abdolaziz khezri

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play a key role in the progression of tumors. These cells express forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4), which are the potential targets for cancer immunotherapy. The present study aimed to evaluate FOXP3 and CTLA4 transcripts in patients with bladder cancer (BC) compared with healthy individuals. Transcripts of CTLA4 and FOXP3 genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 50 patients with histologically confirmed BC and 50 healthy individuals were assessed at the Institute for Cancer Research, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (Shiraz, Iran) during 2014-2016. RNA was extracted from PBMCs, then cDNA was synthesized and subjected to quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) using appropriate primers. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software (version 21.0). Significantly higher amounts of CTLA4 and FOXP3 gene transcripts were found in the peripheral blood of BC patients compared with healthy individuals. The expression of both genes was significantly higher in patients with non-invasive and grade I/II BC. The median of CTLA4 and FOXP3 transcript expressions was 3.74 and 5.39, respectively, in non-invasive BC patients, which was significant compared with the control group (P=0.0016 and P=0.009, respectively). The median of target gene mRNA expression in grade I/II BC patients was 2.9 for CTLA4 and 6.61 for FOXP3, which was significant compared with the controls (P=0.013 and P=0.0037, respectively). This study highlights the functional activity of Tregs in early stages of bladder cancer and showed the importance of CTLA4 and FOXP3, when it comes to screening BC.

Interleukin 17 (IL17) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine with pivotal modulatory effects on antitumor immune responses and has been reported to play a particularly important role in the occurrence and development of bladder cancer. We aimed to investigate the possible influence of IL17 genetic variations on loci rs22775913 and rs763780 with genetic susceptibility to bladder cancer in southern Iran.
In this case-control study, we enrolled 180 patients with urothelial bladder cancer (mean age 64 years) and 180 age/gender matched healthy controls without any family history of cancer and autoimmune disorders. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral whole blood and genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP method.
Genotype distributions in both the patients and controls were in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The frequency of GG, GA, and AA genotypes for IL17A were 87 (48.3%), 72 (40%), and 21 (11.7%) among patients; and 92 (51.1%), 75 (41.6%), and 13 (7.3%) in the controls. The frequency of AA, AG, and GG genotypes for IL17F in both the patients/controls were 160 (88.9%)/ 158 (87.8%), 16 (8.9%)/ 21 (11.7%), and 4 (2.2%)/ 1 (0.5%), respectively. Statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the two groups regarding the frequency of genotypes and alleles (P>0.05).
Our data collectively suggested that genetic variations on loci rs22775913 and rs763780 of IL17 genes were not associated with bladder cancer susceptibility in the Iranian population. Our finding has to be confirmed in different ethnic groups.

Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis is a very uncommon tumor, most often secondary to chronic infection and long standing irritation due to conditions such as urolithiasis.
Herein we report our experience with an old age male that presented with flank pain. Mucinous adenocarcinoma in situ has been discovered incidentally in his nephrectomy specimen.
Mucinous adenocarcinoma in situ, is extremely rare and to the best of our knowledge only two cases have been reported in the English literature so far.

Various markers are suggested for diagnosis and monitoring of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCC), including cytokeratins (CKs).
In the present study, the circulating CK18 (M65) and its caspase-cleaved form, ccCK18 (M30), have been investigated in a group of patients with TCC.
Patients and Serum samples were obtained from 60 patients before surgical resection, among which the samples of 26 patients after resection were also included. We measured the levels of soluble M30 and M65 molecules by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The relation between these markers and patients’ clinical characteristics was evaluated.
M30 and M65 in total patient sera were 148 ± 16 U/L and 318 ± 34 U/L, respectively. A correlation existed between pre-operative M30 and M65 levels (P These data suggested a relationship of both M65 and the M30:M65 ratio to tumor progression which might imply their importance in TCC monitoring.

Interleukin (IL)-17-producing CD4+ T helper (Th17) cells thatare known by producing IL-17 have recently been defined as a unique subset of proinflammatory helper cells. IL-17 is an inflammatory cytokine with robust effect on many cells and it can play important roles in pathogenesis of diverse groups of immune-mediated diseases. The aim of this case-control study was to determine the gene expression of IL-6, IL-17, and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) in Iranian patients with bladder cancer.Patients and Blood samples were collected from 37 patients with bladder cancer and 37 healthy individuals with no history of malignancies or autoimmune disorders, based of simple sampling. The expression of IL-6, IL-17, and TGF-β were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The mean of IL-17 transcripts was significantly higher in patients with bladder cancer compared with healthy individuals (0.33 ± 0.06 vs. 0.42 ± 0.14,) (P = 0.04), but their TGF-β was lower (12.53 ± 8.41 vs. 54.94 ± 17.95,) (P = 0.04). However, the IL-6 transcripts level was similar in both groups (5.34 ± 2.40 vs. 8.07 ± 3.28,) (P > 0.05) and there was not any significant difference between the noted cytokines expressions among patients with different stages and grades. As most of the cases studied in this investigation were in stages I and II, IL-17 as a prominent proinflammatory cytokine may play an important role in recruiting and infiltrating of antitumor immune responses in early stages of bladder cancer. Furthermore, it can be used as predictor for the clinical stage and prognosis of cancers such as bladder carcinoma.

