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Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) colonizes human gastric mucosa and is classified as class one carcinogenic bacteria. In this regard, this study aimed to detect major virulence factors in H. pylori strains recovered from gastric biopsy in patients referred to Aras Clinique in Ardabil, northwest of Iran (2019–2021). Materials and methods: In this descriptive-cross sectional study, 287 dyspeptic patients were included. For bacterial isolation, gastric biopsy specimens (n=287) were taken from gastric antrum, then aseptically were cultured on the selective medium and incubated at 37C in microaerophilic conditions for 3-5 days. Results: 25.18% of all (n = 70) patients were found to be infected with H. pylori upon endoscopy. Of them, 9 patients (12.857%) and 2 patients (2.875%) had peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer respectively. According to the different patterns of virulence factors, 57 virutypes were identified in which oipA-vacAs1-vacAm2 (3, 4.28% n =) and oipA-vacAs1-vacAs2-vacAm2 (3, 4.28% n =) were the most common patterns. The simultaneous presence of vacAS2, vacAm2 and hopQ2 genes was observed in both patients with gastric cancer. OipA (n = 562.5%), VacAs1 (n = 6.75%), VacAs2 (n = 6.75%), and VacAm2 (n = 787.5%) were found to be the most prevalent virulence factor. Conclusion: According previous studies, it is confirmed that the cagPAI gene cluster and vacA gene alleles are strongly correlated with gastritis and gastrointestinal tract adenocarcinomas. Our study indicated that 50% of the indigenous strains of H. pylori harbor these oncogenic genes and they are hypervirulent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. We aimed to determine the role of miR–650 in CRC pathogenesis. Methods: In this study, we examined the expression of miR-650 and KISS1 in 80 CRC patients who either received or did not receive chemo agents. For this aim, we assessed the miR-650 and KISS1 expression levels in 80 CRC tissues, 30 of which had no history of chemotherapy. The effect of miR-650 and 5-FU on KISS1 expression was measured using qPCR and Western blotting. Also, the 5- FU effect on miR-650 expression in the CRC cell lines was measured by qRT-PCR. Next, MTT assay and Flowcytometry assays were conducted to determine the role of miR-650 in cell viability and apoptosis. Results: The results showed that miR-650 was down-regulated in CRC tissues. However, patients who received 5-FU before surgery showed increased expression of miR-650. The results for KISS1 were insignificant while administering 5-FU to patients preoperatively increased its expression. In-vitro studies showed that 5-FU led to the up-regulation of miR-650 in the SW480 CRC cell line. Furthermore, the administration of miR-650 and 5-FU downregulated KISS1, especially when combined. Moreover, miR-650 with 5-FU significantly reduced cell viability in CRC cell lines by inducing apoptosis. Conclusions: These results indicate that miR-650 has a tumor suppressive function, overcoming 5-FU chemoresistance in CRC, and induces apoptosis probably by alleviating KISS1. These results suggest that miR-650 is a potential contributor to CRC pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a major malignancy that threatens people's lives worldwide. Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) non-coding RNA activated by DNA damage (NORAD) is known to be a potential oncogene in many cancers and may promote cell migration and metastasis, and decrease apoptosis rate. Material and methods: NORAD expression was measured in 70 pairs of GC tissues and their adjacent normal tissues (ANTs) by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Si-NORAD gene knockdown study and cellular assays were conducted to assess the correlation between NORAD expression and cell viability, apoptosis, migration, and metastasis. Results: NORAD was significantly overexpressed in GC tissues compared to ANTs (P value < 0.0001). The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated the AUC of 0.721 with the sensitivity and specificity of 78.57 and 61.43, respectively (P value < 0.0001). NORAD downregulation leads to decreased cell viability (P value < 0.001) and migration (P value < 0.01), increased apoptosis rate (P value < 0.0001), and increased protein level for PTEN, E-cadherin, and Bax, but decreased protein level for Bcl-2. Conclusion: Generally, NORAD may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker in GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common clinical problem in patients with malignancy. To date, placement of various catheters has been suggested as an effective alternative method for traditional treatment of recurrent MPE. In this study, we report our experience in managing treatment of recurrent MPE by placing a central vein catheter without a radiologic guide. Methods: Patients with recurrent MPE who underwent triple-lumen central vein catheter insertion (2010-2013) were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical, procedural, complication, and outcome details were analyzed. Patients were carefully selected, and the central catheters were inserted as a palliative measure. We assessed the quality of life of patients