فهرست مطالب mohammadjavad fattahi

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can develop into a malignancy. This study aimed to compare the IL-37 gene variant (rs4241122) in oral lichen planus patients and the healthy controls.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran). 70 serum samples from patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) and 100 serum samples from healthy volunteers were collected from 2018 to 2019. The IL-37 polymorphism (rs4241122) in OLP patients and healthy controls was assessed using a PCR test, and its relationship with the location and type of OLP lesions, sex, and age was investigated. A Chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between OLP and genotype, genotype and location, and the lesion type. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The OLP group included 46 women (66 %) and 24 men (34%) with a mean age of 45.71 ± 13.2 years old. The healthy control group consisted of 61 women (61%) and 39 men (39%), with a mean age of 43.9 ± 10.39 years. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of genotype and polymorphism of IL-37 rs4241122.

In this study, there was no difference between polymorphism of IL-37 (rs4241122) and OLP lesions. However, allele A was more prevalent in healthy controls than in OLP patients.

This study aimed to assess the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of lncRNA (long non-coding RNA) H19 rs217727 in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP) compared to controls.

We collected 270 DNA samples of OLP cases and healthy individuals. We used the ARMS-PCR tetra primer for DNA genotyping and applied specific primer pairs.

The prevalence of the rs217727 C allele was lower in OLP cases than in healthy subjects (P = 0.005). The prevalence of TT genotypes of H19 rs217727 was greater in OLP patients compared with healthy subjects (5.71% vs 1.5%). Also, the TT genotype in the codominant model was associated with a 5.15-fold higher risk of OLP (P = 0.02). In the dominant model, the CT+TT genotypes were associated with a 2.09-fold greater risk of OLP (P = 0.007). The H19 rs217727 polymorphism was linked to a 3.95-fold greater risk of OLP in the recessive model (P = 0.05) (TT vs. CC+CT).Also, in the over-dominant model, the CT genotypes were related to a 1.78-fold greater risk of OLP (P = 0.03).

This study demonstrated a significant link between lncRNA H19 polymorphism and OLP lesions. Further studies on larger populations are necessary to confirm this relationship.

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common microorganisms known in humans, and as a risk factor it can result in gastric cancer, therefore we decided to evaluate the serum level of PIVKA-II in patients with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and normal group.

This study was performed on 90 patients (45 patients with H. pylori infection and 45 patients in the control group). After recording demographic information, serum level of PIVKA-II was measured in two groups by ELISA method.

The findings of our study showed no significant difference between the serum level of PIVKA-II in patients with H. pylori compared to those without infection (p = 0.08) but at the age of less than 40 years, the mean serum level of PIVKA-II in patients with H. pylori was significantly lower than the control group (p = 0.026), Also in men infected by H. pylori the mean serum level of PIVKA-II was significantly less than the control group. (p = 0.04)

The results of the present study indicate that the serum level of PIVKA-II in infected men as well as in people under 40 years of age with H. pylori infection, was significantly lower than the control group. Also, serum PIVKA-II levels in patients were significantly lower in men than women and in those under 40 years of age compared with those over 40 years of age.

Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is a recently described cytokine that emerges as a natural inhibitor of inflammatory and immune responses. However, IL-37 has not yet been investigated in bladder cancer, and its biological role is unknown.

The purpose of this study was to investigate IL-37 serum levels in patients with bladder cancer and determine whether they were linked to the patients' pathological characteristics.

IL-37 serum levels were measured using a commercial ELISA kit in 60 patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder (mean age: 64.55±12.93) and 50 healthy controls (mean age: 62.94±12.69). Non-parametric tests were used for statistical comparisons, and the Cohen's d effect size was calculated to evaluate the practical and clinical significance of the results.

Our findings indicated an increasing trend in IL-37 serum levels in patients with TCC (42.77±3.36 pg/ml) in comparison with controls (40.51±7.32 pg/ml, p=0.09). However, IL-37 serum levels were found to be significantly higher in male patients (44.72±3.81 pg/ml) and patients aged ≥70 (46.92±6.77 pg/ml) in comparison with male controls (29.96±3.30 pg/ml, p=0.026) and controls aged ≥70 (23.62±4.43 pg/ml, p=0.009). In comparison to similar controls, Cohen's d effect size for patients aged ≥70 years was found to be 0.90.

The findings reveal a higher serum level of IL-37 in patients with TCC, which might be clinically associated with immunosuppression and tumor growth. However, this is a preliminary study, and more research on the biological role of IL-37 and its potential therapeutic effects in bladder cancer is required.

TNF-α and IL-6 are both pleiotropic cytokines playing major roles in cancer-associated cytokine networks. They have previously been investigated for their function in skin malignancies, mostly melanomas, and studies on non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) patients are relatively rara. In this study, we aimed to investigate the associations of serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-α with NMSCs and its clinicopathological features.

