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       Continuous environmental monitoring is one of the important principles of management and is environmental assessment axis, and molluscs are one of the biological indicators of ecosystem quality. For this purpose, snails and slugs were collected and identified in the east of Tehran province which during it according to the availability, habitat diversity and geomorphological differences in more than 3251 samples from five microclimates were collected and identified. Specimens were gathered by hand, sweeping net and other techniques from aquatic plants, rotten underwood, shrubs and weeds, their geograical and regional properties were recorded and transfered to laboratory. Then through available morphological identification keys, specimens were identified as 19 species belonging to 13 genera and 10 families based on morphometric characteristics, including (shape and size of operculum, aperture, dextral or sinistral profile of their shell, pneumostome, keel, radula, renal ridge and reproduction system) and the comparison of photos and the identification key of these taxons were prepared and discussed:
Bithynia tentaculata (Linnaeus, 1758), Physella acuta (Draparnaud,1805), Lymnaea truncatula (Müller, 1774), , Lymnaea palusris (Müller, 1774) , Lymnaea pereger (Müller, 1774) , Lymnaea gedrosiana (Annandale and Prashad, 1919), Planorbis planorbis (Linnaeus, 1758), Gyraulus euphraticus(Mousson, 1874), Gyraulus convexiusculus (Hutton, 1849), Succinea putris (Linnaeus, 1758), Helicella krynickii (Krynicki, 1833), Helicella derbentina(Krynicki, 1836), Caucasotachea atrolabiata (Krynicki, 1833), * Monacha cartusiana (Müller, 1774), Oxychilus herzi (Boettger, 1889), Agriolimax agrestis=Deroceras reticulatum (Müller, 1774), *Theba pisana (Müller, 1774), Parmacella ibera Eichwald, 1841, Planorbis carinatus Müller, 1774.
Two species marked with an asterisk are new records for Iranian mollusc fauna. In this study, among the samples collected, the largest families in terms of species diversity are Planorbidae with four species (Planorbis planorbis, Gyraulus euphraticus, Gyraulus convexiusculus, Planorbis carinatus), Lymnaeidae with four species (Lymnaea truncatula, Lymnaea gedrosiana, Lymnaea palustris, Lymnaea pereger) and Helicidae with four species: Helicella krynickii, Helicella derbentina, Caucasotachea atrolabiata, Theba pisana. The highest and lowest species diversity among the identified species with 18 and 5 species are related to stations 4 and 5 of the investigated areas respectively. The whole collection will be kept permanently in the Zoology Museum of Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection.

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This investigation was conducted to compare the photosynthetic indices in ironwood trees infected by Viscum album L. and healthy trees located both in stand and out of stand in plain forest of Tamishan, Nour city. In each position, five healthy and five infected trees were selected and photosynthetic parameters, stomatal conductance, transpiration and internal CO₂ were examined. Results showed that the amount of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in healthy and infected branches were varied depending on the position of trees, individual trees and branch type. The amount of transpiration and internal CO₂ were significantly different in healthy and infected branches. The highest amount of photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration and internal CO₂ both within and out of stand, were measured in healthy trees (except for stomatal conductance in out of stand). Both within and out of stand, healthy branch of infected tree indicates higher level of photosynthetic activity compared with infected branch. Also, twofold comparison of the four parameters investigated showed that photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration and internal CO₂ in healthy branches within stand were higher than those out of stand. It was also discovered that Viscum album caused disruption in photosynthetic activities of the host plant that, is why conducting supplementary studies in this regard is suggested to future researchers.

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Origanum vulgare was used as an effective herbal for infertility treatment in traditional medicine. The present study compared the effects of the hydroalcoholic extract of the air branch of Origanum vulgare, LHRH-A_2, and17β-estradiol on the ultrastructure of oocyte and pituitary in immature Trichogaster trichopterus. For this purpose 60 pieces of Trichogaster trichopterus with average weight of 2.1±1gram were divided into 6 groups: saline, placebo, ethanol and 3 experimental groups (Origanum vulgare and 17β-estradiol at a dose of 50 mg/kg and LHRH-A₂ at a dose of 0.005 mg/kg) (each group 10 fish). Fish were injected intra-muscularly, one dose every other day and seven doses in total. Ultrastructure of oocyte and anterior pituitary in the three treatments were measured and compared with control treatments. The results showed that the size of oocytes follicle and the mean diameter of Golgi vesicles in Origanum vulgare treatment was higher than that in LHRH-A₂ treatment, but there were lesser than that in 17beta-estradiol treatment (p≤0.05). The results of the ultrastructural comparision of the anterior pituitary showed that in Origanum vulgare treatment the number of small cells increased and made a few large granules in gonadotroph cells. In fish treated with 17β-estradiol the number of large granules increased significantly, whereas in LHRH-A₂ treatment large granules were lysed and stimulation was complete. The present results suggested that the Origanum vulgare affected Trichogaster trichopterus fertility.

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Dittrichia graveolens (Asteraceae) is an aromatic and annual plant. The aim of this study is the evaluation of total phenolic, flavonoid and flavonol content, the antioxidant activities and other important medicinal secondary metabolites of this plant. According to the results, the total amount of phenols and flavonoid in different plant organs of D. graveolens were different in a way that the content of total phenols and flavonoid in the flowers and leaves were significantly more than the stems and roots. The content of flavonol in the flowers, leaves and stems were not significantly different, and the lowest content was observed in the roots. In addition, the linear and significant correlation coefficient was found between the antioxidant activity and the phenolic compounds in the extracts of different organs of the plant. The main components in different extracts were Bornyl acetate and α-Cadinol in flower extract, Borneol, Bornyl acetate, Thymol and Calarene in leaf extract and PMAMOMPE, Safrole, Carvacryl acetate, Vulgarone B and Bornyl acetate in root extract. On the whole, the current results compared with the results of other researchers indicates the remarkable impact of plant habitat on the quality and quantity of pharmaceutical compounds in different organs of the plant

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and is the second leading cause of death in women after lung cancer. Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are among endogenous factors which are involved in many types of cancers, including breast cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the miRNAs, might change their biological activities such as their effects on oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Therefore some of miRNA’s SNPs are associated with the risk of different types of cancer, including breast cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between SNP rs11614913 in mir196a2 and the risk of breast cancer. SNP rs11614913 in hsa-miR-196a2 analyzed in 100 breast cancer cases and 100 controls in women living in southern Iran. Polymorphism was identified by the PCR-RFLP method. The PCR product was digested with TaaI restriction enzyme which produced two bands with the length of 187bp and 196bp. The data from this case –control study were analyzed using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to reveal the associations of SNPs in miRNAs with breast cancer susceptibility. The C allele frequencies in patients and controls for miR-196a2 were 0.74 and 0.75, respectively. The genotype frequencies of TT, TC, and CC were 0.05, 0.42, and 0.53 for the patients and 0.06, 0.38, and 0.56 for the controls, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the genetic frequencies for this SNP were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p>0.05). The results of this study indicated no significant association between SNP rs11614913 in mir196a2 and the risk of breast cancer. 

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In this survey, anatomical characteristics of leaves in 35 populations belonging to 18 taxa of Scrophularia have been studied. Among 39 quantitative and qualitative anatomical characters, some have more suitable taxonomic value for differentiation of taxa, such as blade thickness, thickness of upper and lower cuticle of midrib, length of upper and lower palisade parenchyma of blade, thickness of lower epidermis wall of midrib, thickness of upper and lower epidermis of blade, rows of spongy parenchyma of blade, upper collenchyma type of midrib and the presence of idioblast. Finally, comparison of the results of the current study together with Grau’s (1981) results confirm the validity of 4 groups out of the 12 groups which he had introduced. As for the remaining groups, no noticeable concordance was found.

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Since administration of androgens has been considered appreciable in hair follicle growth and wound healing, therefore the main objective in this study is evaluation the effect of sheep testis extract on improvement and growth of hair follicle and regeneration of injured Wistar rat skin. In this experimental study, rats were randomly divided into 7 groups, control (negative control), sham (treatment with physiologic serum), experimental group 1 (treatment with 100% sheep testis extract), experimental group 2 (treatment with 75% extract), experimental group 3 (treatment with 50% extract), positive control 1 (treatment with honey) for evaluation of wound healing and positive control 2 (treatment with Minoxidil) for evaluation of hair follicle growth. Then, rats were killed after and removed approximate wound skin, fixed in 10% formalin, kept in paraffin block. In addition, it was prepared serial section with 6 µm thickness and performed hematoxylin eosin staining. Then, epidermal thickness, the number of fibroblast, basal cells, inflammatory cells, vessel bud and hair follicle were assessed. Statistical analysis was performed by one way ANOVA, Tukey test at p ˃0.05. The results showed that wound healing process, hair follicle formation, the re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, the number of basal cell, fibroblasts, and the number of follicles was significantly improved in the experimental group 1, 2, rather than control group (p ˃0.05).  Results of this study demonstrated that the sheep testis extract induced improvement in regeneration process, wound healing and hair follicle growth in rats which can be suggested as an appreciable candidate due to rich source of androgen and growth factors in clinical wound healing studies.

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The peduncle anatomy in 35 populations, which belonged to 18 taxa of Scrophularia L., were studied. Am-ong 37 quantitative and qualitative characters related to peduncle anatomy, several traits showed more taxonomic value for taxa delimitation, including presence of palisade parenchyma and the number of its layers, the presence of phloem fiber, the presence of bundle sheath, the presence of lamellar collenchyma at ridge location and the number of its layers, the dimensions of cross section, thickness of vascular bundle, the dimensions of pith parenchyma, thickness of xylem, thickness of parenchymatous part and thickness of lamellar collenchyma at ridge location. Finally, in comparison with the results obtained by Grau (1981), in which 12 groups have been introduced, the current study confirms the validity of 3 groups. However, for the remaining groups, no noticeable concordance was found.

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This study aimed to recycle sawdust and blood powder using Eisenia foetida earthworm and investigate some biochemical changes of these waste materials during vermicomposting. Blood powder was mixed with sawdust in proportions of 0, 5 and 10% and the mixture was allowed to pass through earthworm guts for four months. At intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12 and 16 weeks, the biological activity (i.e. basal respiration), pH, EC, total organic carbon, total nitrogen and C:N ratio were determined. The results showed that the period of time, the concentration of blood powder and the interaction between these two significantly affected all parameters. As the incubation time increases, the cumulative amount of mineralized carbon, the total nitrogen and EC increase in all vermicompost treatments whereas organic carbon, C:N ratio and  pH decreased. Adding blood powder to sawdust bed resulted in an increase in carbon mineralization rate, EC and total nitrogen while pH, organic carbon and C: N ratio decreased. At the end of incubation time, the treatment of sawdust with 10 % blood powder resulted in the highest amount of released CO₂ (142.1 µg C g^-1), EC (3.7 dS m^-1) and total nitrogen (2.24 %) and the lowest amount of pH (6.6), organic carbon (22.5 %) and C: N ratio (12.4). According to the results, the process of vermicomposting can be used as a safe method for the disposal of sawdust and blood powder

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With the increase of cancer disease and the side-effects of the current treatments, researchers are attempting to find methods with less side-effect. The fern Adiantum capillus-veneris L. has triterpenoid compounds which have anti-tumor characteristics. This study aims to investigate the fatal effect of the extract of this plant on breast cancer (MCF-7) and normal (MRC-5) cell lines using MTT method. A. capillus-veneris specimens were collected from Marzoon Abad Village and were dried at the temperature of 40° C by the use of Soxhlet and Ethanol % 96. Hydroalcoholic extract was produced from the aerial and underground parts of this plant and 3 fractions, i.e., Hexane, Chloroform and Ethyl acetate, were prepared from the extract. The compounds of the plant extract were identified by GC-Mass. The results demonstrate the presence of polyphenolic compounds, terpenoid, fatty acids, wax, alkaloid, N-oxide and fibers, with strong antioxidant effect. The results of the MTT test proved that this extract had a dose-depending fatal effect on the MCF-7 cells and is capable of eradicating the cancer cells. On the other hand, its effect on cancer cells is more than its effect on normal cells. Also, IC₅₀ in both of cell lines induced by the extracts of aerial and underground parts showed a significant difference. The fatal characteristics of the extract are comparable with the cisplatin anti-cancer drug.
 

