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Sarcopenia is a progressive skeletal muscle disease in which oxidative stress has been proposed as one of the primary markers. The oxidative balance score (OBS) represents the oxidative balance of a person's dietary pattern using the merged intake of anti-oxidants and pro-oxidants. Therefore, the present study assessed the association between OBS and sarcopenia in Iranian older adults. In the current study, 80 people with sarcopenia and 80 without it were considered the case and control groups, respectively. All controls were matched by sex with cases. To confirm sarcopenia, skeletal muscle mass index (SMI), handgrip strength (HGS) measurement, and gait speed were used. Also, body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). A valid and reliable food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to assess all participants' dietary intake of pro-oxidants and anti-oxidants. Conditional logistic regression was applied to assess the association between OBS and sarcopenia. In the bivariate model, we observed lower odds of sarcopenia in the second and last tertile of OBS in comparison to the first tertile (T) (T 2 - odds ratio (OR) = 0.414, 95% confidence interval (CI) : 0.186-0.918 and T 3 - OR = 0.101, 95% CI: 0.041-0.248). After adjusting for potential confounders, the association was not significant in second and last tertile of OBS in comparision to the first one. The present study's findings demonstrated that overcoming exposure to anti-oxidants over pro-oxidants, as illustrated by a higher OBS, is not related to lower odds of sarcopenia in older adults., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background & Aims: This study investigated the effects of collagen hydrolysate and omega-3 fatty acids (FAs) on the rate and quality of wound healing, metabolic disorders, and adipose-derived peptides in patients with major burns., Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, 66 patients with 20-45% deep partial or full-thickness burns were randomly assigned to three groups to receive either a beverage containing collagen (40 gr/d), collagen (40 gr/d) plus 3 gr/d omega-3 (ω-3) FAs, or placebo for four weeks. Wound healing rate, Vancouver scar scale (VSS), as well as baseline, weeks two and three serum concentrations of adiponectin, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), neuregulin 4 (NRG4), transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, and pre-albumin/hs-CRP ratio were assessed., Results: The wound healing rate during the weeks post-burn (p = 0.006 and p = 0.01), and days of 95% (21.3 ± 6.8 and 22.9 ± 8.7 vs. 34.3 ± 14.8 days, p = 0.003 and p = 0.03) and complete (26 ± 7.7 and 27.4 ± 9.4 vs. 41.1 ± 16.6 days, p = 0.003 and p = 0.01) wound healing were significantly better with Collagen and Collagen. ω-3 compared to the placebo group. The VSS was significantly lower, indicated better scar status, in the both intervention groups compared to the placebo (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01). Wound healing outcomes were not statistically different between the Collagen and Collagen. ω-3 groups. Hs-CRP/pre-albumin ratio was significantly lower in the Collagen. ω-3 than the placebo group at week three (1.2 ± 1.9 vs. 4.8 ± 7.7 dl/l, p = 0.03). The significant decrease in serum adiponectin seen during the trial course within the placebo (10 ± 8.8 to 5.8 ± 4.9 mg/l, p = 0.03) and Collagen (11.8 ± 14 to 8.6 ± 11.7 mg/l, p = 0.03) groups was prevented in the Collagen. ω-3 group (p = 0.4). Circulating FGF21 decreased significantly within the Collagen (p = 0.005) and Collagen. ω-3 (p = 0.02) groups at the end of week three compared to the baseline., Conclusions: Adding collagen hydrolysate as part of adjunctive therapy improved wound healing rate and quality. These findings as well as the efficacy of omega-3 FAs need to be further confirmed in larger populations. This study was registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20090901002394N42)., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd and European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. All rights reserved.)

Facial expressions play an essential role in social interactions. Databases of face images have furnished theories of emotion perception, as well as having applications in other disciplines such as facial recognition technology. However, the faces of many ethnicities remain largely underrepresented in the existing face databases, which can impact the generalizability of the theories and technologies developed based on them. Here, we present the first survey-validated database of Iranian faces. It consists of 248 images from 40 Iranian individuals portraying six emotional expressions-anger, sadness, fear, disgust, happiness, and surprise-as well as the neutral state. The photos were taken in a studio setting, following the common scenarios of emotion induction, and controlling for conditions of lighting, camera setup, and the model's head posture. An evaluation survey confirmed high agreement between the models' intended expressions and the raters' perception of them. The database is freely available online for academic research purposes., (© 2022. The Psychonomic Society, Inc.)

Purpose: To investigate the reliability and validity of Parkinson's Disease-Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS) in Iranian patients with idiopathic PD., Methods: One hundred and eighty patients with PD and 60 age-, gender-, and educational level-matched healthy individuals participated in this study. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Persian version of PD-CRS was investigated in 80 patients with PD. To evaluate the construct validity of the PD-CRS, its correlation with the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease-Cognition (SCOPA-Cog), Mini-Mental State Examination, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Clock Drawing Test, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Section I, and Quick Dementia Rating System was assessed. To assess the diagnostic accuracy of the PD-CRS, patients with PD were classified as groups with normal cognitive function, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia using the Clinical Dementia Rating., Results: Test-retest and inter-rater reliability (ICC > 0.90), as well as internal consistency ( α  = 0.94) of the Persian version of PD-CRS, were excellent. A high positive correlation was found between the PD-CRS and SCOPA-Cog. A cut-off point of ≤79 (sensitivity 98.15% and specificity 98.04%) and ≤62 (sensitivity 100%, and specificity 100%) on the PD-CRS total score was obtained for detecting MCI and dementia in PD patients, respectively., Conclusions: The results of this study showed that the Persian version of PD-CRS is a reliable and valid measure with high sensitivity and specificity to identify MCI and dementia in patients with PD.Implications for rehabilitationThe PD-CRS has an excellent test-retest and inter-rater reliability and validity in Iranian patients with PD.The PD-CRS has high sensitivity and specificity for discriminating between different levels of cognitive impairment (i.e. no cognitive impairment, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia) in Iranian patients with PD.

Stereotyping is defined as generalising an attribute to a whole group and overlooking individual differences. In this study, we investigated whether Iranians' stereotypes of nations affected their empathy for the citizens of those nations. First, in a pilot study we explored common national stereotypes by using the stereotype content model (SCM) based on which six countries with different perceived warmth and competence scores were selected as nationalities of the protagonists of the vignettes in our experiment. In the next phase, 21 participants were asked to rate the degree of sadness associated with each vignette in an fMRI scanner. The results showed no significant differences in brain activity while participants were exposed to scenarios in which negative events befell people from different nations. This may be due to the individuation of victims by providing personal information about them., (© 2021 International Union of Psychological Science.)

