Knowledge Production Status of Iranian Researchers in the Gastric Cancer Area: Based on the Medline Database

Ghojazadeh, Morteza,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Nasrolah-Zadeh, Raheleh,Bayat-Khajeh, Parvaneh,Piri, Reza,Mirnia, Keyvan,Azami-Aghdash, Saber Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.12

Background: Scientometrics is a useful method for management of financial and human resources and has been applied many times in medical sciences during recent years. The aim of this study was to investigate the status of science production by Iranian scientists in the gastric cancer field based on the Medline database. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-cross sectional study Iranian science production concerning gastric cancer during 2000-2011 was investigated based on Medline. After two stages of searching, 121 articles were found, then we reviewed publication date, authors names, journal title, impact factor (IF), and cooperation coefficient between researchers. SPSS.19 was used for statistical analysis. Results: There was a significant increase in published articles about gastric cancer by Iranian researchers in Medline database during 2006-2011. Mean cooperation coefficient between researchers was $6.14{\pm}3.29$ person per article. Articles of this field were published in 19 countries and 56 journals. Those basex in Thailand, England, and America had the most published Iranian articles. Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Mohammadreza Zali had the most outstanding role in publishing scientific articles. Conclusions: According to results of this study, improving cooperation of researchers in conducting research and scientometric studies about other fields may have an important role in increasing both quality and quantity of published studies.

Parental Knowledge and Attitudes about Human Papilloma Virus in Iran

Ghojazadeh, Morteza,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Azar, Zahra Fardi,Saleh, Parviz,Ghorashi, Sona,Pouri, Ali-Asghar Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Infection by human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of common sexually transmitted diseases leading to cervical cancer. Evaluation of parental knowledge and attitudes toward HPV were aims of present study to provide an appropriate method to decrease burden of this infection on society. During this study, 358 parents were assessed for knowledge about HPV and its related disorders. Some 76% of parents had no information about HPV infection and among the informed parents 36% had obtained their information via internet and others from studying medical resources. The average score of mothers information about HPV infection was higher than that of fathers, and also educational level and age had significant impact on knowledge of parents about HPV. Parent knowledge about the hazards of HPV was higher than their knowledge about modes of transmission. Lack of awareness about HPV infection was high in this study, underlining the urgency of education among all adult people in our society.

siRNA-mediated Silencing of Survivin Inhibits Proliferation and Enhances Etoposide Chemosensitivity in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

Karami, Hadi,Baradaran, Behzad,Esfahani, Ali,Estiar, Mehrdad Asghari,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Sakhinia, Masoud,Sakhinia, Ebrahim Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Background: Overexpression of survivin, a known inhibitor of apoptosis, is associated with tumor progression and drug resistance in numerous malignancies, including leukemias. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a specific survivin small interference RNA (siRNA) on proliferation and the sensitivity of HL-60 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells to the chemotherapeutic drug etoposide. Materials and Methods: The cells were transfected with siRNAs using Lipofectamine $^{TM}2000$ transfection reagent. Relative survivin mRNA and protein levels were measured by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Trypan blue exclusion assays were performed to monitor tumor cell proliferation after siRNA transfection. The cytotoxic effects of etoposide and survivin siRNA, alone and in combination, on leukemic cells were determined using MTT assay. Apoptosis was assessed by ELISA cell death assay. Results: Survivin siRNA markedly reduced both mRNA and protein expression levels in a time-dependent manner, leading to distinct inhibition of cell proliferation and increased spontaneous apoptosis. Surprisingly, survivin siRNA synergistically increased the cell toxic effects of etoposide. Moreover, survivin down-regulation significantly enhanced its induction of apoptosis. Conclusions: Our study suggests that down-regulation of survivin by siRNA can trigger apoptosis and overcome drug resistance of leukemia cells. Therefore, survivin siRNA may be an effective adjuvant in AML chemotherapy.

