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Background: Plasma-derived medicines (PDMs) are essential for treating various disorders and require large volumes of human plasma. The debate on voluntary and compensated plasma donation continues, while WHO advocating for voluntary donations. This study examines factors influencing plasma donation, focusing on the effectiveness of voluntary donation and identifying key motivators and barriers., Methods and Materials: This study was conducted in four blood centers. Two questionnaires were developed. The motivation questionnaire was administered to donors who had contributed plasma four times or more. The barrier questionnaire was distributed to donors who had donated only once. Chi-Square was used to compare variables and t-tests for means., Results: Of participants, 245 frequent plasma donors completed the motivation questionnaire, and 664 one-time donors filled out the barrier survey. Altruism motivated frequent donors, while barriers included time constraints, preference for blood donation, and lack of awareness. Among frequent donors, 84.00% [CI 95%: 0.79-0.89] were willing to donate plasma or had no preference between donating plasma or blood, compared to 39.90% [CI 95%: 0.36-0.43] of one-time donors. Tendency to donate among one-time donors increased to 68.70% [CI 95%: 0.65-0.71], 93.40% [CI 95%: 0.91-0.95], and 43.50% [CI 95%: 0.40-0.47], when requested, friends needed PDMs, or compensation was offered., Conclusions: Increased tendencies for plasma donation were reported when donors were directly approached by blood centers and friends required PDMs. Results challenge significance of monetary incentives in motivation of plasma donors, suggesting that fostering an understanding of crucial role of plasma donation proves more influential in driving contributions., (Copyright © 2024 Society francophone de transfusion sanguine (SFTS). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Research conducted over the years has established that artificial light at night (ALAN), particularly short wavelengths in the blue region (~400-500 nm), can disrupt the circadian rhythm, cause sleep disturbances, and lead to metabolic dysregulation. With the increasing number of people spending considerable amounts of time at home or work staring at digital screens such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops, the negative impacts of blue light are becoming more apparent. While blue wavelengths during the day can enhance attention and reaction times, they are disruptive at night and are associated with a wide range of health problems such as poor sleep quality, mental health problems, and increased risk of some cancers. The growing global concern over the detrimental effects of ALAN on human health is supported by epidemiological and experimental studies, which suggest that exposure to ALAN is associated with disorders like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and increased risk of breast and prostate cancer. Moreover, several studies have reported a connection between ALAN, night-shift work, reduced cognitive performance, and a higher likelihood of human errors. The purpose of this paper is to review the biological impacts of blue light exposure on human cognitive functions and vision quality. Additionally, studies indicating a potential link between exposure to blue light from digital screens and increased risk of breast cancer are also reviewed. However, more research is needed to fully comprehend the relationship between blue light exposure and adverse health effects, such as the risk of breast cancer., Competing Interests: SMJ. Mortazavi, as the Editorial Board Member, was not involved in the peer-review and decision-making processes for this manuscript., (Copyright: © Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering.)

Background: Relation between the emergence of ITP and the presence of TNFα 308G/A polymorphism in the involved individuals has been studied by previous researchers in different ethnicity, but a definite result was not gained. So, this meta-analysis was performed to find an absolute answer to the question whether TNF-α-308G/A polymorphism is a susceptibility factor for ITP or not?, Methods: Electronic databases including PubMed, Google scholar, and Science Direct were searched and case control studies compatible to the defined inclusion criteria were selected; their references were also evaluated manually. Pooled OR with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) as a strength of association between TNF-α-308G/A polymorphism and risk of ITP were calculated using a random-effect model. Funnel plot and Egger's linear regression test were conducted to examine the risk of publication bias., Results: Totally, 16 eligible articles were found involving 1470 ITP cases and 2324 healthy controls. The Meta-results revealed that TNFα 308G/A polymorphism is associated with increased risk of ITP under the genetic models of recessive (OR: 1.54, 95 % CI: 1.03-2.29), dominant (OR: 2.29, 95 % CI: 1.44-3.64), and the heterozygote (OR: 2.46, 95 % CI:1.49-4.6). Subgroup analysis suggested a remarkable role for this SNP as a risk factor in the Caucasian ethnicity and the chronic subtype., Conclusion: TNFα 308G/A polymorphism can be an ITP susceptibility factor in the Caucasian population and the chronic subtype. Although more studies in large scale are needed for clinical decision but this finding can be used in the clinical trials to prevent the ITP consequences in the involved individuals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Previous research has shown that children are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) and blue light emitted from digital screens compared to healthy adults. This paper presents the findings of a cross-sectional study conducted in Yasuj, Iran, to investigate the screen time habits of children and adolescents and its potential impact on their health. A total of 63 participants, including 44 boys and 19 girls, were randomly selected for the study. The results showed that the average daily screen time for the children was 87.38 minutes, with a standard deviation of 49.58. When examining the specific purposes of screen time, it was found that the children spent an average of 17.54 minutes per day on screens for school assignments, 70 minutes per day for recreational purposes, and 23.41 minutes per day for contacting family, friends, and relatives. Our study highlights that a significant portion of the children's screen time was allocated to recreational activities. We observed some differences in screen time between girls and boys. Boys had a slightly higher overall daily screen time, primarily driven by more recreational screen time. However, girls spent slightly more time on screens for school assignments. The screen time for social interactions was similar for both genders. Our findings on the cognitive performance of children with different levels of screen time will be published in a separate paper., Competing Interests: None, (Copyright: © Journal of Biomedical Physics and Engineering.)

