Obesity increases the incidence of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene-induced mammary tumors in an ovariectomized Zucker rat model

Obesity is associated with increased risk for postmenopausal, but not premenopausal breast cancer. Recently, we reported that intact obese Zucker rats had increased susceptibility to DMBA-induced mammary tumors compared to lean Zucker rats. In the present study, we investigated whether excessive adipose tissue would promote mammary tumor induction in the absence of ovarian estrogen. Lean and obese rats were sham-operated or ovariectomized at 40 days old and were gavaged at 50 days old with 65 mg/kg DMBA. Rats were weighed and palpated twice weekly for detection of mammary tumors and sacrificed 135 days post-DMBA treatment. Obese sham-operated (O/S) rats had a shorter latency period (102 days) compared to lean sham-operated (L/S) (134 days) and obese ovariectomized (O/O) rats (123 days). At the end of the experiment, 36% of the O/O rats developed mammary tumors while lean ovariectomized (L/O) rats developed no mammary tumors (P<0.001), and 59% of the O/S rats developed mammary tumors compared to 30% of the L/S rats (P<0.05). In summary, obesity increases the susceptibility of ovariectomized Zucker rats to DMBA-induced mammary tumors, suggesting that adipose tissue-derived estrogen in obese animals may be sufficient to promote DMBA-induced tumors in this model. These results suggest that obesity in postmenopausal women may increase breast cancer risk due to increased breast tissue exposure to adipose tissue-derived estrogen. In conclusion, we have developed an animal model to further investigate the role of obesity in breast cancer development in postmenopausal women.     

Genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphism‐based autozygosity mapping facilitates identification of mutations in consanguineous families with epidermolysis bullosa

Autozygosity mapping (AM) is a technique utilised for mapping homozygous autosomal recessive (AR) traits and facilitation of genetic diagnosis. We investigated the utility of AM for the molecular diagnosis of heterogeneous AR disorders, using epidermolysis bullosa (EB) as a paradigm. We applied this technique to a cohort of 46 distinct EB families using both short tandem repeat (STR) and genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array‐based AM to guide targeted Sanger sequencing of EB candidate genes. Initially, 39 of the 46 cases were diagnosed with homozygous mutations using this method. Independently, 26 cases, including the seven initially unresolved cases, were analysed with an EB‐targeted next‐generation sequencing (NGS) panel. NGS identified mutations in five additional cases, initially undiagnosed due to the presence of compound heterozygosity, deep intronic mutations or runs of homozygosity below the set threshold of 2 Mb, for a total yield of 44 of 46 cases (95.7%) diagnosed genetically.     

eRFA: Excision Followed by RFA—a New Technique to Improve Local Control in Breast Cancer

Introduction Excision followed by RFA (eRFA) may allow improved cosmesis while ensuring negative margins in patients with breast cancer. This technique utilizes heat to create an additional tumor-free zone around the lumpectomy cavity. We hypothesized that eRFA will decrease the need for re-excision of inadequate margins.Methods Between July 2002 and January 2005, we conducted a multiphase trial of RFA of prophylactic mastectomy specimens and of women desiring lumpectomy. In both models, a lumpectomy was performed, the RFA probe was deployed 1 cm circumferentially into the walls of the lumpectomy cavity and maintained at 100°C for 15 min. Whole mount slides were used to measure the zone of ablation for ex vivo specimens. Hematoxylin and eosin staining of in vivo lumpectomy margins <3 mm was considered inadequate.Results Nineteen prophylactic mastectomy ablations revealed a consistent perimeter of ablation. Forty-one patients (mean age 63 ± 14 years) had an average tumor size of 1.6 ± 1.5 cm underwent in vivo eRFA, and 25% had inadequate margins: one focally positive, one <2 mm, eight <1 mm and one grossly positive. Only the grossly positive margin was re-excised. Overall complication rate of in vivo ablations was 7.5%. Twenty-four of 41 patients did not have post-eRFA XRT. No in-site local recurrences have occurred during a median follow-up of 24 months (12–45 months). Two patients have occurred elsewhere.Conclusions The ex vivo ablation model reliably created a 5–10 mm perimeter of ablation. In vivo, this zone reduced the need for re-excision for inadequate margins by 91% (10/11). Short-term follow-up suggests that eRFA could reduce re-excision surgery and local recurrence.     

