Association study between common variations in some candidate genes and prostate adenocarcinoma predisposition through multi-stage approach in Iranian population

Background: Prostate cancer is one of the five common cancers and has the second incidence rate and the third mortality rate in Iranian population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of rs16901979, rs4242382 and rs1447295 on 8q24 locus, rs2735839 (KLK3 gene) and rs721048 (EHBP1 gene) with prostate adenocarcinoma through multi-stage approach to identify the polymorphisms associated with prostate cancer and use them as screening factors. Screening tests can identify people who may have a chance of developing the disease before detection and any symptoms. Methods: The case-control study included 103 cases (prostate adenocarcinoma) and 100 controls (benign prostatic hyperplasia). Tetra-primer ARMS-PCR was used to genotyping of each participant. A Multi-stage approach was used for efficient genomic study. In this method, a smaller number of people can be used. Chi-squared, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were used to investigate the SNPs associated with prostate cancer and Gleason score. Results: In the first stage (59 men), the frequency of polymorphisms rs16901979, rs4242382, rs1447295, rs2735839 and rs721048 in the prostate adenocarcinoma group was evaluated compared to the control group (P-value < 0.3) in order to select meaningful polymorphisms. There was not any significant difference between genotype frequency rs16901979 (P = 0.671) and rs721048 (P = 0.474) in the case group compared to BPH. Therefore, these polymorphisms were eliminated, and in the second step (144 men), rs4242382, rs2735839 and rs1447295 were evaluated (P-value < 0.05). According to the total population (203 men), there was significant difference between genotype frequency rs4242382 (P = 0.001), rs2735839 (P = 0.000) and rs1447295 (P = 0.005) even after using Bonferroni correction (p = 0.016). The effect of these three polymorphisms on prostate cancer was not modified by age and PSA. There was a significant difference between the allelic frequency of A vs G (rs4242382, rs2735839) at all classes of Gleason score and A vs C (rs1447295) at Gleason score � 8. Conclusions: The results of this study for rs2735839, rs4242382 and rs1447295 indicate the association of these polymorphisms with prostate adenocarcinoma predisposition in Iranian population. Exposure effect is homogeneous between different ages and PSA level categories. These three polymorphisms should be studied in a larger population to confirm these results. © 2020 The Author(s)

Impact of Ramadan fasting on intraocular pressure, visual acuity and refractive errors

Introduction: Fasting evidently influences a variety of physiological parameters that can impact the ocular system. Among these modifications are alterations in insulin secretion, sympathetic activity, free fatty acids, lipid profile, melatonin, cortisol, electrolytes and catecholamines. In this study, we investigated the possible alterations in intraocular pressure (10P), visual acuity and refractive errors during Ramadan fasting. Methods: 10P, visual acuity and refractive errors of both eyes of volunteers were measured on the first and last days of Ramadan (once in the morning and evening). Body weight was measured so as to estimate the amount of dehydration. Data from the two examinations was analysed using one-way analysis of variance. A p -value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 58 healthy, fasting male volunteers with a mean age of 40.7 +/- 7.1 years participated in the study. Statistical analysis demonstrated no difference in 10P, visual acuity or refractive errors on the first and last days of Ramadan, or within a single day (from morning to evening). Conclusion: Our results reveal that Islamic Ramadan fasting does not profoundly affect physiological 10P, refractive error or visual acuity values in healthy volunteers. However, more detailed investigations using animal models should be designed to evaluate whether fasting has a pivotal influence on pathological conditions. Keywords: body weight, intraocular pressure, Ramadan fasting, refractive errors, visual acuit

Molecular Diagnosis of Iris Yellow Spot Virus (IYSV) on Onion in Iran

Viral symptoms indicative of Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) were observed on onion in several fields near Chenaran in Khorasan Razavi Province. Mechanical inoculation of herbaceous hosts with onion sap extracts from symptomatic plants showed similar symptoms to those described for IYSV. The mechanically transmitted virus reacted only with antisera specific to IYSV in DAS-ELISA but not with antisera specific to seven other tospoviruses. In RT-PCR, a DNA fragment approximately 822 bp in size was amplified from infected Nicotiana benthamiana by using primers specific to the nucleocapsid (N) gene of IYSV. After cloning and sequencing, the deduced N protein sequence of two isolates (GenBank accession no. HQ148173 and HQ148174) showed 98% amino acid identity with a Sri Lankan isolate, 96% with a Dutch isolate and 92% with a Brazilian isolate. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular characterization of IYSV in Ira

Infection of Alstroemeria Plants with Tomato yellow ring virus in Iran

Alstroemeria cv. Ovation plants with virus-like necrotic spots and streaks on leaves and petals were observed in greenhouses in Khorasan Razavi (Mashhad) and Markazi (Mahallat) provinces, Iran. Samples with virus-like symptoms reacted positively in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with a polyclonal antibody raised against Tomato yellow ring virus (TYRV) nucleocapsid (N) protein. TYRV-specific primers were used in a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to amplify the N gene. The deduced amino acid sequences of the obtained amplicon revealed 99% identity to the N protein of an isolate of TYRV isolated from tomato (TYRV-t