13 research outputs found
The incidence of ABO, Kell and Rh system blood groups in general population of Qazvin, Iran
Introduction:ABO antigens and the glycoproteins constituting the blood groups such as Kell and Rh systems are the mostly focused blood groups in transfusion medicine. Their importance is tightly associated with the presence of natural isoantibodies, their protein structure, and immunogenicity. The aim of our study was to assess the distribution of major Rh and Kell antigens and the most probable genotype in a normal population of Qazvin city, Iran.Materials and methods:This study was done on 1000 healthy people who were candidates for getting driver’s license. The blood samples were tested for Kell, ABO and major Rh antigens by standard tube agglutination method.Results:Out of 1000 samples studied, the prevalence of RhD was 86.6%. The incidence of other Rh antigens i.e. C, E, c and e was 73%, 29.8%, 72.1%, and 95.9% respectively. The most common phenotype in the samples was DCce and the least one was shown to be CcEe. Kell antigen frequency was 8.2%. On the other hand, 91.8% of people were indicated to be negative for the Kell antigen.Conclusion:Taken together, the amount of the individuals negative for the Kell and Rh system are adequate to provide new policies for identification of these antigens for both blood donors and recipients.
 
Aberrant DNA Methylation Status and mRNA Expression Level of SMG1 Gene in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Case-Control Study
Objective
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative malignancy with different stages. Aberrant epigeneticmodifications, such as DNA methylation, have been introduced as a signature for diverse cancers which also plays acrucial role in CML pathogenesis and development. Suppressor with morphogenetic effect on genitalia (SMG1) generecently has been brought to the spotlight as a potent tumor suppressor gene that can be suppressed by tumors forfurther progress. The present study aims to investigate SMG1 status in CML patients.
Materials and Methods
In this case-control study, peripheral blood from 30 patients with different phases of CML [newcase (N)=10, complete molecular remission (CMR)=10, blastic phase (BP)=10] and 10 healthy subjects were collected.Methylation status and expression level of SMG1 gene promoter was assessed by methylation-specific polymerasechain reaction (MSP) and quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, respectively.
Results
MSP results of SMG1 gene promotor in the new case group were methylated (60% methylated, 30%hemimethylated and 10% unmethylated). All CMR and control group patients were unmethylated in the SMG1 genepromoter. In the BP group, methylated SMG1 promoter was seen (50% of patients had a methylated status and 50%had hemimethylated status). In comparison with the healthy subjects, expression level of SMG1 in the new case groupwas decreased (P<0.01); in the CMR group and BP-CML groups, it was increased (P<0.05). No significant correlationbetween patients’ hematological features and SMG1 methylation was seen.
Conclusion
Our results demonstrated that aberrant methylation of SMG1 occurred in CML patients and it had asignificant association with SMG1 expression. SMG1 gene promoter showed diverse methylated status and subsequentexpression levels in different phases of CML. These findings suggested possible participation of SMG1 suppression inthe CML pathogenesis
The Study of Nurses Knowledge and Performance Quality of Qazvin Hospitals about the Process of Blood Transfusion
Introduction: Supplying blood and blood products, maintenance, transfer and injection of each component have its own specific process. Therefore, those responsible must at least have the awareness that relates to the transfusion medicine. The safety and effectiveness of blood transfusion depend on the knowledge and skills of nurses, who have taken the responsibility. The aim of this study is to assess the educational needs of nurses in the field of blood transfusion that leads to creating a good medical process for nurses in clinical departments of hospitals. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 124 nurses who participated in, were selected through random sampling in Qazvin hospitals in 1396. A questionnaire including 25 questions was used to evaluate the knowledge and performance of their awareness of different aspects of blood medicine, including maintenance, transferring, injection and post blood transfusion reactions. The scores of knowledge and performance encoded in three levels: low, medium, and good. Data analysis and correlation of variance were performed by using the software SPSS version 20. Results: Research results showed that most of the subjects are in the age group 20-30 years (68.7%) and females (93%) and have a bachelor's degree in nursing (95.6%). Results showed that the mean score of knowledge was 