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This study was conducted in order to measure glucose, cholesterol and hematocrit as indicators to evaluate the effect of caraway seeds meal (CSM) on the health and resistance of common carp to salinity stress. To attain this goal, fish (2.457±0.057 g) were divided into four groups fed on diets containing different levels of CSM; 0 (control), 0.5, 1 and 1.5%. After 56 days of feeding, blood samples of the fish were obtained in five stages (once before and four times after stress) to evaluate glucose, cholesterol and hematocrit levels. The experiments indicated that salinity sign-ificantly affected glucose, cholesterol and hematocrit. On the first day after stress, the hematocrit and glucose levels were considerably increased in all groups compared with their levels before stress. After stress, cholesterol level signif-icantly decreased in all groups compared to before stress. The level of hematocrit indicated no significant difference among the groups before and after stress. On the first day after stress, the glucose levels significantly increased in trea-ted groups with CSM compared with the control group. The glucose and hematocrit levels were decreased gradually in all groups from the third day on. After stress, no differences were observed for survival rates among the experimental diets. However, the highest survival rate belonged to treated groups with CSM. The overall result indicated that the suplement of CSM has a positive influence on the glucose, hematocrit and resistance of common carp to salinity stress.

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A revision was carried out on the genus Lappula Moench (Boraginaceae) in Khorassan provinces. A total of herbarium specimens collected from different parts of the studied area, including the three provinces of North, Razavi and South Khorassan, were studied. All specimens are deposited in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad Herbarium, (FUMH). According to the results of the study, there are 6 Lappula species in the region: L. barbata, L. microcarpa, L. semiglabra, L. sessiliflora, L. sinaica and L. spinocarpos. In addition, by revising the annual specimens that had been previously misidentified as L. drobovii, a perennial species, these specimens were identified as L. sessiliflora. Identification key, distribution map and species pictures in this article have been presented.

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Secondary metabolites have great pharmaceutical value in medicine. This study evaluates the effect of alti-tude on the amount and variety of secondary metabolites in lavender plant from two sites located in Mazandaran prov-ince. Sampling was performed in a randomized design with three replications. After the plants were dried, essential oil was extracted by distillation. Isolation and identification of constituents of the oil were performed by gas chromato-graphy and gas chromatography connected to mass spectroscopy. The results of this research led to the identification of 22 (99.96% of the total constituents) and 24 (97.01% of the total constituents) constituents in Baladeh and Behshahr sa-mples, respectively. Characteristics constituents included Andoyorneol (22.36%), 1, 8 cineole (20.7%), camphor (8.69%), α-Cadinol (7.60%), Caryophyllene oxide (5.09%) and Propanol (18.4%) in Behshahr population samples and Borneol (26.78%), 1, 8 cineole (20.19%), camphor (9.59%), α-Cadinol (5.80%), caryophyllene oxide (4.99%) and pr-opanol (3.41%) in Baladeh population samples. The differences in the output and combination of the essential oils in-dicated that the environmental as well as genetic factors can affect the production and amounts of the chemical comp-ounds in medical plants. Therefore, medicinal plants should be cultured in proper areas based on the aim of cultivation and the desired type of active materials.

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In recent years, the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in numerous physiological processes, particularly the mitigation of stress-induced negative effects on plants, has been clarified. Under salinity conditions, plants are subjected to a secondary oxidative stress.  The present work was designed to examine the exogenous application of nitric oxide (NO), in the form of its donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP), in mitigating the deleterious effects of salinity on Zygoph-yllum fabago L. plants. SNP (200 µM) was applied to plants growing medium under saline (200 and 400 mM NaCl) and non-saline conditions. Growth, oxidative stress markers [cell membrane stability index (MSI) and H₂O₂ conc-entration], antioxidant enzymes activities [peroxidase (POX, EC 1.11.1.7) and catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6)], as well as the contents of some antioxidant compounds (flavonoids and carotenoids) were determined. Salinity lowered the shoot and root dry weights, while it enhanced peroxidase and catalase activities. High salinity increased H₂O₂; however, it de-creased the carotenoids content of leaves. Exogenous NO enhanced the growth, MSI, flavonoids and carotenoids co-ntents of salinized plants. In salinity plus SNP treated plants, H₂O₂ concentration and the activities of the examined en-zymes were reduced. Data suggest that a cooperative process is performed by the antioxidant systems in Syrian bean ca-per in order to cope with salinity. Also, the application of exogenous NO was found to be useful in the mitigation of salinity-induced oxidative stress in plants.