Introduction: In response to a high burden of opioid use disorder (OUD), Iran established a network of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) centres beginning in 2002. To increase treatment diversity, particularly for patients who use opium as their drug of choice, opium tincture (OT)-assisted treatment was introduced to the network. This study aimed to explore factors influencing OT-assisted treatment selection for OUD in Tehran, Iran., Methods: We conducted 54 in-depth interviews with patients with OUD (n = 33), family members of patients (n = 9) and drug treatment providers (n = 12). Participants were recruited from 12 drug treatment centres across Tehran, between September and November 2019. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and coded in OpenCode 4.02 software and analysed using thematic analysis., Results: Study participants more commonly reported individual-level factors as facilitators (e.g. to reduce harms associated with illicit opioid use, achieve recovery through a gradual dose reduction regimen combined with Congress 60 recovery program) and structural level factors (e.g. low adoption by OAT system and lack of familiarity of treatment providers) as barriers for utilisation of OT-assisted treatment regimens. OT was perceived to produce lower levels of physiological dependence than methadone, but the requirement for twice supervised dosing was restrictive. Low familial and community acceptance were also seen as barriers to access., Discussion and Conclusions: This research identified a range of perceived benefits for OT-assisted treatment ranging from harm reduction to an intermediate step to achieve recovery. However, several structural-, individual-, familial- and community-level barriers impede its availability and acceptability., (© 2021 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

This study aimed to determine the presence of MPs in the gut and muscle tissue of riverine fish collected from the Qarasu River, Kermanshah, Iran. The results highlighted that MPs were found in the gut and muscle of all fish species at an average abundance of 8.12 ± 4.26 P/individual and 0.85 ± 0.38 P/g muscles, respectively. High amounts of MPs were found in the range of 1-25 μm in terms of size distribution. The properties of MPs extracted indicated that PE, PP, PS, and PA in the monotype of fiber and fragment were the most abundant plastic types and shapes found. Additionally, EAI was calculated for MPs found in the muscle. So, 174.43 and 127.19 P/kg/bw/year (1.28 and 0.93 g/kg/bw/year), were intake by two groups of adults and children, respectively. These findings highlight the contamination of fish as a common source of marine food in home consumption and the probability of entrance into the human diet., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Circumsporozoite protein (CSP) has a central immune domain that includes short regions of repeating amino acid sequences. This immunodynamic region is an epitope of B cells that can elicit an immune response in human and laboratory animals. The aim of the present study was to express the recombinant PvCSP-VK210 antigen and evaluate it for assaying antibodies obtained during human P. vivax infection by Western blotting and indirect ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)., Method: Genomic DNA of P. vivax was isolated from a blood sample of an Iranian person with vivax malaria, and by PCR, the fragment of the PvCSP-VK210 gene was amplified. The gene fragment was cut after gel purification by BamHI and HindIII enzymes and then cloned into pET28a expression vector. Finally, the recombinant pET28a was transformed into the E. coli BL21 (DE3) as the expression host. In order to produce His-tagged protein, the expression host was cultured in LB medium. The protein was purified by Ni-NTA columns and immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and after confirmation by Western blotting technique, was used as the antigen in the indirect ELISA test., Results: The recombinant protein was expressed and purified as a 32-kDa protein. The sensitivity and specificity of the indirect ELISA test with the recombinant PvCSP-VK210 antigen were 61.42% and 97.14%, respectively, based on OD  =  0.313. Between the results of the microscopic test and the indirect ELISA test with the recombinant PvCSP-VK210 antigen there was a Kappa coefficient of 0.586. The positive and negative predictive value and validity of the ELISA test with the recombinant PvCSP-VK210 antigen were 95.55%, 71.57%, 79.28%, respectively., Conclusion: The sensitivity of the indirect ELISA method with the recombinant PvCSP-VK210 antigen was 61.42%, which is the first report from Iran., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: The inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a group of heterogeneous disorders mainly characterized by severe and recurrent infections besides other complications including autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we aim to evaluate clinical, immunologic, and molecular data of monogenic IEI patients with and without autoimmune manifestations., Methods: We have retrospectively screened cases of monogenic IEI in the Iranian PID registry for the occurrence of autoimmunity and immune dysregulation. A questionnaire was filled for all qualified patients with monogenic defects to evaluate demographic, laboratory, clinical, and molecular data., Results: A total of 461 monogenic IEI patients (290 male and 171 female) with a median (IQR) age of 11.0 (6.0-20.0) years were enrolled in this study. Overall, 331 patients (72.1%) were born to consanguineous parents. At the time of the study, 330 individuals (75.7%) were alive and 106 (24.3%) were deceased. Autoimmunity was reported in 92 (20.0%) patients with a median (IQR) age at autoimmune diagnosis of 4.0 (2.0-7.0) years. Sixteen patients (3.5%) showed autoimmune complications (mostly autoimmune cytopenia) as the first presentation of the disease. Most of the patients with autoimmunity were diagnosed clinically with common variable immunodeficiency (42.4%). The frequency of sinusitis and splenomegaly was significantly higher in patients with autoimmunity than patients without autoimmunity. In patients with autoimmunity, the most common pathogenic variants were identified in LRBA (in 21 patients, 23.0%), ATM (in 13 patients, 14.0%), and BTK (in 9 patients, 10.0%) genes. In the evaluation of autoimmunity by different genes, 4 of 4 IL10RB (100%), 3 of 3 AIRE (100%), and 21 of 30 LRBA (70.0%) mutated genes had the highest prevalence of autoimmunity., Conclusions: Autoimmune phenomena are common features among patients with monogenic IEI and are associated with a more complicated course of the disease. Therefore, when encountering autoimmune disorders, especially in the setting of dysgammaglobulinemia, it would be appropriate to conduct next-generation sequencing to discover responsible genes for the immune dysregulation at an early stage of the disease., (© 2021 The Authors. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology published by European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Developing drugs increase the radiosensitivity effect of tumoral tissue, while protecting normal tissues has gained much attention. Ginsenoside Rg3, one of the active components of ginseng, has been shown to possess various pharmacological effects and antiproliferation activity on cancer cell lines. In this study, we assessed the anti-cancer effect of co-treatment with ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and curcumin on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with and without radiotherapy., Methods: MTT assay was applied using different concentrations of ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 (0, 10, 80, 150 µmol/l) and curcumin (0, 10, 30, 50, 90 µg/mL). The inhibitory effect of co-treatment with these herbal drugs with and without 4 Gy radiotherapy on the MDA-MB-231 cell line was examined. Flow cytometry was applied to measure the effect of co-treatment of the drugs on radiation-induced apoptosis. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests. P values<0.05 were considered statistically significant., Results: The results of the MTT assay showed that ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and curcumin had an inhibitory effect on the MDA-MB-231 cell line in a concentration-dependent manner. Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and curcumin inhibited tumor cell development and proliferation at concentrations of 80 µmol/L and 30 μg/mL, respectively, with 50% cell viability (P=0.018, P=0.01, respectively) at 48 hour incubation time., Conclusion: Ginsenoside 20(S)-Rg3 and curcumin inhibited MDA-MB-231 cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner and increased the radiosensitivity of cancer cells. These herbal drugs can be considered as a radiosensitizer in radiotherapy., (Copyright: © Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences.)

