Background and Aims: The present study was designed to explore the effects of different types of ... more Background and Aims: The present study was designed to explore the effects of different types of interferons (IFNs) pretreatment on gene expression of cathelicidin, an antimicrobial peptide, compare to treatment with Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and C.albicans, in murine macrophages by Real time PCR method. Methods: Murine macrophages were cultured in RPMI medium and sterile flasks. When cells reached to appropriate confluency, were counted and transferred to 24-well plate, in 6 groups: negative control (cells + medium), positive control (cells + medium + LPS), Interferon (cell + medium + IFN), Yeast (cell + medium + C.albicans), Test1 (cell + medium + IFN + C.albicans) and Test2 (cell + medium + IFN + LPS). Experiments, all were performed triplicate. After 18 hrs Pretreatment with IFNs and 6 hours treatment with C. albicans and LPS, Cells were washed and their RNA was extracted by Trizole. Then, the complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized by Reverse Transcriptase PCR. After drawing the standard curve for the murine Cathelicidin primer, expression of the gene was studied in each group in compared with house keeping gene beta-actin by Real Time PCR. Results: IFN-α and IFN-β decreased the cathelicidin expression, respectively to 0.89 and 0.73, but IFN-γ increased that to 1.41. C.albicans decreased the value to 0.79 but LPS increased that to 67.21. In Test1 groups, the value decreased to 0.51 for IFN-α, 0.93 for IFN-β, and 0.52 for IFN-γ. But this amount in Test2 groups, raised to 298.0 for IFN-α, 205.51 for IFN-β, and 84.22 for IFN-γ. Conclusions: These findings confirm that pretreatment with IFN-α and IFN-β decrease and IFN-γ increase the cathelicidin gene expression in murine macrophages. Treatment with LPS, and C.albicans respectively Upregulate and downregulate the value. Co-treatment with IFN + C.albicans reduce, and with IFN + LPS raise the gene expression but less than LPS alone.
Mucormycosis is a highly aggressive disease which is usually fatal in immunocompromised patients.... more Mucormycosis is a highly aggressive disease which is usually fatal in immunocompromised patients. The species of mucormycetes show significant differences in susceptibility to amphotericin B, azoles and terbinafine. The precise species level identification for this fungal group could be achieved by internal transcribed-spacer (ITS) region sequencing. Herein, we present the largest series of antifungal susceptibility data of molecularly characterised isolates of mucormycetes reported so far from India. Eighty isolates originating from 71 patients comprised 50 (62.5%) from pulmonary cases, 15 (19%) from rhino-orbital-cerebral, 13 (16.2%) from cutaneous and 2 (2.5%) from disseminated mucormycosis. ITS and D1/D2 regions sequencing of the isolates identified, Rhizopus arrhizus var. delemar (n = 25), R. arrhizus var. arrhizus (n = 15), R. microsporus (n = 17), R. stolonifer (n = 3), Syncephalastrum racemosum (n = 11), Apophysomyces elegans (n = 2), A. variabilis (n = 2), Lichtheimia ramosa (n = 3) and Mucor circinelloides f. lusitanicus (n = 2). Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis was done to genotype Rhizopus isolates and revealed 5 clusters of R. arrhizus, which were well separated from R. microsporus. Amphotericin B was the most potent antifungal followed by posaconazole, itraconazole and isavuconazole. Etest and CLSI MICs of amphotericin B showed 87% agreement. Overall, the commonest underlying condition was uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. Records of 54 patients revealed fatalities in 28 cases.
Introduction: Aflatoxins are secondary toxic metabolites produced by certain group of Aspergillus... more Introduction: Aflatoxins are secondary toxic metabolites produced by certain group of Aspergillus species in suitable conditions. These toxins are highly toxic, immunosuppressive, mutagenic, teratogenic and carcinogenic metabolites. The purpose of this study was to detection aflatoxin M 1 concentration in mother's milk from rural area of Khorrambid town of Fars Province. Materials and Methods: In this study, 87 milk samples of mothers were collected by cluster sampling methods in the period between June and July 2011 and the amount of aflatoxin M 1 was measured by a competitive ELISA method. Results: From 87 mother's milk, 24 (27.6%) samples were contaminated with aflatoxin M 1 with mean concentration of 0.56 ± 1.23 pg/ml (range 0.13-4.91 pg/ml). Conclusion: The amount of aflatoxin M 1 in mothers' milk was lower than 50 ng/l (Europe Union and Iranian standard). Detection of Aflatoxin M 1 in mothers' milk is due to consuming contaminated food. This contamination not only threatens the health of the mothers but also has irreversible effects on the growth and health of their babies.
Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, Nov 13, 2022
Background: Fungal species are responsible for 40%-50% of all microbial keratitis cases. Due to t... more Background: Fungal species are responsible for 40%-50% of all microbial keratitis cases. Due to the low amount of extracted DNA in ocular Formalin-fixed Paraffinembedded (FFPE) samples, selecting a reliable molecular method is a substantial issue in this field. Methods: Sixty-six samples were collected via the penetrating keratoplasty (PK) technique. Histopathology assays were performed using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining methods. The ITS1/ITS4 and ITS1/ITS2 primer pairs were used in a semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to target the universal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Some PCR results were validated through sequencing. Results: Fungal DNA was detected in 44 of 66 samples (66.7%), and histopathology was positive for 41 of 66 samples (62.1%). Of 41 histopathologically proven fungalpositive cases, 39 were PCR-positive (95%). Moreover, of 44 PCR-positive samples, 39 (88.6%) were histopathology-positive, and 5 (11.3%) were histopathology-negative. Totally in 39 cases (59%), both histopathology and PCR yielded positive results. The Kappa agreement rate between the two diagnostic methods, including histopathology and PCR, was 0.77. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and false predictive value were reported as 88.64%, 90.9%, 95.12%, and 80%, respectively. Conclusion: As we reached the acceptable Kappa agreement rate, we concluded that applying the semi-nested PCR assay is a promising method for supporting the evidence by histopathology. Finally, we suggest targeting more specific gene regions using primer pairs that amplify smaller amplicon sizes and surveying novel molecular methods such as NGS to achieve higher sensitivity and Kappa agreement rates. K E Y W O R D S formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded, fungal keratitis, histopathology, ocular samples, seminested PCR This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.
Chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils from three ecotypes of Zataria multiflora
Pharmacognosy Magazine, 2011
Zataria multiflora Boiss. is a traditional and popular spice in Iran. The effects of 3 ecotypes (... more Zataria multiflora Boiss. is a traditional and popular spice in Iran. The effects of 3 ecotypes (ECTPs) of Z. multiflora essential oils (EOs) against most common causes of food-borne and nosocomial infections were evaluated.
Journal of Essential Oil Bearing Plants, Feb 1, 2013
Nosocomial pathogens are associated with increased hospital stay lengths and mortality rates. Inc... more Nosocomial pathogens are associated with increased hospital stay lengths and mortality rates. Increasing resistance to antibiotics makes the treatment of these infections more difficult. Novel antimicrobial compounds derived from natural sources may be useful for addressing antiobiotic resistance. The objective of this study is to determine the chemical composition and antimicrobial activities of essential oils from Myrtus communis L. (Myrtaceae) leaves against pathogens causing nosocomial infections. The chemical composition of essential oil from M. communis leaves was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The antimicrobial activity of the essential oil against bacteria and fungi was evaluated by broth micro-dilution as per the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) methods. GC-MS analysis revealed that the major constituents of the essential oil were α-pinene (39.2 %), 1,8-cineole (22.0 %), and linalool (18.4 %). The essential oil exhibited antimicrobial activity against all Gram positive and Gram nega- tive bacteria with MICs in the range of 0.5-32 µL/mL and 8-64 µL/mL, respectively. MICs for the tested clinical and standard fungi were in the range of 0.03-16 µL/mL. The essential oil exhibited strong antibacte- rial and antifungal activities against all the causative agents of nosocomial infections examined, particularly against strains with antibiotic resistance. The essential oil from M. communis leaves is a potential source of novel antimicrobial agents for the treatment of nosocomial infections.
