Hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus infection: epidemiology and risk factors in a large cohort of pregnant women in Lorestan, West of Iran

Background

There are little data on the prevalence of serological markers of hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses in pregnant women in Iran.

Objectives

This study was designed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among pregnant women in Lorestan, west of Iran.

Patients and Methods

Serum samples of 827 pregnant women who lived in rural (36.8%) and urban areas (63.2%) of Lorestan were collected during 2007-2008. Data were obtained through questionnaires. Samples were first screened for anti-HCV and anti-HBc by ELISA. Those who were positive for anti-HBc were tested for HBsAg.

Results

Anti-HBc was found in 28 of 827 pregnant women (overall prevalence, 3.4%; 14 of 523 in urban areas, 2.7%; 14 of 304 in rural areas, 4.6%). Of the 28 positive samples, 6(0.7%) were positive for HBs-Ag. Only 2 samples (0.2%) were anti-HCV-positive.

Conclusions

These results underscore the need for prenatal screening for HBV infection in pregnant women and treatment of newborns from HBsAg-positive mothers.More studies are needed to identify risk factors of HCV infection and highlight the importance of HCV screening and treatment programs.     

Quantity and distribution of plaque in orthodontic patients treated with molar bands

Objective

The placement of orthodontic bands usually increases plaque accumulation due to numerous mechanical retention sites. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the amount and distribution pattern of biofilm in the oral (palatal and lingual) and interproximal regions surrounding orthodontic bands.

Materials and Methods

We evaluated the formation of biofilm on 32 orthodontic bands which had been placed intraorally for 6?C37?months. Two parameters were measured: the percentage of surface covered by biofilm (quantity) and the biofilm distribution pattern of accumulation. We measured these two parameters in four regions of interest: the mesial and distal interproximal regions, as well as the mesial and distal regions of the oral attachment.

Results

The quantity of biofilm formation was similar in all four regions of interest, ranging from 13.3% to 16.8%. In contrast to biofilm quantity, distribution patterns differed in the four regions. In the mesial and distal interproximal regions it appeared as extensive insular areas in 87.5% and 71.9%, respectively, whereas it appeared more often supragingival and linear in nature in regions adjacent to the oral attachment, i.e. in 65.6% and 68.8%, respectively.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that firstly, oral hygiene in the palatal and lingual regions of orthodontic bands seems as difficult as it is in the interproximal areas, thus requiring thorough hygiene in both areas. Secondly, orthodontic patients with a history of periodontal disease require special attention regarding the use of orthodontic bands.     

Association of the Phe206Leu allele of the L-selectin gene with coronary artery disease

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the association between the L-selectin Phe206Leu polymorphism and coronary artery disease. METHODS: A total of 322 patients (221 men and 101 women) with coronary artery disease in one or more vessels documented by angiography were studied; 157 subjects (85 men and 72 women) without atherosclerosis were included as controls. All subjects were genotyped for the L-selectin Phe206Leu gene polymorphism using polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP). To assess disease severity, all patients were classified by numbers of coronary arteries with 50% stenosis. RESULTS: A significantly increased frequency of the 206Leu mutant allele was observed in patients with coronary artery disease compared to the controls. The 206Leu allele frequency occurred in 42% of the patients with coronary artery disease compared to 30% of the controls (p<0.009). No association was found between the severity of coronary artery disease and the L-selectin Phe206Leu polymorphism. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that carriage of L-selectin 206Leu mutant allele could contribute to susceptibility of Iranian individuals to contracting coronary artery disease.     

A haplotype framework for cystic fibrosis mutations in Iran

This is the first comprehensive profile of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations and their corresponding haplotypes in the Iranian population. All of the 27 CFTR exons of 60 unrelated Iranian CF patients were sequenced to identify disease-causing mutations. Eleven core haplotypes of CFTR were identified by genotyping six high-frequency simple nucleotide polymorphisms. The carrier frequency of 2.5 in 100 (1 in 40) was estimated from the frequency of heterozygous patients and suggests that contrary to popular belief, cystic fibrosis may be a common, under-diagnosed disease in Iran. A heterogeneous mutation spectrum was observed at the CFTR locus in 60 cystic fibrosis (CF) patients from Iran. Twenty putative disease-causing mutations were identified on 64 (53%) of the 120 chromosomes. The five most common Iranian mutations together represented 37% of the expected mutated alleles. The most frequent mutation, DeltaF508 (p.F508del), represented only 16% of the expected mutated alleles. The next most frequent mutations were c.1677del2 (p.515fs) at 7.5%, c.4041C>G (p.N1303K) at 5.6%, c.2183AA>G (p.684fs) at 5%, and c.3661A>T (p.K1177X) at 2.5%. Three of the five most frequent Iranian mutations are not included in a commonly used panel of CF mutations, underscoring the importance of identifying geographic-specific mutations in this population.     

