Insect succession on carrion in Fars Province, southwestern Iran

Background: The entomofauna found on animal carrion, which is used as vertebrate model, can help in the estimation of postmortem interval (PMI). The aim of this study was to determine the succession pattern of insects on carrion in outdoor and indoor habitats in Fars Province, southwestern Iran. Results: A total of 19 species from nine families were collected. Chrysomya albiceps and Musca domestica were the first species to visit the outdoor carrion while only Musca domestica was seen on the indoor carrion. Sarcophaga crassipalpis, Lucillia sericata, and Histeridae species were observed exclusively on the indoor carrion while Dermestes maculatus, Piophila casei, and some hymenopteran species were the most dominant species seen on the outdoor carrion. Vespula germanica and Vespa orientalis fed on both outdoor and indoor habitats. Conclusion: Insects' succession pattern was found to differ between the two respective habitats. This is really important and could be used in medicolegal cases to estimate the PMI

Clinical significance of cell-free DNA as a prognostic biomarker in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Background Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has the potential to serve as a non-invasive prognostic biomarker in some types of neoplasia. The investigation of plasma concentration of cfDNA may reveal its use as a valuable biomarker for risk stratification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The present prognostic value of plasma cfDNA has not been widely confirmed in DLBCL subjects. Here, we evaluated cfDNA plasma concentration and assessed its potential prognostic value as an early DLBCL diagnostic tool. Methods cfDNA concentrations in plasma samples from 40 patients with DLBCL during diagnosis and of 38 normal controls were determined with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for the multi-locus L1PA2 gene. Results Statistically significant elevation in plasma cfDNA concentrations was observed in patients with DLBCL as compared to that in normal controls (P< 0.05). A cutoff point of 2.071 ng/mL provided 82.5 sensitivity and 62.8 specificity and allowed successful discrimination of patients with DLBCL from normal controls (area under the curve=0.777; P=0.00003). Furthermore, patients with DLBCL showing higher concentrations of cfDNA had shorter overall survival (median, 9 mo; P=0.022) than those with lower cfDNA levels. In addition, elevated cfDNA concentration was significantly associated with age, B-symptoms, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, and different stages of disease (all P< 0.05). Conclusion Quantification of cfDNA with qPCR at the time of diagnosis may allow identification of patients with high cfDNA concentration, which correlates with aggressive clinical outcomes and adverse prognosis

Association between ABCC8 Ala1369Ser Polymorphism (rs757110 T/G) and Type 2 Diabetes risk in an Iranian population: A Case-Control Study

OBJECTIVE: Glucose metabolism increases ATP/ADP ratio within the beta-cells and causes ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel closure and consequently insulin secretion. The enhanced activity of the channel may be a mechanism contributing to the reduced first-phase of insulin secretion observed in T2DM. There is no study to date in the Kurdish ethnic group regarding the relationship between SNP Ala1369Ser (rs757110 T/G) of SUR1 gene and T2DM, and additionally, the results of this association in other populations are inconsistent. Therefore, our aim in this study was to explore the possible association between SNP Ala1369Ser and type 2 diabetes in an Iranian Kurdish ethnic group. METHODS: In this study, we checked out the frequency of alleles and genotypes of SNP Ala1369Ser in T2DM individuals (207 patients; men/women: 106/101) and non-T2DM subjects (201 controls; men/women: 97/104), and their effects on anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical parameters. Genomic DNA was extracted from the leukocytes of blood specimens using a standard method. We amplified the ABCC8 rs757110 polymorphic site (T/G) using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and a designed primer pair. To perform the PCR-RFLP method, the amplicons were subjected to restriction enzymes and the resulting fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: The frequency of the G-allele of Ala1369Ser polymorphism was significantly (0.01) higher in the case group than the control group (19 vs. 9, respectively). In the dominant model (TT vs. TG+GG), there was a significant relationship between this SNP and an increased risk of T2DM (P = 0.00). T2DM patients with TG+GG genotypes had significantly higher fasting plasma insulin and HOMA-IR than those who had the TT genotype (P = 0.02 and 0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first study to investigate the association between Ala1369Ser ABCC8 genetic variation and T2DM in the Kurdish population of western Iran. The obtained results clearly show that Ala1369Ser polymorphism of ABCC8 is associated with an increased risk of T2DM in this population