This cases-control study was carried out to assess the serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in 70 NMSC patients, in comparison with 30 healthy individuals, by means of flow cytometric bead-based immuneoassay.

Serum levels of both TNF-α and IL-6 were significantly higher in NMSC patients (6.470 vs. 4.355 pg/ml; p = 0.0468, respectively), compared to healthy individuals (3.205 vs. 0.000 pg/ml; p = 0.0126, respectively). In the subgroup analysis, squamous cell carcinomas patients had higher serum levels of IL-6 compared to healthy individuals (3.445 vs. 0.000 pg/ml; p = 0.0432). No other significant differences were observed in the serum levels of these two cytokines among different clinicopathological subgroups of the patients.

The increased levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in NMSC patients can be introduced as an epiphenomenon of a complex cancer-induced cytokine cascade.

Endostatin is a C-­terminal proteolytic fragment of collagen XVIII and, as with angiostatin and thrombospondin, is known as an anti­angiogenic agent. The aim of this study was to assess the level of serum endostatin in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and its association with the clinicopathological characteristics of the tumor.
Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit, we investigated the circulating levels of endostatin in the blood serum of 45 patients with oral SCC and 45 healthy controls.
The mean level of serum endostatin in patients was significantly lower (68.8±85 ng/ml) than in healthy controls (175.6±73 ng/ml) (P0.05).
Findings of the present study suggest the prognostic and anti-metastatic role of endostatin, and this may be used as a tool for monitoring tumor progression.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of β-D-mannuronic acid (M2000) on hematological parameters in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. This study was conducted on 25 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (identifier: IRCT2014011213739N2). M2000 was administered orally for anemic and non-anemic RA patients at a dose of 500 mg twice daily for 12 weeks. The patients were permitted to continue the conventional treatments excluding NSAIDs. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 4 and 12 weeks after drug administration and were tested for hematological parameters. Moreover, serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were analysed before and after M2000 therapy compared to healthy controls using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. We found a significant increase in the count of red blood cells and also hemoglobin (Hb) concentration (0.9 g/dL) in anemic patients after 12 weeks of M2000 therapy (p

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway is recognized as a key driver of cancer cell survival and proliferation, and is often contingent upon an impairment of expression/function of the PTEN tumor suppressor, a negative regulator of this pathway. In addition, the cytoskeletal signaling protein Tensin 2 has also been implicated as a negative regulator of this pathway. However, the PI3K pathway remains to be fully characterized in clinical thyroid carcinomas. The aim of this study is to determine the expression of components of the PI3K pathway in neoplastic and normal tissue sections obtained from patients with thyroid carcinoma. Tissues from 58 cases with thyroid carcinoma underwent immunohistochemistry for activated Akt (phosphorylated Akt, pAkt), Tensin 2 and PTEN. A total of 100% of thyroid cancerous tissues were positive for pAkt staining compared to 67.9% of normal tissues. In contrast, 46.8% of cancer tissues were positive for Tensin 2 compared to 61.7% of normal tissues. For PTEN, 82.8% of cancerous tissues and 67.2% of normal tissues stained positive for this protein. There were no associations between the expression levels of the molecules with the patients’ clinicopathological characteristics.We have found evidence for an enhanced activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in clinical thyroid carcinoma tissues. This can be coupled with concomitant downregulation of Tensin 2. Further work is required to determine the relative significance of PTEN expression versus its activity in thyroid carcinoma in order to determine its role in the observed increased Akt activity.

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease with a poorly understood etiology. The role of angiogenesis in the development of different chronic inflammatory diseases is of great concern. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important regulator of angiogenesis. We aimed to evaluate the serum level of VEGF in patients with oral lichen planus compared with normal individuals and consider its clinical significance. In this case-control study, 36 serum samples from patients diagnosed with oral lichen planus admitted to the Oral Medicine Department of the School of Dentistry at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (14 men, 22 women, mean [±SD] age: 38.8 [±6.07] years) and 23 serum samples from healthy individuals (9 men, 14 women, mean [±SD] age: 38.7 [±4.9] years) were collected. VEGF concentration was measured using the ELISA method. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical analysis. The serum VEGF level was significantly higher in patients with oral lichen planus compared with the healthy controls (112.97 [±63.2] vs. 66.21 [±56.2] ngr/ml, P<0.001). A similar difference was also observed between the two types of oral lichen planus, being more pronounced in the erosive form (P<0.001). Serum VEGF can be used as a useful and suitable marker to scrutinize the disease activity.

