Medical Laboratory Journal

Evaluation of attitudes and barriers toward blood donation in volunteer blood donors in Mashhad city (Northeast of Iran)

Mohammadreza Javan

Background: Blood transfusion services are responsible for providing blood products. Knowing the parameters that affect people’s decision to donate blood will help respond to this demand. This study was designed to assess the attitudes and barriers toward blood donation among volunteer donors in Mashhad (Northeast of Iran) during 2014-2015.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization centers in Mashhad. A total of 640 volunteer blood donors, including first-time and frequent donors, attended this study. The questionnaire was designed based on similar studies, and the reliability and validity were controlled. A questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice questions was provided to the participants. SPSS software was used for data analysis. The Student’s t-test was used, and P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Among the 640 participants, 80% completed and returned the questionnaire. Of the participants, 474 (92.5%) were male and 38 (7.4%) were female. A total of 114 donors were first-time donors, and the others had donated blood before. The most important motivations for blood donation included altruism: 249 (91.88%) among frequent donors and 76 (85.40%) among first-time donors. Other factors such as social influences also played a role. Lack of time (73.80%) was the most important barrier to blood donation among the first-time donors.
Conclusion: The results showed that the most important motive and barrier for blood donation were altruism and lack of time, respectively. In other words, paying attention to the motivations and barriers of blood donation can play an important role in attracting and retaining blood donors.

Fosfomycin susceptibility of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream isolates in a tertiary care hospital, South India

Apurba Sankar Sastry

Background: The emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms has limited the choice of therapeutic options to treat infections. The lack of development of new antimicrobials paved the way for considering the reassessment of older antibiotics like fosfomycin. In this context, we assessed the in-vitro effect of fosfomycin against carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream isolates by agar dilution, disk diffusion, and screen agar.
Methods: In this study, 141 consecutive blood isolates resistant to carbapenem and 62 MRSA blood culture isolates were collected over a period of 8 months. The methods used were fosfomycin agar dilution (0.25 µg/ml to 512 µg/ml), Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion (150 µg of fosfomycin + 50 µg of glucose-6-phosphate), and fosfomycin screen agar (32 µg/ml, 48 µg/ml, and 64 µg/ml). All three methods were interpreted using the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing guidelines. The agreement between the new method and the reference method was calculated.
Results: Among the tested isolates, 100% of MRSA, followed by Escherichia coli (E. coli) (86.4%), Klebsiella pneumonia (K. pneumonia) (65.2%), and E. cloacae (50%) were susceptible to fosfomycin. The MIC50 and MIC90 of fosfomycin were 0.5 µg/ml and 2 µg/ml for MRSA, 16 µg/ml and 32 µg/ml for K. pneumoniae, 4 µg/ml and 16 µg/ml for E. coli, and 8 µg/ml and 32 µg/ml for E. cloacae, respectively.
Conclusion: Fosfomycin demonstrated a good in-vitro effect on most of the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and MRSA isolates tested.

Serum lactate dehydrogenase levels in pregnant women with and without preeclampsia

Kshetrimayum Roshita Devi

Background: Preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, affects 10% of pregnancies, causing maternal and fetal complications. It is associated with complications such as elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. LDH is an intracellular enzyme that increases in response to cellular death. Since preeclampsia leads to cellular death, serum LDH levels may reflect the severity of preeclampsia and serve as a guide in patient management. This study aims to estimate serum LDH levels in women with preeclampsia and those without, and compare the levels between the two groups.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry, in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at RIMS, Imphal, from February 2021 to September 2022. The study included 100 participants, 50 diagnosed with preeclampsia and 50 non-preeclamptic women attending RIMS hospital. Blood samples were collected from the patient, and serum LDH levels were estimated using a spectrophotometric method. All the data were analyzed using SPSS V21.0.
Results: The study revealed that serum LDH levels were significantly higher (P-value < 0.05) in women with preeclampsia (510.10 ± 184.26 IU) compared to pregnant women without preeclampsia (284.38 ± 97.35 IU). Serum LDH levels were positively correlated with an increase in blood pressure.
Conclusion: This study showed that serum LDH levels were higher in patients with preeclampsia compared to non-preeclamptic women, and LDH levels were positively correlated with higher blood pressure. Measuring serum LDH levels can help diagnose preeclampsia, allowing for better monitoring and timely management of affected women.

