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Saline soils are widely spread in Iran. These intact soils are a great source for the isolation of new bacteria with highly functional metabolites in biotechnology. Actinomycete strains were isolated on starch casein agar and ISP2 with different concentrations of sodium chloride (0, 5 and 10%) from treated soil samples. Pure colonies were cultured on a casein glycerol medium. After complete growth, the plates were covered with a thin layer of Muller Hinton Agar (1%) containing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Active metabolites of selected strains were extracted and their antibacterial activities analyzed by agar well diffusion method. 38% of isolates produced antibiotics against the pathogen. The metabolites produced by act-2 and act-5 isolates, which had a more effective inhibition zone against MRSA, were extracted and anti MRSA activity of act-5 extract was shown. The antimicrobial activity of act-5 against other bacteria was also investigated and the bacterium was identified. In this study halophilic actinomycetes producing bioactive compounds were isolated from the saline soils of Qom and the anti-MRSA potential of their metabolites was investigated for the first time. The results of this study show the potential of saline soil actinomycetes for the production of useful metabolites.


 

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New properties of nano-materials have made nanotechnology the leading part of biology and medical sciences. Due to their various biomedical properties, iron-based magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been highly considered by biological researchers. Nowadays, increasing resistance to antibiotics is a major problem in treating clinical infections. Finding new antibacterial agents is therefore essential for the treatment of resistant strains. In this study, the iron oxide MNPs were produced using culture-medium supernatant of a newly isolated bacterium to investigate the inhibitory effects of the NPs on strains with a major role in clinical infections. Biosynthesis of iron oxide MNPs were detected by UV-Vis spectroscopy and the average size of particles was estimated by dynamic light scattering technique. The anti-bacterial activity of these NPs against E. coli and S. aureus was investigated using methods for the calculation of bacterial sensitivity coefficient. In the presence of NPs, the highest sensitivity coefficient value was observed for E. coli in 1xMIC concentration. On the other hand, S. aureus showed the lowest value. The death rate of the two strains in contact with NPs followed the first order kinetic equation and the survival rate decreased with the increase of exposure time. The results of this study as well as the high functionality of iron oxide MNPs, make its application desirable in the prevention and treatment of clinical infections.

 

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Irisin is a myokine secreted mostly by muscles after exercise, and its secretion level changes in metabolic disorders. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of metformin on changes in the levels of plasma irisin, blood glucose and insulin resistance in male Sprague-Dawley rats receiving a high-fat emulsion diet. Twenty-four rats were divided into a normal control group (n = 8) and a high-fat diet group (n = 16). Then, high-fat diet group was divided into two subgroups, including high-fat diet control group (n = 8) and metformin group (n = 8). The normal control group received a standard diet. The high-fat diet control group received a high-fat emulsion diet containing corn oil by gavage on a daily basis for six weeks, and the metformin group received a high-fat emulsion diet with metformin (250 mg/kg/daily). At the end of the six-week period, factors such as glucose, insulin, irisin, Adiponectin, insulin resistance, liver enzymes, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), serum lipid profile, lipid profile and lipid peroxidation in liver were measured and PGC-1α gene expression were examined in adipose tissue by Real-time PCR method. Liver histological tests with hematoxylin-eosin staining were performed to evaluate fat accumulation in liver tissue. Blood glucose level, insulin resistance, adiponectin, serum irisin level and liver lipid profile in the group receiving high-fat diet compared to the normal control group increased significantly (P <0. 05). Treatment with metformin caused a significant decrease in the level of these parameters compared to the high-fat diet group (P <0. 05) and an increase in the expression of PGC-1α gene in adipose tissue was observed in this group. As insulin resistance increased in rats receiving the high-fat diet, serum irisin level also increased, and with improving blood glucose and insulin resistance by metformin, serum irisin level was decreased. These results suggested that the elevated irisin levels may be a compensatory response to insulin resistance and impaired glucose metabolism. Hence, irisin could be considered as a potential target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

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 O Using the Maxent model and presence data for two species, Androctonus crassicauda and A. sistanus, from the scorpions of Sistan and Baluchestan province, which were collected through sampling and reviewing previous studies in the region, predictions have been made regarding their potential distribution. The results of this research, which predicts some ecological characteristics of scorpions, showed that the distribution of both species is greater in the northern regions of the province, and this distribution is expected to increase in the future. The average temperature in the wettest season of the year (Bio8), the amount of precipitation in the coldest month of the year (Bio19), and vegetation have played a role in modeling the current distribution of the species A. crassicauda, while the average temperature in the wettest season of the year (Bio8), vegetation, and the annual temperature range (Bio7) have been significant for the future (2070). Precipitation in the driest month of the year (Bio18) and vegetation cover have the gr