Background: COMT gene can play an important role on the properties and activity of enzymes, dopamine level, cognitive ability and as a result in better control and performance in sports, the aim of the present study is to investigate the frequency of rs4680 polymorphism of COMT gene in the competitive performance of Iranian male and female martial arts athletes. Methods: The subjects included 45 male martial artists (20 wrestlers, 20 taekwondo players and 5 judo players) with an average age (22. 48 ±,7. 18), 40 female martial artists (16 wrestlers, 4 judo players and 20 taekwondo players) with an average age (11 ±,7. 13) 19) and 60 were non-athletes with an average age of (20. 15 ±,73. 20), DNA extraction was done from saliva samples. Tetra ARMS PCR method was used to determine the genotype, using RNAsnp and PolyPhen-2 server, the effect of mutations on the second structure of mRNA and COMT gene function was investigated. Chi-square test was used to check the frequency of genotypes. Findings: In the analysis of COMT gene genotypes, the frequency of GA genotype in elite martial arts men and women was 25% and 27. 5%, respectively, more than the non-athletes group, which was a significant difference,Also, in total, the A allele in the elite group of men and women was 23. 75% more than the control group and the difference was also significant. Conclusion: It seems that there is a positive relationship between the GA genotype and the A allele of the COMT gene polymorphism with being elite in martial arts, which can be considered as one of the genetic factors that influence the success of martial artists at the professional level.

Background: Opioid is considered analgesic that has been used for thousands of years because of their effectiveness in treating pain during surgery. The opioid receptor encoded by the OPRM1 gene has several variants, including 118 A>G (adenine to guanine) that lead to different pain sensitivity. Other factors that also contribute to pain sensitivity are endogen opioids which are encoded by the COMT gene, which commonly has 168 G>A (guanine to adenine) polymorphism. This study aims to analyze the association between OPRM1 A118G and COMT G158A gene polymorphisms with pain sensitivity in the Minangkabau ethnic group. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study took samples by consecutive sampling from 60 Minangkabau dan 30 non-Minangkabau patients that undergo general anesthesia in Dr. M Djamil Hospital and Andalas University Hospital, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia from early November 2021 until the end of January 2022. The association between OPRM1 A118G and COMT G158A gene polymorphisms with ethnicity and pain sensitivity was analyzed by Kruskal Wallis and Chi-square formulas respectively. Results: We found there were no significant differences between OPRM1 A118G and COMT G158A gene polymorphisms in Minangkabau and non-Minangkabau ethnics (p=0. 36 and p=0. 53 respectively). The Difference between pain sensitivity before and after surgery in OPRM1 A118G and COMT G158 gene polymorphisms are not significant in Minangkabau ethnic (p>0. 05). Conclusion: OPRM1 A118G and COMT G158A gene polymorphisms had no significant association with pain sensitivity in Minangkabau ethnic.

Background: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is one of the genes involved in estrogen metabolism, which plays a role in the detoxification of estrogen metabolites. Gene polymorphisms can affect the expression of the enzyme and contribute to the incidence of breast cancer. Objectives: Two functional polymorphisms, rs2020917 and rs2075507, were studied in the position of COMT gene promoter with the potential for breast cancer. Methods: In the present case-control study, 103 women suffering from breast cancer and 100 healthy women were selected within the same age range. After blood sampling, the DNA of samples was extracted by the saturated salt method. Then, the specimens were amplified with specific primer and determined by genotype RFLP-PCR method. Results: The two groups were similar in terms of age in the spectrum, but they had a significant difference in body mass index (BMI). GG mutant genotype of rs2075507 polymorphism indicated a statistically significant relationship between the two groups and increased the risk of breast cancer by 2. 27%. The rs2020917 polymorphism showed no difference between the two groups, but it had a significant relationship with BMI. A combination of the genotypes showed that the individuals carrying GG/CC genotypes increased the risk of breast cancer in their body by a factor of 2. 45. Conclusions: The results from two functional polymorphisms in the distal promoter of COMT gene indicated the relationship between rs2075507 and the risk of breast cancer, and rs2075507 mutant genotypes and wild rs2020917 genotype were highly susceptible to breast cancer. BMI was significantly different between the two groups and also with rs2020917 polymorphism. Further studies in this area will provide stronger results.