Background: Self-management of hypertension is of great significance given its increasing incidence and its associated disabilities. In view of the increased use of mobile health in medicine, the present study evaluated the effect of a self-management application on patient adherence to hypertension treatment., Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 120 hypertensive patients who were provided with a mobile intervention for 8 weeks and followed up until the 24th week. Data on the primary outcome (adherence to treatment) and secondary outcomes (adherence to the DASH diet, regular monitoring of blood pressure, and physical activity) were collected using a questionnaire and a mobile application, respectively. The inter-group change difference over time was analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA (general linear model)., Results: The treatment adherence score increased by an average of 5.9 (95% CI 5.0-6.7) in the intervention group compared to the control group. The scores of "adherence to the low-fat and low-salt diet plans" were 1.7 (95% CI 1.3-2.1) and 1.5 (95% CI 1.2-1.9), respectively. Moreover, moderate physical activity increased to 100.0 min (95% CI 61.7-138.3) per week in the intervention group., Conclusion: The treatment and control of blood pressure require a multifaceted approach given its complexity and multifactorial nature. Considering the widespread use of smartphones, mHealth interventions can be effective in self-management and better patient adherence to treatments. Our results showed that this application can be used as a successful tool for hypertension self-management in patients attending public hospitals in developing countries., Trial Registration: Iran Randomized Clinical Trial Center IRCT2015111712211N2 . Registered on 1 January 2016.

Background: Mobile-based social media play an important role in the dissemination of information during public health emergencies., Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the contents and trends of public messages posted on Telegram during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic., Methods: A content analysis of the 1781 messages, posted in a public Telegram channel with more than one million subscribers performed over 9-weeks. The messages were categorized into seven categories., Results: In total, 39% (n=703) of all messages were related to COVID-19. With the official confirmation of the case of COVID-19 in Iran, the number of COVID-related massages started to rise. Overall, the most frequent messages were of joke and humor (n=292, 41.5%), followed by educational messages (n=140, 19.9%)., Conclusion: Our study showed that the most popular messages during first weeks of COVID pandemic were satirical, indicating that people may not had taken the risks of this pandemic seriously. It is crucial for health organizations to develop strategies for dissemination of reliable health information through social media.

Introduction: Iran has an human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) epidemic that is concentrated among people who inject drugs (PWID), who have higher risks of progression from latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) to active disease. The aim of this study is to measure prevalence of LTBI, HIV infection and any risk behaviors among PWID in Iran., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from August to December 2013 in six cities across Iran. A total of 420 PWID were recruited from drop-in centres using convenience sampling. Trained interviewers collected data on socio-demographic characteristics, drug use history and drug-related risk behaviors across the study sites. A tuberculin skin test (TST) was performed, and HIV infection was assessed by a rapid test. Multivariable modified Poisson regression and logistic regression were used for data analysis., Results: Prevalence of positive TST and HIV positivity was 35.7% and 8.6%, respectively. The prevalence of LTBI and HIV was significantly different across the cities of this study. Positive TST was independently associated with older age (APR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01, 1.05) and being HIV positive (APR 1.89, 95% CI 1.45, 2.47). HIV infection was associated with lifetime history of sharing syringes (AOR 3.28, 95% CI 1.44, 10.71) and lifetime number of imprisonment (AOR 1.09, 95% CI 1.03-1.14)., Discussion and Conclusions: Prevalence of LTBI infections among PWID is high and independently associated with HIV infection. Given that there are currently no TB services available within drop-in centres, programs which integrate TB case finding, TB preventive therapy, referral and care services for PWID are urgently needed., (© 2020 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.)

