Association between common variants in vitamin D receptor gene and susceptibility to Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a case-control study.

Vitamin D (VDR)-mediated signaling contributes to the cell signaling pathways that affect cancer development. This study is conducted on 104 patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and 246 healthy subjects to investigate the link between five genetic variants spanning the VDR gene and the risk of this malignancy in Iranian subjects. The PCR-RFLP method was used for the analysis of BsmI (rs1544410), ApaI (rs7975232), FokI (rs2228570) and TaqI (rs731236) variants. A simple Tetra-ARMS-PCR technique was employed for the genotyping of the Cdx2 (rs11568820) variant. No significant link was found between both groups regarding ApaI (rs7975232) and FokI (rs2228570) variants (P > 0.05). Also, different genetic models of TaqI (rs731236), BsmI (rs1544410) and Cdx2 (rs11568820) polymorphisms were significantly correlated to decreased risk of NHL (Odd ratios <1). We found three haplotypes were strongly associated with an increased risk of NHL (P < 0.0001). Linkage-disequilibrium (LD) analysis showed a strong linkage between TaqI (rs731236) and BsmI (rs1544410) among NHL case and control subjects. Our findings indicated that functional variants of the VDR gene are linked to a decreased risk of NHL in our population. Further replication studies in different ethnic groups are needed to validate our results.

The Prevalence of Absolute and Functional Iron Deficiency Anemia in New Cases of Smear-positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Their Sputum Conversion Rate at the End of Intensive Tuberculosis Treatment Phase.

About one third of the population is infected with tuberculosis (TB). On the other hand, iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world. A number of studies have documented anemia in patients with TB, however, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in patients with acid-fast bacilli (AFB) sputum smear-positive, and sputum conversion in these two groups of patients with absolute and functional IDA at the end of the second month of anti-TB therapy in Zahedan, Iran. The results of this study revealed that 91 out of 198 (45.9%) sputum positive pulmonary TB patients were anemic, and among those 72 (79.1%) had iron deficiency anemia. The overall prevalence of IDA in this study was 36.3%. In 72 patients with IDA, 54 (75%) had functional while the remainder had absolute IDA 18 (25%). Twenty-one out of 72 (29.2%) of patients with IDA remained sputum positive and among 126 non IDA patients 47 (37.3%) had positive sputum smear at the end of intensive TB treatment phase (p=0.278). Approximately, less than half of patients with tuberculosis had anemia among them 79% had iron deficiency anemia. The frequency of functional IDA was three times more than absolute IDA. There was no statistically significant difference in sputum conversion between two groups of IDA and non-IDA patients after intensive phase of anti-TB therapy.

C677T and A1298C polymorphisms of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase in non-Hodgkin lymphoma: southeast Iran.

PURPOSE: Polymorphisms of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene have been reported as risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in some populations. Our goal was to evaluate the potential role of A1298C and C677T polymorphisms of MTHFR in risk of NHL in southeast Iran. METHODS: In the present case-control study, 127 patients with newly diagnosed NHL along with 150 ethnicity- and age-matched controls were examined. The A1298C and C677T polymorphisms were genotyped using the Tetra Amplification Refractory Mutation System polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in genotype frequencies between cases and controls regarding either A1298C polymorphism. For this polymorphism, 53.8% of the controls and 54.3% of the patients with NHL showed homozygous wild-type (AA) genotype. Variant 1298C allele was recognized with overall frequency of 34.6% in both groups. Frequencies of CC, CT, and TT genotypes of C677T polymorphism were observed in 73.1%, 25.8%, and 1.3% of the controls, and 64.5%, 33.1%, and 2.4% of the patients with NHL (p>0.05). In combination, CT + TT conferred a significantly higher risk of NHL (odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.9-2.4, p = 0.03). Overall, variant 677T allele presented with higher frequency in the patients with NHL than the controls (26.7% versus 21.3%, respectively; OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.8-2.1, p>0.05). Although statistically insignificant, the highest risk of NHL was identified in patients with C677T; A1298C: CT; CC haplotype (OR 4.7, 95% CI 0.4-46.4, p = 0.1). CONCLUSIONS: Combination of CT and TT genotypes of C677T polymorphism conferred a significantly higher risk for NHL. It is recommended to investigate further the potential role of this polymorphism in NHL development.

