Correlation of HER2/neu over expression, p53 protein accumulation and steroid receptor status with tumor characteristics: an Iranian study of breast cancer patients

Molecular biomarkers are valuable in evaluation the course of malignancies. In this study, the relationship between HER2/neu, p53, steroid receptors and clinicopathological features of patients with breast cancer has been assessed. Three hundred thirty nine women with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer from 2001 to 2006 were included. They were evaluated for tumor features. The content of the steroid hormone receptors and expression of HER2/neu and p53 was also examined by immunohistochemistry assay. From patients arrived at this study, 52%, 36%, 46.5% and 44% were positive for HER2/neu, p53, ER and PR respectively. No association was found between most of pairs. HER2/neu expression significantly related with grade [P= 0.016]. P53 had considerable reverse relation with axillary lymph node involvement and primary distant metastasis [P= 0.010 and P= 0.023, respectively]. A significant association was found between PR and lymph node involvement [P= 0.038]. This study present the pattern of prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer for the first time in northeast of Iran and suggests to conduct larger studies regarding other effective variables include demographic ones

[Evaluation of chromogenic media compared to traditional culture methods for presumptive identification of entrococci from urine specimen]

Entrococci is a clinically important pathogenic bacterium in UTIs. CHROMagar orientation is a recently method for rapid, easy and economic isolation and identification of entrococci. This study compares the chromogenic media with traditional methods for presumptive identification of entrococci from urine specimen. We evaluated 240 gram positive cocci from urine specimens. These isolated microorganisms were inoculated on CHROMagar orientation and were presumptively identified according to manufacturer instruction. The identity of all isolated microorganisms was then confirmed by conventional identification tests and compared with the results obtained from CHROMagar orientation. In this study, the sensitivity and specificity of CHROMagar orientation to identify entrococci, solely, were 100% and 40.8%, respectively. Although CHROMagar orientation was rapid and sensitive method for identification of entrococci in urine culture, CHROMagar orientation alone appeared not to be very specific for entrococci and needed to be combined with other tests for greater exclusivity. So, CHROMagar orientation media is not recommended for routine usages in medical laboratories in Iran

Tc1 cells percentage in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis before and after treatment with glucantime

Various responses and different prognosis to specific treatment in different patients from one hand, and importance of IFN-gamma producer cells on the other hand impressed us to study Tc1. The study was conducted in Ghaem Medical Center and Bu-Ali Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran from 2001 to 2002. Lymphocytes of 36 patients were counted and cultured. Percentage of different responsible immunity cells in 29 patients, were determined by Flow Cytometry System before and after medication with glucantime [IM]. Patients who showed improvement after the treatment were put into group 1 and those who did not recover were labeled group 2. In this self-control clinical trial, sampling method was consecutive non-probability and the results were analyzed by t-test consequently. The percentage of Tc1 cells showed a significant increase despite of being stimulated with Phorpol-Mristate-Acetate [PMA] among the whole studied patients and group 1 [P= 0.069 and P= 0.040, respectively]. While no significant change was observed among patients in group 2. This verifies the influence of Tc1 cells for the treatment of patients with CL and perhaps the role of glucantime in improving the cell immunity response through increasing such cells

[Evaluation of cells with CD 14 marker monocytes in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis before and after medical treatment]

Leishmaniasis is one of the human diseases severity of wich varies from a self limiting cutaneous lesion to a severe visceral form. It is endemic in several parts of the world including our country Iran and especially in the province of Khorasan and the city of Mashhad. The study was intended to evaluate the percentage of monocellular macrophages in 36 patients and to investigate their role in prevention of the disease and its response to the treatment. The study was a case-control study conducted from August 2001 until October 2002 in Ghaem Hospital and Bu-Ali Research Ins. of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and finally 29 patients were carried out the survey as the study group and 23 people of their families as control group. A blood sample of 10 cc was obtained from both groups before and after treatment. Compelet Blood Counting and CD14 marker studies by flow cytometry for evaluating monocyte percentage were used. Personal, laboratory and treatment data were recorded in a questionare. Qualitive and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. The percentage of monocytes in the whole population of patients was significantly more than control group [p=0.006].The percentage of monocytes in patients who gave a positive response to the treatment [group I] and those who did not recovered after the treatment [group 2] was significantly higher, with a p value of 0.0 13 and 0.015 respectively, comparing with the control group. In order to get a more delicate evaluation, the study was repeated again by flow cytomctry method considering the CD14 marker. The result was similar; percentage of CD14 was increased significantly in whole patients, first group and second group [p<0.001, p= 0.003 and p=0.015 respectively], comparing with the control group. Meanwhile, comparing the three studied groups before and after medical treatment, the percentage of monocytes slightly decreased; the study had a similar result conducted for evaluating CD14 marker. This study suggests the major role of monocytes in revealing the disease and perhaps decreased percentage of monocytes caused by the influence of medical treatment

[NK cells in cutaneous leishmaniasis and their response to medical treatment]

WHO remarked Leishmaniasis as a world wide hygienic problem with a highly considerable prevalence in Iran. Mashhad is known as one of the most important foci of the disease in our country. Different responses to medical treatment and various prognosis of patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis as well as the possible role of NK cells in prognosis prompted us to evaluate the percentage of these cells through determining CD16+56 marker by flow cytometry in different groups of patients. In this prospective study conducted in Ghaem Hospital and Bu Ali Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from August 2001 to October 2002, 36 patients with confirmed cutaneous Leishmaniasis were involved .Blood samples collected from them before and after treatment, 29 cases out of these patients successfully carried out the survey and 7 patients excluded for different reasons. Lymphocytes with CD16+56 markers were counted using different monoclonal antibodies such as CD16+56 +obtained from IQ products Co., the Netherlands. In this project, the percentage of NK cells in the total patients and the control group were significantly different [p=0.01] and also the similar results were obtained with patients who respond to treatment after first period of medication [p=0.02] and those who did not [p= 0.04]. Meanwhile, in our study the percentage of NK cells of the whole patients was not significantly different, before and after the treatment. In patients who were sensitive to the treatment and in those who were not the percentage of NK cells were not differing significantly as well. These results suggest that decreased number of NK cells in patient at risk of cutaneous leishmaniasis may increase the infection risk. And also suggest that Glucantime does not affect on the percentage of NK cells in the treatment of the patients