The power of mumps virus: Matrix protein activates apoptotic pathways in human colorectal cell lines.

New therapeutic approaches can significantly impact the control of colorectal cancer (CRC), which is increasing worldwide. In this study, we investigated the potential of targeting viral proteins to combat cancer cells. Specifically, we examined the anticancer potential of the matrix (M) protein of the mumps virus Hoshino strain in SW480 CRC cell lines. To begin, we individually transfected SW480 cells with pcDNA3 plasmids containing the mumps virus M gene. We then investigated the percentage of cell death, caspase activity, and the expression levels of genes involved in apoptosis pathways. Following this, we performed bioinformatics analysis on the M protein to identify any similarities with Bcl-2 family members and their viral homologs. Our diagnostic methods showed that treatment with the mumps M protein induced apoptosis and upregulated the expression and activity of pro-apoptotic proteins in SW480 CRC cells compared to the control and vector groups. Based on our bioinformatics studies, we proposed that the BH3 motif in the M protein may trigger apoptosis in CRC cells by interacting with cellular Bax. Overall, our study showed for the first time that the mumps virus M protein could be considered as a targeted treatment for CRC by inducing apoptotic pathways.

Molecular Identification of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Species in the Northcentral Iranian Province of Alborz: Is There a New Focus on Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Province?

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an endemic infection in the Middle East, including Iran that is also spreading to new foci. We aimed to determine the leishmaniasis species causing CL in Alborz province. Methods: Overall, out of 55-suspected CL patients referred to health centers in Alborz Province, north central Iran in 2019, 40 patients had positive smear for CL based on optical microscopy. The internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was amplified by PCR. Leishmania species were identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) using BshF I (Hae III) enzyme. Results: Out of the 40 positive patients with CL, 34 cases (85%) had been caused by Leishmania (L) major and six (15%) by L. tropica. Fifteen patients had no history of traveling to the disease endemic areas, of which nine were Iranians. Skin lesions and scars caused by CL were mostly observed on the hands and face. Moreover, more than two skin lesions were observed in 22 cases (55%), all of which were infected with L. major. A single skin ulcer was seen in 18 (45%) of the CL patients. Conclusion: Climate change, reduced rainfall, and demographic changes such as migration into Alborz Province and the increasing marginalization of the population and their entry to settle in new areas might have caused natural transmission of both L. tropica and L. major in this province.

What Do Future Trends in Medical Education Mean to the Scientific Development of Iran's Health System?

Background: Medical education system in Iran has an essential role in responding to scientific development targets from both education and research perspectives. Investigating future trends and analyzing how they interact with the medical education system helps increase awareness and give insight into the preferred future. Methods: The present qualitative study consists of Systematic reviews and interviews that have been analyzed using content analysis. Afterward, the themes and codes were visualized in the form of maps and presented in a focus group discussion of experts to define how medical education trends will impact scientific development. Results: The future trends of Iran's medical education system were classified into six groups: workplace changes, demographic changes, changes in concepts, the emergence of new players, structural changes in universities, and technology development. The next point is how they will influence science development. Their impact on science development is classified into five main groups or main streams of change of new financial models, open science, redesigning the research management, the role of universities, and capacity building. Conclusion: Our findings showed that redesigning the structure of medical education is the most important priority to make the system as agile as needed to capture the signs and act. New meanings and concepts should also be considered in restructuring, like power balance, competency-based and personalized education, cost-effectiveness, and openness.

Induction of apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells by matrix protein of PPR virus as a novel anti-cancer agent.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and highly malignant neoplasm, ranking as the fourth most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Recently, non-human oncolytic viruses such as Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) are considered as a potent candidate in the viral therapy of cancer. In the current study, the apoptotic effects of matrix (M) protein of PPRV was investigated on SW480 CRC cells. The M gene was cloned into the pcDNA™3.1/Hygro(+) expression vector and transfected into the cancer cells. The cytotoxic effects of the M protein on SW480 cells were confirmed using MTT assay. Furthermore, flow cytometry results showed that the M protein induces apoptosis in 91 % of CRC cells. Interestingly, the expression of the M gene in SW480 cells led to the up-regulation of genes including Bax, p53, and Caspase-9, as well as an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. By using bioinformatics modeling, we hypothesized that the M protein could interact with Bax factor through its BH3-like motif and could further activate the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Ultimately, this study provided the first evidence of the pro-apoptotic activity of PPRV M protein indicating its possible development as a promising novel anti-cancer agent.