Knowledge and Attitude of Iranian University Students toward Human Papilloma Virus

Ghojazadeh, Morteza,Azar, Zahra Fardi,Saleh, Parviz,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Azar, Nastaran Ghodratnezhad Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Introduction: Increasing prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and its association with cervical cancer as a leading cause of death make it necessary to evaluate and improve the public knowledge, especially of university students, about this cause of disease. Methods: A cross-sectional study of knowledge and attitude of a total 669 students from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences was therefore performed with a modified validated questionnaire, arranged into 5 parts and containing 55 questions, in July 2011. Questions were directed to study socio-demographic characteristics of the participant, knowledge about HPV disease, transmission route, relationship with cervical cancer, predisposing factors, and participants attitude toward people with HPV infection. Results: All of the participants were Moslem with a mean age $25.6{\pm}5.33$ years of age. All of the participants had heard of HPV, and acquired their knowledge through university courses (90.6%); the majority of them knew that HPV is a sexually transmitted disease and a potential cause for genital warts but general knowledge about details was not high. Mean knowledge score of residents and post graduate midwifery and nursing students was high as compared to other groups (P<0.001). Statements that indicated the presence of fear to communicate with people suffering HPV and people's avoidance to rely on babysitting of these patients were observed. Educational level (${\beta}$=0.21, P<0.001), age (${\beta}$=0.18, P=0.002,) and smoking (${\beta}$=-0.11, P=0.006) were predicted to effect knowledge. Conclusions: Moderate level of knowledge about HPV among medical university students makes it necessary to set effective national public health efforts on HPV education and prevention considering he excess of young population in Iran vulnerable to cervical cancer.

Estimation of Cancer Cases Using Capture-Recapture Method in Northwest Iran

Ghojazadeh, Morteza,Mohammadi, Marziye,Azami-Aghdash, Saber,Sadighi, Alireza,Piri, Reza,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Background: Under-ascertainment and over-ascertainment are common phenomena in surveillance and registry systems of health-related events. Capture-recapture is one of the methods which is applied to determine the sensitivity of surveillance or registry systems to recognize cancer cases. This study aimed to estimate the number of cancers using data available both in the Cancer Registry Center of Northwestern Iran and in the Population-based Cancer Registry Center of Iran. Material and Methods: The studied population consisted of all cancerous cases in the northwest of Iran from 2008 to 2010. All data were extracted from two resources and entered into Microsoft Excel software. After removing common and repeat cases the data were statistically analyzed using a capture-recapture studies' specific software "CARE 1.4". Estimations were calculated by Chapman and Petersen methods with the approximate confidence interval of 95%. Results: From 2008 to 2010, the number of all cancer cases was estimated to be 21,652 (CI 95%: 19,863-22,101). Sensitivity rate of all cancer cases was 83.9% and that of Population-based Cancer Registry Center of Iran was 52%. It was 93.1% considering both resources. Conclusion: Using two resources and the capture-recapture method rather than a single resource may be a more reliable method to estimate the number of cancer cases.

Bcl-2 Gene Expression in Human Breast Cancers in Iran

Rostamizadeh, Leila,Fakhrjou, Ashraf,Montazeri, Vahid,Estiar, Mehrdad Asghari,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Hosseini, Somayyeh,Sakhinia, Masoud,Sakhinia, Ebrahim Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