The importance of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte, platelet-to-lymphocyte, and neutrophil-to-platelet ratios as predictive indicators of severity in COVID-19 Patients

Aneesha Asok Kumar

Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Various clinical and hematological findings have been identified that can predict disease severity. This study aims to investigate the roles of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and neutrophil-to-platelet ratio (NPR) in predicting the severity of COVID-19 infection.
Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional single-center study, after obtaining Ethics Committee clearance, patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection admitted during their first two weeks of illness were included. NLR, PLR, and NPR were derived from the CBC reports. These ratios were compared in each clinical category group to assess the severity.
Results: The total number of cases was 160, with a mean age at diagnosis of 56 years. The proportion of males was slightly higher (54.4%) than that of females (45.6%). The proportion of Category C patients (66.9%) was higher than that of Category B (25%) and Category A (8.1%) patients. It was found that NLR, PLR, and NPR ratios had a statistically significant association with severe COVID-19 infection, suggesting they can be used to differentiate between Category C and Category A or B. NLR is a better predictor of the severity of COVID-19 disease than PLR and NPR.
Conclusion: NLR, PLR, and NPR ratios can serve as predictive markers of disease severity in COVID-19 infections. Among these ratios, NLR has the highest predictive value for disease deterioration.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing of colistin: Evaluation of standard broth microdilution method for gram-negative bacilli

Karvi Agarwal

Background: Colistin is regarded as the last resort for managing infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB). The World Health Organization (WHO) includes colistin on its list of critically necessary antimicrobials. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) are used to monitor the development of colistin resistance. This study aimed to assess the performance of the Broth Microdilution Method (BMD) against routine Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion (KBDD) and automated BD Phoenix for the detection of the in vitro activity of colistin against GNB.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, LLRM Medical College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, from September 2023 to January 2024. The KBDD method, BMD method, and BD Phoenix (Becton Dickinson, USA) automated system were used to detect colistin susceptibility in 320 GNB isolated from various clinical samples. MIC determined by the BMD method was interpreted according to Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) 2023 guidelines.
Results: In our study, 320 isolates of GNB were identified from patients with a mean age of 45.34 years. A total of 320 isolates [145 (45.31%) Escherichia coli, 124 (38.75%) Klebsiella pneumoniae, 32 (10.0%) Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 19 (5.93%) Acinetobacter baumannii complex] were tested simultaneously with all three methods for colistin susceptibility. The overall resistance to colistin among GNB was found to be 17.18% by the gold standard BMD method, 15.31% by BD Phoenix, and 14.37% by KBDD.
Conclusion: BMD is the most cost-effective, authentic method for routine testing of colistin susceptibility as compared to other methods. The comparative analysis revealed that BMD is superior to other methods in detecting colistin susceptibility, emphasizing its potential role in guiding clinicians in antibiotic therapy decisions.

The effect of nettle extract consumption and endurance training on the expression of IFN-γ and Endostatin in the liver tissues of mice with melanoma

Alireza Barari

Background: Melanoma is an aggressive malignancy that results from the transformation of pigment-producing melanocytes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of nettle extract consumption and aerobic exercise on the gene expression of IFN-γ and Endostatin in the liver tissues of mice with melanoma.
Methods: Twenty male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups, including control, endurance, nettle, and endurance+nettle. The training program included running on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a speed of 16 meters per minute. The speed was increased by one meter per minute each week, reaching 22 meters per minute in the eighth week. Melanoma cells were injected subcutaneously into the left side of the mice. The experimental groups received 30 mg/kg/day of nettle ethanol extract orally for eight weeks. Real-time PCR was used to assess the expression of IFN-γ and Endostatin.
Results: IFN-γ expression levels in the experimental groups were not different from the control group, while Endostatin levels were significantly reduced (p = 0.142, p <0.001, respectively). IFN-γ expression levels in the experimental groups were higher than in the control group, but did not reach a significant level. Also, Endostatin expression levels in training and combination groups were significantly lower than in the control group (p = 0.022, p <0.001, respectively).
Conclusion: The results showed that endurance training combined with nettle extract may inhibit angiogenesis and capillary tissue formation in the tumor tissue of mice with melanoma by increasing IFN-γ and decreasing Endostatin.

