Celiac disease and dysfunctional uterine bleeding; the efficiency of gluten free diet.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between Celiac disease (CD) and unexplained dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) in celiac women. The celiac patients were selected from women who were referred to celiac department. Controls were selected from those women without any signs of celiac disease and matched with age. Meanwhile, a trained physician was ready to explain the study, and then in case of their allowance, a questionnaire was completed by the physician. 24 % of celiac women reported a past history of at least one menstrual cycle disorder vs 10 % of controls reported these problems (p=0.038) and higher percentage of unexplained DUB has been observed in celiac women. All celiac patients were undertaking gluten free diet for at least 3 months and the celiac patients who reported the history of DUB were again interviewed for any signs of unexplained DUB. From 12 celiac women with DUB, 10 patients reported no more unexplained DUB after getting gluten-free diet (83.3 %). The occurrence of a significant correlation between CD and DUB suggests the possibility of considering CD as one of the potential causes of abnormal uterine bleeding. Therefore, celiac disease must be seriously considered in the screening of patients with reproductive disorders (Tab. 2,Ref. 23).

Molecular identification of animal isolates of Echinococcus granulosus from Iran using four mitochondrial genes.

Mitochondrial genes have more power than nuclear genes in reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among closely related species because of their faster sequence evolution. The aim of this study was to use the complete or near-complete sequences from three mitochondrial genes (cox1, nad1 and atp6) and partial sequences of the 12S rRNA gene to infer relationships among isolates of Echinococcus granulosus from Iran. Two hundred and twenty-nine isolates of E. granulosus were collected from cattle, camels, sheep, buffalo and goats from different geographical areas. Most individuals were found to possess the G1 genotype but some of the camel samples belonged to the G6 genotype. Newly designed primers for cox1, nad1 and atp6 genes amplified bands of 1830, 708 and 1157 bp for the G1 genotype and 1856, 705, 1054 bp for the G6 genotype, respectively. The result of this survey showed that atp6 and nad1 genes are good molecular markers for identifying E. granulosus isolates from a range of hosts in Iran.

Celiac disease and Hp infection association in Iran.

BACKGROUND: we assessed the prevalence, the related symptoms, and the endoscopic and histologic gastric features of celiac disease (CD) in patients with Helicobacter pylori (Hp). METHODS: 450 dyspeptic patients were studied. Biopsies of gastric antrum and duodenum, CD serology, and total IgA were obtained. Histological findings were scored with the Marsh-Rostami criteria. RESULTS: 411 (91.3%) patients were Hp positive. Duodenal histology was normal in 385 (85.6%) patients, 124 (27.5%) had duodenitis and 28 (6.2%) showed duodenal abnormalities (Marsh I-IIIc). Twenty three/28 (82.1%) patients with malabsorption pattern were also Hp positive. Serological analysis: 12 of 31 (38.7%) positive patients had abnormal histology (Marsh I,-IIIc). Nine out 450 patients were IgA deficient; none of them was serologically positive for CD. CONCLUSION: although a high prevalence of Hp infection was found in this study, the relationship between Hp infection and CD was similar to that reported in other geographic areas.

Echinococcus granulosus strain differentiation in Iran based on sequence heterogeneity in the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene.

Parasite strain characterization is essential for the establishment of a prevention and control strategy in any endemic area. The aim of this study was to characterize different Echinococcus granulosus isolates from Iran by using DNA sequences of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Thirty livers and lungs of cattle, sheep and goats naturally infected with E. granulosus were collected from abattoirs in northern and western Iran between June and October 2007. These samples yielded 18 fertile cysts which we used for the genetic work. We designed and tested two new primer pairs which specifically amplify portions of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene of the two strains (G1 and G6) of E. granulosus known to occur in Iran. One primer pair amplified a fragment of 259 base pairs (bp) from only the G1 strain. The second pair amplified a fragment of 676 bp from the G6 strain. The G1 genotype was identified in all fertile cyst samples, in agreement with previous studies in Iran. Ten of our samples and a single reference sample of the G6 strain were sequenced and compared with the G1 and G6 sequences deposited in GenBank.

Sequence Diversity in tRNA Gene Locus A-L among Iranian Isolates of Entamoeba dispar.