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The species Astragalus podolobus is one of the endemic species of winter pastures that grows in arid and semi-arid areas in the north of Gonbad-e Kavous. To investigate effective methods of breaking seed dormancy of Astr-agalus podolobus, an experiment was carried out in the framework of a completely randomized design with 15 treatm-ents and 3 replications. Treatments included controls, 98% sulfuric acid, dry chilling for 10 and 15 days, wet chilling for 10 and 15 days, and boiling water 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 minute, respectively. Analysis of variance showed that the perc-entage and speed of germination were significant in different groups while the average time of germination in different treatments was not significant. The results of comparing mean values showed that the percentage and the speed of germination in boiling water treatments were best in comparison with other treatments with significant differences. The results of this experiment also showed that reducing the exposure time of seeds to boiling water increases the germination percentage and speed, consequently, the highest percentage and speed of germination was observed in boil-ing water 1 minute. Boiling water 1 minute treatment can increase the germination percentage up to 47% and the seed germination speed from 0.43 to 3.09 seeds per day

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In cholestasis syndrome, the change of bile acids, salts, endotoxins and opioidsis is accompanied with hepaticencephalopathy and brain trauma; therefore, in this study, the histopathological changes of hippocampus after bile duct ligation were investigated. This study was performed on male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into three groups, namely the control, sham and cholestatic groups. After two weeks, the rats were killed under anesth-esia and their brains were dissected with no delay. The specimens were processed routinely and were sectioned into slices of 6-micron thickness. The sections were stained by Hematoxiline-Eosin (H&E) method. Subsequently, they were studied using optical microscope. Necrotic cells, the diminution of cell density and wrinkled chromatic nuclei were observed in hippocampus section. In addition, the thickness of hippocampus was mostly decreased. However, in the sham and control groups no changes were observed. Since endotoxin causes tissue trauma, the increase of en-dotoxin may result in tissue changes in the brain.

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Septohippocampal system plays an important role in regulating fear and anxiety behaviors. In this study, the effects of histamine injected into the dorsal hippocampus and opioidergic agents into medial septum on the anxiety-like behaviors in rats were analyzed, using the Elevated Plus-Maze (EPM) test. Injection of 1 and 5 μg/rat histamine into dorsal hippocampus had no effect on anxiety-like behavior, while injection of 10 μg/rat histamine increased the percentage of open arm time (%OAT) and open arm entry (%OAE), which indicated the anxiolytic effects of histamine. Microinjection of morphine, μ-opioid receptor agonist, into the medial septum (1μg/rat) increased the (%OAT) and (%OAE). Doses of 0.25, 0.5 μg/rat morphine had no effect on anxiety. Co-administration of histamine ineffective dose (1μg/rat) to the dorsal hippocampus and ineffective dose of morphine (0.25µg/rat) to the medial septum increased the (%OAT) and (%OAE). Subsequently, injection of different doses of naloxone (1, 2, 4 µg/rat), as an opioid receptor antagonist, into the medial septum in the presence and absence of an effective dose of histamine (10 µg/rat) in the dorsal hippocampus, was studied. Injection of naloxone (4 µg/rat) into medial septum decreased the (%OAT) and (%OAE), but did not alter the locomotor activity, which indicated the anxiogenic effects of naloxone. Simultaneous injection of histamine (10 µg/rat) into dorsal hippocampus with doses of naloxone (1, 2, 4 µg/rat) into the medial septum, indicate anxiolytic effects and increased %OAT and %OAE in Elevated Plus Maze, although when the dose of naloxone was 4μg/rat, this effect was less observed. The results indicate that hippocampus histaminergic system interact with medial septum opioidergic system and the interaction of these systems modulates anxiety behavior.

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Three types of chitin as α (exoskeleton of crustaceans), β (cuttlebone of cephalopods) and γ (some fungal cell wall) exist in nature. Chitosan is the most important derivative of chitin, which has various biological activities. In this study, α, β and γ-chitosans were extracted from Portunus segnis exoskeleton, Sepia pharonis cuttlebone and Aspergillus niger cell wall, respectively. Samples of crab and sepia from Bandar Abbas coastal waters were gathered in the summer of 2014 and samples of Aspergillus niger (PTCC 5223) were obtained from the Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST). The amount of chitosan extracted from the Crab was significantly higher than other samples. Antimicrobial properties of these three types of chitosan were explored against 9 bacterial and 2 fungal strains using disc diffusion method. On average α chitosan and γ chitosan revealed to have highest and lowest antimicrobial activities, respectively. Antibacterial properties of chitosan extracts were more than their antifungal properties. Gram negative bacteria as well as gram positive bacteria were sensitive to three types of chitosan. According to observed results, all three types of chitosans have good antimicrobial activities, and further investigations are suggested.

