Bushehr University of Medical Sciences
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CD73 as a potential opportunity for cancer immunotherapy
No full textIntroduction: Cancer cells apply various mechanisms to induce and enhance immune escape. The complex network of immune-response modulating factors in the tumor microenvironment is a reason for the difficulties encountered when attempting to treat many cancers. Adenosine is a potent immune-modulating factor that can be generated through the degradation of ATP by cooperative action of NTPDase1 (CD39) and ecto-5ʹ-nucleotidase (CD73) molecules. Overexpression of CD73 on tumor and immune cells leads to the presence of a high concentration of this factor in the tumor region. Upregulation of CD73 is associated with the overproduction of adenosine; it suppresses antitumor immune responses and helps proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Areas covered: We attempt to clarify the immunobiology of CD73 in association with its role in cancer development, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Moreover, we have reviewed CD73-targeting studies and highlighted CD73 as a potent target for cancer immunotherapy. Expert opinion: It seems that blockade of CD73, in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4, can be a novel promising therapeutic strategy that can be evaluated in the future trials
Bitter almond gum reduces body mass index, serum triglyceride, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance in overweight subjects with hyperlipidemia
No full textThe aim of this study was to compare the effects of different gums on glycemic and lipidemic parameters in patients with hyperlipidemia. Sixty patients were divided into four groups of 15 individuals in each group. Group 1 was selected as control. Groups 2, 3, and 4 consumed 300 mL of apple juice enriched with bitter almond, tragacanth and xanthan gum, respectively. After 6-week intervention, the bodyweight, BMI, serum TG, hyperinsulinemia and HOMA-IR were significantly decreased in the subjects consumed bitter almond gum-enriched juice when no significant differences were observed for other parameters. The effect of bitter almond gum was better than tragacanth and xanthan gum in all parameters tested. The findings of this study suggest that some of the identified bioactive compounds in bitter almond gum might be responsible for its effects and it can be a possible food supplements for the better management of overweight, obesity and hyperlipidemia
Levels and health risk assessments of particulate matters (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ) in indoor/outdoor air of waterpipe cafés in Tehran, Iran
No full textTo determine the concentration of particulate matters (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ), 36 samples were collected from indoor/outdoor air of hookah cafés (HS), cigarette cafés (CS), both hookah and cigarette (HCS), and no-smoking building (NS) in Tehran City from December 2017 to March 2018. The mean ± SD of PM 10 concentration in the indoor air of the cafés in terms of HS, CS, HCS, and NS sites has been 702.35, 220.20, 1156.60, and 60.12 μg/m 3 , while for PM 2.5 , the values have been 271.92, 111.80, 619.10, and 22.25 μg/m 3 , respectively. It was also found that the PM concentration inside the cafés was higher during weekend session (with a higher number of active smokers), than during the weekday sessions. Moreover, the PM levels in the indoor air of the cafés were considerably higher than those of the outdoors (p < 0.05). Based on path analysis, the number of “active smokers” had the highest influence on production of PM inside the cafés, followed by the tobacco type. Finally, the mean excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) for PM 2.5 in the indoor air of cafés was observed in the range of 0.64 × 10 −5 –14.98 × 10 −5 . Also, the mean of hazard quotient (HQ) for PM2.5 and PM 10 was calculated in range of 0.82–18.4 and 0.16–3.28, respectively, which corresponds to an unacceptably high risk for human health. The PM levels in the indoor air of smoking cafés in Tehran are significantly high, such that it can cause serious risks for the health of both the customers and personnel. Thus, it is necessary that suitable controlling strategies be adopted for this public health threa
Air pollutants associated with smoking in indoor/outdoor of waterpipe cafés in Tehran, Iran: Concentrations, affecting factors and health risk assessment
