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Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women, with various complications and morbidities due to treatment modalities. Most patients suffer from psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, poor quality of life, and sleep. Bioenergy Economy (BEE)-based program is an integrative mind-body care model that targets the development of individuals' well-being. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the BEE program on the four factors of depression, anxiety, quality of life, and sleep quality in patients with breast cancer. Methods: This study was a clinical trial on 20 patients with the stage I-III of breast cancer who were referred to an oncologist in Isfahan, Iran. The candidates were selected by the convenience sampling method and the BEE protocol was done for all of the patients in 8 sessions. Depression, anxiety, quality of life, and sleep quality of the patients were assessed by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaires, respectively. The trial had no control group. All assessments were done in 3-time courses consisting of before the intervention, immediately after, and one year after the intervention. Results: This study evaluated 20 patients with breast cancer. The mean score of depression and anxiety significantly decreased immediately after the intervention and then significantly increased in a 1-year follow-up (P = 0.003 and P = 0.014, respectively, for depression and P = 0.006 and P = 0.003, respectively, for anxiety). Evaluating the quality of life in different 8 subscales showed significant changes in subscales of physical functioning and social role functioning immediately after the intervention and in the 1-year follow-up in comparison with the pre-test (P = 0.007 and P = 0.005, respectively). The mean score of sleep quality was increased immediately after the intervention and also during the 1-year follow-up. Conclusion: The BEE program can be considered a psycho-oncology intervention in patients with breast cancer, alongside their conventional treatments. The findings suggest that for the sustained mental health of patients with cancer, a continuous BEE practice might be demanded.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and is the first cause of death among the women in the world. Disruption of gene expression of src family members has been observed in many cancers. Repeated sequences in introns influence gene expression, splicing or change the structure of product. In the present study, the association between CA polymorphism in intron 2 of the src gene and the risk of breast cancer was investigated. Methods: This was a cohort study on 119 patients with breast cancer and 145 healthy people. Genomic DNAs were extracted from white blood cells. CA dinucleotide region of the src gene was amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and the number of CA repeats was determined using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Findings: Distribution of the CA repeats in src gene in the target population was between 14-27 repeats. The most common allele in two groups was 21. The frequency of the allele 22 in patients was significantly higher than healthy group. 26 genotypes were identified and the genotype 21/21 was the most common one among the two groups. The genotype 22/22 was more frequent in patients than in healthy group. Chi-square test and odds ratio (OR) showed that women with allele 22 were exposed more to breast cancer. Women with genotype 22/22 had a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Conclusion: it can be concluded that the allele 22 can have a role in developing breast cancer.

مقدمه: هیدروکسی اوره یک عامل شیمی درمانی شناخته شده است که به منظور درمان سرطان مورد استفاده قرار می‌گیرد. این دارو منجر به القای سنتز g-globin می‌شود و بنابراین می‌تواند برای درمان بتا تالاسمی مورد استفاده قرار گیرد. مطالعات مختلف نشان داده است که در بعضی از این بیماران، دارو سطح گلوبین کل و HbF (Hemoglobin F) را افزایش می‌دهد. با وجود این، تأثیر بالینی هیدروکسی اوره در بیماران مبتلا به تالاسمی هنوز مورد بحث است. در مطالعه‌ی حاضر، پاسخ کلینیکی بیماران نسبت به دارو، مورد بررسی قرار گرفته است. روش‌ها: این مطالعه‌ی تجربی از نوع وابسته به آینده بود. جامعه‌ی مورد مطالعه، بیماران بتا تالاسمی اینترمدیای مراجعه کننده به بیمارستان سیدالشهدای (ع) اصفهان بین سال‌های 91-1389 بودند. تأثیر دارو در 46 بیمار از طریق تعیین تغییرات سطح Hb (Hemoglobin) و HbF قبل و پس از یک سال درمان با دارو مورد بررسی قرار گرفت. درمان، بر اساس وزن بدن به صورت کپسول 500 میلی‌گرمی به ‌میـزان mg/kg/day ۲۰ انجام گرفت. بیماران از نظر عوارض دارو نیز تحت نظر قرار گرفتند. یافته‌ها: میانگین سطح هموگلوبین کل پس از درمان به میزان gr/dl 12/1 ± 47/0 و میانگین سطح HbF به میزان 43/1 ± 04/6 درصد افزایش داشت که میانگین اول از لحاظ آماری معنی‌دار بود؛ اما میانگین دوم معنی‌دار نبود. همچنین مصرف دارو سبب بهبود وضعیت بیمار شد و عارضه‌ای به دنبال نداشت. نتیجه‌گیری: به نظر می‌رسد داروی هیدروکسی اوره در اکثر بیماران مبتلا به بتا تالاسمی اینترمدیا مؤثر است و می‌تواند برای درمان آن‌ها مورد استفاده قرار گیرد.