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Wild grapevine, Vitis vinifera subsp. sylvestris is considered as a rare species in Europe and Iran and possesses restricted distribution due to threatening factors. Natural populations of wild grapevine in the north of Iran were evaluated in three wild areas of coastal and plains areas of Miankaleh, submontane areas of Amol and the forest patches of Kojour and a cultivated sample of crop grapevine, V. v. subsp. vinifera in Babolsar. A total of 41 anatomical traits and important ecological factors such as soil and climatic variables were investigated and included in further analyses. Anatomical characteristics of leaf blade and petiole had the most important impact on the separation of wild and the cultivated taxon. All the soil and climatic factors, particularly altitude and annual rainfall were significant between studied stations. Mean temperature of the warmest month along with soil clay and calcareous percentage had the highest effect and relationship with the anatomical traits. Based on the current result, anatomical characters can be used for separation between wild and cultivated populations. They are also effective in separation of different populations of wild grapevine. Quantitative anatomical changes in the studied populations are reflection of the different soil and climatic conditions of their habitat.
 

 
 

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Aloe barbadensis is perennial, monocotyledonous, fleshy plant belongs to Aloaceae family. In this study, somoclonal variations of regenerated A. barbadensis plants were investigated. The plantlets of forth subculture transferred to the soil for further study. The genomic DNAs of 40 regenerated plantlets were extracted and genetic variations were studied using SPAR markers including RAPD and ISSR primers. The amounts of Aloe gel also were extracted from regenerated A. vera plants. Average percentage of polymorphism, Shannon index, Nei's genetic diversity and number of effective alleles based on RAPD data were higher than genetic parameters obtained from ISSR data. NJ cluster and STRUCTURE plot based on molecular markers grouped regenerated plants to distinct clusters. AMOVA analysis also showed a significant (P = 0.01) genetic distinction between studied groups. This result also confirmed differentiation of regenerated plants. The amount of Aloe gel in the four groups (based on clustering method) was compared by using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results showed no significant (P = 0.746) differences between the amount of gel in four group. In total, our findings showed somaclonal variations on genomic level while no significant differences were observed in amount of gel among regenerated Aloe plantlets.
 

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Feeding frequency and stocking density are important factors affecting growth and maturation of cultured fishes. The aims of this investigation were to determine the effects of stocking density (10, 20, 30 and 40 fish per aquarium) and feeding frequency (2, 3 and 4 times per day) on growth parameters and hematocrit of the Rutilus rutilus caspicus. The experiment was continued for 45 days in two replicates. The results of this study showed that growth parameters, including weigh gain (WG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) were affected significantly by stocking density (P<0.05), but not significantly affected by feeding frequency (P>0.05). The highest WG and SGR were recorded with the lowest stocking density (10 fish / aquarium). The least FCR was obtained in density of 10 fish/aquarium, FCR value was significantly higher with high stocking density (P<0.05). Also, interactions between stocking density and feeding frequency were no significant on growth parameters (P>0.05). Density and feeding frequency hand no significant effect of hematocrit concentration (P>0.05). On the other hand, interactions between stocking density and feeding frequency significantly affected hematocrit levels (P<0.05). The lowest level of hematocrit was observed in density of 10 fish/aquarium at two times / day feeding frequency. The results of this study indicated that density is significantly affected the growth, but increasing of feeding frequency there is not effect on growth in the Rutilus rutilus caspicus.
 

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Sex steroid hormones play important roles in many physiological processes, particularly in the reproduction of teleostei. Therefore, study of steroid hormones in fish is one of the important indicators of reproductive biology. In the present research, serum steroid hormones such as testosterone (T), 17β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in Esox lucius brood stocks, during one year, from autumn 2010 to summer 2011, in five periods (autumn, first half of winter, second half of winter, spring and summer) with three longitudinal classes: 300-360, 360-420 and 420-480 millimeters were studied. The results showed significant difference between levels of steroid hormones in three longitudinal classes and showed an increasing trend by increased length (P<0.05). In addition, there was significant different between levels of gonadal steroid hormones and different seasons (P<0.05). The highest level of 17-β estradiol was observed in autumn season. In the case of testosterone and progesterone hormones, higher levels were recorded in first and second half of winter, respectively.
 

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Abstract. Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), with 18 subspecies, has a wide distribution in deciduous forests of Eurasia. The subspecies S.e.persica is a resident bird in the Zagros Mountains, from north-west to south-west of Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of this subspecies to European, Asian, as well as Caucasian clades. For this purpose, 10 individuals of two populations from Zagros forests in Kermansha and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces were captured and blood samples were collected. Furthermore, we used ND2 sequence data (1041 bp) for 136 sequnces from GenBank. were used from Then genetic variations and Genealogical analysis was calculated using complete ND2 gene sequence (1041bp) and TRN+G model, Bayesian trees and maximum likelihood, respectively. Also, median joining algorithm showed the relationships among haplotypes. We found four new haplotypes for the Zagros populations. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genetic distance between Zagros population and Caucasian clade was significantly small, demonstrating Zagros populations are part of the Caucasian clade. F_ST statistical values, resulted from Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA), represented significant variations in genetic structure among Eurasian Nuthatch populations. Moreover, F_CT revealed significant variation among European, Asian, and Caucasian clades. Overall our result suggests that Eurasian Nuthatch populations in Eurasia comprise three phylogenetic species, and likely biological species. Hoewever, the previous nomenclatured subspecies, S.e.caucasian and S.e.persica, can be considered as a common phylogenetic species.