Effects of eight weeks of resistance training and cucumber juice consumption on the liver enzymes status of patients with type 2 diabetes mellites

Nasser Behpoor

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a serious chronic disease associated with hyperglycemia, overweight, and metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of this disease is constantly increasing. This study aimed to investigate the separate and combined effects of resistance training and cucumber juice consumption on liver indicators in women with T2DM.
Methods: Females aged 35-70 years (N = 40) suffering from T2DM were selected. The subjects were randomly assigned to four groups (three experimental groups and one control group). The Training+ placebo group implemented resistance training and consumed a placebo. The Training+ Supplement group implemented resistance training and consumed cucumber juice, the Supplement group consumed cucumber juice, while the control group consumed a placebo for eight weeks. 48 hours before and after the research, blood sampling was done, and changes in liver enzyme levels were investigated and compared among the groups. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post-hoc test at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05.
Results: The results of the present study showed that eight weeks of separate or combined resistance training and consumption of cucumber juice led to a significant reduction in the levels of liver enzymes Alanine transaminase (ALT), Aspartate transaminase (AST), and Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p ≤ 0.05).
Conclusion: In the present study, liver enzyme levels decreased. Therefore, separate or combined implementation of resistance training and consumption of cucumber juice can be used as therapeutic aids to control the levels of liver enzymes in women with T2DM.

Effect of interferon- on the expression of regulatory NLRP6 and NLRP12 genes in human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells

Leila Pirdel

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are well-known for their immune-modulatory properties. A subgroup of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) has been recently identified to play a regulatory role in immune and inflammatory responses. This study aims to analyze and compare the gene expression levels of the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing proteins (NLRPs), such as NLRP6 and NLRP12, in Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) treated with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), the pro-inflammatory cytokine, and untreated cells.
Methods: The immunophenotypic characterization of the isolated Wharton’s Jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) was conducted using flow cytometry. Next, they were cultured with or without IFN-γ, followed by a comparison of the expression levels of the NLRP6 and NLRP12 genes using quantitative PCR (qPCR).
Results: Treatment of cells with IFN-γ resulted in a statistically significant increase in NLRP12 gene expression compared to untreated cells. In contrast, the expression of NLRP6 did not differ significantly between cells with or without IFN-γ treatment.
Conclusion: The altered expression level of NLRP12 suggests its potential role in the inflammatory regulation mediated by WJ-MSCs in response to IFN exposure; however, further studies are needed to validate its role in experimental models of inflammatory-related diseases.

Cloning, expression, and purification of recombinant Enterotoxin B and cholera toxin B fusion protein in Lactobacillus plantarum

Arash Mahboubi

Background: Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are promising platforms for mucosal vaccine development. Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B (SEB), a potent superantigen, is associated with food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. Similarly, cholera toxin is the primary to widespread virulence factor in Vibrio cholerae infections, with its B subunit (CTB) serving as a well-established immune adjuvant that enhances antigen-specific responses in recombinant vaccines. This study aimed to engineer recombinant Lactobacillus plantarum as a dual-purpose vaccine candidate targeting V. cholerae and S. aureus by expressing CTB and SEB antigens.
Methods: A modified gene sequence encoding SEB (Lacking superantigenic activity) and CTB was successfully designed, synthesized, and cloned for secretory expression in L. plantarum. The resulting recombinant protein, tagged with His, was purified using Ni-NTA agarose ion-exchange chromatography and confirmed with Western blot analysis.
Results: Enzyme digestion and PCR analysis confirmed successful cloning of the SEB-CTB fusion gene into the pBlueScript II SK (+) and pNZ7021 expression vectors, as evidenced by the expected band on agarose gel. SDS-PAGE revealed a ~49 kDa protein band, indicating expression of the recombinant rSEB-CTB protein, which was further validated by Western blot using an anti-His tag antibody.
Conclusion: The construct LP-pNZ7021–SP-seb-ctxB may be a promising candidate for recombinant vaccine development targeting V. cholerae (Cholera toxin-producing) and S. aureus (SEB-producing), providing dual protection against both pathogens.

Effects of eight weeks of forward and backward interval running on blood glucose and lipid profiles in young men

Parisa Pournemati

Background: Regular physical activity plays a key role in improving metabolic health and physical fitness. The current study aimed to investigate and compare the impact of two training methods, forward and backward running, on changes in body composition, lipid profiles, cardiovascular function, and some physical fitness indices in young men.
Methods: Thirty eligible young men were selected and divided into two homogeneous groups: forward and backward running. Both groups performed interval running training four days per week for eight weeks (Two minutes of training at 60-85% of the maximum heart rate and one minute of active rest at 35-50% of the maximum heart rate). The interval training programs of both groups were identical, differing only in directions.
Results: There was a significant difference between the effects of two training methods on body fat percentages, waist-hip ratio, anaerobic power, agility, triglyceride and HDL-C (P < 0.05), while they showed no significant difference in terms of weight, body mass index, aerobic power, velocity, glucose, total cholesterol, LDL-C, heart rate (HR), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and Rate Pressure Product (RPP) (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Results of the present study indicated that eight weeks of backward interval running improved some components of physical fitness, body composition and lipid profiles in young men compared with the forward interval running.