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Background and objectives: Chitosan is a preservative that is commonly used in food packaging due to forming a film with antimicrobial activity. Many antimicrobial agents have been used to control the growth of different bacteria, fungi and yeasts in food products using chitosan coating. The present research was conducted to examine inhibitory effects of a coating incorporated with the essential oils of Zataria multiflora (ZEO) and Bunium persicum (BEO) on the growth of Pseudomonas artificially inoculated onto salmon fillets over a period of 12 days at 4 °C.
Methods: The antibacterial activity of BEO against P. aeruginosa was evaluated using the microdilution method via determining minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. For the food model investigation, three P. aeruginosa strains were inoculated onto trout fillets as culture cocktail to assess their survival over 12 days of storage.
Results: The results indicated that ZEO and BEO had stronger inhibitory effect on P. aeruginosa in trout fillets when applied along with gel type nano-emulsion of chitosan solution. The separate use of each of these substances also significantly inhibited the growth of these pathogenic bacteria compared with the control. In addition, the use of chitosan coating without any antimicrobial agent affected the growth of P. aeruginosa.
Conclusion: The gel type nano-emulsion of chitosan coating containing ZEO and BEO can be applied on foodstuff, particularly fish and its products, as an antimicrobial agent.

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Background and objectives: Neutralized electrolyzed water (NEW) is a novel natural disinfectant. It has been suggested that application of NEW can improve the shelf life of fish. This study aimed to investigate effect of NEW incorporated in alginate coating on growth of Escherichia coli O₁₅₇: H₇ on salmon fillets over a period of 12 days.
Methods: Fish fillets were inoculated with E. coli O₁₅₇:H₇ and divided into six different treatment groups: control (no coating), distilled water, alginate, EW, EW & alginate (Samples coated with alginate solution prepared by EW), and EW+ alginate (samples immersed in EW, then coated with alginate solution). The fillets were kept at 4 °C, and the bacterial count was determined on days: 0, 2, 4, 8, and 12. Data analysis was performed using repeated ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoctest at statistical significance of 0.05.
Results: Treatment with alginate coating and EW alone could significantly reduce E. coli O₁₅₇: H₇ count on the salmon fillets. However, maximum reduction (1.27 log CFU/g) of bacteria was achieved when using alginate coating combined with EW.
Conclusion: According to the results, the combination of alginate coating with EW can be applied as a natural antimicrobial for increasing safety of food products, especially fish, against pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli O157: H7.

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Background and objectives: Vascular senescence refers to specific aging-associated changes in the endothelial cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of 12 weeks of resistance training with elastic bands on circulating endothelial cell-derived microRNA-92a and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in elderly women with osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO).
Methods: In the present randomized clinical trial, 48 elderly women with OSO were randomly divided into a control group (n=22) and an experimental group (n=26). The subjects in the intervention group performed 12 weeks of resistance training with elastic bands three times a week. The participants became familiar with targeted number of repetitions and OMNI-resistance exercise scale to control exercise intensity.
Results: The mean age, body fat percentage, body mass index (BMI), and bone mineral density T-score for the hip and L1-L4 lumbar spine of the subjects were 64.13±3.68 years, 45.4%±6.56, 33.1±3.71 kg/m², and -1.86±1.42, respectively. After the 12-week resistance training, we observed a significant decrease in serum level of mir-92a in the experimental group compared to the control group (p=0.03). However, there was no significant difference between the study groups in terms of body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, total cholesterol, and ET-1 (p≥0.05).
Conclusion: The 12-week resistance training program seems to modulate and decrease serum mir-92a expression in elderly women with OSO. The lack of a significant change in BMI, body fat percentage, and ET-1 levels following the exercise training might be due to the type and intensity of the exercises.

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Background and objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease, caused by abnormal innate and adaptive immune responses. Anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) are reliable biomarkers for diagnosing SLE. Here, we aimed to investigate the serum levels of anti-dsDNA and ANA antibodies, their diagnostic utilities, and their relationship with disease activity and clinical/laboratory manifestations in patients with suspected.
Methods: We evaluated the plasma levels of ANA and anti-dsDNA antibodies in all individuals with suspected SLE (n=668) who had been referred to rheumatology clinics in Gorgan, Iran. The level of antibodies as well as C3, C4, and CH50 were determined using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.
Results: The mean level of ANA and anti-dsDNA antibodies differed significantly between the ANA-positive and ANA-negative groups (p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the mean values of C3 (p=0.233), C4 (p=0.415, and CH50 (p=0.482) between the two groups. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between ANA and anti-dsDNA levels (p<0.001, r=0.50).
Conclusion: Our findings indicate that anti-dsDNA levels are higher in ANA-positive individuals, and there may be a positive correlation between ANA and anti-dsDNA levels. It is recommended to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic values of ANA and anti-dsDNA antibodies in future studies.

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Background: Colistin is the most significant last-line antibiotic for the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, especially the Enterobacteriaceae family. The emergence and rapid spread of the plasmid-mediated resistance gene, mcr-1 (mobilized colistin resistance), in some isolates of Escherichia coli in recent years provoked public health concerns since it has been shown that mcr-1 with other resistance genes, such as ESBLs (extended-spectrum beta-lactamases) and carbapenemases, could be carried on a single plasmid concurrently. The excessive consumption of colistin, particularly in the livestock industry, and the transmission of these resistant bacteria from livestock to humans may potentially increase the risk of the spread of resistance in humans. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the prevalence of mcr and carbapenem resistance genes among neonatal calves in Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran.
Methods: In the current study, 200 fecal samples from healthy and diarrheic neonatal calves (≤35 days old) were collected in Mashhad (190 E. coli strains were isolated). Antibiotic susceptibility to ceftazidime, cefepime, cefixime, meropenem, colistin, and ciprofloxacin was examined. The double-disk diffusion method (ceftazidime + ceftazidime/clavulanic acid) was performed on Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA) media to phenotypically distinguish the ESBL producers. Afterward, the Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method was used to detect colistin resistance genes (mcr-1, mcr-2, mcr-3, mcr-4, and mcr5), NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1), and OXA-48 as carbapenemases.
Results: The results of the resistance rate to antibiotics were cefepime, ceftazidime, cefixime, meropenem, and colistin. Based on the findings, 33.7% were phenotypically ESBL producers, 4.21% harbored mcr-1, and no NDM-1 or OXA-48 was detected. Among the mcr-1-positive isolates, 5 strains showed the ESBL phenotype.
Conclusion: The results highlight the need for continued monitoring of antibiotic resistance in livestock and the potential for transmission to humans. The findings also underscore the importance of responsible antibiotic use in both human and animal health to mitigate the spread of antibiotic resistance.