Vitamin D Deficiency Associated with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case- Control Study

Objective: In recent decades, the incidence of thyroid cancer has increased throughout the world. It is unclear whether factors such as vitamin D deficiency may have been involved in this increase. The present case-control study was conducted to examine any association between Vitamin D deficiency and thyroid cancers. Methods: The study was conducted on 85 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer diagnosed based on fine needle aspiration biopsy as the case group and 85 healthy controls. Serum levels of vitamin D were evaluated before thyroidectomy. For each patient in the case group, one healthy euthyroid person without any thyroid nodules from the general population matched based on season, sex, age (± 1 year) and BMI (± 1) was selected. Finally, 85 pairs were obtained considering inclusion and exclusion criteria. Thyroid function, thyroid antibodies and serum vitamin D were assessed and thyroid sonography was performed in all participants. Results: In the patient group, 72 (85%) were female and 13 (15%) were male. The mean (SD) serum vitamin D level was 8.00 (±3.7) in patient group, as compared to 13.4 (±7.90) in the control group, the difference being significant (OR: 6, 95 % CI: 1.02-113.3; P=0.046). Conclusion: A significant association was noted between vitamin D deficiency and differentiated thyroid cancer. Further studies with a prospective design are necessary to further define the roles of this factor.

Absolute and Functional Iron Deficiency Anemia among Different Tumors in Cancer Patients in South Part of Iran, 2014.

Background: Anemia is a common problem in cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the frequency rate of absolute and functional iron deficiency anemia among different tumors and its distribution in different stages of cancer in solid tumors. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 597 patients with cancer referred to Ali-Ebne-Abitaleb Hospital in Zahedan. Laboratory tests included serum iron, transferrin saturation, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and complete blood count (CBC). The malignancy type and stages were recorded. Data were analysed using SPSS statistics software (Ver.19). Results: Four hundred and fifty-seven patients (76.5 %) diagnosed with solid tumors and 140 (23.5%) suffered from hematologic malignancies. Among patients with solid tumors, functional iron deficiency had the highest rate (300 patients had anemia and 243 (53.2%) of whom were functionally iron deficient), but in hematologic malignancies most of patients had not iron deficiency (66 patients had not iron deficiency against 12 patients had absolute iron deficiency and 62 patients had functional iron deficiency anemia) (P-value=0.021). No significant differences were observed among the various stages of cancers in terms of degrees of iron deficiency (P>0.05). Conclusion: The results of the study showed that solid tumors had a higher rate of absolute and functional iron deficiency anemia, compared to hematologic malignancies. But there was no difference between the different stages of the disease.

A Cross-Sectional Study of Glycemic Status and Zinc Level in Patients with Beta-Thalassemia Major.

Background: Endocrinopathies and diabetes mellitus are prevalent in patients with beta-thalassemia major Recently some studies demonstrate a link between low levels of serum zinc level and higher prevalence of diabetes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the glucose tolerance in patients suffered from beta-thalassemia major and determine the association of Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) parameters with zinc status among these patients. Materials andMethods: In this cross sectional study, clinical data of patients who were suffered from thalassemia major, aged≥10 years were collected. Serum ferritin concentration, fasting blood sugar, fasting blood insulin and serum zinc level were assessed after overnight fasting. Moreover, oral glucose tolerance test was performed. Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA-2) was used for calculating beta-cell function, insulin resistance and sensitivity for normoglycemic and pre-diabetic subjects. Results: of the 163 patients diagnosed with beta-thalassemia major, 10%, 53% and 37% were diabetic, pre-diabetic and normal, respectively. Mean serum zinc concentration was equal to 18.90±10.93µg/dl, and it was not significantly different across diabetic, pre-diabetic and normal groups. Pre-diabetic patients had significantly lower beta-cell function compared to normal subjects (P=0.0001). An inverse relation was documented between beta-cell function on one hand and total units of blood transfusion and ferritin level on the other hand (r=-0.29, P=0.004 and r=-0.27, P=0.03, respectively). The analysis adjusted for multiple possible confounders showed that there is no significant association between HOMA parameters and serum zinc level. Conclusion: Impaired glucose metabolism and low serum zinc level were quite common among our study participants. The findings of the study also signifies the substantial role of follow-up in early detection and appropriate treatment.

Evaluation of Outcome and Tolerability of Combination Chemotherapy with Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin as First Line Therapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer.