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Gypsophila hispida, sect. Hispidae, is reported for the first time from NW Iran. Illustrations, morphological and palynological descriptions and distribution are provided in detail, along with a key for the six taxa of subgen. Hagenia from Iran.
 

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Impranil DLN is a class of plastics belonging to the polyurethane family with high application in textile industries. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of native strain to degrade impranil DLN. In this study, yeast strains were isolated from different areas and purified in minimal medium containing 1% impranil. Isolate NS-10 was selected as the superior strain capable of degrading impranil and identified through PCR and ITS gene. Esterase, urease and protease assays were carried out for the superior strain. Finally, the biodegradation of impranil was investigated. In total, 40 yeast strains were isolated and isolate NS-10 was selected as a superior strain based on impranil removal assay. NS-10 strain was identified as Sarocladium kiliense with 100% homology. Enzymatic assays showed that the S.kiliense could produce esterase, urease and protease. In addition, it could produce significant clear zones on impranil plates. Degradation rate for impranil was 100% for 10 g/l within 14 days. Finally, S.kiliense was taken to medium containing pure polyurethane film and the capacity of degradation was investigated by the scanning electron microscopy. Our results indicated that S.kiliense is capable of degrading impranil. These results could contribute to a better insight into the mechanism of plastic biodegradation.
 
 

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Astragalus semnanensis Bornm. & Rech. belongs to sect. Semnanensis, of thorny astragali and A. fridae, of non-thorny astragali, belongs to sect. Incani are the only endemic gypsophyllic species in western Semnan. The morphological and systematical studies available on these two species are scarce. Nor have the anatomical, distribution and adaptive capabilities in relation to soil and elevation of these species been investigated yet. Therefore, this study is aimed to comparatively investigate these features. The effect of soil and elevation on the anatomy, morphology and micro-morphology of the leaves of both species, as well as associated plant species, were analyzed using RDA and CCA analytical methods, Canoco 4.5 software. Comparison of RDA analysis of both species indicated that gypsum had the highest effect on the abundance of both species, while elevation had a strongly positive correlation with A. fridae and a negative correlation with A. semnanensis. Both species adsorb gypsum on their epidermis and part of the gypsum absorbed is accumulated in leaf parenchyma cells as calcium sulfate crystals. Adaptability of leaf surface is in the form of long and dense hairs which, in A. semnanensis, are longer and basifixed and, in A. fridae, thicker and medifixed. Increase in soil Ec and Na, K and Mg content and content of CaCO₃ reduce both species abundances. Species such as Acantholimon cymosum and Prunus lycioides were found to be associated with A. semnanensis and species such as Moltkia gypsaceae and Euphorbia gypsicola with A. fridae.
 

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Lipase is used in the production of foods, flavor enhancers, detergents, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. A common impediment to the production of commercial enzymes is their low-stability aqueous solutions. In this study, the downstream process was investigated to obtain a stable spray-dried lipase powder of Yarrowia lipolytica. The enzyme solution samples were supplemented with different concentrations of Arabic gum and milk powder to spray-drying. Samples were dried in a pilot spray dryer at inlet and outlet temperatures of 175 and 85 °C, respectively, at a flow rate of 15 liters per hour. The best lipase powder obtained from spray-drying with 3% of Arabic gum and 9% of milk powder formulation as compared with other formulations. Results showed that spray-dried lipase powders of Y. lipolytica had a good yield suitable for various applications.
 
 

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The purpose of this research was to identify the structural adaptations in three populations of Convolvulus persicus L. on coastal areas in Mazandaran Province, whose populations of which are severely reducing due to the intense environmental stresses of the coastal zone. In general, annular collenchyma, isobilateral mesophyll, amphiphloic siphonostele, abundant presence of laticiferous tubes, numerous druse crystals and the presence of periderm in rhizome can be introduced as the most important morpho-anatomical strategies utilized against harsh environmental conditions. Sari population was foud to have the most various structural toleration mechanisms in comparison with Babolsar and Nour populations. Few differences were observed in anatomical characteristics in the three populations of Convolvulus persicus as the evidence for high intra-specific phenotypic variability, leading to local adaptation and increase of the tolerability of plants against environmental changes.
 
