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Background and Aim: Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment modality for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in children. Despite its benefits and advances that have been accomplished, pediatric kidney transplantation remains a challenge in terms of achieving a satisfactory outcome. We sought to evaluate the outcome of pediatric kidney transplantation in Mashhad. Methods: Data were acquired retrospectively from children below 18 years old who underwent kidney transplantation in three main hospitals of Mashhad from 2000 to 2014. After obtaining written informed consent from parents, data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed with the SPSS software. Results: Of 52 children, 51.9% were boys and 48.1% were girls with a mean age of 13.3 ± 4.3 years. Among them, 8 (15.4%) children received transplants from relative live donors, 16 (30.8%) from non-relative live donors, and 28 (53.8%) from deceased donors. The most common etiology leading to ESRD in these children was reflux nephropathy in 18 (34.6%) patients. After a 5-year follow-up period, the graft survival rate was 69.2% with infection being the most common cause of transplant rejection. Moreover, 13.5% of children died, mostly due to surgical complications. Conclusion: We found that to increase the survival rate of pediatric kidney transplantation in Mashhad, first the surgical methods should be enhanced as they were recognized as the most common cause of death. In addition, infection control in children, as the most common cause of transplant rejection, should be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objective: The primary goal of this study is to develop a rigorous understanding of the correlation between COX-2 expression and malignant melanoma prognostic factors. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed 60 cases of cutaneous malignant melanoma. The related stained slides were reviewed by two pathologists. The results were interpreted according to the COX2 staining index (SI), tumor thickness (Breslow, Clark), number of mitoses per 10 hpf, and melanoma types. Gender, lymph node involvement, metastasis, and survival were considered as evaluation factors as well. Results: The expression of the COX-2 protein was evident in 98.4% of cases. A strong Staining Index(SI) was reported in 60% of all melanomas, moderate staining was detected in 20.8% and weak staining in 10%; 1.6% of studied cases showed no staining. Benign nevus specimens showed no staining for the COX-2 enzyme. Conclusion: We have demonstrated that COX-2 is strongly expressed in the majority of malignant melanomas and that the SI score of COX-2 is related to the number of mitoses, tumor thickness (based on Clark level and Breslow), melanoma sub-type, lymph node involvement, and metastases; No association was noted between the anatomic site, gender, and survival. COX-2 can be applied as a prognostic factor in malignant melanoma and a promising candidate for future target therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbances in the prooxidant-antioxidant balance can occur in metabolic syndrome. Here, we present a protocol for the setup of a clinical trial of metabolic syndrome patients treated with berberine, a dietary phytochemical of the Berberis vulgaris plant, or placebo. The main aim is to obtain a quick and real-time assessment on the overall redox state based on measurement of the prooxidant-antioxidant balance., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and accounts for the second highest number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Natural products such as the turmeric-derived curcuminoids are known to have protective effects against several kinds of cancers by acting as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. Here, we present a protocol for assessing the effects of curcuminoids on serum cytokine profiles in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of patients with stage 3 colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. The protocol could also be applied to other cancer types., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)