Arch Iran Med
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Multicenter Study
The Iranian Study of Opium and Cancer (IROPICAN): Rationale, Design, and Initial Findings.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) recently classified opium use as a Group 1 carcinogen. However, much remains to be studied on the relation between opium and cancer. We designed the Iranian Opium and Cancer (IROPICAN) study to further investigate the association of opium use and cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and colon and rectum. In this paper, we describe the rationale, design, and some initial results of the IROPICAN Study. ⋯ The IROPICAN study will serve as a major resource in studies addressing the effect of opium on risk of cancers of the head and neck, bladder, lung, and colon and rectum.
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Multicenter Study
Clinicopathological, Immunohistochemical, and PMS2 Gene Expression Profiling of Patients with Sporadic Colorectal Cancer.
The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system is one of the molecular pathways involved in colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis that consists of several genes, including MLH1 (MutL homolog 1), MSH6 (MutS homolog 6), MSH2 (MutS homolog 2), and MSH3 (MutS homolog 3). The protein encoded by PMS2 (post-meiotic segregation 2) is also essential for MMR. Here, we address the correlation between immunohistochemical and transcriptional expression of PMS2 with the tumor grade and clinical stage of non-hereditary/sporadic CRC disease. ⋯ These findings suggest that PMS2 may provide a potential reliable biomarker for CRC classification by combined immunohistochemical and mRNA analysis.
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Multicenter Study
A Multicenter Survey on the Trend of Chest CT Scan Utilization: Tracing the First Footsteps of COVID-19 in Iran.
Chest computed tomography (CT) scan has been used widely to diagnose COVID-19 in Iran. ⋯ The observed peak in chest CT utilization in Month 3 prior to the surge in Month 6 could be explained by the seasonal influenza. However, unawareness about an emerging viral disease, i.e. COVID-19, might have underutilized chest CT in Months 4 and 5 before the official announcement in Month 6. The unbalanced increase in the workload of radiology departments in the shortage of cardiothoracic radiologists with the simultaneous decrease in income initiated a vicious cycle that worsened the economic repercussions of the pandemic.
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Multicenter Study
The First Inherited Retinal Disease Registry in Iran: Research Protocol and Results of a Pilot Study.
To describe the protocol for developing a national inherited retinal disease (IRD) registry in Iran and present its initial report. ⋯ Our study shows successful web-based software design and data collection as a proof of concept for the first IRD registry in Iran. Multicenter integration of the IRD registry in medical centers throughout the country is well underway as planned. These data will assist researchers to rapidly access information about the distribution and genetic patterns of this disease.
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Multicenter Study
Molecular Diagnosis of Hereditary Neuropathies by Whole Exome Sequencing and Expanding the Phenotype Spectrum.
Inherited peripheral neuropathies (IPNs) are a group of neuropathies affecting peripheral motor and sensory neurons. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is the most common disease in this group. With recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, more than 100 genes have been implicated for different types of CMT and other clinically and genetically inherited neuropathies. There are also a number of genes where neuropathy is a major feature of the disease such as spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) and hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). We aimed to determine the genetic causes underlying IPNs in Iranian families. ⋯ Our results highlight the advantage of using WES for genetic diagnosis in highly heterogeneous diseases such as IPNs. Moreover, functional analysis is required for novel and uncertain variants.