Background: Combination chemotherapy is accepted as a high efficacy treatment for gastric cancer, whereas choice of standard treatment is unclear. Multiple chemotherapeutic regimens have been used to achieve higher efficacy and lower toxicity. This study was designed to evaluate the treatment results of advanced gastric cancer with Capecitabine and Oxaliplatin regimen. Subjects and Methods: All cases with documented gastric adenocarcinoma and advanced disease were candidates for receiving Xelox regimen (Capecitabine - 750 mg/m2/twice daily/ 1-14 days and Oxaliplatin 125 mg/m2 in 1st day). Results: Twenty five cases with advanced gastric cancer entered in study while 24 cases continued treatment protocol and were evaluated. Mean age was 59.5 ± 12.1 years (range: 20-75), male and female cases were 66.7% and 33.3%, respectively. All cases received at least four cycles of Xelox regimen. Overall response rate was 74.99% with 29.16% complete response. Overall survival rate was 13 ± 0.53 months and DFS (disease-free survival) was 6 ± 1.09 months. Extremities neuropathy (62.5%), headache (45.8%) and muscle cramps (29.2%) were the most common complains. Haematological changes were rare and 16.7% of cases had mild cytopenia. Treatment related death was not observed. Conclusion: Xelox regimen is a safe and highly effective first line treatment for gastric cancer; however, considering it as first line therapy needs larger studies.

FEN1 -69G>A and +4150G>T polymorphisms and breast cancer risk.

Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), a DNA repair protein, is important in preventing carcinogenesis. Two functional germ line variants -69G>A (rs174538) and +4150G>T (rs4246215) in the FEN1 gene have been associated with risk of various types of cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possible impact of FEN1 polymorphisms on risk of breast cancer (BC) in a sample of Iranian subjects. The FEN1 -69G>A and +4150G>T polymorphisms were analyzed in a case-control study that included 266 BC patients and 225 healthy females. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to genotype the variants. The findings demonstrated that the FEN1 -69G>A and +4150G>T polymorphisms were not associated with BC risk in co-dominant, dominant and recessive inheritance models. The findings indicated that GG/GT, GA/GG and GA/TT genotypes significantly decreased the risk of BC when compared with -69GG/+4150GG. Furthermore, haplotype analysis indicated that -69G/+4150T as well as -69A/+4150G significantly decreased the risk of BC compared with -69G/+4150G. Thus, these findings demonstrated that haplotypes of FEN1 -69G>A and +4150G>T polymorphisms decreased the risk of BC in an Iranian population. Further studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are required to validate the present findings.

Association Between Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Polymorphisms with Breast Cancer Risk in an Iranian Population.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most causes of death in women worldwide. It affects Iranian female population approximately a decade earlier than those in other parts of the world. Previous studies have shown that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene variants were associated with BC risk. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of VEGF rs3025039 (+936C>T), rs2010963 (+405C>G), rs833061 (-460T>C), rs699947 (-2578C>A), and rs35569394 (18-bp I/D) polymorphisms on BC risk in an Iranian population in southeast of Iran. This case-control study was done on 250 BC patients and 215 healthy women. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) or PCR was used to genotype the polymorphisms. Our findings showed that VEGF rs699947 variant increased the risk of BC (OR = 1.71, 95% CI = 1.15-2.54, P = 0.009, CA vs CC; OR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.14-3.93, P = 0.021, AA vs CC; OR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.22-2.60, P = 0.004, CA+AA vs CC; OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.12-1.92, P = 0.005, A vs C). The VEGF rs3025039, rs2010963, rs833061, and rs35569394 variants were not associated with risk/protection of BC. In conclusion, our results proposed that VEGF rs699947 polymorphism may increase the risk of BC development. Furthers studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are necessary to confirm our findings.

Insulin Resistance in Patients with Benign Thyroid Nodules.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, it has been questioned whether insulin resistance is associated with thyroid nodules. The aim of this study was to examine insulin resistance prevalence in a case-control study of patients with benign thyroid nodules in an iodine-sufficient area. METHODS: This was a single-center, case-control study on euthyroid patients with benign nodular diseases. Thirty newly diagnosed patients with benign thyroid nodules according to fine needle aspiration cytology were investigated for insulin resistance. As a control group, 30 euthyroid control subjects with normal thyroid sonography without nodule were recruited from the general population. The participants were matched in pairs by age, gender, and body mass index. The diagnosis of insulin resistance was made when the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index was more than 2.5. RESULTS: The mean of HOMA-IR value was significantly higher in patients compared to controls (1.32 ± 0.65 vs. 0.76 ± 0.36, P-value < 0.001). Insulin resistance was seen in two subjects with thyroid nodules (6.7%), but none in the control group. There was a positive significant correlation between HOMA-IR and thyroid nodule size (r-value: +0.38, P < 0.03). CONCLUSION: Patients with thyroid nodules have higher HOMA-IR value. There is an association between insulin resistance and benign thyroid nodules. More investigations are required to define the role of this factor in thyroid nodule formation.