Background: Smoking is considered the leading risk factor for many chronic diseases and deaths worldwide. Thus, it is important to determine the number of smokers before implementing tobacco control initiatives. Due to stigma and deterrent measures, it is impossible to access smokers through a self-report questionnaire., Aims: To compare exhaled carbon monoxide levels with self-reports among university students in the Islamic Republic of Iran., Methods: This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 60 university students recruited in 2016 in Tehran. There were 30 women and 30 men with an average age of 23.1 (±15.6) years. They were interviewed using an adaptation of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases questionnaire and further assessed by breath analysis. Smoking status was compared and then correlated with the resultant carbon monoxide levels at a cutoff of 6 ppm., Results: Mean cigarette consumption was 4.7 (±1.8) each day and smoking status was reported as 19 (31.7%) current smokers and 41 (68.3%) nonsmokers of tobacco. Significant correlations were obtained between the exhaled carbon monoxide levels of the smoker and nonsmoker groups (P < 0.05). Irrespective of the measures of smoking status, the frequency of detecting smokers was comparable to that of detecting nonsmokers (P = 0.756)., Conclusions: Similar to self-reports, the exhaled carbon monoxide measurement successfully distinguished smokers from nonsmokers. This allows healthcare providers and policy-makers to examine the effectiveness of tobacco cessation and prevention programmes., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2021. Open Access. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Background: Methamphetamine use disorder is an important public health problem, especially in the younger generation, and associated with various psychiatric, cognitive, social, economic, and legal issues. Cabergoline, a drug with dopaminergic properties and long half-life, has been considered for the treatment of stimulant dependence. The systemic use of cabergoline has been shown to increase glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) expression., Objective: In this study, we investigated the effects of cabergoline on the serum level of GDNF and its effect on abstaining from methamphetamine in individuals treated for methamphetamine use disorder., Method: Sixty male subjects with methamphetamine use disorder were randomly assigned to 2 groups receiving cabergoline and placebo, respectively. During a 12-week follow-up, we compared the serum level of GDNF, urine test results for methamphetamine use, and depression scale between the 2 groups., Results: We found that serum GDNF was lower in subjects who used methamphetamine than healthy subjects (p < 0.0001). However, the serum level of GDNF was not associated with cabergoline use. The rising number of cases testing positive in the placebo group showed a trend resulting in no significant difference between cases testing positive and negative (p = 0.585) at the end of week 12. In the verum group, however, the significantly high number of cases who tested negative - sober - for substances observed in early stages (weeks 7-8) continued to remain significantly higher till the end of the study (p = 0.043), resembling an association between treatment with cabergoline and remaining sober. Although reduced during treatment, recovery from depression was not associated with cabergoline treatment., Conclusion: The findings of this study confirmed the effect of cabergoline in reducing methamphetamine use. However, a serum level of the GDNF increase, as seen in animal studies, was not associated with cabergoline treatment of human subjects. This study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (TRN:IRCT2015050422077N1, October 06, 2015, https://en.irct.ir/trial/19134)., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Aim: To describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics along with outcomes of hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with and without diabetes., Methods: This retrospective, single-center study included 595 consecutive hospitalized patients with confirmed COVID-19 at Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from February 26, 2020 to March 26, 2020. Demographic data, clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings were collected and compared between patients based on diabetes status. Complications and clinical outcomes were followed up until April 4, 2020., Results: From among the 595 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the median age was 55 years and 401 (67.4%) were male. The most common symptoms included fever (419 [70.4%]), dry cough (368 [61.8%]) and dyspnea (363 [61%]). A total of 148 patients (24.9%) had diabetes, and compared with patients without diabetes, these patients had more comorbidities (eg, hypertension [48.6% vs. 22.3%; P < 0.001]); had higher levels of white blood cell count, neutrophil count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and blood urea nitrogen, and had a higher proportion of patchy ground-glass opacity in chest computed tomography findings (52.7% vs. 25.7%; P < 0.001). Significantly, patients with diabetes had more complications and needed more respiratory support than those without diabetes (P < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up, treatment failure and death was significantly higher in patients with diabetes compared to those without diabetes (17.8% vs. 8.7%; P = 0.003)., Conclusion: COVID-19 patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of complications and a higher in-hospital mortality during hospitalization. Diabetes status of COVID-19 patients and frequent monitoring of glycemia would be helpful to prevent deteriorating clinical conditions., 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 © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Understanding the association between methamphetamine (MA) use and HIV risk behavior among people who inject drugs (PWID) will assist policy-makers and program managers to sharpen the focus of HIV prevention interventions. This study examines the relationship between MA use and HIV risk behavior among men who inject drugs (MWID) in Tehran, Iran, using coarsened exact matching (CEM)., Methods: Data for these analyses were derived from a cross-sectional study conducted between June and July 2016. We assessed three outcomes of interest-all treated as binary variables, including distributive and receptive needle and syringe (NS) sharing and condomless sex during the month before interview. Our primary exposure of interest was whether study participants reported any MA use in the month prior to the interview. Firstly, we report the descriptive statistics for the pooled samples and matched sub-samples using CEM. The pooled and matched estimates of the associations and their 95% CI were estimated using a logistic regression model., Results: Overall, 500 MWID aged between 18 and 63 years (mean = 28.44, SD = 7.22) were recruited. Imbalances in the measured demographic characteristics and risk behaviors between MA users and non-users were attenuated using matching. In the matched samples, the regression models showed participants who reported MA use were 1.82 times more likely to report condomless sex (OR = 1.82 95% CI 1.51, 4.10; P = 0.031), and 1.35 times more likely to report distributive NS sharing in the past 30 days, as compared to MA non-users (OR = 1.35 95% CI 1.15-1.81). Finally, there was a statistically significant relationship between MA use and receptive NS sharing in the past month. People who use MA in the last month had higher odds of receptive NS sharing when compared to MA non-users (OR = 4.2 95% CI 2.7, 7.5; P = 0.013)., Conclusions: Our results show a significant relationship between MA use and HIV risk behavior among MWID in Tehran, Iran. MA use was related with increased NS sharing, which is associated with higher risk for HIV exposure and transmission.

Objectives: Helicobacter pylori ) infection caused by antibiotic-resistant strains represents a major public health threat that aggressively promotes gastric cancer progression. Antibiotic resistance evaluation is immensely important to counteract its emergence. Here we merely determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in H. pylori ) infection caused by antibiotic-resistant strains represents a major public health threat that aggressively promotes gastric cancer progression. Antibiotic resistance evaluation is immensely important to counteract its emergence. Here we merely determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in H. pylori isolates and its correlation with cagA motifs and the homB gene. Methods: isolated strains utilizing the disk diffusion method and study the correlation between it and the presence of pathogenic genes, H. pylori isolated strains utilizing the disk diffusion method and study the correlation between it and the presence of pathogenic genes, cagA EPIYA motifs and homB The resistance rates to four antibiotics were 70.1% for metronidazole, 35.5% for amoxicillin, 7.2% for clarithromycin and 8.2% for tetracycline. Resistance phenotypes were separated into two groups, single resistance (63.2%) and multi-resistance (12.5%). The prevalence of Results: The resistance rates to four antibiotics were 70.1% for metronidazole, 35.5% for amoxicillin, 7.2% for clarithromycin and 8.2% for tetracycline. Resistance phenotypes were separated into two groups, single resistance (63.2%) and multi-resistance (12.5%). The prevalence of cagA resistant strains was significantly higher in cancer ( homB + resistant strains was significantly higher in cancer ( p =  0.01, respectively) than those of other diseases. The prevalence of p =  0.01, respectively) than those of other diseases. The prevalence of cagA-homB + The Resistance rate to selected antibiotics in Shiraz is higher than years ago. The presence of homB ( p can be used as a marker to antibiotic resistance status prediction in = isolated in this area.Conclusion: The Resistance rate to selected antibiotics in Shiraz is higher than years ago. The presence of cagA-homB + is associated with antibiotic resistance and also homB can be used as a marker to antibiotic resistance status prediction in H. pylori isolated in this area.

Background: Hearing loss (HL) is the most common sensorineural disorder with high phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity, which negatively affects life quality. Autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL) constitutes a major share of HL cases. In the present study, Whole exome sequencing (WES) was applied to investigate the underlying etiology of HL in an Iranian patient with ARNSHL., Methods: A proband from an Iranian consanguineous family was examined via WES, following GJB2 sequencing. WES was utilized to find possible genetic etiology of the disease. Various Bioinformatics tools were used to assess the pathogenicity of the variants. Co-segregation analysis of the candidate variant was carried out. Interpretation of variants was performed according to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines., Results: WES results showed a novel frameshift (16 bp deletion) variant (p.Ala170Alafs*20) in the LRTOMT gene. This variant, which resides in exon 6, was found to be co-segregating in the family. It fulfils the criteria set by the ACMG guidelines of being pathogenic., Conclusion: Here, we report successful application of WES to identify the molecular pathogenesis of ARNSHL, which is a genetically heterogeneous disorder, in a patient with ARNSHL.

