ABSTRACT
The acute myeloid leukemia [AML] is a malignant disease with an accumulation of the abnormal and undifferentiated blastic myeloid cell in the bone marrow, leading to abnormal hematopoiesis. This study was done to determine the NPM1 and FLT3 [ITD] mutations and laboratory findings in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. This descriptive-analytic study was carried out on 40 [24 males, 16 females] patients with newly acute myeloid leukemia in Northwest of Iran. The mutation of NPM1 and FLT3-ITD were evaluated using PCR method in 25 patients. In all patients, the flowcytometry findings in the bone marrow, leucocytosis and the LDH levels were evaluated prior to the chemotherapy. The mutation of FLT3-ITD and NPM1 genes was detected in 15 [60%] and 9 [36%] of patients, respectively. FLT3-NPM1+ mutation was seen in 4 [16%] patients. Leukocytosis, LDH level and AML in different classes did no show any significant difference between FLT3-NPM1+ and other gene mutations. The mutation of FLT3-ITD gene was nearly twice than NPM1 in acute myeloid leukemia
ABSTRACT
Dietary folate deficiency may contribute to tumorogenesis in many sorts of malignancies. By considering the increasing incidence rate of breast cancer in Iran, this study was conducted to investigate the association between dietary folate intake and breast cancer risk. In this case-control study, 177 patients with breast cancer and 169 control subjects with no family history of malignancy were recruited from hospitals affiliated to Shahid-Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran. Standard questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic characteristics, physical activity, and food frequency consumption for the previous year. Total daily energy and folate intakes were estimated using the Nutritionist IV software. No statistically significant correlation was observed between daily dietary intake of folate and breast cancer risk in the sample population. However, the results showed a significant inverse association between daily intake of dietary folate and risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women [OR=0.17; 95%CI: 0.035-0.88]. Increases in the strata of daily folate intakes were associated with decreasing trends of ORs in postmenopausal breast cancer risk [P[for trend] =0.036], where the OR of folate intake at the 2[nd] tertile was 0.26 [95%CI: 0.05-1.22] and at the 3[rd] tertile was 0.17 [95%CI: 0.035-0.88]. Based on the findings, folate intake was not correlated with breast cancer risk in the total sample population, whereas higher intakes of folate was inversely associated with postmenopausal breast cancer risk
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Breast Neoplasms/prevention & control , Diet , Case-Control Studies , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
There is a lack of national/regional data on the relationship between breast cancer and thyroid diseases and the limited data available are controversial. This study was designed and conducted to investigate thyroid autoimmunity in women with newly diagnosed breast cancer. In a case-control study, 40 women with confirmed diagnoses of breast cancer and 40 age-matched healthy counterparts were recruited during a 12-month period from outpatient clinics of the Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. The case group were enrolled for the study before receiving treatment. Thyroid and physical examination was carried out in all participants and serum levels of TSH, FT4, ATPO and ATG were determined. The results were compared between two groups, and different histopathological subgroups of breast cancer. The mean age was 49.4817.75 and 46.80 +/- 7.00 years in the case and control groups respectively. Thyroid and physical examination were normal in all participants. TSH, ATPO and ATG serum levels were comparable between the two groups; however, the median level of serum FT4 was significantly higher in the case group [1.20 microg/dl vs. 1.03 microg/dl; p<0.001]. Increased levels of serum TSH and FT4 were found in 7.5% of the cases, while there were decreased levels in 2.5% of the cases, with no significant differences between the two groups. Thyroid tests were comparable between the different histopathological subtypes of breast cancer. No relationship was found between thyroid autoimmunity and breast cancer, a finding in concordance with some reports and in contrast with others. It seems that further studies with larger sample sizes are needed for conclusive findings
ABSTRACT
