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BACKGROUND: Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) are among the most promising radiosensitive materials in radiotherapy. Studying the effective sensitizing factors such as nanoparticle size, concentration, surface features, radiation energy and cell type can help to optimize the effect and possible clinical application of GNPs in radiation therapy. In this study, the radiation sensitive polymer gel was used to investigate the dosimetric effect of GNP size in megavoltage (MV) photon beam radiotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: GNPs with the size of 30nm, 50nm and 100nm in diameter were used. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were applied to analyze the size of nanoparticles. The MAGICA polymer gel was synthesized and impregnated with different sizes of GNPs. The samples were irradiated with 6MV photon beam and 24 hours after irradiation, they were read using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. Macroscopic Dose Enhancement Factor (DEF) was measured to compare the effect of GNP size. The MAGICA response of the 6MV x-ray beam was verified comparing Percentage Depth Dose (PDD) curve extracted from polymer gel dosimetry and Treatment Planning System (TPS). RESULTS: MAGICA polymer gel dose response curve was linear in the range of 0 to 10 Gy. DEFs by adding 30nm, 50nm and 100nm GNPs were 1.1, 1.17 and 1.12, respectively. PDD curves of polymer gel dosimeter and treatment planning system were in good agreement. CONCLUSION: The results indicated a substantial increase in DEF uses a MV photon beam in combination with GNPs of different sizes and it was inconsistent with previous radiobiological studies. The maximum DEF was achieved for 50nm GNPs in comparison with 30nm and 100nm leading to the assumption of self-absorption effect by larger diameters. According to the outcomes of this work, MAGICA polymer gel can be recommended as a reliable dosimeter to investigate the dosimetric effect of GNP size and also a useful method to validate the current radiobiological and simulation studies.

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BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to determine the effect of perceived stress during pregnancy on neonatal outcomes and cortisol and leptin levels in mothers and their newborns. METHODS: This longitudinal study was carried out on 110 pregnant women in Miandoab city, Iran. Mothers, who had singleton pregnancies and gestational age of 24 to 28 weeks, were included in the study. The participants were asked to fill out Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The mothers were then tracked in gestational ages of 28-32 weeks, 32-36 weeks, and the time of delivery. The maternal and umbilical cord blood samples were obtained during labor in order to measure leptin and cortisol levels. RESULTS: Umbilical cortisol level was significantly higher in newborns who had meconium stained amniotic fluid than those who did not. Maternal blood leptin levels at delivery were significantly higher in the mothers whose neonates had respiratory distress, low birth weight, low head circumference, low Apgar score, and were premature than those whose neonates did not have such problems. The level of leptin in umbilical cord blood was significantly higher in neonates who had respiratory distress than those who did not. The results also showed a significant correlation between maternal cortisol levels and PSS during weeks 24-28 and the entire pregnancy. A significant relationship was observed between umbilical leptin and maternal leptin levels. CONCLUSIONS: It can be concluded that stress during pregnancy is accompanied by fetal distress. The probable reason for newborns distress may be related to increased maternal leptin levels.

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Cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) is a significant zoonosis, especially in developing countries of the Middle East, with many studies focusing on CE genotypes in Iran. We performed a systematic review to determine the exact status of E. granulosus genotypes in the country. We explored English (Pubmed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science and Science Direct) and Persian (Magiran, Iran Medex and Scientific Information Database) databases along with Google Scholar. Our review included 73 studies published prior to the end of 2015. In total, 2952 animal (intermediate and definitive) hosts were examined, and the prevalent genotypes comprised G1 (92.75%) and G6 (4.53%) in sheep, cattle, camels, goats and buffaloes; G3 (2.43%) in five herbivore hosts and dogs; G7 (0.2%) in sheep and goats; and G2 (0.06%) in dogs. G1 was mostly dominant in West Azerbaijan, whereas G3 and G6 were identified most frequently in the provinces of Isfahan and Fars, respectively. Regarding human CE infection, 340 cases were reported from Iran, with the identified genotypes G1 (n = 320), G6 (n = 13) and G3 (n = 7). Most CE-infected humans originated from Isfahan province (168 cases), whereas the lowest number of infected persons was noted in Kerman province (two cases). The information obtained from this systematic review is central to better understanding the biological and epidemiological characteristics of E. granulosus s.l. genotypes in Iran, leading to more comprehensive control strategies.