Nursing profession in Iran: An overview of opportunities and challenges

Aim:  Iran's health-care system has witnessed profound changes in the last decades. Despite its progress, the system has currently faced many challenges in one of the important subsystems, nursing. The present review article aimed to present an overview of the opportunities and challenges of the Iranian nursing system, based on recent literature.
Methods:  A broad search of the English and Persian-language literature was carried out, incorporating both electronic and manual components from 1999 to 2009. The results of the investigations among the searched literature are summarized.
Results:  The major challenges are nursing shortages, job dissatisfaction, poor social position of nurses, the gap between theory and practice, lack of community-based nursing care, lack of an appropriate student recruiting system, and shortages in the nursing educational curriculums.
Conclusion:  The authors believe that media, political and public support play a pivotal role in improving the image of nursing in society, increasing motivation among Iranian nurses, and promoting the sociocultural climate and the welfare of nurses, which will result in higher levels of quality of care as well as greater patient satisfaction.     

Role of chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan signaling in regulating neuroinflammation following spinal cord injury

正Spinal cord injury(SCI)elicits a robust inflammatory response that is a hallmark of the secondary injury mechanisms.Neuroinflammation is orchestrated initially by the response of resident astrocytes and microglia to injury,which subsequently facilitates the recruitment of peripheral     

Supplementation with vitamin D and insulin homeostasis in healthy overweight and obese adults: A randomized clinical trial

IntroductionHypovitaminosis D which is a frequent problem in overweight and obese individuals, seems to interfere with cells responsible for control of glycemic status. Therefore, the current research intended to study the impact of supplementation with vitamin D on insulin homeostasis among healthy obese and overweight individuals.MethodsThe current study was conducted among obese or overweight individuals who had hypovitaminosis D. After separation of participants into two groups, one group received vitamin D pearls (50,000 IU/weekly) for eight weeks, whereas another group received a placebo over the same period. Next, the level of vitamin D, fasting blood sugar (FBS), fasting insulin, Homeostasis Model Assessment 2 for Insulin Resistance (HOMA2-IR), Function of β-cell (HOMA2-β), and Insulin Sensitivity (HOMA2-S) and lipid profile of participants were evaluated.ResultsOverall, 67.2% of the participants were female. No considerable difference was observed concerning biochemical parameters among the study groups at baseline. After eight weeks, the mean (SD) level of vitamin D was significantly lower in the placebo group than those in the vitamin D group. (38.6 ± 8.1 vs. 14.9 ± 6.4; P < 0.001). The patients who received vitamin D had significant lower levels of FBS (P < 0.001), fasting insulin (P < 0.001), HOMA2-IR (P < 0.001), and HOMA2-β (P = 0.03), than the placebo group. The HOMA2-S was significantly enhanced in vitamin D group, while it reduced in another group (P < 0.001). However, no considerable decrease was found in triglyceride, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein or low-density lipoprotein.ConclusionSupplementation with vitamin D improved sensitivity to insulin and pancreatic function of β cells of healthy overweight and obese adults.     