Background: Distal femur fracture is considered one of the most common fractures due to high-energy traumas such as car accidents or low-energy traumas such as osteoporosis. Locking plates are orthopedic implants used for stabilized femur fracture. Thus, designing a bone plate fitted exactly with the patient's bone and correctly fixing bone segments are required for better fracture healing., Objectives: This study aims to design a bone plate based on anthropometric characteristics of patients' femurs and compare performing custom-designed bone plates (CDBP) with the locking compression plate (LCP) by finite element method., Materials and Methods: In this analytical study, a 3D model of four patients' femur and CDBP were firstly designed in MIMICS 19.0 based on the patient's femur anatomy. After designing the bone plate, the CDBPs and LCP were fixed on the bone and analyzed by finite element method (FEM) in ANSYS, and stress and strain of bone plates were also compared., Results: The maximum principal stress for all 3D models of patients' fracture femur by CDBPs was stabilized better than LCP with a decrease by 39.79, 12.54, 9.49, and 20.29% in 4 models, respectively. Also, in all models, the strain of CDBPs is less than LCP. Among the different thicknesses considered, the bone plate with 5 mm thickness showed better stress and strain distribution than other thicknesses., Conclusion: Customized bone plate designed based on patient's femur anatomical morphology shows better bone-matching plate, resulting in increasing the quality of the fracture healing and fails to any need for additional shaping., Trial Registration Number: Design and analysis of an implant were investigated in this study. There was no intervention in the diagnosis and treatment of patients and the study was not a clinical trial., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Thalassemia is an inherited disease with anemia and hemolysis. Blood transfusion is a routine treatment for thalassemia patients; alloimmunization is one of the complications of blood transfusion, which is very serious for these patients, especially girls and young women. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 446 thalassemia patients were examined. Demographic information of patients was extracted and recorded. The phenotype of ABO, Rh, and Kell antigens (tube method) with antisera from IMMUNDIANOSTICA Company (Germany) and the frequency of alloantibodies were determined. Results: 55.8% of the studied individuals were male, and 44.2% were female. Mean age of the studied patients was 19.94±10.63. The alloantibodies were detected in 7.5% of cell-pack receivers. The most prevalent phenotype of the ABO system was the O blood group (37.4%), and the most abundant antigen of the Rh group was 'e', which was found in 99.8% of the studied population. The most common alloantibody detected was Anti K (38.2%); concerning kell phenotype, (K _ k + ) and (K + k + ) were found in 99.3% and 0.7% of patients, respectively. The frequency of Anti-D, Anti-C, Anti-c, and Anti-E was 23.5%, 14.7%, 2.9%, and 14.7%, respectively. Conclusion: According to the results of this paper, finding the compatible packed cells in terms of Kell and Rh systems antigens in addition to the ABO blood group is recommended to decrease the rate of alloantibodies in thalassemia patients., (Copyright © 2023 Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background & Objective: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic malignancy caused by genetic abnormalities. Currently, molecular and genetic factors are routinely used as diagnostic and prognostic markers. FLT-3 is one of the most known diagnostic factors in AML. MDR1 gene belongs to the ATP binding cassette family; it is known as one of the chemotherapy-resistant causes of AML. We aimed to study FLT-3ITD mutations and their association with MDR1 gene expression in AML individuals., Methods: For investigation, 80 AML individuals and 20 healthy controls were selected. This study was done in the Cancer molecular Pathology Research Center of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Iran during 2017-2019. FLT3-ITD mutation was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to measure the amount of MDR1 gene expression. Bone marrow and blood smears of patients were evaluated in terms of morphology. SPSS 16.0 was used for data analysis., Results: FLT3-ITD mutation and MDR1 overexpression were found in 18.8% and 23.8% of AML patients, respectively. Statistical analysis did not show any relationship or association between these two markers. Cuplike morphology was observed in blast cells in 21.25% of AML cases, which was associated with the presence of FLT3-ITD mutation., Conclusion: FLT-3 and MDR1 function independently. Survival studies to determine the exact role of MDR1 overexpression in drug resistance issues would be suggested., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Decoration with Pd clusters increases the magnetic heating ability of cobalt ferrite (CFO) nanoparticles by a factor of two. The origin of this previous finding is unraveled by element-specific X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) combined with atomic multiplet simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. While the comparison of XAS spectra with atomic multiplet simulations show that the inversion degree is not affected by Pd decoration and, thus, can be excluded as a reason for the improved heating performance, XMCD reveals two interrelated responsible sources: significantly larger Fe and Co magnetic moments verify an increased total magnetization which enhances the magnetic heating ability. This is accompanied by a remarkable change in the field-dependent magnetization particularly for Co ions which exhibit an increased low-field susceptibility and a reduced spin canting behavior in higher magnetic fields. Using DFT calculations, these findings are explained by reduced superexchange between ions on octahedral lattice sites via oxygen in close vicinity of Pd, which reinforces the dominating antiparallel superexchange interaction between ions on octahedral and tetrahedral lattice sites and thus reduces spin canting. The influence of the delocalized nature of Pd 4d electrons on the neighboring ions is discussed and the conclusions are illustrated with spin density isosurfaces of the involved ions. The presented results pave the way to design nanohybrids with tailored electronic structure and magnetic properties., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Loss mechanisms in fluid heating of cobalt ferrite (CFO) nanoparticles and CFO-Pd heterodimer colloidal suspensions are investigated as a function of particle size, fluid concentration and magnetic field amplitude. The specific absorption rate (SAR) is found to vary with increasing particle size due to a change in dominant heating mechanism from susceptibility to hysteresis and frictional loss. The maximum SAR is obtained for particle diameters of 11-15 nm as a result of synergistic contributions of susceptibility loss, including Néel and Brownian relaxation and especially hysteresis loss, thereby validating the applicability of linear response theory to superparamagnetic CFO nanoparticles. Our results show that the ferrofluid concentration and magnetic field amplitude alter interparticle interactions and associated heating efficiency. The SAR of the CFO nanoparticles could be maximized by adjusting the synthesis parameters. Despite the paramagnetic properties of individual palladium nanoparticles, CFO-Pd heterodimer suspensions were observed to have surprisingly improved magnetization as well as SAR values, when compared with CFO ferrofluids. This difference is attributed to interfacial interactions between the magnetic moments of paramagnetic Pd and superparamagnetic/ferrimagnetic CFO. SAR values measured from CFO-Pd heterodimer suspensions were found to be 47-52 W gFerrite-1, which is up to a factor of two higher than the SAR values of commercially available ferrofluids, demonstrating their potential as efficient heat mediators. Our results provide insight into the utilization of CFO-Pd heterodimer suspensions as potential nanoplatforms for diagnostic and therapeutic biomedical applications, e.g., in cancer hyperthermia, cryopreserved tissue warming, thermoablative therapy, drug delivery and bioimaging.

