Computational study of biochemical properties of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) enzyme in C3 plants

Maryam Darabi,Samin Seddigh 한국식물학회 2017 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.60 No.1

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO; EC 4.1.1.39) is a key enzyme in plant photosynthesis that catalyzes the reaction in the photosynthetic assimilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). In this study, bioinformatic characterization of RuBisCO enzyme was performed in protein sequences of its large subunits (rbcL) from 25 C3 plants of 14 different families. In protein-protein interactions analysis by STRING 10 tool, 7 and 168 relevant datasets were identified in Arabidopsis thaliana and other species, respectively. The structural and functional analyses were investigated by ProtParam, SOPMA, Predotar 1.03, SignalP 4.1, TargetP 1.1, and TMHMM 2.0 tools in ExPASy database. Tertiary structure was predicted by Phyre2 and TM-score servers then their qualities were verified by PROCHECK and SuperPose servers. In MEME and MAST analyses, 9 common conserved motifs obtained in all C3 plants. The protein sequences were aligned with ClustalW algorithm by MEGA 6.06 software and phylogenetic tree was constructed using the Neighbor-joining (NJ) method. According to the results, there is a high identity of RuBisCO in different species of C3 plants so that they should be derived from a common ancestor. The results provide background of bioinformatic studies for the function and evolution of RuBisCO in other plants.

Healthy and Unhealthy Dietary Patterns Are Related to Depression: A Case-Control Study

Maryam Khosravi,Gity Sotoudeh,Reza Majdzadeh,Somayeh Nejati,Samaneh Darabi,Firoozeh Raisi,Ahmad Esmaillzadeh,Maryam Sorayani 대한신경정신의학회 2015 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.12 No.4

ObjectiveaaMajor depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability around the world. The relationship between depression and dietary patterns has been reported in a few studies but with controversial results. This study aimed to investigate this relationship in an Iranian population. MethodsaaIn our study, 330 depressed patients (cases) and healthy people (controls) (1:2) were individually matched according to age, sex and area of residence. New cases of depression were recruited from two psychiatric clinics in Tehran. Interviewers went to each patient’s residential area, and invited qualified individuals to participate in the study as controls. Food intake over the past year was collected using a validated semi quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were determined by the principal components method. Binary logistic regression was used to test the effect of dietary patterns on depression. ResultsaaWe identified two major dietary patterns by using factor analysis: the healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns. We categorized the scores of these patterns to quartiles. After adjusting for non-depression drug use, job, marital status, children number, and body mass index, the relations of depression and quartiles of two dietary patterns are significant (p=0.04 & p=0.01, respectively). Compared with participants in the lowest quartile, those in the highest quartile had significantly lower odds ratio (OR) for depression in healthy dietary pattern, and higher OR for depression in unhealthy dietary pattern. ConclusionaaThis study indicates that healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns may be associated with the risk of depression. The results can be used for developing interventions that aim to promote healthy eating for the prevention of depression.

Trends in gastrointestinal cancer incidence in Iran, 2001-2010:

Mehdi Darabi,Mohsen Asadi Lari,Seyed Abbas Motevalian,Ali Motlagh,Shahram Arsang-Jang,Maryam Karimi Jaberi 한국역학회 2016 Epidemiology and Health Vol.38 No.-

OBJECTIVES: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the time trends of stomach, colorectal, and esophageal cancer during the past decade in Iran. METHODS: Cancer incidence data for the years 2001 to 2010 were obtained from the cancer registration of the Ministry of Health. All incidence rates were directly age-standardized to the world standard population. In order to identified significant changes in time trends, we performed a joinpoint analysis. The annual percent change (APC) for each segment of the trends was then calculated. RESULTS: The incidence of stomach cancer increased from 4.18 and 2.41 per 100,000 population in men and women, respectively, in 2001 to 17.06 (APC, 16.7%) and 8.85 (APC, 16.2%) per 100,000 population in 2010 for men and women, respectively. The corresponding values for colorectal cancer were 2.12 and 2.00 per 100,000 population for men and women, respectively, in 2001 and 11.28 (APC, 20.0%) and 10.33 (APC, 20.0%) per 100,000 in 2010. For esophageal cancer, the corresponding increase was from 3.25 and 2.10 per 100,000 population in 2001 to 5.57 (APC, 12.0%) and 5.62 (APC, 11.2%) per 100,000 population among men and women, respectively. The incidence increased most rapidly for stomach cancer in men and women aged 80 years and older (APC, 23.7% for men; APC, 18.6% for women), for colorectal cancer in men aged 60 to 69 years (APC, 24.2%) and in women aged 50 to 59 years (APC, 25.1%), and for esophageal cancer in men and women aged 80 years and older (APC, 17.5% for men; APC,15.3% for women) over the period of the study. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of gastrointestinal cancer significantly increased during the past decade. Therefore, monitoring the trends of cancer incidence can assist efforts for cancer prevention and control.

