Manipulating fungal genomes is an important tool to understand the function of target genes, pathobiology of fungal infections, virulence potential, and pathogenicity of medically important fungi, and to develop novel diagnostics and therapeutic targets. Here, we provide an overview of recent advances in genetic manipulation techniques used in the field of medical mycology. Fungi use several strategies to cope with stress and adapt themselves against environmental effectors. For instance, mutations in the 14 alpha-demethylase gene may result in azole resistance in Aspergillusfumigatus strains and shield them against fungicide’s effects. Over the past few decades, several genome editing methods have been introduced for genetic manipulations in pathogenic fungi. Application of restriction enzymes to target and cut a double-stranded DNA in a pre-defined sequence was the first technique used for cloning in Aspergillus and Candida. Genome editing technologies, including zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcriptional activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), have been also used to engineer a double-stranded DNA molecule. As a result, TALENs were considered more practical to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms. Recently, Class 2 type II Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology has emerged as a more useful tool for genome manipulation in fungal research.

Background: Chemotherapy is currently used in treatment of different diseases, yet its various adverse effects has led to difficulties in its use for treating hydatid cysts. This leads to use of different non-chemical materials, such as plant extracts as alternatives to chemotherapy in order to cure hydatid cysts. Objectives:The aim of the present study was to investigate Quercus infectoria Olivier extract effects on hydatid cysts. Methods: In this experimental study, various concentrations of Quercus infectoria Olivier extract at different exposure times were evaluated under laboratory conditions for their scolicidal effects on hydatid cysts. To this end, protoscoleces were collected from the livers of sheep affected by hydatid cysts and they were placed under exposure of various concentrations of Q. infectoria extract (10, 25, and 50 mg/mL) for various durations of 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes. Staining with 0.1% eosin was used to specify the viability of protoscoleces. The SPSS software (version 19, Chicago) was the software used to perform the statistical analysis. Results:The obtained results indicate that Q. infectoria extract with the concentration of 50 mg/mL is able to kill all protoscoleces during 20 minutes. It is understood that the scolicidal effects of Q. infectoria on hydatid cysts was significant compared to the control groups (P < 0.05). Conclusions:The obtained results delineate higher scolicidal efficacy of Q. infectoria's methanolic extracts; nevertheless, more research should be conducted to confirm the in vivo effects of Q. infectoria on curing hydatid cysts in human beings and different herbivorous animals.

Background & Aims of the Study: Nowadays, occupational accidents associated with severe harms for people and heavy economic and social loss are counted among the serious complications of the societies. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress, anxiety, fatigue, workload, morning-evening type, and occupational accidents among the workers of the porcelain industry in 2017 in Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study with a descriptive-analytical approach was performed in one of the porcelain factories of Iran. The samples were selected through simple random sampling method out of the study population consisting of 205 rotating-and day-shift workers and day-working individuals of the factory workforce. The study instruments included a researcher-made demographic questionnaire (for age, work experience, gender, marital status, work shift, and the number of accidents), Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) for assessing people fatigue, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Morningness-Eveningness questionnaire (MEQ) developed by Horne and Ostberg. All the data were analyzed by Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, t-test, and structural equation using LISREL and SPSS software version 20. Results: Our results showed that 62.2% and 3.8% of the workers were male and female, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the age of the participants was 32.27±6.17 years. The mean work experience of the individuals was found to be 6.44±4.49 years. According to the findings of this study, 56.7% and 50.9% of the 108 people who had sleep apnea were rotating-and day-shift workers, respectively. The mean score of MEQ among all the participants was revealed as 45.15±4.94, which is categorized as intermediate. The personal ability score was obtained as 64.23±14.4 in day-shift people and 61.12±10.66 in rotating-shift individuals. Workload, stress, and sleeplessness were diagnosed as the factors of fatigue among all the workers (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of the present investigation, sleepiness, high workload, and stress are prevalent among the workforce of the porcelain industry. The mentioned factors significantly lead to fatigue. However, sleepiness was found to be significantly correlated with fatigue in people working a rotating shift.