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Cancers are the second most common cause of non-accidental deaths in Iran, following cardiovascular deaths. Mazandaran, near the Caspian Littoral at north of Iran have identified as a several-high incidence area for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) in the world. Several associated risk factors, such as dietary and cultural habits, infectious agents, nutritional deficiencies, too much use of tobacco and alcohol and infection to certain DNA tumor viruses (HPVs), including environmental and genetic factors are attributed to this disease. To explore this issue, we analyzed HPV DNA prevalence and HPV types together in relation to tumor sites a high-incidence population. Archived tissue blocks from 46, 69 and 62 upper, middle and lower third of esophagus, respectively from ESCC patients were evaluated for the presence of HPV DNA by PCR using the degenerate HPV L1 consensus primer pairs MY09/MY11. The positive specimens were evaluated by Real-time PCR to determine HPV genotypes. From the 49 HPV positive cases, of ESCC patients, 5 (23.1 %), 11 (55 %) and 9 (56.3 %) of upper, middle and lower third of ESCC specimens, respectively were positive by at least one high and one low-risk HPV genotypes. In general, HPV45 and HPV11 were the most common high- risk and low-risk HPV genotypes in HPV L1 positive cases, respectively, followed by HPV6, HPV52 and HPV39. Therefore, the high prevalence of HPV DNA in different anatomical sites of ESCC patients from the Mazandaran region in North of Iran provides more evidence for a role of HPV in this cancer.

Colistin is drug of choice for treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii infections. Unfortunately, global increase in clinical outbreaks of colistin and carbapenem resistant A. baumannii infections is on the rise and cause public health concern. In the present study, a total of 187 A. baumannii recovered from specimens of 240 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) of two hospitals in Kerman, Iran during 2017-2018. Among the isolates, we found four extensive drug-resistant (XDR) with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) ≥4 μg/mL against colistin. The colistin-resistant (Col-R) isolates harbored blaOXA-51 and blaOXA-23 carbapenemase genes, exhibited resistance to all antibiotic classes except tigecycline and ampicillin-sulbactam. They belonged to clonal complex 2, a new MLST type 1752 and displayed identical RAPD-PCR fingerprints. Phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that, the Col-R A. baumannii emerged by endogenous mutations rather than acquisition of preexisting clones. Expressions of pmrCAB by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed 8 and 7 folds increased in the transcription levels of pmrB/C genes in strain 1 grown in presence of 16 μg/mL colistin (p ≤ 0.01). However, no change in the expression of the pmrA was observed. Furthermore, DNA sequencing of Col-R genes illustrated three nonsynonymous substitutions in the LpxA (N136 → K), LpxC (P293 → Q), and PmrB (V21 → F, S28 → R, I149 → F) in the strains 1 and 3, respectively showing MIC 32 μg/mL against colistin. Multiple amino acids alignments demonstrated several substitutions in N-terminal region of PmrB. In conclusion, the above results provide valuable insights into the mechanism of Col-R in A. baumannii and the expressions of relative genes.

Background:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most important causes of disability and mortality in the world. Although cigarette smoking and environmental pollutants have been recognized as the major causes of COPD, the role of infection in the pathogenesis and progression of COPD has also been reported.Objectives:The aim of the present study was to find the relationship between Helicobacter Pylori infection and COPD through anti H. pylori IgG serology, real time PCR of bronchoalveolar lavage and trans bronchial biopsy urease tests.Patients and Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 60 adults with COPD. After obtaining the patient’s history, physical examination, spirometry and confirmation of COPD diagnosis by pulmonologist, subjects were selected through convenience sampling. In order to determine the severity and prognosis of disease, the global initiative for chronic obstructive lung disease (GOLD) criteria and BODE index were used. Subjects underwent bronchoscopy for obtaining bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples and biopsy was performed. Biopsy and BAL samples were investigated respectively by urease test and real time PCR. Moreover, patients’ serum samples were serologically studied for detection of anti H. pylori IgG.Results:Mean age of the participants was 60.65 ± 9.15 years, and 25% were female and 75% were male. The prevalence rate of H. pylori in COPD patients was 10% according to real time PCR, 88.3% according to the serology test and 0% based on the urease test. According to the results of PCR and considering the severity of disease based on the GOLD criteria, from those with a positive PCR, one patient (16.6%) had very severe obstruction, three (50%) had severe obstruction and two patients (33.3%) had moderate obstruction. The relationship between H. pylori presence (based on PCR) and disease severity and prognosis was not statistically significant.Conclusions:These findings can justify the hypothesis of direct injury and chronic inflammation via inhalation and aspiration resulting in H. pylori colonization. In fact, it is thought that H. Pylori infection, beside the host genetic vulnerability and other environmental risk factors might make the patient susceptible to COPD or lead to COPD worsening. Although we found H. pylori infection in some patients with COPD, the results of this study, could not explain the pathogenic mechanisms of COPD.