Resistance status of main malaria vector,Liston (Diptera:Culicidae) to insecticides in a malaria Endemic Area,Southern Iran

Objective: To evaluate the susceptibility of Anopheles stephensi(An. stephensi) Liston, the main malaria vector in southern Iran, to WHO recommended insecticides. Methods: Larvae of An. stephensi were collected from three different larval habitats in both urban and rural area of Bandar Abbas city and one rural area in Rudan county southern Iran. WHO standard method was used for evaluation of adult and larval mosquito susceptibility. Bendiocarb, permethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin as insecticide and temephos and chlorpyriphos as larvicide were used at the diagnostic dosages recommended by WHO. Results: Findings of this study showed all larval populations of An. stephensi were completely susceptible to temephos and candidate for resistance to chlorpyriphos. Adult mosquitoes in rural areas of Bandar Abbas city were resistant to pyrethroid and carbamate insecticides. Conclusion: Comparison of the results of this survey with previous studies indicates that the resistance to pyrethroids and carbamates in this malaria endemic region is increasing. Wide use of pesticides in agriculture is certainly effective in increasing resistance. The inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration in health and agriculture seem to be necessary to manage insecticide resistance in malaria vectors.     

Antibacterial Activity of the Crude Extracts and Fractionated Constituents of Myrtus communis

The antibacterial activity of methanol crude extract of Myrtus communis L. (Myriaceae) was evaluated against 10 laboratory strains of microorganisms, including 6 Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Listeria monocytogenes) and 4 Gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Campylobacter jejuni). The crude extract inhibited the growth of all tested bacteria except C. jejuni. The inhibition zone diameter for 0.5 mg/ml of the crude extract (fraction M) varies from 18 mm for S. aureus to 8 mm for S. agalactiae, and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) range from 0.1 for S. aureus and M. luteus to over 2 mg/ml for E. coli. Further extraction of fraction M with diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and ethanol results in 6 different fractions (M1-M6). These fractions were screened for antibacterial activity against the non-fastidious bacteria (S. aureus, M. luteus, E. coli, P. vulgaris, and P. aeruginosa). The diethyl ether extracted fraction (fraction M1) showed the highest level of activity in comparison to fraction M and other fractions. The MIC for S. aureus and M. luteus were reduced from 0.1 in the fraction M to 0.025 mg/ml in fraction M1 and for E. coli and P. aeruginosa was reduced from over 1 mg/ml in fraction M to 0.1 mg/ml in fraction M1. Essential oil was also active against the tested bacteria, and M. luteus showed the highest level of sensitivity (MIC 1 : 1600). The presence of antibacterial activity in different fractions and essential oil indicates that the extract possesses different compounds, which have different activities.     

Unusual Ectopic Pregnancies

Ectopic pregnancy is a considerable source of morbidity and mortality for women of childbearing age. Improved detection and increased risk factors have led to a dramatic rise in the incidence of ectopic pregnancy in recent years. Early diagnosis is critical for the health of the patient as well as the success rate of future pregnancies. Besides laparoscopy, sonography is the mainstay for evaluating ectopic pregnancy. It is important to understand the sonographic features of ectopic pregnancies, including unusual cases that occur outside the fallopian tube.     

Bin1 attenuation in breast cancer is correlated to nodal metastasis and reduced survival

Clinical outcomes in breast cancer are likely influenced by modifier genes that affect tumor dormancy versus progression. The Bin1 gene encodes a nucleocytosolic adapter protein that suppresses neoplastic cell transformation and that is often attenuated in human breast carcinoma. Recent mouse genetic studies indicate that Bin1 loss cooperates with ras activation to drive progression of mammary carcinoma, establishing Bin1 as a negative modifier of tumor progression in breast cancer. In this study, we investigated whether immunohistochemical losses of nuclear Bin1 proteins in cases of human breast cancer were correlated to progression status. In American and Japanese groups of low or middle grade breast cancers, losses were associated with reduced survival and increased nodal metastasis, respectively. Taken together with recent findings from mouse genetic studies, these findings encourage further evaluation of the potential utility of Bin1 as a clinical prognostic marker in breast cancer.