Background: Eukaryotic release factor 3 (eRF3) is known as a polypeptide chain releasing factor in the translation process. It is necessary for G1 to S phase transition (GSPT1). Recent studies have demonstrated that this protein may have a potential role in development of cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the tri-nucleotide polymorphism (GGC) in eRF3a/GSPT1 exon 1 gene and to identify its association with risk of breast cancer in Isfahan, Iran. Methods: This study was conducted on 250 women with breast cancer and 250 healthy women. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Finally, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to detect GGC polymorphism. Findings: Four alleles including 7, 10, 11 and 12 repetitions of GGC were found. GGC10 was the most common allele between patients and controls. Women who carried GGC12 allele (odds ratio = 2.9068, confidence interval = 1.0308-8.0196) and those who are homozygous for GGC7 (odds ratio = 5.0816, confidence interval = 0.5894-43.8133) of eRF3a/GSPT1 gene were at significantly higher risk for developing breast cancer. Conclusion: This was the first Iranian study to identify the distribution, allelic frequency, and various genotypes of eRF3a/GSPT1 gene. We found the homozygous occurrence of the longest and the shortest allele of this gene to increase the risk for breast cancer among women in Isfahan. Keywords: Breast cancer, Eukaryotic release factor 3, Repeated sequences of GGC, Polymorphism

مقدمه: لنفادم اندام فوقانی از عوارض به نسبت شایع و ناتوان‌کننده در بیماران مبتلا به سرطان پستان می‌باشد که در 6 تا 31 درصد موارد درمان‌شده‌ی سرطان پستان دیده شده است. این مطالعه به بررسی میزان فراوانی لنفادم در بیماران با سرطان پستان درمان شده و عوامل مرتبط با آن پرداخته است. روش‌ها: این مطالعه به صورت گذشته‌نگر بود. اطلاعات حاصل از پرونده‌های 170 بیمار مبتلا به سرطان پستان که در فاصله‌ی سال‌های 1380 تا 1385 به بیمارستان سیدالشهدا (ع) در شهر اصفهان مراجعه کرده بودند، جهت تعیین میزان بروز و عوامل خطر ایجاد لنفادم مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفت. عوامل مورد بررسی شامل سن، شاخص توده‌ی بدنی، محل و اندازه‌ی تومور، وجود یا عدم وجود متاستاز، تعداد غدد لنفاوی درگیر، تعداد غدد لنفاوی برداشته شده‌ی آگزیلاری، نوع جراحی، نوع پرتو درمانی (فوتون و الكترون) و شیمی درمانی بود. آنالیز تک متغیری و چند متغیری با استفاده از مدل Logistic regression برای عوامل خطر انجام شد. یافته‌ها: از بین 170 بیمار مورد مطالعه با میانگین سنی 9/10 ± 9/47 سال، 59 نفر (7/34 درصد) لنفادم داشته‌اند. در آنالیز تک متغیری چاقی بر اساس شاخص توده‌ی بدنی به صورت معنی‌داری بر ایجاد لنفادم مؤثر بود (002/0 = P). میانگین غدد لنفاوی درگیر در بیماران واجد و فاقد لنفادم تفاوت معنی‌داری داشت (0001/0 > P). سن بیماران، مکان و اندازه‌ی تومور، متاستاز، شیمی درمانی، نوع جراحی، تعداد غدد لنفاوی برداشته شده و نوع پرتودرمانی با بروز لنفادم ارتباطی نداشت. نتیجه‌گیری: لنفادم بعد از درمان اولیه‌ی کارسینوم مهاجم پستان یک عارضه‌ی شایع می‌باشد.شاخص توده‌ی بدنی و تعداد غدد لنفاوی درگیر از عوامل خطر بروز لنفادم در این بیماران هستند. با در نظر گرفتن شاخص توده‌ی بدنی به عنوان یک عامل قابل تغییر، رژیم‌های کنترل وزن برای این بیماران توصیه می‌شود. همچنین، لازم است تا مطالعات بیشتری در این خصوص انجام شود. واژگان کلیدی: کارسینوم پستان، لنفادم، شاخص توده‌ی بدنی، رادیوتراپی

