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In the current work, the optical properties of graphene-wrapped gold nanoshells (GGNSs) with a silica core for different sizes and geometries are investigated based on effective medium and Gans theories in tumor tissue. In addition, bioheat transfer equations are used to obtain the temperature distribution in the kidney tumor and its surrounding medium. The localized surface plasmon resonance peak of GGNSs can be easily tuned inside a large region of biological windows by controlling the thicknesses of gold and graphene layers and their aspect ratios for spheroidal nanoshells. Also, we show that oblate spheroidal GGNSs, due to a high temperature rise, are very effective for photothermal cancer therapy. Moreover, the rise in temperature for spherical nanoshells increases as the thickness of the graphene shell increases, while it is independent of the thickness of the graphene shell for spheroidal GNSs. Finally, the regions of tumor tissue with permanent thermal damage are determined by calculating thermal damage in tumor tissue. Our results demonstrate that GGNSs have a high potential for photothermal cancer therapy.

Background: Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide and the third leading cause of death in Iran. One of the proteins that are considered having anticancer effects is the adiponectin hormone. Adiponectin leads to programmed cell death, prevents cell growth and proliferation, and increases the expression levels of BCL2. Aim: The aim of this study was to assay the expression of adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) genes in gastric cancer patients. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 42 gastric cancer patients and 52 volunteers as healthy controls were enrolled. Total RNA was extracted. cDNA was synthesized by the reverse transcription method, and expression analysis was performed by realtime PCR. The serum level of adiponectin was also measured by ELISA. Results: The expression of both AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 was significantly higher than the control group (p = 0.02). Serum adiponectin was significantly lower in gastric cancer cases when compared with normal controls (p = 0.03). Conclusion: We found that expression level of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 is strongly higher; however, the level of circulating adiponectin is lower in gastric cancer. Our study suggests that the expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, besides the low level of adiponectin, may play an important role in the development and/or progression of gastric cancer.

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Introduction: Gastrointestinal cancers constitute more than one-third of the most common cancers and half of the fatal cancers worldwide. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are identified as pivotal receptors in innate immunity responses. TLR4 is the main receptor that plays a role in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) sensing of gram-positive bacteria. D299G (rs4986790) and T399I (rs4986791) polymorphisms in TLR4 lead to a decrease in immune response against LPS. The current study aimed at investigating the relationship between D299G and T399I polymorphisms and susceptibility to gastritis and gastric precancerous lesions in patients referred to Imam Reza Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Methods: The current case-control study was conducted on 201 individuals consisting of 90 patients with gastric cancer (GC) and 111 healthy controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was used to determine the mentioned polymorphisms. Results: Allelic frequencies and genetic distribution of polymorphisms were analyzed in the patient and control groups. Although 399C and 299A allele frequencies were higher in the patients` group, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusions: No significant association was observed between TLR4 polymorphisms on positions 299 and 399, and susceptibility to GC. Also no significant correlation was observed between these two polymorphisms and precancerous lesions. The current study results showed that the studied polymorphisms cannot be used as a prognostic marker of GC in Iranian population.

Background: Aberrant activation of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinases (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway is a critical event during gastric cancer progression. Selective function of AKT inhibitor AZD5363 in PI3KCA mutant gastric cancer necessitates the assessment of PI3KCA mutations in these patients. Methods: The study included 100 patients with gastric cancer who underwent surgical resection at Imam Reza Hospital, Tehran, Iran, between January 2009 and December 2016. Mutations in codon 1047 of PIK3CA were evaluated by tetra-primer ARMS-PCR and direct sequencing methods. Results: We detected p.H1047R and p.H1047L in eight and three samples, respectively. Also, a significant association was found between PIK3CA mutations and lymphatic invasion. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated no significant differences in overall survival between patients with and without mutations. Conclusion: Our study detected gain-of-function mutations in exon 20 of PI3KCA gene in 11% of gastric cancer patients. Future studies are needed to assess the mutation rate in other regions of this gene to find eligible patients for targeted therapies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly devastating for Iran. Children with cancer are generally immunosuppressed and especially vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2 infections. We report the treatment and outcomes of pediatric oncology patients with COVID-19 at the MAHAK Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center (MPCTRC) in Tehran. We enrolled pediatric oncology patients who experienced SARS-CoV-2 infections from March 18, 2020, to January 28, 2021. The COVID-19 diagnostic criteria at MPCTRC were based on imaging and clinical presentation because of specific challenges diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infections with molecular testing, which was locally developed and conducted at centers other than MPCTRC. We enrolled nine outpatients and eight inpatients (mean age = 9 years), seven of whom had a diagnosis of leukemias, and five who had brain tumors. COVID-19 symptoms were mild in fourteen patients, and three patients were asymptomatic. Of twelve patients who received molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection, eight were negative and four were positive. Of nine patients tested for IgG and IgM antibodies, one was positive. Three patients died of COVID-19, all of whom were hospitalized. Mild COVID-19 symptoms did not appear to affect the outcomes of the pediatric patients with cancer who received treatment at MPCTRC during the study period.