Majid Fasihi Harandi - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Majid Fasihi Harandi

International Journal of Echinococcoses

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a common neglected disease in many communities around the world, ca... more Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a common neglected disease in many communities around the world, causing substantial costs on the endemic communities. CE has been considered a disease of adulthood, mostly affecting age groups within 20-59 years. However, CE can be seen in early life even in patients younger than 5 years. While the disease is frequently reported from children in the endemic areas across the globe, children CE is even more neglected and under-represented in the literature. Here we present an overview on this topic, summarizing main features of pediatric CE, current findings, existing knowledge and information gaps and research needs on this issue. In adults the lungs are involved in less than 30% of CE cases, however in children, pulmonary hydatid disease has been reported to be up to 67%. Different patterns of hydatid cyst and multiple organ involvement have been frequently observed in children, probably due to the immature filtering mechanisms of the liver and lungs d...

University of Nariño, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, 2019

Aplicacoes sucessivas de dejetos suinos podem promover mudancas nos atributos fisicos do solo, co... more Aplicacoes sucessivas de dejetos suinos podem promover mudancas nos atributos fisicos do solo, com enfase nas vias de formacao dos agregados solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi separar e quantificar os agregados conforme sua via de formacao e avaliar a estabilidade desses agregados em area com historico de aplicacoes de dejeto liquido de suinos (DLS) e cama sobreposta de suinos (CSS), em sistema plantio direto (SPD). Apos 10 anos do uso de dejetos suinos (DS) na sucessao aveia/milho sob SPD, coletaram-se amostras indeformadas de solo nas camadas de 0-5 e 5-10 cm, nos tratamentos sem DS (testemunha), com aplicacao de DLS e CSS em doses equivalentes a uma e duas vezes a recomendacao de N para o milho e a aveia (DLS1X, DLS2X, CSS1X e CSS2X, respectivamente). Os agregados foram separados conforme os seus padroes morfologicos e vias de formacao em biogenicos e fisiogenicos. Em seguida, avaliaram-se o diâmetro medio ponderado (DMP) dos agregados e a distribuicao dos agregados nas classes de diâmetro para macroagregados (8,00 > O ≥ 2,0mm), mesoagregados (2,0 > O ≥ 0,25mm) e microagregados (O < 0,25mm), em cada tipo de agregado. A adicao de dejetos suinos aumentou a formacao de agregados biogenicos. Na area testemunha prevalece a via de formacao de agregados fisiogenicos. A aplicacao de DLS nao alterou o DMP e os macroagregados em relacao a testemunha, enquanto a aplicacao de CSS aumentou esses parâmetros quando comparada aos tratamentos DLS e Testemunha.

Strides in Development of Medical Education, 2009

Background & Objective : In this study we aimed to evaluate the status of Worlds leading universi... more Background & Objective : In this study we aimed to evaluate the status of Worlds leading universities in PhD students education and to compare it with Iranian universities applying the approach of educational status evaluation in a research based way Methods: Using a systematic review all documents present in the webs and related links of universities of first 10 countries in Shanghais Academic Ranking of World Universities were systematically reviewed information related to PhD education was systematically collected and analyzed Results : Reviewing 28 leading universities revealed that the educational model in educating PhD students in 22 of them was research based and the rest are using course based model Passing taught courses as an index in course based model is considered to be among minimum course requirements in most of the universities which are using research based model In cases where passing such courses is voluntarily a consultant professor plays a significant role i...

Background: Surgery is the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echino-coccosis, CE). At ... more Background: Surgery is the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echino-coccosis, CE). At present, various scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of protoscoleces during surgery, but they are associated with adverse side effects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the scolicidal effects of amphotricin B, Silver nano particles, Foeniculum vulgare Mill, essential oil and hypertonic saline against protoscoleces of hydatid cyst on an in vitro model. Methods: Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from the naturally infected livers of sheep and goats. Various concentrations of AmB (2.5-20 mg/ml), Ag-NPs (0.5-4 mg/ml), F. vulgare essential oil (0.125-1 mg/ml) and hypertonic saline (10-20%) were used for 5-60 min. Eosin exclusion test was used to determine the viability of protoscoleces. Results: Maximum protoscolicidal effect of AmB and Ag-NPs was found at concentrations of 20 and 4 mg/mL, resulting in only 82.3% and 71.6% of the proto-scoleces after 60 min o...

Strides in Development of Medical Education, 2016

Educational decline among university students during the first university terms is generally obse... more Educational decline among university students during the first university terms is generally observed as a reason of the big change in lifestyle and not being accustomed to dormitory atmosphere or it can be as a result of being involved with emotional matters due to the special age at which they enter university This research concerns the situation of a medical student ((Mohammad)) who enters Kerman medical university with a perfect educational background and a top rank in entrance exam of university but he encounters a noticeable underachievement in educating as soon as he starts his courses at university Mohammad who is from a relatively supportive family and has a suitable financial situation in his family gets involved with an emotional case and its following problems and matters facing a breakup at this stage he is suffered with depression and severe educational decline His family in order to help him acts mistakenly and it brings about bigger problems Therefore after finishin...

