INTRACRANIAL STENOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENTS

INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to investigate pattern and risk factors associated with the location of atherosclerotic occlusive lesions in cerebral vessels. Previous studies of patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) suggest that extracranial atherosclerosis is more common in the white race. Noninvasive techniques such as duplex ultrasound, transcranial Doppler (TCD), and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) allow vascular assessment of a more representative proportion of the patients, compared to conventional angiography alone. METHODS: We evaluated patients with cerebrovascular problems (stroke and/or TIA) during a period of 6 months, using duplex ultrasonography, TCD and MRA to detect significant stenosis according to standard criteria. RESULTS: Stenosis of extracranial and intracranial arteries was detected in 38% and 29% of cases, respectively. MCA was the most frequent involved intracranial artery (11% bilaterally and 5% unilaterally). Intracranial lesions tend to be multiple. There was no significant difference between men and women in terms of frequency and distribution of stenosis. No correlation was found between opium use and stenosis. The women had significantly more poor windows than men (P<0.05). The extracranial stenosis was significantly more frequent than intracranial stenosis (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The relations between hypertension and extracranial stenosis, and diabetes and MCA stenosis were statistically significant. TCD seemed to be a better technique for evaluating intracranial lesions in men than in women

ASSOCIATION OF MMP-7 -181A>G POLYMORPHISM WITH COLORECTAL CANCER AND GASTRIC CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS.

INTRODUCTION: The matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) gene -181A>G polymorphism has been reported to be associated with colorectal cancer (CRC) and gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility, yet the results of these previous results have been inconsistent or controversial. AIM: To elaborate a meta-analysis to assess the association of -181A>G polymorphism of MMP-7 with CRC and GC risk. METHODS: Published literature evaluating the association from PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and other databases were retrieved up to April 25, 2018. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random- or fixed-effects model. RESULTS: A total of 19 case-control studies, which included eleven studies on CRC (2,169 CRC cases and 2,346 controls) and eight studies on GC (1,545 GC cases and 2,366 controls) were identified. There was a significant association between MMP-7 -181A>G polymorphism and GC risk under the homozygote model (GG vs. AA: OR=1.672, 95% CI 1.161-2.409, p=0.006) and the recessive model (GG vs. GA+AA: OR=1.672, 95% CI 1.319-2.554, p=0.001), but not with CRC. By subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, an increased risk of CRC and GC was found only among Asians. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that MMP-7 -181A>G polymorphisms is associated with GC risk, but not with CRC. However, our results clearly showed that the MMP-7 -181A>G polymorphism significantly increased the risk of CRC only in Asians

A Collect of Recommendations and Guidelines for Management and Treatment of Underlying Malignancies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the main challenges to public health systems worldwide now. Cancer patients are considered as a high risk group during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the evidence so far, cancer as underlying comorbidities might increase the risk of death in patients with COVID-19. Many cancer patients with increased risk of contracting COVID-19 than the general population regularly visit health facilities for treatment and disease surveillance. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has a profound impact on cancer care and treatment. Here, we attempted to summarize the current suggestions for handling of cancer patients during COVID-19 pandemic. We carried out a integrative literature review using several online bibliographies. A total of 113 papers were accessed for the time frame between October 05 2020 and October 10 2020. After screening of titles and full-texts, 10 publications were selected in this study. In this work some recommendations and guidelines that would help for management and treatment of cancer for the purpose of address the challenges during COVID-19 pandemic were collected. We hope that this collection recommendations and guidelines assist health care providers in management of individuals with underlying malignancy during the COVID-19 pandemic

INTRACRANIAL STENOSIS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE CEREBROVASCULAR ACCIDENTS

Abstract &nbsp;&nbsp; INTRODUCTION: This study was conducted to investigate pattern and risk factors associated with the location of atherosclerotic occlusive lesions in cerebral vessels. Previous studies of patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) suggest that extracranial atherosclerosis is more common in the white race. Noninvasive techniques such as duplex ultrasound, transcranial Doppler (TCD), and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) allow vascular assessment of a more representative proportion of the patients, compared to conventional angiography alone. &nbsp;&nbsp; METHODS: We evaluated patients with cerebrovascular problems (stroke and/or TIA) during a period of 6 months, using duplex ultrasonography, TCD and MRA to detect significant stenosis according to standard criteria. &nbsp;&nbsp; RESULTS: Stenosis of extracranial and intracranial arteries was detected in 38% and 29% of cases, respectively. MCA was the most frequent involved intracranial artery (11% bilaterally and 5% unilaterally). Intracranial lesions tend to be multiple. There was no significant difference between men and women in terms of frequency and distribution of stenosis. No correlation was found between opium use and stenosis. The women had significantly more poor windows than men (P&lt;0.05). The extracranial stenosis was significantly more frequent than intracranial stenosis (P&lt;0.01). &nbsp;&nbsp; CONCLUSION: The relations between hypertension and extracranial stenosis, and diabetes and MCA stenosis were statistically significant. TCD seemed to be a better technique for evaluating intracranial lesions in men than in women. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; Keywords: Atherosclerosis, Stenosis, Carotid artery, Doppler Sonography. &nbsp;</p

Comparison of shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets bonded with halogen and plasma arc light curing

