Search

Background: In vitro and in vivo immunosuppressive properties have been described for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as they are able to modulate the function of all major immune cell populations. They represent important candidates for tissue regeneration and manipulation of the immune response in graft rejection, graft vs. host disease, and autoimmune disorders. Objective: To evaluate effect of autologous bone marrow stem cell on panel reactive antibodies in patients with chronic and progressive renal failure. Methods: This is a pilot study on 17 patients with CFR (9 in the intervention group and 8 in the control group). Panel reactive anti-bodies before and after injections of stem cells from bone marrow that containing acceptable percent of MSCs in the intervention group compared with the control group. 200-400 mL bone marrow was aspirated; then nucleated cells were separated from red blood cells; those cells were then injected to patients via a peripheral vein. Results: The mean±SD age of participants was 41.8±12.37 years in the intervention group and 40.4±12.7 years in the control group (p=0.807). The mean±SD panel antibody reaction was 69.9±6.2 in the intervention group and 70.3±13.5 in the control group (p=0.956). There was a significant (p=0.043) difference between panel antibody reaction before and after the intervention (51.6±26.4). Conclusion: Infusion of allograft MSCs, might be an effective therapy for patients with high panel reactive antibodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

n -6 PUFA, especially linoleic acid (LA) but also arachidonic acid (AA), have been inversely associated with CHD. However, mechanisms underlying these associations are not fully known. We investigated the associations of the serum concentrations of total n -6 PUFA, LA, AA, γ -linolenic acid (GLA) and dihomo- γ -linolenic acid (DGLA), with the odds of myocardial ischaemia during exercise, a predictor of future cardiac events. A total of 1871 men without a history of CHD from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD) aged 42-60 years were included. All participants performed a maximal symptom-limited exercise stress test, using an electrically braked bicycle ergometer. Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression was used to assess the OR for exercise-induced myocardial ischaemia in quartiles of the serum n -6 PUFA concentrations. After multivariable adjustment, men in the highest v . the lowest serum AA concentration had 50 % lower odds for exercise-induced myocardial ischaemia (OR 0·50, 95 % CI 0·34, 0·76; P -trend across quartiles < 0·001). For the other PUFA, the OR (95 % CI) were 1·00 (0·69, 1·46; P -trend = 0·89) for LA, 1·07 (0·75, 1·53; P -trend = 0·40) for GLA and 0·74 (0·51, 1·07; P -trend = 0·16) for DGLA. Among the n -6 PUFA, higher serum concentration of AA was associated with lower odds for myocardial ischaemia during an exercise test in middle-aged and older men. This may provide one mechanism for the previously observed possible cardioprotective properties of AA. Our findings also suggest that n -6 PUFA should not be considered as one homogenous group.

We investigate the thermodynamic characteristics of unified quantum statistics, a framework exhibiting a crossover between Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics by varying a generalization parameter δ. An intrinsic statistical interaction becomes attractive for δ≤0.5, maintaining positive thermodynamic curvature across the entire physical range. In the range 0.5<δ<1, the system predominantly displays Fermi-like behavior at high temperatures. Conversely, at low temperatures, the thermodynamic curvature is positive, resembling bosonic behavior. Further temperature reduction induces a transition into the condensate phase. We introduce a critical fugacity (z=Z^{*}) at which the thermodynamic curvature changes sign. Below (zZ^{*}) this critical point, the statistical behavior mimics fermions and bosons, respectively. We explore the system's statistical behavior for various δ values with respect to temperature, determining the critical fugacity and temperature-dependent condensation. Finally, we analyze specific heat as a function of temperature and condensation phase transition temperature for different δ values in various dimensions.

