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ABSTRACT Reports have shown that lipoprotein (Lp)(a) can serve as an indicator of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Several cardiovascular disease risk factors including age, ethnicity and type 2 diabetes mellitus have been linked to Lp(a) metabolism. Given the structural similarity between Lp(a) and plasminogen, there may be a relationship between Lp(a) level and thrombosis and atherogenesis. In this review, we summarize the latest data about Lp(a) and related conditions on the PubMed database using the following keywords: “Lp(a) and diseases” and “Lp(a) and racial groups”. All available information was extracted and categorized according to the purpose of this study. In conclusion, evidence suggest that increased level of Lp(a) results in coronary artery disease and increases the risk of ischemic stroke. Lack of Lp(a) has no adverse effect on human health. Moreover, Lp(a) can be effective in wound healing as it degrades apolipoprotein(a) products which might have anti-tumor and anti-angiogenetic effects. Keywords: Lipoprotein(a), Atherosclerosis, Apo(a).

Abstract Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of the world's most severe health challenges. The existence of STIs such as human papillomavirus (HPV) might cause cervical cell changes leading to cervical cancer. Objective: This study aims to assess the association of STIs with cervical cytological abnormalities and genital warts among women in northeastern Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 190 women referred to the central laboratory of Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Mashhad, Iran from March to July 2022. The presence of genital infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Herpes simplex viruses (1 and 2) were assessed using the real-time polymerase chain reaction method. HPV genital infection was detected based on the principles of reverse hybridization, and cellular changes in the cervix were examined by the liquid-based cytology technique. Results: The mean age of participants was 35.33 ± 8.9 yr. 34 different HPV genotypes were detected in all HPV-positive cases, and the most common genotype was low-risk HPV6. No significant association was found between STIs and cervical cytology abnormalities. The prevalence rates of sexually transmitted pathogens among HPV-positive and HPV-negative individuals were 10.9 and 1.6%, respectively. The frequency of genital warts was significantly higher in cases with multiple infections of high- and low-risk HPV genotypes. Conclusion: High percentages of the participants with non-HPV STIs and HPV infection had normal cervical cytology. It is advised to use STIs and HPV diagnostic tests along with cytology examinations for cervical cancer screening.

Abstract Chronic shortened sleep can increase several cardiovascular risk factors, including depression, anxiety, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and hypertension. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep patterns and the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD). A total of 9704 healthy participants were recruited for the MASHAD cohort study. Within 6 years of follow-up, participants were categorized into four groups based on their number of hours of nightly sleep. Cox’s proportional hazard model was used to assess relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During the study, 235 heart problems, including myocardial infarction, stable angina and unstable angina, were confirmed. There were significant differences between men and women who had short and long nightly sleep (p

Introduction: The association between the serum antibody titer of several heat shock proteins (HSPs) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors so far has been the subject of several previous studies.Aim: To evaluate the association of adiposity indices and HSP-27 antibody titers in healthy individuals.Materials and Methods: Overall 4823 individuals were recruited from Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorders Study (MASHAD study), that included 1496 individuals with normal-weight (body mass index (BMI)

Background: Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is found in several cell types of adults, such as cardiomyocytes, and endothelial cells. It is expressed in response to different cellular stress conditions. HSP27 decreases the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and dyslipidemia is closely associated with increased endothelial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Objective: Higher serum HSP27 antigen and anti-HSP27 antibodies have been reported in patients with unstable angina and myocardial infarction Methods: This population-based case-control study was conducted in 2018. We investigated serum anti-HSP27 antibody titers in all participants with dyslipidemia from the Mashhad stroke and heart atherosclerotic disorder (MASHAD) study (n=8141) and those who were healthy in terms of dyslipidemia (n=1637) using an in-house enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) in individuals with dyslipidemia. Findings: Anti-HSP27 titers were significantly lower in individuals with dyslipidemia compared to people without dyslipidemia (P=0.036). Conclusion: Our results revealed that the anti-HSP27 antibody titer was lower in the participants with dyslipidemia than in the negative group. However, there may be a confounding effect of drug therapy. In a subgroup of dyslipidemic subjects, we observed lower anti-HSP27 antibody titers in patients treated with some drugs (statins or corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], or anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive) compared to subjects untreated with these drugs.

Introduction: Diabetes (DM) is a type of metabolic disorder that its types are generated by collectingof genetic and environmental risk agents. Here, the association between HSPB1 polymorphism as a genetic risk factor and DM was investigated. Methods: Total 690 participants from MASHAD cohort study population were recruited into the study.Anti-HSP27-level was assessed followed by genotyping using Taqman®-probes-based assay. Anthropometric, demographic and hematological/biochemical characteristics were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier curves were utilized, while logistic regression models were used to assess the association of the genetic variant with clinical characteristics of population. Results: Finds was shown there are meaningful differences among groups of age, height, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, FBG,TG, HDL-C, and hs-CRP, and was no big -significant difference between theexists in different HSP27 SNP in the two studied groups (with and without DM), also was no remarkable relation between genetic forms of HSPB1and T2DM. This investigation was the first research that analyzed the relationship between the genetic type of the HSPB1 gene (rs2868371) and Type 2 diabetes (DM2). In our population, the CC genotype (68.1%) had a higher prevalence versus GC (26.6%) and GG (5.3%) genotypes and the data shown that no genetic difference of HSPB1 gene polymorphism (rs2868371) was related with DM2. Conclusion: HSPB1 polymorphism, rs2868371, was not associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Resumo Fundamento Tem sido demonstrado que um aumento dos níveis séricos de PON1 é protetor contra vários distúrbios. Foi relatado que vários polimorfismos de nucleotídeo único (SNPs, single nucleotide polymorphisms ) do gene PON1 estão associados a níveis e atividade de proteínas enzimáticas séricas. Objetivos Investigar a associação de SNPs do PON1 e atividade da paraoxonase sérica com a doença arterial coronariana (DAC). Métodos Foram estudados 601 pacientes não relacionados submetidos à angiografia coronária, incluindo aqueles com estenose >50% (N=266) e aqueles com estenose