Effectiveness of listening to music and playing with Lego on children's postoperative pain.

PURPOSE: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of music and playing with Lego in postoperative management pain in children. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this three-group quasi-experimental study, the participants in this interventional study were 96 children aged 6 to 12 years admitted to the pediatric surgery ward of Mofid Hospital and Medical Center in Tehran. The participants were selected using convenience sampling. They were then randomly placed into three intervention groups. Pain intensity was measured for the participants in all three groups before the intervention. The intervention was performed in two 15-min sessions with an interval of 5 min in three intervention groups. Then pain intensity was measured using the Oucher Pain Scale before the intervention and in four intervals: Immediately after the intervention, half an hour, one hour, and 3 h after the intervention, respectively. Pain intensity was also measured at the same time intervals for the participants in the control group. The collected data were analyzed with SPSS-25 software using descriptive statistics, the Bonferroni test, and Tukey's test. RESULTS: The data showed that the three groups were identical in terms of demographic characteristics (p > 0.05).A comparison of the music listening group and the control group showed statistically significant difference in terms of postoperative pain (P < 0.05).However, the data showed significant differences between the control group and the Lego group in terms of pain intensity immediately after the intervention, half an hour, one hour, and 3 h after the intervention, respectively (p < 0.05).The data also revealed a significant difference between the children in the music group and the Lego group at all phases (p < 0.05), and the children in the Lego group reported less pain after the intervention compared to the children in the music listening group. Nevertheless, there was a statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of reported pain intensity half an hour, one hour, and three hours after the intervention (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results showed that playing with Legos had a greater effect on reducing postoperative pain in children than listening to music. Thus, nurses are recommended to make arrangements for children to play with Legos after surgery. PRACTICE IMPLICATION: Playing with Legos can be used to control postoperative pain in school-age children in medical centers and wards of pediatric hospitals.

Evaluation of the immunoregulatory effect of Dicrocoelium dendriticum eggs on inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in EAE model.

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an appropriate model for the study of the immunologic and pathologic mechanisms in multiple sclerosis (MS). According to the hygiene hypothesis, helminths can improve immunoregulation and have therapeutic effects on immune-mediated diseases. In this study, we used Dicrocoelium dendriticum (Dicrocoeliidae, Platyhelminthes) eggs for the evaluation of their prophylactic and treatment effects on EAE disease. D. dendriticum eggs were extracted. Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with the specific antigen MOG35-55 , and then the egg extracts were utilized for prophylaxis and/or treatment. Clinical symptoms and other relevant parameters were assessed daily. The mRNA expression of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-6, IL-23 and IL-17 were assessed with a real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. Furthermore, secretion of TGF-ß and IL-17 cytokines were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data indicated that clinical symptoms in prophylaxis and treatment groups were decreased significantly in comparison with the untreated control group (p < .001). Our results showed a significant decrease in IL-17, as well as an increase in TGF-ß cytokine in the treatment group compared to the EAE control group (p < .01). Furthermore, in the prophylaxis and treatment groups, the mRNA expression of disease-associated cytokines decreased and the mRNA expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokines increased. In this study, the D. dendriticum egg ameliorates the clinical symptoms of the EAE model through the modulation of related cytokines of Th17 and Treg cells. Therefore, using this parasite egg could be a new treatment for MS.

Resilience and Associated Factors in Mothers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Congenital heart disease (CHD) in children affects the parents' mental and physical health and their caring and supportive functions. Resilience is an important factor in health. This study aimed to determine resilience and its associated factors in mothers of children with congenital heart disease. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study enrolled 136 mothers of children with CHD. Samples were selected in two hospitals of Shahid Modarres and Children's Medical Center in Tehran, Iran, via convenience sampling from May to early October 2019. Data were collected using demographics questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Life Orientation Test (LOT), and Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale (RS). Data were analyzed in statistical software SPSS-16 using independent t-test, ANOVA, Pearson and Spearman correlation, and multiple linear regression. The significance level was set at P<0.05. RESULTS: Mothers' total mean score of resilience was 94.08±12.81, while 14.7%, 66.2%, and 19.1% had low, moderate, and high resilience, respectively. Regression analysis showed that two variables of social support (B=2.20, P<0.001) and optimism (B=0.76, P=0.003) were associated with resilience in mothers. The duration of the child's disease was positively correlated with the mothers' resilience but did not predict it (B=-0.72, P=0.22). CONCLUSION: The level of resilience in most mothers was moderate. Social support in the dimension of significant others and optimism were associated with mothers' resilience. Therefore, holistic care and providing educational training programs that enhance these variables could be effective in promoting resilience in mothers of children with CHD.