Background: Breast cancer is among the five most common cancers and ranks first among cancers diagnosed in Iranian women. Screening and treatment of this disease with molecular methods, especially regarding high incidences at early age and advanced stage, is essential. Several genes with altered expression have been identified by cDNA microarray studies in breast cancer, with the Bcl-2 gene indicated as a likely candidate. In this study, we studied Bcl-2 gene expression levels in parallel tumor and non-tumor breast tissues. Materials and Methods: Forty samples including 21 tumor, 16 non tumor (marginal) and 3 benign breast tissues which were all pathologically diagnosed, were subjected to RNA extraction and polyA RT-PCR with the expression level of Bcl-2 quantified using real-time PCR. Results: There is higher expression levels of the Bcl-2 gene in tumor samples compared with marginal samples, but not attaining significance(p>0.05). Bcl-2 expression in 14 (66.7%) of the cases of tumor samples and 9 (56.3%) cases of the marginal samples were positive. Comparison of the expression of the Bcl-2 gene in histological grade showed that a high expression of Bcl-2 was associated with a high histological grade (p<0.41). Conclusions: Our data suggests that dysregulated Bcl-2 gene expression is potentially involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Using gene expression analysis may significantly improve our ability for screening cancer patients and will prove a powerful tool in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of the disease whilst aiding the cooperative group trials in the Bcl-2 based therapy project.

Cervical Cancer Prevention Knowledge and Attitudes among Female University Students and Hospital Staff in Iran

Asgarlou, Zoleykha,Tehrani, Sepideh,Asghari, Elnaz,Arzanlou, Mohammad,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Piri, Reza,Sheyklo, Sepideh Gareh,Moosavi, Ahmad Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.11

Background: Cervical cancer is a major preventable cancers. The, current study aimed to assess relevant knowledge and attitude of female students and hospital staff in Iran. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Medical and Nursing faculties and hospitals of East-Azerbaijan Province of Iran. Participants were medical and paramedical female students and female staff in hospitals selected by stratified random sampling techniques. Tools for data collection were questionnaires for which validity and reliability had been verified (${\alpha}=0.8$). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data with SPSS.16. Result: Response rates were 71 % (426 from 600) and 63.5% (254 from 400) for students and staff, respectively. Some 29.1% admitted that they had no information about cervical cancer, only 70 (10.3%) thinking their knowledge as high, 360 (52.9%) as intermediate, and 237 (34.9%) as low. While 93% of participants considered cervical cancer as a severe health problem, the only statistically significant relationships with knowledge were for education (p<.001) and occupation (p<.001) variables. Conclusion: Given the importance of the roles of medical students and personnel as information sources and leaders in health and preventive behavior, increasing and improving their scientific understanding seems vital. Comprehensive and appropriate education of all people and especially students and personnel of medical sciences and improving attitudes towards cervical cancer and its monitoring are to be recommended.

Evaluation of the Pathogenesis of Tumor Development from Endometriosis by Estrogen Receptor, P53 and Bcl-2 Immunohistochemical Staining

Esmaili, Haidarali,Vahedi, Amir,Mohajeri, Shiva,Mostafidi, Elmira,Azimpouran, Mahzad,Behzad, Mohammad Naghavi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.12

Objective: Endometriosis, one of the most common estrogen dependent gynecological disorders, can present as both benign and malignant disease. The prevalence of tumoral transformation is 0.7-1.6% and the most common tumors are clear cell and endometrioid carcinomas. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of transformation is unknown. For this purpose, we examined molecular alterations in ovarian endometriosis and endometriosis-associated tumors. Methods: Using the data bank of Alzahra hospital pathology department and paraffin blocks from appropriate cases were identified. Sections were cut and stained for 3 markers: estrogen receptor, P53 and bcl2. Correlations between findings were investigated. Results: Nineteen cases of endometriosis-associated tumor and 19 cases of endometriosis were identified. Staining for bcl2 was documented in 14 of 19 (73.7%) of endometriosis-associated tumor cases and also 7 of 19 (36.8%) endometriosis cases (P=0.02). Only 3 of the 19 (15.8%) endometriosis-associated tumors exhibited positive staining for estrogen receptors, compared with 14 of 19 (73.7%) endometriosis cases (P<0.001). Positive staining for P53 was noted in 5 of 19 (31.6%) endometriosis-associated ovarian tumor samples but was absent in endometriosis samples (0%), (P =0.008). Conclusions: Endometriosis-associated tumors appear to be associated with overexpression of bcl2 and P53 and reduced expression of Estrogen receptor. These finding may help to diagnose tumoral transformation with a background of endometriosis.

