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Background Scavenger receptor class B type 1 (SR-BI) encoded by SCARB1 gene serves as a multifunctional HDL receptor, facilitating the uptake of cholesteryl esters from HDL to the liver. Recent studies have identified the association between the P376L missense mutation of the SCARB1 gene with increased serum HDL-Cholesterol level. However, the contribution of this variant to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains unclear. Objective We have investigated the association between the P376L polymorphism with the properties of HDL and CVD outcomes in a population sample recruited as part of the Mashhad-Stroke and Heart-Atherosclerotic-Disorders (MASHAD) cohort. Methods Six hundred and fifteen individuals who had a median follow-up period of 7 years were recruited as part of the MASHAD cohort. Anthropometric, biochemical parameters and HDL lipid peroxidation (HDLox) were assessed. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan-real-time-PCR based method. The association of P376L-rs74830766 with cardiovascular-risk-factors and CVD events were evaluated. Results Carriers of the P376L variant were significantly more likely than non-carriers to develop CVD using multivariate analyses adjusted for traditional CVD risk factors defined as: age, sex, BMI, presence of diabetes, or hypertension, positive smoking habit, and total cholesterol (OR: 3.75, 95%CI: 1.76–7.98, p = 0.001). In an adjusted model, there was a two fold increase in cardiovascular endpoints among individuals who were heterozygous for the P376L variant (hazard ratio, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.12-to 3.84, p = 0.02). Although there was no association between the presence of the P376L variant and HDL-C level, serum HDLox, measured as dysfunctional HDL, was 13% higher among carriers of the P376L variant than non-carriers. Conclusion We have found that carriers of the P376L variant possessed higher HDLox and were at increased risk of CVD in a representative population-based cohort, as compared to non-carriers.

Cervical cancer is among the most common type of cancers in women and is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Genital warts are also reported to be linked with HPV infection types 11 and 6. In turn, clinical characteristics and morphological features of warts may be useful in the prediction of prognosis and in making treatment decisions. Thus, we have investigated the association of high and low-risk HPVs genotype with genital wart risk, as well as pathological and cytological information in cases recruited from a population-based cohort study of 1380 patients. Patients infected with HPV genotype 6 or 11 had an increased risk of having warts, with OR of 2.34 (95% CI: 0.955-5.737, P = 0.06). Also, this association was enhanced in the presence of high plus low-risk HPV for having genital wart (OR: 2.814; 95%: 1.208-6.55, P = 0.017) and cases having high-risk HPV (OR: 2.329; 95% CI: 1.029-5.269, P = 0.042). Moreover, we observed patients with genital warts having CIN2/3, indicating the importance of informing the physician to the patient to prevent more severe lesions. Our data demonstrated that patients with both low/high-risk HPV types had an increased risk of developing genital warts and persistent infection with HPV was a necessary precursor for the increase in cervical lesions.

Measuring the amount of opium use is a challenge in epidemiologic studies. Self-report of amount of opium use at each consumption, widely used in the literature, usually fails to provide a good estimate. The purpose of this study is to systematically study the perceived weight units of reported opium use in Iran, and compare them to the standardized units of weight measurement.An exploratory descriptive study was conducted in six major cities of Iran. Study participants were interviewed and asked to use a Play-Doh-like material to demonstrate the amount of opium they use. To obtain an estimate of the weight of the material used, we multiplied the volume by the density of the opium product. We experimentally determined the density of the commonly used opium products. We used medians and inter-quartile ranges (IQRs) to report the typical amount of each unit.A total of 108 individuals participated in this study. The most frequently reported unit was "gram"; the median perceived weight for one gram (g) of opium was 0.24 (IQR: 0.16) g. The second most commonly used unit was nokhod with a median of 0.16 (IQR: 0.16) g, followed by mesghaal and hab/habeh, which were 1.28 (IQR: 0.81) and 0.16 (IQR: 0.16) g, respectively. The median perceived weight of mesghaal and gram in the studied cities was less than the expected standardized values.In conclusion, the reported amount of opium use is highly inaccurate and unreliable, and is mainly subject to underestimation.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy in women and a major cause of cancer- related mortality globally. Some novel biomarkers may enable the early diagnosis and monitoring of CC. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs that control gene translation at a post transcriptional level. Hence the deregulation of these molecules can cause many diseases. There appears to be an association between aberrant miRNA expression and CC, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of CC remain unknown. The upregulation of some circulating miRNAs, e.g. miRNA-20a, miRNA-203, miRNA-21, miRNA-205, miRNA-218, and miR-485-5, as well as tissue specific-miRNAs, e.g. miR-7, miR-10a, miR-17-5p, miR-135b, miR-149 and miR-203 has been found in patients with CC. There is also growing evidence for the importance of miRNAs in the development of drug-resistance. This review therefore highlights recently published preclinical and clinical investigation performed on tissue-specific and circulating miRNAs, as potential biomarkers for the detection of patients at early stages of CC, in the prediction of prognosis, and monitoring of their response to therapy.\ud Key word: cervical cancer, CIN, MiRNA, circulating biomarker, tissue-specific biomarker, HPV