Malassezia folliculitis is caused by the invasion of hair follicles by large numbers of Malassezi... more Malassezia folliculitis is caused by the invasion of hair follicles by large numbers of Malassezia cells. Several Malassezia researches still use cultures, morphology and biochemical techniques. Aim The aim of this study was to identify Malassezia species isolated from patients diagnosed with folliculitis, at
Resistance of Candida species is a major problem in the management of Candida infection. Tis stud... more Resistance of Candida species is a major problem in the management of Candida infection. Tis study investigated in vivo antifungal activities of several new imidazole and triazole derivatives in a C. albicans systemic infection. Te efcacy of derivatives was determined against systemic infection by C. albicans in mice with cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression, and the antifungal activities of the synthesized compounds were evaluated in comparison with fuconazole. Compounds 3 and 8 had the highest efcacy with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 0.5-1 μM against the C. albicans pathogen. In vivo activities in immunosuppressed mice were also greater than fuconazole. Furthermore, docking analysis was carried out to know the binding mode of imidazole and triazole derivatives to the CYP51 active site of C. albicans and dihydrofolate reductase as a valid antifungal target. Te docking study found that the antifungal results are well correlated with docking results. ADMET and in silico physicochemical parameters were also performed. Tis study demonstrates that compounds 3 and 8 are potential antifungal candidates against the C. albicans pathogen.
In this study two series of fluconazole derivatives bearing nitrotriazole (series A) or piperazin... more In this study two series of fluconazole derivatives bearing nitrotriazole (series A) or piperazine ethanol (series B) side chain were designed and synthesized and then docked in the active site of lanosterol 14α-demethylase enzyme (1EA1) using the Autodock 4.2 program (The scripps research institute, La Jolla, CA, USA). The structures of synthesized compound were confirmed by various methods including elemental and spectral (NMR, CHN, and Mass) analyses. Then antifungal activities of the synthesized compound were tested against several natural and clinical strains of fungi using a broth microdilution assay against several standard and clinical fungi. Nitrotriazole derivatives showed excellent and desirable antifungal activity against most of the tested fungi. Among the synthesized compounds, 5a-d and 5g, possessing nitrotriazole moiety, showed maximum antifungal activity, in particular against several fluconazole-resistant fungi.
Nepeta cataria L. is traditionally consumed as a food additive. The effects of three different ha... more Nepeta cataria L. is traditionally consumed as a food additive. The effects of three different harvest stages of N. cataria essential oils (EOs) against most common causes of food-borne infections were evaluated by broth microdilution method as recommended by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The chemical composition of the EOs from N. cataria has been analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The analysis of the EOs indicated that 4a-α,7-α,7a-β-nepetalactone (55-58%) and 4a-α,7-β,7a-α-nepetalactone (30-31.2%) were the major compounds of the EOs at all developmental stages. The results showed that the tested EOs exhibited antimicrobial activities against the food-borne pathogens at concentrations of 0.125-2 μL/mL. Based on these results, the EO of N. cataria can possibly be used in food products as a natural preservative agent.
Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) are the leading cause of disability and facing them demands updat... more Musculoskeletal diseases (MSDs) are the leading cause of disability and facing them demands updated reports on their burden for efficient policymaking. We showed Iran had the highest female-to-male ratio and highest increase in the burden of musculoskeletal diseases, in the past three decades, worldwide. We further confirmed the role of population aging as the main cause. Purpose MSDs comprise most of the top causes of years lived with disability (YLDs) worldwide and are rapidly increasing in lower-and middle-income countries. Here, we present disability and mortality due to MSDs in Iran at the national level from 1990 to 2017. Methods We used Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017 Study data and standard methodology and presented the burden of MSDs in rates of years of life lost (YLLs), YLDs, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) during 1990-2017, for population aged ≥ 5 years old. We further explored attributable risk factors and decomposed the changing trend in DALYs to assess underlying causes. Results In Iran, MSDs were responsible for 1.82 million (95%uncertainty interval [UI] 1.3-2.4) DALYs, in 2017. During the past 28 years, with 1.75% annualized percentage change (APC), Iran had the highest percentage increase in the all-ages MSD DALYs rate worldwide, while the age-standardized DALYs APC was negligible. Low back pain was the greatest contributor to DALYs and caused 4.5% of total DALYs. The female population is experiencing considerably higher burden of MSDs, with 115% and 48% higher allages YLLs and YLDs rates per 100,000, respectively (YLLs 28.7; YLDs 2629.1), than males (YLLs 13.2; YLDs 1766.1). However, due to wide UIs, difference was not significant. Only 17.6% of MSD YLDs are attributable to assessed risk factors. Conclusion Despite that MSDs are rising as an important cause of disability in Iran, these conditions are not sufficiently addressed in health policies. There is urgent need for cross-sectoral engagement, especially addressing the MSDs in females. Keywords Burden. DALY. Global burden of diseases. Iran. Musculoskeletal diseases. Decomposition
SummaryDue to their physiological and biological characteristics, numerous fungi are potentially ... more SummaryDue to their physiological and biological characteristics, numerous fungi are potentially emerging pathogens. Active dynamicity of fungal pathogens causes life‐threatening infections annually impose high costs to the health systems. Although immune responses play crucial roles in controlling the fate of fungal infections, immunocompromised patients are at high risk with high mortality. Tuning the immune response against fungal infections might be an effective strategy for controlling and reducing the pathological damages. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known as the master regulators of immune response. These single‐stranded tuners (18‐23 bp non‐coding RNAs) are endogenously expressed by all metazoan eukaryotes and have emerged as the master gene expression controllers of at least 30% human genes. In this review article, following the review of biology and physiology (biogenesis and mechanism of actions) of miRNAs and immune response against fungal infections, the interactions between...
