HIV Prevalence and Related Behaviors Among People Who Inject Drugs in Iran from 2010 to 2020

AIDS and Behavior - Injection drug use has been the leading route of HIV transmission in Iran. We assessed HIV prevalence, risk behaviors, and uptake of prevention services among people who inject...     

Role of viruses in renal cell carcinoma

To determine whether viral infections are related to renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we studied 49 patients with RCC (29 patients were males with age ranging from 30 to 81 years and a mean of 57.5 years; 20 patients were females with age ranging from 36 to 70 years with a mean of 58.4 years) and 16 non-neoplastic kidney patients as controls. Tissues specimens from study patients and controls were examined by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the presence of DNA of several viruses including human papilloma virus (HPV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and polyoma viruses (BKV and JCV). Our results revealed that 7 of 49 (14.29%) RCC tissue specimens had HPV DNA compared with none of 16 non-cancer control subjects. Regarding the HPV types, all the positive results were high-risk HPV types (type 16 in three and 18 in four patients). The present study suggests that HPV infection, especially high-risk types, is associated with RCC. However, more studies are necessary to demonstrate the molecular oncogenic processes involved in this association.     

Hair Contamination of Sheepdog and Pet Dogs with Toxocara canis Eggs

Background

We tried to investigate the hair contamination of pet dogs and farm sheepdog with Toxocara eggs in terms of the different sex and age groups in north-west of Iran (Urmia and its suburbs).

Methods

Hair samples were collected from a total of 138 pet and farm sheepdogs from November 2008 to June 2009 in Urmia City and the suburb (West Azerbaijan-Iran) and examined for the presence of T. canis eggs.

Results

T. canis eggs found in 60 samples altogether (pet and shepherd dogs) showed a contamination rate of 36.2%. The number of observed T. canis eggs in each microscope field was varied from 1 to > 400. The age of the dog was found a significant factor to influence the prevalence and intensity of contamination, with 82% of all the eggs recovered from puppies (six months and younger). Additionally, the numbers of eggs in farm sheepdogs were significantly higher than pet dogs (P<0.05).

Conclusion

This report shows that direct contact with T. canis infected dogs, particularly puppies from shepherd dogs, may pose a serious hazard to human. Besides, as they may harbor a considerable number of eggs on their hair, they can contaminate the soil and the environment.     

The use of pig mononuclear cells to inhibit pulmonary tumor formation in isogenic mice

A-strain mice received 1 × 10⁵ A-strain mammary carcinoma, B72, cells iv on Day 0. At the same time fragments of the same tumor were implanted into the ileal mesentery of a pig together with fragments of cellulose sponge. The middle third of the pig mesenteric lymph node chain was resected. Sponge fragments of equivalent size, shape, and total weight were implanted alone into the jejunal mesentery. Seven days later, separate cell suspensions were made from the (disconnected) proximal (nonimmune) and distal (tumor-immune) segments of lymph node chain. Cells were also expressed by digital pressure from the sponges removed from the jejunal (nonimmune) and ileal (immune) segments of mesentery. A comparison was made between the antitumor action of immune lymph node cells and the two categories of sponge cell. Cells (4 × 10⁶) were injected iv into the mice on Day 7 and the number of pulmonary tumors counted after killing the mice on Day 14. Cells obtained from the “immune” sponges were significantly more effective in reducing the number of pulmonary tumors than cells from the “nonimmune” sponge, or from the immune lymph nodes. The antitumor action of all cell suspension was abolished when 4 × 10⁶ cells from the “interface” layer, following centrifugation on a Ficoll-triosil column, were injected into the mice. Antitumor activity was found to be correlated with the presence of “blast” cells in the pig mononuclear cell suspensions.     

Iron‐chelating effect of silymarin in patients with β‐thalassemia major: A crossover randomised control trial

This study aimed to determine the potential iron‐chelating effects of silymarin in patients with β‐thalassemia major receiving standard iron‐chelation therapy. We evaluated whether addition of silymarin to standard iron‐chelation therapy could improve iron burden markers and liver and cardiac function in these patients, via a placebo‐controlled, crossover clinical study. Silymarin (140 mg) or placebo were administered thrice daily to all patients (n = 82) for 12 weeks, and after a 2‐week washout period, patients were crossed over to the other groups. Silymarin efficacy was assessed by measuring serum iron level, ferritin level, total iron‐binding capacity and liver and cardiac function on magnetic resonance imaging. Silymarin treatment resulted in a negative change in the serum iron and ferritin levels and a positive change in the total iron‐binding capacity levels (treatment effect, p < .001, p = .06, and p = .05, respectively). Silymarin treatment led to positive changes in cardiac and liver function in both treatment sequences of study; however, this was not statistically significant. There was a negative change in liver iron concentration in both treatment sequences (treatment effect, p = .02). In conclusion, combined iron‐chelation and silymarin therapy was effective for improving the iron‐burden status in patients with β‐thalassemia major.