Dosimetric properties of N-isopropylacrylamide polymer gel using nonelectrophoresis grade BIS in preparation.

INTRODUCTION: Unlike availability of the different grades of N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS), electrophoresis is recommended in literature as a crosslinking agent in gel preparation. As the cost of non-electrophoresis grade BIS is much less than that of electrophoresis, the dosimetric characteristics of the of the polymer gel using non-electrophoresis BIS is evaluated in terms of photon energy and dose rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To compare the response of this gel with the one that contains electrophoresis grade BIS, two sets of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) gel were prepared using electrophoresis and non-electrophoresis BIS and irradiated to different gamma doses. RESULTS: It was shown that the dose-response of NIPAM gel made from non-electrophoresis grade BIS is coincident to that of electrophoresis grade BIS. The study of dose response of NIPAM with non-electrophoresis grade BIS as a function of beam energy revealed no dependence on radiation energies of 1.25 MV from 60 Co and 6 MV and 18MV from linear accelerator. It was found that dose rate has no influence on dose response of NIPAM gel with non-electrophoresis BIS. CONCLUSION: Substitution non-electrophoresis grade BIS not only reduces the cost of gel preparation without any adverse effect on its dose response, but also its lower background increases the dynamic range of dose linearity.

Effect of beta glucan on white blood cell counts and serum levels of IL-4 and IL-12 in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy in the world. Beta glucan can be a hematopoietic and an immune modulator agent in cancer patients. The aim of this trial was to determine the effect of beta glucan on white blood cell counts and serum levels of IL-4 and IL-12 in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 30 women with breast carcinoma aged 28-65 years. The eligible participants were randomly assigned to intervention (n=15) or placebo (n=15) groups using a block randomization procedure with matching based on age, course of chemotherapy and menopause status. Patients in the intervention group received two 10-mg capsules of soluble 1-3, 1-6, D-beta glucan daily and the control group receiving placebo during 21 days, the interval between two courses of chemotherapy. White blood cells, neuthrophil, lymphocyte and monocyte counts as well as serum levels of IL-4 and IL-12 were measured at baseline and at the end of the study as primary outcomes of the study. RESULTS: In both groups white blood cell counts decreased after 21 days of the intervention, however in the beta glucan group, WBC was less decreased non significantly than the placebo group. At the end of the study, the change in the serum level of IL-4 in the beta glucan group in comparison with the placebo group was statistically significant (p=0.001). The serum level of IL-12 in the beta glucan group statistically increased (p=0.03) and comparison between two groups at the end of the study was significant after adjusting for baseline values and covariates (p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that beta glucan can be useful as a complementary or adjuvant therapy and immunomodulary agent in breast cancer patients in combination with cancer therapies, but further studies are needed for confirmation.

Survival analysis of breast cancer patients in northwest Iran.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer among Iranian women; however limited studies have been conducted to address survival rates. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine survival rates in Tabriz (Northwest of Iran) and compare with those of data reported from other cities and countries. METHODS: Survival rates were calculated for one, three, five, seven and ten years for 271 breast cancer patients referred to one university clinic during 1997-2008. RESULTS: Survival analysis demonstrated a lower survival rate compared to western countries. CONCLUSIONS: Survival rates for our patients are similar/better than other cities in Iran, but lower than certain European countries and the US. Further studies with a higher number of patients are now required.

Patterns of metastasis and survival in breast cancer patients: a preliminary study in an Iranian population.

