 3.2 to 8.8 ng/L (mean, 4.1±0.7 ng/L). The level of AFM1 in all samples was lower than the maximum tolerable limit (25 ng/L) suggested by the EU and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Although AFM1 is present in all human breast milk samples from the city of Jiroft, the level of this toxin is within the tolerable limit. Therefore, it seems that infants are not at risk.

It has been shown that low intensity physical activity rarely increases bone density or renewal. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate effects of four weeks of plyometric training with and without vascular occlusion on serum levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), as markers of bone formation and bone degeneration in inactive girls.

This was a semi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design. The study population consisted 36 inactive female students aged 23.84±1.096 years with a mean body mass index of 22.59±0.52 kg/m2 who were randomly divided into a plyometric training group without blood flow restriction, a plyometric training group with blood flow restriction and a control group. The experimental groups performed four weeks of plyometric training (three sessions per week), while the control group did not perform any exercise. Blood samples were obtained 48 hours before the first training session and 48 hours after the last training session. Measurement of BALP and CTX was carried out using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Collected data were analyzed using t-test and one-way analysis of variance. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software (version 23) and at significance level of ≤ 0.05.

The level of BALP was significantly higher in the low intensity exercise with blood flow restriction group compared to the control group (P=0.005) and the low intensity exercise group without blood flow restriction (P=0.003). The BALP/CTX ratio, as marker of bone metabolism, increased significantly following low intensity exercise with blood flow restriction compared with the other groups (P<0.05). However, low intensity exercise without blood flow restriction induced no significant change in the studied indices.

Plyometric training with blood flow restriction could be as effective as high intensity training for improving bone metabolism and turnover, particularly in inactive individuals.

Polyphenols can exert free radical scavenging effects by naturalizing dangerous reactive oxidants. Formation of reactive oxygen species can cause oxidative damage to human cells, leading to various diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and degenerative diseases. In this study, we investigated effect of treatment with various concentrations of lead (II) nitrate, a toxic and an oxidizing agent, on growth and biochemical parameters of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.).

Total phenol content was estimated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) stable free radical was used for assessment of free radical-scavenging activity. Changes in the activity of catalase and peroxidase as well as in the level of proteins, phenol content and malondialdehyde (as marker of lipid peroxidation) were investigated following treatment with different concentrations (0, 8, 12 and 16 mg/l) of lead nitrate for 21 days. All experiments were done in triplicate. Butylated hydroxytoluene and quercetin were used as standard controls.

Treatment with lead significantly altered the level of total phenolic content, proteins, malondialdehyde and the activity of catalase and peroxidase (P<0.05).

Our results indicate that lead-contaminated soil can significantly alter biochemical and growth parameters of alfalfa.

Moraxella catarrhalis is considered as an emerging pathogen and a new nosocomial infection agent. This study was conducted to isolate and identify M. catarrhalis from clinical samples (respiratory tracts) and assess them for antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.

In total, 280 samples were collected from patients with respiratory tract infection, and 120 samples were obtained from healthy individuals in the control group. The isolates were identified by phenotyping and genotyping methods, and their antibiotic susceptibility was  evaluated using disk diffusion methods. The presence of β-lactamase and efflux pump activity were specified via phenotypic methods. Finally, Bro and acrA genes in the isolates were detected by PCR technique.

The frequency of this bacterium was 9.64% (27 out of 280) in patients with respiratory tract infection and 4.16% (5 out of 120) in the control group. Although the isolates were resistant to penicillin, they had various responses against other antibiotics. The results obtained from molecular method showed that 90.6% and 84.3% of the isolates possessed Bro and acrA genes, respectively. There was a significant relationship (P<0.05) between the presence of Bro and acrA genes and antibacterial resistance to ampicillin, amoxicillin, cefazolin, cefuroxime, and chloramphenicol.

Our findings confirmed the existence of M. catarrhalis in patients with respiratory diseases and the high prevalence of antibiotic resistant genes in M. catarrhalis isolates. Therefore, timely diagnosis and successful treatment can play important roles in preventing their spread.

The prevalence of the infections caused by Candida species has led to a significant increase in their resistance to antifungal compounds. The aim of this study was to i) investigate drug resistance ii) evaluate the incidence of Candida albicans drug resistance pattern in the vaginal samples of women referring to health centers of Qom province, and iii) examine the effect of Zn nanoparticles combined with fluconazole against C. albicans isolates.     

This experimental, descriptive study was performed on 120 patients of candidiasis. In order to identify Candida albicans, direct experiments, differential culture, Germ tube test and sugar assimilation test (API20C kit) were conducted. The effect of different antifungal drugs and zinc nanoparticles and the synergistic effect of fluconazole with zinc nanoparticles were investigated by disk diffusion method. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MICs) of all cases was further specified.    

