Investigation of NQO1 genetic polymorphism, NQO1 gene expression and PAH-DNA adducts in ESCC. A case-control study from Iran

We evaluated the effect of NQO1 genetic variation on PAH-DNA adducts in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in northeast Iran. Golestan Province in northeast of Iran has one of the highest esophageal cancer incidences in the world. The study included 93 ESCC cases and 50 control individuals who were seen at the clinical cancer center in Golestan province. NQO1 C609T genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP analysis. NQO1 gene expression in tissue samples was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Immunohistochemical techniques were used to detect PAH-DNA adducts in ESCC and normal esophageal tissues. The distributions of NQO1 genetic polymorphism between cases and the control group were not significantly different. NQO1 gene expression was not higher in tumor tissues than in normal esophageal tissues adjacent to the ESCC; expression was higher in tumor tissues that had the NQO1 T allele. NQO1 gene expression was high in normal esophageal tissues. The level of PAH-DNA adducts was significantly higher in ESCC tissues of cases than in normal tissues adjacent to tumor tissues and in normal esophageal tissues of healthy controls. There were no significant differences between the adduct levels of normal esophageal tissues of patients and controls. There was also no significant relationship between cigarette smoking and PAH-DNA adducts. We concluded that PAHs are a risk factor for ESCC and that PAH-DNA adducts have potential as a biomarker for risk of ESCC

Co-infection of Malaria and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

Southeast of Iran is an endemic area for Malaria and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF). In 1999, we faced with an outbreak of CCHF in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, in the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The most cases of Malaria in Iran are also reported from this area. This article presents a 17-year- old woman who admitted to our hospital because of acute fever, headache, epistaxis, hemorrhagic lesions on the skin and vaginal bleeding. Finally, she was recognized as a case that was co –infected with CCHF and malaria

Sensitive high-resolution melting analysis for screening of kras and braf mutations in Iranian human metastatic colorectal cancers

Background: Investigations of methods for detection of mutations have uncovered major weaknesses of direct sequencing and pyrosequencing, with their high costs and low sensitivity in screening for both known and unknown mutations. High resolution melting (HRM) analysis is an alternative tool for the rapid detection of mutations. Here we describe the accuracy of HRM in screening for KRAS and BRAF mutations in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRCs) samples. Materials and Methods: A total of 1000 mCRC patients in Mehr Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from Feb 2008 to May 2012 were examined for KRAS mutations and 242 of them were selected for further assessment of BRAF mutations by HRM analysis. In order to calculate the sensitivity and specificity, HRM results were checked by pyrosequencing as the golden standard and Dxs Therascreen as a further method. Results: In the total of 1,000 participants, there were 664 (66.4) with wild type and 336 (33.6) with mutant codons 12 and/or 13 of the KRAS gene. Among 242 samples randomly checked for the BRAF gene, all were wild type by HRM. Pyrosequencing and Dxs Therascreen results were in line with those of the HRM. In this regard, the sensitivity and specificity of HRM were evaluated as 100. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the HRM, in comparison with DNA sequencing, is a more appropriate method for precise scanning of KRAS and BRAF mutations. It is also possible to state that HRM may be an attractive technique for the detection of known or unknown somatic mutations in other genes

Investigation of FIH-1 and SOCS3 expression in KRAS mutant and wild-type patients with colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a multistep process based on the accumulation of somatic mutations in genes such as APC and KRAS. Data on the presence of mutations in KRAS gene in CRC and its relationship with clinicopathological parameters and expression of genes involved in tumor progression are scarce. We unbiasedly examined the KRAS status in samples from 99 patients and its correlation with clinicopathological parameters such as age, sex, tumor location, lymph node metastasis, tumor stage, tumor grade, and vascular invasion. Consistent with reports of other researchers, 38.4 of our samples harbored KRAS mutation in their genomes with preferential mutation in codon 12 (89.4 ). Nevertheless, unlike previous reports, we were not able to correlate KRAS status with clinicopathological parameters (P > 0.05) except for vascular invasion. Patients with KRAS mutation have more vascular invasion compared with patient having wild-type KRAS. Next, we investigated the expression of two tumor suppressor genes, factor-inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (FIH-1) and suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS3), in both KRAS mutant and wild-type groups and looked for any correlation between their expression and clinicopathological parameters. Although the expression of both genes was not regular, none of the clinicopathological parameters were associated with the expressions of FIH-1 and SOCS3 at mRNA level (P > 0.05). However, decline in FIH-1 expression at protein level in KRAS mutant group was correlated with stage IV and grade 2 of tumor (P � 0.05). Our results demonstrated that there is no or low correlation between KRAS status, FIH-1, and SOCS3 expression with epidemiologic and clinicpathological characteristics in CRC. © 2016, International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM)