The case of palladium(II) ions in molecular polyoxopalladates highlights the importance of accounting not only for nearest neighbour atoms or ions in order to understand, model or predict magnetic characteristics. Here, using site-specific soft X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), the effects of different bond lengths, delocalization of 4d electrons, and 4d spin-orbit coupling on the electronic and magnetic properties are investigated and three different states identified: Conventional diamagnetism in a square-planar O 4 coordination environment, paramagnetism caused by four additional out-of-plane oxygen anions, and an unusual diamagnetic state in the diamagnetic/paramagnetic crossover region modified by significant mixing of states and facilitated by the substantial 4d spin-orbit coupling. The two diamagnetic states can be distinguished by characteristic XMCD fine structures, thereby overcoming the common limitation of XMCD to ferro-/ferrimagnetic and paramagnetic materials in external magnetic fields. The qualitative interpretation of the results is corroborated by simulations based on charge transfer multiplet calculations and density functional theory results., (© 2020. The Author(s).)

Despite major therapeutic advances, management of viral infections in renal transplant recipients is still a major challenge. Hence, it is urgently needed to establish protocols for appropriate control and the prevention of viral infection. We evaluated demographic/clinical characteristics, frequency, and risk factors of symptomatic viral infections in renal transplant recipients during the 1 st year posttransplant, in northeastern Iran. We retrospectively reviewed medical files of 247 patients including 146 males and 101 females who had undergone renal transplantation at Montaserie organ transplantation hospital of Mashhad during 2012-2014. These patients were followed up for one year after transplantation for the detection of any symptomatic viral infection. Demographic and clinical characteristics of recipients were collected and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 18 software; P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Data were presented using descriptive statistics. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis was used to determine risk factors for infection. The mean age of the patients was 34.94 ± 13.89 years. During the 1 st year posttransplant, 68 episodes of viral infections were detected in 64 patients (25.9%). Cytomegalovirus (CMV, 21.9%), Varicella Zoster virus (2.8%), herpes simplex virus (2.0%), and human polyomavirus BK virus (0.8%) were the most common symptomatic viral infections found. Age of the patients was the only significant risk factor for viral infections (odds ratio = 1.066; 95% confidence interval: 1.002-1.134; P = 0.042). The incidence of symptomatic viral infections, particularly CMV disease, is high in our center. Hence, it is recommended to use appropriate prophylaxis and monitor the patients during the first six months post-transplant.

Magnetic-plasmonic heterodimer nanostructures synergistically present excellent magnetic and plasmonic characteristics in a unique platform as a multipurpose medium for recently invented biomedical applications, such as magnetic hyperthermia, photothermal therapy, drug delivery, bioimaging, and biosensing. In this review, we briefly outline the less-known aspects of heterodimers, including electronic composition, interfacial morphology, critical properties, and present concrete examples of recent progress in synthesis and applications. With a focus on emerging features and performance of heterodimers in biomedical applications, this review provides a comprehensive perspective of novel achievements and suggests a fruitful framework for future research.

Background and Objective: BRAF mutations were studied in various populations for prostate carcinoma (PC); however, mutations in BRAF gene are unusual compared to KRAS . Oncogenic activating of BRAF mutations were studied lately in almost 0%10% of prostate cancer cases., Methods: In this retrospective study, we gathered 100 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of prostate adenocarcinoma. A hundred archived samples of adjacent benign prostatic hyperplasia were chosen as normal control. This study was done in pathology laboratory of Qaem Hospital during 2013-2015., Results: Total number of 200 PC and normal cases was investigated for BRAF V600E mutation. The BRAF V600E mutation was found in only 4 patients but it was not detected in normal cases. There were no significant differences between patient and control groups for this mutation ( P >0.99). The frequency of BRAF V600E mutation was not significant in different age groups ( P >0.285); the most frequency was related to the age range of 71-80. No significant difference was observed between tumor grade and BRAF mutation ( P =0.21)., Conclusion: According to our findings, BRAF gene mutations did not play essential role in PC. Therefore, anti-BRAF (V600E) could not be considered as a proper target for therapy.

