Comparison of HTLV-I Proviral Load in Adult T Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATL), HTLV-I-Associated Myelopathy (HAM-TSP) and Healthy Carriers

Objective(s): Human T Lymphocyte Virus Type one (HTLV-I) is a retrovirus that infects about 10-20 million people worldwide. Khorasan province in Iran is an endemic area. The majority of HTLV-I-infected individuals sustain healthy carriers but small proportion of infected population developed two progressive diseases: HAM/TSP and ATL. The proviral load could be a virological marker for disease monitoring, therefore in the present study HTLV-I proviral load has been evaluated in ATL and compared to HAM/TSP and healthy carriers. Materials and Methods: In this case series study, 47 HTLV-I infected individuals including 13 ATL, 23 HAM/TSP and 11 asymptomatic subjects were studied. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were investigated for presence of HTLV-I DNA provirus by PCR using LTR and Tax fragments. Then in infected subjects, HTLV-I proviral load was measured using real time PCR TaqMan method. Results: The average age of patients in ATL was 52±8, in HAM/TSP 45.52±15.17 and in carrier's 38.65±14.9 years which differences were not statistically significant. The analysis of data showed a significant difference in mean WBC among study groups (ATL vs HAM/ TSP and carriers P=0.0001). Moreover, mean HTLV-I proviral load was 11967.2 ± 5078, 409 ± 71.3 and 373.6 ± 143.3 in ATL, HAM/TSP and Healthy Carriers, respectively. The highest HTLV-I proviral load was measured in ATL group that had a significant correlation with WBC count (R=0.495, P=0.001). The proviral load variations between study groups was strongly significant (ATL vs carrier P=0.0001; ATL vs HAM/TSP P= 0.0001 and HAM/TSP vs carriers P< 0.05). Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that HTLV-I proviral load was higher in ATL group in comparison with HAM/TSP and healthy carriers. Therefore, HTLV-I proviral load is a prognostic factor for development of HTLV-I associated diseases and can be used as a monitoring marker for the efficiency of therapeutic regime

National and sub-national trend of prevalence and burden of dementia in Iran, from 1990 to 2013; Study protocol

Background: Dementia is a disabling syndrome, which generally affects aged population more than any other age groups. This syndrome has a growing prevalence and incidence worldwide. The prevalence and burden of this group of diseases in Iran have not been estimated in a community-based study yet. This paper aims to explain the systematic approach, data sources, research methodology, and statistical analysis that will be used to quantify the prevalence and burden of dementia at national and sub-national levels. Methods: This is the protocol of a secondary data study that explains the design and method of conducting the study. We will use several sources of data that will include a systematic review of articles and gray literature which have reported the prevalence or incidence of dementia and its uncertainty at national and sub-national levels in Iran, in addition to data about dementia-specific drug sales per each year at provincial levels, as well as data extracted from 23 million health insurance prescriptions over 8 years and some data from medical documents of Iranian Alzheimer's Association members. The technical groups of National and Sub-national Burden of Disease will collect some covariate data, such as age and sex structure of population, urbanization status, mean years of schooling, plasma cholesterol, fasting plasma glucose, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure at provincial levels which will be used in our models. Two statistical models, namely spatio-temporal and hierarchical autoregressive models, will be used for interpolation and extrapolation of missing data. Conclusion: It seems that the study of national and subnational burden of dementia could provide more accurate estimation of prevalence and burden of dementia in Iran with an acceptable level of uncertainty than the previous studies

The prevalence of hypertension and its relationship with demographic factors, biochemical, and anthropometric indicators: A population-based study

