Views of Iranian patients on life with cancer: a phenomenological study

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. The diagnosis of this disease can cause significant stress, which destroys the patient's hopes, dreams and expectations. The aim of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions of 23 Iranian patients about life with cancer using in-depth and semi-structured interviews as the method of data collection. The data were analyzed using Benner's interpretive thematic analysis method. Four main themes were clarified by studying the patients' experiences of life with cancer: (i) cancer as a kind of divine test; (ii) a very bitter and debilitating experience; (iii) chemotherapy as the most difficult experience of cancer; and (iv) a continuous struggle. Life with cancer is full of suffering, stress and bitterness. Fear and hope are intertwined; this phase can be successfully endured by patience, tolerance and stability. It is also helpful if close relatives can raise the patient's morale. Certainly, in this process, religious beliefs, faith and culture-oriented interventions can significantly help patients deal with cancer.     

BAK, BAX, and NBK/BIK Proapoptotic Gene Alterations in Iranian Patients with Ataxia Telangiectasia

Introduction

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by variable immunodeficiency, progressive neurodegeneration, occulocutaneous telangiectasia, and an increased susceptibility to malignancies. This study was designed to study the role of proapoptotic BAK, BAX, and NBK/BIK genes in a group of patients with AT to elucidate the possible role of these genes in progression of malignancies in this disease.

Materials and Methods

Fifty Iranian patients with AT were investigated in this study. The entire coding regions of the BAK gene (exons 2–6), NBK/BIK gene (exons 2–5), and BAX gene (exons 1–7) were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were separated by 2% agarose gel electrophoresis, and all positive samples were verified by direct sequencing of PCR products using the same primers used for PCR amplification, BigDye chemistry, and Avent 3100 Genetic Analyzer following the manufacturer’s instructions (Applied Biosystems).

Results

Eight of fifty Iranian AT patients (16%) exhibited a C?>?T transition in exon 2 (c342C?>?T) of the BAK gene, while none of the healthy controls had such alteration (P?=?0.0001). Higher frequency of another nucleotide substitution in the noncoding region of exon 7 in BAX gene (6855G?>?A) was also identified in 68% of the patient group versus 24% in the controls (P?<?0.0001). Sequence alteration in intronic region of the NBK/BIK gene IVS4-12delTC was observed in 52% of AT patients, which was significantly higher than 20% in the control group (P?=?0.0023). Another variant IVS1146C?>?T in the intronic region of the BAX gene was found in 78% of patients, which was significantly higher than 10% in the controls (P?<?0.0001). Frequency of alteration in intronic region of exon 3 of the BAX gene (IVS3?+?14A?>?G) was also significantly higher in the AT patients (P?<?0.0001).

Discussion

Several alterations in the proapoptotic genes BAK, NBK/BIK, and BAX were found in our study, which could elucidate involvement of the mitochondrial pathway mediated apoptosis in accelerating and developing of cancers and in immunopathogenesis of AT. Such altered apoptosis in AT could play some roles in developing cancers in this group of patients.     

Homozygous missense mutation in fibulin-5 in an Iranian autosomal recessive cutis laxa pedigree and associated haplotype

Cutis laxa is a rare group of inherited and acquired disorders characterized by loose and redundant skin with reduced elasticity. Mutations in the elastin coding gene have been shown to cause autosomal dominant cutis laxa in three families. A homozygous mutation in the fibulin-5 coding gene was discovered in a Turkish pedigree showing recessive inheritance, and a different mutation in this gene was found in the heterozygous state in a sporadic case of the disease. Here, we report the third case of a mutation in the fibulin-5 coding gene in a recessive Iranian cutis laxa pedigree. The mutation is the same as previously reported in the Turkish pedigree, further confirming that it is causative of disease. A haplotype consisting of seven intragenic sequence variations common to both pedigrees is described for the mutation-carrying fibulin-5 allele.     

Assessing the effects of body weight on subchondral bone formation with quantitative 18F-sodium fluoride PET

Annals of Nuclear Medicine - The aim of this study was to quantify subchondral bone remodeling in the elbows, hands, knees, and feet using volumetric and metabolic parameters derived from...     