The current study was designed to evaluate the effect of sequential low and high dietary linseed oil (LO; as omega-3 enriched fatty acid; FA) before and post insemination, respectively, on different plasma variables of ewes. Fat-tailed Qezel ewes were assigned randomly to be fed a diet enriched with 3% LO (n = 30) or the saturated FA (SFA; n = 30) three weeks before insemination (Day 0). The lipogenic diet supplemented with 6% LO or SFA was fed after insemination until Day +21. The control ewes were fed an isocaloric and isonitrogenous diet with no additional FA during the study. Estrus was synchronized by inserting a vaginal sponge (Spongavet ® ) for 12 days + 500 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG; Gonaser ® ), and ewes were inseminated via laparoscopic approach 56-59 h after eCG injection. The size of ovarian structures was assessed by transvaginal ultrasonography at -21, -14, -2, 0, and +10 days. Blood samples were collected weekly to measure the plasma's different biochemical variables and FA profile. Treatment did not affect the amounts of glucose, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, interleukin-10, interleukin-2, and non-esterified FA ( p > 0.05). Conversely, concentrations of triglyceride, cholesterol, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and insulin-like growth factor-1 were higher in SFA-fed ewes relative to control animals ( p < 0.05). LO feeding resulted in greater amounts of n -3 FA isomers in plasma, while higher amounts of stearic acid were detected in SFA fed group 0 and +21 ( p < 0.05). The number of ovarian follicles and corpora lutea also were not affected by treatment. Other reproductive variables were not affected by treatment except for the reproductive rate. It seems that LO or SFA feeding of fat-tailed ewes peri-insemination period was not superior to the isocaloric non-additional fat diet provided for the control group during the non-breeding season., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© Copyright 2023 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

Background: We aimed to determine the population attributable risk fraction (PARF) of the risk factors for poor SRH in Iranian children and adolescents., Method: This was a nationwide cross-sectional study conducted in 2015 among 14,400 students aged 6-18 years, living in 30 provinces of Iran. Data were collected using global school health survey questionnaire. Logistic regression was employed to determine the adjusted association of modifiable risk factors with SRH. We used average PARF to determine the preventable proportion of poor reported SRH., Results: Of 14,400 recruited students, data on 13,983 subjects were analyzed in current study. The mean (SD) age of participants (n = 13,983) was 12.3 (3.16) years, and 49.3% were female. Poor SRH was reported in 19% of subjects. In total, 77% of poor reported SRH in Iranian children and adolescents could be attributed to insufficient daily sleep duration, physical injury, lack of close friend, dissatisfaction with family relationship, and the lack of a companion to share personal problems. We also found that physical pain had the largest PARF (32.4%) followed by anxiety (26.1%) and un-satisfaction with family relationship (5.2%)., Conclusion: The established physical and social support factors of poor SRH were associated with a remarkable proportion of poor SRH in the Iranian pediatric population. Changing the children's risk factor profile to the lowest physical risk factor as well as reducing the anxiety level and preventing from physical painsmay significantly improve the SRH of children and adolescents., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Environmental exposures and genetic predisposition interactions may result in autoimmune rheumatic diseases. This study aimed to determine the effect of outdoor air pollutants on the activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in a longitudinal follow-up., Methods: We longitudinally studied 50 patients with RA bimonthly over 6 months in Mashhad, one of the most polluted cities in Iran. Disease activity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were examined according to the disease activity score (DAS28ESR), health assessment questionnaires (HAQ), physical health component summary (PCS), and visual analogue scale (VAS) criteria. The outdoor air pollutant was measured by monitoring the average concentration of nitrogen oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), O 2 level, Sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), and some particles less than 10 and 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM <10 µm, PM <2.5 µm). The temperature and humidity levels were also measured. The univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were used for data analysis and the role of confounding factors was determined using the generalized estimation equation method., Results: Statistical analysis indicated a significant increase of the DAS28ESR (B = 0.04 [0.08]; P = 0.01) and VAS (B = 4.48 [1.73]; P = 0.01) by CO concentration. Moreover, a number of polluted days increased the VAS in patients. In addition, other air pollutants, temperature, and humidity were not affected significantly by the DAS28ESR and quality of life indexes by considering confounders such as medications, age, and job., Conclusion: Based on our findings, CO concentration was the only effective outdoor air pollutant that could increase RA disease activity. In addition, CO concentration and the number of polluted days make patients feel more ill. As the role of indoor air pollutants is highly important, further research on this critical topic is required to establish the role of air pollution on RA disease activity., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2023 Iran University of Medical Sciences.)

