BACKGROUND Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic disease which affects both lung and liver. This disease is a recognized factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However its importance as the cause of COPD in a country such as Iran is unclear. OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to find out the role of α-1 antitrypsin deficiency as a cause of COPD in Iranian patients. ...

OBJECTIVES Candidiasis infection caused by Candida albicans has been known as a major problem in patients with immune disorders. The objective of this study was to genotype the C. albicans isolates obtained from oral cavity of patients with positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV(+)) with or/and without oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 100 C. albicans isola...

BACKGROUND Hepatitis viruses are one of the most important concerns in the patients on hemodialysis who are at high risk for blood-borne infections. GB virus C (GBV-C)/hepatitis G virus (HGV) is positive-stranded RNA virus with global distribution, which codes structural and nonstructural proteins (such as NS3). OBJECTIVES Review on literature about Iranian HGV isolates showed that there was ...

We conducted a cytogenetic study on 865 individuals with idiopathic mental retardation (MR) who were admitted to the Cytogenetics Department of the Iran Blood Transfusion Organisation (IBTO) Research Centre, Tehran, Iran; these were performed on blood samples using conventional staining methods. Chromosome anomalies were identified in 205 of the patients (23.6%). The majority were Down's syndro...

BACKGROUND Successful treatment to eliminate HCV RNA depends on the identified genotype. In the present study, we compared the frequency of different HCV genotypes, during four years study (2004 till 2008). METHODS Sera specimens were received from 16 provinces of Iran. We used High Pure Viral Nucleic Acid Purification kit for extraction and samples were tested with improved form of RT-PCR te...

Introduction. Appropriate adherence to medication is still a challenging issue for hypertensive patients. We determined adherence to antihypertensive(s) and its associated factors among 280 Iranian patients. Methods. They were recruited consecutively from private and university health centers and pharmacies in four cities. The validated Persian version of the 8-item Morisky Medication Adherence...