Biological and clinical relevance of long non-coding RNA PCAT-1 in Cancer, A systematic review and meta-analysis

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) prostate cancer associated transcript 1 (PCAT-1) has been identified as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of various cancers. We performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of dysregulation as well as the biological and clinical significance of lnc-PCAT-1 for predicting the malignancy status in several cancers. Two independent reviewers conducted an extensive search in electronic databases of Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed until the December of 2017. Five articles investigating the clinical significance of lncRNA PCAT-1, including 996 patients, were analyzed. Our results revealed that the increased PCAT-1 expression was related to overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.9, 95CI: 1.13-3.18, P=0.015). Also, pooled results of the diagnostic data analysis demonstrated that PCAT-1 has a sensitivity of 0.59 and specificity of 0.66 for cancer diagnosis. Moreover, pooled area under curve was 0.62 (95 CI: 0.58-0.69). This meta-analysis revealed that lncRNA PCAT-1 could be served as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in various solid tumors. © 2017 Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention

Diagnostic performance of brain natriuretic peptide in patients suspected to Sepsis

Background: One of the main components involving in the pathogenesis and prognosis of sepsis and septic shock is natriuretic peptide. Hemodynamic changes in sepsis or septic shock might explain increased plasma levels of these peptides circulations. Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the value of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in prediction of sepsis state and its related morbidity. We also attempted to determine the best cutoff point of BNP for diagnosis of sepsis state in those with critical illnesses, admitted to the hospital. Patients and Methods: In a cross-sectional study on critically ill patients referred to infections unit of Hazrat Rasoul Akram Hospital, the enrolled patients were assigned to one of the sepsis (n = 30) and nonsepsis (n = 30) groups, based on their results of blood culture and clinical manifestations. Plasma level of BNP was measured by immunoassay. Results: In-hospital mortality was only observed in one patient suffering from sepsis. Hospital length of stay (LOS) was significantly longer in the sepsis group compared with the nonsepsis one (17.47 ± 10.10 days versus 7.93 ± 2.92 days). The plasma BNP level, as a marker, was significantly higher in the sepsis group than the nonsepsis one (786.87 ± 164.11 ng/mL versus 154.57 ± 44.67 ng/mL, P = 0.039). The BNP level was significantly correlated with some baseline variables including respiratory rate (beta = 0.295, P = 0.022) and ESR measurement (beta = 0.296, P = 0.022), but not with other characteristics. Through multivariable linear regression analysis, having other patients' variables information including demographics and hemodynamic parameters, the BNP level was significantly higher in the sepsis group compared with the nonsepsis one (odds ratio = 1.008, P = 0.046). According to the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, BNP measurement had an acceptable value for discriminating sepsis and nonsepsis states (c = 0.734, 95 CI: 0.605-0.864, P = 0.002). The optimal cutoff point of BNP for discriminating sepsis and nonsepsis states was 170 ng/mL, yielding a sensitivity of 66.7 and a specificity of 60.0. Conclusions: Elevated BNP level was associated with a significantly increased risk of sepsis state in critically ill patients. © 2013, Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center

Feed quality control of aquatic in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province

Nutrient and chemical composition, TVN, bacteria, yeast, mold and carcass performance, of aquatic feeds which make in this province were determined. In order to above investigation three commercial aquatic steam pelleted feeds samples for stage of growth and fattening were taken randomly from farm and aquatic factory product. In first trail feed sampled were analyzed for dry matter, crud protein, ether extract, ash, phosphorous, TVN, bacteria, yeast and mold computation. In second trial the experiment was carried out in complete random in design with four treatments and three replicate in each for effect of samples diets on feed consumption (FC), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), which were examined in Juveniles rainbow trout. This experiment were conducted on 3600 Juveniles rainbow trout with initial average weight of 80 gr, for 130 days after antiseptic processes in a pool of one fish producer in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. The feed were given 3 times a day on biomass basis of pounds. During the experiment, once every two weeks, after anaesthetize, weights of 30 fishes in each pound were measuring. The results showed, diet crud protein were significantly differ (P<0.05) between many of feeds. In addition nutrient of diets were differ a little when compare with rainbow trout requirement. Crud protein, phosphorous and EE in starter, grower and finisher of diets were lower than rainbow trout requirement and differ was significant (P<0.05). The index of TVN that shows free nitrogen, were higher than standard in all samples. Bacteria, yeast and mold computation in different of feeds showed that main of total count, yeast and mold in diets of various stage for growth of rainbow trout were different with standards and the differ were higher significantly (P<0.05). The number of coliforms of diets was lower than that suggestion for rainbow trout diets

Survival analysis in gastric cancer: A multi-center study among Iranian patients

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) has been considered as the 5th most common type of cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-associated death worldwide. The aim of this historical cohort study was to evaluate the survival predictors for all patients with GC using the Cox proportional hazards, extended Cox, and gamma-frailty models. Methods: This historical cohort study was performed according to documents of 1695 individuals having GC referred to three medical centers in Iran from 2001 to 2018. First, most significant prognostic risk factors on survival were selected, Cox proportional hazards, extended Cox, gamma-frailty models were applied to evaluate the effects of the risk factors, and then these models were compared with the Akaike information criterion. Results: The age of patients, body mass index (BMI), tumor size, type of treatment and grade of the tumor increased the hazard rate (HR) of GC patients in both the Cox and frailty models (P < 0.05). Also, the size of the tumor and BMI were considered as time-varying variables in the extended Cox model. Moreover, the frailty model showed that there is at least an unknown factor, genetic or environmental factors, in the model that is not measured (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Some prognostic factors, including age, tumor size, the grade of the tumor, type of treatment and BMI, were regarded as indispensable predictors in patients of GC. Frailty model revealed that there are unknown or latent factors, genetic and environmental factors, resulting in the biased estimates of the regression coefficients. © 2020 The Author(s)

