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• In this study determined the bioclimatic component loading patterns over Iran. • The results showed that the first Varimax-rotated loading pattern accounts for 51.82% of the total variances. • This study presented novel insights into the identification of bioclimatic regions in Iran. • Cluster analysis demonstrated that Iran can be divided into five bioclimatic regions based on PCA. • Spatial distribution of bioclimatic zones showing geographical dependency. The main objective of this paper is to classify bioclimatic regions in Iran for optimal environmental planning. Mean daily meteorological data of 155 well-distributed synoptic stations during 1995–2017 were extracted from Iran's Meteorological Organization. Percentage of occurrence of each thermal sensation classes was determined over all studied stations using five bioclimatic indices including Perceived Temperature (PT), Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), Standard Effective Temperature (SET) and Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). An R-mode Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to a N × M (155 × 40) matrix of N = 155 stations and M = 40 total thermal thresholds based on all used indices during the considered time period. According to the results of PCA, the five loading PCs that approximately account for 98.5% of the total variance were selected for further analysis. In addition, Ward method was used for Cluster Analysis (CA) to divide the stations into different bioclimatic groups. The results illustrated that the first Varimax-rotated loading pattern which accounts for 51.82% of total variance characterized Northwest of Iran with more than 0.8 PC scores. Furthermore, cluster analysis demonstrated that Iran can be divided into five bioclimatic regions based on the R-mode PCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant colorectal cancer syndrome that is characterized by the development of multiple adenomas in the colon and rectum with high penetrance rates. This disease has specific features like the occurrence of pathogenic variations in the APC gene and diverse FAP phenotypes due to the occurrence region. In this study we aimed to evaluate pathogenic variants in exons of the APC gene in Iranian patients with FAP. A total of 35 FAP individuals were referred to the gastroenterology ward of Taleghani Hospital. As the aim of the study was to study the germline variations in the participants, the peripheral blood was collected and after the DNA extraction, PCR, and Sanger sequencing processes for the APC gene, the results were evaluated by the ACMG classification guidelines to report their pathogenicity. Accordingly, out of eight specific detected variants, three of them were novel, and the rest were reported previously. These eight variants were all truncating protein and pathogenic, and they were limited to 849-1378 codons. Overall, detected variants revealed discrepancies and parallels with previous reported cases in terms of quantity, occurrence region, and association with demographic and clinicopathological characteristics of patients. The spectrum of detected variants and the patient's phenotype showed distinct characteristics, such as occurrence in specific regions and the absence of extracolonic symptoms like Congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (CHRPE). These findings open the path to comprehending the typical symptoms, their rarity, and their occurrence in the Iranian population and also due to the facts, we found that the studying of the APC gene alone for diagnosing FAP disease is not sufficient, and considering other genes are completely rational in the case of sequencing and studying the variants.

Background: Approximately 5% of colorectal cancers (CRCs) are hereditary. Lynch syndrome (LS), also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), is the most common form of recognized hereditary CRC. Although Iran, as a developing country, has a high incidence of CRC, the spectrum of variants has yet to be thoroughly investigated., Aims: This study aimed to investigate pathogenic and non-pathogenic variants in MLH1 and MSH2 genes in Iranian patients with suspected Lynch syndrome (sLS)., Methods and Results: In the present study, 25 peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with sLS and high microsatellite instability (MSI-H). After DNA extraction, all samples underwent polymerase chain reaction and Sanger sequencing to identify the variants in the exons of MLH1 and MSH2 genes. The identified variants were interpreted using prediction tools, and were finally reported under ACMG guidelines. In our study population, 13 variants were found in the MLH1 gene and 8 in the MSH2 gene. Interestingly, 7 of the 13 MLH1 variants and 3 of the 8 MSH2 variants were novel, whereas the remaining variants were previously reported or available in databases. In addition, some patients with sLS did not have variants in the exons of the MLH1 and MSH2 genes. The variants detected in the MLH1 and MSH2 genes had specific characteristics regarding the number, area of occurrence, and their relationship with demographic and clinicopathologic features., Conclusion: Overall, our results suggest that analysis of MLH1 and MSH2 genes alone is insufficient in the Iranian population, and more comprehensive tests are recommended for detecting LS., (© 2023 Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Cancer Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) are known to have regulatory consequences for aberrant gene expression in cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression levels of long non-encoding RNAs, BACE1 (β-secretase1) and LINC-PINT (Long Intergenic Non-Protein Coding RNA, P53 Induced Transcript), in colorectal cancer (CRC) with clinicopathological parameters., Methods and Results: Bioinformatics analysis defining effectual signalling pathways Wnt. A total of 130 tissue samples (50 fresh CRC tissues with parallel adjacent normal tissues (ADJ) accompanied with 30 normal healthy control tissue samples) were collected from the Iranian population. mRNA expression analysis was performed via Real Time Q-PCR. Statistical analysis for comparing CRC expression levels with ADJ and normal healthy tissues were carried out using Kruskal-Wallis tests. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted for each LNC, separately. We discovered that PINT and BACE1 expression levels were decreased and increased respectively in CRC tumour samples compared with ADJ normal and healthy tissues. Clinicopathological parameter assessment revealed a significant relationship between PINT expression, tumour location, staging and distant metastasis (p < 0.009, p < 0.014, p < 0.008, respectively). Also, BACE1 over expression was significantly associated with tumour site (p < 0.009), metastasis (p < 0.017) and histological differentiation (p < 0.028) and staging (p < 0.017). Furthermore, ROC curve plotting showed LINC-PINT LNC-BACE1 may distinguish between early and late-stage of CRC, highlighting the value of both BACE1 and PINT as CRC progression biomarkers., Conclusion: We investigated two LNCRNAs (PINT and BACE1) as potential CRC prognostic biomarkers, which are imperative for early and effective medical intervention in CRC. Expression levels of PINT and BACE1 in CRC tissue samples may serve to identify metastasis earlier, increasing patient survival rates and expediating clinical treatment options., (© 2022. The Author(s).)