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases comprise a family of enzyme degrade components of extra cellular matrix. There are single nucleotide polymorphisms in the promoter regions of several genes with ability to influence cancer susceptibility. The aim of this study was to analyze association between MMP3 promoter polymorphisms and colorectal cancer occurrence and progression. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study 120 colorectal cancer patients and 100 controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) on the genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The patients group was divided into different subgroups: a subgroup without metastatic activity (M - ) and a subgroup that had developed metastasis (M + ). Results: There was a significant difference in frequency of the MMP-3 genotype between cases and controls (χ΂ = 16.17; P = 0.0003). The 5A homozygote in patients and controls was significantly different. The frequency of the 5A allele among affected patients (67.91%) was significantly higher than among the healthy controls (49%; χ² = 16.17, P = 0.00005). At the time of diagnosis, individual who was carrying the 5A allele was more represented in the M + subgroup than in M - subgroup ( χ² = 7.49; P = 0.006, OR = 3.86; 95% CI, 1.43-10.33). The difference between M - and controls did not observe statistically significant ( χ² = 0.009; P = 0.92). Conclusions: Our results suggest that the presence of 5A polymorphism at the MMP-3 promoter region may favor the growth and the metastasis process in colorectal cancer patients and could be looked at as a risk factor for a worse prognosis.

مقدمه: ناباروری یکی از مشکلات عمده در‌ زندگی افراد نابارور است. یکی از دلایل عمده‌ی ژنتیکی ناباروری وقوع حذف‌ها در کرومزوم Y است که با فراوانی 1 تا 15 درصدی در افراد مبتلا به آزوسپرمی ‌و الیگواسپرمی‌ شدید گزارش شده است. بر روی کروموزوم Y 3 ناحیه به نام عوامل آزوسپرمی (Azoospermia factor یا AZF) شناخته می‌شوند. این سه ناحیه با عناوین ‌AZFa، AZFb و AZFcبه عنوان ناحیه‌ی اسپرم‌سازی تعیین شده‌اند. در این مطالعه، ارتباط بین تغییرات منطقه‌ی Yq11.223 (DAZ) و ناباروری در مردان بررسی شد. روش‌ها: در این مطالعه از 100 مرد نابارور که به مرکز ناباروری اصفهان مراجعه نموده بودند و همچنین 100 فرد سالم به عنوان شاهد، نمونه‌ی خون تهیه شد. DNA ژنومی ‌از گلبول‌های سفید خون استخراج شد. پرایمرها با کمک موتورهای جستجوگر و نرم‌افزار Oligo نسخه‌ی 6 طراحی گردید. بررسی‌ها در بیماران با استفاده‌ی از تکنیک واکنش زنجیره‌ای پلیمراز (Polymerase chain reaction یا PCR) در منطقه‌ی Yq11.223 ناحیه‌ی AZF انجام گرفت. یافته‌ها: در این مطالعه 70 بیمار آزوسپرم و 30 بیمار الیگواسپرم مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند که در 7 بیمار آزوسپرم این حذف‌ها مشاهده گردید، در حالی که در افراد الیگواسپرم و 100 مرد باروری که به عنوان شاهد استفاده شدند هیچ حذفی مشاهده نشد. همچنین در چندین فرد آزوسپرم تغییر در شدت باندها نیز مشاهده گردید. نتیجه‌گیری: نتایج این مطالعه نقش DAZ را در فرایند‌ اسپرم‎سازی مردان را تأیید کرد.