Pathogenicity locus determinants and toxinotyping of Clostridioides difficile isolates recovered from Iranian patients

Little is known about the toxin profiles, toxinotypes and variations of toxin Clostridioides difficile C (tcdC) in Iranian C. difficile isolates. A total of 818 stool specimens were obtained from outpatients (n = 45) and hospitalized patients (n = 773) in Tehran, Iran, from 2011 to 2017. The 44 C. difficile isolates were subjected to PCR of toxin C. difficile A (tcdA), toxin C. difficile B (tcdB), tcdA 3�-end deletion, toxinotyping and sequencing of the tcdC gene. Thirty-eight isolates (86.36) were identified as tcdA and tcdB positive, and the remaining six isolates (13.63) were nontoxigenic. All tcdA- and tcdB-positive isolates yielded an amplicon of 2535 bp by PCR for the tcdA 3� end. Fourteen (36.84), seventeen (44.73) and seven (18.43) isolates belonged to wild-type, toxin C. difficile C subclone3 (tcdC-sc3) and tcdC-A genotype of tcdC, respectively. Thirty-one isolates (81.57) belonged to toxinotype 0, and seven isolates (18.42) were classified as toxinotype V. This study provides evidence for the circulation of historical and hypervirulent isolates in the healthcare and community settings. Furthermore, it was also demonstrated that the tcdC-A genotype and toxinotype V are not uncommon among Iranian C. difficile isolates. © 201

A connectome of the adult drosophila central brain

The neural circuits responsible for behavior remain largely unknown. Previous efforts have reconstructed the complete circuits of small animals, with hundreds of neurons, and selected circuits for larger animals. Here we (the FlyEM project at Janelia and collaborators at Google) summarize new methods and present the complete circuitry of a large fraction of the brain of a much more complex animal, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Improved methods include new procedures to prepare, image, align, segment, find synapses, and proofread such large data sets; new methods that define cell types based on connectivity in addition to morphology; and new methods to simplify access to a large and evolving data set. From the resulting data we derive a better definition of computational compartments and their connections; an exhaustive atlas of cell examples and types, many of them novel; detailed circuits for most of the central brain; and exploration of the statistics and structure of different brain compartments, and the brain as a whole. We make the data public, with a web site and resources specifically designed to make it easy to explore, for all levels of expertise from the expert to the merely curious. The public availability of these data, and the simplified means to access it, dramatically reduces the effort needed to answer typical circuit questions, such as the identity of upstream and downstream neural partners, the circuitry of brain regions, and to link the neurons defined by our analysis with genetic reagents that can be used to study their functions. Note: In the next few weeks, we will release a series of papers with more involved discussions. One paper will detail the hemibrain reconstruction with more extensive analysis and interpretation made possible by this dense connectome. Another paper will explore the central complex, a brain region involved in navigation, motor control, and sleep. A final paper will present insights from the mushroom body, a center of multimodal associative learning in the fly brain

A connectome and analysis of the adult Drosophila central brain

The neural circuits responsible for animal behavior remain largely unknown. We summarize new methods and present the circuitry of a large fraction of the brain of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Improved methods include new procedures to prepare, image, align, segment, find synapses in, and proofread such large data sets. We define cell types, refine computational compartments, and provide an exhaustive atlas of cell examples and types, many of them novel. We provide detailed circuits consisting of neurons and their chemical synapses for most of the central brain. We make the data public and simplify access, reducing the effort needed to answer circuit questions, and provide procedures linking the neurons defined by our analysis with genetic reagents. Biologically, we examine distributions of connection strengths, neural motifs on different scales, electrical consequences of compartmentalization, and evidence that maximizing packing density is an important criterion in the evolution of the fly’s brain

A connectome and analysis of the adult Drosophila central brain

The neural circuits responsible for animal behavior remain largely unknown. We summarize new methods and present the circuitry of a large fraction of the brain of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Improved methods include new procedures to prepare, image, align, segment, find synapses in, and proofread such large data sets. We define cell types, refine computational compartments, and provide an exhaustive atlas of cell examples and types, many of them novel. We provide detailed circuits consisting of neurons and their chemical synapses for most of the central brain. We make the data public and simplify access, reducing the effort needed to answer circuit questions, and provide procedures linking the neurons defined by our analysis with genetic reagents. Biologically, we examine distributions of connection strengths, neural motifs on different scales, electrical consequences of compartmentalization, and evidence that maximizing packing density is an important criterion in the evolution of the fly's brain

Screening and identifying of erythrocyte alloantibodies in patients with Thalassemia major referred to Ahvaz Shafa hospital

Background: Patients with thalassemia major are clinically dependent on red blood cell (RBC) transfusions . Performing multiple transfusions increase the risk of transfusion-related complications including blood-borne infections, iron overload and also RBC alloimmunization . Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 70 thalassemia cases with regular blood transfusions. The serum samples were screened for the detection of the unexpected antibodies and the positive samples were subjected to antibody identification. Results: Among 70 cases, 6 (8.6) were identified as unexpected alloantibody three cases as Anti-K, one as Anti-E and another one as Anti-D. Coincidence of Anti D and Anti-E was detected in one case. Eighteen patients (25.7) were splenectomized. No significant correlation was seen between the presence of alloantibody and age, sex, the time of first transfusion and spleen condition. Conclusion: Considering that the most prevalent unexpected antibodies (8.6) identified in this study were against the Kell and Rh system antigens, the evaluation of compatibility for antigens found can be recommended before the performing of transfusion. Therefore, this strategy may decrease the possibility of recipient immunization and production of the unexpected antibodies against donor RBCs