Molecular epidemiology of high-risk types of Human Papillomaviruses (16, 18) in pap-smear, the North East of Iran

Background: Cervical Cancer is one of the most important and commonly diagnosed types of cancer in females. There are different causes of cervical cancer, amongst which recurrent and persistent infection with HPV types 16 and 18 are the most renowned ones. These genotypes are the main factors in 99% of cases in developed countries and 70% in developing ones. Due to the importance of these viruses in cervical cancer, molecular detection of HPV and its high risk genotypes in Gorgan was designed. Methods: Pap smears and swabs specimens were taken from 308 women. Papanicola staining method and cytology were used. Nucleic acid was extracted by proteinase K phenol-chloroform standard method and then assessed by using beta-globin primer. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was then performed for papilomaviruses on all patients and positive cases from both types, including HPV 16 and 18 genotypes, were detected. Results: Three hundred and eight women (15-75 years old) with mean age of 37.54±10.6 were recruited. Seventy six cases (20.1%) of whom were infected with HPV and 48.6% with HPV16 or 18 positive. Normal cytology was seen in 226 cases and 41 patients (18.1%) were HPV positive. Amongst those 152 cases with inflammation or abnormal cytology, 35 cases (23%) were HPV positive. No significant relation was reported between different variables and HPV infections. Conclusions: Due to high rate of HPV infection, as well as its high risk genotypes in different studies, more careful screening of women by Pap smear is recommended

Microenvironment-mediated cancer dormancy : insights from metastability theory

Dormancy is an evolutionarily conserved protective mechanism widely observed in nature. A pathological example is found during cancer metastasis, where cancer cells disseminate from the primary tumor, home to secondary organs, and enter a growth-arrested state, which could last for decades. Recent studies have pointed toward the microenvironment being heavily involved in inducing, preserving, or ceasing this dormant state, with a strong focus on identifying specific molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways. Increasing evidence now suggests the existence of an interplay between intracellular as well as extracellular biochemical and mechanical cues in guiding such processes. Despite the inherent complexities associated with dormancy, proliferation, and growth of cancer cells and tumor tissues, viewing these phenomena from a physical perspective allows for a more global description, independent from many details of the systems. Building on the analogies between tissues and fluids and thermodynamic phase separation concepts, we classify a number of proposed mechanisms in terms of a thermodynamic metastability of the tumor with respect to growth. This can be governed by interaction with the microenvironment in the form of adherence (wetting) to a substrate or by mechanical confinement of the surrounding extracellular matrix. By drawing parallels with clinical and experimental data, we advance the notion that the local energy minima, or metastable states, emerging in the tissue droplet growth kinetics can be associated with a dormant state. Despite its simplicity, the provided framework captures several aspects associated with cancer dormancy and tumor growth

Maternal serum copper concentration in premature rupture of membrane: A case-control study

Copper is an integrated parts of metal-protein required far varieties of oxide-reductive metabolic pathways in human. Copper deficiency is considered as risk factors in some pregnancies. Premature rupture of membrane is a pregnancy complication with major adverse effects and is believed maternal Copper deficiency can also be considered as interventional factors. This study was done to evaluate if there is a correlation between maternal serum Copper concentration and premature rupture of membrane in pregnancy. In this case-control study 60 pregnant women with Premature Rupture of Membrane (PROM) were selected as case group including term and pre term the control group consist of 60 pregnant women with normal delivery of term and pre term states. Both group were matched for maternal and pregnancy age. In case and control group the pregnancy at term and pre-term were grouped independently as well. In general the maternal mean serum Copper concentration were 192.4±78.2 and 201.08±82.06 in case and control groups, respectively but this differences statistically was not significant. Data in this study revealed that the absolute value of maternal serum Copper concentration of term or pre term in case groups was slightly lower than related controls. Drop in maternal Copper concentration in some disturbed pregnancies such as premature rupture of membrane is previously demonstrated and based on our data the absolute Copper serum concentration of women with premature rupture of membrane was also slightly lower compared to healthy pregnancy but it was not statistically significant. © Asian Network for Scientific Information

Chemical composition and antibacterial activity from essential oil of Artemisia sieberi Besser subsp. Sieberi in North of Iran

The chemical composition and antibacterial effect of Artemisia siberi essential oil were studied in this research. The composition of essential oil from aerial parts was analyzed by GC/MS and its antibacterial effect were determined by disc diffusion method. Artemisia ketone (48.5%), 1, 8-cineole (19.7%), selin-11-en-4-a-ol (4.6%) and lavandulon (2.8%) were the major constituents of this herbal medicine. Inhibitory zone against Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli around discs contained 100 mg mL-1 of Artemisia siberi essential oil were 18, 13 and 12 mm, respectively. Further studies for the determination of and Pseudomonas infection in animal model are suggested. © 2007 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Comparison between prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) and fresh frozen plasma (FFP) for the urgent reversal of warfarin in patients with mechanical heart valves in a tertiary care cardiac center

Fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) reverse oral anticoagulants such as Warfarin. We compared the standard dosage of FFP and PCC in terms of efficacy and safety for patients with mechanical heart valves undergoing interventional procedures while receiving Warfarin. Fifty patients were randomized (25 for each group) with mechanical heart valves international normalized ratio (INR) >2.5. FFP dosage was administered based on body weight (10-15 mL/Kg), while PCC dosage was administered based on both body weight and target INR. INR measurements were obtained at different time after PCC and FFP infusion. The mean ± SD of INR pre treatment was not significantly different between the PCC and FFP groups. However, over a 48-hour period following the administration of PCC and FFP, 76% of the patients in the PCC group and only 20% of the patients in the FFP group reached the INR target. Five (20%) patients in the PCC group received an additional dose of PCC, whereas 17 (68%) patients in the FFP group received a further dose of FFP (P=0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups in Hb and Hct before and during a 48-hour period after PCC and FFP infusion. As regards safety monitoring and adverse drug reaction screening in the FFP group, the INR was high (INR > 2.5) in 86% of the patients. There was no report of hemorrhage in both groups. PCC reverses anticoagulation both effectively and safely while having the advantage of obviating the need to extra doses. © 2015 by School of Pharmacy Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

Correlation of shape and size of sella turcica with the type of facial skeletal class in an Iranian group

Background: In orthodontic science, diagnosis of facial skeletal type (class I, II, and III) is essential to make the correct treatment plan that is usually expensive and complicated. Sometimes results from analysis of lateral cephalometry radiographies are not enough to discriminate facial skeletal types. In this situation, knowledge about the relationship between the shape and size of the sella turcica and the type of facial skeletal class can help to make a more definitive decision for treatment plan. Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate this relationship in patients referred to a dental school in Iran. Patients and Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, cephalometric radiographies of 90 candidates for orthodontic treatment (44 females and 46 males) with an age range of 14 - 26 years and equal distribution in terms of class I, class II, and class III facial skeletal classification were selected. The shape, length, diameter, and depth of the sella turcica were determined on the radiographs. Linear dimensions were assessed by one-way analysis of variance while the correlation between the dimensions and age was investigated using Pearson�s correlation coefficient. Results: Sella turcica had normal morphology in 24.4 of the patients while irregularity (notching) in the posterior part of the dorsum sella was observed in 15.6, double contour of sellar floor in 5.6, sella turcica bridge in 23.3, oblique anterior wall in 20 and pyramidal shape of the dorsum sella in 11.1 of the subjects. In total, 46.7 of class I patients had a normal shape of sella turcica, 23.3 of class II patients had an oblique anterior wall and a pyramidal shape of the dorsum sella, and 43.3 of class III individuals had sella turcica bridge (the greatest values). Sella turcica length was significantly greater in class III patients compared to class II and class I (P < 0.0001). However, depth and diameter of sella turcica were similar in class I, class II, and class III patients. Furthermore, age was significantly correlated to the diameter of sella turcica as greater diameters were observed in older ages (P < 0.04). Conclusion: A significant relationship exists between the type of facial skeletal classification and the shape of the sella turcica; as in class III patients, sella turcica bridge was reported with a higher frequency. Also, sella turcica had a significantly higher length in these patients than in those with class I and class II facial skeletal types. © 2015, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Iranian Society of Radiology

Optical quantification of intracellular mass density and cell mechanics in 3D mechanical confinement

Biophysical properties of cells such as intracellular mass density and cell mechanics are known to be involved in a wide range of homeostatic functions and pathological alterations. An optical readout that can be used to quantify such properties is the refractive index (RI) distribution. It has been recently reported that the nucleus, initially presumed to be the organelle with the highest dry mass density (ρ) within the cell, has in fact a lower RI and ρ than its surrounding cytoplasm. These studies have either been conducted in suspended cells, or cells adhered on 2D substrates, neither of which reflects the situation in vivo where cells are surrounded by the extracellular matrix (ECM). To better approximate the 3D situation, we encapsulated cells in 3D covalently-crosslinked alginate hydrogels with varying stiffness, and imaged the 3D RI distribution of cells, using a combined optical diffraction tomography (ODT)-epifluorescence microscope. Unexpectedly, the nuclei of cells in 3D displayed a higher ρ than the cytoplasm, in contrast to 2D cultures. Using a Brillouin-epifluorescence microscope we subsequently showed that in addition to higher ρ, the nuclei also had a higher longitudinal modulus (M) and viscosity (η) compared to the cytoplasm. Furthermore, increasing the stiffness of the hydrogel resulted in higher M for both the nuclei and cytoplasm of cells in stiff 3D alginate compared to cells in compliant 3D alginate. The ability to quantify intracellular biophysical properties with non-invasive techniques will improve our understanding of biological processes such as dormancy, apoptosis, cell growth or stem cell differentiation. <br

High frequency of the IL-2 -330 T/HLA-DRB1*1501 haplotype in patients with multiple sclerosis