Background and Objective: Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and Myeloproliferative Leukemia (MPL) mutations are confirmatory indicators for Myeloproliferative Neoplasm (MPN). The current study was performed to determine the frequency of MPL mutation in MPN patients without JAK2 mutation, in order to assign MPL mutation frequency in North-East of Iran., Methods: Total of 105 negative JAK2 cases including 5 Myeloproliferative Disorders (MPD), 15 Polycytemia Vera (PV) and 15 Essential Thrombocytosis (ET) who referred to Qaem Medical Center were assigned to this study. ARMS-PCR was carried out for measuring MPL mutations., Results: A significant difference was observed between MPL mutant and non-mutant groups from overview of MPL mutation ( P =0.00001). From the total studied population, 14.28% were ET cases and 4.71% of them had splenomegaly. About 66.66% had thrombocytosis and 33.33% of all the individuals had leukocytosis according to WHO criteria, and 4.76% of non-MPL mutant individuals had splenomegaly ( P =1).This mutation was reported in 4-6% of ET and PMF individuals. In this research, 4.76 % of studied individuals had MPL (W515L/K) mutation, which were diagnosed with ET., Conclusion: Generally, the presence of JAK2 and MPL mutations are the most important criteria for MPN diagnosis. The obtained frequency of MPL mutation was similar to previous studies. Despite the high frequency of JAK2 and Philadelphia abnormality, MPL mutation was rare in myeloprolifrative disorders. Further studies are suggested to investigate its prognostic effects for these diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

The aim of this report is to present a new two-piece thyroid-neck phantom produced by the concurrent use of epoxy resin and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA: plexiglass) soft tissue equivalent materials. Accordingly, mass attenuation coefficients of the epoxy resin and the plexiglass compounds were obtained from simulation (NIST XCOM 3.1) and measurements (practical dosimetry) and compared to those related to human soft tissue (ICRU 44). The thyroid-neck phantom and thyroid gland dimensions were derived from scientific references and the atlas of human anatomy, respectively. The thyroid phantom was designed by CATIA V5R16 software and produced by the epoxy resin compound by three-dimensional printer. Other organs were designed by ProNest software and made by the plexiglass sheets by CNC laser cutting machine. The mass attenuation coefficients for the epoxy resin (50 keV- 20 MeV) and the plexiglass (0-20 MeV) were comparable to human soft tissue (ICRU 44), all with standard relative deviation beneath 5%. In addition, the SPECT images indicated the similarity between human thyroid tissue and its phantom. In conclusion, this study proves the feasibility and reliability of epoxy resin application in the production of two-piece thyroid-neck phantom. This phantom can be applied in the calibration of gamma camera systems, dosimetry and gamma spectrometry in the nuclear medicine field.

Background & Objective: KRAS mutations are reported in many types of cancers including pancreas, lung, colon, breast,and gastric (GC). High frequency of KRAS mutation is observed in the pancreas,colon, and lung cancers; they commonly arise in codon 12 and 13 of exon 2. Due to the lack of information about the frequency of KRAS mutations in the Northeast of Iran, the currentstudy aimed at evaluating KRAS frequency in cases with GC in this region., Methods: A total of120 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks of patients with GC were assessed. The assays to detect KRAS in codon 12 and13 were obtained through the peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-clamp., Results: Totally 87 male and 33 female patients were analyzed in the current study. The mean age of the subjects was 55years.The most common tumoral fragment was located on the body with 48 cases (40%) and the less frequent was related to fondues with six cases (5%).Of the 120 GC samples, 16(13.3%) caseshad codon 12 KRAS mutation, and 16.7% had codon 13 mutations. There were no significant relationships between gender,age, and KRAS mutations in the studied specimens., Conclusion: In conclusion, the overall frequency of KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations in GC was 30% in the current study population.Frequency of KRAS codon 12 and 13 mutations hadsignificant correlation with tumors location. Different pathogenic mechanismsare suggested for GC according to tumor location. The current study resultsmay be an important diagnostic tool for physicians managing atrophic gastritis., Competing Interests: Authors declared no conflict of interests.