مقدمه: سرطان کولورکتال، سومین سرطان منجر به مرگ در کشورهای غربی است. سن بالا، رژیم غذایی نامناسب، چاقی، بی تحرکی و تغییرات ژنتیکی از جمله فاکتورهای خطر این سرطان می‌باشد. بررسی ارتباط تغییرات ژنتیکی در سیستم‌های ترمیمی ‌DNA با سرطان زمینه‌ی بسیاری از تحقیقات اخیر است. در این مطالعه به بررسی ارتباط موارد پلی‌مورفیسم T241 M در ژن Xrcc3 با سرطان کولورکتال پرداختیم. روش‌ها: در این مطالعه‌ی مورد- شاهدی پس از جمع‌آوری نمونه‌های خون و استخراج DNA از آن‌ها، توزیع ژنوتیپی در محل پلی‌مورفیسم با استفاده‌ی از تكنیك Restriction fragment lengh-polymerase-Polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) مورد بررسی قرار گرفت و ارتباط پلی‌مورفیسم با شروع و متاستاز سرطان كولوركتال محاسبه گردید. یافته‌ها: نتیجه‌ی تحقیق حاضر نشان‌دهنده‌ی ارتباط پلی‌مورفیسم T241 M با سرطان کولورکتال بود. همچنین سن بالا و سابقه‌ی فامیلی سرطان با ایجاد سرطان مرتبط بودند. هر چند مصرف سیگار با سرطان کولون ارتباطی نداشت ولی با سرطان رکتوم مرتبط بود. از طرفی د سرطان رکتوم فراوانی بیشتری در ایجاد متاستاز‌ داشت. نتیجه‌گیری: طبق یافته‌های مطالعه‌ی حاضر پلی‌مورفیسم T241 M در ژن Xrcc3 از سیستم ترمیم نوتركیبی هومولوگ می‌تواند فاكتور مناسبی جهت تشخیص زود هنگام سرطان كولوركتال بالاخص ركتوم و ارتباط آن با استعمال دخانیات باشد.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) has been reported as a new marker gene for several cancers. With respect to the significance function of this gene in diagnosis of cancers in the present study we compare the correlation betweenthe plasma and serum MMP-9 levels and clinical features of breast cancer patients. Methods: In this case-control study, 120breast cancer patients and 87 healthy controls were studded.MMP-9 level was quantitatively measured byzymography and specific kit. The results were compared with clinical features of patients. Finding: Plasma MMP-9 level wassignificantly elevated in breast cancer patients comparedwith the control subjects (P < 0.001). Also there was a correlation between the plasma MMP-9 level and lymph node metastasis (OR, 3.43; P = 0.019) and venous invasion (OR, 4.14; P = 0.033) of the patients. There was no correlation between the serum MMP-9 level and lymphatic metastasis or venous invasion. Conclusion: according to our findings the plasma MMP-9 level in comparison with the serum MMP-9 level is a better determinant for early diagnosis, lymph node metastasis and venous invasion in patients with breast cancer.