We have evaluated the role of the HLA-DRB1*1501 allele and the IL-2 -330 T/G polymorphism and their interaction in susceptibility to multiple sclerosis on 360 patients and 426 matched healthy individuals. We used the SSP-PCR method to determine the alleles. Fisher's exact test was used to analyses. We observed a significant increase in the T allele at IL-2 -330 position in patients (OR = 1.34, P<0.05), and the T/T and T/G genotypes were more frequent among patients than controls. The HLA-DRB1*1501 allele was overrepresented in patients as compared to the control group (OR = 1.7, P=0.0006). The two-locus analysis of the interaction between the IL-2 promoter polymorphism and the HLA-DRB1 allele showed that the HLA-DRB1*1501/T haplotype was more frequent in patients than controls (OR=16, P<0.0001). Our findings support previous findings about the role of the HLA-DRB1*1501 allele in susceptibility to MS. This work also provides new findings about the importance of gene-gene interactions in the development of MS. © 2010 Elsevier Inc

Effect of end of Season Drought Stress on Morphology, Yield Components and Grain Yield of Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Cultivars

IntroductionWater is now the main limiting factor for crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. Water-cut or irrigation interruption has been suggested as one of the main strategies agro-technique to get the most benefit from limited water resource available. In this regard, plant growth stage, time of stress induction and the genotype are the main key factors to determine the degree of success. Canola is one of the most important oil crop. It can survive some degree of water stress while there is a need for research to find the most appropriate genotypes for plantations in water-limited areas.Materials and MethodsIn order to determine the effect of water stress at the various growing stages of canola genotypes a split-plot experiment was conducted based on the randomized complete block design with three replications at the research farm of the department of plant production and genetics, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Iran during 2020-2021. Main plots included three irrigation treatments: control (without interruption of irrigation), interruption of irrigation in the beginning of the flowering stage (phenology code 60) to the formation of 50% pods (phenology code 75), and interruption of irrigation in the stage of formation of pods until harvest (Phenology code 99) in the main plots and the cultivars (Long pod, Aram, RGS 003, Jankom, Solar, Hayola 4815, Mahtab, Julius, Agamax and Sala) were arranged in sub-plots with respect to irrigation treatments. At the end of the growing season, plant height, number of branches, silique length, number of pods per plant, number of seeds per pod, 1000 grain weight, and grain oil percentage were measured. Also, after removing the marginal effect, economic performance, biological performance and harvest index were measured.Results and DiscussionOur results revealed there was a significant interaction effect between irrigation interruption stress and genotype on all studied traits. The number of sub-branch among cultivars varies as a result of Irrigation interruption stress. The genotypes of the long pod and Hayola 4815 had the highest number of branches compared to other genotypes when irrigation was interrupted at the flowering stage up to 50%, while when applied stress at the stage of flowering up to harvest, genotype, solar exhibited the highest number of sub-branch. The lowest number of sub-branches in all interruption of irrigation and control treatments was obtained by Jankom genotype. The mean comparisons in the conditions without irrigation interruption (control) the highest percentage of seed oil was obtained from Solar (48.3%), Hayola 4815 and 4815 (46.3%), stress application in flowering stage up to 50% sowing of a long pod (45%) and Hayola 4815 (43%) genotypes in the sowing stress to harvest the highest percentage of seed oil from Sala and Long pod genotypes with average (44.3%) the lowest percentage of seed oil in all present treatments belonged to Jankom genotype. In the present study, the highest (2093.8 kg.ha-1) and the lowest (540 kg.ha-1) grain yield and the highest (986.51 kg.ha-1) and the lowest (191.21 kg.ha-1) grain oil yield in both conditions without irrigation interruption (control) and terminal drought stress were obtained from Hayola 4815 and Jankom genotypes, respectively.ConclusionThe highest and the lowest grain yield, seed oil and biological yield were obtained from Hayola 4815 and Jankom, respectively. According to the results, Hayola 4815, long pod and Solar are highly recommended to cultivate in the regions where there is terminal water stress at the end of the growing season

Comparison of the cardiovascular presentations, complications and outcomes following different coronaviruses' infection: A systematic review

Manifestations caused by coronavirus family have presented it in many ways during the previous years. The aim of this systematic review was to gather all possible cardiovascular manifestations of the coronavirus family in the literature. Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane and ProQuest which were updated on May 1, 2020 for the last time. Regarding to the novelty and speed of publications on COVID-19, we searched Google Scholar and also references of included studies and review articles in the systematic search results were searched manually. The searched keywords were the combination of the following MeSH terms: "COVID-19", "SARS", "MERS"and "cardiovascular presentation". The systematic review was registered with ID CRD42020180736 in International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). After screening, 28 original articles and ten case studies (five case reports and five case series) were included. Most of the studies were focused on COVID-19 (20 original articles and five case studies) while the only studies about Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was a case report. Almost all the cardiovascular presentations and complications including acute cardiac injury, arrhythmias and the thrombotic complications were more prevalent in COVID-19 than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and MERS. The cardiac injury was the most common cardiovascular presentation and complication in COVID-19 whereas thrombotic complications were commonly reported in SARS. The cardiac injury was the predictor of disease severity and mortality in both COVID-19 and SARS. Coronavirus 2019 may present with cardiovascular manifestations and complications in signs and symptoms, laboratory data and other paraclinical findings. Also, cardiovascular complications in the course of COVID-19 may result in worse outcomes. © 2021 The Author(s)