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Strictosidine synthase-like (SSL) is a group of gene families in the Arabidopsis genome, which whose orthologues in other plants are key enzymes in mono-terpenoid indole-alkaloid biosynthesis pathway. The SSL7 is upregulated upon treatments of Arabidopsis plants with signaling molecules such as SA, methyl jasmonate and ethylene. To find the functional role of the gene, a T-DNA-mediated knockout mutant (ssl7) along with the wildt ype were treated with different concentrations of NaCl. The expression level of salt stress genes including P5CS1, NCED3, AAO3 and RD29A at 150 mM NaCl demonstrated that the expression was significantly higher in ssl7 compared with the expression in Col-0. The activities of Catalase (CAT), Ascorbate Peroxidase (APX), Peroxidase (POD) and Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) were measured in different concentrations of NaCl. The results suggested that the enzymes activities were significantly higher in ssl7 compared with wild-type Col-0. In total, the results suggest that SSL7 might have a salicylic acid-dependent negative regulatory role in plant resistance to salt stress.
 

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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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Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotrophic factor that is functional in the survival, maintenance and differentiation of nervous system cells. This protein has three subunits, of which the beta subunit has the main activity. Its structure consists of a cysteine knot motif made up of beta strands linked by disulfide bonds. It can be used as a therapeutic agent in the treatment of many diseases. As NGF extracted from natural sources is unsuitable for therapeutic goals, many studies have attempted to produce recombinant β-NGF. In this study, Trigger Factor (TF) chaperone was expressed simultaneously with β-NGF in E. coli in order to obtain increased yield of soluble recombinant human β-NGF.  For this purpose, pET39b (+)::β-NGF and chaperone plasmid pTf16 were transferred to E.coli (DE3 strain). After the induction of each promoter, the total proteins and periplasmic proteins were extracted. To confirm the effects of TF on total protein and soluble β-NGF expression level, Bradford and Dot blot techniques and ImageJ software were used. Then, β-NGF was purified using affinity chromatography column (Ni⁺²-NTA). Also, the PC12 cells were treated with the protein for one week in order to study the function of purified NGF. Our data indicated that co-expression of TF could increase the soluble and periplasmic production of β-NGF but not total proteins. Also, the treatment of PC12 cell line with purified β-NGF, co-expressed with TF chaperone, showed differentiation of these cells to nerve cells. This indicated that the purified NGF is fully functional. Our data suggest that the co-expression of cytoplasmic chaperone (TF) with recombinant nerve growth factor might be an efficient approach to produce a proper quantity of soluble and active rhNGF.

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During the study on the specimens of Astragalus sect. Ammodendron in the herbarium of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUMH), based on the last and most recent sources, two new species, i.e. A. microfoliolatus sp. nova and A. rashed-mohasseli sp. nova were found and described. Morphological evidence confirmed that the belonging of these taxa to Astragalus sect. Ammodendron. The most important differences between A. microfoliolatus and its closest relatives are leaflets with very small size and glabrescent legume. Also, the main distinctive characters ofA. rashed-mohasseli are the presence of hairs on the dorsal side of vexillum, oblong legume and short rachis. Hairy vexillum has been obseverd for the first time in this section. In addition, A. aiwadzhi is recorded as a new species for the flora of Iran. Taxonomic descriptions, illustrations and distribution maps are provided to expedite identification.
 
 

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Plantago lagocephala is recorded as a new species for the flora of Iran from Razavi Khorassan Province. It is compared with the closely related species including P. lachnantha, P. ciliata and P. psammophila. Moreover, the diagnostic morphological characters and a distribution map are provided. The conservation status of the new record is evaluated based on the IUCN red list categories and criteria.
 

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The current investigations suggest the segregation of Jurinea cartilaginea from Jurinea, and its placement among Centaureinae. Molecular studies, based on the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacers (nrITS), chromosome number data and pollen morphology, support the morphological results. Based on these results, J. cartilaginea is related to and, therefore, transferred to the genus Karvandarina. Due to the morphological characters differing from Karvanderina aphylla, a new subgenus, Pseudojurinea, is described. Molecular study also supports the monophyly of Jurinea.