The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and spectrum of β-thalassemia (β-thal) mutations in the population of Sunni Muslim Kurds in western Iran and to set up a prenatal diagnostic laboratory. Sixty unrelated Kurdish β-thal patients identified in hematology clinics from different cities were studied. The mutations in 120 chromosomes were studied by polymerase chain reaction–amplification refractory mutation system and direct sequencing methods. We found fifteen β-thal mutations, and IVS-II-1 (G>A) was the most frequent, comprising 35% of all mutations. Other common mutations were frameshift codons 8/9 (+G) 15.7%, IVS-I-1 (G>A) 8%, FSC 5 (–CT) 6.7%, FSC 8 (–AA) 6.7%, and IVS-I-110 (G>A) 6%. This is the first comprehensive study in this region and could provide a reference for prenatal testing and genetic counseling in this population.

Farnesiferol C is a natural compound with various anti-cancer properties that belongs to the class of sesquiterpene coumarins. However, the low bioavailability of farnesiferol C limits its therapeutic potential. Here, we overcame this problem utilizing dendrosome nano-particles and evaluated the anti-cancer effect of dendrosomal farnesiferol C (DFC) on the AGS gastric cancer cell line. The 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were respectively used to detect the anti-proliferative properties of DFC and expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 as a hallmark of apoptosis. Compared to the void farnesiferol C (FC), our data showed that DFC significantly suppresses the proliferation of AGS cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner (P<0.01). Also, DFC meaningfully increased the expression ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 in AGS cells (P<0.01). The findings demonstrate that our nano-based formulation of farnesiferol C could be considered as a potential therapeutic agent in cancer targeting.

β-Thalassemia (β-thal) is a hereditary autosomal disorder with decreased or absent β-globin chain synthesis. This study was designed to identify the common and rare β-thal mutations in the Azerbaijan provinces, Northwestern Iran, and to set up a prenatal diagnostic laboratory. One hundred unrelated patients with known β-thal major and intermedia, registered with the thalassemia clinics in the provincial capitals of Tabriz and Ardebil, were included. Mutations were studied in 200 chromosomes, by polymerase chain reaction-amplification refractory mutation system (PCR-ARMS) and direct sequencing methods. We found 17 β-thal mutations in this region of Iran. The results showed that IVS-II-1 (G→A) was the most frequent mutation, comprising 21% of all mutations. Other common mutations were IVS-I-110 (G→A) 18%, frameshift codons (FSC) 8/9 (+G) 14.5%, FSC 8 (−AA) 8% and IVS-I-1 (G→A) 7.5%. This is the first comprehensive study in this region and could be useful for developing a β-thal molecular screening in Azerbaijan-Iran

The human leukocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) gene is highly expressed in cancer pathologies and is one strategy used by tumor cells to escape immune surveillance. A 14-bp insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism of the HLA-G gene has been suggested to be associated with HLA-G mRNA stability and the expression of HLA-G. The aim of present study was to assess any genetic association between this polymorphism and breast cancer among Iranian-Azeri women. In this study 227 women affected with breast cancer, in addition to 255 age-sex and ethnically matched healthy individuals as the control group, participated. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction and electrophoresis assays. The data were compiled according to the genotype and allele frequencies, compared using the Chi-square test. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. In this case-control study, no significant difference was found between the case and control groups at allelic and genotype levels, although there is a slightly higher allele frequency of HLA-G 14bp deletion in breast cancer affected group. However,when the stage I subgroup was compared with stage II plus stage III subgroup of affected breast cancer, a significant difference was seen with the 14 bp deletion allele frequency. The stage II-III subgroup patients had higher frequency of deletion allele (57.4% vs 45.8%) than stage I cases (χ2=4.16, p-value=0.041). Our data support a possible action of HLA-G 14bp InDel polymorphism as a potential genetic risk factor for progression of breast cancer. This finding highlights the necessity of future studies of this gene to establish the exact role of HLA-G in progression steps of breast cancer.