Introduction: Air pollution is one of the environmental factors that influences the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmune diseases, followed by the development and spread of inflammation and increased oxidative damage. Only a few studies have been conducted on the impact of air pollution on disease activity in patients with lupus, which mostly have focused on PM 2.5 particles., Materials and Methods: We longitudinally studied 50 patients with lupus bimonthly in a 6-month period in Mashhad, one of the polluted cities of Iran. Disease activity and quality of life were examined considering SLEDAI2K, SLEQOL, and VAS criteria. The outdoor air pollutant was measured by monitoring the average concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), some particles less than 10 and 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM <10, PM <2.5) and the level of temperature and humidity which were taken from the Meteorological Organization of Mashhad. Confounding factors such as medications were investigated by univariate and multivariate statistical analysis, specifically by GEE method., Results: The possible relation among various factors to SLEDAI, SLEQOL and VAS by two different univariate and multivariate analyses were studied. Our analysis indicated that spring season, decreased temperature, increased air pollutants including (PM 2.5 , and NO 2 ) and increased humidity increase SLEDAI2K. Furthermore, the percent of polluted days directly correlates with Anti-dsDNA and NO 2 significantly increases SLEQOL., Conclusion: Based on our findings, air pollution (particularly NO 2 and PM 2.5 ) has affected at least some aspects of the disease and the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of lupus patients. Further research is needed to confirm these findings., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Low intake or tissue concentrations of the n -6 PUFA, especially to the major n -6 PUFA linoleic acid (LA), and low exercise cardiac power (ECP) are both associated with CVD risk. However, associations of the n -6 PUFA with ECP are unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore cross-sectional associations of the serum total n -6 PUFA, LA, arachidonic acid (AA), γ -linolenic acid (GLA) and dihomo- γ -linolenic acid (DGLA) concentrations with ECP and its components. In total, 1685 men aged 42-60 years from the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study and free of CVD were included. ANCOVA was used to examine the mean values of ECP (maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2max )/maximal systolic blood pressure (SBP)) and its components in quartiles of the serum total and individual n -6 PUFA concentrations. After multivariable adjustments, higher serum total n -6 PUFA concentration was associated with higher ECP and VO 2max (for ECP, the extreme-quartile difference was 0·77 ml/mmHg (95 % CI 0·38, 1·16, P for trend across quartiles < 0·001) and for VO 2max 157 ml/min (95 % CI 85, 230, P for trend < 0·001), but not with maximal SBP. Similar associations were observed with serum LA concentration. Higher serum AA concentration was associated with higher ECP but not with VO 2max or maximal SBP. The minor serum n -6 PUFA GLA and DGLA were associated with higher maximal SBP during exercise test and DGLA also with higher VO 2max but neither with ECP. In conclusion, especially LA concentration was associated with higher ECP. This may provide one mechanism for the cardioprotective properties of, especially, LA.

