Down-regulation of ribosomal S6 kinase RPS6KA6 in acute myeloid leukemia patients

Objective: Signaling pathways such as extracellular regulated kinase/mitogen activated protein kinase [ERK/MAPK] have increased activity in leukemia. Ribosomal 6 kinase [RSK4] is a factor downstream of the MAPK/ERK pathway and an important tumor suppressor which inhibits ERK trafficking. Decrease in RSK4 expression has been reported in some malignancies, which leads to an increase in growth and proliferation and eventually poor prognosis. In this study we measured RSK4 expression rate in acute myeloid leukemia [AML]

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken in 2013-2014 at Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, on 40 AML patients and 10 non-AML patients as the control group. The expression rate was measured by real-time polymerase change reaction [PCR] and employing the ??CT method. Data were analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Spearman tests using SPSS [version 11.5]

Results: Expression rate of RSK4 was significantly decreased in the AML group in comparison with the non-AML group [P<0.001]. There was also a significant decrease in RSK4 expression in AML with t[15;17] in comparison to other translocations [P=0.004]

Conclusion: We detected a down-regulation of RSK4 in AML patients. This may lead to an increase in the activity of the ERK/MPAK pathway and exacerbate leukemogenesis or the prognosis of the patients

Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on Response to Medical Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on the response to medical therapy of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) after a 3-month period of treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cohort study of 100 patients, 47 with MetS and 53 without MetS, referred to either the primary care unit or referral hospital with BPH who had moderate lower urinary tract symptoms of prostate involvement and were candidates for medical treatment. Our main outcome was response to medical treatment with prazosin 1 mg twice a day and finasteride 5 mg daily in patients with BPH on the basis of International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to compare BPH treatment response in patients with and without MetS before and after receiving treatment. RESULTS: The mean volume of the prostate was significantly higher in MetS patients than in patients without MetS (57+/-32.65 mL compared with 46.00+/-20.19 mL, p=0.036). The control group demonstrated an 11-unit reduction in IPSS, whereas those with MetS showed a reduction in the symptom score of only 6 units (p<0.001). Regarding the components of MetS separately, triglyceride (p<0.001), fasting blood sugar (p=0.001), and waist circumference (p=0.028) significantly affected the clinical progression of BPH. The observational nature of this study may be a limitation in comparison with an interventional study. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that MetS can negatively affect the response to medical treatment of BPH. Therefore, it is necessary to consider MetS in selecting patients with BPH for drug therapy.

efficacy of residual chlorine content on the control of Legionella spp. in hospital water systems

Outbreaks of legionellosis may be a side effect of institution-water treatment. However, the long-term outcomes and the predictive factors of Legionella prevalence in such systems have still not been fully studied. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the prevalence of Legionella spp. and to evaluate the role of bacteriological water quality parameters on its prevalence and removal in hospital water systems. A total of 45 samples were collected from distinct sites at seven hospitals in Tehran, Iran. The prevalence of this bacterium was assayed through a sensitive and specific technique for DNA detection using PCR. Multivariable stepwise regression analysis was used to explore the independent effects of the baseline factors on the incidence of Legionella. Two positive samples were also identified for species by DNA sequencing. Legionella were detected in 31.1% of samples. Showerheads and cold-water taps were the most and the least contaminated sources with 55.3 and 9 percent positive samples, respectively. Total mean of residual chlorine was 0.38 mg/L, with the peak value of 1.7 mg/L. Legionella detection was proportional to the residual chlorine content of water and the results indicated that residual chlorine content is a critical factor in the incidence and proliferation of Legionella [r=-0.33]. The prevalence of Legionella also coincided with the prevalence of HPC and amoeba cysts. The high positive rate of Legionella colonization shows that hospital-acquired legionellosis might be under diagnosed in studied hospitals. Further, Legionella colonization is independent of the type of water, system characteristics and of preventive maintenance measures

Impact of glibenclamide versus Insulin on neurological and functional outcomes of hemorrhagic stroke in diabetic patients

Background & Objective: Stroke is one of the common leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diabetes is one of the modifi able risk factors of stroke which is related to a higher mortality and a poorer outcome. We aimed to evaluate the protective effect of Insulin versus glibenclamide on the improvement of neurological and functional outcomes of hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: The present single blind clinical trial was conducted on 100 patients with stroke and diabetes who had referred to Neurology Emergency Department of Vali-e-Asr hospital, Arak, Iran. The patients were categorized into two groups according to the glucose control treatment before stroke. Without any randomization, glibenclamide was used in 45 patients, while others (55 ones) received insulin. National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and modifi ed Rankin scale (MRS) systems were used for evaluating the neurological and functional outcomes. Results: Hemiparesis was the most common sign of the patients. The mean of changes in NIHSS and MRS scores of the two groups were -29.69±21.4 and -17.24±21, respectively. Although Insulin group had a higher decrease in NIHSS and MRS scores, no signifi cant difference was found between the two groups. Both treatment methods had a signifi cant decreasing effect on NIHSS and MRS scores (p<0.001). Conclusion: Patients treated with both glibenclamide and insulin had similar decrease in their one week NIHSS and MRS scores with no signifi cant difference in the two treatment groups.

[Prevalence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in pet birds in Yazd, Iran]

Background and Aim: Pet birds can harbor diseases that can be transmitted to their owners. Although pet ownership is not without risks, many of Iranian households own pet birds and are therefore at risk of a number of bacterial, protozoal, fungal, viral, or parasitic zoonoses. Escherichia Coli O157:H7 is responsible for outbreaks of human intestinal diseases and the potentially fatal haemolytic-uraemic syndrome [HUS] worldwide. Considering people's interests to keep pet birds and the potential ability of pet birds to transmit Escherichia Coli O157:H7 to humans, the present study was conducted to evaluate Escherichia Coli O157:H7 infection in Yazd pet birds

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 180 samples of pet bird feces [150 canaries [Serinus canari] and 30 lovebirds [Agapornis personata]] were collected from different areas of Yazd and evaluated for detection of E. Coli O157:H7 by bacteriological and PCR methods

Results: The overall prevalence of Escherichia Coli in canary feces was 72.66% [109 out of 150] while no positive sample was found in the lovebird feces. Escherichia Coli O157:H7 was not found in any samples

Conclusion: The present study suggests pet birds feces are not sources of E. Coli O157:H7 in Yazd, Iran

Hyperglycemia and mortality in critically ill patients

To analyze the relation between serum glucose concentration and hospital outcome across the critically ill patients. A single-centre, retrospective study was performed at surgical and medical intensive care unit. Admission glucose, mean morning glucose, mean glucose, maximal glucose and time-averaged glucose levels were calculated for each patient. The time-averaged hyperglycemia was defined as the area under the curve above the upper limit of normal, divided by the total length of stay. Of 300 patients with a median stay of 16 days, the mortality rate was 32%. Mean fasting glucose was 121 mg/dl in survivors versus 160 mg/dl in non survivors [P=0.001]. Mean admission glucose was 127 mg/dl in survivors versus 142 mg/dl in non survivors [0.03]. Median time-averaged hyperglycemia was 4 mg/dl in survivors versus 17.5 mg/dl in nonsurvivors [P < 0.006]. The area under the receiver operator characteristic [ROC] curve was 0.59 for time-averaged glucose and 0.73 for mean fasting glucose. Whereas time-averaged hyperglycema is a useful assessment for glucose control in critically ill patients, it has no priority to admission glucose and mean fasting glucose for outcome prediction