There are more than 400 different variations on α-globin protein, and most of them are not associated with noticeable clinical manifestation. Hemoglobin (Hb) is an oxygen-transporting protein and Hb Daneshgah- Tehran is an α-globin variant that for the first time was reported from Iran in a case with normal haematological indices. The capillary electrophoresis of an 8-year- old-girl with normal...

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSCRT) is a rare variant of sarcoma with a highly aggressive behavior. It usually affects abdominal cavity and has a male predominance. Its correct diagnosis and treatment is sophisticated and requires an experienced multidisciplinary team. Hereby we present a 25 yrold man from Kerman Province in 2013 with abdominal mass and ascites who underwent sonograghy ...

Spatially explicit models that simulate the evolution of dispersal strategies have not considered colonial organisms. Here we develop the colony-based lattice model, in which a colony, rather than an individual, occupies each lattice site. With this model we investigate why invasive tramp ant species usually lack long-distance dispersal, despite living in frequently disturbed habitats. We assum...

Background: As condition and component of culture determine fate map of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), the aim of this study was to evaluate of growth factors GDNF, LIF and RA on proliferation and differentiation of SSC. Materials and Methods: SSCs were cultured in two groups: The first group GDNF and LIF and the second group RA. The number of clumps and colony formation was monitored dur...

Nine stable, auxotrophic, small-colony-forming variants of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated. They were of two types. One type, from broth cultures containing varying concentrations of gentamicin or kanamycin, required heme for normal growth. The second type, from the blood culture of a patient who had been treated with penicillin and oxacillin, required long-chain unsaturated fatty acids for...

Bacterial antibiotic resistance is often associated with a fitness cost in the absence of the antibiotic [1,2]. We have examined a resistance mechanism in Staphylococcus aureus that negates these costs. Exposure to gentamicin both in vitro and in vivo has been reported to result in the emergence of a gentamicin-resistant small colony variant (SCV)[3-8]. We show that the emergence of SCVs follow...

Many natural human proteins have functional properties that make them useful as therapeutic drugs. However, not all these proteins are compatible with large-scale manufacturing processes or sufficiently stable to be stored for long periods prior to use. In this study, we focus on small four-helix bundle proteins and employ ribosome display in conjunction with three parallel selection pressures ...

Small colony variant (SCV) bacteria arise spontaneously within apparently homogeneous microbial populations, largely in response to environmental stresses, such as antimicrobial treatment. They display unique phenotypic characteristics conferred in part by heritable genetic changes. Characteristically slow growing, SCVs comprise a minor proportion of the population from which they arise but per...

In their recent article, Hammer et al. (N. D. Hammer, M. L. Reniere, J. E. Cassat, Y. Zhang, A. O. Hirsch, M. Indriati Hood, and E. P. Skaar, mBio 4:e00241-13, 2013) described the dual functions of the two terminal oxidases encoded by cydBA and qoxABCD in Staphylococcus aureus. The aerobic growth of cydB or qoxB single mutant bacteria was barely affected. However, a cydB qoxB double mutant was ...

Many of the virulence factors associated with fulminant group A streptococci (GAS) infection are expressed under in vitro exponential growth conditions. However, the survival of GAS in tissue and intracellularly, as well as colonization of asymptomatic carriers, has been reported for GAS. The bacteria associated with these niches may encounter high-density, low-nutrient-flowthrough conditions t...