fahimeh nourbakhsh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by fahimeh nourbakhsh

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Psoriasis is considered an autoimmune inflammatory disease. The disease is spread and diagnosed b... more Psoriasis is considered an autoimmune inflammatory disease. The disease is spread and diagnosed by the infiltration of inflammatory mediators and cells into the epidermis. Recent theoretical developments have focused on the effectiveness of noscapine (NOS) as a potential alkaloid for being used as a valuable treatment for different diseases. In the present study, psoriasis-like dermatitis was induced on the right ear pinna surface of male Balb/c mice by topical application of imiquimod (IMQ) for ten consecutive days, which was treated with noscapine (0.3, 1, 3, and 10% w/v) or clobetasol (0.05% w/v) as a positive control. The levels of ear length, thickness, severity of skin inflammation, psoriatic itch, psoriasis area severity index (PASI) score, and body weight were measured daily. On the 10th day of study, each ear was investigated for inflammation, fibrosis, proliferation, and apoptosis using histopathological (H&E and Masson’s trichrome staining) and immunohistochemistry (Ki67 ...

Folia Microbiologica, 2022

BioNanoScience, Oct 12, 2020

Qom University of Medical Sciences Journal, 2016

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 150 isolates of S. epidermidis were isolated ... more Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 150 isolates of S. epidermidis were isolated from detected from the patients hospitalized in hospitals and treatment centers of Isfahan City. The antibiotic resistance pattern was evaluated by disk diffusion method. The presence of the gene encoding antibiotic resistance to methicillin (mec A) in the isolates were investigated using PCR method. Data were analyzed with Chi-square and Fisher's exact statistical tests.

GMS Hygiene and Infection Control, 2016

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the Gram-positive pathogens causing a wide range of nosocomial in... more Staphylococcus aureus is one of the Gram-positive pathogens causing a wide range of nosocomial infections. The present study investigates genotypic and phenotypic aspects involved in biofilm formation in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from nosocomial infections in Isfahan. A total of 110 S. aureus strains were collected from three major hospitals in Isfahan, the center of Iran. The antibiotic resistance pattern, phenotypes, and biofilm formation genes were studied using Congo red agar (CRA) and multiplex PCR (M-PCR). We found that 103 out of 110 samples (93.6%) were MRSA. The highest frequency of resistance was found to penicillin (89%), ciprofloxacin (87.4%), and erythromycin (86.1%). Phenotypic results showed that 53.5% were high biofilm producers, while 33.3% and 13.2% were intermediate and low biofilm producers, respectively. icaC (69.3%) had the highest frequency in comparison to other intercellular adhesion (ica) genes, icaD (54.8%) was second mos...

The Neuroscience Journal of Shefaye Khatam, 2018

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease resulting from the occurrence of intermingled episod... more Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease resulting from the occurrence of intermingled episodes of neuroinflammation and degeneration. However, this concept has recently challenged by several observations sugges ting that in this disease neurodegeneration might occur independently of inflammation. The evidence that active neurodegeneration in MS is invariably associated with inflammation is provided. The attack of myelin s tarts inflammatory processes, which triggers other immune cells and the release of soluble factors like cytokines and antibodies. Further breakdown of the blood– brain barrier in turn causes a number of other damaging effects such as swelling, activation of macrophages, more activation of cytokines and other des tructive proteins. Inflammation can potentially reduce transmission of information between neurons in at leas t three ways. The soluble factors released might s top neurotransmission by intact neurons. These factors could lead to or enhance the loss of...

Arak Medical University Journal, 2016

Background: Biofilm formation is one of the pathogenicity factors of Staphylococcus aureus that c... more Background: Biofilm formation is one of the pathogenicity factors of Staphylococcus aureus that can help the bacteria to stick to the other surface and also increase antibiotic resistance pattern. This study aimed to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic indices for formating biofilm in Staphylococcus aureus isolates isolated from infectous samples. Materials and Methods: 250 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from hospital infections were selected. Antibiotic resistance pattern was determined by using disk diffusion method. The ability of biofilm formation was investigated by molecular and phenotypic method. Results: In this study, 73.5% of isolates were able to bind strongly, 5.33% had the ability of medium connection and 15.4% had the ability of weak connection in biofilm production. The frequency of icaC and icaB genes were 67.3% and 63.2%, respectively. 92.2% of biofilm producing isolates have mecA gene. Conclusion: The spread of antibiotic resistance in isolates especia...

Article history Received 10 Nov 2015 Accepted 4 Feb 2016 Available online 11 Mar 2016

KAUMS Journal, 2016

Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic and gram-negative coccobacillus. This opp... more Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic and gram-negative coccobacillus. This opportunistic pathogen infectivity, especially in the intensive care units of hospitals is extensive worldwide. Due to the incremental pattern of antibiotic resistance, this study was carried out to track the Class I, II and III integrons in Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from hospitalized cases in medical centers (Shahrekord, Iran). Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study A. baumannii isolates (n=100) detected from hospitalized patients in various wards of hospitals and health centers of Shahrekord in first six months of 2015 and antibiotic resistance pattern were determined by disk diffusion method. The presence of genes coding class I, II and III integrons were investigated using M-PCR method. Results: Among the 100 A. baumannii studied isolates, the highest and the least resistance was seen for the of Cefepime (89%), Ciprofloxacin (95.4%) Ceftazidime (91.3%); and Chloramp...

Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is an important fumigant, a commendable and very effective outdoor and i... more Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is an important fumigant, a commendable and very effective outdoor and indoor insecticide. AlP, locally named “rice tablet”, is widely used to protect rice. As soon as taking a very small amount of an AlP tablet, phosphine vaporizes due to the exposure to the air and affects different kinds of organs. Although, in most cases, clinical history can help making the final diagnosis, analytical tests such as gas chromatographic method in post-mortem specimens and survivors have been developed to measure the level of phosphine and to distinguish between ZnP and AlP poisoning. AlP poisoning management should be started quickly. In addition to supportive therapy, various antioxidant agents, as candidate protective factors, such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC), melatonin, glutathione, magnesium, β-carotene, and vitamin C and E have also been recommended to decrease oxidative damage and cardiotoxicity due to the limited antioxidant defense systems. The present study highlig...

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens that cause disease and d... more Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most important pathogens that cause disease and death in humans and animals in Iran and around the world. This study was conducted to detect antibiotic resistance genes and antibiotic susceptibility patterns in S. aureus strains isolated from patients admitted to Isfahan hospitals during 2014-2015. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, S. aureus isolates were collected from patients referred to the health centers in Isfahan Province, Iran. The isolates were separated using the laboratory standard methods. Antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates were determined using the disk-diffusion method. Furthermore, the presence of genes responsible for antibiotic resistance including tet M, tet K, and mec A were investigated using the multiplex-polymerase chain reaction method. Results: Phenotypic evaluation showed that the highest antibiotic resistance was seen for methicillin (90.2%), erythromycin (89.7%), ciprofloxa...

Article history Received 20 May 2019 Accepted 22 Jul 2019 Available online 30 May 2020

Quality Assurance and Safety of Crops & Foods, 2021

Mycotoxins, such as Ochratoxins, are widely distributed in nature and are common contaminants of ... more Mycotoxins, such as Ochratoxins, are widely distributed in nature and are common contaminants of human foodstuffs. Ochratoxins are a group of mycotoxins produced by a wide range of molds. Ochratoxin A (OTA), the most prominent member of this toxin family, is produced by various Aspergillus and Penicillium species. OTA is frequently found in foods such as cereals, oleaginous seeds, coffee, and meat products. This mycotoxin has been described as teratogenic, genotoxic, carcinogenic, and immunotoxic, and has been proven to be a potent neurotoxin. In the present study, the neurotoxicological perspective of OTA was reviewed and discussed. The main possible mechanisms of neurotoxicity are oxidative DNA, protein and lipid damage, and apoptosis. However, further studies are needed to conclude the exact neurotoxicity mechanism of OTA and find the approaches that reduce the neurotoxicity induced by OTA.

Research on Chemical Intermediates, 2021

In this research, a facile method using ultrasound waves was used to synthesize the ZnO·Ag 2 nano... more In this research, a facile method using ultrasound waves was used to synthesize the ZnO·Ag 2 nanocomposite. It was completely characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. PXRD showed the synthesis of ZnO and Ag 2 O 3 in hexagonal and orthorhombic crystal structure. Microscopic images confirmed the formation of cubic, hexagonal, rectangular and spherical morphologies. The DLS size analysis showed that the mean dynamic size of the nanocomposite was 100.5 nm. Agar diffusion method was used for antimicrobial test and the results showed high antibacterial activity of ZnO·Ag 2 O 3 nanocomposite against two major classes of pathogenic bacteria (i.e., Escherichia coli , Klebsiella pneumonia , Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus ). Anticancer properties of ZnO·Ag 2 O 3 nanocomposite using MTT assay showed that ZnO·Ag 2 O 3 nanocomposite is toxic for human liver cancer cell line (HepG2). This effect depends on time and concentration of ZnO·Ag 2 O 3 nanocomposite. The cell toxicity effects of ZnO·Ag 2 O 3 nanocomposite also examined against HDF normal cell, in which the data demonstrated the lower cytotoxicity of nanocomposite compared to the HepG2 cell line. These results support the potential application of ZnO·Ag 2 O 3 nanocomposites in antimicrobial agents, liver carcinoma treatments and also merit future translational research.