Background: The nociceptive flexion reflex is a physiological, polysynaptic reflex triggered by a nociceptive stimulus activating a withdrawal response. In chronic musculoskeletal-related pain conditions, a decreased nociceptive flexion reflex threshold has been suggested as a possible recognition evidence for central sensitization that may cause alteration of central nervous system processing., Objective: The aim of the study was to systematically review reported comparisons of the nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in chronic pain patients and healthy individuals., Methods: Electronic databases covering studies published between January 1990 and December 2019 were systematically searched. After application of exclusion criteria, 20 studies including 28 trials were included in this review. For meta-analysis, we used a random-effects model and funnel plot for publication bias. This research was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42019140354)., Results: Compared with healthy controls, standardized mean differences in nociceptive flexion reflex threshold were significantly lower in the total sample of chronic pain patients. Subgroup analysis indicated a homogenous decreased nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in studies reporting fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and joint pain while heterogeneity existed in other included pain conditions., Conclusions: A lower nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in patients experiencing chronic pain conditions may imply hyperexcitability in central nervous system processing. As a preliminary study, the findings would act as a basis for developing a methodology assisting current clinical practices., Competing Interests: Financial disclosure statements have been obtained, and no conflicts of interest have been reported by the authors or by any individuals in control of the content of this article., (Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: Different metabolic phenotypes of obesity are related to cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents. Vitamin D, as one important factor, could be related to different subgroups of metabolic obesity and might affect metabolic disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and subsets of metabolic phenotypes of obesity in children and adolescents. Methods: This nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted in the framework of the fifth survey of a national surveillance program, the CASPIAN study. Overall, 2,594 students aged 7-18 years were assessed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D status. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) was defined according to the ATP III criteria modified for the pediatric age group. Participants were classified into four metabolic phenotypes of obesity according to categories of the BMI and metabolic status: "metabolically healthy obese" (MHO), "metabolically non-healthy non-obese" (MNHNO), "metabolically non-healthy obese" (MNHO), and "metabolically healthy non-obese" (MHNO). Multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed for evaluating the association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D status with different metabolic phenotypes of obesity. Results: In this study, 85.2% of participants were classified as MHNO, 11.0 % as MHO, 2.5% as MNHNO, and 1.3% as MNHO. The frequency of hypovitaminosis D was more prevalent in MNHO (85.3%) than in other phenotypes (MHNO: 70%; MHO: 76.5%; MNHNO: 78.1%, respectively; p < 0.05). In the multivariate model, hypovitaminosis D significantly increased the odds of being MHO (OR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.07-1.77) and MNHO (OR: 2.89; 1.05-8.31) compared to the healthy group. Likewise, in multivariate model, per each unit (ng/mL) increment in 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, the odds of MNHNO and MNHO decreased significantly by 7% (OR: 0.93; 0.91-0.96) and 6% (OR: 0.94; 0.91-0.98) respectively. Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesis that 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration is associated with metabolic obesity phenotypes. Longitudinal studies are necessary to assess the clinical impacts of this finding., (Copyright © 2020 Esmaili, Heshmat, Ejtahed, Rastad, Motlagh, Asayesh, Jafarnejad, Seif, Qorbani and Kelishadi.)

Background: Child body mass index (BMI) is an internationally accepted indicator to assess child health status. International BMI reference curves are available but their suitability for Iranian children in not known., Aims: This study aimed to produce BMI-for-age growth curves for northern Iranian schoolchildren aged 7-11 years and compare them with the World Health Organization (WHO 2006) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2000) reference curves., Methods: Stratified multistage cluster sampling was used to select schoolchildren from urban and rural areas of Babol. Height and weight were measured and BMI calculated. Smoothed BMI-for-age growth curves were constructed for both sexes and compared with the WHO and CDC reference curves., Results: A total of 4 083 children aged 7-11 years were included; 48.8% were boys and 56.7% were urban residents The major significant differences between the Iranian curves in this study and the CDC2000 and WHO 2006 growth charts were in the upper centiles. The 5th centile is close to the 5th centiles of the reference curves., Conclusions: BMI centiles for 7-11 years schoolchildren in Babol differed significantly from the international growth reference curves. Therefore, local and population-specific BMI curves should be developed to assess physical growth of children., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2018. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Background: The study was conducted to assess reliability of modified semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) as a part of the Amirkola Health and Aging Project (AHAP)., Methods: The study was carried out in a sample of 200 men and women aged 60 years and older. A 138-item SQFFQ and two 24-hour dietary recalls were completed. The reliability of SQFFQ was evaluated by comparing eighteen food groups, energy and nutrient intakes derived from both methods using Spearman and Pearson's correlation coefficients for food groups and nutrients, respectively. Bland-Altman plots and Pitman's tests were applied to compare the two dietary assessment methods., Results: The mean (SD) age of subjects was 68.16 (6.56) years. The average energy intake from 24-hour dietary recalls and the SQFFQ were 1470.2 and 1535.4 kcal/day, respectively. Spearman correlation coefficients, comparing food groups intake based on two dietary assessment methods ranged from 0.25 (meat) to 0.62 (tea and coffee) in men and from 0.39 (whole grains) to 0.60 (sugars) in women. Pearson correlation coefficients for energy and macronutrients were 0.53 for energy to 0.21 for zinc in male and 0.71 for energy to 0.26 for vitamin C in females. The Pitman's test reflected the reasonable agreement between the mean energy and macronutrients of the SQFFQ and 24-hour recalls., Conclusions: The modified SQFFQ that was designed for the AHAP was found to be reliable for assessing the intake of several food groups, energy, micro-and macronutrients., Competing Interests: None declared.