No full textDespite increasingly growth in waterpipe smoking in Tehran, so far no study has been conducted on the air quality of the waterpipe and cigarette cafés. Thirty-six cafés were selected and the concentration of three pollutants including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and nicotine were measured in both indoor and outdoor air of cafés two times (week-day and weekend’s session). Air sampling was performed for 180 min for each pollutant. It was observed that the concentration of pollutants inside the cafés was higher during weekend session (with a higher number of “active waterpipe heads”) compared with findings during the week-day sessions. Furthermore, the concentration of pollutants in the indoor air of the cafés was significantly higher than that of the outdoors (p < 0.05). According to path analysis, the number of “active waterpipe heads” had the maximum impact on generation of pollutants inside the cafés, followed by the type of tobacco as the second influential factor. The average of lifetime cancer risk (LTCR) resulted by formaldehyde exposure through inhalation in waterpipe (WS), cigarette (CS), waterpipe and cigarette (WCS) and none-smoking (NS) cafés in week-day and weekend sessions were estimated to be 111 × 10 −5 and 61.2 × 10 −5 , 33.7 × 10 −5 and 39.4 × 10 −5 , 271 × 10 −5 and 322 × 10 −5 , and 4.80 × 10 −5 and 5.90 × 10 −5 , respectively, which exceed the limit value by the U.S.EPA and WHO. The concentration of pollutants in the indoor air of smoking cafés in Tehran is significantly high, such that it can pose serious risks for the health of both personnel and customers. Therefore, decision makers are expected to enact applicable and strict policies so as to abate this public health ris
Age-sex specific disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributable to elevated levels of fluoride in drinking water: A national and subnational study in Iran, 2017
No full textNational and subnational burden of disease attributable to elevated fluoride levels in drinking water apportioned by sex, age group, province, and community type in Iran, 2017 were quantified based on disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). The attributable burden of disease was estimated using four input data: (1) effect size of elevated drinking water fluoride levels for dental and skeletal fluorosis, (2) population distribution of drinking water fluoride levels, (3) the threshold levels of fluoride in drinking water for contribution in dental and skeletal fluorosis, and (4) age-sex distribution of population. The attributable burden of disease was only related to dental fluorosis, because the fluoride levels were lower than the threshold value for skeletal fluorosis (4.0 mg/L) in all of the cases. The national attributable prevalence (per 100,000 people), DALYs, and DALY rate in 2017 were calculated to be 60 (95% uncertainty interval 48–69), 3443 (1034–6940), and 4.31 (1.29–8.68), respectively. The national attributable burden of disease was not significantly different by sex, but was affected by age and community type in a manner that the highest DALY rate was related to the age group 10–14 y (6.06 [1.82–12.21]) and over 66% of the national attributable DALYs occurred in rural communities. The attributable burden of disease occurred only in 10 out of 31 provinces and about 94% of the attributable DALYs were concentrated in four provinces Fars (1967 [592–3964]), Bushehr (414 [124–836]), West Azarbaijan (400 [120–808]), and Hormozgan (377 [113–761]). Implementation of fluoride-safe drinking water supply schemes in the four leading provinces can prevent most of the national health losses and partly compensate the increasing trend of disease burden from oral conditions at the national leve
The need for standardization of nuclear cardiology reporting and data system (NCAD-RADS): Learning from coronary artery disease (CAD), breast imaging (BI), liver imaging (LI), and prostate imaging (PI) RADS
No full textNewer structured reporting manners, the reporting and data system (RADS), have made vast steps in improving standardized and structured reporting, allowing better communication between radiologists and referring providers. This has been implemented in several fields: breast (BI-RADS), lung (Lung-RADS), liver (LI-RADS), thyroid (TI-RADS), prostate (PI-RADS), and in cardiovascular radiology (CAD-RADS). The field of nuclear cardiology began its efforts of standardization years ago; however, a widespread standardized reporting structure has not yet been adopted. Such an approach in nuclear cardiology, the nuclear cardiology reporting and data system (NCAD-RADS), will assist radiologists and treating clinicians in conveying and understanding reports and determining the appropriate next steps in management. By linking explicit findings to defined recommendations, patients will receive more consistent and appropriate care. © 2018, American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
Effective Parameters, Equilibrium, and Kinetics of Fluoride Adsorption on Prosopis cineraria and Syzygium cumini Leaves
No full textThis study was designed to present a facile and effective biosorbent from Prosopis cineraria and Syzygium cumini leave (PCL and SCL) for fluoride removal. The test was done in batch mode and the effect of contact time (5, 25, 60, 90, and 120 min), initial fluoride concentration level (3, 5, 8, and 12 mg/L), and biosorbent dose (1, 3, 5, 10, and 25 g/L) on the biosorption process were examined. The optimum conditions for the maximum fluoride removal were occurred at 1 g/L biosorbent dose and contact time of 120 (for PCL) and 90 min (for SCL). The results suggested that the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir isotherm models described the experimental data well. According to the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity of fluoride for PCL and SCL was attained 11.52 and 7.4 mg/g, respectively. Based on Boyd and intra-diffusion models, the biosorption of fluoride onto PCL and SCL was mainly controlled by film-diffusion. The study revealed the potential use of PCL and SCL as two new effective biosorbents for the removal of fluoride from aqueous solution. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38: S429–S440, 2019
