OBJECTIVES: Leishmania parasites are the causative agents of leishmaniasis. The Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) form of the disease is fatal if not treated in most cases. This study examined the epidemiological aspects of VL in two southwest counties of Iran. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of hospitalized patients with a laboratory confirmation of VL from Larestan and Ghiro-Karzin Counties. RESULTS: For Larestan county, a decline in the incidence of VL has been observed from 2004 to 2015. Significantly more males (n = 14) than females (n = 6) were infected with VL in this county (p < 0.05), >95% of cases in children under 5 years of age. In Ghiro-Karzin county, the results were similar to a decline in VL infection from 2004 to 2015, and slightly more males (n = 14) than females (n = 11). Similarly, the majority of the patients infected with VL were children under 5 years old (88%). CONCLUSION: The results from this study indicate that although the incidence of VL infection has reduced over time, VL was more prevalent in boys under 5 years old, suggesting that more attention to controlling the parasite and its vector are required.
Child ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Iran* ; Leishmania ; Leishmaniasis ; Leishmaniasis, Visceral* ; Male ; Parasites ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Limited studies have shown antifibrotic effects of pentoxifylline, captopril, simvastatin, and tamoxifen. No comparisons are available of the effects of these drugs on prevention of renal and bladder changes in partial urethral obstruction (PUO). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were divided into six groups (n=7). The sham-operated rats (group I) only underwent laparotomy and did not receive any treatments. The PUO groups (group II-VI) received normal saline (PUO+NS), pentoxifylline (100 mg/kg/d; PUO+PEN), captopril (35 mg/kg/d; PUO+CAP), simvastatin (15 mg/kg/d; PUO+SIM), or tamoxifen (10 mg/kg/d; PUO+TAM) by gavage for 28 days. Then, the volume and/or length of the kidney components (tubules, vessels, and fibrous tissue) and the bladder components (epithelial and muscular layers, fibrous tissue, fibroblast and fibrocyte number) were quantitatively evaluated on the microscopic sections by use of stereological techniques. RESULTS: The volume of renal and bladder fibrosis was significantly ameliorated in the PUO+PEN group, followed by the PUO+CAP, PUO+SIM, and PUO+TAM groups. Also, the volume and length of the renal tubules and vessels and bladder layers were more significantly protected in the PUO+PEN group, followed by the PUO+CAP, PUO+SIM, and PUO+TAM groups. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of PUO with PEN was more effective in the prevention of renal and bladder fibrosis and in the preservation of renal and bladder structures.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Animals ; Captopril/*pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Estrogen Antagonists/pharmacology ; Free Radical Scavengers/pharmacology ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Kidney/*drug effects/pathology ; Male ; Pentoxifylline/*pharmacology ; Rats ; Simvastatin/*pharmacology ; Tamoxifen/*pharmacology ; Urethral Obstruction/*drug therapy ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction/*drug therapy

PURPOSE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a major class of small endogenous RNA molecules that posttranscriptionally regulate the expression of most genes in the human genome. miRNAs are often located in chromosomal fragile sites, which are suscept-ible to amplification or deletion. Chromosomal deletions are frequent events in breast cancer cells. Deletion and loss of heterozygosity at 17p13.3 have been reported in 49% of breast cancers. The aim of the current study was to evaluate potential expression alterations of miR-22, miR-132, and miR-212, which are located on the 17p13.3 locus and are required for mammary gland development. METHODS: A matched case-control study was conducted, which included 36 pairs of tumor and matched nontumor surgical specimens from patients diagnosed with breast invasive ductal carcinoma. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from archival collections at the pathology department of Shariati Hospital were prepared for RNA extraction using the xylene-ethanol method before total RNA was isolated with TRIzol Reagent. Specific primers were designed for cDNA synthesis and miRNA amplification. The expression of miRNAs was then evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: According to our RT-PCR data, the miR-212/miR-132 family was downregulated in breast cancer (0.328-fold, p<0.001), and this reduced expression was the most prominent in high-grade tumors. In contrast, miR-22 exhibited a significant upregulation in breast tumor samples (2.183-fold, p=0.040). CONCLUSION: Consistent with the frequent deletion of the 17p13.3 locus in breast tumor cells, our gene expression data demonstrated a significant downregulation of miR-212 and miR-132 in breast cancer tissues. In contrast, we observed a significant upregulation of miR-22 in breast tumor samples. The latter conflicting result may have been due to the upregulation of miR-22 in stromal/cancer-associated fibroblasts, rather than in the tumor cells.
Biomarkers ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Case-Control Studies ; Chromosome Deletion ; DNA, Complementary ; Down-Regulation ; Fibroblasts ; Gene Expression ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Mammary Glands, Human ; Methods ; MicroRNAs* ; Pathology ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVES: The survival rate of thalassemia patients has not been conclusively established, and the factors associated with survival remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the survival rate of thalassemia among patients in southern Iran and to identify the factors associated with mortality from thalassemia. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted based on a retrospective review of the medical records of 911 beta-thalassemia patients in 2014. Data analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 212 patients (23.3%) died, and 26.8% had thalassemia intermedia. The 20-year, 40-year, and 60-year survival rates were 85%, 63%, and 54%, respectively. Both crude and adjusted analyses found that education, marital status, ferritin levels, and comorbidities were related to mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic and hematological factors were found to be significantly associated with the survival rate of thalassemia. Addressing these factors may help healthcare providers and physicians to provide the best possible care and to improve the survival rate.
beta-Thalassemia ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Education ; Ferritins ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Iran* ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Marital Status ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Statistics as Topic ; Survival Rate ; Thalassemia*

DNA damage is one of the most important consequences of oxidative stress in the cells. If DNA repair is unable to modify these inducible DNA damages, genomic instability may lead to mutation, cancer, aging and many other diseases. Single cell gel electrophoresis or comet assay is a common and versatile method to quantify these types of DNA damages. DNA damages induced by hydrogen peroxide (H