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Introduction: Breast cancer is a severe life-threatening condition in which many women are involved yearly. One factor that has recently been noticed and investigated as a diagnostic predictor of this type of cancer is the number of tumor buds and the relation of this factor with a patient's survival rate. Materials and methods: This study includes 150 female patients over 18 years old with a mean age of 53.99 ± 12.56 years old with breast cancer, which was diagnosed at various medical centers, including Rouhani Hospital itself, and referred to Rouhani Hospital Medical Center, Babol, Iran. The number of intratumoral and peritumoral buds in patients' microscopic slides were archived and evaluated along with tumor microenvironment on hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) slides and compared to other clinicopathological findings. This article precisely investigated the relationship between the number of intratumoral and peritumoral buds with patients' 5-year survival rate. Also, the relationship between age, tumor stage, grade, size, the number of lymph nodes involved, and the presence of metastasis with the number of intratumoral and peritumoral buds was studied. Results and discussion: The result showed a significant statistical association between the number of intratumoral and peritumoral buds with tumor size, tumor stage, presence of metastasis, the number of lymph nodes involved, and 5-year survival rate. On the other hand, there is not a significant statistical association between the number of intratumoral and peritumoral buds with age and tumor grade. Conclusion: Our investigation revealed a significant statistical relationship between the number of tumor buds and patients' survival rate. So, this factor should be considered significant to help those patients increase their survival ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Fruit juices, especially lemon juice, are the most targeted food goods for adulteration and fraud in Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the profile and concentration of free primary amino acids as a marker for adulteration in lemon juice. Materials and Methods: Amino acids were determined with high-performance liquid chromatography fluorescence. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were in the range of 0.008–0.01 ng/ml and 0.03 ng/ml, respectively. Results: The method is suitable for distinguishing authentic juices from drinking products that may contain little or no fruit juice. In our study, total amino acid concentration in natural lemon was 13.15 mmol/l and in other brands was in the range of 1.81–14.84 mmol/l. Further, the concentration of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine, and serine was more than other amino acids. The findings showed that only brands 1 and 2 were considered similar to natural lemon juice. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that the concentration of the first four amino acids can use as a marker to determine lemon juice adulteration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the effect of a nanocolloidal silver-based gel called SilvoGel (ChitoTech, Iran) versus eosin (prepared by Razi Hospital, Iran) among patients with immunobullous disease. Method: This blind, randomised controlled study was carried out on patients with pemphigus vulgaris who had hard-to-heal ulcers, divided into two equal-sized groups: one treatment group receiving the nanocolloidal silver-based gel and the control group receiving the conventional eosin. Results: A total of 32 patients participated in the study. In both the treatment and control groups, ulcer area, exudate and tissue type improved significantly (p<0.001 for all measures). A significantly higher rate of improvement in ulcer area was observed in the treatment group compared with the control group (p<0.001). Both patient and physician satisfaction were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the control group (p=0.003 and p=0.01, respectively). Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that use of the nanocolloidal silver-based gel for treating patients with immunobullous disease including pemphigus could potentially increase the rate and quality of wound healing. Declaration of interest: SK invented the SilvoGel used in the study, designed the study and acted as the manager to see through the completion of the study. ChitoTech provided the gel used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydatidosis is an important zoonotic parasite disease in several herbivorous mammals. Human cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by infection with larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus has been frequently reported from different organs. Here, we report the first case of a urinary echinococcosis in Iran with a pain in the lower left abdominal quadrant and severe frequent urination (pollakiuria). We detected a cyst 120 x 15 mm dimensions with heterogeneous mass contain fluid in the back of the urinary bladder neck between the umbilical region and external urethral sphincter. The patient was candidate for open-abdomen surgery and cysts were resected. The isolated cysts from liver and urinary bladder were referred to pathology laboratory, and the tissue sections were stained with Tri-chrome and Hematoxylin/eosin staining methods. Microscopic examination of prepared tissue sections showed protoscoleces of E. granulosus with specific and thick laminated hyaline layer (non-cellular membrane), with covers the thin activate germinal epithelium, which revealed the diagnosis of a hydatid cyst. This rare case illustrates that CE is the necessity of considering in the differential diagnosis from cysts, abscesses, malignant and benignant tumors, especially is essential in endemic areas of CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Despite all the efforts and increased knowledge of rabies, the exact mechanisms of infection and mortality from the rabies virus are not well understood. To understand the mechanisms underlying the pathogenicity of rabies virus infection, it is crucial to study the tissue that the rabies virus naturally infects in humans. Methods: Cerebellum brain tissue from 9 human post mortem cases from Iran, who had been infected with rabies virus, were examined histopathologically and immunohistochemically to evaluate the innate immune responses against the rabies virus. Results: Histopathological examination revealed inflammation of the infected cerebellum and immunohistochemical analyses showed an increased immunoreactivity of heat shock protein 70, interleukin-6, interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, caspase-3, caspase-9, toll-like receptor3 and toll-like receptor4 in the infected brain tissue. Conclusion: These results indicated the involvement of innate immunity in rabies infected human brain tissue, which may aggravate the progression of this deadly disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rabies, as the most important zoonotic disease, is transmitted through a bite or scratch by an infected domestic or wild carnivores and bats or contact of open wound with infected saliva. The fluorescent antibody test (FAT) is the "gold standard" diagnostic method for suspected brain samples. For close monitoring of unknown encephalitis, rabies surveillance, and also the limitations for post-mortem diagnosis of rabies in human and performing fast prophylactic measures for other individuals in contact with rabid patients, ante-mortem diagnosis based on molecular methods such as real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) seems to be more reliable. In this study, we detected 2 positive rabid cases using SYBR Green real-time PCR for the first time in Iran. Methods: In this study, 3 saliva samples at intervals up to 6 hours were collected from any of the nine suspected patients with nonspecific symptoms between March 2016 and March 2017. Total RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and real-time PCR were performed along with confirmed negative and positive controls. Then, we tracked the patients for follow-up and understanding of their status. On brain samples of patients who died, FAT and MIT (mouse inoculation test) were performed to obtain definitive results. Results: In this study, the patients were 4 females and 5 males, between 8 and 80 years old from different geographical areas of Iran. The ante-mortem saliva samples of 2 out of nine patients who died were positive by SYBR Green real-time PCR. Positive results of FAT test on these samples confirmed the presence of rabies virus infection in their brains and also the ante-mortem diagnosis results. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that SYBR Green real-time PCR technique on saliva sample can be used as an applicable method for ante-mortem diagnosis of rabies to avoid infection of other people such as the treating medical staff or family members of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The diagnosis of hereditary red blood cell (RBC) membrane disorders, and in particular hereditary spherocytosis (HS) and Southeast Asian ovalocytosis (SAO), is based on clinical history, RBC morphology, and other conventional tests such as osmotic fragility. However, there are some milder cases of these disorders that are difficult to diagnose. The application of eosin-5'-maleimide (EMA) was evaluated for screening of RBC membrane defects along with some other anemias. We used EMA dye, which binds mostly to band 3 protein and to a lesser extent some other membrane proteins, for screening of some membrane defects such as HS. Materials and Methods: Fresh RBCs from hematologically normal controls and patients with HS, SAO, hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary spherocytosis with pincered cells, severe iron deficiency, thalassemia minor, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia were stained with EMA dye and analyzed for mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) using a flow cytometer. Results: RBCs from patients with HS and iron deficiency showed a significant reduction in MFI compared to those from normal controls (p<0.0001 and p<0.001, respectively), while macrocytic RBCs showed a significant increase in MFI (p<0.01). A significant correlation was shown between mean corpuscular volume and MFI, with the exceptions of HS and thalassemia minor. Conclusion: Our results showed that the flow cytometric method could be a reliable diagnostic method for screening and confirmation, with higher sensitivity and specificity (95% and 93%, respectively) than conventional routine tests for HS patients prior to further specific membrane protein molecular tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with oxidative stress-induced neuronal damage and death. In European and Persian Traditional Medicine, aerial parts (leaves, stems, and flowers) of Lavandula stoechas L. have been widely used for treating neurodegenerative disorders including PD. Aim of the study: Herein, the protective effects of L. stoechas methanol extract were investigated on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative damage in PC12 cells. The cells were pretreated with a standardized L. stoechas methanol extract (2.5–20 μg/mL) for 24 h and exposed to 6-OHDA (200 μM) thereafter. The cell viability percentage was determined by AlamarBlue test. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was determined by a fluorimetric method using 2′,7′-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate and cellular apoptosis was assessed by the fluorescent probe propidium iodide test. Finally, the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis pathway (Phospho SAPK/JNK, SAPK/JNK, p44/42 MAPK (ERK1/2) and Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP)) was measured via Western blot analysis. Treatment of PC12 cells with 6-OHDA could significantly increase cytotoxicity, ROS level, and cell apoptosis. Pretreatment of PC12 cells with the extract could significantly decrease 6-OHDA cytotoxicity, ROS production, (2.5 and 5 μg/mL) and cell apoptosis (5 μg/mL). Western blot analysis showed that 6-OHDA exposure could increase the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis signaling, while pretreatment with L. stoechas (5 μg/mL) reduced apoptotic proteins. The present study demonstrated that L. stoechas , which has been traditionally used in Persian Medicine for treating CNS diseases, is a valuable source of active compounds with neuroprotective, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic activity. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intrathecal injection of fluorescein is a useful adjuvant method for localization of fistulas in endoscopic endonasal repair of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage. Although being neurotoxic in commercial doses, a low dose of diluted fluorescein seems to be safe on the basis the existing data in the literature. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of a low-dose intrathecal fluorescein injection in detection of CSF fistula and potential adverse effects of this technique. Materials and Methods: CSF rhinorrhea was repaired in 20 patients with an endoscopic endonasal technique. Intraoperative intrathecal fluorescein injection was used for localization of the site of the CSF leak. The accuracy rate of leakage site identification and the incidence of complications and recurrences were recorded. Results: Intrathecal administration of fluorescein demonstrated CSF leakage in 18 of the 20 patients (90%). There were no intraoperative complications. Definitive closure of the CSF leakage site was achieved in 16 patients (80%) after the initial reconstruction. Recurrence occurred in four cases and all patients were free of CSF leakage after the second surgical attempt. Conclusions: The present study suggested that a low dose of intraoperative intrathecal fluorescein administration is a safe and sensitive method for localization of CSF leakage sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brucella IgM/IgG flow assay was used for the confirmation of brucellosis in patients from an area endemic for brucellosis and who had a Rose Bengal (RB)-positive serum sample collected at the time of first presentation for diagnosis. The flow assay confirmed the result of the RB test in 46.6% of the positive admission sera, with the majority (62.5%) of the flow assay-positive samples staining moderately strong to very strong (> or =2+). In comparison, Wright and 2-ME at the routinely used cut-off titre values of 1:320 for Wright and 1:160 for 2-ME tested positive in 37.7% of the RB-positive samples. A relatively large number of RB-positive samples agglutinated at or around the cut-off value in the Wright and 2-ME tests and 66.7% of the RB-positive samples tested positive in these confirmatory tests when using one titre step lower threshold values. The relatively high number of samples with low antibody levels supports the argument for testing follow-up samples from patients with an RB-positive sample in order to confirm the diagnosis by showing seroconversion or a rise in antibody levels.