 

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Plants have been used as medicines in the treatment of diseases from the past to present. In this research, the anti-microbial effects of aqueous and methanolic extracts of Erythrostemon gilliesii were studied. For this purpose, fresh flowers were ground and then macerated in methanol 100% and water overnight. After the evaporation of solvents, anti-microbial activities of the concentrated extracts were evaluated by the well-diffusion method on Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Methicilin resistance, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans. The results showed that the extracts were effective on different bacteria and yeasts. In order to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum biocidal concentration (MBC), anti-microbial tests were performed in micro-plates. Subsequently, the results indicated that the extracts were stable at different temperatures. The aqueous and methanolic extracts of the flowers of E. gilliesii had exhibited anti-microbial effects against important infectious microbes and could be introduced as an excellent source for anti-microbial agents.
 
 

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Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii and is transmitted by more than 40 tick species. This study aimed to identify the tick species in goats of Meshkin-Shahr, Ardabil Province, Iran, and their role in the transmission of C. burnetii. A number of 365 goats were inspected for the infestation of hard ticks in a randomized sampling design, during a 1-year period from April 2013 to April 2014. A total number of 280 tick specimens were collected and identified and were then examined by molecular methods for the presence of C. burnetii infection. 40.8% of the infected animals had at least one species of tick. The goats which were studied were found to be infested by the following tick species: Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum (33.9%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus (22.1%), Rhipicephalus turanicus (17.1%), Hyalomma excavatum (11.1%), Rhipicephalus bursa (5%), Hyalomma detritum (3.9%), Hyalomma dromedarii (3.6%), Hyalomma asiaticum asiaticum (1.8%), and Hyalomma marginatum (1%). There were no significant differences between the infestation rate in different seasons, genders and ages of the animals which were studied (p=0.05). The molecular assay of 280 tick specimens revealed the presence of C. burnetii infection in 5 out of 40 pool samples (6-8 tick individuals of the same species in each pool), including H. anatolicum anatolicum (3 pools), H. excavatum (1 pool) and R. sanguineus (1 pool). The present study, therefore, reports the rate of C. burnetii infection transmitted by hard ticks in North-West of Iran for the first time. According to the zoonotic aspect of Q fever, further studies on the carriers as well as other hosts of the infection were found to be necessary.

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Punica granatum leaf extracts have been used since time immemorial in traditional medicines. It is used for its antioxidant properties. Green nanoparticle synthesis is an emerging field which has opened an entirely different scope for medicinal formulations. It has been reported by many users that the green nanoparticles are more effective medicines as compared with their simple extracts. Thus, in order to evaluate these speculations, the present work was undertaken to assess the hepatoprotective activity of silver nanoparticles synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Punica granatum in comparison with the aqueous extract. After CCl₄ intoxication the serum bilirubin total increased significantly (p<0.05) and the total protein level decreased significantly (p<0.05) as compared with the control group; in addition, alkaline phosphatase activity, aspartate aminotransferase activity and alanine transaminase activity increased significantly (p<0.05). The CCl₄ intoxicated rats were treated with aqueous leaf extract and synthesized nanoparticles, the results clearly revealed that the aqueous extract of Punica granatum showed hepatoprotective effect, as the liver profile altered by CCl₄ toxicity, recovered to normal control values. Moreover, the nanoparticles synthesized using aqueous leaf extract of Punica granatum were comparatively more effective as hepatoprotective agent than the aqueous extract of Punica granatum.
 
 
 

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In this study, the phylogeny and morphological variation of 6 species of the genus Cousinia sect. Stenocephalae, i.e., C. hypopolia, C. decipiens, C. esfandiarii, C. renominata, C. stahliana and C. daryoushiana, distributed in NE regions of Iran, were investigated. ITS, ETS and rpl32-trnL ^(UAG) sequences for 12 species (17 specimens) were generated. Phylogenetic interspecies relationships were constructed by Bayesian method and likelihood analysis. The specimens were also investigated in terms of morphological characters. Despite very similar morphological characters and geographical distributions, the separation of these species was confirmed by the obtained results of the molecular data (combined data of plastid and nuclear sequences). On the basis of the present study, the above-mentioned species were almost separated from each other by morphological characters and molecular data. A diagnostic key and the description of these species were also presented. These results did not conform with the previous palynological and anatomical studies of the species.