using the EORTC QLQ-C30. Results: A total of 84 patients with recurrent MPE were enrolled in this study. Fifty-six males and 28 females with mean age of 57.8 ± 12.4 years old underwent the procedure. There were no preoperative or postoperative complications related to the procedure. The EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire showed a significant improvement following catheter placement in symptom scales at 30 days ( p = 0.01) and at 60 days ( p = 0.002). Conclusions: Triple-lumen central catheter insertion is a simple, noninvasive option in patients with recurrent MPE that can be performed the patient's bedside. Further research is needed to confirm the results and to assess the impact of central catheter insertion on the quality of life of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: North-west Iran is a high-risk area for gastric cancer (GC). Dietary practices may increase risk of GC. For the first time, the diet-GC association in this area was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire.Methods: Cases and controls were recruited in a population-based study. In addition to collecting dietary data using a food frequency questionnaire, Helicobacter pylori antibody level was measured. Multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios for associations between dietary factors and GC among 286 cases and 304 controls.Results: A positive association was estimated for total fat intake (OR = 1.33/20 g, 95% CI: 1.12-1.57) and risk of GC. Inverse associations were observed for vitamin C, iron, and zinc intake and risk of GC and its subgroups (cardia, non-cardia). Fruits and vegetables consumption and refrigerator use showed inverse associations (OR = 0.72/100 g, 95% CI: 0.65-0.80 and OR = 0.75/10 years, 95% CI: 0.60-0.95, respectively). Positive association was observed among those who preferred fried food (OR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.45-3.37) or consumed highly salted/roasted seeds (OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.13-3.43).Conclusion: GC in north-west Iran is associated with dietary practices: foods, nutrients and food preparation habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is very high in northeastern Iran. Previously, we reported a strong familial component of ESCC among Turkmens, who constitute approximately one-half of the population of this region. We hypothesized that the genes which cause Fanconi anemia might be candidate genes for ESCC. We sequenced the entire coding regions of 12 Fanconi anemia genes in the germline DNA of 190 Turkmen cases of ESCC. We identified three heterozygous insertion/deletion mutations: one in FANCD2 (p.Val1233del), one in FANCE (p.Val311SerfsX2), and one in FANCL (p.Thr367AsnfsX13). All three patients had a strong family history of ESCC. In addition, four patients (out of 746 tested) were homozygous for the FANCA p.Ser858Arg mutation, compared to none of 1,373 matched controls (OR = 16.7, 95% CI = 6.2-44.2, P = 0.01). The p. Lys3326X mutation in BRCA2 (also known as Fanconi anemia gene FANCD1) was present in 27 of 746 ESCC cases and in 16 of 1,373 controls (OR = 3.38, 95% CI = 1.97-6.91, P = 0.0002). In summary, both heterozygous and homozygous mutations in several Fanconi anemia-predisposing genes are associated with an increased risk of ESCC in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variants within oncogenic long non-coding RNAs HOTAIR and HOTTIP may affect their gene expression levels, thereby modifying genetic susceptibility to gastric cancer (GC). In a hospital-based study in Ardabil—a very high-risk area in North-West Iran, 600 blood samples from 300 GC patients and 300 healthy controls were recruited for genotyping. Seven HOTAIR (i.e., rs17720428, rs7958904, rs1899663, and rs4759314) and HOTTIP (i.e., rs3807598, rs17501292, and rs1859168) 'tag' single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped by the Infinium HTS platform. The rs17720428, rs7958904, and rs1899663 tagSNPs significantly increased GC risk under dominant models by 1.5-, 1.57-, and 1.5-fold, respectively. The G-C-T-A haplotype of HOTAIR tagSNPs increased the risk of GC by 1.31-fold. No significant association was found between HOTTIP SNPs and the risk of GC. HOTAIR and HOTTIP variants were also not associated with any clinicopathologic characteristics. The SNP-SNP interaction of HOTAIR rs17720428/rs7958904 with HOTTIP rs1859168 was associated with an increased risk of GC (rs17720428 TG-rs1859168 CC, OR = 1.76; rs7958904 GC-rs1859168 CC, OR = 1.85; rs7958904 CC-rs1859168 CC, OR = 1.86). Interestingly, the SNP-SNP interaction of HOTAIR rs1899663 with HOTTIP rs1859168 strongly increased the risk of GC (rs1899663 GT-rs1859168 CC, OR = 4.3; rs1899663 TT-rs1859168 CC, OR = 9.37; rs1899663 TT-rs1859168 CA, OR = 6.59). We showed that the HOTAIR rs17720428, rs7958904, and rs1899663 tagSNPs and their interactions with the HOTTIP rs1859168 polymorphism significantly increased the risk of GC. Specifically, novel SNP-SNP interactions between HOTAIR and HOTTIP tagSNPs have a larger impact than individual SNP effects on GC risk, thereby providing us with valuable information to reveal potential biological mechanisms for developing GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]