Background and Objectives Oxalate degrading bacteria and herbal extracts are new strategy for reducing hyperoxaluria. In Iranian traditional medicine, Sankol oral drop is widely used as an antispasmodic drug to reduce stones from urinary tract. This study aimed to evaluate the synergistic effect of oxalate-degrading bacteria and Sankol oral drop in reducing urinary oxalate in rat model. Materials and Methods Several bacterial strains, including Lactobacillus (4), Bifidobacterium (2) and L. paracasei (2) (very strong in degrading oxalate in vitro) were used in this study. Male Wistar rats were divided into 6 groups (n = 6). The rats of Group I received normal diet and drinking water + 60% ethanol (positive group). Groups II (negative group), III, IV, V, and VI rats received diet containing ethylene glycol (3%) for 30 days. Groups III rats received Sankol with minimum concentration (7.5 ml/kg/b.w), Group IV rats received Sankol with maximum concentration (9 ml/kg/b.w), Group V rats received Sankol with minimum concentration + probiotic, and Group VI rats received Sankol with maximum concentration + probiotic for 30 days. Results Treatment with Sankol (maximum concentration) and oxalate-degrading probiotic bacteria significantly reduced urinary oxalate (P = .0001). At the end of treatment period, rats in groups II (negative control) showed a high score of CaOx crystal, while rats in VI groups did not show any CaOx crystal. Conclusion This is the first study on the simultaneous use of Sankol herbal drop and oxalate-degrading probiotic bacteria that showed a significant reduction in urinary oxalate. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.Over the past decades, the incidence of life-threatening fungal infections has increased dramatically in particular among patients with hampered immune function. Fungal infections cause around 1.5 million deaths annually, superior to malaria and tuberculosis. With respect to high toxicity, narrow spectrum of activity and drug resistance to current antifungals, there is an urgent need to discover novel leads from molecules of natural origin especially those derived from plants and microorganisms for antifungal drug discovery. Among antifungal drugs introduced into the clinic, those affecting ergosterol biosynthesis are still superior to other classes and the vital role of ergosterol in fungal growth and development. This review highlights current knowledge about available antifungal agents and further issues on antifungal drug discovery from compounds of natural origin which affect ergosterol biosynthesis. Special attention is made to the fungal sterol C24-methyltransferase (SMT), a crucial enzyme in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway as a novel target for rational drug design. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.Background and Objectives This prospective case-control study was conducted to evaluate abnormal serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) patterns in patients living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its relation with disease severity markers and anti-retroviral treatment status. Materials and Methods Thirty-seven HIV-positive patients and 24 healthy individuals were evaluated in the course of this study. The healthy HIV-negative individuals were selected as control group. Pregnant women, patients with malignancies, children, hepatitis B- and/or C-positive patients, those with a history of an autoimmune disease, or previous corticosteroid administration were excluded. SPEP-which detects serum levels of albumin, total protein, gammaglobulin-, CD4+ T-cell counts, viral load, and antiretroviral treatment status were assessed. Data were analyzed by SPSS™ software. Results Twelve patients (32 percent) demonstrated polyclonal gammopathy on SPEP, while only 1 (4 percent) healthy individual had the same pattern (P-value = 0.007). No statistically significant connection between SPEP patterns and antiretroviral treatment status was observed (P-value > 0.05). Interestingly no statistically significant relationship between CD4+ T-cell counts and polyclonal gammopathy was discerned. No statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups with regards to serum albumin and total protein levels. The serum albumin to total protein percentage, serum gamma globulin to total protein percentage, and serum albumin to globulin ratio was compared between the groups and a statistically significant difference was observed. selleck kinase inhibitor Conclusion Polyclonal gammopathy on SPEP is common among HIV-infected patients. Moreover, the SPEP patterns cannot be used as an indication of a patient’s negative or positive response to treatment. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.Background and Objectives The surrogate marker (s) of cure and protection in intracellular pathogens is not yet well defined. The aim of this study was to compare the cytokine profile using whole blood cells (WBC) vs. peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in healthy and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) volunteers. link2 Materials and Methods In this study, WBC and PBMC of the volunteers with history of CL (HCL), Active lesion (ACL) and healthy volunteers were collected. The WBC and PBMC were cultured and stimulated with either PHA or soluble Leishmania antigens (SLA), after 72 hours, the supernatants were collected and the levels of IFN-γ, IL-5 and IL-10 were titrated using ELISA method. Results The mean ± SD of cytokines using WBC and PBMC in cutaneous leishmaniasis volunteers stimulated with phytohemagglutin (PHA) or SLA are as follow, PHA, IFN-γ=2295±995 vs. 2339±1115, IL-10=853±309 vs. 1330±966, and IL-5=299±136 vs. link3 352+156, SLA, IFN-γ, 931±824 vs. 825±532, IL-10, 233±78 vs. 408±381, and IL-5, 185±59 vs. 217±76, respectively. There was no significant difference between the IFN-γ, IL-5 and IL-10 levels using WBC vs. PBMC. There was a strong correlation between the cytokine profiles using WBC and PBMC in cutaneous leishmaniasis volunteers. Conclusion There was no significant difference between IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-5 levels in whole blood and PBMC of volunteers with active lesion or history of CL. Whole-blood culture which is easier, cheaper and more convenient could be used instead of PBMC to evaluate the cytokine profile in field conditions. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.Background and Objectives Iron and zinc are two essential micro-nutrients for plant growth and development. Therefore, isolation of siderophores-producing and zinc-solubilizing rhizobacteria involved in bio-availability of these elements is of great interest. Materials and Methods In this study, soil samples collected from slightly alkaline soil types were screened for high levels of siderophore secretion and zinc solubilization. Results Among positive colonies, three isolates, named F21A, F37 and F38, were able to secrete siderophore at high levels, ranged between 200 and 300 μM/liter. A close association was observed between siderophore production capability and growth rate as an indicator of active metabolism. Siderophore production was closely correlated with the level of zinc ion released into the medium as well. All three siderophore producing isolates were able to withstand temperature as high as 37°C, high concentration of NaCl (up to 2.5%) and a wide range of initial pH from 6 to 9 while hydrolyzing Zn compounds actively. One of the isolates, F21A, tolerated the presence of 200 mgl-1 of zinc. Biochemical and molecular characteristics are indicative that these isolates are Pseudomonas japonica. As experienced in a greenhouse experiment, inoculation with the F21A and F37 isolates significantly increase the plants height, fresh and dry weight of corn with compared to control. Conclusion These findings demonstrated that the potential of P. japonica strains as plants growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in iron and zinc deficient soils. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.Background and Objectives Inflammation in the intestine causes diarrhea due to an increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6. These are triggered by the exposure of E. coli-LPS to epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa as well as low concentration of zinc in plasma such as in infants or children who are experiencing diarrhea. This paper aims to determine the effects of zinc supplementation on pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6) in mice with E. coli-LPS-induced diarrhea. Materials and Methods This study used a controlled trial experimental design in the laboratory. A sample size of 20 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups 1) Control group was given standard foods, 2) Trial group was given E. coli-LPS 2.5 mg/kg/oral once on day1, 3) Prevention group was given E. coli-LPS + 30 mg/kg/oral of zinc once daily for 12 days, 4) Therapeutic group was given E. coli-LPS, and were then given 30 mg/kg/oral of zinc once daily for 12 days if diarrhea occurred. Blood samples of mice were taken through the orbital sinus on the 0, 5th, 10th hour, and on the 4th, 8th and 12th days. Results Positive effects of zinc supplementation on levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were observed, in which the higher levels of zinc were present, the lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially TNF-α were observed. However, there was an increase of IL-1 and IL-6 levels on the 8th day in the prevention and therapeutic groups. Conclusion Oral zinc supplementation had a significant positive effect on the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Where there were higher levels of zinc, lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α were present. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.Background and Objectives An experiment was designed to determine the effect of using lactic acid bacteria as alternative antibiotic growth promoters on external and internal quality of egg’s Coturnix coturnix japonica. Materials and Methods Coturnix coturnix japonica (n=240, 14 weeks of age) were randomly distributed into six treatment groups. The treatments were P0 (free antibiotic feed), P1 (free antibiotic feed with 1 gram antibiotic growth promoters (AGP)/100kg feed), P2 (free antibiotic feed with 5 gram probiotic/100kg feed), P3 (free antibiotic feed with 10 grams probiotic/100kg feed), P4 (free antibiotic feed with 5 gram probiotic/200L drinking water), and P5 (free antibiotic feed with 10 gram probiotic/200L drinking water). Probiotic contained Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) culture (1.2 × 108 CFU/gram). To assess the quality parameters, twenty eggs were randomly collected from each treatment at the end of the experimental period, and the data were analysed using one way Anova. Results Results of the external quality indicated that egg’s weight, length, and width, along with the shell weight and thickness were significantly different (P less then 0.05) after treatment. Likewise, the results of internal egg quality indicated that yolk color, height, width, and length, together with the albumen height, width, length, index and haugh unit were significantly different (P less then 0.05) after treatment. Conclusion It was concluded from this research that dietary supplementation with probiotic which contains L. casei and L. rhamnosus could be used in laying Japanese quail with benefit on external and internal egg quality. Copyright© 2019 Iranian Neuroscience Society.