Effects of metformin on autoimmune immunoglobins and interferon-γ in patients with early diagnosed pemphigus vulgaris: a prospective clinical trial

The management of pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is challenging. This study aimed to evaluate the immunomodulating effects of metformin on PV. The study was conducted in two phases: in the first phase, patients received routine first-line treatment (prednisolone plus azathioprine) for 2 months, then in the second phase, metformin was added to this regimen for another 2 months. After addition of metformin to the first-line medications, significant reductions were seen in serum IgG1 (reduced from 534.92 ± 134.83 mg/dL to 481.58 ± 130.46 mg/dL, P < 0.001), IgG4 (51.83 ± 27.26 mg/dL to 44.50 ± 26.05 mg/dL, P < 0.001) and interferon-γ (277.99 ± 108.71 pg/mL to 45.05 ± 17.080 pg/mL, P = 0.03) concentrations. The suppressant effect of metformin was greatest on IgG4 (coefficient of variation 1.28), the dominant subclass of IgG involved in PV. Metformin could have immunomodulating effects on PV with controlling effects on steroid complications.     

Quantifying [<Superscript>18</Superscript>F]fluorodeoxyglucose uptake in the arterial wall: the effects of dual time-point imaging and partial volume effect correction

Purpose

The human arterial wall is smaller than the spatial resolution of current positron emission tomographs. Therefore, partial volume effects should be considered when quantifying arterial wall ¹⁸F-FDG uptake. We evaluated the impact of a novel method for partial volume effect (PVE) correction with contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) assistance on quantification of arterial wall ¹⁸F-FDG uptake at different imaging time-points.

Methods

Ten subjects were assessed by CECT imaging and dual time-point PET/CT imaging at approximately 60 and 180 min after ¹⁸F-FDG administration. For both time-points, uptake of ¹⁸F-FDG was determined in the aortic wall by calculating the blood pool-corrected maximum standardized uptake value (cSUV_MAX) and cSUV_MEAN. The PVE-corrected SUV_MEAN (pvcSUV_MEAN) was also calculated using ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT and CECT images. Finally, corresponding target-to-background ratios (TBR) were calculated.

Results

At 60 min, pvcSUV_MEAN was on average 3.1 times greater than cSUV_MAX (P?<?.0001) and 8.5 times greater than cSUV_MEAN (P?<?.0001). At 180 min, pvcSUV_MEAN was on average 2.6 times greater than cSUV_MAX (P?<?.0001) and 6.6 times greater than cSUV_MEAN (P?<?.0001).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that CECT-assisted PVE correction significantly influences quantification of arterial wall ¹⁸F-FDG uptake. Therefore, partial volume effects should be considered when quantifying arterial wall ¹⁸F-FDG uptake with PET.

     

The prevalence of common CFTR mutations in Iranian infertile men with non-CAVD obstructive azoospermia by using ARMS PCR techniques

Purpose  

To evaluate five common cystic fibrosis trans-membrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mutations (ΔF508, G542X, R117H, W1282X and N1303K) in the Iranian infertile men with noncongenital absence of vas deferens (CAVD) obstructive azoospermia.     

Venlafaxine inhibits naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal symptoms: Role of inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide

Metabolic Brain Disease - Opioid-induced neuroinflammation plays a role in the development of opioid physical dependence. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in several oxidative and...     

Do mitochondrial DNA haplogroups play a role in susceptibility to tuberculosis?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Mitochondrial DNA has a unique role in ATP production and subsequent mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in eukaryotic cells and there is a potential role for ROS and oxygen burst against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an intracellular pathogen. This study aimed to determine whether the frequency of different mitochondrial haplogroups was significantly different in patients with tuberculosis (TB) compared with a normal population. METHODS: Mitochondrial DNA haplogroups M, N, J and K were studied by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequencing. Cases were 54 patients with confirmed smear positive pulmonary TB. Controls were 256 healthy persons. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences between those with TB and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no statistically significant association between mtDNA haplogroups and the presence of TB infection.