Background: Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis and Taenia hydatigena are amon... more Background: Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis and Taenia hydatigena are among the most prevalent taeniid species of dogs. These tapeworms infect ruminant and humans as intermediate hosts and domestic/wild carnivores as the definitive hosts. Molecular tools using hypervariable microsatellite regions might provide more information about parasite variation. Highly variable and specific tools are needed for transmission tracking studies of canine echinococcosis as an essential element for implementation of hydatid control programs. Suitable microsatellite markers used so far are EmsJ, EmsK, EmsB, EMms1, Egmsca1, Egmsga1, U1 snRNA. The purpose of the present study was to determine the mi-crosatellite variability of EmsB as well as six other microsatellites in major taeniid species infecting dogs in Iran.

Supporting information: Results from db-RDA and associated pre-analyses

Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench, 2010

Iran is an important endemic focus area of cystic hydatid disease where several intermediate host... more Iran is an important endemic focus area of cystic hydatid disease where several intermediate host species are commonly infected with Echinococcus granulosus . Annually, most livers are shipped out, stored away, or destroyed due to contamination among livestock. For instance, in Aleshtar (Lorestan province), liver and lung losses due to hydatid cysts during 2002-2003 were approximately 864,360,000 Rials and 35,530,000 Rials for sheep and cow, respectively. In other words, given the risk of human contamination with this parasite, the costs associated with diagnosis, treatment, and surgery are important. Epidemiology studies have been performed in different part of Iran, but there is no international estimate of infection in livestock. Molecular studies have indicated the presence of G1 and G6 genotypes in different parts of Iran. We discuss these molecular studies in this article.

Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench, 2010

Aim : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infectio... more Aim : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections (STHs) infection and other intestinal parasites in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in Tehran Province, Iran. Background : The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that many people in the world are chronically affected by STHs and intestinal parasites. Furthermore infection is closely correlated with poverty, poor environmental hygiene and impoverished health services. Patients and methods : In this cross-sectional study, random stool samples from 912 patients with GI symptoms were collected and examined using light microscopy and the formalin-ether concentration method for detection of protozoa and of STH eggs. Also modified acid-fast staining was used to identify Cryptosporidium parvum . Agar plate cultures were used for the recovery of Strongyloides stercoralis larvae. Results : STH infections found in these patients were Ascaris lumbricoides 5(0.5%), hookworm 3(0....

Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, 2014

Objective(s): There are several scolicidal agents for inactivation of hydatid cyst protoscolices ... more Objective(s): There are several scolicidal agents for inactivation of hydatid cyst protoscolices during surgery, but most of them are associated with adverse side effects such as sclerosing cholangitis and liver necrosis. The present study was aimed to evaluate scolicidal effects of various extracts of Nigella sativa seeds against protoscoleces of hydatid cyst in an in vitro model. Materials and Methods: Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from naturally infected livers of sheep and goats. Various concentrations of the different extracts of N. sativa (5 to 50 mg/ml) were used for 5 to 60 min. Viability of protoscoleces was confirmed by 0.1% eosin staining. Results: The findings exhibited that methanolic extract at the concentration of 50 mg/ml after 10 min of incubation, and aqueous extract at the concentration of 50 mg/ml after 30 min of incubation can kill 100% of protoscoleces. In addition, all of experiments revealed dose-dependent and also time-dependent scolicidal effect ...

Background: To compare three molecular methods, PCR-RFLP for internal transcribed spacer, PCR seq... more Background: To compare three molecular methods, PCR-RFLP for internal transcribed spacer, PCR sequencing and high resolution melting analysis shown reliable sensitivity and specificity for detecting Leishmania tropica as a model for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) as the perspective overview for scientific and economic approaches. Methods: This study was carried out between 2015 and 2016 in Leishmaniasis Research Center in Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. The positives smears (n=50) were obtained from patients referred from the health clinics in a major anthroponotic CL (ACL) focus, southeastern Iran. Only smear preparations with the same grade were selected according to the method described by the WHO for future PCR assays. Results: All three molecular methods had capability to identify positive samples at species level with the same specificity and sensitivity. However, these techniques were different in simplicity, consuming time, and cost effectiveness. Although...

Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus gr... more Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. Exploring safe and effective scolicidal agents for the surgery is an urgent need for the successful treatment of CE. This study aimed to determine scolicidal activity of the synthesized chitosan nanoparticles. Physicochemical properties of synthesized nanoparticles were determined by using DLS, FTIR, and SEM. Different concentrations of chitosan nanoparticles from 125 to 1000 μg/ml were examined at different incubation times (10, 60, 120, and 180 min). Scolicidal and cytotoxic activity of chitosan nanoparticles were confirmed by eosin exclusion and hemolysis activity tests. FTIR spectra, zeta potential (+42 ± 2.08) and PDI (0.388 ± 0.034) value revealed that the chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized. Significant differences among the scolicidal effects of chitosan nanoparticles were observed in comparison to the control treatments and highest scolicidal activity was observed ...

Microorganisms

Cysticercus pisiformis, the larval stage of Taenia pisiformis, causes serious illness in rabbits ... more Cysticercus pisiformis, the larval stage of Taenia pisiformis, causes serious illness in rabbits that severely impacts the rabbit breeding industry. An inhibitive Th2 immune response can be induced by let-7-enriched exosomes derived from T. pisiformis cysticercus. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Here, we report that exosomal miR-let-7-5p released by T. pisiformis cysticercus played a critical role in the activation of M2 macrophages. We found that overexpression of let-7-5p in M1 macrophages decreased M1 phenotype expression while promoting polarization to the M2 phenotype, which is consistent with experimental data in exosome-treated macrophages alone. In contrast, knockdown of let-7-5p in exosome-like vesicles promoted M1 polarization and decreased M2 phenotype expression. Furthermore, down-regulation of transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)-δ resulted in the decrease of M1 phenotype markers and increase of M2 pheno...

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology

Thioredoxin peroxidase (TPx) plays an important role in protecting parasites against oxidative da... more Thioredoxin peroxidase (TPx) plays an important role in protecting parasites against oxidative damage. However, studies on the role of TPxs in Echinococcus multilocularis are limited. In this study, one tpx gene of E. multilocularis, named as emtpx-1, was identified. EmTPx-1 shares two positionally conserved cysteine residues (Cys48 and Cys169) with orthologs from other platyhelminths. EmTPx-1 is highly expressed in the germinal layer and present in exosome-like vesicles secreted by E. multilocularis metacestodes. EmTPx-1 displays peroxidase activity, which removes hydrogen peroxide in the presence of dithiothreitol. Furthermore, EmTPx-1 could protect DNA from oxidative damages, and EmTPx-1-expressing E. coli cells had an enhanced resistance to oxidative stress. In addition, EmTPx-1 enhanced the expression of arg1, ym1, and il-10, but suppressed inos, tnf-α, and il-1β expression in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Our data suggest a critical role for EmTPx-1 in oxidative stresses and M2 macrophage polarization.

Parasitology Research

MicroRNAs are critical gene regulators at the post-transcriptional level and play essential roles... more MicroRNAs are critical gene regulators at the post-transcriptional level and play essential roles in numerous developmental processes in metazoan parasites including the causative agent of cystic echinococcosis, Echinococcus granulosus. The molecular basis of different patterns of E. granulosus development in the canine definitive host and in in vitro culture systems is poorly understood. In the present study, miRNA transcriptomes of the strobilated worms derived from experimental infection in the definitive host were compared with those from diphasic culture system after 60-day protoscoleces cultivation. Total RNA was extracted from in vivo- and in vitro-derived strobilated worms. Small RNA libraries were constructed, and deep sequencing was performed. Subsequently, differential miRNA expressions and target predictions were obtained, and pathway analysis was performed by gene ontology and KEGG. Seven miRNAs were differentially expressed between the in vivo- and in vitro-derived worms. In addition, we reported 13 novel miRNA candidates and 42 conserved miRNAs. Four out of five top miRNAs with the highest read counts were shared between the in vivo and in vitro-derived worms, i.e., egr-miR-10a-5p, egr-let-7-5p, egr-bantam-3p, and egr-miR-71-5p. Target prediction of the differential miRNAs between the two systems showed significant differences in the membrane-enclosed lumen, membrane part, and an intrinsic component of the membrane. Findings of KEGG analysis indicated that differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in hippo, MAPK, and WNT signaling pathways. The study demonstrated a significant difference in miRNA transcriptomes and related signaling pathways between the two systems, suggesting the importance of host-parasite interplay in the fate of protoscoleces development in in vivo and in vitro systems.