BACKGROUND: Hypertension (HTN) is an important public health challenge worldwide. The prevalence of HTN varies across countries. It is necessary to obtain valid information about the prevalence of chronic condition like HTN and its predictors in different societies. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of HTN and associated factors in Mashhad, Iran, 2015. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed on 2974 adults residing in Mashhad in 2015. Multistage random sampling was used. A checklist was fulfilled for each subject, and a blood sample was taken for measuring fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglycerides, hemoglobin, serum creatinine, high-density lipoproteins, and low-density lipoproteins. The height and weight of participants and their blood pressure were measured according to protocols. RESULTS: The prevalence of HTN in this population was 22% (25.9% in male and 20% in female). Most interestingly, smoking and drug abuse were more prevalent in men (14.9% and 3.8%), but the sedentary behavior was more prevalent in women (51%). Interestingly, by increasing the age, the frequency of optimum, normal and high normal type was decreased and the frequency of HTN, specially sever form were increased. In binary logistic regression model, age [odds ratio (OR): 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.09], gender (Ref:Female) (OR: 1.39, 95% CI: 1.05-1.83), and obesity (OR: 1.09, 95% CI: 1.06-1.12) were the predictors of HTN. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HTN among this population was found to be high; which indicates the need for HTN-screening programs, especially for the elderly, male and obese population. Given the close relationship between obesity and various diseases, including HTN, practical solutions, including lifestyle interventions, need to be developed. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div

Fcγ1 fragment of IgG1 as a powerful affinity tag in recombinant Fc-fusion proteins : immunological, biochemical and therapeutic properties

Affinity tags are vital tools for the production of high-throughput recombinant proteins. Several affinity tags, such as the hexahistidine tag, maltose-binding protein, streptavidin-binding peptide tag, calmodulin-binding peptide, c-Myc tag, glutathione S-transferase and FLAG tag, have been introduced for recombinant protein production. The fragment crystallizable (Fc) domain of the IgG1 antibody is one of the useful affinity tags that can facilitate detection, purification and localization of proteins and can improve the immunogenicity, modulatory effects, physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties of proteins. Fcγ recombinant forms a group of recombinant proteins called Fc-fusion proteins (FFPs). FFPs are widely used in drug discovery, drug delivery, vaccine design and experimental research on receptor–ligand interactions. These fusion proteins have become successful alternatives to monoclonal antibodies for drug developments. In this review, the physicochemical, biochemical, immunological, pharmaceutical and therapeutic properties of recombinant FFPs were discussed as a new generation of bioengineering strategies

Anti-inflammatory and tissue repair effect of cinnamaldehyde and nano cinnamaldehyde on gingival fibroblasts and macrophages

Abstract Background Recurrent aphthous stomatitis has a complex and inflammatory origin. Among the great variety of medications it is increasingly common to use herbal medicines due to the adverse side effects of chemical medications. Considering the anti-inflammatory properties of cinnamaldehyde and the lack of studies related to the effectiveness of its nano form; This study investigates the effect of cinnamaldehyde and nano cinnamaldehyde on the healing rate of recurrent aphthous stomatitis lesions. Methods In a laboratory experiment, cinnamaldehyde was converted into niosomal nanoparticles. The niosome vesicles diameter and polydispersity index were measured at 25°C using a dynamic light scattering (DLS) Mastersizer 2000 (Malvern Panalytical technologies: UK) and Zetasizer Nano ZS system (Malvern Instruments Worcestershire: UK). After characterizing these particles, the (2,3-Bis-(2-Methoxy-4-Nitro-5-Sulfophenyl)-2H-Tetrazolium-5-Carboxanilide) [XTT] assay was used to assess the toxicity of cinnamaldehyde and nano cinnamaldehyde on gingival fibroblast (HGF) and macrophage (THP-1) cells. By determining the release of TNF-α, IL-6, and TGF-β cytokines using ELISA kits, the level of tissue repair and anti-inflammatory capabilities of these two substances were evaluated. Results The size and loading rate of the cinnamaldehyde nanoparticles were established after its creation. The optimized nanovesicle exhibited the following characteristics: particle size of 228.75 ± 2.38 nm, PDI of 0.244 ± 0.01, the zeta potential of -10.87 ± 1.09 mV and the drug encapsulation percentage of 66.72 ± 3.93%. PDIs range was between 0.242–0.274. The zeta potential values at 25°C were from -2.67 to -12.9 mV. The results of the XTT test demonstrated that nano cinnamaldehyde exhibited dose-dependent toxicity effects. Moreover, nano cinnamaldehyde released more TGF-β and had better reparative effects when taken at lower concentrations than cinnamaldehyde. Conclusion Nano cinnamaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde are effective in repairing tissue when used in non-toxic amounts. After confirmation in animal models, it is envisaged that these substances can be utilized to treat recurrent aphthous stomatitis