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As a significant zoonosis, cystic echinococcosis (CE) is endemic in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East. There are studies on the prevalence of this infection in animal and human reservoirs in Iran; hence, we conducted this meta-analysis to elucidate the prevalence of CE in Iran. English (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct and Google Scholar) and Persian (Magiran, Iran Medex, Iran Doc and SID) databases were explored. In the case of definitive, animal and human intermediate hosts, 37, 90 and 33 studies, respectively, have been included in the current review from January 1990 to December 2015. According to outcomes of the heterogeneity test, either Der Simonian and Laird's random-effects method or Mantel-Haenszel's fixed-effects method were employed to pool the estimations. The pooled prevalence of Echinococcus granulosus infection in definitive hosts was calculated as 23.6% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 17.6-30.1%). The weighted prevalence of animal and human hydatidosis was calculated as 15.6% (95% CI = 14.2-17.1%) and 4.2% (95% CI = 3.0-5.5%), respectively. Meanwhile, most cases of human hydatidosis were in southern Iran, with a prevalence of 5.8% (3.2-9.2%). In terms of human hydatidosis, more infections were found in rural regions, and mostly in female individuals. Egger's regression test revealed publication bias, with a remarkable impact on total prevalence of the infection in animal intermediate hosts (P < 0.001), while it was not significant in human hosts (P = 0.4) and definitive hosts (P = 0.3). According to the weighted estimated prevalence of cystic echinococcosis and its financial burden, implementing appropriate control programmes should be compulsory to decrease the burden of the disease in Iran.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and sexual health and determine what kind of sexual dysfunction is most common among overweight and obese women in reproductive age from Iran. A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted. The data of 198 women who referred to health centers during 2014-2015 in Iran were collected through convenient sampling. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, female sexual function and sexual satisfaction indexes. Participants' heights and weights were recorded in centimeters and kilogram. Data were analyzed applying descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, regression logistic analysis and χ2. P-values<0.05 were considered significant. The mean age of women was 29.89±7.01 and ages ranged from 17 to 45 years. 85.9% of the participants had sexual dysfunction, and 69.7% had dissatisfaction and low satisfaction. According to our evaluations, orgasm dysfunction had the most frequency; on the other hand, desire dysfunction and pain dysfunction had the lowest frequency among overweight and obese women, respectively. Using logistic regression analysis, we have shown that BMI affected on sexual satisfaction, but there was not significant differences between BMI and sexual function. This article concludes that all women especially women with overweight and obesity should be counseled about health outcomes related to sexual activity. This article concludes that all women especially women with overweight and obesity should be counseled about health outcomes related to sexual activity.

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Studies of risk factors for acute leukaemia are inconclusive. This case-control study was done in West Azerbaijan province, Islamic Republic of Iran, to determine the relationship between birth weight and acute leukaemia in children aged under 15 years. For every patient 2 age- and sex-matched controls were selected from hospital and community populations. Of 130 cases diagnosed over the period 2003-2009,108 (83.1%) had lymphoblastic and 22 (16.9%) myloblastic type. Significantly more of them were male than female (55.4% versus 44.6%). In a multivariate logistic regression model variables significantly associated with acute leukaemia were: birth weight (OR = 2.25), birth order (OR = 2.25), birth place (OR = 7.93), history of chickenpox (OR = 0.46) and mothers' education (OR = 3.23). The risk of acute leukaemia increased significantly with increasing birth weight in the total group and among girls, but not among boys.