Journal of Parasitic Diseases

Designing and implementing Cystic Echinococcosis control programs require quantitative informatio... more Designing and implementing Cystic Echinococcosis control programs require quantitative information about the worm load and the intensity of infection in dog populations in endemic areas. So far no “probe-based” molecular quantification tool has been available for E. granulosus. This study was conducted in order to develop and evaluate a qPCR technique for measuring worm load of E. granulosus in the final host. A species-specific TaqMan probe was designed based on the available sequences in GenBank. The study was conducted in two stages. First, stool samples from an experimentally infected dog were collected in days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 49, and were analyzed by real-time qPCR assay. In the second stage, 600 mg negative stool specimens were manually spiked with 1, 5, 10, 20 and 40 eggs and the specimens were analyzed using real-time qPCR. According to the standard curve analysis, 93% efficiency and coefficients of correlation (Rsq) > 0.991 were documented. Quantitative PCR assays showed an increasing signal of infection during the 7-week course of infection. As revealed by the qPCR results from week 5 onward, signals indicative of egg excretion began and reached maximum on week 7. No qPCR signal from the samples containing 1, 10 and 20 eggs was recorded, however the samples containing 5 and 40 eggs produced signals proportional to the primary DNA. The study presents a molecular tool to quantify the burden of E. granulosus infection in dogs. This tool could be applied for measuring the burden of infection in the definitive hosts in surveillance and control programs.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews

Echinococcosis is considered a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by different species of small taeniid... more Echinococcosis is considered a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by different species of small taeniid tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus and is regarded as a neglected zoonosis. Cystic and alveolar echinococcoses are endemic diseases of Tibetan, Pamir, and Iranian plateaus.

Iranian Journal of Parasitology

Background: In recent decades platyhelminths have been used as model organisms to address some of... more Background: In recent decades platyhelminths have been used as model organisms to address some of the fundamental questions related to the growth and development of animal organisms. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) and Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-beta) have a regulatory role in the growth and development of Echinococcus species. This study determined the effect of alpha-tocopherol on the expression of EGFR and TGF-beta genes in three in vitro developmental stages of E. granulosus. Methods: E. granulosus protoscoleces were cultured in diphasic medium containing bovine serum and CMRL 1066. Three developmental stages of E. granulosus, i.e. invaginated protoscoleces, evaginated protoscoleces and three-proglottid worms, were treated by alphatocopherol (250 μg/ml for 36 h) and the expression of EGFR and TGF-beta genes were evaluated by using qPCR analysis. Results: Intact protoscoleces were successfully developed to the segmented worms in diphasic culture media. Higher l...

Iranian Journal of Parasitology

Background: Human echinococcosis is a neglected zoonotic disease distributed worldwide. It compri... more Background: Human echinococcosis is a neglected zoonotic disease distributed worldwide. It comprises cystic and alveolar forms, the former being the more prevalent disease. Imaging techniques are the first choice for diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis and serology is used as an additional diagnostic technique in doubtful cases or as the sole test in low-resource settings. Rapid diagnostic tests are useful and convenient for immunodiagnosis of cystic echinococcosis in endemic areas, where medical facilities often struggle with limited resources. Methods: Recently, we have developed Hyd Rapid™, an IgG4 lateral flow dipstick test using recombinant antigen B1 for detection of cystic echinococcosis. This study was performed between 2016 until 2018 at the Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia. The diagnostic performance of Hyd Rapid™ was tested in-house and at two international laboratories in Switzerland and Iran. Results: The overall diagnostic sensitiv...

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases, with considerable pub... more Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases, with considerable public health and economic importance. Camels play a significant role in transmission cycle of Echinococcus granulosus especially, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The present study aimed to identify the genetic variation and haplotype distribution of camel isolates of E. granulosus sensu lato using all existing E. granulosus mitochondrial DNA data from camels in different parts of the world. Sequence data from 1,144 camel isolates of E. granulosus s.l. available in the NCBI GenBank including 57 camel hydatid cysts collected in central Iran were used to analyze the nature of genetic variation within the camel isolates of E. granulosus s.l. in MENA region. Fifty-seven camel isolates were also PCR-sequenced on mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Haplotype network analysis revealed seven different haplotypes clustered into four major groups. E. intermedius G6 was identified as the most commonly represented genotype in camels followed by G1. Mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequence analysis on 57 camel isolates identified three different genotypes, including E. intermedius/G6 (35/57, 61.4%), E. granulosus sensu stricto/G1-G3 (21/57, 36.8%) as well as one isolate identified as E. ortleppi/G5 (1/57, 1.8%). The number of base substitutions per site over 420 positions of partial 12S rRNA gene sequences were shown as 0.000 and 0.004 for E. intermedius (G6) corresponding to the Middle East and sub-Saharan isolates, respectively. Camel isolates of E. granulosus in the MENA region present moderate genetic diversity (Hd = 0.5540-0.6050). The Middle East isolates demonstrated a more diverse population than the North/sub-Saharan isolates, where six out of seven 12S rRNA haplotypes were identified in the former region. E. intermedius (G6 genotype) was shown to be the most common species in the world camel population. In conclusion, camels showed to be an Dehghani et al. Changing Pattern of Echinococcus Diversity in Camels important intermediate host species in the MENA region with different patterns of genetic variation between the Middle East and Africa.