Of the 120 samples, 50 (41.6%) were identified as Candida albicans. These strains were resistant to certain antifungal drugs while others were semi-sensitive and sensitive. The lowest and the highest mean diameter of inhibition zone in all Candida albicans isolates belonged to ketoconazole (15.64 mm) and fluconazole nano-ZnO (26.76mm), respectively. The lowest and the highest MICs were observed in fluconazole- nano-ZnO and nano-ZnO, respectively.

The synergistic effect of Zn nanoparticles with fluconazole can be conducive to the treatment of vaginal candidiasis.

Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a widespread virus with various manifestations depending on the immunologic and hematologic status of the host. Infection with the virus can cause a wide range of complications in fetus of infected pregnant women, especially those with hemoglobinopathies. This study aimed to determine association of hemoglobin electrophoretic patterns and risk of B19V infection in pregnant women.  

Blood samples were collected from 200 pregnant women attending University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria. The samples were screened for anti-B19V IgM and IgG. Hemoglobin patterns were determined using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits and Minicap Flex Piercing Electrophoresis system. Structured questionnaires were used to collate sociodemographic variables and associated risk factors of B19V.

Of 200 participants, 12 (6.0%) were positive for B19V IgM, 45 (22.5%) were positive for IgG and two (1.0%) were positive for both antibody, while 145 (72.5%) had no detectable B19V antibody. Twenty-six subjects (28.3%) with HbAA hemoglobin pattern had B19V IgG of whom, nine (12.5%) had HbAS and 11 (30.6%) had HbSS electrophoretic patterns. There was a significant association between prevalence of anti-B19V IgG and hemoglobin electrophoretic pattern of participants (P=0.037). However, no association was found between prevalence of B19V IgM and hemoglobin electrophoretic pattern, age and parity of pregnant women (P>0.05).

Our findings revealed a high prevalence of B19V infection among pregnant women in the studied area. In addition, acute B19V seems to be associated with hemoglobin electrophoretic patterns of pregnant women. It is recommended to follow up newborns of anti-B19V IgM positive pregnant women.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in industrialized countries. High level of plasma lipids including cholesterol and triglycerides is one of the most important risk factors of atherosclerosis. Previous studies have shown that three members of the ATP-binding cassette, subfamily G (ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8) are involved in transporting sterols across membranes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of high-intensity resistance training (HIRT) and aerobic exercise (AE) on expression of the ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8 genes in female athletes.

Twenty-four female athletes from the Khorasan Province (Iran) were randomly selected and assigned into three groups: control (N=8), AE (N=8) and HIRT (N=8). The subjects in the HIRT group and the AE group performed exercise at intensity of 75-80% of 1-repetion maximum and 75-80% of maximum heart rate, respectively. Blood samples were collected at baseline and immediately after the exercise session. After isolation of lymphocytes by centrifugation and purification of mRNA, gene expression changes were investigated by Real-Time-PCR. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and the Tukey's test.

Both training protocols significantly increased the expression of ABCG4, ABCG5 and ABCG8 in the subjects (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the expression of these genes between the experimental groups (P>0.05).

A single session of HIRT and AE may have beneficial effects on prevention of atherosclerosis.

Human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is a virus of the Retroviridae family, which has infected more than 20 million people around the world. The study aimed to review the prevalence of HTLV infection in pregnant women.     

We searched various databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Google Scholar, SID, Magiran and Irandoc using the following keywords: HTLV-1, HTLV-2, Retroviridae, pregnancy, prevalence, incidence, women and female. Abstracts, short/brief reports as well as original and review articles published on HTLV-1 and/or HTLV-2 infection during pregnancy until October 2018 were included in the study.      

We found five articles from Iran and 14 articles from other parts of the world on the prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in pregnant women. Prevalence of HTLV-1 and or HTLV-2 was higher in pregnant women than in non-pregnant women in cities of Mashhad and Neyshabur, Razavi Khorasan Province (1.5 to 3.3 %), northeastern Iran, which are endemic areas of Iran for HTLV-1 infection. The incidence rate of HTLV-1 infection was 400-500 per 10,000 pregnant women in endemic areas of Japan. In Brazil, the rate of HTLV-1 infection in pregnant women was estimated to be 1.05%.

The prevalence of HTLV-1 varies among pregnant women depending on residence in endemic or non-endemic areas for HTLV-1. In endemic areas, it is recommended to perform routine screening for HTLV-1 infection in the general population, especially pregnant women.