Trace metals level in sediments and bivalve Trachycardium lacunosum shell in the Persian Gulf
No full textThe current investigation has monitored the concentration of Cd and Pb in bivalve Trachycardium lacunosum shells and the sediment samples in Asaluyeh Bay (north of the Persian Gulf). The samples were taken from 40 stations located in two sites in Asaluyeh region, Nayband Bay as a “contaminated” site and Lavar-e Saheli as a “control” site. The results showed that the mean concentration of Pb and Cd in the sediments were 3.56–5.25 and 1.16–1.44 μg/gdrw, respectively, and in the shell ranged from 11.30 to 13.71 and 2.38 to 2.75 μg/gdrw, respectively. Data indicated that contaminated site contained significantly higher concentration compared with the control site. There were significant positive correlations between the level of Pb and Cd in the shell as well as sediment samples. A biota-sediment accumulation factor of more than one indicated the occurrence of biomagnification of the studied metals in Nayband Bay. Therefore, the elevated amount of the sediments trace metals has led to bioaccumulation in the bivalve shell
Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score for the assessment of mortality prediction in the intensive care unit: a single-centre study from Iran
No full textBackground: The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II is still commonly used as an index of illness severity in patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) and has been validated for many research and clinical audit purposes. Aims and objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of the APACHE II score for predicting mortality rate of critically ill patients. Design: This was a single-centre, retrospective study of 200 Iranian patients admitted in the medical–surgical adult ICU from June 2012 to May 2013. Methods: Demographic data, pre-existing comorbidities and variables required for calculating the APACHE II score were recorded. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed, and the area under the ROC curves was calculated to assess the predictive value of the APACHE II score. Results: Of the 200 patients with a mean age of 55·27 ± 21·59 years enrolled in the study, 112 (54%) were admitted in the medical ICU and 88 (46%) in the surgical ICU. Finally, 116 patients (58%) died, and 84 patients (42%) survived. The overall actual and predicted ICU mortality were 58% and 25·16%, respectively. The mean APACHE II score was 16·31 in total patients, 17·78 in medical ICU and 14·45 in surgical ICU patients (P = 0·003). Overall, the APACHE II score had the highest prognostic value for predicting the mortality rate of critically ill patients with an area under the cure of 0·88, and with a cut-off value of 15, the APACHE II score predicted mortality of patients with a sensitivity of 85·3%, a specificity of 77·4%, a positive predictive value of 83·9% and a negative predictive value of 73·9%. Conclusion: This study shows that an APACHE II score of 15 provides the best diagnostic accuracy to predict mortality of critically ill patients. Our observed mortality rate was greater than the predicted death rate, in comparison to the other prestigious centres in the world. Therefore, it appears that we must improve our intensive care to reduce mortality. Relevance to clinical practice: There is a need to create a suitable scoring system to predict the mortality rate of critically ill patients in accordance with the advanced technological equipment and experienced physicians and nurses in that ICU
Dimethyl fumarate: Regulatory effects on the immune system in the treatment of multiple sclerosis
No full textDimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an important oral treatment option for various autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and psoriasis. DMF and its dynamic metabolite, monomethyl fumarate (MMF) are the major compounds that exert therapeutic effects on several pathologic conditions in part, through downregulation of immune responses. The exact mechanism of DMF is yet to be fully understood even though its beneficial effects on the immune system are extensively studied. It has been shown that DMF/MMF can affect various immune cells, which can get involved in both the naive and adaptive immune systems, such as T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells. It is suggested that DMF/MMF may exert their effect on immune cells through inhibition of nuclear factor-κB translocation, upregulation of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2(E2)-related factor antioxidant pathway, and activation of hydroxyl carboxylic acid receptor 2. In this review, the mechanisms underlying the modulatory functions of DMF or MMF on the main immune cell populations involved in the immunopathogenesis of MS are discusse