sakineh amoueian

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is among the most aggressive tumors with a poor prognosis, indicating the need for the identification of a novel prognostic biomarker for risk stratifications. Recent genome-wide association studies have demonstrated common genetic variants in a region on chromosome 9p21 associated with an increased risk of different malignancies.

In the present study, we explore the possible relationship between genetic variant, rs10811661, and gene expression of CDKN2B in 75 pancreatic cancer patients, and 188 healthy individuals. DNAs were extracted and genotyping and gene expression were performed by TaqMan real-time PCR and RT-PCR, respectively. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between risk and genotypes, while the significant prognostic variables in the univariate analysis were included in multivariate analyses.

The patients with PDAC had a higher frequency of a TT genotype for rs10811661 than the control group. Also, PDAC patients with dominant genetic model, (TT + TC), was associated with increased risk of developing PDAC (OR= 14.71, 95% CI [1.96-110.35], p= 0.009). Moreover, patients with CC genotype had a higher expression of CDKN2B, in comparison with TT genotype.

Our findings demonstrated that CDKN2A/B was associated with the risk of developing PDAC, supporting further investigations in the larger and multicenter setting to validate the potential value of this gene as an emerging marker for PDAC.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV), as well as hepatitis B virus (HBV), are regarded as one of the main public health issues in developing countries. This retrospective study described histological and serological features of HDV coinfection patients with chronic active HBV in Northeastern Iran. The frequency of HDV seropositivity and its impact on serum liver enzyme levels and pathological features were investigated by reviewing clinical and laboratory data. This study contained chronic active HBV-infected patients having admitted the department during 2009 and 2014. The rate of HDV coinfection in chronic active carriers was 21.84%, with a male predominance. HDV seropositive carriers showed significantly higher concentrations of liver enzyme than chronic active HBV monoinfection. Moreover, there was a strong association between degrees of inflammation with HDV-positive patients’ enzyme levels. The HDV seroprevalence in northeastern Iran was higher than that reported from elsewhere in Iran while comparable to some regions in Middle East, which, in turn, requires more comprehensive tools for diagnosing and screening the blood.

Gastric cancer has a highmortality rate and often has a poor treatment outcome. The HER2/neu gene target therapy has been known as a potential way for treatment.

The goal of our study was assessment the relation between chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) and immunohis- tochemistry (IHC)methods in determining the best diagnosticmethod for gastric cancer.

In this historical cohort study, 50 gastric cancer samples were analyzed by CISH and IHC. The relation between clinical- pathological parameters of HER2/neu was also analyzed. Alive patients were followed from 2009 through 2012 for the main out- comes (mortality). The results of these twomethods, in terms of sex, age, tumor size, grading, staging, tumor location,metaplasia, presence of necrosis and ulceration, vascular invasion, the TNM system, mucin or signet producing adenocarcinoma cells and pa- tient survival rates were compared.

There was no significant difference between IHC and CISH regarding the sex, age, tumor size, grading, staging, tumor lo- cation,metaplasia, presence of necrosis and ulceration, vascular invasion, the TNMsystem,mucin or signet producing adenocarci- noma cells and patient survival rates. Comparison of TNMscores by these twomethods showed no significant relationship between IHC and staging, but a statistically significant difference between CISH and different N staging, (P < 0.05) was assessed.

Comparison between IHC and CISH showed the only significant relationship between CISH and different N staging. Therefore, low amplified CISH was a better diagnosticmethod for gastric cancer, compared to low expression in IHC.

Silybum marianum has been used for centuries in herbal medicine for treatment of liver diseases. Currently, there is no data available on the possible effects of silymarin on fetal development. This study aimed to investigate the teratogenic effect of silymarin on BALB/c mice fetuses.
A total of 40 pregnant mice were divided into 4 groups of 10 mice each. Three groups received silymarin at three different doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day during gestational days (GDs). The control group received normal saline and tween (solvent). Dams were sacrificed on GD 18 and all fetuses were examined for gross malformations, size and body weight. Malformed fetuses were double stained with alizarin red and alcian blue.
Silymarin administration at all doses resulted in reduction of the mean fetal body weights. The abnormalities included limb, vertebral column and craniofacial malformations. Craniofacial malformations were the most common abnormalities, but they were not observed in a dose-dependent manner. The percentage of fetal resorption significantly increased (up to 15%) in all treatment groups.
Based on our results, silymarin, especially at high doses can lead to fetal resorption, intrauterine growth retardation and limb, vertebral column and craniofacial abnormalities. More precise studies should be conducted about the teratogenic effects of herbal medicine investigating the underlying mechanisms. Thus, caution should be taken when administering S. marianum to pregnant woman.

Gastric carcinoma is the second most common cause of cancer-related death in Iran. It is well-known that atrophic gastritis is a major risk factor for gastric cancer, which leads to variations in the serum levels of gastrin 17 (G-17), pepsinogen I (P-I), and pepsinogen II (P-II). The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of these serum biomarkers in the early detection of atrophic gastritis. A total of 132 dyspeptic patients underwent upper endoscopy and biopsies were taken. The biopsy specimens were evaluated as the gold standard according to operative link for gastritis assessment staging system. Serum levels of G-17, P-I, and P-II were investigated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to calculate the diagnostic indices and optimal cut-off values using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences SPSS statistical software. A total of 67 men and 65 women were analyzed, among which 48 (36.4%) had atrophic gastritis. The mean age was 45.8 (±15.8) years. ROC curve analysis demonstrated that the biomarkers (including pepsinogen I/II [P-I/II] ratio), except for P-I, are diagnostically significant in detecting gastric atrophy. The area under the curve (95% confidence interval [CI]) for G-17, P-I, P-II, and P-I/II ratio were 0.65 (0.55-0.76), 0.42 (0.32-0.53), 0.62 (0.52-0.72), and 0.61 (0.50-0.72), respectively. However, the diagnostic indices were low (sensitivity <50%, specificity <90%). The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with atrophy against those without atrophy (75.0% vs. 57.4%, P value < 0.0001). In the studied population, the serum biomarkers of atrophic gastritis are not useful screening tests due to their low sensitivity.