9.58±2.13, and score range was 9 (between 3 to 12). The mean score of performance was 38.96±2.17, with range 10 (scores were between 30 to 40). The analysis of variance used to examine the relationship. The results suggested that there was a significant relationship between performance and knowledge of subjects (P<0.05). Conclusions: According to this study, nurse’s knowledge level and awareness of blood transfusion are the media. Therefore, training, managers controlling and supervision programs seem to be necessary due to the great importance of the blood transfusion process and threaten the safety of patients. So, we recommend that this issue must be seriously included in academic courses and retraining in the field of blood transfusion, according to the latest available standards at the time of the nurse’s employment
Nanobodies in cell-mediated immunotherapy: On the road to fight cancer
The immune system is essential in recognizing and eliminating tumor cells. The unique characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as heterogeneity, reduced blood flow, hypoxia, and acidity, can reduce the efficacy of cell-mediated immunity. The primary goal of cancer immunotherapy is to modify the immune cells or the TME to enable the immune system to eliminate malignancies successfully. Nanobodies, known as single-domain antibodies, are light chain-free antibody fragments produced from Camelidae antibodies. The unique properties of nanobodies, including high stability, reduced immunogenicity, enhanced infiltration into the TME of solid tumors and facile genetic engineering have led to their promising application in cell-mediated immunotherapy. They can promote the cancer therapy either directly by bridging between tumor cells and immune cells and by targeting cancer cells using immune cell-bound nanobodies or indirectly by blocking the inhibitory ligands/receptors. The T-cell activation can be engaged through anti-CD3 and anti-4-1BB nanobodies in the bispecific (bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs)) and trispecific (trispecific T-cell engager (TriTEs)) manners. Also, nanobodies can be used as natural killer (NK) cell engagers (BiKEs, TriKEs, and TetraKEs) to create an immune synapse between the tumor and NK cells. Nanobodies can redirect immune cells to attack tumor cells through a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) incorporating a nanobody against the target antigen. Various cancer antigens have been targeted by nanobody-based CAR-T and CAR-NK cells for treating both hematological and solid malignancies. They can also cause the continuation of immune surveillance against tumor cells by stopping inappropriate inhibition of immune checkpoints. Other roles of nanobodies in cell-mediated cancer immunotherapy include reprogramming macrophages to reduce metastasis and angiogenesis, as well as preventing the severe side effects occurring in cell-mediated immunotherapy. Here, we highlight the critical functions of various immune cells, including T cells, NK cells, and macrophages in the TME, and discuss newly developed immunotherapy methods based on the targeted manipulation of immune cells and TME with nanobodies
Survey of the association between polymorphisms of CTLA-4 exon 1 49 A/G genes with rheumatoid arthritis in Iran
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), which suppresses T cell proliferation, is
a promising candidate for the susceptibility genes to rheumatic arthritis diseases (RA). This study
aims to examine the association between the polymorphisms of the CTLA-4 exon 1(+ 49) genes
with RA in the Qazvin city of Iran population. The polymerase chain reaction of genomic DNArestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was applied to genotype the CTLA-4 exon
1(+ 49) polymorphisms in 105 RA patients and 90 control subjects. Laboratory diagnostic tests
were also measured for RA and control groups. Our results did not demonstrate a significant
difference in allele and genotype frequencies of the CTLA-4 exon 1(+ 49) between RA patients
and the control group (p < .0001). There was no significant difference in age at onset, CRP, RF
value in patients with RA according to the CTLA-4 polymorphisms; just anti-CCP showed a
significant difference. Our data declared that polymorphisms of CTLA-4 exon 1(+ 49) genes are
not correlated with RA susceptibility and its clinical and paraclinical manifestations
The Association of Methylation Status and Expression Level of MyoD1 with DNMT1 Expression Level in Breast Cancer Patients
Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. The methylation status of MyoD1, a tumor suppressor gene, is enrolled in various cancers, i.e., BC. Various studies showed the impact of MyoD1 epigenetic dysregulation in BC. This study aimed to investigate the methylation status and expression level of MyoD1 in BC patients and its association with the expression of DNMT1.
Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 30 cases (pathology-confirmed ductal carcinoma) and 18 controls (fibroadenoma and fibrocystic masses), referred to Velayat Hospital, Qazvin, Iran. The expression of the MyoD1 and DNMT1 and the promoter methylation of the MyoD1 were evaluated in tissue blocks of BC patient masses using qRT-PCR and MS-PCR assays, respectively. SPSS 24.0 was used to analyze the data.
Results: The MyoD1 promoter is hypermethylated in BC patients compared to controls (p =0.001). The expression level of MyoD1 in BC patients was significantly reduced compared to controls (fold change =0.13, p =0.042). In addition, in BC patients, the reduced expression level of MyoD1 was significantly associated with methylation of the MyoD1 promoter (p =0.001). There is no significant difference between the expression level of DNMT1 in BC patients and controls (p =0.197). A significant association is found between the expression of DNMT1 and the methylation status of the MyoD1 promoter (p =0.038).
Discussion: The expression level of MyoD1 is affected by the methylation status of the promoter of this gene. Moreover, the expression level and methylation status of MyoD1 are correlated with clinical parameters
Detection of bacterial agents causing prostate infection by culture and molecular methods from biopsy specimens
Background and Objectives: Prostatitis affects about 16% of men in their lifetime and sometimes leading to prostate
cancer. Bacterial infections are the most common causes of prostatitis. Diagnosis of the causative agents of bacterial
prostate infections plays an essential role in timely treating and preventing secondary complications. This study isolated bacterial infectious agents in patients’ surgical prostate and evaluated them by routine and molecular microbiological
methods.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 72 prostate biopsy specimens were collected from the Orology Departmen of hospitals of Qazvin University of Medical Sciences. All samples were cultured in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Antibiotic susceptibility test by Kirby-Bauer standard method was performed for all isolated bacteria. In addition, all
isolated bacteria were identified using 16S rDNA PCR and sanger sequencing methods. Also, TaqMan real-time PCR was
applied to detect Ureaplasm aurealyticum, Mycoplasma hominins, and Mycoplasma genitalium.
Results: In conventional culture method, out of 18 positive samples, 15 samples (83.3%) were Gram-negative bacteria and
3 samples (16.6%) were Gram-positive bacteria, containing Escherichia coli (55.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (11.1%), Enterobacter cloacae (5.5%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.1%), Staphylococcus aureus (11.1%), and Enterococcus faecalis
(5.5%). The results of molecular identification methods were the same as conventional culture results. Also, four patients
were Ureaplasm aurealyticum, and three patients were positive for Mycoplasma hominis.
Conclusion: Most bacteria isolated from prostate specimens belonged to the Enterobacteriaceae family, especially Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter cloacae. Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis were cocci
isolated in the specimens too. Also, Ureaplasma urealyticum, and Mycoplasma hominis were identified in prostatitis.
