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Purpose: Evaluation of humoral and cellular immune responses of naturally infected dogs against type I (rCPB) (Recombinant cycsteine proteinase B), and II (rCPA) (Recombinant cycsteine proteinase A) recombinant cysteine proteinases and C-terminal extension (CTE) of Leishmania infantum (L. infantum). Materials and Methods: In this study, fourteen infected dogs (7 with symptoms, 7 asymptomatics) from an endemic area and three uninfected dogs from a nonendemic region were selected and their humoral and cellular responses against type I and II recombinant cysteine proteinases, C-terminal extension (CTE) and F/T of Leishmania infantum were evaluated using the ELISA and lymphocyte proliferation assay, respectively. The level of specific IgG isotypes (IgG1 and IgG2) and lymphocyte proliferative response against rCPA, rCPB, CTE and Freezed/Thawed lysate (F/T) of L. infantum were examined. Results and Discussion: The results showed that in both of the symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs there is a high lymphoproliferative response to F/T antigens and moderate responses were observed when rCPs (Recombinant cycsteine proteinase) (rCPA and rCPB) and CTE were used. The level of antibody (total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2) recognition toward rCPA was low in the both groups of the dogs. In contrast, the CTE stimulates similarly as the CPB both of the humoral and cellular responses of all the infected animals and the level of total IgG and IgG2 isotypes against these antigens compared to the IgG1 was higher in the asymptomatic dogs. Since, the CTE is the terminal fragment of the CPB, it seems that the immunogenicity of the CPB is dependent on the CTE. Conclusion: The results of our investigation indicates that the CPB and CTE stimulate both humoral and cellular immune responses of L. infantum infected dogs, wherase the CPA is a weaker immunogen.

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Given the significant number of allusions in cultural themes, recreating and matching them in target language is one of the challenges for translators. Translation theorists have proposed different ways to meet such challenges. Peter Newmark is one of the theorists who has proposed strategies for restoring cultural concepts by providing a five-fold division. The purpose of the present study is to identify the challenges that the translators of Nahj al-Balaghe face in finding the exact equivalent for cultural concepts. Researchers have attempted to explain the correct meaning of the metaphorical interpretation of "Haik Ibn Haik" in the nineteenth sermon, using a descriptive-analytical method and a critical approach. Therefore, while examining the meanings and the application of this interpretation in different narrations, five contemporary translations of Nahj al-Balaghah, by Fayz al-Islam, Shahidi, Faqihi, Dashti and Ansarian were selected, criticized and evaluated based on the Newmark model. The result of the research showed that in addition to the baselessness of some narrations in which the above-mentioned interpretation has been used, the cultural aspect of this ironic interpretation has been neglected by the translators. Also, they have not succeeded in transmitting the meaning and concept and the cultural connotation hidden in it by taking the above-mentioned interpretation, so they have provided many explanatory footnotes, and have misunderstood it. Concerning the historical books and glosses written on Nahj al-Balaghe and the familiarity with cultural context of this phrase “ablah nadan/ idiot” is a better choice.
 

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Objective: Helicobacter pylori is a spiral, microaerophilic gram negative bacterium, that multiplies and causes infection in human gastric mucosal layer. H.pylori infection, followed by destruction of gastric epithelial tissue, leads to gastric chronic inflammation, which can cause gastric and peptic ulcers. New approaches have focused on using specific treatments, such as immunotherapy, to eradicate this infection. Urease, as one of the most important virulent and antigenic factors of the bacterium, is a suitable target for this purpose. This study is aimed at production of specific IgY against urease UreC subunit. Materials and Methods: In this study, initially for preparing recombinant UreC, after purification of the genomic DNA, ureC gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR product was ligated to pET28a. The recombinant protein was expressed followed by transformation of recombinant construct into E. coli BL21DE3. SDS-PAGE analysis was carried out and the recombinant protein was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatography. The purified recombinant protein was injected to hens. IgY recovered from egg yolk, was purified by PEG precipitation at >70% purity. The purified IgY was analyzed by ELISA and SDS-PAGE. Results: SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a good expression and >70% purification of the recombinant protein. ELISA observation demonstrated high immunogenicity of the recombinant protein. Conclusion: With a view to higher potential of IgY-HpUc in recognition of UreC subunit, the results are in favour of the oral administration of the IgY obtained from hens immunized by H.pylori may provide a novel approach to the management of H.pylori infections.

