Haplotype diversity of 17 Y-STR in the Iranian population.

The current study aimed to evaluate Y chromosome haplotypes obtained from 1353 unrelated Iranian males using the AmpFlSTRTM YfilerTM kit; 1353 out of the 1353 identified haplotypes were unique. The haplotype diversity (HD) and discriminating capacity (DC) values were 1.00000 and 0.997, respectively. Analysis of genetic distance was performed using molecular variance (AMOVA) and multidimensional scaling plots (MDS), revealing a statistically significant difference between the study population and previous data reported for other Iranian populations and other neighboring countries. The present findings are likely to be useful for forensic casework analyses and kinship investigations.

Differential expression of KCNQ1 and ATP4A genes according to the sex and age in the stomach.

We compared the expression of six genes in stomach tissue samples between healthy men and women in different age groups to study sexually dimorphic gene expression. Real-Time RT-PCR was used to compare gene expression between men and women. Our results showed that the expression of KCNQ1 (p = 0.01) was significantly higher in non-menopausal women compared to post-menopausal women. In addition, the expression level of the ATP4A gene in men under 35 years was significantly higher than in men above 50 (p = 0.026). Sexually and age dimorphic gene expression in some genes throughout life may affect gastric function.

A metabolism targeting three-pronged attack significantly attenuates breast cancer stem cell related markers toward therapeutic application.

Tumor metabolism has provided researchers with a promising window to cancer therapy. The metabolic pathways adopted by cancer cells are different from those of normal cells. Thus, metabolism can be considered a linchpin in targeted cancer therapy. Glycolysis, pentose phosphate pathway, and mitochondria represent three critical metabolic spots with important roles in cancer cell survival and proliferation. In the present study, we aimed to target these pathways using three different inhibitors: 2-deoxyglucose, 6-aminonicotinamide, and doxycycline, separately and in combination. Accordingly, cell viability, lactate production, cell cycle profile, apoptotic profile, and expression of surface and molecular markers of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines were investigated under adherent and sphere conditions. Our results from our set conditions indicated various inhibitory effects of these compounds on the breast cancer cell lines. Based on this all-around attack, the combination of drugs demonstrated the most effective inhibitory action compared to separate usage. This study suggests the combined application of these drugs in future investigations and more experimental settings in order to introduce this therapeutic strategy as an efficient anti-cancer treatment.

Cell line-directed breast cancer research based on glucose metabolism status.

Metabolic reprogramming is a potential hallmark of tumor cells to support continuous proliferation. Metabolic heterogeneity in breast cancer patients has been highlighted as the driving cause of tumor progression and resistance to anticancer drugs. Studying and identifying distinct metabolic alterations in breast cancer subtypes could offer new perspectives for faster diagnosis and treatment. Given cancer cell dependency on glycolysis, the primary energy source, this enzymatic pathway will play a critical role in targeting therapies. Knowledge about the specific metabolic dependencies of tumors for growth and proliferation can be promising for novel targeted and cell-based therapies. Here, the metabolic status with emphasis on glycolysis of breast cancer cell lines according to their classification was reviewed.

Perfluorocarbon as an adjuvant for tumor anti-angiogenic therapy: Relevance to hypoxia and HIF-1.

Lack of vascularization results in increased demand for oxygen and creates a defined feature of the tumor microenvironment known as tumor hypoxia. It is well established that in response to hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α) is induced which is an important factor in angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. In turn, HIF-1α regulates the expression of angiogenic factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Ascribed to abnormal characteristics of tumor angiogenic networks, antiangiogenic therapy approaches can even worsen the hypoxic condition and can create cancer cells with stemness features. Hence oxygen delivery via perfluorocarbon (PFC) to hypoxic sites seems to result in unstable HIF expression and consequent inactivation of angiogenesis cascade and metastasis and therefore, inhibition of cancer cells stemness.

The emerging role of targeting cancer metabolism for cancer therapy.

Glucose, as the main consuming nutrient of the body, faces different destinies in cancer cells. Glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, and pentose phosphate pathways produce different glucose-derived metabolites and thus affect cells' bioenergetics differently. Tumor cells' dependency to aerobic glycolysis and other cancer-specific metabolism changes are known as the cancer hallmarks, distinct cancer cells from normal cells. Therefore, these tumor-specific characteristics receive the limelight as targets for cancer therapy. Glutamine, serine, and fatty acid oxidation together with 5-lipoxygenase are main pathways that have attracted lots of attention for cancer therapy. In this review, we not only discuss different tumor metabolism aspects but also discuss the metabolism roles in the promotion of cancer cells at different stages and their difference with normal cells. Besides, we dissect the inhibitors potential in blocking the main metabolic pathways to introduce the effective and non-effective inhibitors in the field.

Detection of Asymptomatic Carriers of Plasmodium vivax among Treated Patients by Nested PCR Method in Minab, Rudan and Bashagard, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Plasmodium vivax is the most widespread species of Plasmodium in humans and causing about 80 million clinical cases annually. This study was undertaken to detect P. vivax in asymptomatic treated vivax malaria patients to trace latent/sub-patent malaria infection. METHOD: The venous blood of all detected cases with P. vivax in Bashagard, Minab and Roodan Districts in Hormozgan Province from 2009 to 2010 was examined by microscopic and nested PCR methods for presence of the parasite. RESULTS: In microscopic examination of peripheral blood smears, all samples were negative for the presence of the parasites. But, we detected two P. vivax related bands in the electrophoresis of the nested PCR products (120 bp). CONCLUSION: Following up the malaria cases after treatment by a combination of methods, or new diagnostics such as RDTs can be included in the priorities of malaria elimination program in Iran.