Detrimental effects of long-term exposure to heavy metals on histology, size and trace elements of testes and sperm parameters in Kermani Sheep.

Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been hypothesized as a cause of declining sheep reproductive efficiency. Understanding the long-term effects of EDCs such as heavy metals on reproductive health requires investigation in 'real life' of sheep that are reared in industrial areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term exposure of Kermani rams to high levels of environmental heavy metals probably emitted from a copper smelter at KhatoonAbad in ShahreBabak, Kerman province. Testicular characteristics were determined in randomly-selected rams (3-4 years old) at 4 directions (south, north, east, and west) and 4 distances (10, 20, 30, and 40 km) from the smelter. Testicular trace element contents, size, serum testosterone, histological attributes and seminal characteristics, except semen volume, were affected by both the direction and the distance from the smelter (P < 0.05). Testicular contents of Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni, and sperm abnormalities were higher at 10 km south from the smelter and lower at 40 km west. Other parameters were higher at 40 km west and lower at 10 km south. Interestingly, the testicular contents of Cu at 10 km south were lower and associated with higher sperm abnormalities in the rams reared closer to the smelter. The highest weight, length and circumference of the testis were found at 40 km west. The lowest concentration of testosterone was observed at 10 km south, being 92.6% lower than the highest values obtained at 40 km west. The diameter of seminiferous tubules and epithelial height at 10 km south were 8.9% and 27.5% lower than the highest values obtained at 40 km west. A positive correlation between Pb, Cd, Cr and Ni contents in the testis with sperm abnormalities, and a negative correlation between these elements with the other parameters were found. It was concluded that long-term exposure to heavy metals might have been a cause of decreased fertility in rams and probably other living species in this region.

Dicrocoelium ova can block the induction phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

AIMS: This study aimed at investigating the impact of Dicrocoelium ova on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) treatment in C57BL6 mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Twenty-eight C57BL/6 mice were assigned into four groups as PBS, prophylaxis (P), treatment1 (T1) and treatment2 (T2). Prior to induction of EAE in prophylaxis group and on days 7 and 18 in T1 and T2 groups, respectively, Dicrocoelium eggs were injected intraperitoneally to each mouse. The clinical score, weight changes and incidence time of EAE were recorded. IFN-γ and IL-4 expression is quantified on spleen cells. Also, histopathological study by (H&E) and Toluidine-Blue (TB), and Luxol Fast Blue (LFB) were performed. The data were analysed using SPSS version 21. Mean disease scores were significantly lower in P and T1 groups than the PBS group (P = .01). IFN-γ was lower in P and T1 groups than the PBS group. The highest level of IL-4 was observed in T1 group. The total number of neuroglia cells of corpus callosum was similar in all groups, but the density increased in T1 group compared to the PBS group (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Dicrocoelium eggs have a great potential to stimulate immunomodulation towards treatment of EAE during the initial phase.

Hemorrhagic pericardial effusion leading to cardiac tamponade, as presenting feature of COVID-19 in a young man: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) is an acute respiratory illness, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus2 (SARS-COV2) which quickly grew to a pandemic in late 2019 and led to substantial public health problems. Among the extrapulmonary manifestations reported, cardiovascular implications are remarkable as they can be potentially lethal. There have been rare reports of pericardial involvement, despite the pronounced cardiovascular complications including acute myocardial injury, myocarditis, arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock and venous thromboembolism. Herein, we reported a young man with cardiac tamponade as the presenting feature of COVID-19.  Case summary: An otherwise healthy 28-year-old man, was admitted with pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath and was diagnosed with COVID-19 associated cardiac tamponade. Emergency pericardiocentesis yielded large amount of hemorrhagic pericardial effusion which resulted in symptom relief. He was successfully treated with pericardiocentesis followed by anti-viral and anti-inflammatory medications and remained asymptomatic in 1-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: We highlight this case to mention that "hemorrhagic" cardiac tamponade can be a life-threatening complication of COVID-19, which can be treated if diagnosed early. Therefore, clinicians should be fully aware of this cardiac complication to consider in deteriorating COVID-19 patients.