BACKGROUND: A number of methods for detecting diversity in Entamoeba have been described over the years. In the present study the genetic polymorphism of noncoding locus A-L was analyzed using PCR and sequencing in order to clarify the genotypic differences among E. dispar isolates. METHODS: A total of 28 E. dispar from patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were determined and the genomic DNA was extracted directly from stool. For genotype analysis; Locus A-L was amplified by PCR and PCR products were sequenced. The sequences obtained were edited manually and aligned using Gene Runner software. RESULTS: With sequencing of PCR products a reliable genetic diversity in size, number and position of the repeat units were observed among the Iranian E. dispar isolates in locus A-L gene. Sequences showed variation in length from 448bp to 507bp and seven distinct types were identified. CONCLUSION: The genetic diversity of loci like A-L shows them to be suitable for epidemiological studies such as the characterization of the routes of transmission of these parasites in Iran.

Epidemiology of celiac disease in iran: a review.

Celiac disease (CD) was traditionally believed to be a chronic enteropathy, almost exclusively affecting people of European origin. Celiac disease is the permanent intolerance to dietary gluten, the major protein component of wheat. The availability of new, simple, very sensitive and specific serological tests has shown that CD is as common in Middle Eastern countries as in Europe, Australia and New Zealand where the major dietary staple is wheat. A high prevalence of CD has been found in Iran, in both the general population and the at-risk groups, i.e. patients with type 1 diabetes or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In developing countries, serological testing in at risk groups is necessary for early identification of celiac patients. Clinical studies show that presentation with non-specific symptoms or a lack of symptoms is as common in the Middle East as in Europe. Wheat is a major component of the Iranian diet and exposure to wheat proteins induces some degree of immune tolerance, leading to milder symptoms that may be mistaken with other GI disorders. The implementation of gluten free diet (GFD) is a major challenge for both patients and clinicians in Iran, especially since commercial gluten-free products are not available in this area.

Molecular epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis in Iranian children, tehran, iran.

BACKGROUND: Cryptosporidium is a worldwide protozoan parasite and one of the most common causes of infection and diarrhea in humans and cattle. The aim of the present study was determination of subtypes of Cryptosporidium among children with diarrhea in Tehran by sequence analysis of the highly polymorphic 60-kDa glycoprotein (GP60) gene. METHODS: Fecal samples were collected from 794 diarrheic children. Initial identification of Cryptosporidium was carried out on stool samples by Ziehl-Neelsen acid-fast staining method. DNA was extracted from positive microscopically samples and Cryptosporidium genotypes and subtypes were determined, accordingly. RESULTS: Out of 794 collected samples, 19 (2.40%) were positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Sequences analysis of GP60 gene showed that 17 (89.47%) of the positive isolates were Cryptosporidium parvum and 2 (10.52%) were C. hominis. All subtypes of C. parvum isolates belonged to allele families IIa (6/17) and IId (11/17). The most common allele in all 17 isolates belonged to IId A20G1a (41.18%). A22G1 (IF) subtype was detected in two C. hominis isolates of the children. CONCLUSION: The predominancy of C. parvum species (specially, IId A20G1a subtype) in current study underlines the importance of zoonotic Cryptosporidium transmission in Iran.

Molecular epidemiology of hepatitis B virus in Iran.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of liver disease worldwide. Eight genotypes and 24 subgenotypes of HBV have been identified. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of HBV genotypes, subgenotypes and subtypes, and to understand HBV genetic variability in the HBV genome circulating in Iranian provinces. Two hundred and forty-nine sera from HBV-infected patients living in 25 provinces of Iran were collected (2004-2007). A part of the HBV S/pol and whole BCP/C genes were amplified, sequenced and then subjected to phylogenetic, recombination and genetic variability analysis. Results revealed genotype D of HBV in all samples and subgenotypes D1 (98.52%), D2 (0.74%) and D3 (0.74%) among Iranian patients living in different provinces of Iran. Subtypes ayw2 (94.4%), ayw1 (2.8%), ayw3 (2%) and ayw4 (0.4%) were deduced, on the basis of HBV small surface antigen (HBsAg) amino acid sequences. The mean percentage intra-genotypic distance of S plus core regions was 2.8%; the mean percentage inter-genotypic distance of this region between Iranian strains and genotype D isolates was 3.1%; and this rate for other genotypes was 5.2-11.4%. Various rates of point mutations have been found within different HBV genes, e.g. HBsAg (17.2%), precore-G1896A (59.5%) and Basal core promoter (BCP) double mutations (49.2%), whereas no recombination was found. In conclusion, these results indicate that the only genotype circulating in the provinces of Iran is genotype D. There exist high genetic variabilities in the S/pol and BCP/C regions among the Iranian HBV isolates.