The original cohort study of AHAP started in 2011 on 1616 elderly residents of Amirkola, northern part of Iran near the Caspian Sea. The main goal of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the health of the elderly in the region with the emphasis on chronic diseases such as osteoporosis. The first cohort profile was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology in 2014. The phase 1 AHAP showed the elevated level of some diseases and conditions including osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, obesity, vision problems and relatively low levels of oral health. Therefore, the second phase of this cohort started with more complete population coverage in 2016, not only to collect and record the information based on previous protocol, but also consider new areas such as nutritional status, complete eye and dental examinations and health assessment on the basis of Iranian Traditional Medicine. The new aspect of this project is to conduct clinical and laboratory examinations at the health center to extend more facilities to the elderly. In addition to serum and DNA, samples of saliva, hair and nails are collected and kept under standard conditions in the biobank of this cohort. Researchers can apply for access to data or suggest a collaborative study by submitting the proposal to AHAP committee., Competing Interests: None declared.

Objective: To develop and psychometrically assess spiritual health scale based on Islamic view in Iran., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Imam Ali and Quem hospitals in Mashhad and Imam Ali and Imam Reza hospitals in Bojnurd, Iran, from 2015 to 2016 In the first stage, an 81-item Likert-type scale was developed using a qualitative approach. The second stage comprised quantitative component. The scale's impact factor, content validity ratio, content validity index, face validity and exploratory factor analysis were calculated. Test-retest and internal consistency was used to examine the reliability of the instrument. Data analysis was done using SPSS 11., Results: Of 81 items in the scale, those with impact factor above 1.5, content validity ratio above 0.62, and content validity index above 0.79 were considered valid and the rest were discarded, resulting in a 61-item scale. Exploratory factor analysis reduced the list of items to 30, which were divided into seven groups with a minimum eigen value of 1 for each factor. But according to scatter plot, attributes of the concept of spiritual health included love to creator, duty-based life, religious rationality, psychological balance, and attention to afterlife. Internal reliability of the scale was calculated by alpha Cronbach coefficient as 0.91., Conclusions: There was solid evidence of the strength factor structure and reliability of the Islamic Spiritual Health Scale which provides a unique way for spiritual health assessment of Muslims.

Present study aims to examine the dynamics of maturation and qualification indicators in various vermicompost treatments and selection of the best treatment along with best maturation time in this regard. In this empirical study, dynamics of chemical (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen (TN), phosphorous, lignin, water soluble carbon (WSC), C/N, NH4/NO3) and biological (dehydrogenase enzyme (DEH) and DEH/WSC) properties were investigated in four various treatments, including various ratios of compost produced from municipal solid waste (MSW) and carbonaceous materials (50:50, 70:30, 85:15 and 100:0) over 100 days. Results showed a significant fluctuation in EC, DEH and DEH/WSC proportions over the process. In addition, a noticeable increase was observed for the dynamics of TN, phosphorous and lignin. In contrast, the C/N, NH4/NO3 and WSC values gradually decreased during the process. Moreover, it was observed that the length of 75 days for the process is an appropriate time for maturation of all treatments. However, the first and second treatments resulted in better outcomes compared with the other types of treatments. From the point of view of quality obtained vermicompost was nitrogen enriched product in all treatments. Whereas, for the phosphorous elements this method is appropriate for the first treatment only., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Family doctor is a medical specialization that provides families and people of all ages, genders and diseases with comprehensive ongoing health services., Objective: The present study wasconducted to describe challenges in the rural family physician program from the perspective of family physician program directors and family doctors in Iran using a qualitative approach., Methods: We conducted interviews with 13 family physician program directors and 8 family doctors selected through purposive snowball sampling. The initial in-depth unstructured interviews were reviewed and transformed into semi-structured ones. The data obtained were analyzed in ATLAS.ti using the conceptual framework method., Results: Nine main concepts (comprehensive planning, medical insurance system, compensation for services, performance evaluation, welfare facilities, recruiting and retaining a workforce, information system, culture-building and financing) and 27 subgroups emerged from the analysis of the data., Conclusion: The main challenges in the family physician program include cultural, economic and environmental factors and work conditions. The implementation of this program can be improved through building a community culture and exercising minor and major modifications., (© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Context: Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is mainly characterized by massive infiltration of bone marrow by activated macrophages and often presents with pancytopenia. Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) is also present with thrombocytopenia and renal involvement. Both conditions could coexist with each other and complicate the condition., Evidence Acquisition: Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), EMBASE, Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCO, and Web of Science with keywords relevant to; Hemophagocytic syndrome, macrophage activation syndrome, interferon-gamma and thrombotic microangiopathy, have been searched., Results: Viral infection, rheumatologic disease and malignancies are the main underlying causes for secondary HPS. calcineurin inhibitors and viral infections are also the main underlying causes of TMA in transplant recipients. In this review, we discussed a 39-year-old male who presented with pancytopenia and renal allograft dysfunction. With the diagnosis of HPS induced TMA his renal condition and pancytopenia improved after receiving intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasmapheresis therapy., Conclusions: HPS is an increasingly recognized disorder in the realm of different medical specialties. Renal involvement complicates the clinical picture of the disease, and this condition even is more complex in renal transplant recipients. We should consider the possibility of HPS in any renal transplant recipient with pancytopenia and allograft dysfunction. The combination of HPS with TMA future increases the complexity of the situation.

