torabizadeh zh

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) plays an important role in the genesis of cancers of cervix and oral cavity. Squamous epithelium of esophagus is an appropriate site for HPV infection. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of this infection with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In a case-control study forty cases of ESCC and forty controls with nonmalignant specimens from the patients referred to Imam Khomeini hospital–Sari (Mazandaran, Iran) during eight years (2001-2008) were enrolled. Extracted DNAs from the specimens were analyzed for HPV DNA with the commercial kits available for HPV. Fifteen (37.5%) cases of ESCC and 5 (12.5%) specimens of controls were positive for HPV DNA (p=0.03). The most common genotypes in the ESCC patients and control group were HPV16 & HPV45 (each 15% for ESCC patients; HPV16 7.5% and HPV45 five percent for the controls). There was no significant difference for HPV genotype and patient’s age, sex or tumor’s stage and grade. HPV may be counted as an important risk factor for ESCC in northern region of Iran.

Sarcoidosis is a systemic disorder characterized by noncaseating granulomas, involving multiple organs including thyroid and great vessels. We present a 48 year-old women with sarcoidosis, left subclavian artery occlusion and sarcoidal thyroid gland involvement. The patient presented with a 1 week history of progressive left upper limb pain with coldness of left hand and fingers. On examination, radial, ulnar, and brachial artery pulses were not palpable. She had also enlarged thyroid gland with firm consistency. CT angiography of aortic arc demonstrated occlusion of left subclavian artery. Because of progressive ischemic necrosis of left hand and fingers, amputation above elbow was performed. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) was suspicious for thyroid neoplasm and total thyroidectomy was performed. Thoracic CT scan showed mediastinal and bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy with transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) from right hilar lymph nodes and endobronchial biopsy showed multiple granulomas with negative acid-fast stain. Pathologic examination of thyroid also revealed fibrosis and granulomatous inflammation. On follow up, the ACE level was 104 u/l. (Tanaffos2010; 9(3): 75-79)

The breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women. The normal and malignant breast tissue are under the regulatory effects of esteroid hormones and growth factors including HER-2/neu. The purpose of this study, is to determine the expression of estrogene receptor (ER) progesterone receptor(PR) and HER-2/neu among Iranian women with invasive breast cancer. The study is descriptive and cross-sectional that was performed on 50 samples of patients with invasive breast cancer in Imam-Khomeini Hospital-Sari (2005-06). After preparing the samples four tissue sections from each sample was obtained then H&E and IHC staining were performed. In our study, the patients were between 28-88 yrs, (mean:52/6). ER and PR and HER-2/neu were positive in 80%, 72% and 57.1% of cases, respectively. Concurrent positive ER and PR was 70%, meanwhile 62.9% of these patient were also positive for HER-2/neu. 20% of the cases showed negativity for both ER and PR and of these 83.4% were also negative for HER-2/neu. In our study ER expression by itself is equal to previous studies in textbooks but PR expression, HER-2/neu and concurrent expression of ER&PR are higher in our study. Interestingly HER-2/neu expression is near to what was previously proposed by Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization and Kerman University of Medical science. It seems that racial and geographic factors are contributed for these diffrences.