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Background: Shigella and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli are among the most common causes of bacterial diarrhea, and no effective vaccine candidate for these bacteria have approved yet. Due to the role of IpaD protein and Shigella enterotoxin B subunit (StxB) in Shigella and E. coli O157: H7 pathogenicity, STX1B-IpaD chimeric protein can be used as a suitable molecule to produce a recombinant vaccine candidate. This study aimed to clone, express, and purify STX1B-IpaD chimeric protein to develop an effective vaccine candidate against Shigella and E. coli O157: H7 species. Materials and Methods: IpaD gene with NdeI and BamHI restriction enzyme sites was isolated from a recombinant vector and subcloned into the pET28a -STX1B expression vector. Vector was transferred to E.coli strain Rosetta (DE3) and confirmed by PCR and restriction enzyme digestion. SDS-PAGE and western blotting were used to confirm the recombinant protein. The recombinant STX1B-IpaD protein was purified by affinity chromatography, and its concentration was measured by the Bradford method. Results: The PCR and restriction enzyme digestion showed the accuracy of the gene cloning. The protein electrophoresis showed the proper expression and correct molecular weight (27 kDa) of STX1B-IpaD. The western blot analysis confirmed the recombinant protein. The recombinant protein concentration was estimated at more than 0.3 gr/L. Conclusion: An effective method for the production of recombinant proteins is codon optimization and effective expression in heterologous hosts. After the immunogenicity in the animal model, this recombinant protein can be used as a chimeric vaccine candidate against EHEC and Shigella bacteria.

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Objective: Escherichia coli (E.coli) O157:H7 is one of the most important pathogenic causes of hemorrhagic colitis in humans. Cattle are the main reservoirs of this bacteria and vaccination is a key mechanism for its control. The intimin, translocated intimin receptor (tir), and EspA proteins are virulence factors expressed by the LEE locus of enterohemorrhagic E. coli. EspA protein is a member of the type III secretion system (TTSS) needle complexes that delivers the tir protein into the host cell. Surface arrayed intimin docks the bacterium to the translocated intimin receptor (Tir). This intimate linkage is the starting point for attachment and effacing lesions. We hypothesize that the chimeric recombinant forms of two of these three effectors, as edible-based immunogens, would reduce colonization of E. coli O157:H7 in the mice model. Methods: We constructed a synthetic gene (it) composed of eae (i) and tir (t) attached together by a peptide linker. The synthetic gene (it) was codon optimized based on the tobacco (Nicotiana tobbacum) plant and cloned into plant expression vectors adjacent to CaMV35S promoters for expression in transgenic tobacco plants. The antigen produced in this plant was orally fed to mice. Results: Immunization of the mice model by the transgenic plant that contained the divalent immunogen showed the presence of IgG antibodies against E. coli O157:H7. Conclusion: This method could be an effective tool for protecting against E. coli O157:H7 hemorrhagic colitis.

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To study molecular evolutionary characteristics and genetics of beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) isolates population from Iran, nucleotide sequences of p25 and coat protein (CP) were determined and the amino acids sequences thus deduced were analyzed using phylogenetic and population genetics methods. A survey of BNYVV in Iran indicated the infection of 288 collected samples out of 392 samples in most beet growing areas and that most of the isolates (92%) were of the A-type and the rest of isolates (8%) were P-type. Our molecular evolutionary analysis showed that CP was highly conserved but allowed to assign all isolates to three distinct groups. Different parts of p25 coding regions were under different evolutionary constraints. The most positive selection was detected at the position 68, the second amino acid of the tetrad motif. Iranian isolates were found to cluster with European isolates into three distinct clusters based on p25 sequences. Population genetics analysis revealed that BNYVV populations have low differentiation (Kt= 3.97145) and low diversity (πT= 0.006, Hd= 0.860) with frequent gene flow indicating lack of phylogeographic structure between populations.

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The hawthorn fruits have been used as food and medicine for centuries. In the present study, pulp and seed extract of Crataegus elbursensis Rech. F. fruits belonging to the family Rosaceae and native of northern part of Iran were evaluated for the polyphenol contents, antiradical, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities. The total phenolic, flavonoid, and anthocyanin contents of methanolic pulp extract were found to be more than those of methanolic seed extract. The DPPH radical scavenging, iron (III) reducing capacity, and total antioxidant activity of the extracts depended on concentration. A 200 μg ml^-1 of C. elbursensis pulp and seed extract and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) exhibited 82.13, 83.47, and 85.44% inhibition, respectively. However, effect of the extracts in the total antioxidant activity and reducing power were not significantly as good as BHT. In addition, the results showed that both pulp and seed extract had inhibitory activity against the four bacteria tested, with the pulp extract showing more activity than the seed extract. Also, phenolic acids were identified by RP-HPLC and chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolics in the samples. In conclusion, our results showed that C. elbursensis pulp and seed extract had strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities, which were correlated with its high level of polyphenols.

