Purpose: To present a case of Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum (PXE) with ocular involvement and visual loss. Case report: A 36 year old male presented with severe visual loss since 2 years ago. On funduscopy peau d’orange appearance and Angioid Streaks were evident. The diagnosis of PXE was confirmed by skin biopsy of papular lesions on the neck.Conclusion: Ocular findings may be helpful in the diagnosis of this multisystem disease.

Purpose: To present a case of gigantic idiopathic Angioid Streaks. Case Report: A young male presented with macular choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) and peripheral retinal hemorrhages secondary to Angioid Streaks. Swept source optical coherence tomography (SSOCT) and ultrawide field imaging were performed. The latter revealed extension of the Angioid Streaks up to the equator in both eyes. SSOCT showed breaks in the retinal pigment epithelium-Bruch’ s membrane complex in the area of peripheral retinal hemorrhages. The patient was extensively worked up for systemic associations, and the only significant finding was a long history of steroid abuse in the past. Conclusion: Advanced imaging techniques helped to diagnose Angioid Streaks in this patient. The possible role of steroid abuse in accentuating the presentation of Angioid Streaks may be explored further.

Purpose: To Report a case of bilateral choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and Angioid Streaks in a patient with  thalassemia. Case Report: A 41-year-old male, a known case of -thalassemia, presented with the gradual decrease of vision from 3 months ago. The best corrected visual acuity was 8/10 in right and 3/10 in the left eye and Marcus Gunn was negative. In slit lamp examination, the anterior segment of both eyes was normal and in the posterior segment of both eyes, dark brown to red irregular bands radiating a few millimeters from a peripapillary ring was visible. There was an active CNV in the right eye and a CNV scar in the left eye. Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab was performed for the right eye. Conclusion: Angioid Streaks can occur in patients with 􀀀 thalassemia and one of the complications of Angioid Streaks is choroidal neovascularization, which can decrease vision.

Using colored substances like Fluorescent and Nigrosine crystals which produce dye Streaks in water is one way of obtaining velocity profiles of a fluid. In this study the effects of a large sill on the selective withdrawal of a two-layer fluid through a line sink is examined experimentally.The flow field upstream of the sill was measured using dye Streaks method and the results were compared with the predictions of a numerical model. The comparison of the discharges and velocity profiles indicates a good agreement between the measured velocity profiles and the predictions.

Wheat Streak mosaic virus (WSMV) caused serious losses in wheat in some regions of Fars province in 2000-2001. Sampling was done to assess WSMV losses in a field in the college of Agriculture, Shiraz University. All plants in each of 10 randomly selected squaremeter plots were pulled and grouped in three categories of severely diseased, stunted and healthy, on the basis of symptoms. Their agronomical characters were measured. There was significant difference in all characters between healthy and infected plants. Difference in height and weight of tillers and number of seeds per spike in healthy and infected plants was significant at 1% level. The difference was significant at 5% level for number of tillers per plant. Yield of each plot, percent of infected plants and tillers, relative (%) weight of infected kernels, yield per plant and tillers and percentage of potential yield were calculated. There are significant difference at 1% level between yield per plant and tillers in healthy and infected plants. Percentage of potential yield is a ratio of yield of an infected plot to healthy one on the basis of one plant. For calculation of yield and percentage of potential yield and regression analysis, sampling was done in the 20 randomly selected square-meter plots. Thousand-kernel weights of two adjacent fields with 43% and 100% infection, had 18.73% and 41.04% weight reduction, respectively .Sieving of kernels showed severe reduction in kernel size due to disease. Up to 98% of healthy seeds, but only ca 13% of infected seeds germinatd.Comparative analysis of infected and healthy plant yields, yield per plant and per tiller and percentage of potential yield, showed that percentage of potential yield is a better representative of yield reduction. Among different characters and variables, percent of infected plants had a higher correlation with the percentage of potential yield. Therefore, the regression equation between percent of infected plants, and the percentage of potential yield was calculated. This equation, y= 101.164-0.755x(r=0.969)had the best fitness for the disease loss assessment. Evaluation and statistical analysis indicated that the virus had serious effect on all agronomical properties and yield components. In addition, seeds from severely infected plants were not suitable for planting.The calculated rate of loss in totally infected field was 74.38% while the field with 43.67% infection had a loss of 31.83%.

Purpose: To report a case of major β-Thalassemia with Angioid Streaks complicated by CNV. Patient and finding: A 41-year-old woman presented with decreased visual acuity in the right eye 2 months following a mild head trauma. The patient was a known case of major β-thalassemia and clinical examination and F/A disclosed Angioid Streaks complicated by subfoveal CNV in her right eye. Conclusion: β-thalassemia patients have been shown to present a high prevalence of Angioid Streaks, and ocular examination must be one of the major parts of the evaluation of these patients. Arterial calcifications are common in β-thalassemia patients and consequently vascular events complicating this anemia should be expected and evaluated by physicians.  

Purpose: To report concomitant Angioid Streaks and skin lesions in a patient with β thalassemia. Patient and Findings: A 47-year-old female, a known case of β thalassemia, presented with gradual decrease of vision in her right eye. On indirect ophthalmoscopy of both eyes, Angioid Streaks were detected. On fluorescencin angiography, hyperfluorescence of Streaks without signs of choroidal neovascularization were seen. Skin lesions (small yellowish papules) similar to pseudoxanthoma elasticum were detected on the neck and antecubital area.Conclusion: Both Angioid Streaks and skin lesions are manifestations of elastic tissue abnormality which may be the result of inflammatory and oxidative reactions in this hemoglobinopathy.

Due to soil bio-diversity, many research projects are undertaken by research laboratories affiliated by large international pharmaceutical companies to identify new medicines as well as new antibiotics. Though few of these new compounds find their way into clinics, this search is still valuable and greatly benefits the owners of those companies. In this project, different stages of a screening method have been carried out. Soil samples from eleven different places in Mashhad, Iran, were taken and their representative microorganisms were isolated. Screening for organisms producing anti-microbial agents resulted in identification of 111 potential isolates. Further studies on the isolation and purification of those agents as well as their cytotoxicity as potential anti-tumor agents are underway.      

INTRODUCTION: Peroxidation of blood lipoproteins is regarded as a key event in the development of atherosclerosis. Evidence suggests that oxidative modification of amino acids in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles leads to its convert into an atherogenic form, which is taken up by macrophages. Therefore the reduction of oxidative modification of lipoproteins by increasing plasma antioxidant capacity may prevent cardiovascular disease.METHODS: In this study, the antioxidant and anti-fatty Streak effects of L-serine were investigated in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Rabbits were randomly divided into three groups which were fed high-cholesterol diet (hypercholesterolemic control group), highcholesterol + L-serine diet (treatment group), and normal diet (control) for twelve weeks and then blood samples were obtained to measure plasma cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), antioxidant capacity (AC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and conjugated dienes (CDS). Right and left coronary arteries were also obtained for histological evaluation.RESULTS: No significant difference was observed in plasma cholesterol, TG, HDL, LDL and CDS levels between treatment and hypercholesterolemic control groups (P>0.05).The levels of plasma MDA and AC were 0.29 μM and 56%, respectively in the treatment group which showed a significant change in comparison with hypercholesterolemic control groups (P<0.05). The mean size of produced fatty Streak also showed significant reduction in the treatment group compared to the hypercholesterolemic group (P<0.05).CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that L-serine has antioxidant and anti-fatty Streak effects without any influence on plasma lipid levels in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.