Condition medium of cerebrospinal fluid and retinoic acid induces the transdifferentiation of human dental pulp stem cells into neuroglia and neural like cells

Sara Haratizadeh,Maryam Nazm Bojnordi,Shahram Darabi,Narges Karimi,Mehrdad Naghikhani,Hatef Ghasemi Hamidabadi,Morteza Seifi 대한해부학회 2017 Anatomy & Cell Biology Vol.50 No.2

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contains several molecules which are essential for neurogenesis. Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) are putatively neural crest cell-derived that can differentiate into neurons and glial cells under appropriate neurotrophic factors. The aim of this study was to induce differentiation of hDPSCs into neuroglial phenotypes using retinoic acid (RA) and CSF. The hDPSCs from an impacted third molar were isolated by mechanical and digestion and cultured. The cells have treated by 10 –7 μM RA (RA group) for 8 days, 10% CSF (CSF group) for 8 days and RA with CSF for 8 days (RA/ CSF group). Nestin, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), and glial fibrillary acidic protein immunostaining were used to examine the differentiated cells. Axonal outgrowth was detected using Bielschowsky’s silver impregnation method and Nissl bodies were stained in differentiated cells by Cresyl violet. The morphology of differentiated cells in treated groups was significantly changed after 3–5 days. The results of immunocytochemistry showed the presence of neuroprogenitor marker nestin was seen in all groups. However, the high percentage of nestin positive cells and MAP2, as mature neural markers, were observed at the pre-induction and induction stage, respectively. Nissl bodies were detected as dark-blue particles in the cytoplasm of treated cells. Our findings showed the RA as pre-inducer and CSF as inducer for using in vitro differentiation of neuron-like cells and neuroglial cells from hDPSCs.

Role of cerebrospinal fluid in differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells into neuron-like cells

Ghazaleh Goudarzi,Hatef Ghasemi Hamidabadi,Maryam Nazm Bojnordi,Azim Hedayatpour,Ali Niapour,Maria Zahiri,Forouzan Absalan,Shahram Darabi 대한해부학회 2020 Anatomy & Cell Biology Vol.53 No.3

Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) could be differentiated into neuron like-cells under particular microenvironments. It has been reported that a wide range of factors, presented in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), playing part in neuronal differentiation during embryonic stages, we herein introduce a novel culture media complex to differentiate hDPSCs into neuron-like cells. The hDPSCs were initially isolated and characterized. The CSF was prepared from the Cisterna magna of 19-day-old Wistar rat embryos, embryonic cerebrospinal fluid (E-CSF). The hDPSCs were treated by 5% E-CSF for 2 days, then neurospheres were cultured in DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10⁻⁶ μm retinoic acid (RA), glial-derived neurotrophic factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor for 6 days. The cells which were cultured in basic culture medium were considered as control group. Morphology of differentiated cells as well as process elongation were examined by an inverted microscope. In addition, the neural differentiation markers (Nestin and MAP2) were studied employing immunocytochemistry. Neuronal-like processes appeared 8 days after treatment. Neural progenitor marker (Nestin) and a mature neural marker (MAP2) were expressed in treated group. Moreover Nissl bodies were found in the cytoplasm of treated group. Taking these together, we have designed a simple protocol for generating neuron-like cells using CSF from the hDPSCs, applicable for cell therapy in several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease.

Effects of LI-4 and SP-6 Acupuncture on Labor Pain, Cortisol Level and Duration of Labor

Nasrin Asadi,Najmeh Maharlouei,Azadeh Khalili,Yalda Darabi,Sarah Davoodi,Hadi Raeisi Shahraki,Mohammadjavad Hadianfard,Azam Jokar,Homeira Vafaei,Maryam Kasraeian 사단법인약침학회 2015 Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies Vol.8 No.5

Nowadays, acupuncture is widely used to manage pain, and childbirth is a condition requiring appropriate pain management interventions. The efficacy of acupuncture in the management of labor pain has recently been studied, but the results are not satisfactory and conflicts exist. In this study, we investigated the effects of acupuncture on labor pain, serum cortisol level, and duration of labor. We conducted a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial that included 63 nulliparous women: 32 in the study group and 31 in the control group. Acupuncture was performed at the SP-6 and the LI-4 points in the study group, and sham acupuncture was performed at the same points in the control group. Pain scores and serum cortisol levels were measured before and after the intervention. Changes in these measures and in the duration of labor were compared between the groups. No significant variations in pain scores or serum cortisol levels were observed between the two control groups. However, the duration of labor was significantly lower (p < 0.001) in the group receiving real acupuncture. Our results show that acupuncture is significantly associated with a decreased duration of labor, even though it was no better than a placebo for the treatment of labor pain.