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 Dorema aucheri Boiss. (Apiaceae) is an endemic plant growing in Iran. This plant is used as food and its extracts are recommended for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. To conduct this study, leaf, stem, and flower of D. aucheri were collected from near Yasouje, Iran. Antioxidant and antimicrobialeffects of methanol extracts were measured. Further, total phenolic,flavonoid, anthocyanin, carotenoid, soluble sugar, gallicacid,chlorogenic acid,caffeicacid, andp-coumaric acid contentsof plant methanol extracts were also determined. The results showed that total phenolic, anthocyanin, and soluble sugar in the stem of D. aucheri were 22.72 mg GAE g^-1 dW, 19.33 mg g^-1 dW, and 6.45 mg g^-1 dW respectively, greater than those of the other samples tested. Also, phenolic acids were identified by RP-HPLCand chlorogenic acid was the predominant phenolic compound in the samples. The highest amount of flavonoid (1.95 mg QE g^-1 dW) was observed in the flower. All of the different extracts exhibited a good antioxidant activity based on inhibition of fatty acid oxidation assay. Themaximal inhibition was observed in the leaf (48.52%) and flower (54.24%) of D. aucheri. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) was also high in the stem and flower. In addition, the results showed that leaf, stem, and flower extracts had inhibitory activity against four bacteria tested. The highest antimicrobial activity was obtained with flower extract. These results suggest that the methanolic extracts from different parts of D. aucheri are a valuable source of effective compounds. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of extracts was correlated with p-coumaric and caffeic acid content. 

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Objective: The incidence of breast cancer is approximately one million which makes this cancer one of the most common among women worldwide. Breast cancer comprises 7% of the total death rate caused by cancers. Several strategies that use tumor-associated antigen (TAA) vaccination and early detection of breast cancer are clinically being developed. Breast cancer is caused by increased over expression of certain genes. HER-2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor in the epidermal growth factor family. The role of HER-2 in breast cancer has been extensively studied. HER-2 is found in 25%-30% of breast cancer patients. Herceptin, a human antibody, is used as a therapeutic target for HER-2. The purpose of this study is to produce recombinant protein HER-2 for early detection of breast cancer cells. Methods: We used specific primers to amplify the HER-2 gene. The amplified gene was cloned into pET28a as an expression vector. Cloning was confirmed by restriction analysis and sequencing. Expression was induced using IPTG and the recombinant protein was analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Results: Cloning of the HER-2 gene was confirmed by enzyme digestion and sequencing. The gene was expressed in E.coli BL21 DE3. The pET-28a vector which contained the HER-2 gene showed a high level of expression. The recombinant protein was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Conclusions: A portion of the HER-2 gene was expressed as a recombinant in E.coli. This could be a good diagnostic test for breast cancer.

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Due to various benefits of composite materials such as light weight, high strength and their excellent formability, the externally bonded composite patches have been proved to be a preferable method of repairing flaws and cracks in various engineering structures. In this paper, the behavior of various patches such as composite and metallic patches has been studied by calculating the stress intensity factor and the T-stress via 3D finite element method. The study of the out-of-plane bending role in repair of plates with single-sided patch is another aims of this research. The results showed that the higher stiffness of the composite patch leads to further reduction in stress intensity factor. It is found that in the studied specimens, the boron/epoxy patch has the better behavior compared with glass/epoxy one. Furthermore, using single-sided and double-sided patches leads to change in the T-stress value. The largest change achieved by the crack angle equals to 0 and the smallest on achieved by the crack angle equals to 45 degrees. Increasing the adhesive thickness leads to increasing the stress-intensity factor in repaired plate. Finally, it is found that the out-of-plane bending has the significant effect on behavior of repair with single-sided composite patch.

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Objective: Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) which produces shiga-like toxin type 2 (Stx2) is a major cause of bloody diarrhea. This pathogen can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and renal failure with a high mortality rate. Stx2 is the major virulence factor of EHEC. Neutralization of toxin by specific antibodies is known to be the best way to prevent and cure HUS. In this study, we describe the cloning, expression, purification, and immunization of the Stx2B subunit which is responsible for toxin binding to the target cell surface. Methods: The Stx2B gene was amplified by PCR and subcloned into a pET28a expression vector and transformed into E. coli BL21-DE3. We evaluated recombinant protein expression and rSTX2B was purified by the Ni-NTA column. The purified rSTX2B was administered subcutaneously to BALB/c mice in three separate doses as an immunogenic candidate. The raising of anti-rSTX2B antibodies in immunized mice sera was evaluated by Elisa assay. The neutralizing immune response was verified by an in vitro assay on HeLa cells and an in vivo assay on mice by challenging them with a lethal dose of Stx2. Results: The IgG titration verified the induction of a humeral response in immunized mice. The HeLa cell assay indicated that the Stx2 toxin was neutralized by immune mice sera. In the challenge assay, 70% of immunized mice survived. Conclusion: Recombinant rSTX2B can induce a neutralizing immune response in mice. It can be used as a major component in development of EHEC vaccines.