(Received 30 March, 2009 ; Accepted 22 July, 2009)AbstractBackground and purpose: Matrix metalloproteinase are a family of proteolytic enzymes that have specific functions in digestion of cells cohesive extra cellular matrix and also, increasing metastasis behavior of acute human tumors. It has been reported that MMPs in two forms, namely proenzyme and active enzyme in biological samples. It is distinguished that among this family, (MMP-9) Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 has function in both initiation and invasion steps of breast cancer. In our previous study, we reported a correlation between C/T polymorphism at promoter region of this gene and metastasis step of breast cancer.Considering few findings regarding the relationship between the active form of this enzyme and occurrence of cancer, and also the correlation between active form and allelic genotype of persons, in this study we decided to do a parallel study on measurement of active plasma MMP-9 and its relationship with allelic genotype of breast cancer patients.Materials and methods: After analysis of data, we found that concentration of active MMP-9 has a significant difference in breast cancer patients in comparison with control group, as the concentration of active form of this enzyme was less in control group than the breast cancer patients group (0.7 ng and 1.7 ng respectively). Thus, the level of active MMP-9 showed a significant increase in persons with CT and TT genotypes in comparison with CC genotype (1.5 folds).Results: The present data suggest the concentration of active MMP-9 in breast cancer patients has significantly increased in comparison with the control group and the increased in plasma level of this enzyme is related with the existence of T allele at this gene promoter and also in progression of breast cancer in these patients. We can use the active plasma level of this enzyme or the existence of T allele as a diagnostic tool for discriminating subgroups of breast cancer patients and also, for diagnosis of susceptible breast cancer women for metastasis to other tissues.Conclusion: The present data suggest that the concentration of active MMP-9 in breast cancer patients has a significant increasing comparison with the control group and the increasing in plasma level of this enzyme is related with the existence of T allele at this gene promoter and also progression of breast cancer in this persons, we can use the active plasma level of this enzyme or the existence of T allele as a diagnostic value for discriminating subgroups of breast cancer patients and diagnosis of susceptible breast cancer women for metastasis to the other tissues. J Mazand Univ Med Sci 2009; 19(71): (Persian)

Background: Colorectal cancer is the third cause of cancer death in western countries. Age, inadequate diet, obesity, inactivity and genetic changes are some of the risk factors of colorectal cancer. Correlation of genetic diversity in homologous recombination repair system with cancer was evaluated in many recent studies. This study was done to investigate the correlation of T241M polymorphism in XRCC3 gene and colorectal cancers. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, after collecting blood samples and extracting genomic DNA, genotype distribution of the polymorphism was determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results: A significant correlation was observed between T241M polymorphism and colorectal cancer. Age and family history were also found to be correlated with this cancer. Although no statistically significant relationship has been found between smoking and colon cancer, our findings showed a correlation between smoking and rectum cancer. Furthermore, we observed that the most occurrence of metastatic activity was in the rectum. Conclusion: According to our study, T241M polymorphism in XRCC3 gene from homologous recombination (repair system??) could be a suitable factor for early diagnosis of colorectal cancer, while its co-operation with smoking is also regarded as a risk factor for rectum cancer.

Background: Gelatinase B is not only involved in metastasis, but also alters and processes growth factors, growth factor receptors, angiogenic factors, and other proteinases and thus affects early carcinogenesis. In other words, it has a fundamental role in initiation and development of cancer. Genetic polymorphism in the promoter of gelatinase B has been reported to be associated with the risk of several cancers including lung cancer. Methods: Genotyping of gelatinase B was carried out by taking blood samples from 172 patients with lung cancer and 100 controls using restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR) technique. The observed numbers of each gelatinase B genotype were compared with that expected for a population in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by χ2 test. The significance of the differences of the observed alleles and genotypes between groups was tested using the odds ratio (OR) analysis. Findings: The percentage of smokers in patients was more than controls (57.5% vs. 30%). Distribution of gelatinase B genotype was significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer [OR = 2.56; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.06-23.82]. Conclusion: Our results indicated that smokers who carry TT and CT+TT genotypes have 4 (OR = 3.45; 95% CI = 1.28-9.24) and 15 (OR = 14.66; 95% CI = 3.95-53.47) fold risks of lung cancer, respectively. Keywords: Gelatinase B, Restriction fragment length polymorphism, Polymerase chain reaction, Genotyping, Smokers, Lung cancer