Keywords: Prostatitis; Pathogens; Enterobacteriaceae; 16s rDNA; Real-time polymerase chain reactio
Updates on Novel Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents: Clinical and Molecular Approach
Abstract Erythropoietin (EPO) is an important hormone
responsible for the stimulation of hematopoiesis which is
impaired in a variety of diseases, such as chronic kidney
disease, cancer chemotherapy, and the use of some antiHIV drugs. Difficulties in the purification of endogenous
EPO due to problems such as technical limitations,
heterogeneity of target cells, inadequate amount and
immunogenicity of the resultant product, had limited the
entry of endogenous EPO in the clinical applications. The
integration of medical biotechnology and hematology has
introduced novel procedures for the production of human
recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO), and other erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). To investigate and
produce rHuEPO, the first step is to recognize the molecular biology and functional pathways, structure, metabolism, and basic physiology of EPO. In this review, all
clinical indications, side effects, challenges and
notable points regarding EPO, rHuEPO, and other ESAs
have also been addressed along with its molecular
characterization, such as the modifications needed to
optimize their rHuEPO biosynthesis
The antihelminthic drug, mebendazole, induces apoptosis in adult t-cell leukemia/lymphoma cancer cells: In-vitro trial
Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a poor prognostic Hematopoietic malignancy with
various therapeutic challenges, which had been classified as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The Drug switching, as a
novel, innovative and promising approach, is an opportunity to overcoming on therapeutic challenges of hardtreating disease, e.g. ATLL. Our aim is evaluating the antiproliferative and apoptotic effect of Mebendazole (MBZ)
on ATLL cancer cells in in-vitro conditions.
Materials and Methods: We used Jurkat cell-line as ATLL cancer cells. After treatment of MBZ in different
concentrations on jurkat cells, the cell viabilities were determined by MTT assay. After IC50 value determination,
the 24-, 48- and 72-h treatments had been performed in IC50 concentration and control to evaluating the
quantitative apoptosis rate by Annexin/PI Flowcytometry and qualitative apoptosis by DAPI Nuclear staining.
Also, Glucose spectrophotometry were performed to evaluate the reduced amount of glucose uptake through
MBZ treatment.
Results: MBZ inhibits proliferation of jurkat cells and IC50 value had been estimated 10 μM (P< 0.01). According
to the flowcytometric results, increasing in drug concentration is associated with decrease cell viability and the
percentage of full-apoptosis. However, it inversely correlates with percentage of early-apoptosis rate. Also, the
microscopic captures of DAPI Nuclear staining confirms the flowcytometry results in qualitative manner. In
addition, it was found that inhibition of glucose uptake was inversely correlated with increased MBZ
concentration (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: MBZ potentially inhibits the proliferation of ATLL cancer cells in in-vitro condition. MBZ inhibits the
growth of Jurkat cells by inducing apoptosis. Also, we suggest that indirectly inhibition of Glucose transporting
occurs by MBZ, which could induce apoptosis in cancer cells
CRISPR-mediated modification of DNA methylation pattern in the new era of cancer therapy
In the last 2 decades, a wide variety of studies have been conducted on epigenetics and its role in various cancers. A major mechanism of epigenetic regulation is DNA methylation, including aberrant DNA
methylation variations such as hypermethylation and hypomethylation in the promoters of critical genes,
which are commonly detected in tumors and mark the early stages of cancer development. Therefore,
epigenetic therapy has been of special importance in the last decade for cancer treatment. In epigenetic
therapy, all efforts are made to modulate gene expression to the normal status. Importantly, recent studies have shown that epigenetic therapy is focusing on the new gene editing technology, CRISPR-Cas9.
This tool was found to be able to effectively modulate gene expression and alter almost any sequence in
the genome of cells, resulting in events such as a change in acetylation, methylation, or histone modifications. Of note, the CRISPR-Cas9 system can be used for the treatment of cancers caused by epigenetic
alterations. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has greater advantages than other available methods, including potent activity, easy design and high velocity as well as the ability to target any DNA or RNA site. In this
review, we described epigenetic modulators, which can be used in the CRISPR-Cas9 system, as well as their
functions in gene expression alterations that lead to cancer initiation and progression. In addition, we
surveyed various species of CRISPR-dead Cas9 (dCas9) systems, a mutant version of Cas9 with no endonuclease activity. Such systems are applicable in epigenetic therapy for gene expression modulation through
chemical group editing on nucleosomes and chromatin remodeling, which finally return the cell to the
normal status and prevent cancer progression