Background: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer among whites, and several risk factors have been discussed in itsdevelopment and progress. Detection of human papilloma virus (HPV) deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) BCCs in some studies suggests that the virus may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. Several molecular studies showed conflicting reports., Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between HPV and BCC using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)., Materials and Methods: HPV DNA detection was done for 42 paraffin-embedded tissue specimens of BCC and 42 normal skin samples around the lesions by PCR using GP5+/GP6+ primers., Results: HPV DNA was not found in any of the 42 samples of BCC, and only one normal skin sample around the lesions was positive for HPV DNA by PCR., Conclusion: In this study, no statistically significant difference was seen between the presence of HPV DNA in BCC and normal skin around the lesion, and HPV is not likely to have an important role in pathogenesis of BCC.

Background: Pediatric obesity is one of the predisposing risk factors for many non-communicable diseases., Objectives: The purpose of this study was to estimate the national prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among Iranian children and adolescents., Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional nation-wide study was performed in 30 provinces in Iran among 14880 school students aged 6 - 18 years, selected by multistage random cluster sampling. The World Health Organization growth curve was used to categorize Body Mass Index (BMI). Obesity was defined as BMI equal to or higher than the age- and gender-specific 95(th) percentile; abdominal obesity was considered as waist-to-height ratio of more than 0.5., Results: Data of 13486 out of 14880 invited students were complete (response rate of 90.6%). They consisted of 6543 girls and 75.6% urban residents, and had a mean age of 12.45 (95% CI: 12.40 - 12.51) years. The prevalence rate of general and abdominal obesity was 11.89% (13.58% of boys vs. 10.15% of girls) and 19.12% (20.41% of boys vs. 17.79% of girls), respectively. The highest frequency of obesity was found in the middle school students (13.87% general and 20.84% abdominal obesity). The highest prevalence of general obesity was found in Boushehr (19%) followed by Guilan and Mazandaran (18.3%, 18.3%), while the lowest prevalence was observed in Hormozgan (2.6%). The highest frequency of abdominal obesity was found in Mazandaran (30.2%), Ardabil (29.2%) and Tehran (27.9%). Provinces such as Sistan-Baloochestan (8.4%), Hormozagan (7.4%), and Kerman (11.4%) had the lowest prevalence of abdominal obesity. The Southern and South Eastern provinces had the lowest prevalence of general obesity (2.6% and 5.6%) and abdominal obesity (7.4% and 8.8%). Moreover, the highest prevalence of obesity was found in North and North West Iran by maximum frequency of 18.3% general obesity and 30.2% of abdominal obesity., Conclusions: The results showed a high prevalence of general and abdominal obesity among boys living in the Northern provinces of Iran. The present study provides insights that policy makers should consider action-oriented interventions for prevention and control of childhood obesity at national and sub-national level.

