BACKGROUND Transmission of human pathogens can be occurred via inert objects. Paper currency is a further common contact surface whereby pathogens can be transferred within a population although the significance remains unknown. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate microbial populations associated with Iranian paper currency. METHODS This study was carried out by getting 108...

BACKGROUND To extract utility values of diabetic retinopathy on a perfect health and perfect vision scales for Iranians with both types diabetes. METHODS In this investigation, 150 untreated patients with diabetic retinopathy consecutively were examined and interviewed in Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran, a tertiary referral center in the Iranian health care system. Utility values based on p...

Background Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a frequent autosomal dominant disorder of lipoprotein metabolism. This disorder is generally caused by mutations in low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), apolipoprotein B 100 (APOB), and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) genes. In the present study, we aimed at identifying the common LDLR and APOB gene mutations in an Irani...

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a Ca⁺² -dependent collagenous lectin, that is produced by liver and mediates innate immune responses by opsonization of pathogens. The serum level of MBL varies widely among healthy individuals, ranging from 0.05 µg/ml (or lower) to over 5 µg/ml, mainly depending on genetic variation. This study has examined promoter and exon 1 of mbl2 genotype among 117 Iranian ...

Background: Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is a main enzyme which plays a major role in activating and detoxifying many xenobiotics, carcinogens and drugs. Available studies suggest that CYP2E1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are involved in the risk of developing certain cancers after exposure to carcinogens. The purpose of the present study was to assess genotype and allele frequencies o...

OBJECTIVE We estimated pubertal development of 7,493 normal Iranian girls aged 6 to 20 years in a cross-sectional study. METHODS Pubertal stages were assessed according to Tanner. The mean ages to achieve secondary sexual characteristics as well as the mean age at menarche were estimated. Weight and height were measured and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. Reference curves for different ...

OBJECTIVES Cephalometric norms of McNamara analysis have been studied in various populations due to their optimal efficiency. Dolphin cephalometric software greatly enhances the conduction of this analysis for orthodontic measurements. However, Dolphin is very expensive and cannot be afforded by many clinicians in developing countries. A suitable alternative software program in Farsi/English wi...

Estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) is one of the major sub-types of estrogen receptors. ERα plays an important role in cellular proliferation and differentiation, chiefly in mammary tissues. In the present study we aimed to quantify of ERα mRNA and protein expression in breast tissues from the Iranian population using a real-time PCR assay. Twenty nine breast tissues including 19 adenocarcinomas and...

BACKGROUND There are contrary results about the role of CACNA1A gene in the causation of common migraine in different populations. However, migraine may be genetically heterogeneous and more studies in different families and populations are required for a definite conclusion. The aim of this study was to surveyed leukocyte genomic DNA mutation of CACNA1A in Iranian migraine patients with [MA] a...

BACKGROUND Patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) have heterogeneous clinical courses, thus several biological parameters need to be added to the current clinical staging systems to predict disease outcome. Recent immunophenotypic studies performed mainly in Western populations have demonstrated the prognostic value of CD38 and ZAP-70 expression in B-CLL. OBJECTIVES To inve...