Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Year:2014 | Volume:31 | Issue:266|Papers Count:7

Background: Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is the best method for diagnosis of thyroid tumors before surgery and is performed widely for patients; but in about 20% of cases, the test answer is reported as suspicious or intermediate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mRNA expression of gene FHL1 as a tumor marker in differentiating benign and malignant tumors of papillary thyroid carcinoma.Methods: 50 patients from Ahvaz hospitals (Iran) with malignant (25 cases) and benign (25 cases) thyroid tumors were enrolled in this study. RNA was extracted from paraffin samples with specific kit and the kit was used for cDNA synthesis. Real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were consisted of 20 micro liters of the reaction mixture containing the fluorescent Cyber Green.Findings: The relative mRNA expression of FHL1 gene in the malignant group (0.05%) was significantly lower than that in the benign group (5.29%) (P=0.019). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the gene has a good performance for differentiation between benign and malignant thyroid tumors, with area under the curve (AUC) of 0.92. Sensitivity and specificity of FHL1 gene expression as a diagnostic test were 84% and 84%, respectively, Conclusion: Gene expression of FHL1 is more efficient to differentiate papillary thyroid carcinoma from benign tumors.

Background: Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels can make changes in serum biomarkers and affect progression symptoms of many diseases. One of these is Parkinson’s disease (PD) and according to previous studies, it seems that parathyroid gland function is effective in severity of symptoms of PD. This study aimed to explore the role of PTH in PD progression regarding the lack of researches in this field in the Middle East.Methods: This case-control study was carried out in Alzahra hospital in Isfahan, Iran.125 patients with PD, diagnosed by experienced neurologists and 112 healthy controls matched for age and gender with patient group were asked to participate during September to November 2011. At baseline, the severity of PD was evaluated with motor part of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS III). The level of PTH, calcium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D were measured.Findings: The mean±SD of PTH level was significantly lower in patients group (45.2±18.8 IU/l) compared to controls (70.8±28.5 IU/l) (P=0.0001); there are not any significant correlation between hormone level, elements and severity of PD. We observed that men had more risk of PD than women (Odds ratio=2.53, [CI: 1.27‑5.03], P: 0.0080).Conclusion: This study could not confirm the relationship between the level of parathyroid gland function, the level of serum PTH and severity of motor symptoms in PD. It could be explained by the lack of a sufficient number of Hypo and hypercalcemia, phosphatemia and Hypo-or hyperparathyroidism in our samples.

Background: Diagnosis of mycobacterium genus provides a basis for investigating the epidemiology and pathogenesis of this group of bacteria. Regarding the prevalence of mycobacterial infection in Iran and because of the being neighborhood with countries among 22 high-burden countries, increasing attention to mycobacterial diseases and introducing molecular epidemiology of Mycobacteria seems to be necessary. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis of Polymerase Chain Reaction-Amplified Fragments (PCR-RFLP) is an inexpensive and accurate method providing diagnosis of mycobacterial species. The present study aimed to determine the common types of Mycobacteria in this geographical region by mentioned method.Methods: 34 clinical isolates were collected and cultured and identified by phenotypic methods. A 360-bp fragment of the rpoB gene was amplified by PCR and then, PCR products were digested by the two enzymes, MspI and HaeIII. Digested fragments were analyzed by using 4% metaphor agarose gel electrophoresis.Findings: Out of 34 species of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTMs), M. fortuitum type I with the frequency of 82.35% was the most frequent type and M. gordonae type I and M. kansasii type I both with the frequency of 5.88% andM. gordonae type II and M. intracellular both with the frequency of 2.94% were the next.Conclusion: The PCR-RFLP analysis of rpoB gene used for identification of Mycobacteria provided valid results in this geographical area. In this study, M. kansasii type I (HeaIII: 90/205, MspI: 30/40/60/175) and M. avium (HeaIII: 270; MspI: 40/80/105) were identical to the patterns of some studies and different from others. This study demonstrated the high sensitivity (100%) of used PCRRFLP analysis method for identification of Mycobacteria.

Background: Tichomoniasis is a very common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Trichomonas vaginalis. Metronidazol with vast side effects is now the only drug approved for the treatment of this infection in many countries. The effect ofViola odorata on several parasites is shown in previous studies. In this study, in an attempt to find an alternative drug, the effect of different extracts of this plant onTrichomonas vaginalis in culture medium was investigated.Methods: Three different fractions of leave, flower, and root including diethyl ether, ethyl acetate, and water fractions were prepared from crude extract. The extracts were dried using vacuum rotary evaporator and then, they were used for in-vitro anti-trichomonas vaginalis experiments.Findings: The crude extract of leave (4 mg/ml), flower (4 mg/ml), and root (2 mg/ml) of Viola odoratashowed 100% growth inhibition (GI) during 24 hours. Diethyl ether fraction of leave, flower, and root ofViola odorata in concentration of 6 mg/ml showed 100% growth inhibition during 24 hours. The ethyl acetate fraction of leave, flower, and root revealed 100% growth inhibition in the first 24 hours with the minimum concentration of 20 mg/ml, 25 mg/ml, and 25 mg/ml, respectively. Water fraction of leave, flower, and root showed 100% growth inhibition during 24 hours in concentrations of 5, 3, and 1.5 mg/ml, respectively.Conclusion: Considering the appropriate effect of Viola odorata on Trichomonas vaginalis, more investigation is recommended to convert this plant to an anti-Trichomonas vaginalis drug.

Background: Opportunistic infections are the most common cause of hospitalization of patients with HIV/AIDS in developing countries. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of opportunistic infections in hospitalized patients with HIV/AIDS in infectious diseases ward of Tehran Imam Khomeini Hospital (Iran) during 2009-2012.Methods: Patients with HIV/AIDS admitted to infectious diseases ward of Imam Khomeini Hospital were included in the study through census method. Gender variables, CD4 count, history of receiving antiretroviral therapy, cause of admission, length of hospitalization and patients’ outcomes were recorded and analyzed.Findings: During the study, 498 patients were included in; 84.3% of whom were men. Opportunistic infections were the most common cause of hospitalization (51.2%) and the most prevalent of which were pulmonary tuberculosis (37.6%), brain toxoplasmosis (18%) and pneumocystis pneumonia (13.3%). Among the patients admitted due to opportunistic infections, 87.5% had CD4 count of less than 200 and 28.6% had a history of receiving antiretroviral therapy.54.3% of deceased patients had been admitted due to opportunistic infections.Conclusion: Patients suffering from opportunistic infections had significantly lower CD4 count and longer hospitalization than the others. Widespread application of antiretroviral therapy and the use of new drugs with greater efficacy as well as identification patterns of drug resistance have a dramatic importance to reduce the rate of the opportunistic infections in these patients.