Investigation of c-Myc gene amplification in breast cancer patients and its correlation with other prognostic factors

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in woman. The frequency of amplification of some proto-oncogenes like c-Myc gene may be various in different populations. In this study, amplification of c-Myc oncogene was determined in breast cancer patients and its correlation with prognostic factors such as age, tumor size, tumor stage, grade of the disease, lymph node involvement, HER/2 protein expression, estrogen and progesterone receptors and recurrence was also investigated. Materials and Methods: In this study, to determine the amplification of c-Myc oncogenes in breast cancer patients, the multiplex PCR technique was used. After extracting DNA from 100 tumor tissue and 8 normal breast tissue samples, amplification of c-Myc gene was determined by coamplification of a single-copy reference gene, g-IFN, and the target gene c-myc in PCR reaction and using the Gel analyzer software. In the next step, the correlation of the amplification of this gene with other prognostic factors was investigated. Results: In this study, amplification of the c-Myc gene was observed in 27 of the tumor samples. The statistic analysis showed that amplification of the c-Myc oncogene was significantly associated with the recurrence of breast cancer. There was no significant correlation between amplification of the c-Myc oncogene and other prognostic factors including age, estrogen and progesterone receptors, lymph node involvement, HER/2 expression, tumor size, stage and grade of the disease. Conclusion: Amplification of the c-Myc gene can be used as an independent prognostic factor in predicting the recurrence in breast cancer patients

Assessment of Cytokine-Mediated Signaling Pathway Dysregulation in Arm Skin After CO2 Laser Therapy

Introduction: Laser therapy is known as an efficient approach in dermatology surgery. CO2 laser therapy is a gold standard treatment in skin surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the interferons change after CO2 laser surgeryMethods: Significant differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) of arm skin after 7 days of treatment by the CO2 laser relative to the controls are downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and are included in the protein-protein interaction network via a STRING database (an application of Cytoscape software). The central DEGs were identified and enriched via gene ontology by using Clue GO software.  Results: A network including 78 DEGs and 100 neighbors was constructed and STAT1, MX1, ISG15, OAS1, IFIT1, IRF8, OASL, OAS2, and RSAD2 as hubs and STAT1, PTPRC, MX1, IRF8, ISG15, IL6, RORC, SAMSN1, and IFIT1 as bottlenecks were introduced. The cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, interferon gamma signaling, hepatitis C, interferon alpha/beta signaling, and the type I interferon signaling pathway were identified as five clusters of biological terms which are related to the central nodes.Conclusion: It can be concluded that the cytokine-mediated signaling pathway is the major pathway that is dysregulated after laser application in the treated skin.

Investigation of c-Myc gene amplification in breast cancer patients and its correlation with other prognostic factors

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in woman. The frequency of amplification of some proto-oncogenes like c-Myc gene may be various in different populations. In this study, amplification of c-Myc oncogene was determined in breast cancer patients and its correlation with prognostic factors such as age, tumor size, tumor stage, grade of the disease, lymph node involvement, HER/2 protein expression, estrogen and progesterone receptors and recurrence was also investigated. Materials and Methods: In this study, to determine the amplification of c-Myc oncogenes in breast cancer patients, the multiplex PCR technique was used. After extracting DNA from 100 tumor tissue and 8 normal breast tissue samples, amplification of c-Myc gene was determined by coamplification of a single-copy reference gene, -IFN, and the target gene c-myc in PCR reaction and using the Gel analyzer software. In the next step, the correlation of the amplification of this gene with other prognostic factors was investigated. Results: In this study, amplification of the c-Myc gene was observed in 27% of the tumor samples. The statistic analysis showed that amplification of the c-Myc oncogene was significantly associated with the recurrence of breast cancer. There was no significant correlation between amplification of the c-Myc oncogene and other prognostic factors including age, estrogen and progesterone receptors, lymph node involvement, HER/2 expression, tumor size, stage and grade of the disease. Conclusion: Amplification of the c-Myc gene can be used as an independent prognostic factor in predicting the recurrence in breast cancer patients

Consequences of Spiritual Care for Cancer Patients and Oncology Nurses: a Qualitative Study

Objective: The nature of cancer increases the spiritual needs of patients and necessitates the provision of holistic care for them. By trying to meet the spiritual needs of patients, oncology nurses can help them adapt, gain inner peace, and develop positive thoughts and attitudes. This study aimed to explore the consequences of spiritual care for cancer patients and oncology nurses from the perspective of the patients, family members, nurses, and other health-care team members. Methods: The present qualitative study was conducted using conventional content analysis in 2016–2017. The data were collected through semi-structured deep interviews of the 18 participants. Results: The theme extracted from the data was “spiritual growth” and comprised the major categories of “nurse's spiritual development” and “patient's spiritual development.” There were three subcategories in the nurse's spiritual development and 11 subcategories in the patient's spiritual development. Conclusions: Spiritual care places the cancer patient and the oncology nurse on the path to spiritual growth. The achievement of peace by the patient and the nurse was a common consequence of spiritual care. It helps the nurse promote comfort and a sense of peace in the patient and eventually to obtain inner satisfaction. Considering the transcendental effects of spiritual care, a systematic plan should be devised to enhance sensitivity in oncology nurses and encourage them to make spiritual care a component of interventional plans

Post-traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Patients: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

Background: Studies about cancer-related trauma have shown that psychological reactions to the disease are not exclusively negative but most patients also report positive experiences. These positive perceptions are also called post-traumatic growth and benefit patients psychologically, spiritually, and physically. Therefore,we have conducted a study about how women with breast cancer perceive posttraumatic growth and the recognition of its dimensions in Iran.Methods: This qualitative study was conducted by using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. A total of 23 women with breast cancer who met the inclusion criteria were selected after which patients completed a researcher-generated open-ended questionnaire. Data were analyzed according to the guidelines for the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and Smith method.Results: Participants’ perceptions in this study about post-traumatic growth included three themes: spiritual growth, appreciation of life, and increased personal strengths.Conclusion: Themes found in this study conformed to dimensions according to the Tedeschi and Calhoun theory of post-traumatic growth. However, relations with others were not found in the present study. We propose that interventions should be designed and implemented in order to facilitate and enhance post-traumatic growth