Primary glomus tumors are extremely rare in the liver. To this date, only two cases of primary glomus tumors of the liver have been reported in the literature. This report is the third case of this specified tumor. The patient was a 50 year-old Iranian woman who presented with a history of epigastric pain and nausea. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed a huge hepatic mass that replaced the entire left lobe. Surgical biopsy showed that the specimen consisted of a vascular network confined by the proliferation of epithelioid cells with round-to-oval nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasms. The cells expressed diffuse reactivity for vimentin, smooth muscle actin and CD34, whereas no reactivity was observed with carcinoembryonic antigen, synaptophysin, chromogranin, cytokeratin, and human melanoma black 45. We conclude that glomus tumors must be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic masses, with immunohistochemical staining for smooth muscle actin being a useful method to prove the diagnosis.

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to assess and compare the diagnostic accuracy of Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test with three other invasive and non-invasive diagnostic methods.Materials and MethodsA total of Fifty-two dyspeptic patients were included. None of the patients had previous eradication therapy for Helicobacter pylori. Endoscopic biopsy samples were obtained for histology examination and Rapid Urease Test (RUT). Urea Breath Test (UBT) and HpSA were also performed. Patients were considered Helicobacter pylori positive when 2 of 3 tests (histology examination, RUT and UBT) were positive (gold standard). Diagnostic accuracy of HpSA was assessed performing a Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analysis. ResultsTwenty-threeWere men and 29Were women, with a mean age of 42.3 years of the Palients.The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 67.3%. ROC curve analysis was showed a significant area under curve of 94.6% (p=0.0001). Cut-off value was estimated to be 0.1. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of HpSA was 91.4%, 94.1%, 97% and 84%, respectively. HpSA level significantly increased with increasing in bacterial load.ConclusionHpSA was proved to be a highly accurate, simple and non-invasive test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection before treatment in dyspeptic patients.

Objective(s) The aim of this study was to evaluate the expressions of two angiogenic immune-markers (CD-31 and VEGF), and one proliferative immune-marker (Ki-67) in oral pyogenic granulomas (PG), hemangiomas (Hem) and inflammatory gingivitis (IG).Materials and MethodsSixty cases of PG, Hem and IG (twenty cases each) were examined. Immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was performed based on routine techniques. The microvessel density (MVD) index was also evaluated. ResultsThe male to female ratio was 1:2. The mean age was 33.3 years old (±20.52). The reactivity percentages for all three markers (CD-31, VEGF and Ki-67) were significantly higher in PG compared to Hem (56.8%, 13.8% and 23.0% vs. 28.3%, 7.0% and 5.4%, respectively). The mean MVD in PG was also significantly higher than in Hem (26.1±0.11 vs. 13.6±0.08). There was no statistically significant difference between PG and IG.ConclusionThe current study supports the common nature of pyogenic granulomas and inflammatory gingivitis.

Our aim was to evaluate effects of hemicastration in immature rabbits on the histology of the contralateral testis after puberty. Eighteen immature male rabbits were randomly divided into two groups. The first group underwent right or left hemicastration and the second, sham operation. After their puberty, the rabbits underwent the second operation. In the former group the contralateral testis and in the latter, the right or left testis was removed and sent for pathologic examination. The two groups were compared in terms of Leydig cell count, testis volume, and seminiferous tubule count and diameter. The mature rabbits’ mean weight at the orchiectomy time, seminiferous tubule count, and seminiferous tubules diameter did not show significant differences between two groups. However, testis volumes and Leydig cell count were significantly higher in the first group with hemicastration prior to puberty. The mean testis volume was 3.24 ± 2.06 mL in the first group and 1.4689 ± 0.85701 mL in the second group (P =. 03), and the mean Leydig cell count in every 5 microscopic high-power fields was 86.22 ± 54.96 and 42.00 ± 18.09, respectively (P =. 04). Our research demonstrated that prepubertal hemicastration in rabbits led to the compensatory hypertrophy in the contralateral testis after puberty and an increase in the number of the Leydig cells.

Aneurysms of gastric vessels (Dieulafoy`s disease, caliber-persistent artery) are thought to be of malformative rather than degenerative origin. They are usually single, located in the submucosa, usually on the lesser curvature, and characterized by a large tortuous vessel surmounted by a small defect in the overlying mucosa. When the lesion perforates, massive and sometimes fatal hemorrhage may result. Here, we report one patient with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding who was treated by surgical resection and later diagnosed with dieulafoy`s malformation in the stomach. Thus, physicians should bear in mind dieulafoy’s lesion when they are faced with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

Introduction and Alport’s syndrome (hereditary nephritis with deafness) is a familial uncommon disease that ultra-structural studies are gold standard method of its diagnosis.We studied 26 Iranian patients suspicious of Alport’s syndrome by electron microscopy. We examined 19 men and 7 women (male to female ratio was 2.7) and the average age was 1.5 years (with a range of 2.5-75 years).The most common findings were irregularity of the glomerular basement membrane with splitting, lamination, and foot process effacement. Thinning in basement membrane was also reported and one casehad disruption of capillary walls in study by only light microscopy. All of the patients had a diagnosis of megansial hypercellularity. Immunoflourscence studies did not show any deposits of immunoglobulin andcomplement component. definite diagnosis must be confirmed by ultra-structural findings.