Background: Reteplase is a nonglycosylated derivative of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, a thrombolytic agent, which can be easily expressed in Escherichia coli. However, overexpression of reteplase in E. coli usually leads to accumulation of insoluble and inactive aggregates and inclusion bodies. In the present study, we aimed to optimize chemical additives of lysis buffer to avoid the initial aggregation and formation of inclusion bodies of reteplase at cell disruption step. Materials and Methods: After protein expression in E. coli BL21 (DE3), the bacterial cells were disrupted in different lysis buffers using microsmashing. Eleven chemical additives at two concentration levels were combined based on a Plackett–Burman design to prepare 12 different lysis buffers used at cell disruption stage. Then, three additives with the most positive effect on improvement of solubility of reteplase were chosen and used for the second screening based on Box–Behnken model. Results: The primary screening results showed that among 11 additives, arginine, K₂PO_4,and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) had the most positive effect on solubility of reteplase. Our final results based on 14 runs of Box–Behnken design showed that the optimum buffer additive condition is 0.005 mg/ml CTAB, 0.065 mg/ml arginine, and 0.026 mg/ml K₂PO₄. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis and Western blotting of soluble and total fraction of samples confirmed that these additives significantly improved soluble production of reteplase compared with control. Conclusion: Our study indicates that the application of chemical additives in cell lysis can improve the solubility of reteplase. Further studies are still required to understand the exact mechanism of chemical additives as a chemical chaperone during cell lysis.

Backgrounds: Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injuries occur in a variety of clinical conditions, which lead to kidney damage. Most of the tissue damages after IR are due to the activation of the renin–angiotensin system (RAS). Hence, in this study, the interaction of sex hormones and RAS in ovariectomized (OV) rats subjected to IR induction has been studied. Materials and Methods: The animals were divided into different groups. Groups 1 (OV + E, OV rat + estradiol) and 2 (OV rat) each one consisted of three separate IR-induced subgroups treated with losartan, angiotensin 1–7 (Ang 1–7), and their combination, Group 3, as control and Group 4, as sham. Next, 72 h after IR, blood samples were collected, the right kidneys were homogenized, and left kidneys were fixed in 10% formalin. Results: Findings show that serum blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and kidney tissue damage score levels increased significantly with induction of IR (P < 0.05). Mean serum levels of these factors in OV + E groups are higher than those of the OV. The presence or absence of estradiol did not affect the levels of antioxidants in the different groups receiving Los, Ang 1–7, and their combination. Los, Ang 1–7, and their combination reduced serum and kidney malondialdehyde levels in both OV and OV + E groups. Conclusion: Estrogen not only fails to improve renal functioning but it can also exacerbate it. While the treatments used in this study, in the absence of estradiol, it had a better effect on kidney damages and improved its functions.

Background: Overweight and obesity are major problems with increasing rates among adult populations. Nutritional behaviors and physical activity are the most important influencing factors. In this article, we conducted a survey on the nutritional behaviors and physical activities among normal-weight and overweight/obese adults. Materials and Methods: We conducted a survey on some of the nutritional behaviors and physical activities of 729 middle-aged adults. Data regarding desirable or undesirable use of fruits, fish, dairy products, oil, fast foods, and carbonated drinks and the intensity and duration of physical activities were collected from our data bank and analyzed using the SPSS software. Results: Our results indicated that overweight/obese people had an improper usage of fruits, oil, fast foods, and carbonated drinks and had lower physical activity. There was also a significant increase in intensity, duration per day, and weekly days of physical activity in healthy groups. Logistic regression analysis of nutritional behaviors, physical activities, and obesity also indicated that undesirable usage of oil, fast foods, and carbonated drinks and undesirable physical activity are associated with risks for overweight/obesity (odds ratio [OR] =10.70, OR = 7.45, OR = 7.48, and OR = 2.16, respectively) (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This article puts emphasis on the role of proper nutritional behaviors and higher physical activities in decreasing the risks of developing obesity, and we suggest that further interventions could be made based on the results of our study.

Background: Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by an intracellular parasite of Leishmania and is transmitted through the female sandflies bite and may lead to severe skin lesions. Although drugs such as antimony compounds are available, their side effects such as toxicity, low efficacy, and emergence of resistance have raised the importance of effective replacement. Imatinib, as an inhibitor of tyrosine kinase (TK) of Leishmania, stops abnormal function of TK such as Bcr-Abl through assembling into transmembrane pores in a sterol-dependent manner. Hence, the evaluation of killing effects of different concentrations of imatinib against Leishmania major amastigotes and promastigotes in vitro were the objectives of the present study.Materials and Methods: The killing effects of different concentrations of imatinib (25, 50, and 100 μg) and 25 μg amphotericin B (as positive control) were evaluated against RPMI 1640-cultured promastigotes and the amastigote/macrophage model by MTS cell proliferation assay kit (ab197010) and Giemsa staining method during 24, 48, and 72 h. Results: The results showed anti-Leishmania effect of imatinib in concentration and time-dependent manner. The lowest number of live promastigotes and amastigotes were obtained due to treat with 100 μ/ml imatinib at 72 h. Furthermore, 100 μg concentration of imatinib had the same effect as 25 μg amphotericin B on both L. major promastigotes and amastigotes (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The anti-Leishmania effect of imatinib was confirmed by MTS and direct microscopy. Further study is recommended for evaluating possible therapeutic effects of imatinib on leishmaniasis in vivo.