Impaired oxidative status as a potential predictor in clinical manifestations of herpes zoster

Oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants, is related to many dermatologic diseases. Increased reactive oxygen species is also associated with various decreased T‐cell immune responses. The incidence and severity of herpes zoster (HZ), which is caused by the reactivation of varicella ‐ zoster virus, increase with age because of declining cell‐mediated immunity. The main purpose of this study was to assess the levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in patients with HZ compared with control subjects. In this case‐control study, the serum levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total oxidant status (TOS), oxidative stress index, glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and total polyphenol content (TPC) in 43 patients with HZ and 47 age‐matched controls were determined, and their biomarker patterns were compared. TAC and TPC levels were significantly lower in patients with HZ; however, TOS and oxidative stress index levels were significantly higher in comparison with the control (P < .001). In addition, a signi?cantly strong negative correlation was found between TAC and TPC with TOS levels in patients with HZ (r = ?.79, P < .001; r = ?.81, P < .001, respectively). Our findings showed an oxidative stress imbalance in HZ. Whether this change correlates with HZ pathogenesis or is a consequence of the inflammatory response to HZ needs more investigation.     

In vivo vaccination with tumor cell lysate plus CpG oligodeoxynucleotides eradicates murine glioblastoma

Dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have shown antitumor activity in experimental glioma models and in human glioma patients. The typical approach has been to generate the vaccine ex vivo, by pulsing DCs with tumor lysate or peptides, then administering the DCs back into the patient. This process requires significant expertise and expenses in DC generation. Immature DCs which present antigens to T cells in the absence of appropriate costimulatory signals can lead to induction of immune tolerance. Recent studies have shown that coadministration of toll-like receptor 9 agonists, CpG oligodeoxynucleotides, can promote DC vaccines to break immune tolerance to tumor antigens. We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of in vivo DC activation, by directly administering glioma cell lysate with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG/lysate), in glioma-bearing mice. Subcutaneous vaccination with CpG/lysate induced a significant increase (P<0.05) in the number of total T cells and activated DCs in lymph nodes draining the vaccination site as compared to mice treated with CpG or tumor lysate alone. Mice vaccinated with CpG/lysate exhibited over 2 times greater median survival than mice in the control groups (P<0.05). Up to 55% of mice vaccinated with CpG/lysate were rendered tumor-free as assessed by survival and bioluminescent imaging. Splenocytes taken from mice vaccinated with CpG/lysate elaborated significantly more IFN-gamma production and displayed greater tumor cell lysis activity compared with the control groups (P<0.05). These results suggest direct vaccination with CpG/lysate provides an alternative and effective approach to induce host antitumor immunity and warrants clinical investigation in the immunotherapy of cancer.     

Positive Correlation of Fecal Calprotectin With Serum Antioxidant Enzymes in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Accidental Numerical Correlation or a New Finding?

Background

Oxidative stress occuring in patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the relationship between oxidative stress, disease activity and inflammatory markers has not been well established.

25-Year Review of the Abundance and Diversity of Radiopaque Airway Foreign Bodies in Children

This study was conducted to review the abundance and diversity of radiopaque foreign bodies over a 25-year period. Overall records of 1,114 patients who underwent rigid bronchoscopy due to foreign body aspiration in the tertiary centres, Imam Khomeini and Apadana; over a 25-year period (1989–2014) were reviewed. History, clinical findings, plain radiography and bronchoscopic findings, foreign body (FB) aspiration (whether radiolucent or radiopaque), time from onset of symptoms until hospitalization, and delay time were all considered. The male/female ratio was 1.53. Most patients were aged 1–3 years (53.94 %). The most common location of foreign bodies was the right main bronchus (54.57 %). The most common type of radiopaque foreign body was meat, chicken and big fish bones (4.84 %) followed by metal objects (4.39 %). Coughing (70.82 %) and cyanosis (22.80 %) were the most common symptoms. The most common radiological findings were emphysema (32.31 %). Given that the radiological findings are highly specific as regards the detection of radiopaque FB, radiographic examination prior to bronchoscopy for FB localization and shortening the time of bronchoscopy in patients with a history of radiopaque FB aspiration can be helpful. Due to the high morbidity and mortality caused by prolong and repeated bronchoscopy, the use of newer techniques and equipment in shortening extraction time of the foreign bodies should be considered in future researches.