Copper and zinc are the elements with numerous physiological activities. Copper [Cu] has an important role in angiogenesis and acts by increasing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor [VEGF]. Serum levels of copper will be increased in cancer incidence, progression and recurrence. The aim of this study was to measure blood levels of copper, zinc, and the ratio of Cu /Zn, as well as VEGF levels before and after treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Thirty patients who were recently diagnosed with Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia [AML] in Shahid Ghazi Tabatabai oncology hospital enrolled in this clinical trial. On the first day, blood samples were taken for copper, zinc, and VEGF assay and flowcytometry. Treatment protocol was [7x3] regimen. Blood samples were collected for evaluation of copper, zinc, and VEGF. They were sent to Biochemistry Laboratory in medicine faculty for analysis. Amongst 30 AML patients, 14 [46.7%] were female and 16 [53.3%] were male. Patients of various ages ranged from 16 to 53 years, with a median age of 9.1 +/- 9.35 years. The mean serum level of copper, zinc, and mean Cu/Zn ratio before and after treatment showed significant difference [p<0.05] There was also significant difference between the mean VEGF level before and after treatment [p<0.05]. This study reveals that there is no significant relationship between copper, zinc serum levels, their ratio, and VEGF in AML patients. We hypothesize that increased serum copper is associated with increase of VEGF levels which can indicate the impact of copper in malignancies including AML
ABSTRACT
Leukemia is a malignant disorder of the blood progenitor/stem cells which is characterized by abnormal proliferation of white blood cells. Although anti-cancer drugs induce apoptosis in cancerous cells, drug resistance is the significant problem mainly due to over-expression of inhibitors of apoptosis proteins [lAPs] such as survivin. In this content, it has been reported that an anti-inflammatory drug, Carbenoxolone [CBX], could induce apoptosis and growth inhibition in several types of cancerous cells. In the present study, effects of CBX on apoptosis and level of the expression of survivin gene and its deltaEx3 splicing variant have were evaluated in K562 cells. K562 cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations of CBX: [50-300 microM] at different time intervals [12-48 hrs]. Trypan blue exclusion test was used to evaluate cell viability. Fluorescent microscopy [Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide double staining] and DNA fragmentation assay were used to study apoptosis. The expression level of survivin and its deltaEx3 splice variant were studied by RT- PCR. It was found that both growth inhibition and apoptosis occurred in K562 cells. In addition, down-regulation of survivin and survin-deltaEx3 were observed, after 2-4 hrs treatment with 150 microM of CBX. However, the expression level of survivin and its deltaEx3 splice variant increased in subsequent time [6-12 hrs] nearly to the level of control cells. From the results of this study, it may be concluded that CBX can be considered as a candidate for further studies in CML treatment, especially in the case of drug- resistant leukemia cells
ABSTRACT
The co-existence of recipient's hamatopoietic systems after allogeneic marrow transplantation is called mixed chimerism. Chimerism analysis provides a national method of different conditioning regimens, graft-versus-host disease [GVHD], prophylactic regimens, and cellular therapy to promote engraftment. The association of mixed chimerism with acute graft-versus-host disease [GVHD], disease recurrence, survival, and relapse free survival was investigated in 91 patients 12 and 79 of whom underwent either bone or peripheral blood HLA-identical marrow transplantation respectively. Chimerism was assessed using multiplex amplification of shorty tandem repeats [STR-PCR].cases included thalassemics [19 subjects], AML [29], ALL [20], CMT [18] and others [5].Median age was 21 [age range of 3-50]. There were 38 females [41.8%] and 53 males [58.2%]. Conditioning was busulfan plus cyclophosphamide in 34 patients, busulfan plus fludarabin in 51 patients and busulfan plus fludarabin plus anti-thymocyte globulin in 6 patients. Median of follow up was 13 months. Data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. On day 30 after transplantation, mixed chimerism [MC] was observed in 15 patients [16.5%], complete donor chimerism [CC] in 72 patients [79%], and no chimerism in 4 patients. The incidence of acute GVHD was significantly lower in mixed chimeras that in complete chimeras [p=0.01] but there was no significant difference in acute GVHD grade [I, II vs. III, IV] between two groups. The incidence of relapse and overall survival were 17.6% and 88.9% respectively showing no significant difference between MC and CC. Relapse free survival was 80.2% and significantly different between two groups. Despite some previous reports, we found no significant difference in survival and relapse rate between MC and CC. Relapse free survival was 80.2% and not significantly different between tw ogroup