International Journal of Medical Laboratory, 2020

Background and Aims: The therapeutic effects of the olibanum, the resin of Boswellia serrata (B. ... more Background and Aims: The therapeutic effects of the olibanum, the resin of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) from the Burseraceae family in inflammatory disease have been reported. There are more than 200 active ingredients in this resin, including Boswellic acid. It is proposed that aqueous extract of B. serrata can improve memory impairment induced by cerebral inflammation result in the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Materials and Methods: In this study, after the treatment of rats with LPS, brain toxicity induction was performed, and finally, the behavioral tests were evaluated. Following cerebral inflammation induction and treatment, behavioral performance biochemistry tests and molecular methods were assessed in all groups. Results: LPS administration increased the duration and distance to find the platform in the Morris water maze test compared to the control group in 5 days (p<0.05 to p<0.001). Furthermore, LPS reduced the peripheral, central, and total locomo...

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of proteins that are expressed by cells in reply to stres... more Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a family of proteins that are expressed by cells in reply to stressors. The changes in concentration of HSPs could be utilized as a bio-indicator of oxidative stress caused by heavy metal. Exposure to the different heavy metals may induce or reduce the expression of different HSPs. The exposure to cadmium ion (Cd2+) could increase HSP70 and HSP27 over 2- to 10-fold or even more. The in vitro and in vivo models indicate that the HSP70 family is more sensitive to Cd intoxication than other HSPs. The analyses of other HSPs along with HSP70, especially HSP27, could also be useful to obtain more accurate results. In this regard, this review focuses on examining the literature to bold the futuristic uses of HSPs as bio-indicators in the initial assessment of Cd exposure risks in defined environments.

Micro & Nano Letters, 2020

Biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is gaining attention due to the presence of functional plant ... more Biosynthesis of nanoparticles (NPs) is gaining attention due to the presence of functional plant macromolecules that benefit from NPs' synthesis and also due to their exceptional bioactive compounds. Artemisia kopetdaghensis extract acted as a reducing/capping agent. Characterisation of greener-synthesised AgNPs (Ak-AgNPs) was performed by various techniques, such as Ultraviolet (UV)−visible spectrophotometry, TEM, Fourier transform infrared, and XRD. Ak-AgNPs indicated great bactericidal properties in terms of zone of inhibition (ZI) against all of the pathogenic bacteria (i.e. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Staphylococcus aureus). The maximum ZI of Ak-AgNPs was 22.3 and 17.8 mm against K. pneumoniae and S. aureus, respectively. Anti-proliferative activity of Ak-AgNPs on human hepatocellular cancer cell line (HepG2) using the MTT test showed dosage-dependent inhibition activity of Ak-AgNPs against HepG2 cancer cells. Also, greensynthesised Ak-AgNPs showed catalytic properties under UV-light in organic dye (methylene blue) degradation. This study revealed that the green-synthesised AgNPs using A. kopetdaghensis shoots extract had antibacterial and catalytic activities. Also, Ak-AgNPs had anti-proliferative potential against human liver cancer cell lines. The green-synthesised Ak-AgNPs have the potential to be exploited in anti-bacterial, anticancer, and biocatalyst technologies.

Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 2020

Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 2018

Background Staphylococcus aureus has long been recognized as an important pathogen of hospital ac... more Background Staphylococcus aureus has long been recognized as an important pathogen of hospital acquired infections (1). Due to the expansion of the drug resistance pattern and importance of antibiotic resistance, the study of these microbial strains is one of the major challenges which should be taken into consideration (2). Methicillin resistance in S. aureus is mediated by a penicillin binding protein (PBP2a) which is encoded by the mecA gene (2-4). According to previous studies, 50% to 90% of S. aureus strains isolated from hospital infections were resistant to methicillin (5,6). Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of skin and soft-tissue infections like impetigo, furunculosis, superficial and surgical wounds and abscess (7-13). PIA is a polysaccharide composed of β1-6-linked N-acetyl glucosamine with partially deacetylate residues, which encloses the human cells or medical tools and protects the microorganism against both host immune system and antibiotic treatment (6). In this study, we investigated effective MSCRAMM-encoding genes, during biofilm formation on Congo Red Agar (CRA) medium and polystyrene plates, via phenotypic and genotypic screening of methicillin resistant S. aureus strains isolated from the patients with nosocomial infections in Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA) hospital, Isfahan, Iran. Methods and Materials Bacterial Isolation and Culture Conditions Sample collection and Staphylococcus identification were performed in diabetes clinic of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA) hospital, Isfahan, Iran. A total of 267 clinical samples were selected from various types of wound infections, from which 132 samples were S. aureus. The isolates were selected from infectious wounds in patients hospitalized in diabetes clinic of Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra

Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2021

Inflammasome research has primarily focused on neurological tissue, particularly on damaged tissu... more Inflammasome research has primarily focused on neurological tissue, particularly on damaged tissue. Most current neurological literature involves in vivo and in vitro studies utilizing astroglia, as astroglia express the cytoskeletal glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), which is used as a hallmark of neuropathological disorders. Research suggests that astrocytes respond to all forms of neurological damage or disease through reactive astrogliosis. Additionally, there is a consensus among scientists that inflammasomes play an important role in neuroinflammation. This review focuses on the latest developments in inflammasome biology, describing the current understanding of how inflammasomes can be triggered in the brain and summarizing the literature on the relevance of inflammasome NLR in prevalent neurological diseases.