The determination of LC50 of diazinon and it's sub-lettal effect on haematological indices of beluga (Huso huso)

The acute toxicity and effects of diazinon on some hematological indices of Beluga (Huso huso) juveniles weighting 4.1±0.12 grams was assessed following the 0.E.C.D. direction in a static temperature in the range 20.27±2.05°C. The 96h LC50 value of diazinon for beluga juveniles was 5.821. Also, the maximum allowable concentration of diazinon in natural waters for beluga was determined to be 0.5821mg/L. Based on the toxicity table of insecticides, diazinon was listed as toxic for beluga .The clinical symptoms that were observed in this study consisted of lordosis and neural paralytic syndrome in fish exposed to the pesticide. Some abnormal reactions such as losing the balance when swimming and swimming in a half circle; expressive pigmentation mainly on the dorsal part were seen in the juveniles. Examination of hematological indices was performed on control and experimental specimens of beluga weighting 16.08 grams on average that were treated with 96h exposure to diazinon in a concentration lower than LC50 96h. The experimental group of beluga showed significantly lower value (P<0.05) of ,erythrocyte (RBC) and leukocyte count, hemoglobin content (Hb), and haematocrite (PCV), MCV, MCH and relative lymphocyte and eosinophil counts compared to the control group In comparison, the relative heterophil count in the juveniles of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group. By observing a decrease in the amount of leukocyte profile specially lymphocytes which are important in non-specific immunity of the fish, it can be said that diazinon may cause a decrease in the non-specific immunity of beluga

Epigenetic changes in FOXO3 and CHEK2 genes and their correlation with clinicopathological findings in myelodysplastic syndromes

Objectives/background: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a heterogeneous disease in terms of clinical course and response to therapy. Epigenetic changes are the primary mechanism of MDS pathogenesis. FOXO3 and CHEK2 genes play significant roles in normal cellular mechanisms and are also known as tumor suppressor genes. We aimed to clarify the correlation of epigenetic changes in these genes with clinicopathologic findings in MDS. Methods: A total of 54 newly diagnosed MDS patients referred to Shariati and Firouzgar Hospitals (Tehran, Iran) were included in the study from 2013 to 2015, comprising the following cases: 26 with refractory cytopenia with unilineage dysplasia, 10 with refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia, four refractory anemia with excess blasts-1 (RAEB-1), 11 refractory anemia with excess blasts-2 (RAEB-2), and three MDS associated with isolated deletion (5q-). Risk groups were determined according to the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R). The methylation status of CHEK2 and FOXO3 promoters were determined by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting analysis of sodium bisulfite-converted DNA. Expressions of CHEK2, FOXO3, and GAPDH were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and fold changes were calculated using the ��CT method. Results: Statistical analysis revealed no promoter methylation of CHEK2 and FOXO3 in healthy control specimens. FOXO3 promoter methylation was associated with high-risk World Health Organization subgroups (p = .017), high-risk IPSS-R (p = .007), high-risk cytogenetics (p = .045), and more than 5 blasts in bone marrow (p = .001). CHEK2 promoter methylation was correlated with more than 5 blasts in bone marrow (p = .009). Conclusions: Promoter methylation of CHEK2 and especially FOXO3 is associated with adverse clinicopathological findings and disease progression in MDS. © 2020 King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centr

Frequencies of BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts among Sudanese chronic myeloid leukaemia patients

The incidence of one or other rearrangement in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients varies in different reported series. In this study we report the frequencies of BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript variants studied in 43 CML patients from Sudan. The study includes 46 Sudanese patients, three of which negative for the BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript. More than half of 43 positive patients showed b2a2 fusion transcript (53.5%), while (41.9%) showed b3a2 transcript and the remaining (4.6%) coexpression of b3a2/ b2a2 and b3a2/b2a2/e19a2. We detected neither coexpression of p210/p190 nor e1a2 alone. Male patients showed a tendency to express b2a2, while female tende to express b3a2 (p = 0.017). Moreover, a single nucleotide polymorphism was detected in BCR exon 13 in one out of four patients and this patient showed only b2a2 expression. In conclusion, we observed a significant correlation between sex and type of BCR-ABL1 transcript, an observation that deserves further investigation

Comparison of Therapeutic and Cosmetic Results of Curettage, Surgical Excision and Combined Curettage and Cauterization in Lesions of Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)