APOBEC3 Deletion is Associated with Breast Cancer Risk in a Sample of Southeast Iranian Population.

Breast Cancer (BC) is considered as one of the most important causes of death worldwide. Previous studies showed that apolipoprotein B mRNA- editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) gene deletion significantly increased the risk of BC risk in Chinese and European women. The present study aimed to assess the possible impact of APOBEC3 deletion and the risk of BC in a sample of Iranian population. The APOBEC3 insertion/deletion (I/D) was analyzed in a case- control study including 262 BC patients and 217 healthy women. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to genotype the variant in APOBEC3 gene. The findings of this study showed that I/D as well as I/D+D/D genotype increased the risk of BC (OR= 1.57, 95% CI= 1.07- 2.31, p= 0.025 and OR= 1.50, 95% CI= 1.03- 2.19, p= 0.037, respectively) in comparison with I/I genotype. In conclusion, our findings suggest that APOBEC3 deletion polymorphism increased the risk of BC in an Iranian population in the southeast of Iran.

The prevalence of zinc deficiency in patients with thalassemia in South East of iran, sistan and baluchistan province.

BACKGROUND: There are different and controversial reports about zinc deficiency in patients with major thalassemia. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate zinc status in patients with major thalassemia in Sistan and Baluchistan province, southeastern Iran. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was performed in Ali Asghar Hospital, a specialized governmental hospital located in Zahedan, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 369 patients with a history of major thalassemia for more than 5 years entered the study using convenience sampling method. Thirty-six subjects were excluded from the study based on our exclusion criteria. Zinc level was measured in all patients after 12 hours fasting using atomic absorption spectrometry method in 2012. RESULTS: Of 369 cases, 333 patients were eligible and evaluated. The mean age was 15.63 ± 7.4 years. One hundred ninety two cases were male and others were female (141 cases). About 27% (90) of the cases were 5-10 years-old, 24% (80) were 10-15 years-old and 49% were older than 15 years old. Iron chelator in 65.46% was Desferrioxamine, in 28.2% was Deferasirox and in 19.5% was combination of Desferrioxamine and Deferiprone. All cases had zinc deficiency, and 98.5% had severe zinc deficiency. Others (1.5%) had mild deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Our study on 333 patients with major thalassemia documented severe zinc deficiency in all cases. We had no cases with normal or increased zinc levels. It was different with other reports in the world.

A 40-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism of Murine Double Minute2 (MDM2) increased the risk of breast cancer in Zahedan, Southeast Iran.

BACKGROUND: MDM2 (Murine Double Minute2) is an oncoprotein that inhibits the P53 activity. Overexpression of MDM2 gene has been reported in several human tumors. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of 40-bp insertion/deletion (ins/del) polymorphism on the promoter of MDM2 and susceptibility to breast cancer in a sample of Iranian population. METHODS: This case-control study was carried out on 236 patients with breast cancer and 203 healthy individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted from the whole blood by the salting-out method. The 40-bp ins/del polymorphism was determined by using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The findings indicated that MDM2 ins/del variant increased the risk of breast cancer in co-dominant- (odds ratio [OR] = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.14-3.85, P = 0.018, del/del vs. ins/ins), dominant- (OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.02-2.18, P = 0.038, ins/del + del/del vs. ins/ins), and recessive- (OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.03-3.34, P = 0.038, del/del vs. ins/ins + ins/del) tested inheritance models. The del allele increased the risk of breast cancer (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.11-1.98, P = 0.008) compared with ins allele. CONCLUSIONS: Our result revealed that 40-bp ins/del polymorphism in the promoter of MDM2 increased the risk of breast cancer in an Iranian population. Further investigations with larger sample sizes and diverse ethnicities are needed to verify our findings.

