6%), respectively. Overall, 100% mortality was observed on the 8th and 9th days in treated mice with the concentrations of 0.2 and 0.4 mL/kg, respectively. The mean number of tachyzoites in the mice treated with 0.2 and 0.4 mL/kg of ZM-EO were 189×104 and 76×104 cell/mL, respectively, meaningfully (P less then 0.05) reduced compared with the control mice. Results also demonstrated that ZM-EO had no important toxicity on mice. Conclusion The results demonstrated the efficacy of ZM-EO against acute toxoplasmosis. Nevertheless, supplementary surveys are mandatory to examine its precise effects, mainly immunomodulatory effect on toxoplasmosis.Background KMP-11 (Kinetoplastid membrane protein-Π) exists in all species of kinetoplastid family. It is fully conserved and the protein produced by this gene can induce a very high cellular immune response. We aimed to design a suitable construction for a Leishmania major DNA vaccine and evaluate the protective efficacy of it as a candidate for DNA vaccine against cutaneous leishmaniasis in BALB/c mice. Methods This experimental study was conducted in Tehran City, Iran, between April 20, 2015 and May 30, 2016. KMP-11 gene of L. major (MRHO/IR/75/ER, Iranian strain) and NT-GP96 of Xenopus GP96 DNA from a pBluescript-GP96 plasmid were amplified by PCR and the purified PCR products were cloned into the pJET1.2/blunt plasmid vector, then, subcloned into pEGFP-N1 plasmid as an expression vector. Finally, the KMP-11 gene was fused with GP96 and afterward the combination cloned in pEGFP-N1. All the cloned genes confirmed by enzyme digestions. Then, four groups of mice were immunized with PBS, pEGFP-N1, pEGFP-N1-KMP, and pEGFP-N1-fusion. Four weeks after immunization, all animals were challenged with L. major virulent promastigotes. Results The constructed fusion potentially showed an ability to elicit Th1 responses that led to cutaneous lesion healing. Interestingly, the group received KMP11-GP96 -GFP showed the highest ratio of IFN- γ /IL-4 and IgG2a/IgG1 compare to other groups. No side effect was observed after using the fusion in the mice. Conclusion The constructed fusion could well stimulate both the cellular and humoral immune systems that led to cutaneous lesion healing in mice.Background Cystic echinococcosis can cause severe disease and probable death in humans. Epitopes of its antigens play a key role in the sensitivity and specificity of immunodiagnostic tests. Methods Epitope prediction software programs predict the most antigenic linear B-cell epitopes of AgB (8 kD), Ag5, and Ag95. Six such epitopes were predicted and connected by “Gly-Ser” linker and synthesized. The purity of the concentrated recombinant multi-epitope protein was assessed by 15% SDS-PAGE. Overall, 186 serum samples were collected from the Loghman Hakim Hospital and different laboratories, Tehran, Iran, from July 2016 to February 2017. Patients infected with hepatic hydatid cysts, patients infected by other parasites and viruses, and healthy individuals were used to detect the anti-CE IgG using recombinant multi-epitope protein. Results Forty-one samples out of 43 cases of hydatidosis were diagnosed correctly as positive, and two were negative. In addition, six negative cases of healthy individual group were diagnosed as positive and negative with rMEP-ELISA and the commercial kit, respectively. Therefore, these six samples were considered as false positive using our method. In addition, a diagnostic sensitivity of 95.3% (95% CI, 84.19% to 99.43%) and a specificity of 95.0% (95% CI, 89.43% to 98.14%) were obtained using optimum cutoff value (0.20). The sensitivity and specificity of the commercial kit was 100%. Conclusion Our findings showed high diagnostic accuracy of the ELISA test using the developed recombinant protein, which encourages the use of this recombinant multi-epitope protein for rapid serological diagnosis of hydatidosis.Introduction The constantly rising number of skin malignancies and increasing cancer awareness encourage more people to visit outpatient clinics in order to have various skin lesions removed. Despite the fact that scarring is a physiological response to any excision procedure, minimizing the size of it is a goal of every good practitioner. Therefore the question arises whether different techniques used to remove skin lesions may impact the formation and quality of skin scars. Aim To perform an evaluation of skin scars formed by laser and surgical incisions and their influence on lymphatic outflow in rats. Material and methods Five male rats were used. Using methylene blue, the migration of dye through lymphatic channels of the lower extremity was measured. Afterwards, transverse incisions were made distally using laser and a surgical blade. Idasanutlin Wounds were left to heal by secondary intention. After 4 weeks dye migration assessment was repeated and tissue samples were obtained for microscopic evaluation. Results Wounds after surgical incisions healed entirely. Wounds after laser treatment had not healed, with a visible area of granulation tissue and hair loss. Significantly worse dye migration was observed in rat extremities after laser therapy than after surgical incision (p = 0.007). Conclusions The results of the study show that the size of the scar can depend on the incision technique used. Larger scars after laser therapy limit the lymphatic flow of the skin, which may have an adverse effect on mapping sentinel lymph nodes. However, this hypothesis requires further research.Introduction Adalimumab and etanercept are drugs used in anti-TNF therapy in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Despite the molecular targeting of these drugs, the loss of pharmacological response to treatment is observed in patients. The development of personalized medicine makes it possible to use not only clinical parameters of disease severity, but also molecular marker systems. Aim The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 expression in relation to parameters of disease severity (PASI, BSA, DAS28) in patients treated with adalimumab and etanercept. We have attempted to determine whether changes in the TNF-α, TNFR1, and TNFR2 expression profile may be a useful molecular marker of the therapeutic potential of anti-TNF drugs. Material and methods The study group consisted of 3 patients initially treated with adalimumab, followed by etanercept. The control group included 20 healthy volunteers. The expression profile of TNFR1 and TNFR2 was determined at the mRNA level, while TNF-α expression was evaluated at the transcriptome and proteome levels using the RT-qPCR method (transcriptional activity assay) and MALDI-TOF MS (protein level assessment).