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The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as an adjuvant to tissue repair is gaining favour in orthopaedic surgery. Tunnel widening after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is a recognised phenomenon that could compromise revision surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PRP might prevent tunnel widening in ACL reconstruction.Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction using a hamstring graft were randomly allocated either to have PRP introduced into the tunnels peri-operatively or not. CT scanning of the knees was carried out on the day after surgery and at three months post-operatively and the width of the tunnels was measured. Patients were also evaluated clinically at three months, when laxity was also measured.Each group comprised 25 patients, and at three months post-operatively all were pain-free with stable knees, a negative Lachman test and a good range of movement. Arthrometric results had improved significantly in both groups (p < 0.001). Despite slightly less tunnel widening in the PRP group, there was no significant difference between the groups at the femoral opening or the mid-tunnel (p = 0.370 and p = 0.363, respectively) nor at the tibial opening or mid-tunnel (p = 0.333 and p = 0.177, respectively).We conclude that PRP has no significant effect in preventing tunnel widening after ACL reconstruction.

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Studies of risk factors for acute leukaemia are inconclusive. This case-control study was done In West Azerbaijan province, Islamic Republic of Iran, to determine the relationship between birth weight and acute leukaemia in children aged under 15 years. For every patient 2 age- and sex-matched controls were selected from hospital and community populations. Of 130 cases diagnosed over the period 2003-2009/108 [83.1%] had lymphoblastic and 22 [16.9%] myloblastic type. Significantly more of them were male than female [55.4% versus 44.6%]. In a multivariate logistic regression model variables significantly associated with acute leukaemia were: birth weight [OR = 2.25], birth order [OR = 2.25], birth place [OR= 7.93], history of chickenpox [OR - 0.46] and mothers' education [OR = 3.23]. The risk of acute leukaemia increased significantly with increasmg birth weight in the total group and among girls, but not among boy

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Cytokine gene polymorphisms may affect their transcription, influence their level of production and may be implicated in inducing susceptibility or resistance to diseases. In 40 Iranian healthy subjects, cytokine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to determine allelic and genotypic frequencies for the following cytokine genes: IL-1a (T/C -889), IL-1beta (C/T -511, T/C 3962), IL-12 (C/A -1188), IFN-gamma (A/T UTR 5644), TGF-beta (C/T codon 10, G/C codon 25), TNF-a (G/A -308, G/A -238), IL-2 (T/G -330, G/T 166), IL-4 (T/G -1089, T/C -590, T/C -33), IL-6 (G/C -174, G/A nt565), IL-10 (G/A -1082, C/T -819, C/A -592), IL-1R (C/T pst11970), IL-1RA (T/C mspa111100) and IL-4RA (G/A 1902). All typing were performed with polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers assay. Significant heterogeneity of cytokine SNPs among the Iranian and the other East-South Asian populations was observed. Heterogeneity of cytokine SNPs may explain the role of natural selection in susceptibilities of populations to different disorders.

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Single nucleotide polymorphisms within the promoter or other regulatory sequences of cytokine genes were evaluated and compared between an Iranian population and populations of different ethnic/geographical background. In 40 healthy Iranian subjects, cytokine typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific primers assay. Allele frequencies were calculated and compared with those of other populations.

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AIM: To study the effect of acetazolamide on cystoid macular oedema (CMO) in patients with Behcet's disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 67 eyes of 35 Behcet's patients with chronic, but well-controlled uveitis, and CMO were randomised into a double-masked, crossover trial comparing the effect of acetazolamide vs placebo. The patients received an initial 4-week course of either 250 mg acetazolamide twice daily (b.i.d.) or placebo, followed by a 4-week washout period. They then received a 4-week course of the reverse study medication. An improvement in visual acuity and fundus fluorescein angiographic findings was assessed. RESULTS: In total, 29 patients (55 eyes) completed the trial and were available for analysis. Of the 29, 16 men and 13 were women. The age range was 13-50 years (mean 33.6 years). Patients on acetazolamide showed a slightly better improvement of angiographic signs (at least by one grade improvement) over that of placebo (12 vs five eyes). They also had less deterioration of angiographic signs over that of placebo (three vs seven eyes). However, these findings were not statistically significant (P=0.99). Acetazolamide had no statistically significant effect (P=0.53) on the improvement of visual acuity of patients over that of placebo (13 vs eight eyes), nor on the deterioration of visual acuity (three vs 11 eyes). CONCLUSION: Despite seemingly favourable results, the 4-week course of acetazolamide (250 mg b.i.d.) has no statistically significant effect on the improvement of the visual acuity and the fluorescein angiographic findings in Behcet's patients with CMO.

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