Background: The fungi Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale account for significant am... more Background: The fungi Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale account for significant amount of dermatophytosis cases worldwide. These two dermatophytes form a species complex and have a number of ribosomal ITS region genotypes, allowing simultaneous species identification and strain typing. Objectives: Our aim was to describe the geographic distribution of T. mentagrophytes / T. interdigitale ITS region genotypes and find an association between the genotypes and clinical presentations of respective infections. Patients/Methods: We performed rDNA ITS region sequencing in 397 Iranian T. mentagrophytes / T. interdigitale isolates and analyzed all available in GenBank entries with sequences of this kind. For the study, 515 clinical annotations were available. Statistical analysis was performed by chi-squared test and Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results: A total of 971 sequences belonged to genotypes with at least 10 geographic annotations and were classified on the basis of exclusive occurrence in a particular region or high relative contribution to a regional sample. We discerned Asian and Oceanian ("KU496915" Type V, "KT192500" Type VIII, "KU315316"), European ("FM986750" Type III, "MF926358" Type III*, "KT285210" Type VI) and cosmopolitan ("FM986691" Type I, "JX122216" Type II, "KP132819" Type II* and "AF170453" Type XXIV) genotypes. There was statistically significant difference in the ITS genotype distribution between different affected body sites. Trichophyton mentagrophytes "KT192500" Type VIII correlated with Accepted Article This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. tinea cruris, T. mentagrophytes "KU496915" Type V correlated with tinea corporis, T. interdigitale "JX122216" Type II correlated with tinea pedis and onychomycosis. Conclusion: Trichophyton mentagrophytes and T. interdigitale genotypes can be associated with distinct geographic locations and particular clinical presentations.
Cryptococcosis is a life-threatening fungal infections and is caused by members of the basidiomyc... more Cryptococcosis is a life-threatening fungal infections and is caused by members of the basidiomycetous yeast genus Cryptococcus that belongs to the class of Tremellomycetes [1]. Majority of cases are diagnosed in immunocompromised and also immunocompetent hosts with high mortality despite the application of antifungal therapy [2-4]. Recently, a new taxonomy was proposed for the pathogenic Cryptococcus neoformans/Cryptococcus gattii species complexes, i.e., C. neoformans (genotype AFLP1/VNI, AFLP1A/VNB/VNII and AFLP1B/VNII), followed by C. deneoformans (genotype AFLP2/VNIV) and Cryptococcus gattii into five species (C. gattii sensu stricto, genotype AFLP4/VGI; C. bacillisporus genotype AFLP5/VGIII; C. deuterogattii genotype AFLP6/VGII; C. tetragattii genotype AFLP7/VGIV and C. decagattii genotype AFLP10) [5]. Interspecies hybrids between C. neoformans and C. deneoformans (genotype AFLP3/VNIII) and hybrids with other cryptococcal species have been described [5]. Also the genus Cryptococcus has been taxonomically revised, reducing the number of species from over a hundred to only ten [1,6]. Despite the evidence for the taxonomic revision there has been some ongoing discussion [5,7]. C. neoformans s.s. has a worldwide geographical distribution, and is generally present in pigeon droppings [8-12], while C. gattii s.l. was traditionally considered to have a restricted geographic distribution in tropical and subtropical climates
Candida species are opportunistic yeasts that cause infections ranging from simple dermatosis to ... more Candida species are opportunistic yeasts that cause infections ranging from simple dermatosis to potentially life-threatening fungemia. The emergence of resistance to antifungal drugs has been increased in the past two decades.