Introduction: BK virus associated allograft nephropathy (BKVAN) is an important cause of allograft lost that often occurs in the first year of transplantation. The state of over immunosuppression also predispose these patients to various opportunistic viral infection Objectives: This research aimed to study the renal transplanted patients for BK viremia and BKVAN., Patients and Methods: This observational study was conducted between January 2013 to December 2014 to study the renal transplanted patients for BK viremia and BKVAN. In our center patients received combination of de-sensitization therapy including antithymocyte globulin (ATG), rituximab (RITU), basiliximab, therapeutic plasma exchange, and methylprednisolone (MTP), in high risks or only MTP therapy in immunologically low risk patients., Results: Of total number of 26 patients (20-52 years, M/F 17/9), seven patients received ATG and seven patient received intensive desensitizing protocols, BKVAN and BK viremia happened in three and two patients in above groups subsequently, only one patient developed BKVAN in low risk group. We also observed; cytomegalovirus (CMV) and parvovirus B19 infection and hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS), thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and endocarditis in our patients with BKVAN and BK viremia., Conclusion: Awareness about the possibility of BK virus nephropathy and appropriate immunosuppression minimization are crucial components of management. Consideration of other opportunistic infections and specific syndromes are also very important.

Background: This study was conducted to identify dietary patterns and evaluated their association with biochemical blood profiles and body weight among adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus., Methods: This was a cross sectional study conducted among 400 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Tehran from March to August 2013. Biochemical blood profiles, socio-demographic, lifestyle, anthropometric measurements, and dietary data were obtained. Dietary data from food frequency questionnaire were used to derive dietary patterns. Factor analysis was conducted to ascertain the dietary patterns, and analysis of covariance was fitted to assess the relation between blood profiles, body weight and adherence to dietary patterns., Results: Three dietary patterns by factor analysis were identified, Vegetable & Poultry, Western and Semi-healthy. After control for potential confounders, body mass index (b = -0/03, p < 0.05) were negatively associated with vegetable and poultry dietary pattern. Conversely, total cholesterol (b = 0.004, p < 0.01) and fasting blood glucose (b = 0.014, p < 0.05) were positively associated with western dietary pattern. A dietary pattern labeled as semi-healthy pattern was found to be positively related to HDL-cholesterol (b = 0.006 p < 0.01). Associations between semi-healthy pattern, LDL-cholesterol (b = -0.120 p < 0.05) and waist circumference (b = -0.020, p < 0.05) were negative., Conclusion: Adherence to Vegetable & Poultry dietary pattern was favorably related to body weight, semi healthy related to lower LDL and higher HDL cholesterol whereas western related to higher fasting blood glucose and total cholesterol. Further studies are necessary to confirm the benefits of the dietary patterns for diabetes.

This study aimed to identify the association of dietary patterns with sociodemographic and health-related characteristics among coronary artery disease patients. In this cross-sectional study, the participants were 250 patients coronary artery disease aged ≥ 40 years old. Data collection was done using questionnaires related to sociodemographics, health-related factors, and food-frequency intake information. Three dietary patterns (traditional, western, and healthy) were obtained using principal component analysis. The result showed that dietary patterns were associated with sociodemographic and health-related factors. According to the result, all the factors were taken very seriously when planning a promotional program for healthy lifestyle in prevention of CAD.

We report a patient diagnosed with Whipple's disease (WD) who presented only with neurological symptoms. Neuroimaging (MRI) showed lesions with marked mass effect similar to infiltrative tumors, which were hypersignal on long TR and hyposignal on short TR images, located in several areas of the brain. In serial controls, lesions resolved with gliosis and atrophic changes as well as migration of active infiltrative-like lesions to new areas. MR findings of the brain WD are discussed, which confirmed by stereotactic brain biopsy. Familiarity with the range of possible MR imaging appearances of WD enables the radiologist to place WD more effectively on the differential diagnosis which motivates the clinician to consider both the diagnosis and early initiation of treatment; so, this may significantly impact outcome. Moreover, repeated MR investigations may serve as a valuable method to evaluate efficacy of treatment and long term follow-up of WD involving the CNS.