International Journal of Echinococcoses

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a common neglected disease in many communities around the world, ca... more Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a common neglected disease in many communities around the world, causing substantial costs on the endemic communities. CE has been considered a disease of adulthood, mostly affecting age groups within 20-59 years. However, CE can be seen in early life even in patients younger than 5 years. While the disease is frequently reported from children in the endemic areas across the globe, children CE is even more neglected and under-represented in the literature. Here we present an overview on this topic, summarizing main features of pediatric CE, current findings, existing knowledge and information gaps and research needs on this issue. In adults the lungs are involved in less than 30% of CE cases, however in children, pulmonary hydatid disease has been reported to be up to 67%. Different patterns of hydatid cyst and multiple organ involvement have been frequently observed in children, probably due to the immature filtering mechanisms of the liver and lungs d...

University of Nariño, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, 2019

Aplicacoes sucessivas de dejetos suinos podem promover mudancas nos atributos fisicos do solo, co... more Aplicacoes sucessivas de dejetos suinos podem promover mudancas nos atributos fisicos do solo, com enfase nas vias de formacao dos agregados solo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi separar e quantificar os agregados conforme sua via de formacao e avaliar a estabilidade desses agregados em area com historico de aplicacoes de dejeto liquido de suinos (DLS) e cama sobreposta de suinos (CSS), em sistema plantio direto (SPD). Apos 10 anos do uso de dejetos suinos (DS) na sucessao aveia/milho sob SPD, coletaram-se amostras indeformadas de solo nas camadas de 0-5 e 5-10 cm, nos tratamentos sem DS (testemunha), com aplicacao de DLS e CSS em doses equivalentes a uma e duas vezes a recomendacao de N para o milho e a aveia (DLS1X, DLS2X, CSS1X e CSS2X, respectivamente). Os agregados foram separados conforme os seus padroes morfologicos e vias de formacao em biogenicos e fisiogenicos. Em seguida, avaliaram-se o diâmetro medio ponderado (DMP) dos agregados e a distribuicao dos agregados nas classes de diâmetro para macroagregados (8,00 > O ≥ 2,0mm), mesoagregados (2,0 > O ≥ 0,25mm) e microagregados (O < 0,25mm), em cada tipo de agregado. A adicao de dejetos suinos aumentou a formacao de agregados biogenicos. Na area testemunha prevalece a via de formacao de agregados fisiogenicos. A aplicacao de DLS nao alterou o DMP e os macroagregados em relacao a testemunha, enquanto a aplicacao de CSS aumentou esses parâmetros quando comparada aos tratamentos DLS e Testemunha.

Strides in Development of Medical Education, 2009

Background & Objective : In this study we aimed to evaluate the status of Worlds leading universi... more Background & Objective : In this study we aimed to evaluate the status of Worlds leading universities in PhD students education and to compare it with Iranian universities applying the approach of educational status evaluation in a research based way Methods: Using a systematic review all documents present in the webs and related links of universities of first 10 countries in Shanghais Academic Ranking of World Universities were systematically reviewed information related to PhD education was systematically collected and analyzed Results : Reviewing 28 leading universities revealed that the educational model in educating PhD students in 22 of them was research based and the rest are using course based model Passing taught courses as an index in course based model is considered to be among minimum course requirements in most of the universities which are using research based model In cases where passing such courses is voluntarily a consultant professor plays a significant role i...

Background: Surgery is the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echino-coccosis, CE). At ... more Background: Surgery is the preferred treatment for hydatid cyst (cystic echino-coccosis, CE). At present, various scolicidal agents have been used for inactivation of protoscoleces during surgery, but they are associated with adverse side effects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the scolicidal effects of amphotricin B, Silver nano particles, Foeniculum vulgare Mill, essential oil and hypertonic saline against protoscoleces of hydatid cyst on an in vitro model. Methods: Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from the naturally infected livers of sheep and goats. Various concentrations of AmB (2.5-20 mg/ml), Ag-NPs (0.5-4 mg/ml), F. vulgare essential oil (0.125-1 mg/ml) and hypertonic saline (10-20%) were used for 5-60 min. Eosin exclusion test was used to determine the viability of protoscoleces. Results: Maximum protoscolicidal effect of AmB and Ag-NPs was found at concentrations of 20 and 4 mg/mL, resulting in only 82.3% and 71.6% of the proto-scoleces after 60 min o...

Strides in Development of Medical Education, 2016

Educational decline among university students during the first university terms is generally obse... more Educational decline among university students during the first university terms is generally observed as a reason of the big change in lifestyle and not being accustomed to dormitory atmosphere or it can be as a result of being involved with emotional matters due to the special age at which they enter university This research concerns the situation of a medical student ((Mohammad)) who enters Kerman medical university with a perfect educational background and a top rank in entrance exam of university but he encounters a noticeable underachievement in educating as soon as he starts his courses at university Mohammad who is from a relatively supportive family and has a suitable financial situation in his family gets involved with an emotional case and its following problems and matters facing a breakup at this stage he is suffered with depression and severe educational decline His family in order to help him acts mistakenly and it brings about bigger problems Therefore after finishin...