Background: Murder is one of the public health problems. According to the WHO reports, murder is fourth leading cause of death among young people. The aim of this study was applying joint point regression model to study trend of homicide mortality in Iran, 2006-2016., Study Design: A cross-sectional panel (pseudo-panel) study., Methods: Homicide data during 2006 to 2016 were extracted from Iranian legal medicine organization. Trends of homicide incidence were summarized by annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) using non-linear segmented regression model., Results: Totally, 26918 homicide cases occurred during the period from 2006 to 2016. The highest and lowest frequency was related to the 15-29 yr (46.5%) and 0-4 yr (1.5%) age groups, respectively. The homicide incidence rate of the country in 2016 was 2.81 per 100,000. The four provinces of Sistan & Baluchistan, Khuzestan, Kerman and Ilam had the highest incidence rate in 2016, respectively. During the study period, the incidence rate of homicide in Iran and men have been significantly decreased (APC: -2.8% (95% CI: -3.9, -1.7) and -3.2% (95% CI: - 4.5, -1.8) respectively (P<0.001))., Conclusion: The pattern of homicide rate has a downward trend in the country. Moreover, the varying observed trends in some provinces can be due to the variability in mental, geographical, socio-economic and cultural conditions in each region.

Background: Glycogen storage disease (GSD) is a rare inborn error of the synthesis or degradation of glycogen metabolism. GSD1, the most common type of GSD, is categorized into GSD1a and GSD1b which caused by the deficiency of glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) and glucose-6-phosphate transporter (SLC37A4), respectively. The high rates of consanguineous marriages in Iran provide a desirable context to facilitate finding the homozygous pathogenic mutations. This study designates to evaluate the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with GSD1b to assess the possible genotype-phenotype correlation., Results: Autozygosity mapping was performed on nineteen GSD suspected families to suggest the causative loci. The mapping was done using two panels of short tandem repeat (STR) markers linked to the corresponding genes. The patients with autozygous haplotype block for the markers flanking the genes were selected for direct sequencing. Six patients showed autozygosity in the candidate markers for SLC37A4. Three causative variants were detected. The recurrent mutation of c.1042&#95;1043delCT (p.Leu348Valfs*53) and a novel missense mutation of c.365G > A (p.G122E) in the homozygous state were identified in the SLC37A4. In silico analysis was performed to predict the pathogenicity of the variants. A novel whole SLC37A4 gene deletion using long-range PCR and sequencing was confirmed as well. Severe and moderate neutropenia was observed in patients with frameshift and missense variants, respectively. The sibling with the whole gene deletion has shown both severe neutropenia and leukopenia., Conclusions: The results showed that the hematological findings may have an appropriate correlation with the genotype findings. However, for a definite genotype-phenotype correlation, specifically for the clinical and biochemical phenotype, further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.

Background: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most frequent primary immunodeficiency disorder mainly characterized by recurrent bacterial infections besides other immunological defects including loss of or dysfunction of B cells and decreased immunoglobulin levels. In this study, our aim is to evaluate clinical, immunological, and molecular data of patients with a primary clinical diagnosis of CVID and autoimmune phenotype with a confirmed genetic diagnosis., Methods: Among 297 patients with CVID, who were registered in the Iranian Primary Immunodeficiency Registry at Children's Medical Center Hospital in Iran, 83 patients have been genetically examined and 27 patients with autoimmunity and confirmed genetic mutations were selected for analysis. Whole-exome sequencing and confirmatory Sanger sequencing methods were used for the study population. A questionnaire was retrospectively filled for all patients to evaluate demographic, laboratory, clinical, and genetic data., Results: In the 27 studied patients, 11 different genetic defects were identified, and the most common mutated gene was LRBA, reported in 17 (63.0%) patients. Two patients (7.7%) showed autoimmune complications as the first presentation of immunodeficiency. Eleven patients (40.7%) developed one type of autoimmunity, and 16 patients (59.3%) progressed to poly-autoimmunity. Most of the patients with mono-autoimmunity (n = 9, 90.0%) primarily developed infectious complications, while in patients with poly-autoimmunity, the most common first presentation was enteropathy (n = 6, 37.6%). In 13 patients (61.9%), the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders preceded the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency. The most frequent autoimmune manifestations were hematologic (40.7%), gastrointestinal (48.1%), rheumatologic (25.9%), and dermatologic (22.2%) disorders. Patients with poly-autoimmunity had lower regulatory T cells than patients with mono-autoimmunity., Conclusion: In our cohort, the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders preceded the diagnosis of primary immunodeficiency in most patients. This association highlights the fact that patients referring with autoimmune manifestations should be evaluated for humoral immunity., (© 2020 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Imatinib mesylate has revolutionized the treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML); however, some patients fail to respond and have a poor prognosis. Evaluation of molecular response to imatinib is a sensitive method can help physicians make better and quicker therapeutic decisions in the course of this disease. This study aims to evaluate the molecular response to generic imatinib in Iranian patients with CML., Patients and Methods: This prospective study consisted of 255 newly diagnosed patients with CML who received imatinib. Molecular response was analyzed at 3 and 6 months from the start of the treatment and then every 6 months, and long-term outcomes, including overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), were evaluated., Results: At a median follow-up of 34.8 months (range, 3-84 months, (the OS and PFS at 7 years were 94.3% and 92.9%, respectively. Eighty-four-month PFS rates in patients with a BCR-ABLIS ≤ 10% at 3 months and BCR-ABLIS ≤ 1% at 6 months were significantly higher than patients who did not obtain these levels of BCR-ABL transcripts (P = .004 and P < .0001, respectively). The proportion of patients who achieved major molecular response (MMR) was 44.1%, 52.97%, and 60.75% at 12, 18, and 24 months, respectively. At 12, 18, and 84 months, the PFS rates in patients who achieved MMR were significantly higher than in patients who did not achieve MMR (P = .002, P < .0001, and P = .003, respectively)., Conclusions: The data of this prospective study are highly comparable with that from clinical trials and prospective international studies., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Considering the crucial role of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration in determining cardiovascular risk, the accuracy of LDL-C estimation is essential. To date, various types of formulae have been introduced, albeit their accuracy has not been assessed in varied populations. In this study, the accuracy of eight formulae for LDL-C estimation was evaluated in an Iranian population., Methods: A data set of 2752 individuals was included in the study and all samples were analyzed in term of lipid profiles using direct homogeneous assay. The population was divided into various subgroups based on the triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), fasting blood sugar (FBS) and age values and estimated LDL-C values by Friedewald, Chen, de Cordova, Vujovic, Anandaraja, Hattori, Ahmadi, and Puavillai equations were compared to the directly measured LDL-C in each subgroup., Results: Estimated LDL-C values by Puavillai formulae showed an insignificant difference compared to the directly measured LDL-C in subjects with high level of TG. However, for TG range < 3.38 mmol/L and high levels of HDL-C, the difference between the means of estimated LDL-C by Hattori and de Cordova formulas, and directly measured LDL-C was relatively lower than other equations. In addition, estimated LDL-C by Hattori and de Cordova formulae had insignificant differences as compared to the direct LDL-C at some levels of cholesterol, the normal level of FBS and some age ranges., Conclusions: Therefore, it seems that Hattori and de Cordova formulas can be considered as the best alternatives for LDL-C direct measurement in the Iranian population, especially for healthy subjects.