Stem cell transplantation and functional recovery after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hojjat-Allah Abbaszadeh,Somayeh Niknazar,Shahram Darabi,Navid Ahmady Roozbahany,Ali Noori-Zadeh,Seyed Kamran Ghoreishi,Maryam Sadat Khoramgah,Yousef Sadeghi 대한해부학회 2018 Anatomy & Cell Biology Vol.51 No.3

Spinal cord injury is a significant cause of motor dysfunctions. There is no definite cure for it, and most of the therapeutic modalities are only symptomatic treatment. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the effectiveness of stem cell therapy in the treatment of the spinal cord injuries in animal models was studied and evaluated. A systematic search through medical databases by using appropriate keywords was conducted. The relevant reports were reviewed in order to find out cases in which inclusion and exclusion criteria had been fulfilled. Finally, 89 articles have been considered, from which 28 had sufficient data for performing statistical analyses. The findings showed a significant improvement in motor functions after cell therapy. The outcome was strongly related to the number of transplanted cells, site of injury, chronicity of the injury, type of the damage, and the induction of immune-suppression. According to our data, improvements in functional recovery after stem cell therapy in the treatment of spinal cord injury in animal models was noticeable, but its outcome is strongly related to the site of injury, number of transplanted cells, and type of transplanted cells.

Fatty Acid Composition of Tissue Cultured Breast Carcinoma and the Effect of Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase 1 Inhibition

Fatemeh Mohammadzadeh,Gholamali Mosayebi,Vahid Montazeri,Maryam Darabi,Shabnam Fayezi,Maghsod Shaaker,Mohammad Rahmati,Behzad Baradaran,Amir Mehdizadeh,Masoud Darabi 한국유방암학회 2014 Journal of breast cancer Vol.17 No.2

Purpose: Stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) is a novel therapeutictarget in various malignancies, including breast cancer. Thepresent study was designed to investigate the effect of the pharmacologicinhibition of SCD1 on fatty acid composition in tissueexplant cultures of human breast cancer and to compare theseeffects with those in adjacent nonneoplastic breast tissue. Methods:Paired samples of tumor and adjacent noncancerous tissuewere isolated from 12 patients with infiltrating ductal breast cancer. Samples were explant cultured in vitro, exposed to the highlyselective SCD1 inhibitor CAY10566, and examined for fatty acidcomposition by gas liquid chromatography. The cytotoxic andantigrowth effects were evaluated by quantification of lactate dehydrogenaserelease and by sulforhodamine B (SRB) measurement,respectively. Results: Breast cancer tissue samples werefound to have higher levels of monounsaturated fatty acids(MUFA) (p<0.001) and arachidonic acid (20:4n-6, p<0.001) anda lower level of linoleic acid (18:2n-6, p=0.02) than the normalappearingbreast tissues. While exhibiting no evident cytotoxicity,treatment with the SCD1 inhibitor, CAY10566 (0.1-1 μM), for 48hours significantly increased 18:2n-6 levels in both the tumor andadjacent normal-appearing tissue (approximately 1.2 fold, p<0.05). However, the breast cancer tissue samples showed significantincreases in the levels of MUFA and 20:4n-6 compared tothe normal-appearing breast tissues (p<0.05). The SRB growthassay revealed a higher rate of inhibition with the SCD1 inhibitorin breast cancer tissues than in normal-appearing tissues (p<0.01, 41% vs. 29%). The SCD1 inhibitor also elevated saturatedfatty acid (1.46-fold, p=0.001) levels only in the tumor tissue explant. Conclusion: The fatty acid composition and response toSCD1 inhibition differed between the explant cultures from breastcancer and the adjacent normal-appearing tissue. Altered fattyacid composition induced by SCD1 inhibition may also, in additionto Δ9 desaturation, modulate other reactions in de novo fattyacid synthesis and lipogenesis, and subsequently affect theoverall survival and progression of breast cancer.