Background: Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis and Taenia hydatigena are amon... more Background: Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia multiceps, Taenia ovis and Taenia hydatigena are among the most prevalent taeniid species of dogs. These tapeworms infect ruminant and humans as intermediate hosts and domestic/wild carnivores as the definitive hosts. Molecular tools using hypervariable microsatellite regions might provide more information about parasite variation. Highly variable and specific tools are needed for transmission tracking studies of canine echinococcosis as an essential element for implementation of hydatid control programs. Suitable microsatellite markers used so far are EmsJ, EmsK, EmsB, EMms1, Egmsca1, Egmsga1, U1 snRNA. The purpose of the present study was to determine the mi-crosatellite variability of EmsB as well as six other microsatellites in major taeniid species infecting dogs in Iran.

Supporting information: Results from db-RDA and associated pre-analyses

Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench, 2010

Iran is an important endemic focus area of cystic hydatid disease where several intermediate host... more Iran is an important endemic focus area of cystic hydatid disease where several intermediate host species are commonly infected with Echinococcus granulosus . Annually, most livers are shipped out, stored away, or destroyed due to contamination among livestock. For instance, in Aleshtar (Lorestan province), liver and lung losses due to hydatid cysts during 2002-2003 were approximately 864,360,000 Rials and 35,530,000 Rials for sheep and cow, respectively. In other words, given the risk of human contamination with this parasite, the costs associated with diagnosis, treatment, and surgery are important. Epidemiology studies have been performed in different part of Iran, but there is no international estimate of infection in livestock. Molecular studies have indicated the presence of G1 and G6 genotypes in different parts of Iran. We discuss these molecular studies in this article.

Gastroenterology and hepatology from bed to bench, 2010

Aim : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infectio... more Aim : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections (STHs) infection and other intestinal parasites in patients with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in Tehran Province, Iran. Background : The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that many people in the world are chronically affected by STHs and intestinal parasites. Furthermore infection is closely correlated with poverty, poor environmental hygiene and impoverished health services. Patients and methods : In this cross-sectional study, random stool samples from 912 patients with GI symptoms were collected and examined using light microscopy and the formalin-ether concentration method for detection of protozoa and of STH eggs. Also modified acid-fast staining was used to identify Cryptosporidium parvum . Agar plate cultures were used for the recovery of Strongyloides stercoralis larvae. Results : STH infections found in these patients were Ascaris lumbricoides 5(0.5%), hookworm 3(0....

Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, 2014

Objective(s): There are several scolicidal agents for inactivation of hydatid cyst protoscolices ... more Objective(s): There are several scolicidal agents for inactivation of hydatid cyst protoscolices during surgery, but most of them are associated with adverse side effects such as sclerosing cholangitis and liver necrosis. The present study was aimed to evaluate scolicidal effects of various extracts of Nigella sativa seeds against protoscoleces of hydatid cyst in an in vitro model. Materials and Methods: Protoscoleces were aseptically aspirated from naturally infected livers of sheep and goats. Various concentrations of the different extracts of N. sativa (5 to 50 mg/ml) were used for 5 to 60 min. Viability of protoscoleces was confirmed by 0.1% eosin staining. Results: The findings exhibited that methanolic extract at the concentration of 50 mg/ml after 10 min of incubation, and aqueous extract at the concentration of 50 mg/ml after 30 min of incubation can kill 100% of protoscoleces. In addition, all of experiments revealed dose-dependent and also time-dependent scolicidal effect ...

Background: To compare three molecular methods, PCR-RFLP for internal transcribed spacer, PCR seq... more Background: To compare three molecular methods, PCR-RFLP for internal transcribed spacer, PCR sequencing and high resolution melting analysis shown reliable sensitivity and specificity for detecting Leishmania tropica as a model for cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) as the perspective overview for scientific and economic approaches. Methods: This study was carried out between 2015 and 2016 in Leishmaniasis Research Center in Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. The positives smears (n=50) were obtained from patients referred from the health clinics in a major anthroponotic CL (ACL) focus, southeastern Iran. Only smear preparations with the same grade were selected according to the method described by the WHO for future PCR assays. Results: All three molecular methods had capability to identify positive samples at species level with the same specificity and sensitivity. However, these techniques were different in simplicity, consuming time, and cost effectiveness. Although...

Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers

Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus gr... more Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus. Exploring safe and effective scolicidal agents for the surgery is an urgent need for the successful treatment of CE. This study aimed to determine scolicidal activity of the synthesized chitosan nanoparticles. Physicochemical properties of synthesized nanoparticles were determined by using DLS, FTIR, and SEM. Different concentrations of chitosan nanoparticles from 125 to 1000 μg/ml were examined at different incubation times (10, 60, 120, and 180 min). Scolicidal and cytotoxic activity of chitosan nanoparticles were confirmed by eosin exclusion and hemolysis activity tests. FTIR spectra, zeta potential (+42 ± 2.08) and PDI (0.388 ± 0.034) value revealed that the chitosan nanoparticles were synthesized. Significant differences among the scolicidal effects of chitosan nanoparticles were observed in comparison to the control treatments and highest scolicidal activity was observed ...

Microorganisms

Cysticercus pisiformis, the larval stage of Taenia pisiformis, causes serious illness in rabbits ... more Cysticercus pisiformis, the larval stage of Taenia pisiformis, causes serious illness in rabbits that severely impacts the rabbit breeding industry. An inhibitive Th2 immune response can be induced by let-7-enriched exosomes derived from T. pisiformis cysticercus. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely understood. Here, we report that exosomal miR-let-7-5p released by T. pisiformis cysticercus played a critical role in the activation of M2 macrophages. We found that overexpression of let-7-5p in M1 macrophages decreased M1 phenotype expression while promoting polarization to the M2 phenotype, which is consistent with experimental data in exosome-treated macrophages alone. In contrast, knockdown of let-7-5p in exosome-like vesicles promoted M1 polarization and decreased M2 phenotype expression. Furthermore, down-regulation of transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP)-δ resulted in the decrease of M1 phenotype markers and increase of M2 pheno...

Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology

Thioredoxin peroxidase (TPx) plays an important role in protecting parasites against oxidative da... more Thioredoxin peroxidase (TPx) plays an important role in protecting parasites against oxidative damage. However, studies on the role of TPxs in Echinococcus multilocularis are limited. In this study, one tpx gene of E. multilocularis, named as emtpx-1, was identified. EmTPx-1 shares two positionally conserved cysteine residues (Cys48 and Cys169) with orthologs from other platyhelminths. EmTPx-1 is highly expressed in the germinal layer and present in exosome-like vesicles secreted by E. multilocularis metacestodes. EmTPx-1 displays peroxidase activity, which removes hydrogen peroxide in the presence of dithiothreitol. Furthermore, EmTPx-1 could protect DNA from oxidative damages, and EmTPx-1-expressing E. coli cells had an enhanced resistance to oxidative stress. In addition, EmTPx-1 enhanced the expression of arg1, ym1, and il-10, but suppressed inos, tnf-α, and il-1β expression in LPS-stimulated macrophages. Our data suggest a critical role for EmTPx-1 in oxidative stresses and M2 macrophage polarization.

Parasitology Research

MicroRNAs are critical gene regulators at the post-transcriptional level and play essential roles... more MicroRNAs are critical gene regulators at the post-transcriptional level and play essential roles in numerous developmental processes in metazoan parasites including the causative agent of cystic echinococcosis, Echinococcus granulosus. The molecular basis of different patterns of E. granulosus development in the canine definitive host and in in vitro culture systems is poorly understood. In the present study, miRNA transcriptomes of the strobilated worms derived from experimental infection in the definitive host were compared with those from diphasic culture system after 60-day protoscoleces cultivation. Total RNA was extracted from in vivo- and in vitro-derived strobilated worms. Small RNA libraries were constructed, and deep sequencing was performed. Subsequently, differential miRNA expressions and target predictions were obtained, and pathway analysis was performed by gene ontology and KEGG. Seven miRNAs were differentially expressed between the in vivo- and in vitro-derived worms. In addition, we reported 13 novel miRNA candidates and 42 conserved miRNAs. Four out of five top miRNAs with the highest read counts were shared between the in vivo and in vitro-derived worms, i.e., egr-miR-10a-5p, egr-let-7-5p, egr-bantam-3p, and egr-miR-71-5p. Target prediction of the differential miRNAs between the two systems showed significant differences in the membrane-enclosed lumen, membrane part, and an intrinsic component of the membrane. Findings of KEGG analysis indicated that differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in hippo, MAPK, and WNT signaling pathways. The study demonstrated a significant difference in miRNA transcriptomes and related signaling pathways between the two systems, suggesting the importance of host-parasite interplay in the fate of protoscoleces development in in vivo and in vitro systems.