Background Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and specifically in Iran. Accurate assessments of Coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence is very necessary for public health. In current study we aimed to investigate the incidence of CHD and importance of several classical, modifiable and un-modifiable risk factors for CHD among an urban population in eastern Iran after 6 years of follow-up. Methods The population of MASHAD cohort study were followed up for 6 years, every 3 years in two step by phone and who reported symptoms of CVD were asked to attend for a cardiac examination, to estimate the incidence of CHD with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as well multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association of several baseline characteristics with incidence of CHD event. Evaluation of goodness-of-fit was done using ROC analysis. CHD cases divided into four different classes which include: stable angina, unstable angina pectoris, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death. Results In the six years' follow-up of Mashhad study, the incidence rate of all CHD event in men and women in 100,000 people-years with 95% confidence intervals were 1920 (810-3030) and 1160 (730-1590), respectively. The areas under ROC curve (AUC), based on multivariate predictors of CHD outcome, was 0.7825. Conclusion Our findings indicated that the incidence rate of coronary heart diseases in MASHAD cohort study increases with age as well as our final model designed, was able to predict approximately 78% of CHD events in Iranian population.

The province of Khorasan-Razavi in the North East of Iran is an endemic area for anthroponotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL caused mainly by Leishmania tropica) and zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis (ZCL caused mainly by Leishmania major). Based on clinical signs, some cities were considered as ACL foci while others were considered to be endemic for ZCL. This paper reviews studies performed on patients diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) via the use of direct slide examination, ELISA, electrophoresis isoenzyme, RAPD PCR and PCR in Mashhad; the study also includes cases of CL in other cities of the Khorasan-Razavi province where only PCR used as a diagnostic tool. The data show that both Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major caused CL in most of the cities investigated. Our review shows that Leishmania major was found in areas where ACL is prevalent and Leishmania tropica was observed in areas with high incidence of ZCL. This distribution represents a major change in the epidemiological pattern of Leishmania in the Khorasan-Razavi province.

Background: Over the last decade, a few cases of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) have been reported in some provinces of northeastern Iran. We aimed to investigate clinical and laboratory findings of VL among children who admitted to the pediatric ward in a referral hospital in Mashhad, northeastern Iran. Methods: A retrospective study, between 1997 and 2017, was performed on the data sheet registered for children with confirmed VL at the referral Emam Reza Hospital in Mashhad. Hematological and biochemical profiles of the patients were analyzed. Results: Thirty-five children with VL, confirmed by the presence of amastigotes of Leishmania in Giemsa stained smears of the bone marrow, had been recorded through 20 yr. The mean age of patients was 3.7±4 yr. The majority of the patients suffered from hepatosplenomegaly (100%, n=35/35), followed by prolonged fever and pallor (91%, n=32/35), weight loss (85%, n=30/35). The main laboratory findings were anemia (94.1%), leukopenia (52.9%) and thrombocytopenia (70.5%). Almost one-third (37.1%; 13/35) of VL patients inhabited in rural areas of the Bojnoord district as a known VL endemic focus in northeastern Iran. Conclusion: Our preliminary data showed that the origin of VL is still in some districts other than Mashhad, where VL just will be diagnosed.

Background and Purpose: Detection of agents responsible for cutaneous mycosis may be effective in the prevention of fungal infections from environmental and animal sources. With this background in mind, in this study, we aimed to identify the distribution of cutaneous mycotic infections in patients referred to Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran during 2000- 2011. Materials and Methods: In total, 8694 patients suspected of superficial and cutaneous mycosis, referred to the Medical Mycology Laboratory of Imam Reza Hospital of Mashhad, Iran, were recruited during March 2000-2011 and were examined in terms of fungal infections. Results: Of 8694 suspected patients, 3804 (43.75%) cases suffered from superficial and cutaneous mycosis. In total, 1936 (50.9%) patients were male, and 1868 (49.1%) were female. Malassezia infections (58.1%), dermatophytosis (33.1%), cutaneous candidiasis (6.8%), aspergillosis (1.6%), and saprophytic cutaneous mycosis (0.4%) were the most common infections. Conclusion: In this study, Malassezia infections were the most common superficial and cutaneous mycoses. Therefore, it seems essential to focus on the prevention of these infections in our society.

Abstract Introduction Dyslipidemia may be defined as increased levels of serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), or a decreased serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration. Dyslipidemia is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to investigate the association of dyslipidemia and CVD events among a population sample from Mashhad, in northeastern Iran. Material and methods This prospective cohort study comprised a population of 8698 men and women aged 35–65 years who were recruited from the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorder (MASHAD) study. Socioeconomic and demographic status, anthropometric parameters, laboratory evaluations, lifestyle factors, and medical history were gathered through a comprehensive questionnaire and laboratory and clinical assessment for all participants. Cox regression model and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the association of dyslipidemia and its components with CVD incidence. Results After 6 years of follow-up, 233 cases of CVD (including 119 cases of unstable angina [US], 74 cases of stable angina [SA], and 40 cases of myocardial infarction [MI]) were identified in the study population. Unadjusted baseline serum LDL-C, TC, and TG levels were positively associated with the risk of total CVD events among the entire population (HR: 1.54, 95% CI: 1.19–2; P-value