Background: Type IV collagenase gene is capable of degrading type IV collagen which is the major structural component of basement membrane. It also increased the bioavailability of pro-angiogenic factors including vascular endothelial growth factor and transforming growth factor-β. A cytosine (C) thymine (T) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at position 1562 of the type IV collagenase promoter has been reported to affect gene expression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the C(-1562)T polymorphism and risk of lung cancer in different age groups in Iran population. Methods: Genotyping of C(-1562)T polymorphism in type IV collagenase gene was performed by taking out genomic DNA from blood samples of 120 patients with lung cancer and 100 age-matched controls by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction (RFLP-PCR). Chi-square test was used to calculate adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). All analyses were performed in SPSS. Findings: Distribution of C(-1562)T genotype in type IV collagenase promoter was significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer in the age group of < 60 years (OR = 19.89; 95% CI = 3.21-120.60). Conclusion: Our results indicated that C(-1562)T polymorphism in type IV collagenase gene affects the risk of lung cancer in different age groups, i.e. aging less than 60 years was significantly related with initiation of lung cancer. Keywords: Type IV collagenase gene, Restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction, Promoter polymorphism, Lung cancer

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a member of herpes virus family and its early diagnosis could be very critical in kidney transplant patients. The clinical manifestations of HCMV infection include a wide range from tissue rejection to death. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of two common methods of HCMV monitoring, i.e. real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and pp65 antigen assay. Methods: We extracted the genomic DNA of 135 kidney transplant patients from their whole blood. HCMV monitoring was performed using TaqMan scanning probes and pp65 surface antigen detection by real-time PCR and pp65 antigen assay, respectively. Findings: According to our results, real-time PCR and pp65 antigen assay showed positive results in 36 (27%) and 29 patients (21%), respectively. In addition, the maximum and minimum rates of infection with HCMV were detected in spring (28%) and winter (16%), respectively. However, no significant association was established between HCMV infection and seasonal patterns. Conclusion: Our results indicated that real-time PCR was more accurate than pp65 antigen assay to detect HCMV infection in kidney transplant patients. We could also show that the maximum rate of infections with HCMV belonged to spring. However, the rates in the 4 seasons were not significantly different. Keywords: Human cytomegalovirus, Kidney transplantation, pp65 protein, Real-time polymerase chain reaction

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection (HBV) and its complications is one of the most serious problems of the health system in many parts of the world. In the present study, we will assess chronic and occult HBV and isolated anti-Hepatitis B core antigen whose screening and evaluation is not routine in different populations. Materials and Methods: This descriptive analytical study was conducted on 213 patients undergoing chemotherapy - radiotherapy referred to the hematology - oncology clinics of Isfahan, Iran in 2012. In order to determine the serum levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HbSAg), Hepatitis B Antigen and Antibody (HBCAb), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) and Alkaline phosphatase (ALK.P), venous blood samples were obtained. If the HBCAb sample was positive, another sample of the serum was sent to the laboratory to perform polymerase chain reaction and to determine viral load. Results: The mean age of the patients was 47.7 ± 9 years, with an age range of 27 -73 years; 98 (46%) and 115 (54%) cases were male and female, respectively, with mean age of 51.9 ± 8.3 and 44.1 ± 8.1 years, and there was no significant difference (P < 0.001). The mean level of liver enzymes including AST, ALT and ALK.P were 34.2 ± 36.02, 38.9 ± 47.1 and 252.1 ± 234.7, respectively. Two cases were HbSAg positive (0.9%) and six cases were HBCAb positive (2.8%) and HbSAg negative. Three cases had a high viral load at the rate of starting treatment among positive anti-HBC patients. Conclusion: Because occult hepatitis is investigated less commonly in routine studies, it seems that screening and evaluating its prevalence is useful in the management of patients.