Adsorptive removal of lead from aqueous solutions by amine–functionalized magMCM-41 as a low–cost nanocomposite prepared from rice husk: Modeling and optimization by response surface methodology

Amorphous silica that was extracted from rice husk was used to synthesize the magMCM-41 mesoporous silica. This was then functionalized by the APTMS group in order to produce NH₂-magMCM-41 as a novel and low–cost adsorbent. The XRD, VSM, N₂ adsorption–desorption, FT–IR, TGA, SEM and TEM analyses were utilized to characterize the produced materials. In order to optimize the adsorption of the Pb(II) ions, the RSM (response surface methodology) was applied by using the synthesized adsorbent in aqueous solutions. A rotatable CCD (central composite design) was adopted to carry out the experiments and RSM was used to analyze them. Three independent factors namely, initial solution pH (3–7), adsorbent dosage (0.1–2 g L^?1), and initial Pb(II) concentration (15–150 mg L^?1) were used to investigate the removal procedure. According to the obtained results, the initial solution pH of 5.22, adsorbent dosage of 0.1 g L^?1, and initial Pb(II) concentration of 150 mg L^?1 were considered as the optimum conditions with 64.32% removal of Pb(II) and an adsorption capacity of 540.64 mg g^?1. The maximum removal efficiency of Pb(II) ions was found to be 96.76%. The Sips isotherm model represents a better correlation with equilibrium data. It was reported by the kinetic study that data taken from the experiments fitted better to the pseudo–second–order model compared to the pseudo–first–order and intraparticle diffusion models. Finally, according to the thermodynamic study, the removal process strongly depends on temperature, which indicates an exothermic behavior and spontaneous nature of the adsorption.     

The autoimmune diseases manifested by production of autoantibodies: the autoantigens identified by random peptide library

Phage-displayed random peptide libraries (RPL) provide a powerful technique for identification, structural and functional analysis of ligands for many different target molecules, including, antibodies, receptors or other proteins. This strategy has been verified to be an effective tool for research in immunology and successfully has been used to determine the target sequence for monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. The peptide library approach provides great promise for characterization of ligands with no prior information concerning antibody specificity. This would allow the recognition of candidate antigens involved in initiation or perpetuation of autoimmune diseases. This technology also offers the potential for new therapeutic opportunities, production of diagnostic reagents, or even development of effective new vaccines. This review focuses on studies regarding the identification of autoantigens recognized by antibodies in autoimmune diseases using phage-display peptide libraries.     

Development of a Ki-67-based clinical trial assay for neoadjuvant endocrine therapy response monitoring in breast cancer

Purpose

The recent publication of the ACOSOG Z1031 trial results demonstrated that Ki-67 proliferation marker-based neoadjuvant endocrine therapy response monitoring could be used for tailoring the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in ER+HER2-negative breast cancer patients. In this paper, we describe the development of the Ki-67 clinical trial assay used for this study.

Methods

Ki-67 assay assessment focused on reproducing a 2.7% Ki-67 cut-point (CP) required for calculating the Preoperative Endocrine Prognostic Index and a 10% CP for poor endocrine therapy response identification within the first month of neoadjuvant endocrine treatment. Image analysis was assessed to increase the efficiency of the scoring process. Clinical outcome concordance for two independent Ki-67 scores was the primary performance metric.

Results

Discordant scores led to a triage approach where cases with complex histological features that software algorithms could not resolve were flagged for visual point counting (17%). The final Ki-67 scoring approach was run on T1/2 N0 cases from the P024 and POL trials (N = 58). The percent positive agreement for the 2.7% CP was 87.5% (95% CI 61.7–98.5%); percent negative agreement 88.9% (95% CI: 65.3–98.6%). Minor discordance did not affect the ability to predict similar relapse-free outcomes (Log-Rank P = 0.044 and P = 0.055). The data for the 10% early triage CP in the POL trial were similar (N = 66), the percentage positive agreement was 100%, and percent negative agreement 93.55% (95% CI: 78.58–99.21%). The independent survival predictions were concordant (Log-rank P = 0.0001 and P = 0.01).

Conclusions

We have developed an efficient and reproducible Ki-67 scoring system that was approved by the Clinical Trials Evaluation Program for NCI-supported neoadjuvant endocrine therapy trials. Using the methodology described here, investigators are able to identify a subgroup of patients with ER+HER2-negative breast cancer that can be safely managed without the need of adjuvant chemotherapy.

     

Generalized Eruptive Syringoma

Eruptive syringoma is a very rare variant of syringoma. It is a benign adnexal tumor of the intraepidermal portion of eccrine sweat ducts. Here we report a 32-year-old female presented with classical asymptomatic eruptive syringomas involving her face and extremities.