HER2/neu, a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family, has been shown to be over-expressed in some tumors. The purpose of this study was to determine the salivary levels and tissue expression of HER2/neu in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and their correlation with clinicopathologic parameters.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to evaluate the salivary levels of HER2/neu and immunohistochemistry was used to measure tissue expression of HER2/neu in 28 patients with HNSCC and 25 healthy control subjects. The salivary levels of HER2/neu in patients with HNSCC were not significantly higher compared to healthy control subjects. There was no apparent correlation between salivary HER2/neu levels and clinicopathological features such as age, sex, tumor grade, tumor size and nodal status. All HNSCC specimens were positive (membranous or/and cytoplasmic) for HER2/neu, except one sample. Only one HNSCC specimen showed staining purely in the tumor-cell cytoplasm. All control specimens were also positive for both membranous and cytoplasmic HER2/neu but there was a significant difference between the level of cytoplasmic staining in the HNSCC specimens and in the control specimens (P<0.05).In our study, no overexpression of HER2/neu was observed. Thus, identification of HER2/neu levels plays no role in differentiating between normal and squamous cell carcinoma tissues or detecting the carcinogenesis process. Our findings suggest that the use of HER2/neu as a salivary marker of HNSCC is not recommended, because no significant preoperative elevation and no association with clinicopathological features were found.

The alteration of Th1 and Th2 cytokine levels is the subject of controversy inpleural effusions caused by malignancy, a situation that favors a Th2 immune response. To examine the different levels of IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2 cytokines), and IL-2 andinterferon-γ (IFN-γ) (Th1 cytokines) in malignant and non-malignant pleural effusions. The cytokine levels in pleural fluid of 62 patients with malignant pleural effusion(44 with lung cancer and 18 with extrathoracic tumors), 8 with tuberculous and 8 withcongestive heart failure pleural effusion were analysed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. IL-2 was below the detectable concentration of the assay. A significant decrease in IFN-γ level was observed in malignant but not in congestive heart failure cases compared to tuberculous cases. IL-10 levels were higher in malignant and tuberculous pleural effusions than in congestive heart failure pleural effusions, however, this difference did not reach the significant level. IL-4 levels were also increased non-significantly in lung cancer pleural effusions compared to the other groups. Our results show a wide variation in IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-γ levels in malignant pleural effusions, a pattern which was not convincing enough to differentiate the cause of effusion.

The proto-oncogene HER2 plays a key role in the control ofcellular proliferation. Its overexpression has been reported to be associated with apoor prognosis in cancer, particularly in breast cancer. In the present study, serum HER2 levels wereinvestigated in patients diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. Serum HER2levels were detected by an ELISAcommercial kit in 51 patients and 33 healthyindividuals. The mean serum HER2 level was found to be significantly higher inpatients than healthy controls (P=0.005). In 29% of patients, serum HER2 levels werehigher than the cut-off value. HER2 serum level was not associated with tumor stageat diagnosis. Elevation of HER2 in a high proportion of patients with epithelialovarian cancer further strengthens the importance of this molecule in the pathogenesisof ovarian cancer.

Alternative splicing of the Fas transcript can produce a naturalsecreted isoform of this molecule. Some cancer cells can also produce soluble Fas (sFas)which may have suppressive effects on the immune system''s anti-tumor response.Elevated concentrations of sFas have been detected in the sera of patients with differentmalignancies. The concentrations of sFas in sera of patients with headand neck carcinoma (HNC, n=98) and healthy individuals (n=30) were measured bySandwich ELISA and compared to values obtained six months after surgical removalof the tumor (n=48). Data were correlated with different clinical findings of thepatients. sFas concentrations in the sera of HNC patients were found to besignificantly higher in patients with different tumor stages. sFas concentration did notcorrelate with age or tumor invasiveness, however a higher concentration of sFas wasfound in the sera of patients who had higher tumor grades. Surgical removal oftumors in patients resulted in a substantial decrease in sFas concentration. The initial rise in sFas concentration in the sera of HNC patients andits consequent decrease could be regarded as a sign of tumor suppressive mechanisms.Additional studies are needed to fully elucidate this mechanism however these findingsmight show the prospective use of such biomarkers to determine disease prognosis andeven immunotherapeutic applications.

Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder that selectively destroys melanocytes in epidermis with an unknown etiology.

To investigate the exon 1 A49G polymorphism of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (ctla-4) gene in vitiligo patients.

The A49G polymorphism was detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method in 101 patients and 208 normal healthy age/ethnicity matched individuals.

The frequencies of heterozygote genotypes in patients and controls were found to be 42 (41. 6%) of 101 and 85 (40. 9%) of 208، respectively. The frequencies of homozygote A and G genotypes were 49 (48. 5%) and 10 (9. 9%) in 101 patients، whereas، these frequencies in 208 control individuals were 103 (49. 5%) and 20 (9. 6%)، respectively. There was no significant difference between the genotype (P = 0. 98) and allele (P = 0. 86) frequencies of A49G polymorphism in patients and normal healthy individuals.

Our results indicate that in contrast to several immune mediated disorders، there is no association between ctla-4 A49G gene polymorphism and vitiligo.