nazanin nazari

The aim of this study was to determine the response of saffron (Crocus sativus L.) to nutrient resources and maternal corm weights.

The experiment was conducted as a split-plot based on a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plots included four integrated nutrition programs (NP0: control (without fertilization); NP1: cow manure, amino acids, humic acid; NP2: slaughterhouse waste, mono-potassium phosphate, humic acid, mix (macro-micro) fertilizer; and NP3: poultry manure, ammonium nitrate, humic acid, amino acid, hormone biofertilizer, NP fertilizer, micronutrients) and the subplots included three maternal corm weights (CW1: 4-8, CW2: 8-12, and CW3: 12-16 g).

The difference between the experimental treatments in terms of the effect on the studied traits of saffron was more significant in the second year than in the first year of the experiment. The NP3 treatment resulted in the highest values of the flower number (85.6), fresh and dry flower yield (28.21 and 5.48 g m-2, respectively), and fresh and dry stigma yield (3.35 and 0.67 g m-2, respectively). Also, planting the heaviest corms led to the highest values of the mentioned traits (79.9, 24.57, 4.85, 2.90, and 0.58 g m-2, respectively). The highest value of corm number (312.1), corm diameter (4.27 cm), corm weight (6.86 g), and corm yield (1562.4 g m-2) belonged to the NP3 treatment. The CW3 treatment obtained the highest values of the mentioned traits (322.7, 3.72 cm, 6.87 g, and 1476.5 g m-2, respectively). Furthermore, the highest dry stigma water productivity (1.942 g m-3) and corm water productivity (4.45 kg m-3) were found under the NP3 treatment. Also, the highest value of the mentioned traits (1.681 g m-3 and 4.18 kg m-3, respectively) was recorded in the CW3 treatment.

Research limitations: 

No limitations were identified.

Originality/Value:

 The results of this research clearly show the profound importance of the characteristics of the maternal corms and the integrated nutrition in changes in saffron yield. Overall, we conclude that the NP3CW3 treatment is the best treatment for obtaining the highest values of saffron flower and corm indices as well as the stigma and corm water productivity.

 Among the many causes of pancreatitis, primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is rarely associated with pancreatitis. However, the causal relationship between the two is still controversial. Our aim was to investigate and describe the nature of pancreatic disease in PHPT.

In the present systematic review, all qualitative articles related to the objectives of the study, published from 2008 to January 2024, were reviewed. Search in Magiran database, IranDoc, IranMedex, SID, Cochrane library, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed/Medline Embase with keywords: acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis Hypercalcemia, parathyroid  adenoma  Primary  hyperparathyroidism. Acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, hypercalcemia, primary hyperparathyroidism, and parathyroid adenoma were performed. The entry criteria were articles in English or Farsi, qualitative articles related to the objectives of the study. Exclusion criteria were articles that were in the form of posters, speeches, letters to the editor, and quantitative studies.

The findings from the review of 20 qualitative studies showed that although the relationship between hypercalcemia caused by parathyroid adenoma and acute pancreatitis is a known medical phenomenon, it is very rare. Therefore, the pathophysiology of acute pancreatitis caused by hypercalcemia is not well understood, although some mechanisms have been suggested. Timely diagnosis of hypercalcemia and parathyroid adenoma surgery is the final treatment.

Acute pancreatitis is the first manifestation of a rare clinical symptom caused by hyperkalemia caused by hyperparathyroidism.

This study aimed to determine the incidence of microRNA (miRNA; miR-1290) in the serum of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients compared to a control group using the qualitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

Blood serum samples were obtained from patients diagnosed with OSCC and confirmed through biopsy. The samples were collected from patients referred to the Mashhad Dental Faculty and Ghaem Hospital. The OSCC group consisted of 17 patients, while the healthy group included 15 individuals. RNA was extracted from the patient samples, and samples with an A260/280 ratio between 1.8 and 2.0 (indicating acceptable RNA quality) were immediately converted into complementary DNA (cDNA) using albumin and cDNA reference genes. The SYBR green real-time reverse transcriptase PCR method was used to measure the presence of miR-1290 in the blood samples.

A total of 32 patients were examined in this study, including 17 women (53.1%) and 15 men (46.9%). The mean age was 46.7 years in the healthy group and 54.6 years in the SCC group, indicating a significant difference (P<0.05). The expression level of the miR-1290 gene was higher in patients with SCC compared to the healthy group (P=0.000). While the expression level of miR-1290 was higher in grade 3 and advanced stage than in grades 2 and 1 and early stage, the differences were not statistically significant (P=0.173 and P=0.564 for grade and stage, respectively).

The expression level of miR-1290 may increase in SCC patients compared to healthy individuals, making it a potential circulating biomarker.  Further investigations for diagnostic utility would be warranted.

There are some debates about the possible unintended effects of genetically modified (GM) crops on consumer health. The gut microbiota plays an important role in maintaining the health of the host, especially in gastrointestinal diseases. The current review focuses on the studies with the aim of evaluating whether their outcomes indicate any adverse effects of feeding genetically modified (GM) crops on alteration and the count of gut microbiota.

A structured literature search was performed independently by three authors on Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase on the 1st of July 2019. In total, 333 publications were obtained by the search strategy, which decreased to 306 after excluding the duplicates. Furthermore, experimental studies that have designed a control group and were written in English were included in the review. After reviewing the full texts, 16 studies were included. To access the quality of articles, we used the Cochrane checklist.

Ten publications (62.5%) used 50% or more genetically modified (GM) diet in the treatment group. In 11 studies (68.7%), the duration of animal feeding was 90 days or more. There were no significant differences in the experimental and control groups of both male and female rats on the 90th day; it can be concluded that non-genetically modified (GM) and genetically modified (GM) rice diets did not cause any changes in the gut bacteria. Data analysis of different animal models showed that the most changes in the microbial flora were observed in the chicken and the least in the rat. In the studies in this review, all microbial isolates were anaerobic, and the Lactobacillus and Enterococcus families were common organisms.

Based on our literature review, we claim that there is not any significant difference in gut microbiota between the control group and the group with a transgenic diet. The mechanisms of the effects of genetically modified (GM) foods on the gut microbiota in animals should be explicated in future studies. Nevertheless, this study provides valuable information for research on genetically modified (GM) foods and whether they are useful or detrimental to human health.

Plants are naturally influenced by magnetic fields. On the other hand, the application of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles may improve the quantitative and qualitative traits of plants. Research

The effect of magnetic field and nano and bulk-TiO2 was studied on the yield of saffron in Nishabur County, Iran. The treatments included 5-mT magnetic field (at three levels of control, exerted magnet tapes into substrate, and the 24-hour exposure of the corms to the magnets) and TiO2 (at five levels of 0 as control, 1000 and 2000 ppm nanosized-TiO2, and 1000 and 2000 ppm bulk TiO2). During the growing season petal fresh and dry weight, flower fresh weight, stigma dry weight and corm weight were recorded.  

The results showed that studied traits were significantly (p  < 0.01) influenced by the magnetic field and nano-TiO2. The highest stigma dry weight was related to the treatment of 2000 ppm nano-TiO2 and 48-hour exposure to the magnetic field, showing an insignificant difference with 1000 ppm nano-TiO2. Application of TiO2 nanoparticles in 2000 ppm increased stigma dry weight by 14.7 % and corm weight by 51 % compared to the control. Exposure of corms to magnetic field in planting media and pretreatment with it, increased corm weight by 13.6 and 26 % in comparing to control, respectively. Limitations: No limitations were founded.

According to the results, it is possible to use magnetic fields and TiO2 nanoparticles to stimulate the growth of corms and flower of saffron.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), of which Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two main clinicopathological subtypes, is a group of digestive system diseases of unknown etiology. Risk factors for IBD are environmental factors, genetics, and immune system agents. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is one of the most important infectious factors and a suspected cause of IBD. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of MAP in both IBD patients and non-IBD people as well as to investigate the relationship between the presence of this bacterium and IBD. A cross-sectional study was conducted during May-December 2017 among 146 IBD patients (32 with CD and 114 with UC) at the Motahari Clinic affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. For comparison, the blood samples of 146 non-IBD volunteers (the control group) were tested for the presence of MAP using the polymerase chain reaction method (specific IS900 fragment). The data were analyzed using the SPSS software (version 19.0). The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the normal distribution of variables. The χ2 test was used to compare the qualitative variables between the groups. MAP was present in 104 (71.2%) IBD patients out of which 24 (75%) had CD and 80 (70.2%) had UC. In the control group, MAP was present in 63 (43.2%) non-IBD volunteers. There was a significant association between the presence of IBD and MAP (P<0.001). A high prevalence of MAP was observed in the South of Iran. MAP DNA was detected in the blood samples of CD and UC patients as well as non-IBD volunteers. The high prevalence of MAP indicated a possible role of MAP in stimulating IBD.

Cytotoxic CD8 T cells, as essential parts of the adaptive immune system, play pivotal roles in anti-tumor immune responses. It is well documented that cytokine expression profiles and activation status of these cells during anti-tumor immune responses affect the outcome of host-tumor interaction.
To investigate the percentages of CD8 lymphocytes and their subsets in tumor draining lymph nodes of patients with bladder cancer.
Forty-five patients with bladder cancer, candidate for radical cystectomy, were recruited. Mononuclear cells were isolated from draining lymph nodes using Ficoll-Hypaque gradient centrifugation, and were activated by PMA/Ionomycin in the presence of Golgi inhibitors. The cells were then permeabilized and stained with appropriate flourochrome conjugated antibodies against CD3, CD8, IFN-γ, IL-17 and IL-4 molecules. Data were collected on a four-color flow cytometer and analyzed by CellQuestPro software.
Despite no difference in the frequency of IL-17 producing CD8 (Tc17) lymphocytes, the mean expression of IL-17 in this subset was significantly elevated in high-grade patients (p=0.011). The percentage of double positive IFN-γ/IL-17 CD8 lymphocytes was also significantly increased in node positive patients compared to node negative ones (p=0.046). Our results also demonstrated that the percentage of IFN-γ producing CD8 (Tc1) lymphocytes was significantly increased in the patients with higher histological grade compared to those with lower ones (p=0.038).
IFN-γ and IL-17 producing CD8 T cells may increase in advanced stages of bladder cancer, but their correlation with tumor prognosis remains to be investigated.

HLA-G is a nonclassical HLA class I molecule which, when elevated in tumor cells, is one of the main factors involved in tumor evasion of immune responses including NK and T cells.
To evaluate the effect of HLA-G downregulation on NK cell cytotoxicity in tumor cell lines.
The expression level of HLA-G was measured by real-time PCR and flowcytometry after transfection of SKOV3 by shRNA.1, which targets specific sequences in exon 4, or shRNA.2, which targets both exons 4 and 6. NK-92MI cell cytotoxicity against transfected or untransfected target cell lines was measured with the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. The Jeg-3 cell line was used as a positive control.
Membrane-bound HLA-G expression levels decreased significantly in both cell lines after transfection with both shRNAs compared to their corresponding untransfected cells (p As a clinical approach, HLA-G downregulation with shRNA may be effective in cancer therapy by improving immune cell activation.