Objectives: Renal transplant is one of the best ways to extend life of patients in the end stage of renal disease. Infections are significant causes of morbidity and mortality after renal transplant. The aim of this study was to evaluate frequency, risk factors, causative pathogens, and clinical manifestations in renal transplant recipients from Mashhad City during the first year after transplant., Materials and Methods: This research was conducted at Montaserie Hospital of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences from March 2013 to July 2015. All studied cases were followed for 1 year. In this retrospective study, our study cohort comprised 193 kidney transplant recipients, including 118 male (61.1%) and 75 female (38.9%) patients, with mean age of 34.4 ± 12.2 years. Of the total patients, 58 received kidneys from living donors (30.1%) and 135 received kidneys from deceased donors (69.9%)., Results: We found that 151 infectious episodes had occurred in 96 patients. The most common infectious site involved the urinary tract (39.1%). Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated pathogen. The only significant infection risk factor to affect transplant outcomes during the first year was age., Conclusions: Infections are highly prevalent during the first year after transplant. Prevention and effective antibiotic therapy can reduce the related adverse effects.

Background: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most prevalent adult leukemias. This malignancy is known by lymphocytosis for a duration of more than 3 months. In fact, it is a heterogeneous clinical disease with changeable progression. Chromosomal aberrations are significant parameters to predict result and survival rate and find treatment strategies for each patient. Cytogenetic methods are known as sensitive and relatively new procedures to detect abnormalities in genome. Materials and Methods: In order to identify CLL-related chromosomal abnormalities, 48 CLL patients included 38 Men and 10 Women with mean age of 58.25±36 were enrolled in this case series study.The survey was done at Cancer Molecular Pathology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Interphase fluorescent in situ hybridization (I-FISH) was done on unstimulated peripheral blood or bone marrow samples, which were cultured in whole medium culture; it was used to detect chromosomal abnormalities such as 11q- , 13q14-, 17p- , 6q- and trisomy 12 in CLL patients. Results: Analysis demonstrated that 45.5% of CLL cases had chromosomal abnormalities; 13.63% haddel 17p, 40.90% had del 13q14 and 9.09% had del 11q. Statistical analysis of data revealed a significant relevancy between age variable and splenomegaly occurrence (P value<0.05). The younger the patients were, the less the splenomegaly occurrence. Conclusion: Laboratory findings were correlated with clinical data.