Background: Evaluation of costs and benefits of substance use treatment programs through a standard economic framework is necessary for optimal policy making. However, drug policy making is seldom supported by economic justification. Measurement of willingness to pay is a tool to provide better understanding of intangible substance use treatment outcomes and to help a balanced policy in treatment of substance use between maintenance treatment and abstinence-based approach., Aim: To assess the reciprocal association between economic indexes and attitudes about substance use and its treatment as indicators of tendency toward the two different treatment., Method: Willingness to pay for treatment was measured by contingency valuation method among 109 treatment cost payers of which 78 subjects were from outpatient methadone maintenance clinics and 31 were from abstinence-based residential facilities. To analyze predictors of willingness to pay, we used income to capture heterogeneity of purchasing power among subjects. Further, we checked bivariate correlation of different attitudes of cost payers with willingness to pay. In the next step using backward regression equation we tried to reach the best specification of the model. Selected variables include cost payers' attitudes toward substance use and its treatment, effectiveness of treatment, social attitude toward the condition of substance use in Iran, fairness of treatment prices, and government financial support for addiction treatment., Results: In methadone maintenance clinics the payers' income had a pivotal role in determining willingness to pay for substance use treatment by 50% (p<0.001 ). On the other hand, in abstinence-based residential facilities positive attitude toward substance use (61%, p<0.01) was the major direct determinant of willingness to pay for treatment. Attitude to public financial support for substance use treatment (55%, p<0.01 ) and consumption experience (45%, p<0.01 ) showed an inverse association with WTP in regression equation., Conclusion: This study expanded the understanding of the nature of payment in different substance use treatment modalities. The suggestion to policy makers is that before taking position on different types of treatment services, it is necessary to pay attention to factors that determine values cost payers put on treatment. In other words, economic indexes, payers' views about substance use and its treatment, and their opinion about effectiveness of substance use treatment programs may jeopardize the success of the policy., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background/aim: Environmental and genetic factors may play a major role in the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among people with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Based on the fact that PGC-1α, as the protein encoded by the PPARGC1A gene, plays a key role in energy metabolism pathways, it has been hypothesized that polymorphisms within the PPARGC1Agene may be associated with increased risks of NAFLD. Thus, this study was designed to evaluate the Gly482Ser polymorphism (rs8192678) within the PPARGC1A gene and its association with the increased risk of NAFLD in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes., Materials and Methods: A total of 145 NAFLD patients with a history of type 2 diabetes and 145 healthy control subjects were included in the study. Gly482Ser polymorphism genotyping was done using the amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) technique., Results: The results showed a significant difference between the PPARGC1A Gly482Serpolymorphism in NAFLD patients and the healthy controls. Accordingly, the AA genotype and A allele were increased in the NAFLD patients when compared to the healthy controls. However, no significant correlation was observed between the Gly482Ser polymorphism and the physiological and biochemical parameters., Conclusion: Based on the results, the AA genotype, which is associated with the insertion of Ser, can be considered as a risk factor for the development of NAFLD in Iranian patients with diabetes type 2., (This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.)

Background: Occupational injury is a cause of premature mortality, mainly in low- and middle-income countries. Occupational injuries estimated to kill more than 300,000 workers worldwide every year. We estimated the years of life lost (YLL) of fatal unintentional occupational injuries in Iran for the five years of 2012-2016., Study Design: A cross-sectional study., Methods: To estimate the YLL, registered deaths due to occupational unintentional injury were identified from the Iranian Legal Medicine Organization. Estimated YLL was calculated according to Global Burden of Disease 2010 guideline. Population life expectancy in each corresponding years was retrieved from the national health database. All data collected entered into Excel software for calculations., Results: In 2012-2016, fatal unintentional occupational injuries were the cause of 8,606 deaths in Iran, resulting in 4.6 prematurely lost life yr per 1000 males and 0.3 yr per 1000 females among workers, every year. 98.7% of the deaths occurred in males. Males from 15 to 19 yr of age and females from 10 to 14 yr of age showed the highest YLL rates. The rate of YLLs per 1,000 workers per year was 3.99 overall, 4.6 in males, and 0.4 in females., Conclusion: Premature mortality due to occupational injury is still a serious problem in the Iranian population. Our findings may be useful from a health policy perspective for designing and prioritizing interventions focused on the prevention of premature loss of life. Known prevention strategies need to be implemented widely to diminish avoidable injuries in the workplace.

