OBJECTIVE Keratoconus (KC) is an eye disorder in which the cornea is swollen, thinned and deformed. Despite extensive studies, the pathophysiological processes and genetic etiology of KC are unknown. The disease incidence is approximately 1 in 2,000, and it is the most common cause of corneal transplantation in the USA. Many genes are involved in the disease, but evidence suggests a major role ...

Water quality is a key environmental issue concerning the agricultural sector. Here, the application of fuzzy set theory for decision-making in the assessment of groundwater quality for agricultural purposes is being discussed. The experiments conducted in this study area located, Shahrekord plain that, lies in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, in the southwest Iran. Four groundwater para...

Ephedra prcera belonging to the family Ephedraceae is a poison and medicinal plant. The main aim of present study was to determine total phenolic content and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic extract from the aerial parts of E. procera collected from a natural habitat in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province, Southwestern Iran. The total phenolic content of the extract by Folin-...

(Co)variance components and genetic parameters for test day ewe body weight of Lori-Bakhtiari sheep were estimated using a random regression model (RRM). The data consisted of 22153 individual body weight records, obtained from 1994 ewes (progeny of 205 sires and 1010 dams) between 371 and 3416 days of age, collected from the flock stud of Lori-Bakhtiari Sheep Breeding Station in Shahrekord, Ir...

BACKGROUND Microsporidia are known to infect a wide variety of animals including mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae). In a recent study on the mosquito fauna of Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province, at the central western part of Iran, a few larvae of Anopheles superpictus were infected with a microsporidium-resembled microorganism. Current investigation deals with the identification of the responsi...

Mastitis is one of the common diseases of dairy cattle and an inflammatory response of the mammary glands tissue. Mastitis causes considerable loss to the dairy industry. Among several bacterial pathogens that can cause mastitis, Staphylococcus aureus is probably the most lethal agent because it causes chronic and deep infection in the mammary glands that is extremely difficult to be cured. The...

Regular use of fluoride makes the teeth stronger against cavities. In this regard, using sodium fluoride mouthwash is taken as a countrywide program for elementary students so as to protect their teeth against caries. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between use of sodium fluoride mouthwash by elementary students in Charharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran, and decayed missed fille...

Introduction: Ursolic Acid (UA) is the main compound present in apple cuticular wax as well as in the leaves. Hypertrophic effects of UA on the skeletal muscle ventured us to investigate if UA might activate satellite cells proliferation, and also generate new muscle fibers is so-called ” hyperplasia”. Methods: To confirm this hypothesis, UA administrated twice daily for 7 days to 8 weeks old m...

BACKGROUND The enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus is considered as one of the most important cause of food poisoning that manifests with gastroenteritis, diarrhea, and vomiting. Its complications usually occur when bacterial virulence genes are produced. The most important virulence factors are cell-associated components, exoenzymes, exotoxins, enterotoxins, and enterotoxin-like toxins. OB...

Light microscopic analysis of the mural structure of the common carotid artery (CCA), external carotid artery (ECA) and occipital artery (OA) in Lori Bakhtiari sheep and goats revealed variability in the average values of vascular diameter and the thickness of the intimal plus medial coats and adventitial coat. Based on the histological characteristics and organization of connective tissue fibr...