Introduction & Objective: Skin cancers are the most common malignancies of the mankind. Basal call carcinoma (BCC) constitutes the most prevalent skin cancer in human beings. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic and cosmetic results of three methods of treatment of BCC i.e. curettage, surgical excision and combined curettage and cauterization. Materials & Methods: This is an interventional study, through which 79 lesions of BCC on the faces and scalps of 64 patients in Besat hospital of Sanandaj city in 2001-2003 were treated by curettage, surgical excision and combined curettage and cauterization. Collected data were recorded in frequency tables. Results: 69 (87.3%) of tumors were papulonodular type, 61 of them had an ulcer on their surface. 26 tumors were treated by surgery which had a cure rate of 91.7%. 45 (57%) tumors were of solid type. During the follow–up period, an overall recurrence rate of 11.4% (9 tumors) was noticed. Two of the tumors that were treated by surgery, 5 of the tumors treated by curettage, and 2 of those which were treated by combined curettage and cauterization recurred. The cosmetic result in the patients who had been treated by curettage was quite promising, only a small scar or a slight hyper pigmentation was left at the site of the lesions. Conclusion: Curettage is more suitable for the treatment of small lesions of B.C, but it is not recommended for the treatment of the tumors having aggressive behavior or rapid growth. The cosmetic result in the patients treated by combined curettage and cauterization of the lesions was also excellent and in most cases scar was minimal or absent. Combined curettage and cauterization is a cheap and suitable method for the treatment of BCC and it can easily be accomplished

Instruction of spirituality and spiritual care in nursing: A challenge in curriculum development

Background and aimSpirituality as the essence of human existence and a healing factor in mankind has been increasingly emphasized in recent years. Spirituality along with three other domains of holistic care, namely biological, psychological and social has a particular importance.Holistic view provides a suitable approach for health professionals including nurses to focus on all aspects of human. World Health Organization (WHO), International Council of Nurses (ICN), ethical codes of universities worldwide and most theorists of nursing have emphasized on the instruction of spirituality and spiritual care in the frame of holistic approach. Since nurses are responsible to provide physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual care, they need to know how to respond to spiritual needs of their patients. This review article is intended to reveal the importance of spirituality and spiritual care instruction in nursing and focuses on legal as well as ethical requirements for its incorporation in educational planning as a challenge in baccalaureate nursing curriculum in Iran. Materials and methodsA comprehensive review of literature in the Internet was performed to cover all material from 1980 to 2009. Keywords of the review included nursing, spirituality care education and spiritual care in domestic as well as international databases such as IranMedex, Irandoc, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ERIC, ProQuest and Ovid. FindingsThe review indicated that in most curriculums of western and eastern countries, instruction of spirituality and spiritual care is included; however, due to different reasons, nurses still do not have necessary preparations to identify and satisfy spiritual needs of their clients and require further academic education. In Iran, no study was found related to the necessity of inclusion of spirituality and spiritual care in the curriculum of baccalaureate nursing students. ConclusionNursing educators play a critical role in the preparation of students to diagnose and satisfy clients’ spiritual needs. The principles of spirituality and spiritual care should be included and taught in the curriculum of the students.  Keywords: Spirituality, Spiritual care, Nursing education, Curriculum. *Corresponding Author: Abdollah Khorami Markani, PhD Student, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Shariati, Tehran, Iran. E-mail: [email protected]

Zinc and Copper levels in the serum of Pityriasis Alba patients

Abstract: Pityriasis alba is an eruptive skin disorder which occurs as dry hypopigmented, scaly patches appears mainly in sun-expose areas of skin, usually in children and young adolescents. Complete cure occurs within few years even without treatment. Few trace elements play essential roles as cofactors in pigmentary process of the skin. In this study by determination of zinc and copper levels in the serum of pityriasis alba patients, we try to find a relationship between serum changes of these elements and the prevalence of pityriasis alba. Both dietary copper and zinc are under influence of phytates and fibers which can be chelated and reduce their bioavailability. Upon study on 48 patients, results did not show any significant difference in relation to the control group. So changes in the level of serum zinc and copper supposedly can not be considered in the pathogenesis of pityriasis alba. Keywords: Pityriasis alba, Trace elements, Copper, Zin