Two new records of encyrtids as parasitoid of Sphaerolecanium prunastri (Hem.: Coccidae) in Iran

این تحقیق در سال 1384 به منظور شناسایی زنبورهای پارازیتویید شپشکSphaerolecanium prunastri Boyer de Fonscolombe (Hem.: Coccidae) در استان خراسان رضوی انجام شد. نمونه‌برداری به صورت دو‌هفته‌یک‌بار از هفت منطقه شامل مشهد، نیشابور، تربت حیدریه، فریمان، شیروان، اسفراین و کلات نادر انجام شد. هشت گونه زنبور پارازیتویید در این مناطق شناسایی شد که دو گونه‌ی Cheiloneurus claviger ThomsonوDiscodes coccophagus (Ratzeburg) از خانواده‌ی Encyrtidae برای اولین‌بار از ایران گزارش می‌شوند

Accuracy of endoscopic ultrasonography for determination of tumor invasion depth in gastric cancer

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one the common lethal cancers in Iran. Detection of GC in the early stages would assesses to improve the survival of patients. In this study, we attempt to evaluate the accuracy of EUS in detection depth of invasion of GC among Iranian Patients. Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective study of patients with pathologically confirmed GC. They underwent EUS before initiating the treatment. The accuracy of EUS and agreement between the two methods was evaluated by comparing pre treatment EUS finding with post operative histopathological results. Results: The overall accuracy of EUS for T and N staging was 67.9 and 75.47, respectively. Underestimation and overestimation was seen in 22 (14.2) and 40 (25.6) respectively. The EUS was more accurate in large tumors and the tumors located in the middle and lower parts of the stomach. The EUS was more sensitive in T3 staging. The values of weighted Kappa from the T and N staging were 0.53 and 0.66, respectively. Conclusions: EUS is a useful modality for evaluating the depth of invasion of GC. The accuracy of EUS was higher if the tumor was located in the lower parts of the stomach and the size of the tumor was more than 3 cm. Therefore, judgments made upon other criteria evaluated in this study need to be reconsidered

Mutation analysis of KRAS and BRAF genes in metastatic colorectal cancer: A first large scale study from Iran

Background: The investigation of mutation patterns in oncogenes potentially can make available a reliable mechanism for management and treatment decisions for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). This study concerns the rate of KRAS and BRAF genes mutations in Iranian metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients, as well as associations of genotypes with clinicopathological features. Materials and Methods: A total of 1,000 mCRC specimens collected from 2008 to 2012 that referred to the Mehr Hospital and Partolab center, Tehran, Iran enrolled in this cross sectional study. Using HRM, Dxs Therascreen and Pyrosequencing methods, we analyzed the mutational status of KRAS and BRAF genes in these. Results: KRAS mutations were present in 33.6 cases (n=336). Of KRAS mutation positive cases, 85.1 were in codon 12 and 14.9 were in codon 13. The most frequent mutation at KRAS codon 12 was Gly12Asp; BRAF mutations were not found in any mCRC patients (n=242). In addition, we observed a strong correlation of KRAS mutations with some clinicopathological characteristics. Conclusions: KRAS mutations are frequent in mCRCs while presence of BRAF mutations in these patients is rare. Moreover, associations of KRAS genotypes with non-mucinous adenocarcinoma and depth of invasion (pT3) were remarkable

Patterns of K-ras mutation in colorectal carcinomas from Iran and Italy (a Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale study): influence of microsatellite instability status and country of origin.

