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Backgrounds and Aim: One of the effective strategies for targeting chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer is the use of lipid nano-carriers. In this study, an optimal formulation of niosomal drug containing doxorubicin has been developed to better fight cancer cells. Material and Methods: Niosomal vesicles were prepared using phosphatidylcholine (22%), span60 (52/5%), cholesterol (22/5%) and DSPE-PEG2000 (5%) by thin-film method. Doxorubicin were loaded into the niosomes using inactive loading method. Their physico-chemical features were assayed using Zeta-Sizer, FTIR and SEM, and drug release amount was calculated at 37° C and 44° C. At the end, the toxicity of the nano drug carrier system was measured on the KG-1 cell line of the bone marrow cancer by MTT method. Results: Niosomal vesicles containing Doxorubicin showed the size of 160.37±65.2 nm, 94.18% drug encapsulation efficiency -58.11± 1.24 mV of zeta potential and polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.234±0.02 The prepared niosomal system presented drug controlled release and FTIR investigation showed almost no interaction between nano-carrier containing drug and the drug itself. As well, morphological examination of nano-carriers using SEM microscopy revealed that they have spherical structures. Also, cellular studies showed that drug toxicity was higher in encapsulated conditions compared to non-encapsulated conditions. Conclusion:The results of this study, meanwhile confirming the proper physicochemical characteristics of the system and being Slow-release system indicate that this nano-carrier anionic increases the toxicity of the drug for the KG-1 cell line of the bone marrow, thus, this niosomal nano-carrier can be a suitable carrier for drug delivery to cancer cells.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, and is among the five most prevalent cancer types among Iranian women. Advanced-stage breast cancer is often correlated with distant metastases. Alterations in gene expression affect general cytoskeleton changes during differentiation and oncogenesis, and can be considered an important factor in tumor progression. Gelsolin plays a significant role in actin assembly and has been introduced as a tumor activator. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of Gelsolin in breast cancer as well as its correlation with patients’ clinical parameters. Methods: In this study, 70 breast cancer patients, who had been referred to Imam Khomeini Complex Cancer Institute for surgery were randomly selected. Normal and tumor tissues were prepared and stored at -80°C. Gelsolin gene expression was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The results showed that Gelsolin gene expression had increased in 68.6% of the tumor samples. In addition, there was a significant association between increased levels of gene expression and tumor progression stages (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant association between increased levels of gene expression and other clinical findings, such as tumor grade, tumor size or patient age. Conclusion: The results revealed that Gelsolin gene expression had increased in the tumor samples. Gelsolin overexpression also resulted in increased lymph node involvement in breast cancer. The expression of this gene also increased significantly during advanced stages of breast cancer; however, there was no significant relation between Gelsolin expression and tumor grade or tumor size.

"nAim of this study is to determine the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome by maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) level. We followed 295 pregnant women from MSAFP screening in the 14th to 22th week of gestation until the end of pregnancy and information on pregnancy outcome have been recorded in questionnaires. Of 295 pregnant women, 270 had term labor and 25 had preterm labor. The frequencies of pregnancy outcomes were as following: 3 (1.01%) stillbirths, 25(8.47%) preterm labor, and 10 (3.4%) preterm rupture of membranous (PROM), 15 (5.1%) pre-eclampsia, 23 (7.8%) oligohydramnious, and 1 (0.33%) miscarriage. The mean of preterm labor was significantly associated with the higher level of MSAFP (P =0.021). The mean was 55.1 ng/cc in preterm labor and 41.1 ng/cc in term labor. Also, second trimester MSAFP levels were higher in women with pre-eclampsia (P