Background: The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene is originally defined as a tumor suppressor gene and a transcription factor that overexpressed in leukemic cells. It is highly expressed in more than 80% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, both in bone marrow (BM) and in peripheral blood (PB), and it is used as a powerful and independent marker of minimal residual disease (MRD); we have determined the expression levels of the WT1 by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) in PB and BM in 126 newly diagnosed AML patients., Materials and Methods: This study was done in molecular pathology and cancer research center from April 2014 to June 2015, RQ-PCR method was used to determine the WT1 gene expression in BM and/or PB samples from 126 patients of AML, we cloned both WT1 and ABL genes for creating a standard curve, and we calculate copy number of WT1 genes in patients., Results: A total of 126 AML patients consist of 70 males (55.6%) and 56 females (44.4%), with a median age of 26 years; 104 (81%) patients out of 126 show overexpression of WT1 gene. We also concomitant monitoring of fusion transcripts (PML RARa, AML1-ETO, MLL-MLL, CBFb-MYH11, or DEK-CAN) in our patients, the AML1-ETO group showing remarkably low levels of WT1 compared with other fusion transcript and the CBFB-MYH11 showing high levels of WT1., Conclusion: We conclude that WT1 expression by RQ-PCR in AML patients may be employed as an independent tool to detect MRD in the majority of normal karyotype AML patients., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Objective/background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is defined as leukemic blast reproduction in bone marrow. Chromosomal abnormalities form different subgroups with joint clinical specifications and results. t(8;21)(q22;q22) and inv(16)(p13;q22) form core binding factor-AML (CBF-AML). c-kit mutation activation occurs in 12.8-46.1% of adults with CBF leukemia. These mutations occur in 20-25% of t(8;21) and 30% of inv(16) cases., Methods: In this systematic review, we searched different databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Selected articles were measured based on the inclusion criteria of this study and initially compared in terms of titles or abstracts. Finally, articles relevant to the subject of this review were retrieved in full text. Twenty-two articles matched the inclusion criteria and were selected for this review., Results: In this study, c-kit mutations were associated with poor prognosis in AML patients with t(8;21) and inv(16). In addition, these mutations had better prognostic effects on AML patients with inv(16) compared with those with t(8;21)., Conclusion: According to the results of this study, c-kit mutations have intense, harmful effects on the relapse and white blood cell increase in CBF-AML adults. However, these mutations have no significant prognostic effects on patients., (Copyright © 2016 King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objective: The assessment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status has become of great importance in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and Chromogenic In Situ Hybridization (CISH) to assess HER2 status of biopsy specimens., Methods: To elucidate the status of HER2 gene amplification, biopsies of breast carcinoma from 120 patients with 2+ IHC status were analyzed by qPCR and CISH., Results: The results of the two experiments were compared, and it was depicted that the concordance rate between CISH and qPCR assays was 88.1%.The quantification of HER2 gene with CISH and qPCR showed that there was a significant correlation (p value= 0.0001 and r= 0.808)., Conclusion: The results of this research support the idea that qPCR is a precise and reproducible technique, which can be employed as a supplementary method to evaluate HER2 status., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Background: One of the main causes of adverse complications following kidney transplantation is urinary tract infection (UTI). This study was done to define the incidence rate, clinical profiles, causative microorganisms, and UTI risk factors among kidney transplant recipients in Mashhad city., Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, we perused medical files of 247 kidney recipients who underwent transplant surgery at Mashhad University Montaserie Hospital, during 2012-2014. All patients were followed for UTI during the 1 st year after surgery., Results: 75 episodes of UTI developed by 152 pathogens in 56 (22.7%) of patients during 1-year follow-up. 26.6% of total UTIs were diagnosed within the 1 st month after transplantation. The most frequently isolated uropathogens were Escherichia coli (55.3%, n = 84). The high rate of candiduria (8.5%) was observed, too., Conclusion: UTI is known as one of the hospitalization reasons in kidney transplantation recipients. Defining appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis against bacterial and fungal agents and early removal of urethral catheter are suggested to decrease posttransplantation complications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is known as one of the most common leukemia among adults. Environmental and different genetic factors affect disease process, prognosis and treatment. Among different genetic factors NPM1, FLT3, MLL and BAALC genes are the most effective on patient's survival rate. The aim of this study was to assess amount of BAALC gene expression in AML patients, and its relation to survival rate. Methods: In this case-control study, from all 94 individuals referred to Ghaem Medical Center during 2012-2015, 47 cases were normal cytogenetic AML and others were healthy individuals that were studied as control group. Real-time PCR method was applied for gene expression evaluation. Other information of patients was extracted from medical documents. SPSS v.21 was used for data processing. Results: Mean age of studied cases was 31.50 years. The most of BAALC gene expression was seen in M1 and M2 subtypes, and the less was in M5. A significant relation was found between amount of gene expression and patient's survival rate. Conclusion: BAALC gene expression was increased significantly in AML cases. BAALC expression had reverse relation with patients' survival rate in North-East of Iran.

In recent years, although many review articles have been presented about bioapplications of magnetic nanoparticles by some research groups with different expertise such as chemistry, biology, medicine, pharmacology, and materials science and engineering, the majority of these reviews are insufficiently comprehensive in all related topics like magnetic aspects of process. In the current review, it is attempted to carry out the inclusive surveys on importance of magnetic nanoparticles and especially magnetite ones and their required conditions for appropriate performance in bioapplications. The main attentions of this paper are focused on magnetic features which are less considered. Accordingly, the review contains essential magnetic properties and their measurement methods, synthesis techniques, surface modification processes, and applications of magnetic nanoparticles.