Background: K-ras mutations are a key step in colorectal cancer progression. Such mutations have been widely studied in case series from Western countries but there are few data on the rate and spectrum of mutations in tumors from countries where the epidemiological features of the disease are different. Patients and methods: Tumor samples from 182 Iranian colorectal cancer patients (170 sporadic cases and 12 HNPCC cases) were screened for K-ras mutations at codons 12, 13 and 61 by sequencing analysis. The cases were also characterized for microsatellite instability at mononucleotide repeats by PCR and fragment analysis, and classified according to microsatellite instability status. The frequency and the spectrum of K-ras mutations were compared with those observed in a series of colorectal cancer patients from Italy. Results: K-ras mutations were observed in 68/182 (37.4%) cases. Mutation frequencies were similar in HNPCC-associated, sporadic MSI-H and sporadic microsatellite-stable (MSS) tumors. However, the G13D substitution was more frequent in HNPCC (3/ 4, 75%) and sporadic MSI- H (7/11, 63.6%) tumors compared to sporadic MSS tumors (11/ 53, 20.4%) (P < 0.01). Comparison of mutations in the two series from Iran and Italy showed a significantly higher frequency of G13D among Italian patients. Conclusions: While the frequency of K-ras mutations could be similar, the mutational spectrum could be differentially influenced by genetic and environmental factors

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and liver fibrosis in bariatric patients: Tehran obesity treatment study (TOTS)

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. We aimed to study this condition and liver fibrosis in bariatric patients at baseline using ultrasound, NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS), and fibrosis index-4 (FIB-4). Methods: Adult patients with morbid obesity without other possible causes of liver pathology were evaluated. Liver biopsy was performed in a subset of patients. Diagnostic accuracy of tests was assessed using area under the receiver operating-characteristic curve (AUROC). Results: Overall, 1944 patients with mean age of 38.3 ± 10.8 years and body mass index of 44.6 ± 6.4 kg/m2 comprised the study population. Liver Biopsyshowed features of NAFLDin 70; 60.3 hadnonalcoholic fatty liver and9.6 steatohepatitis. Older age and higher transaminase levels were associated with higher NAFLD activity score. Fibrosis was present in 23.3 with the majority having F1. Ultrasound detected steatosis in 76.8, with two-thirds having grade I to II fatty liver. Metabolic syndrome, hemoglobin A1c, age, and alanine transaminase were the strongest risk factors for fatty liver. Ultrasound showed an AUROC of 0.75 (95 confidence interval 0.63-0.86) for NAFLD with a sensitivity and specificity of 72.5 and 68.2, respectively (cutoff of grade II). For diagnosis of fibrosis, FIB-4 had an AUROC of 0.72 (0.58-0.86) with 93.3 sensitivity and 43.1 specificity (cutoff of 0.50). NFS failed to show a significant AUROC curve for diagnosing fibrosis. Conclusions: Our findings confirmed a high prevalence of NAFLD in morbidly obese patients. Despite this high prevalence, fibrosis was uncommon and low-grade. This study questions the use of current cutoffs for NFS and FIB-4 in all patients. © 2018, Hepatitis Monthly

High temperature optical absorption investigation into the electronic transitions in sol–gel derived C12A7 thin films

Optical absorption into 6 mm thick sol–gel derived films, annealed at 1300 °C of 12CaO·7Al2O3 calcium aluminate binary compound on MgO〈100〉 single crystal substrates was studied at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 300 °C. Experimental data were analysed in both Tauc and Urbach regions. The optical band gap decreased from 4.088 eV at 25 °C to 4.051 eV at 300 °C, while Urbach energy increased from 0.191 eV at 25 °C to 0.257 eV at 300 °C. The relationship between the optical band gap and the Urbach energy at different temperatures showed an almost linear relationship from which the theoretical values of 4.156 and 0.065 eV were evaluated for the band gap energy and Urbach energy of a 12CaO·7Al2O3 crystal with zero structural disorder at 0 K