Background: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women. Polymorphisms of some genes have been implicated in many diseases such as breast cancer. COMT involved in estrogen metabolism reduces activity by three to four times by altering valine amino acid to methionine and may be at risk for breast cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between Val158Met polymorphism of COMT gene and BC in a group of Iranian women. Materials and Methods: In the current case-control study, 96 patients and 96 healthy individuals were selected. The DNA of their white blood cells was extracted using salt saturation method and the genotypes of the participants were determined via RFLP-PCR. The data were analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression tests. Results: There was no statistically significant relationship between mean age and cigarette smoking. The AA mutant genotype had a statistically significant relationship between the two groups. Examination of dominant and recessive genetic models also revealed that this polymorphism is associated with a high risk of BC and increases the risk of breast cancer by 3. 1 and 2. 8, respectively, compared with the control group. Also, carriers of allele A were 3 times more likely to develop BC. Conclusion: This polymorphism appears to be related to the risk of breast cancer in Iranian women and the presence of the A allele may be considered as one of the risk factors for breast cancer.

Background: Drug addiction is a serious neurological disorder that is significantly associated with mortality and morbidity. It is accompanied by social, economic, and health problems for both the individual and the whole society. Genes playing a role in the catabolism of dopamine (DA), such as catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), seem to be plausible candidate genes for drug dependence. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of rs4680 (Val158Met) polymorphism of the COMT gene on opioid addiction (OA) in the whole samples and male/female subsamples of an Iranian population. Methods: The current case-control study was conducted with 96 cases (87 men and nine women with OA) and 142 controls (117 men and 25 women). Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to genotype the samples. Results: Our results showed no significant association between the COMT rs4680 gene polymorphism and OA in the total population. In addition, we found no notable correlation between rs4880 and OA in male and female subsamples. Conclusions: In conclusion, there was no correlation between the rs4680 polymorphism of the COMT gene and opioid addiction. The conflicting results in studies with different ethnicities and sample sizes suggest that additional studies are needed to investigate the Val158Met polymorphism correlation with other variants of theCOMT gene in larger populations and in both genders with opioid and other addictions.

Philadelphia chromosome can be founding 95% of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) by cytogenetic studies. The fused bcr/abl is transcribed in two types of chimeric mRNA. RT-PCR amplification of these two transcripts have been designed to give two different size products. This assay can detect one positive bcr/abl expressing cell in a back ground of 106 negative bcr/abl cells. The power of this assay is the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) between 6-12 months following bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is an independent and significant factor that predicts the relapse in future. The aim of optimization was to detect β2 microglobulin (β 2M) mRNA. Detection of β2 mRNA and absence of bcr/abl indicates that the patient is negative for MRD and as a result, there is molecular remission in addition to clinical remission. To monitor MRD we tested a patient's blood sample who had tolerated allogenic BMT 7 years ago. bcr/abl wasn't detected in this patient and only β2 M was observed. This result confirmed the absence of MRD in this case. To effectively monitor minimal leukemic activity after BMT, we used a competitive RT- PCR to quantify expression of the characteristic bcr/abl fusion gene mRNA in patients with CML.    

Objective: Several studies have shown that some polymorphisms of genes encoding catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), the key enzyme in degrading dopamine, and norepinephrine and the human brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), a nerve growth factor, are strong candidates for risk of schizophrenia (SCZ). In the present study, we aimed at examining the effects of COMT Val158Met (G>A) and BDNF Val66Met (G>A) polymorphisms on SCZ risk in a sample of Iranian population. Method: This case-control study included 92 SCZ patients and 92 healthy controls (HCs). Genotyping of both variants (COMT Val158Met (G>A) and BDNF Val66Met (G>A)) were conducted using Amplification Refractory Mutation System-Polymerase Chain Reaction (ARMS-PCR). Results: The findings revealed that the COMT Val158Met (G>A) polymorphism was not associated with the risk/protective of SCZ in all models (OR=0. 630, 95%CI=0. 299-1. 326, P=0. 224, GA vs. GG, OR=1. 416, 95%CI=0. 719-2. 793, P=0. 314, AA vs. GG, OR=1. 00, 95%CI=0. 56-1. 79, P=1. 00 GA+AA vs. GG, OR=1. 667, 95%CI=0. 885-3. 125, P=0. 11, AA vs. GG+GA, OR=1. 247, 95%CI=0. 825-1. 885, P=0. 343, A vs. G, ). However, BDNF Val66Met (G>A) variant increased the risk of SCZ (OR = 2. 008 95%CI = 1. 008-4. 00, P = 0. 047, GA vs. GG, OR = 3. 876 95%CI = 1. 001-14. 925, P = 0. 049. AA vs. GG, OR = 2. 272. 95%CI = 1. 204-4. 347, P = 0. 011, GA+AA vs. GG, OR = 2. 22 95%CI = 1. 29-3. 82. P = 0. 005, A vs. G). Conclusion: The results did not support an association between COMT Val158Met (G>A) variant and risk/protective of SCZ. Moreover, it was found that BDNF Val66Met (G>A) polymorphism may increase the risk of SCZ development. Further studies and different ethnicities are recommended to confirm the findings.