Complications and Carcinogenic Effects of Mustard Gas - a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis in Iran

Panahi, Yunes,Gholami, Nasrin,Ghojazadeh, Morteza,Moslemi, Farnaz,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad,Azami-Aghdash, Saber,Ghaffari, Alireza,Piri, Reza Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.17

Background: Catastrophic effects of mustard gas as a chemical warfare agent have always been a major problem for those exposed to this agent. In this meta-analysis it was tried to evaluate carcinogenesis, ocular, cutaneous and respiratory complications of mustard gas exposure among Iranians who had been exposed to this agent during the Iran-Iraq war. Materials and Methods: In this meta-analysis, the required data were collected using keywords "mustard gas", "sulfur mustard", "cancer", "neoplasm", "respiratory complications", "ocular complications", "lung disease", "chronic complication", "eye", "skin", "cutaneous complication", "carcinogenesis" and their combination with keywords "Iran", "Iranian", "prevalence", "mortality" and their Farsi equivalent terms from the databases of SID, Iranmedex, Magiran, Pubmed, Science Direct, Google Search engine, Gray Literature and Reference of References. To determine the prevalence of each complication and perform meta-analysis, CMA: 2 (Comprehensive Meta-Analysis) software with a randomized model was used. Results: Of the 542 articles found, 7 national articles, consistent with the aims of this study were selected. Meta-analysis of seven papers revealed that cancer risk, especially cancer of the respiratory system was elevated, so that the relative risk (RR) of cancer role of mustard gas was inconsistent from 2/1 to 4 in this survey. Also prevalence of delayed skin disorders due to sulfur mustard was 94.6%, pulmonary complications 94.5% and ocular complications 89.9%. The incidence of various cancers in victims exposed to mustard gas was 1.7% worldwide where the rate was 2.2% in Iranian victims of the Iraq-Iran war. Conclusions: Based on present study the prevalence of delayed mustard gas related cutaneous, pulmonary and ocular complications is above 90% and risk of carcinogenesis is higher in comparison to worldwide statistics. This may suggest need for long-term and persistent follow-up and rehabilitation procedures for populations exposed to this agent.

Comparative Study of Dermatoscopic and Histopathologic Results in Facial Basal Cell Carcinoma and Melanocytic Nevi

Amirnia, Mehdi,Ranjkesh, Mohammad-Reza,Azimpouran, Mahzad,Karkon-Shayan, Farid,Alikhah, Hossein,Jafari-Asl, Mohammadali,Piri, Reza,Naghavi-Behzad, Mohammad Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.1

Background: Dermatoscopy can be applied to diagnose pigmented skin lesions. The aim of the present study was to compare dermatoscopic and histopathologic results in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and melanocytic nevus of theface. Materials and Methods: In an analytical-descriptive study, 61 patients suspected of BCC or melanocytic nevi of face were randomly selected. The skin lesions of patients were evaluated with dermatoscopic method from February 2012 to February 2014 and results were compared with pathological features of samples. Results: In this study, mean age of patients was $49.5{\pm}18.9$. Some 25 (41%) were men and 36 (59%) were women. In 27 cases (44.3%) there was diagnosis of melanocytic nevus, in 28 cases (45.9%) diagnosis of BCC, and in 3 cases (4.9%) there was mixed diagnosis. The relationship between patients' gender and dermatoscopic diagnosis of the patients was statistically significant (P=0.001). For BCC the sensitivity and specificity of dermatoscopic method were 100% and 97% respectively and for melanocytic nevi 96.4% and 97%. Conclusions: Dermatoscopic study not only can be helpful in improving clinical diagnosis while guiding missed malignant lesions to pathologic evaluations, but also could be useful in evaluating further suspicious or recurrent cases.