Journal of microbiology, biotechnology and food sciences, 2020
The transition of Candida albicans from yeast to hyphae cause the attachment to epithelial cells,... more The transition of Candida albicans from yeast to hyphae cause the attachment to epithelial cells, forming biofilm and invasion. Therefore, the effect of Pediococcus acidilactici on morphogenesis and pathogenesis of C. albicans were examined. Inhibitory activity of P. acidilactici on Candida species growth was investigated and inhibition of C. albicans biofilm formation was measured by XTT method. Also, expression of seven genes as: Agglutinin-like protein 1 (ALS1,3), hyphal cell-wall protein (HWP1), secreted aspartyl proteinase (SAP4,6), Enhanced filamentous growth 1 (EFG1) and Enhanced activated protein 1 (EAP1) were studied by RT-PCR with different concentrations of P. acidilactici. The experimental activity of this probiotic bacterium was evaluated in an animal model by culture and histopathological methods. P. acidilactici inhibited the growth of Candida species at concentrations of 8-512 µg/mL (approximately 8 × 106 to 5 × 108 CFU/ml). This probiotic bacterium inhibited the ge...
IntRoductIon Candida species have been recognized as normal flora of human skin. Although Candida... more IntRoductIon Candida species have been recognized as normal flora of human skin. Although Candida albicans is the most frequently isolated fungal species from human infections, Candida parapsilosis has become the second or third most common cause of fungal infections in human. [1] Nowadays, these species have been reclassified as a C. parapsilosis species complex comprising three distinct species: C. parapsilosis, Candida orthopsilosis, and Candida metapsilosis, using different molecular methods. [2] Several factors, such as adherence, persistence, germ tube formation, phenotypic switching, interference with host defense systems, synergism with bacteria, and the production of hydrolases, have been proposed to be Candida spp. virulence factors. [3] The ability of C. albicans to form biofilms and adhere to host tissues is important pathogenesis factor. Biofilm formation can act as a reservoir of agents, allow coinfection with other pathogens, promote the persistence of infection, and increase mortality. [4] The role of exoenzymes as a virulence factor of C. albicans has been intensively investigated, but its contribution to the virulence of C. parapsilosis species complex remains uncertain. [5,6] The co-hemolytic effect which was named the "CAMP reaction," first described by Christie, Atkins, and Munch-Peterson in 1944. The cooperative (CAMP-like) lytic processes are the result of the interaction of at least two membrane-active agents of bacteria, with biological membranes. Streptococcus agalactiae (B group streptococci) produces a thermostable, extracellular, diffusible protein that Candida parapsilosis species complex is considered as important emerging pathogens and little is known about their pathogenicity factors and co-hemolytic activity with different bacteria species. The aim of this study was to determine in vitro exoenzyme activities, biofilm formation, and co-hemolytic effect of different bacteria species on clinical C. parapsilosis complex isolates. In total, 67 C. parapsilosis complex isolates consist of C. parapsilosis sensu stricto 63/67 and Candida orthopsilosis 4/67 were used in this study. To determine the hemolytic activity of these species, Sabouraud dextrose sheep blood agar was used. Evaluation of the CAMP-like phenomenon carried out in the presence of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Streptococcus agalactiae. Tube test method with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-rabbit plasma was used to determine coagulase activity, and biofilm formation was assessed by the tube method in assist of Sabouraud glucose broth (8%) medium. Fisher's exact tests were used for data statistical analysis. Sixty-six of 67 (98.5%) and 3/67 (4.5%) of the species showed hemolysin and coagulase activity, respectively. Fifty-five of 67 (82.1%) of species had ability for biofilm formation, and none of the samples exhibited co-hemolytic effect in the presence of four mentioned bacteria. No significant difference was found between the level of enzyme production and biofilm formation among the isolates.
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Papers by Keyvan Pakshir