Background: Reduced time and appropriate bond strength of brackets is one of the most important aspects of orthodontic treatments. Prolonged halogen light curing for bonding of brackets is undesirable, so the purpose of this study was to compare the shear bond strength of brackets bonded with halogen light and plasma arc system. Materials and Mehods: This was an experimental in vitro study. A total of 60 intact premolar teeth were collected and divided into four groups. Stainless steel orthodontic brackets were bonded to them. In groups 1 and 2, curing was done using halogen light given for 20 seconds from two and four angles. In groups 3 and 4, curing was carried out using the plasma arc system for 6 seconds from two and four angles. The shear bond strength was recorded by Instron. The statistics of ANOVA, Tukey′s test, and T-test were used in data analysis. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in shear bond strength among the four groups (P = 0.043) and between group 1 with group 2 (P = 0.035). Yet, there was no statistically significant difference between brackets bonded with plasma arc and those bonded with halogen light or between the two groups of plasma arc. Conclusion: Using the plasma arc system is superior to other methods due to reduced curing time. Also, since in using the halogen light system, an increase in curing periods from different angles resulted in a significant increase in shear bond strength; it is advisable to apply the halogen light from different angles

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Locally Advanced Squamous Carcinoma of Oral Cavity: a Pilot Study

To evaluate the effect of adding neoadjuvant chemotherapy to surgery and radiation therapy for locally advanced resectable oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma, 24 patients with T3 or T4a oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma were randomly assigned to surgery alone or Docetaxel, Cisplatin, and 5-FU (TPF) induction chemotherapy followed by surgery. All patients were planned to receive chemoradiotherapy after surgery. The primary end-points were organ preservation and progression-free-survival. SPSS version 17 was used for data analysis. Median follow-up was 16 months. The median age of the patients was 62 years old (23-75 years). Man/woman ratio was 1.13. The primary site of the tumor was the tongue in most patients (48%). No significant difference was observed between pathologic characteristics of the two groups. Chemotherapy group showed 16% complete pathologic response to TPF. No significant difference in organ preservation surgery or overall survival was detected. However, the patients in the chemotherapy group had longer progression-free-survival (P=0.014). Surgery followed by chemoradiotherapy with or without TPF induction results in similar survival time. However, progression-free-survival improves with the TPF induction chemotherapy. Studies with more patents and new strategies are recommended to evaluate organ preservation improvement and long-term outcomes

Improvement in the survival of esophageal cancer patients at cancer institute of Iran after implementation of the neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation : Retrospective cohort study

Background: Iran is a high-risk area with a poor prognosis for esophageal cancer. We conducted the present study to evaluate the survival rate of esophageal cancer after the introduction of neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation at the Cancer Institute of Iran. Method: We performed a retrospective cohort study and abstracted the data of 421 patients who referred to the Cancer Institute of Iran between 2007 and 2011. Life table and Kaplan-Meier approaches were applied to estimate 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). Multiple Cox regression model was recruited for investigating the association between 5-year survival rate and prognostic factors. Results: We found that 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 66.7%, 28.2, and 20.9%, respectively. The hazard ratio (HR) was significantly higher among the patients who has received definitive chemo-radiation therapy (Hazard ratio (HR) = 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 4.2), surgery (HR= 2.0 95% CI: 1.0, 3.7), and palliative care (HR= 4.2, 95% CI: 2.1, 1.8) compared with those who received neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation and surgery. We also found that the 5-year survival rate was doubled in the current study conducted between 2007 and 2011 (20.9%) compared with the previous one conducted between 1997 and 2006 (10.0%). Additionally, a considerable improvement was observed in 1-and 3-year survival rate of esophageal cancer at the Cancer Institute of Iran. Conclusion: Following the administration of neo-adjuvant chemo-radiation therapy, the prognosis of esophageal cancer has improved significantly at the Cancer Institute of Iran during the last decade. More data from other cancer centers and provinces of Iran are required.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

ASSOCIATION OF PROMOTER REGION POLYMORPHISMS OF INTERLEUKIN-10 GENE WITH SUSCEPTIBILITY TO COLORECTAL CANCER: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Several epidemiological studies have investigated the association of promoter region polymorphisms of Interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene with colorectal cancer (CRC), while the conclusion is still conflicting and inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate the association of promoter region polymorphisms of IL-10 with CRC. METHODS: Eligible articles were identified by a search of several bibliographic databases for the period up to March 15, 2018. The strength of the association was measured by odd ratios with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: A total of 28 case-control studies with 5,647 CRC cases and 6,908 controls were selected, including 14 studies for IL-10 -1082A>G (rs1800896) polymorphism (2,702 cases and 3,649 controls), eleven studies for -592C>A (rs1800872) polymorphism (3,259 cases and 4,992 controls), and three studies for -819T>C (rs1800871) polymorphism (477 cases and 544 controls). By pooling all eligible studies, we found that the IL-10 -1082A>G and -592C>A polymorphisms were not associated with increased CRC risk in overall population. However, there was significant associations between the IL-10 -819T>C polymorphism and CRC susceptibility under the allele model (A vs G: OR=1.278, 95% CI 1.043-1.566, P=0.018) and the recessive model (AA vs AG+GG: OR=1.709, 95% CI 1.026-2.845, P=0.039). CONCLUSION: In this meta-analysis we found that IL-10 -819T>C polymorphism was associated with significantly increased risk of CRC; while the IL-10 -1082A>G and -592C>A polymorphisms were not associated with CRC risk. The IL-10 -819T>C polymorphism may be important as suspected predictive factor of CRC occurrence