Prostate is an important male reproductive system gland and its disorders can affect men''s quality of life and health. Prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and prostate adenocarcinoma are major disorders that can be found in all men in different ages.. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of diet with serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level as well as prostate volume.. In this cross-sectional study, 950 men older than 40 years of age who had attended our clinic for a screening program for prostate cancer were enrolled. Data was extracted from the program database. The eligible cases included all noncancerous subjects with available data concerning serum PSA level and prostate volume; the patients had completed a 50-item self-administered food frequency questionnaire about their diet during the preceding two year.. No overall association was found between the consumption of foods and prostate volume as well as serum PSA level. There was a significant correlations between age and serum PSA level (r = 0.24) as well as with prostate volume (r = 0.22) (P < 0.001). In addition, there was a significant correlation between serum PSA level and prostate volume (r = 0.41 and P < 0.001).. The results of this study confirmed the previous reports regarding the serum PSA level correlation with prostate volume. There was no evidence that dietary patterns might have any important effect on prostate volume and serum PSA in this Iranian population..

Cytotoxic T-cell lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4) is a member ofthe superfamily of immunoglobulins that are mainly expressed by activated T cells.It is established that blockade of CTLA-4 receptors leads to the enhancement of animmune response. Different polymorphisms of the CTLA-4 gene have been describedwhich cause increased susceptibility to various malignancies such as lymphoma ormultiple myeloma. Considering that bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent cancersworldwide, we have evaluated the role of CTLA-4 gene polymorphism at position+49 A/G in the formation or progression of bladder cancer in southern Iran. Atotal of 226 individuals between February 2005 andJune 2006 were included and placed into two subgroups: patients diagnosed withbladder cancer and a control group. Demographic data and risk factors were collectedfrom both groups. The DNA of all subjects was extracted from their blood samples.Different genotypes of the CTLA-4 gene were determined using the restrictionfragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique and data were compared in bothgroups by using Pearson''s chi-square test. The prevalence of AA, AG and GG genotypes at position 49, accordingto the PCR-RFLP method, were 57.5%, 37.2% and 5.3% in the control group,respectively. In the patient group, the prevalence of these genotypes was: AAin 57.5%,AG in 32.7% and GG in 9.8%. Statistical analysis of data showed no significantdifference in both groups (P value=0.40). Also there was no correlation betweendifferent genotypes of the CTLA-4 gene and invasiveness of the disease in ourcases. Although polymorphism of the CTLA-4 gene at position 49 ofexon-1 increases susceptibility to several malignancies, our study showed norelationship between polymorphism at this position and genetic susceptibility to thedevelopment of bladder cancer, nor was there any association with disease progression.

It is relevant to highlight that there is not a precise and perfect report on either 95 percentile value (upper limit of normal range) or on appropriate reference intervals for serum PSA in Iranian population. To determine age-specific reference ranges for serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentration and PSA density (PSAD) and prostate volumes in a population of healthy Iranian men. Nine-hundred and thirteen healthy Iranian men, aged 50-79 years, underwent a detailed clinical evaluation including a digital rectal examination, a serum PSA determination (DRE) and transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). PSA test was performed on 666 of the subjects and TRUS was done on 633 of them. None of the subjects had any evidence of prostate cancer by any one of the three diagnostic tests and had no history of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS). Age specific ranges for PSA levels, PSA density and prostate volume were determined. The serum PSA concentration correlated directly with the subjects’ age (r=0.280; p<0.001) and prostatic volume (r=0.327; p<0.001). Also prostatic volume was directly proportional to age (r=0.197; p<0.001).The serum PSA ranges (95th percentile) for each age range in Iranian men were: 0.00-2.61 ng/ml for 50-59 years; 0.00-3.59 ng/ml for 60-69 years; and 0.00-4.83 ng/ml for 70-79 years. The respective prostate volumes were: 14-59, 16-66 and 18-73ml. Also respective PSA densities were: 0.00-0.076, 0.00-0.10 and 0.00-0.14 ng/ml/ml. The present study confirms earlier reports that serum PSA levels and prostate volume and PSAD are age- and race- dependent, so it is appropriate to have age- specific reference ranges for these variables in various communities around the world. This will increase the positive predictive value of PSA estimation in the diagnosis of prostate cancer in different communities.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was purified to homogeneity from human seminal plasma by ion-exchange chromatography on a CM-Sephadex C-50 and by gel filtration on a Sephacryl S-200 column. A single 33-kDa protein band appeared in SDS-PAGE. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the purified protein produced a single peak, while isoelectric focusing demonstrated the presence of five different isoforms of this protein. The immunoreactivity of the purified PSA was checked by Western blotting. This simple two-step method can be used for a large-scale preparation of the purified PSA for the clinical tests and also for further investigative studies on the biological properties of this protein