Acylated and deacylated quillaja saponin-21 adjuvants have opposite roles when utilized for immunization of C57BL/6 mice model with MOG35-55 peptide.

BACKGROUND: The majority of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) suffer from central neuropathic pain (CNP). Using experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model, only a few experiments were performed to assess pain behaviors in MS. To address this issue, complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) was replaced with an acylated triterpene glycoside saponin adjuvant named quillaja saponin-21 (QS-21) to develop CNP in the EAE mouse model. The deacylated form of QS-21, named QT-0101, has been suggested to have an immunomodulatory effect. Thus, QT-0101 was used as a vaccine adjuvant to modulate the immune system against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55) antigen. METHODS: In this study, C57BL/6 mice, except for mice in the negative control (PBS) and MOG groups, were divided into three groups and immunized by MOG35-55 emulsified with CFA, QS-21, or QT-0101 adjuvants, respectively. Thermal hyperalgesia, as a CNP clinical manifestation, through the Hot Plate test and the clinical signs, was assessed for 60 days after immunization. On days 21 and 60, mice were sacrificed and the frequency of TCD4+, TCD8+, IL-17+, IL-4+, and CD25+/FoxP3+ cells population in the total splenocytes population was assessed by flow cytometry. Infiltration of Leukocytes into the brain and demyelination of white matter were also evaluated by histopathologic studies. RESULTS: Our results revealed that unlike the MOG+QT-0101 group, the MOG+QS-21 and MOG+CFA groups represented clinical symptoms that mimic the mild relapsing-remitting and monophasic models, respectively. Thermal hyperalgesia, as a CNP clinical manifestation, developed in the bilateral hind paws in the MOG+CFA and MOG+QS-21 mice groups during the onset of neurologic deficits, but it is maintained until completion of the study only in MOG+QS-21 mice group. The frequency of TCD4+, TCD8+ and IL-17+ cells population in the MOG+QS-21 and MOG+CFA mice groups, as well as IL-4+ and CD25+/Foxp3+ cells population in the MOG+QT-0101 mice group, significantly increased in comparison with the PBS mice group. Infiltration of inflammatory cells increased significantly in the MOG+QS-21 and MOG+CFA mice groups compared with the PBS mice group. Demyelination of white matter was identified significantly only in the MOG+CFA mice group compared with the PBS mice group. CONCLUSION: These results showed that QS-21 is a suitable adjuvant for the establishment of a mild relapsing-remitting EAE model for CNP development and open a new avenue to future pre-clinical and clinical research studies related to CNP treatment. Nevertheless, QT-0101 seems to have the potential to act as a vaccine adjuvant with immunomodulatory property against auto-antigens.

Paediatric visceral leishmaniasis: a retrospective study on clinical manifestations, demographic features and laboratory findings of hospitalised cases in Iran between 2006 and 2016.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a neglected disease. Our retrospective study describes 38 clinical and epidemiological characteristics of VL in patients admitted to a paediatric hospital in Tehran, Iran, who came from different geographical regions, indicating that the disease has spread to most parts of the country. Some 76.3% of the children documented suffered with symptoms of the disease for two months before admission.

Biotin-streptavidin binding interactions of dielectric filled silicon bulk acoustic resonators for smart label-free biochemical sensor applications.

Sensor performance of a dielectric filled silicon bulk acoustic resonator type label-free biosensor is verified with biotin-streptavidin binding interactions as a model system. The mass sensor is a micromachined silicon square plate with a dielectric filled capacitive excitation mechanism. The resonance frequency of the biotin modified resonator decreased 315 ppm when exposed to streptavidin solution for 15 min with a concentration of 10(-7) M, corresponding to an added mass of 3.43 ng on the resonator surface. An additional control is added by exposing a bovine serum albumin (BSA)-covered device to streptavidin in the absence of the attached biotin. No resonance frequency shift was observed in the control experiment, which confirms the specificity of the detection. The sensor-to-sensor variability is also measured to be 4.3%. Consequently, the developed sensor can be used to observe in biotin-streptavidin interaction without the use of labelling or molecular tags. In addition, biosensor can be used in a variety of different immunoassay tests.