Due to lack of sufficient data on characteristics of breast cancer patients and risk factors for developing metastasis in Iran this study was designed to understand clinical aspects impacting on survival. A cross-sectional study on breast cancer patients was conducted in an oncology clinic of the university hospital between 1995 and 2010. Data were retrieved from medical records and included age, menopausal status, tumor diameter, number of involved nodes, histopathological type, estrogen and progesterone receptor expression, c-erbB-2, primary and secondary metastasis sites, overall survival, disease free interval and type of chemotherapy protocol. The results were analyzed with SPSS 13 software.The mean age of the patients was 49.2 (27-89) years. The primary tumors were mainly ER positive (48%) and PR negative (49.3%). The status of lymph nodes dissected and examined in these patients was unknown in 19 patients (25.3%) while 18 patients (24%) had positive lymph nodes with no report on the number of involved nodes. All of the patients had received antracyclin based chemotherapy in an adjuvant or metastatic setting. Adjuvant hormonal therapy was administered to receptor positive patients. In average, overall survival after recurrence was 30 months (95%CI 24.605-35.325) for non-skeletal versus 42 months (95%CI 31.211-52.789) for skeletal metastasis (P= 0.002). The median survival was also greater for receptor positive patients; 39 months (95%CI 33.716-44.284) for PR+ versus 26 months (95%CI 19.210-32.790) for PR- (P=0.047) and 38 months (95%CI 32.908-43.092) for ER+ versus 27 months (95%CI 18.780-35.220) for ER- patients (P=0.016). No relation was found between site of first metastasis and hormone receptor, age, tumor diameter, DFI and menopausal status. Sites of metastasis were independent of age, size of the tumor, menopausal and hormone receptor status in this study. Overall survival provided significant relations with respect to receptor status and bone metastasis.

Association of serum level of 25 hydroxy-vitamin D with prognostic factors for breast cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In recent years, there has been considerable interest in whether vitamin D inhibits breast cancer development. Experimental studies have shown that vitamin D promotes cell differentiation and retards or terminates proliferation of breast cancer cells. However, there is little evidence supporting the association of vitamin D and prognosis of breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In this analytic-descriptive study, 119 female patients with histological proven breast cancer were recruited in Tabriz oncology clinics in a 15-month period of time. History of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or receiving vitamin D/Ca supplements and presence of other malignancies were exclusion criteria. Serum level of 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) was measured in all patients. RESULTS: One hundred and nineteen patients with a mean age of 50.4∓12.6 (26-76) years were enrolled in the study. Metastasis was present in 21.8% of the cases. Stage of tumor was I, II, III and IV in 11, 56, 26 and 26 patients, respectively. The Tumor grade was low in 37 cases, intermediate in 46 cases, and high in 36 cases. The P53, Ki-67, HER2, ER and PR were positive in 30.3%, 49.6%, 17.6%, 61.2% and 55.5% of the patients, respectively. The mean serum level of 25(OH)D was 15.7∓17.8 (4-122) ng/ml, deficient in 66 cases, insufficient in 36 cases and normal level in 17 cases. The median level of 25(OH)D was lower in the P53+ group in a borderline trend (17.3 vs. 13.6 ng/ml; p=0.07). The median level of 25(OH)D was significantly higher in the patients with metastasis, as well (27.7 vs. 12.0 ng/ml; p=0.03). There was no significant association between the serum level of 25(OH)D and other studied parameters. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, there may be an association between the serum level of 25(OH)D and prognosis of breast cancer.

Role of myeloperoxidase index in differentiation of megaloblastic and aplastic anemia.

BACKGROUND: Elevated neutrophil myeloperoxidase may have a role in the diagnosis of megaloblastic erythropoiesis. AIMS: To study the differentiating role of myeloperoxidase index in megaloblastic and aplastic anemia. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The myeloperoxidase index (MPXI) was studied in 96 patients with megaloblastic and aplastic anemia diagnosed on bone marrow aspiration and biopsy examinations. METHODS AND MATERIALS: MPXI was measured with Technicon H1 (Bayer) automated analyzer. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney statistical test was used to compare the MPXI values between groups. RESULTS: The mean MPXI in megaloblastics and aplastic anemia was 18.3 and 1.8 (p< 0.001) respectively. MPXI> 20 denoted megaloblastic and MPXI <-11.6 denoted aplastic anemia. CONCLUSION: MPXI measurement may assist differentiation of megaloblastic from aplastic anemia, while MPXI> 20 rules out aplastic and MPXI <-11.6 rules out megaloblastic anemia.

High frequency of acute promyelocytic leukemia in northwest Iran.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) or M3 is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia, according to the French-American-British group classification. High frequencies of APL have been reported previously by many investigators. We here studied AML patients to determine the frequency of APL in Tabriz in northwest Iran. We reviewed 483 AML patients from 1996-2003. M2 and M3 cases accounted for 43.4% and 19.4% of the total, respectively. Our study thus provides further evidence of high frequencies of APL associated with geographical areas. Further studies should now be performed to evaluate genetic and environmental predisposing factors in Iran.