No abstract

Introduction Various types of cancers threaten human life. The role of bacteria in causing cancer is controversial, but it has been determined that the Helicobacter pylori infection is one of the identified risk factors for gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori infection is highly prevalent, and about half of the world , s population is infected with it. Objective The aim of this study was the role of Helicobacter pylori in the development of gastric cancer. Method We obtained information from previously published articles. Results and Conclusion The bacterium has various virulence factors, including cytotoxin-associated gene A, vacuolating cytotoxin A, and the different outer membrane proteins that cause cancer by different mechanisms. These virulence factors activate cell signaling pathways such as PI3-kinase/Akt, JAK/STAT and Ras, Raf, and ERK signaling that control cell proliferation. Uncontrolled proliferation can lead to cancer.

Mounting evidences support that vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency is a risk factor of breast cancer. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is expressed in more than 36 cell types in different organs as in cancerous cells. Numerous allelic variants of VDR gene have been identified in human populations. Association of FokI (rs2228570) and BsmI (rs1544410) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VDR gene with the risk of breast cancer have been investigated in several studies, however, the published data are still inconsistent. Here, we investigated BsmI and FokI polymorphisms in Iranian young (≤ 35 years old) breast cancer patient with known BRCA1/2 germline mutations. VDR gene polymorphisms were detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis in a cohort of 203 breast cancer patients and 214 controls from Iran. There was a significant association between the bb and Bb genotypes of the BsmI and the increased risk of breast cancer (OR 1.74, CI 1.06-2.87 and OR 2.08, CI 1.31-3.29, respectively). This association was maintained in the subgroup of BRCA1/2 mutation non carriers (OR 1.90, CI 1.15-3.20 and OR 1.75, CI 1.07-2.87 for bb and Bb genotypes respectively) and in the subgroup of BRCA1/2 mutation non-carriers with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer (OR 1.81, CI 1.08-3.05 and OR 1.65, CI 1.00-2.70 for bb and Bb genotypes respectively). None of the FokI homozygous or heterozygous genotypes were associated with the risk of breast cancer. In summary, the BsmI polymorphism of VDR gene may be associated with the risk of breast cancer in Iranian women.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the occurrence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the seawater and its sediment by molecular techniques and conventional microbiological methods. Of 300 samples analyzed, 20.3 % was recorded positive for V. parahaemolyticus. Of the 62 strains isolated, 26 (8.3 %) were obtained from the seawater samples, and 36 (12 %); from sediments. Only three strains (4.83 %) showed hemolytic activity in Wagatsuma agar. The results of this study demonstrated the presence of V. parahaemolyticus in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea (Northern Iran). Furthermore, the PCR approach proved useful for reliable confirmation of species identification. V. parahaemolyticus is an important human pathogen responsible for food-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. These findings indicated the potential sanitary risk associated with the presence of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in the Caspian Sea.

Conclusively, the upregulation of WNTt16 gene expression in tumoral tissues was impressive and the P value was 0.005 and the SE range was 0.064-142.154.

Background: Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) are major causes of diarrhea in the world particularly among infants and young children. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of DEC strains in stool samples from children under 5 years old. Patients and Methods: Stool specimens were collected from 200 children under 5 years visiting hospital due to gastroenteritis. E. coli pathotypes were detected by using conventional culture techniques and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: Sixty-eight (34%) out of 200 specimens were positive for DEC. Different pathotypes would show the following profiles: 43 (21.5%) for enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC); 18 (9%) for enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) including 10 (55.5%) st positive, 6 (33.3%) lt positive and 2 (11.1%) st and lt both positive; 6 (3%) for enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) and 1 (0.5%) for enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC). Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) was not isolated from any of the E. coli strains tested. Conclusions: This study shows that DEC is a common cause of childhood diarrhea in Babol. EPEC and ETEC were the most frequent pathotypes in the population under study.

BackgroundEscherichia coli is the most important agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs) which accounts for nearly 75% of the isolates (1, 2). Annually, about 150 million women suffer from UTIs worldwide (3). Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strains often produce α-hemolysin which can cause an inflammatory response by the lysis of cells and the release of cytokine (4). β-lactamases are the enzymes that disrupt beta-lactam antibiotics and secret into the periplasmic space in gram-negative bacteria or out of the cell by Gram-positive organisms (5,6). Based on the protein sequence homology (the Ambler classification scheme), beta-lactamases are divided into A, B, C, and D types. According to Tooke et al study (7), the A-, C-, and D-type β-lactamases have serine at their active site (seineβ-lactamases) whereas B-type enzymes are considered as zinc-containing metalloenzymes (metallo-β-lactamases).The extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) were first recognized in Klebsiella pneumoniae and Serratia marcescens in the mid-1980s. These enzymes are produced by gram-negative bacilli and are often classified into temoneira (bla TEM β-lactamase), sulfhydryl variable active site (bla SHV β-lactamase), and the cefotaxime degrading enzyme (bla CTX-M β-lactamase) classes (8). The high prevalence of ESBLs in E. coli has raised concerns about the treatment of the infection caused by this bacterium (9). The ESBLs represent resistance to almost all β-lactam antibiotics except for carbapenems and cefamycins and are mainly produced by E. coli and K. pneumoniae (10). TEM-1, TEM-2, and SHV-1 are named narrow-spectrum β-lactamases because they hydrolyze penicillins and are considered as the first generation of cephalosporins such as cephalothin, cephaloridine, or cefazolin (11). The ESBLs are emanated from the narrow-spectrum

The aim of this study is to examine the antibacterial activity of plant extracts. Both broth dilution and disc diffusion methods were used to assess the antibacterial activity of these extracts against skin and oral pathogens. Eryngium caucaseum Trautv, Eryngium bungei Boiss and Adiantum capillus-veneris have shown antibacterial activity against Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus sanguis. E. caucaseum Trautv showed the highest inhibition zone (> 30 mm) against S. pyogenes. The growth of S. pyogenes was remarkably inhibited by the ethanolic extract of the three plant extracts.