Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services

About: Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Health Services is a education organization based out in Tehran, Iran. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Medicine. The organization has 19456 authors who have published 33659 publications receiving 365676 citations.

IL-12Rβ1 deficiency in two of fifty children with severe tuberculosis from Iran, Morocco, and Turkey.

Abstract: Background and Objectives In the last decade, autosomal recessive IL-12Rβ1 deficiency has been diagnosed in four children with severe tuberculosis from three unrelated families from Morocco, Spain, and Turkey, providing proof-of-principle that tuberculosis in otherwise healthy children may result from single-gene inborn errors of immunity. We aimed to estimate the fraction of children developing severe tuberculosis due to IL-12Rβ1 deficiency in areas endemic for tuberculosis and where parental consanguinity is common. Methods and Principal Findings We searched for IL12RB1 mutations in a series of 50 children from Iran, Morocco, and Turkey. All children had established severe pulmonary and/or disseminated tuberculosis requiring hospitalization and were otherwise normally resistant to weakly virulent BCG vaccines and environmental mycobacteria. In one child from Iran and another from Morocco, homozygosity for loss-of-function IL12RB1 alleles was documented, resulting in complete IL-12Rβ1 deficiency. Despite the small sample studied, our findings suggest that IL-12Rβ1 deficiency is not a very rare cause of pediatric tuberculosis in these countries, where it should be considered in selected children with severe disease. Significance This finding may have important medical implications, as recombinant IFN-γ is an effective treatment for mycobacterial infections in IL-12Rβ1-deficient patients. It also provides additional support for the view that severe tuberculosis in childhood may result from a collection of single-gene inborn errors of immunity.

The Role of Long Non-Coding RNAs in Breast Cancer.

Abstract: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes are an important population of non-coding RNAs with defined key roles in normal development as well as tumorigenesis process. Evidences suggest that they can be classified as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes according to their functions and expression pattern in tumoral tissues. They have been shown to regulate the plasticity of cancer stem cells. Their important roles in the regulation of cancer-related pathways in addition to deregulation of their expression in a number of cancers have suggested that they can be used as markers for cancer detection and prognosis, as well as targets for cancer treatment. Deregulation of a number of lncRNAs, such as HOTAIR, XIST, MALAT, and H19 has been detected in breast cancer samples and cell lines. In addition, the association between lncRNAs signature and breast cancer patients' survival has been assessed in various studies. Here, the expression patterns of lncRNAs in breast cancer, as well as their significance in prognosis and patient treatment are discussed.

The relationship between depression and serum ferritin level

Abstract: This study looks at the association of depression and serum ferritin level. Case–control study. University hospital. Two hundred and five female medical students of Free University of Medical Sciences in Tehran were selected for the study (mean age; 24.5±1.6 years). Of these, 13 subjects were excluded and finally 192 subjects took part in the study. A questionnaire was filled in by each participant for the diagnosis of depression to be made. Based on the Beck score, the students were grouped as depressed and healthy (67 depressed students and 125 healthy controls). The participants were evaluated in terms of hemoglobin (Hgb) level, serum ferritin, ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), CRP (C-reactive protein), folic acid, vitamin B12 and Hgb simultaneously. The prevalence of depression in the study population was 34.7%. The mean ferritin level in students with depression was significantly lower than the healthy ones (P<0.001). By changing the status from normal ferritin level to low ferritin level, odds of depression was increased by 1.92 (P<0.05). The study implies a possible association between depression and decreased ferritin level before the occurrence of anemia. Free University of Medical Sciences.

Supplementation of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris Algae into Probiotic Fermented Milks

Abstract: Viability of probiotic bacteria during the production and storage of fermented milks is the most impor- tant topic of discussion in the dairy industry. Addition of microalgae into milk for the production of fermented milk in order to enhance the viability of probiotics has been the subject of recent research. Spirulina and Chlorella are the most widely noted microalgae for fermented milks. They affect not only the viability of probiotics in final prod- uct but also the sensory attributes of them. Incorporation of microalgae into probiotic fermented milks along with enhancing the viability of probiotics would increase their functional characteristic. This is because they contain a wide range of nutrients and nutraceuticals and are considered as "functional food." This article reviews the effects of supplementation of Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris into probiotic fermented milks on their different quality characteristics.