Background: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors that belong to the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. Several studies have demonstrated a significant association between Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPAR-γ2 gene and metabolic disorders. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association of Pro12Ala polymorphism with increased risk of NAFLD in Iranian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus., Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 145 healthy control subjects and 145 NAFLD patients with a history of type 2 diabetes. Pro12Ala polymorphism genotyping was performed using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique with the Bs1I restriction enzyme., Results: Our results demonstrated that CC and GG genotypes of Pro12Ala were found in the participants, but there was no statistically significant difference between NAFLD patients and healthy controls ( P  = 0.64 and χ 2  = 0.21)., Conclusion: This study suggests that Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPAR-γ2 gene cannot be considered as a risk factor for NAFLD in the Iranian population., Competing Interests: Institutional Ethics committees of Islamic Azad University and Southwest Medical University approved the study. This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (1964). Informed consent was obtained from all study participants. All study participants registered in the analysis were recruited from Shahid Rajaei Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center in Tehran, Iran. The informed consent explains to patients that they have a right to leave the study at any time.Not applicable.The authors declare that they have no competing interests.Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by axial arthritis. The genetic-environmental factors seem to be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease and the disease debilitates patients during the most productive stages of their lives. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between two environmental factors, diet and air pollution with disease activity and functional impairment in AS., Methods: A case-control study was carried out. Thirty patients with AS and 30 age and sex-matched healthy controls were included. Disease scores including BASMI, BASDAI, BASFI, and BASG were calculated by means of the international Ankylosing Spondylitis Assessment working group consensus recommendations. The food intake was evaluated by semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (147 items FFQ). Level of air pollution indices, PM10 and PM2.5 information was obtained from the Tehran air quality control network., Results: Total energy and fat intake, some vitamins (A, B1, B2, C) and mineral intake (potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and selenium) were significantly higher in patients with AS compared to controls. Fat component consumption especially Saturated Fat of Food was moderately correlated with BASFI score. PM2.5 long term exposure was strongly correlated with BASMI, BASFI and BASDAI scores of patients., Conclusion: High-fat diet and long term exposure to air pollution are associated with worse disease outcomes reported in patients with AS. This is an interesting area of investigation in AS pathogenesis and management.

Background/objectives: Injection drug use is one of the major public health problems in Iran. Injection drug use is associated with numerous negative health outcomes, such as blood-borne infections (HIV, HCV) and injection site skin infections (abscesses, cellulitis). The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of injection site skin infections and its associated risk factors among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tehran, Iran., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted from March to August 2016 in Tehran province. A total of 500 PWID were recruited by convenience and snowball sampling from Drop-in Centers (DIC) in the South of Tehran. Our primary outcomes were self-report of ever having injection sites skin infections and receiving treatment for them. We first examined associations between individual variables and lifetime history of having injection site infections in bivariate analysis using the chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, as appropriate. Variables with P-value <.2 were included in a multiple logistic regression model., Results: Overall, 40% (CI95%: 30.3%, 52.2%) of participants reported ever having an injection site infection. In the multivariable model, those with low socioeconomic status (AOR = 2.4, P = .03), self-reported as HIV positive (AOR =1.6, P = .01), reporting more than 3 injections per day (AOR = 4.1, P = .03) and reuse of their own syringes (AOR = 8.5, P = .03) were more likely to have injection sites skin infections. PWID who used needle and syringe program (NSP) services were less likely to report injection site infections (AOR = 0.5, P = .04)., Conclusion: We have identified several risk factors for injection sites infections among PWID, including frequency of injection per day, reuse of their own syringes, not using NSP services, HIV status, socioeconomic status with skin infections in PWID. Prevention strategies to reduce skin infections should focus on high-risk injection behaviors and improving access to NSP services., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Global estimates suggest there are 15.6 million people who inject drugs (PWID) of whom 17.8% are living with HIV.Few studies have characterized newly-onset injectors with long-term injectors and its association with injecting risk behaviors., Objectives: We examined the relationship between length of injection and risk behaviors among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Tehran, Iran., Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among PWID, from March to August 2016 in Tehran, Iran. PWID were recruited by convenience and snowball sampling from five Drop-in Centers (DIC) located in the south of Tehran. Our primary independent variable was length of injecting career, defined as the number of months since injecting initiation. Those defined as new injectors (were injecting for less than 18 months), and long-term injectors (as injecting drugs for more than 18 months). We reported the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) point estimate and 95% confidence interval (CI95%) as the effect measure. The level of significance used in multiple logistic regression model was 0.05. We used STATA v. 11 for all analyzes., Results: The analytical sample comprised of 500 participants (100% male). Mean (±SD) age of PWID with a length of injection history was 31.2 ± 7.2 years. Overall, 270 (54%) (CI95%: 49.6%, 58.4%) of participants were long-term injectors. The average age of drug use initiation among long-term injectors group was lower as compared to new injectors group (31.2 vs. 29.4, p < 0.001). The odds of distributive syringe sharing among new injectors were two times higher than long-term injectors (AOR = 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-4.7). The odds of receptive syringe sharing were lower among new injectors group (AOR = 0.7, CI95% 0.2-0.87), compared to long-term injectors. New injectors had higher odds of reusing their own syringes (OR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.4-5.7; p = 0.01)., Conclusions: Improvements in harm reduction service provision can occur through taregted risk reduction education for new injectors focusing on reducing distributive syringe sharing among them.

Dopamine is the most important neurotransmitter which is involved in reward and addiction. Repeated drug exposure can induce some adaptive changes in the molecular and cellular function of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Since the essential role of dopamine in the pathophysiology of drug addiction is proven, the changes in dopamine receptors level in the brain of opioid abusers and matched control subjects were investigated. Fifty-six opioid abusers and thirteen control subjects were obtained from Legal Medicine Center. The cause of death and the postmortem interval were determined by forensic pathologists. mRNA expression and protein level of dopamine receptors in the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAC) and amygdala were assessed. The mRNA and protein level of DRD1 increased in the VTA, NAC and amygdala of opioid abusers. DRD2 protein level increased in the VTA, NAC and amygdala of opioid abusers when compared with the control. DRD3 level decreased in all the brain regions except in the amygdala of opioid abusers in comparison with the control group. DRD4 mRNA level increased only in the amygdala of opioid abusers. There were no significant changes in the protein and mRNA levels of DRD4 in the VTA and NAC. In mRNA and protein level of DRD5, it followed the same pattern like DRD1. The current data suggest that adaptive changes in mRNA and protein level of dopamine receptors occurred in the brain of opioid abusers and the variations depended on the brain region., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Suicide is a major global public health problem and much burden in the societies. This study aims to calculate the years of life lost (YLL) due to suicide and investigate its trend in Iran., Methods: Information on deaths due to suicide in Iran was extracted from Iran Legal Medicine Organization. The years of life lost was calculated in each year according to gender and age-groups. To examine the trend for different years, joinpoint regression was used., Results: The 35,297 deaths due to suicide were recorded in 2006-2015. The total YLL in the 10-year period was 34.52 per 1000 persons in males, 13.61 per 1000 persons in females and 23.35 per 1000 persons in both sexes. Hanging comprised the largest YLL of suicide. The annual percent change of YLL rate was 3.3%., Conclusions: The results revealed that male shows an increasing trend in YLL specifically among youth and adult, while there is no improvement in females. There is a national need to implement an effective health policy intervention in Iran.

