Histonedeacetylase 1 mRNA has elevated expression in clinical specimen of bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: HDACs are among transcriptional regulatory elements that regulate key features of proliferation and differentiation in all cell types including cancerous. They may also interfere in such stages of cancer development as migration, invasion, multi-drug resistance and angiogenesis. Proven information about HDAC1 role in development of bladder cancer is limited only to cell lines in vitro. The lack of a comprehensive clinical in vivo study led us to evaluate HDAC1 expression in human clinical specimens. METHODS: We analyzed a large group of bladder cancer patients. The presence of hHDAC1 mRNAs were tracked using specific HDAC1 primers in cancer samples and the quantity of HDAC1 transcripts were quantified using real time qPCR method and was compared to those of normal bladder samples from healthy patients. RESULTS: HDAC1 mRNA expression was significantly elevated in Bladder cancer specimens. To our knowledge, this result is the first, showing an elevation in vivo in HDAC1 mRNA levels in clinically cancerous tissue of patients with bladder cancer. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that hHDAC1 overexpression might be implicated in bladder cancer tumorigenesis and that the over-expressed HDAC1 mRNA might be a potential diagnostic marker and, a target for treatment of bladder cancer using HDACi-drugs in future (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 30).

4977-bp mitochondrial DNA deletion in infertile patients with varicocele.

Varicocele is the abnormal inflexion and distension of veins of the pampiniform plexus within spermatic cord and is one of the amendable causes of male infertility. It can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in semen and cause oxidative stress. The purpose of this study was to analyse spermatozoa mtDNA 4977-bp deletion in infertile men with varicocele. To detect 4977-bp deletion in spermatozoa mtDNA, semen samples of 60 infertile patients with clinical varicocele and 90 normal men from northern Iran were prepared. After extraction of spermatozoa total DNA, Gap polymerase chain reaction (Gap PCR) was performed. 4977-bp deletion was observed in 81.66% of patients with varicocele, while approximately 15.55% of controls had this deletion. As spermatozoa from patients with varicocele had a high frequency of occurrence of 4977-bp deletion in mtDNA [OR = 24.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 10.15-57.57, P < 0.0001], varicocele may induce mtDNA deletion in spermatozoa and cause infertility in north Iranian men. However, to determine the relation between sperm mtDNA 4977-bp deletion and varicocele-induced infertility, larger population-based studies are needed. It is concluded that there is an association between sperm mtDNA 4977-bp deletion and varicocele-induced infertility in the population studied.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding malaria control in an endemic area of southern Iran.

Iran is in the malaria pre-elimination stage. In this situation community based strategies are important for malaria control. In order to intensify elimination activities we need to have a better understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of malaria prevention in the community. We carried out a KAP study in one malaria endemic district in southern Iran in 2009 using a structured questionnaire. Five villages with indigenous malaria cases during the previous year and a high potential for anopheline mosquito breeding were selected. All the households in each village were visited and the head of the household or other responsible adult was interviewed. Data were analyzed using SPSS 11.5. A total of 494 respondents from the five villages participated. More than 33% of people in the study area were living in sheds with poor facilities. The illiteracy level of the studied population was high (44.2%) and significantly affected the knowledge and practices of the respondents about malaria control (p<0.05). Descriptive analysis showed significant differences between sex, job and history of malaria infection of the respondents and their knowledge and practices about malaria control (p<0.05). Knowledge of the respondents about the route of transmission in malaria was good; 72.1% knew mosquitoes were the vector. Most people knew at least one symptom of the disease. The practices of respondents were 59.5% for bednet use and 9.3% for screening windows. The knowledge, attitudes and practices of respondents in this survey about malaria control were good in some cases, but in general needed to be improved with educational programs.