Journal of Parasitic Diseases

Designing and implementing Cystic Echinococcosis control programs require quantitative informatio... more Designing and implementing Cystic Echinococcosis control programs require quantitative information about the worm load and the intensity of infection in dog populations in endemic areas. So far no “probe-based” molecular quantification tool has been available for E. granulosus. This study was conducted in order to develop and evaluate a qPCR technique for measuring worm load of E. granulosus in the final host. A species-specific TaqMan probe was designed based on the available sequences in GenBank. The study was conducted in two stages. First, stool samples from an experimentally infected dog were collected in days 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 49, and were analyzed by real-time qPCR assay. In the second stage, 600 mg negative stool specimens were manually spiked with 1, 5, 10, 20 and 40 eggs and the specimens were analyzed using real-time qPCR. According to the standard curve analysis, 93% efficiency and coefficients of correlation (Rsq) > 0.991 were documented. Quantitative PCR assays showed an increasing signal of infection during the 7-week course of infection. As revealed by the qPCR results from week 5 onward, signals indicative of egg excretion began and reached maximum on week 7. No qPCR signal from the samples containing 1, 10 and 20 eggs was recorded, however the samples containing 5 and 40 eggs produced signals proportional to the primary DNA. The study presents a molecular tool to quantify the burden of E. granulosus infection in dogs. This tool could be applied for measuring the burden of infection in the definitive hosts in surveillance and control programs.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews

Echinococcosis is considered a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by different species of small taeniid... more Echinococcosis is considered a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by different species of small taeniid tapeworms of the genus Echinococcus and is regarded as a neglected zoonosis. Cystic and alveolar echinococcoses are endemic diseases of Tibetan, Pamir, and Iranian plateaus.

Iranian Journal of Parasitology

Background: In recent decades platyhelminths have been used as model organisms to address some of... more Background: In recent decades platyhelminths have been used as model organisms to address some of the fundamental questions related to the growth and development of animal organisms. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) and Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-beta) have a regulatory role in the growth and development of Echinococcus species. This study determined the effect of alpha-tocopherol on the expression of EGFR and TGF-beta genes in three in vitro developmental stages of E. granulosus. Methods: E. granulosus protoscoleces were cultured in diphasic medium containing bovine serum and CMRL 1066. Three developmental stages of E. granulosus, i.e. invaginated protoscoleces, evaginated protoscoleces and three-proglottid worms, were treated by alphatocopherol (250 μg/ml for 36 h) and the expression of EGFR and TGF-beta genes were evaluated by using qPCR analysis. Results: Intact protoscoleces were successfully developed to the segmented worms in diphasic culture media. Higher l...

Iranian Journal of Parasitology

Background: Human echinococcosis is a neglected zoonotic disease distributed worldwide. It compri... more Background: Human echinococcosis is a neglected zoonotic disease distributed worldwide. It comprises cystic and alveolar forms, the former being the more prevalent disease. Imaging techniques are the first choice for diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis and serology is used as an additional diagnostic technique in doubtful cases or as the sole test in low-resource settings. Rapid diagnostic tests are useful and convenient for immunodiagnosis of cystic echinococcosis in endemic areas, where medical facilities often struggle with limited resources. Methods: Recently, we have developed Hyd Rapid™, an IgG4 lateral flow dipstick test using recombinant antigen B1 for detection of cystic echinococcosis. This study was performed between 2016 until 2018 at the Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Universiti Sains Malaysia. The diagnostic performance of Hyd Rapid™ was tested in-house and at two international laboratories in Switzerland and Iran. Results: The overall diagnostic sensitiv...

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases, with considerable pub... more Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases, with considerable public health and economic importance. Camels play a significant role in transmission cycle of Echinococcus granulosus especially, in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The present study aimed to identify the genetic variation and haplotype distribution of camel isolates of E. granulosus sensu lato using all existing E. granulosus mitochondrial DNA data from camels in different parts of the world. Sequence data from 1,144 camel isolates of E. granulosus s.l. available in the NCBI GenBank including 57 camel hydatid cysts collected in central Iran were used to analyze the nature of genetic variation within the camel isolates of E. granulosus s.l. in MENA region. Fifty-seven camel isolates were also PCR-sequenced on mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Haplotype network analysis revealed seven different haplotypes clustered into four major groups. E. intermedius G6 was identified as the most commonly represented genotype in camels followed by G1. Mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequence analysis on 57 camel isolates identified three different genotypes, including E. intermedius/G6 (35/57, 61.4%), E. granulosus sensu stricto/G1-G3 (21/57, 36.8%) as well as one isolate identified as E. ortleppi/G5 (1/57, 1.8%). The number of base substitutions per site over 420 positions of partial 12S rRNA gene sequences were shown as 0.000 and 0.004 for E. intermedius (G6) corresponding to the Middle East and sub-Saharan isolates, respectively. Camel isolates of E. granulosus in the MENA region present moderate genetic diversity (Hd = 0.5540-0.6050). The Middle East isolates demonstrated a more diverse population than the North/sub-Saharan isolates, where six out of seven 12S rRNA haplotypes were identified in the former region. E. intermedius (G6 genotype) was shown to be the most common species in the world camel population. In conclusion, camels showed to be an Dehghani et al. Changing Pattern of Echinococcus Diversity in Camels important intermediate host species in the MENA region with different patterns of genetic variation between the Middle East and Africa.