Reduction in radiation-induced lymphocytopenia by famotidine in patients undergoing radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ionizing radiation causes a series of hematological alterations especially profound lymphocytopenia during and after the radiotherapy course. To investigate whether famotidine can reduce hematologic toxicity in patients treated with radiotherapy for prostate cancer. METHODS: A total of 36 patients undergoing radiotherapy for prostate cancer were randomized to receive either placebo or famotidine tablets. Participants were pretreated with 40 mg of oral famotidine or placebo tablets twice daily, 4 and 3 hr before each radiotherapy fraction. The patients received external-beam radiotherapy up to 70 Gy. Complete blood counts with differential, platelet counts, and hemoglobin levels were obtained at baseline, biweekly during the treatment and once 4 weeks after the end of radiotherapy course. Magnitude of changes from baseline in the hematological parameters was determined and compared using Repeated Measures ANOVA. RESULTS: Famotidine was well tolerated. A total of 112 blood samples were evaluated. A significant reduction in radiation-induced lymphocytopenia was noted in patients receiving famotidine than in patients receiving placebo (P = 0.006). No significant difference was observed between two groups for the decline in platelets, erythrocytes and leucocytes. For both groups, neutrophil, monocyte, eosinophil, and hemoglobin levels did not change significantly during the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that famotidine could result in a significant reduction in radiation-induced lymphocytopenia and may consequently increase radiotherapy efficacy as well as survival times. This radioprotective effect may be chiefly associated with its antioxidant and radical scavenging properties. Further studies are required to confirm these encouraging results.

Hyponatremia due to pulmonary tuberculosis: review of 200 cases.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) is one of the common diseases with high prevalence of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Various complications have been reported along with PTB. The subclinical electrolyte imbalances are customary in cases with PTB. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was the evaluation of patients with PTB and hyponatremia. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated patients with diagnosis of secondary PTB who have been admitted to Baqiyatallah hospital, Tehran, Iran from 2005 till 2010. The diagnosis of PTB was based on the appearance of acid fast bacilli in sputum smears or sputum cultures, without any evidence of miliary TB. Demographic and laboratory characteristics relative to electrolytes were recorded according inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS: The mean age was 59.22 ± 20.57 years and 91 (45.5%) patients were male. The mean serum sodium concentration was 134.54 ± 4.95 mmol/L and more than half of subjects (51%) have shown hyponatremia. The mean age difference between hyponatremic and eunatremic groups was statistically significant (61.95 versus 56.02 years) (P = 0.047). No significant relationship was found between hyponatremia and gender, anti-TB medications and co-morbidity conditions. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, an older age was suggested as an important predisposing factor for hyponatremia in patients with PTB which had been observed as less of a determinant. We recommend further evaluations for hyponatremia in patients presenting with PTB, particularly for those who are older.

Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-15 and interleukin-10 in patients with pre-eclampsia in comparison with normotensive pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy associated disorder characterized by hyper-tension and proteinuria. The first 2 stages of PE cause dysfunction in uteroplacental perfusion and oxidative stress while the third stage of PE is due to the release of inflammatory and angiogenic factors, which could lead to maternal endothelial damage and systemic inflammatory response. In this study, we compared the serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-15 (IL-15), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in PE and normotensive women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum samples of 84 pregnant women (44 PE and 40 normotensive) were evaluated for TNF-α, IL-15 and IL-10 by sandwich ELISA assay. RESULTS: The women with PE showed significantly higher serum levels of TNF-α and IL-15 (P = 0.001 and 0.01 respectively) in comparison with normotensive pregnant women. Conversely, the serum levels of IL-10 in normotensive women were significantly higher compared to PE patients (P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that inflammatory T helper 1-type responses are increased in PE women compared to normotensive pregnant women.