Evaluation of CCL5 -403 G>A and CCR5 Δ32 gene polymorphisms in patients with breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence has demonstrated the implication of CC chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) and CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) in breast tumor initiation and progression. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphisms of CCL5 -403 G>A (rs2107538) and CCR5 Δ32 genes are associated with the breast cancer (BC) risk. METHODS: A total of 439 subjects including on 236 BC patients and 203 healthy controls from the same area were recruited. The CCL5 -403 G>A and CCR5 Δ32 polymorphisms were genotyped by allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) and PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Our data demonstrated that the CCL5 -403 GA and GA+AA genotypes, with a higher frequency in the BC patients compared to the control group, were associated with an increased risk of BC in the codominant (GG vs. GA OR=1.75, 95%CI=1.07-2.86, P=0.025) and dominant models (GG vs. GA+AA: OR=1.84, 95%CI=1.15-2.93, P=0.014), respectively. Additionally, the A allele of CCL5 -403 G>A variation was found more prevalent in the BC patients than in controls (14% vs. 8%) and was a risk factor for BC (G vs. A: OR=1.87, 95% CI=1.21-2.89, P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlighted that the CCL5 -403 G>A polymorphism is a risk factor for BC in our population. Our findings suggest that the CCL5 -403 GA and GA+AA genotypes and the A allele were associated with an elevated risk of BC which may function as risk factor for breast carcinoma.

Association between CCNE1 polymorphisms and the risk of breast cancer in a sample of southeast Iranian population.

Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) is a key proto-oncogene. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms in CCNE1 on the risk of breast cancer (BC) in an Iranian population in southeast of Iran. A total of 491 subjects including 266 BC patients and 225 healthy control women were participated in the study. Genotyping of CCNE1 rs3218073 and 72010703 polymorphisms was done using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) and rs1406 by PCR-RFLP method.Our findings showed that rs1406 C/A polymorphism increased the risk of BC in codominant (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.05-2.43, p=0.032 CA vs CC; OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.23-4.49, p=0.011 AA vs CC) and dominant (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.22-2.56, p=0.012 CA+AA vs CC) inheritance models. The rs1406 A allele increased the risk of BC (OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.06-1.76, p=0.019) in comparison with C allele. On the other hand, CCNE1 rs72010703 (4-bp I/D) and rs3218073 polymorphisms did not show any significant association with BC. This study indicates that CCNE1 rs1406 polymorphism may contribute to BC risk.

hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 gene polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to breast cancer in an Iranian population.

AIM: Our study aimed to evaluate the possible association between four miRNA polymorphisms, hsa-miR-146a (rs2910164 G>C), hsa-miR-499 (rs3746444 T>C) and hsa-miRNA-196a2 (rs11614913 C>T and rs185070757 T>G), and susceptibility to breast cancer in an Iranian population. MATERIALS & METHODS: In this case-control study we enrolled 236 patients with breast cancer and 203 healthy individuals. Tetra primer amplification refractory mutation system PCR was applied for genotyping the four miRNA SNPs. RESULTS: Our study indicated that the hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 CC homozygote increased the risk of breast cancer in the dominant (odds ratio [OR]: 2.42; 95% CI: 1.43-4.09; p = 0.001; CC vs TT) and recessive (OR: 2.48; 95% CI: 1.49-4.13; p = 0.004; CC vs TT+TC) inheritance models tested. In addition, the rs3746444 C allele increased the risk of breast cancer (OR: 1.71; 95% CI: 1.27-2.29; p = 0.0004) in comparison with the T allele. However, distribution of the rs2910164 G>C, rs11614913 C>T and rs185070757 T>G genotypes was not statistically different between cases and controls (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that the hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism is associated with higher risk of developing breast cancer in our population.

The selenium status in thalassemia patients in South East of iran.

INTRODUCTION: There are limited reports about selenium status in major thalassemia patients. The aim of this study is evaluation of selenium status in patients with major thalassemia south east of Iran with large sample size and wide range of age. This study compared selenium status with other sites of the world. METHODS: In this study 369 cases that had major thalassemia for more than 5 years were enrolled in the study. Selenium level was measured in all eligible patients after 12 hours fasting by graphite enstrum furnace atomic absorption spectrometry in south east of Iran in 2012. RESULTS: Of 369 cases, 333 eligible patients were evaluated. Mean age was 15.63±7.4 years. One hundred ninety two cases were male and others were female (141 Cases). About 27% (90) of the cases were 5-10 years-old, 24 % (80) were 10-15 years-old and 49% were more than 15 years-old. Iron chelator in 62.2% was Dessferrioxamine, in 15.5% was Deferiprone and in 22.3% was combination of Dessferioxamine and Deferiprone. Totally 85 cases (25.52%) had Selenium deficiency, 35.43% (118 cases) had normal levels and 39 %(130 cases) had selenium excess. CONCLUSION: Our study on 333 major thalassemia cases documented variable status of selenium from deficiency to higher than normal levels. It was different with other reports in the world.