Phytochemical analysis of the Ferulago trifida Boiss. from Apiaceae family led to the isolation and identification of suberosin (1), isoimperatorin (2), prantschimgin (3), oxypeucedanin (4), oxypeucedanin methanolate (5), suberenol (6), 6-hydroxymethylherniarin (7), oxypeucedanin hydrate (8), ulopterol (9), bergapten (10), xanthotoxin (11), imperatorin (12) and grandivittin (13) from chloroform extracts of the roots (1-9) and fruits (1, 2, 8, 10-13) of this species. Oxypeucedanin methanolate and suberenol demonstrated a potent antioxidant power with 268.2 ± 5.4 and 251.2 ± 6.2 mmol FSE/100 g, respectively, compared by BHT (267.2 ± 4.2 mmol FSE/100 g) in FRAP method. The potent antibacterial effects were found for oxypeucedanin methanolate on S. epidermidis (IZ; 26 mm, MIC; 250 μg mL -1 ) an oxypeucedanin hydrate on K. pneumoniae (IZ: 21 mm, MIC: 250 μg mL -1 ). Moreover, suberosin showed higher preferential toxicity against MDA-MB-23 cells (IC 50 : 0.21 mM, SI: 5.0), in comparison with tamoxifen (IC 50 : 0.012 mM, SI: 2.45) in MTT assay.

Considering the scarcity of available science and controversies around effective policies addressing gaming disorder and its health-related consequences, Király et al. have conducted a systematic review on current evidence regarding this issue. We, a group of researchers in this field, would like to express our perspective from Iran. With rapid growth of gaming, Iran seems to be facing some specific policy issues and challenges, which are going to be reviewed in this short commentary.

Background: Iran has experienced an emerging epidemic of methamphetamine use during recent years which has added to existing non-injecting and injecting opioid use in the country. This study explored factors influencing the initiation into or transition to methamphetamine use among young people who use drugs (PWUD)., Methods: We conducted 42 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with young PWUD (n = 35) and health care workers (HCWs) (n = 7) between July and October 2011 in Tehran, Iran. The PWUD were purposefully recruited from different tiers of drug services and lived in geographically diverse areas of Tehran. The HCWs were substance use experts and/or service providers of treatment and harm reduction facilities. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using OpenCode 3.6 software., Results: The predominant factors for initiation into or transition to methamphetamine use were individual domain factors. The peer domain factors were the second most frequently stated perceived factor category for transition to methamphetamine use. Other perceived factors affecting transition to stimulant use included both family and community domains., Conclusion: Drug prevention programs should consider targeting certain settings, including workplaces and sports clubs, for preventative interventions. Existing opioid treatment and harm reduction services should be adjusted in response to the methamphetamine use epidemic.

Our aim in this cross-sectional study was to assess the cognitive determinants of Cervical Cancer Screening Behavior (CCSB) among housewife women in Islamabad County, Iran. Through multistage random sampling we recruited and interviewed 280 housewife women. The women who perceived more benefits of performing the Pap test (OR = 1.11), and perceived fewer barriers (OR = 0.915), and higher self-efficacy to perform the test (OR = 1.12) were more likely to have a CCSB in the previous three years. Our findings are informative for the development of targeted interventions to foster CCSB among housewife women.

There are ongoing controversies regarding the upcoming ICD-11 concept of gaming disorder. Recently, Aarseth et al. have put this diagnostic entity into scrutiny. Although we, a group of Iranian researchers and clinicians, acknowledge some of Aarseth et al.'s concerns, believe that the inclusion of gaming disorder in the upcoming ICD-11 would facilitate necessary steps to raise public awareness, enhance development of proper diagnostic approaches and treatment interventions, and improve health and non-health policies.

There is no published data on association of HLA class II alleles with clearance or persistence after acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients from Iran. HLA DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 alleles were determined using polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) on a total of 117 thalassemia patients (63 with chronic infection, and 54 with viral clearance) and 120 healthy controls. HLA-DRB1*0301 and DQA1*0501 alleles were found significantly present in patients with HCV clearance compared to those with chronic infection (P = 0.03 and P = 0.0007, respectively). By contrast, DRB1*0701, DQA1*0201, and DQB1*0602 alleles occurred significantly in those with chronic infection compared to those with viral clearance (P = 0.004, P = 0.007, and P = 0.02, respectively). As compared to the controls, DRB1*0301, DRB1*11, DQA1*0501, and DQB1*0301 alleles showed a significant decrease in chronic patients (P = 0.002, P = 0.001, P = 0.0001, and P = 0.0004, respectively). Furthermore, the haplotype frequencies of DRB1*0301, DQA1*0501, DQB1*0201, and DRB1*1101, DQA1*0501, DQB1*0301 were found significantly higher (P = 0.004 and P = 0.04, respectively) in patients with HCV clearance than those with chronic infection. By contrast, the haplotype DRB1*0701, DQA1*0201, DQB1*0201 occurred more frequently (P = 0.02) in those with chronic infection compared with those with viral clearance. These findings suggest that particular HLA alleles and related haplotypes may have an influence on the outcome of HCV infection among the Iranian patients. Some of the HLA alleles found in the Iranian patients are different from those reported elsewhere, suggesting that the immunogenetic makeup for HCV clearance or persistence may vary based on the ethnicity., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Genetic polymorphisms have been shown to be involved in dopaminergic neurotransmission. This may influence susceptibility to Parkinson's disease (PD). We performed a case-control study of the association between PD susceptibility and a genetic polymorphism of MAOB and COMT, both separately and in combination, in Iranians. The study enrolled 103 Iranian patients with PD and 70 healthy individuals. Polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methods were used for genotyping. Our data indicated that the MAOB genotype frequencies in PD patients did not differ significantly from the control group. However, the frequency of MAOB GG genotype was significantly lower in female patients. It has been shown that the distribution of MAOB allele A was slightly higher in PD patients. No statistically significant differences were found in the COMT allele and genotype distribution in PD patients in comparison to the controls. The combined haplotype of the MAOB A, A/A and COMT LL genotype showed a slight increase in the risk of PD in female patients in this Iranian population. The data may suggest that the MAOB and COMT genetic polymorphisms do not play any role in the pathogenesis of PD in Iranians. In addition, the combined haplotype of MAOB and COMT genes did not significantly affect the susceptibility to PD. Future studies involving larger control and case populations will undoubtedly lead to a more thorough understanding of the role of the polymorphisms involved in the dopamine pathway in PD.