Erythropoietin levels in aqueous humor of patients with glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To compare the aqueous concentration of erythropoietin (EPO) in eyes with primary open-angle (POAG), pseudoexfoliative (PXFG), and neovascular (NVG) glaucoma with age-matched eyes with cataracts, and to correlate its concentration with other factors including age, gender, intraocular pressure (IOP), type of glaucoma, and severity of glaucoma. METHODS: In this prospective non-randomized comparative study, a total of 26 eyes with cataracts (control group) and 92 glaucomatous eyes (POAG, 40 eyes; PXFG, 26 eyes; NVG, 26 eyes) were enrolled. Aqueous samples (0.1 to 0.2 ml) were obtained during phacoemulsification, trabeculectomy, phacotrabeculectomy, or Ahmed valve glaucoma implants. The aqueous concentration of EPO was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: The mean±SEM aqueous level of EPO was statistically significantly higher in eyes with glaucoma (56.7±9.3 mIU/ml) compared to the control group (0.8±0.51 mIU/ml; p<0.001). Eyes with NVG had the highest aqueous level of EPO. Aqueous EPO concentrations remained considerably elevated even in eyes with controlled IOP in all three types of glaucoma. Eyes with PXFG displayed the greatest change in aqueous EPO concentration proportionate to the IOP level. In simple regression analysis, IOP, mean deviation, and the type of glaucoma were the factors that had a statistically significantly positive correlation with the aqueous level of EPO (p=0.011 and <0.001, respectively). Only the type of glaucoma remained statistically significant in the multiple regression analysis (adjusted R(2)=0.278). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the control group, the aqueous humor EPO concentration is increased in eyes with POAG, PXFG, and NVG, both with and without controlled IOP. The aqueous level of EPO was more proportionate to the level of IOP in eyes with PXFG compared to eyes with POAG and NVG.

Detection of human papillomavirus in squamous cell carcinoma of conjunctiva by nested PCR: a case control study in Iran.

Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the eye conjunctiva is a rare tumor. Its link with immune impairment suggests that infectious agents such as human papillomavirus (HPV) may be involved in the etiology of SCC. We conducted a case-control study on 50 SCC cases (mean age: 65.2) and 50 age frequency-matched control patients with lesion-free, normal conjunctival biopsies (mean age: 63.8) obtained from the cancer registry archive at Pathology Department of Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, where SCC has become the most common conjunctival malignancy. MY/GP nested PCR was performed for HPV detection and E6/E7 consensus primers in combination of type specific primers were used in another nested PCR series for HPV typing. HPV DNA was detected in 46 of 50 samples of squamous cell carcinoma and none of the normal biopsies by nested PCR using primer sets of the HPV consensus L1 region (MY/GP). Subsequently, specimens from the 46 positive cases were subjected to specific PCR. Although 630bp amplicon was produced in 44 of 46 samples (E6/E7 primers), none of the specific HPV PCR reactions for HPV DNA type 16, 18, 31 or 33 resulted in the detection of HPV DNA in the 44 SCC specimens of the conjunctiva. Current results confirm the role of HPV in the etiology of conjunctival SCC. The absence of HPV 16, 18, 31 and 33 in conjunctival SCC in this study raise doubts about the role of genital types of HPV in conjunctival carcinomas.

Cytokines genes polymorphisms and risk of multiple sclerosis.

Association studies of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines single nucleotide polymorphisms with multiple sclerosis (MS) in population with different ethnic background have shown inconsistent results. To study the possible role of tumor necrosis factor-alpha G-308A, interleukin-6 G-174C, interleukin-10 C-592A, C-819T, G-1082A, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta (codons 10 and 25), and interferon-gamma T+874A polymorphisms in susceptibility to MS in Iranian population, DNA samples from 98 patients and 97 healthy controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers. Analysis of the genotypes revealed a significant lower frequencies of tumor necrosis factor-alpha GA and TGF beta C/C G/G genotypes and higher frequency of TGF beta T/C G/C genotype in patients (P < 0.05). Our data suggest that these polymorphisms play a role in susceptibility to MS, which is possibly mediated by dysregulated production of these cytokines.

Synchronously diagnosed eosinophilic granuloma and Hodgkin's disease in a 12-year-old boy: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Synchronous composite tumors are uncommon. Simultaneous, rather than metachronous or consecutive, occurrences of eosinophilic granuloma and Hodgkin's lymphoma in children are very rare. This is the first report of this kind in the medical literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 12-year-old Iranian boy with eosinophilic granuloma localized in his leg around the knee and Hodgkin's lymphoma in a cervical lymph node. The two tumours occurred synchronously before the patient had received any treatment. CONCLUSION: Several cases of an association between eosinophilic granuloma and lymphoproliferative disorder have been reported. Some of these cases involve Hodgkin's lymphoma and Langerhans cell histiocytosis occurring in the same patient. Genetic or environmental etiologies have been postulated for eosinophilic granulomas which occur following Hodgkin's lymphomas, but have as yet not been proven. To our knowledge, synchronous occurrence of these two malignant processes in a patient who has not received any prior treatment is rare in children.