Imatinib therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia and thyroid function tests.

INTRODUCTION: Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor which resulted in much improvement in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), may adversely affect thyroid gland function. To date, assessment of thyroid function during imatinib therapy has limited to retrospective studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of imatinib on thyroid function in a prospective manner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 16 newly diagnosed adult subjects with positive Philadelphia chromosome in chronic phase of CML without any other apparent underlying diseases were enrolled. Free T3, Free T4, TSH, Anti TPO and Anti thyroglobulin antibodies were measured before and after 4 and 12 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Of the 16 patients, 9 were male (57.1%) and 7(42.9%) were female with a mean age of 29±5 years. There were statistically significant changes within reference ranges in serum concentrations of TSH (P=0.753 and 0.002), Free T3 (P=0.012 and 0.007) and Anti Thyroglobulin (P=0.221 and 0.041) 1 month before and 3 months after imatinib initiation, respectively. At the same time, there were no significant changes in serum Free T4 (P=0.196 and 0.650) and Anti TPO (P=0.807 and 0.600) concentrations. CONCLUSION: This study showed some significant changes on thyroid function tests during imatinib therapy. However, all of them were within the normal range without any clinical abnormalities in the course of treatment. We recommend other studies with larger sample size and longer duration of follow-up.

Prevalence of coeliac disease in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Coeliac disease (CD) may be associated with several liver disorders including primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis. Furthermore preliminary data suggest a causative role of CD in steatosis and steatohepatitis. The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of CD in a series of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a cross sectional study (2008-2010), 403 consecutive NAFLD patients (127 female and 276 male) referred to GI clinics of the Zahedan University of Medical Sciences were included. IgA anti-tissue transglutaminase (Anti-tTG) was used for screening of coeliac disease. In the patients with a positive serologic test, duodenal biopsies were taken to confirm the diagnosis. RESULTS: The mean±SD of the age and BMI of patients were 37.4±12.4years and 28.3±4.15kg/m(2) respectively. BMIs lower than 25kg/m(2) were found in 58 subjects (14.5%). Furthermore diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia were diagnosed in 48 (11.9%) and 84 (20.8%) individuals respectively. Positive Anti-tTGs were found in 14/403 (3.4%) and 13/403 (3.2%, 95% CI 1.5-4.9) had coeliac disease according to the modified Marsh classification; 8 had type I, 3 type II, 1 type IIIA and 1 type IIIB lesions. CONCLUSION: According to our data, prevalence of CD in the subjects with NAFLD is higher than the rates reported in the general population. Therefore screening for CD in selected cases of NAFLD may be appropriate.

Association between HLA-G 3'UTR 14-bp ins/del polymorphism and susceptibility to breast cancer.

Human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) is a non-classic major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule that is highly expressed in cancer pathologies. A 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in exon 8 of the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the HLA-G gene has been suggested to be associated with HLA-G mRNA stability and the expression of HLA-G. This study aimed to evaluate the association of 14-bp ins/del polymorphism in HLA-G gene and breast cancer in a south-east Iranian population. This study was performed using 236 patients with breast cancer and 203 healthy subjects. We designed a rapid and simple bi-directional PCR allele-specific amplification (Bi-PASA) for detection of 14-bp ins/del polymorphism in the HLA-G gene. The results of our study revealed that the prevalence of HLA-G 14-bp homozygote deletion genotype was higher in breast cancer patients than in the control group (OR=2.06, 95%CI=1.23-3.44, P=0.006). The frequency of the Del allele was 56.4% in breast cancer patients and 46.5% in the control group and the difference was statistically significant (OR=1.48, 95%CI=1.13-1.94, P=0.004). Moreover we evaluated the possible correlation of the HLA-G 14-bp ins/del genotypes and clinical characteristics of the patients, but no statistically significant correlation was found (P> 0.05). Our findings, for the first time, suggest that the 14-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in HLA-G gene could be a genetic risk factor for the susceptibility to breast carcinoma. Further studies on larger populations with different ethnicities are required to verify our findings.