Corrigendum to: Association between abcc8 ala1369ser polymorphism (rs757110 t/g) and type 2 diabetes risk in an iranian population: A case-control study (Endocrine, Metabolic and Immune Disorders - Drug Targets, 2021, 21(3), 441-447, 10.2174/1871530320666200713091827. )

Due to oversight on the part of the authors, the names of two of the co-authors have been incorrectly published in the article entitled, “Association between ABCC8 Ala1369Ser Polymorphism (rs757110 T/G) and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in an Iranian Population: A Case-Control Study”, 2021, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 441-447 1. The original article can be found online at: https://doi.org/10.2174/1871530320666200713091827. Original: Amin Bakhtiyari, Karimeh Haghani, Salar Bakhtiyari*, Mohammad A. Zaimy, Nooriali Zahed, Ali Gheysarzadeh, Shahram Darabi, Seidali Nahalkhani, Mansour Amraei and Iraj Alipourfard Corrected: Amin Bakhtiyari, Karimeh Haghani, Salar Bakhtiyari*, Mohammad A. Zaimy, Ali Noori-Zadeh, Ali Gheysarzadeh, Shahram Darabi, Ali Seidkhani-Nahal, Mansour Amraei and Iraj Alipourfard. © 2021 Bentham Science Publishers

Corrigendum to: Association between ABCC8 Ala1369Ser Polymorphism (rs757110 T/G) and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in an Iranian Population: A Case-Control Study

Due to oversight on the part of the authors, the names of two of the co-authors have been incorrectly published in the article entitled, "Association between ABCC8 Ala1369Ser Polymorphism (rs757110 T/G) and Type 2 Diabetes Risk in an Iranian Population: A Case-Control Study", 2021, Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 441-447 1. The original article can be found online at: https://doi.org/10.2174/1871530320666200713091827. Original: Amin Bakhtiyari, Karimeh Haghani, Salar Bakhtiyari*, Mohammad A. Zaimy, Nooriali Zahed, Ali Gheysarzadeh, Shahram Darabi, Seidali Nahalkhani, Mansour Amraei and Iraj Alipourfard Corrected: Amin Bakhtiyari, Karimeh Haghani, Salar Bakhtiyari*, Mohammad A. Zaimy, Ali Noori-Zadeh, Ali Gheysarzadeh, Shahram Darabi, Ali Seidkhani-Nahal, Mansour Amraei and Iraj Alipourfard

Sildenafil enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in human breast adenocarcinoma cells

Introduction: Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes are a large superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the conversion reaction of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) to AMP and GMP, respectively. In some cancer cells, PDE-5 has been shown to be overexpressed in multiple human carcinomas. It seems that the inhibition of PDE-5 may has anticancer effects. Cisplatin is one of the prevalent chemo-agents to treat solid tumors. However, its clinical usefulness is hindered by dose-limiting toxicities, especially on the kidneys (nephrotoxicity) and ears (ototoxicity). In this study, the antitumor activity of the sildenafil as a PDE-5 inhibitor alone and in combination with cisplatin on human mammary adenocarcinomas and MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 was assessed. Materials and Methods: Sildenafil as PDE type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor is the drugs that we combined with the cisplatin (chemotherapeutic agent), in vitro. Human mammary adenocarcinomas and MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines were cultured in standard conditions. At time point, following 24 h and 48 h incubation, the cell lines were treated by cisplatin in the presence/absence of sildenafil. Cell viability, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blot; and fluorimetric methods, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: In MCF-7 cell line, following 24 h incubation, combinations of sildenafil with cisplatin (P < 0.001) showed decreased cell viability when compared to sildenafil and cisplatin alone. Moreover in MDA-MB-468 cell line, following 24 h incubation, data did not show any significant changes on cell viability when treated with cisplatin, in the presence or absence of sildenafil. However, following 48 h incubation, combinations of cisplatin with sildenafil (P < 0.001) were showed decreased cell viability when compared to cisplatin and sildenafil alone in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines. Concerning the ROS production and apoptosis, data showed that both processes increase significantly in the presence of the sildenafil in comparison absent it. Conclusion: Our data showed that the combination of sildenafil with cisplatin can improve cell toxicity and anticancer effect of cisplatin. And also sildenafil as a PDE-5 inhibitor could be used as additive treatment in combination with cisplatin to make a reduction in cisplatin dosage and its side effects. © 2020 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow