Impact of body size and physical activity during adolescence and adult life on overall and cause-specific mortality in a large cohort study from Iran.

We conducted this study to examine life-course body size and physical activity in relation to total and cause-specific mortality, which has not previously been studied in the low and middle-income countries in Asia. The Golestan Cohort Study is a population-based cohort in northeastern Iran in which 50,045 people above the age of 40 have been followed since 2004. Participants were shown a validated pictogram to assess body size at ages 15, 30, and the time of recruitment.

Validity and reliability of a questionnaire designed to assess risk factors of pancreatic cancer in Iran.

Background: The objective of this study is to develop a questionnaire to study risk factors of pancreatic cancer in Iran and to assess its reliability and validity.

Methods: Following a comprehensive literature search and consulting with six expert gastroenterologists,these domains were included in the questionnaire: demographic variables; anthropometric indices; socioeconomic status indicators; signs and symptoms of the current disease; occupational history and exposure to certain physical and chemical agents; medical and drug history; family history of cancer; history of alcohol, tobacco, or opium use; history of tea and coffee consumption; pregnancy and menstrual data (only for women); and dietary habits and cooking methods. A total of 113 questions were developed and included in the questionnaire.

Opium use: an emerging risk factor for cancer?

An estimated 16·5 million people worldwide illicitly use opiates, of whom 4 million use raw opium. We did a systematic review to investigate the association between opium use and cancer incidence and mortality. Opium use was associated with an increased risk of cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, larynx, lung, and urinary bladder.

Predicting the risk of squamous dysplasia and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma using minimum classification error method.

Early detection of squamous dysplasia and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma is of great importance. Adopting computer aided algorithms in predicting cancer risk using its risk factors can serve in limiting the clinical screenings to people with higher risks. In the present study, we show that the application of an advanced classification method, the Minimum Classification Error, could considerably enhance the classification performance in comparison to the logistic regression model and the variable structure fuzzy neural network, as the latest successful methods.

The trend of national and sub-national burden of gastrointestinal and liver diseases in Iran 1990 to 2013; study protocol.

Background: It is expected that gastrointestinal (GI) and liver diseases inflict considerable burden on health systems in Iran; therefore, highlighting the significance of GI disorders across the other most burdensome diseases requires comprehensive assessment and regular updates of the statistics of such diseases in Iran.

Objective: To assess in-depth sub-national estimates and trends for the incidence and prevalence of selected GI and liver diseases by age, gender and province over the period 1990 - 2013 in Iran.

Methods: This is a national and sub-national burden of disease study on 21 GI diseases using all available data sources, including cancer registry, death registration system data, hospital data, and all available published data.

NASBOD 2013: design, definitions, and metrics.

Background: Iran has witnessed a substantial demographic and health transition, especially during the past 2 decades, which necessitates updated evidence-based policies at national and indeed at subnational scale. The National and Subnational Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (NASBOD) Study aims to provide the required evidence based on updated data sources available in Iran and novel methods partly adopted from Global Burden of Disease 2010.

Objective: This paper aims at explaining the motives behind the study, the design, the definitions, the metrics, and the challenges due to limitations in data availability.

Synbiotic supplementation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study.

Background: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the world. Oral administration of synbiotic has been proposed as an effective treatment of NAFLD because of its modulating effect on the gut flora, which can influence the gut-liver axis.

Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with synbiotic on hepatic fibrosis, liver enzymes, and inflammatory markers in patients with NAFLD.

Statins for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are common causes of elevated liver enzymes in the general population. NASH and to some extent NAFLD have been associated with increased liver-related and all-cause mortality. No effective treatment is yet available.

Localization of H.pylori within the vacuole of Candida yeast by direct immunofluorescence technique.

Background: Reports indicate that H.pylori is able to invade the eukaryotic cells and establish inside their vacuoles. In this study, FITC-conjugated IgY-Hp was used to localize H.

Immunodetection of Helicobacter pylori-specific proteins in oral and gastric Candida yeasts.

Background: Human gastric epithelium and immunocytes have been recognized as the sole specialized eukaryotic cells that host Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). The aim of this study was to provide further evidence for our previous proposal regarding the occurrence of H.

Serum ghrelin; a new surrogate marker of gastric mucosal alterations in upper gastrointestinal carcinogenesis.

Background: A few studies have indicated inverse relationships between serum ghrelin and gastric and esophageal cancers but those associations have been restricted to specific populations, including smokers and overweight individuals. We examined the association between ghrelin and gastroesophageal cancers and atrophic gastritis in a population-based setting.

Methods: In total 220 gastroesophageal cancers, comprising non-cardia and cardia gastric cancer, esophageal adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and age and gender-matched controls were recruited.

Cooking methods and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in high-risk areas of Iran.

Cooking methods have been implicated in the etiology of gastrointestinal cancers, reflecting exposure to potential carcinogens as results of cooking. We used a validated food frequency questionnaire and a pretested cooking method questionnaire in 3 groups: 40 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cases from a high-risk area in northeast of Iran, 40 healthy subjects from the same high-risk area, and 40 healthy subjects from a low-risk area in Southern Iran. We compared the frequency of boiling, grilling, and frying, and the frying score among these 3 groups.

Decrease in gastric cancer susceptibility by MTHFR C677T polymorphism in Ardabil Province, Iran.

Background/aims: Gastric cancer, as the fourth most frequent malignancy worldwide, has the highest rate among cancer-related disorders in Ardabil province, located in North-West Iran. Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase is one of the cancer susceptibility genes with considerable polymorphisms. Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase C677T leads to a decrease of about 30% in its product activity and is reported to have an effect on cancer susceptibility.

Neglected role of hookah and opium in gastric carcinogenesis: a cohort study on risk factors and attributable fractions.

A recent study showed an association between hookah/opium use and gastric cancer but no study has investigated the relationship with gastric precancerous lesions. We examined the association between hookah/opium and gastric precancerous lesions and subsequent gastric cancer. In a population-based cohort study, 928 randomly selected, healthy, Helicobacter pylori-infected subjects in Ardabil Province, Iran, were followed for 10 years.

Periodic and chaotic dynamics in a map-based model of tumor-immune interaction.

Clinicians and oncologists believe that tumor growth has unpredictable dynamics. For this reason they encounter many difficulties in the treatment of cancer. Mathematical modeling is a great tool to improve our better understanding of the complicated biological system of tumor growth.

Randomized placebo-controlled trial of mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in decompensated cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: There has been great interest in recent years to take advantage of bone marrow stem cells to treat cirrhosis. Our uncontrolled trial showed promising results for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation in cirrhosis. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of autologous MSC transplantation in cirrhosis.

A case-control study of the relationship between gastric cancer and meat consumption in Iran.

Background: Despite the descending trends of gastric cancer in many parts of the world, its mortality rate has still remained high globally. Meat, red and processed meat in particular, may induce gastric carcinogenesis through potential mechanisms. However, the role of this dietary aspect in the risk of gastric cancer has not well been investigated so far.

Marked increase in the incidence rate of esophageal adenocarcinoma in a high-risk area for esophageal cancer.

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) is the eighth common cancer worldwide. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and adenocarcinoma (EAD) are the most common histologic types of EC. Many recent reports showed an increasing trend in EAD and a decreasing trend in ESCC in many Western countries.

Prevalence, awareness and risk factors of hypertension in a large cohort of Iranian adult population.

Background: There is considerable variation in hypertension prevalence and awareness, and their correlates, across different geographic locations and ethnic groups. We performed this cross-sectional analysis on data from the Golestan Cohort Study (GCS).

Methods: Enrollment in this study occurred in 2004-2008, and included 50,045 healthy individuals from Golestan Province in northeastern Iran.

The role of mother's oral and vaginal yeasts in transmission of Helicobacter pylori to neonates.

Background: Oral cavity has been proposed as an important reservoir of H.pylori, being implicated in bacterial transmission through oral-oral route. However, some investigators believe that the newborn acquires H.

Drug-related mutational patterns in hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase proteins from Iranian treatment-naïve chronic HBV patients.

Background: Immunomodulators and Nucleotide analogues have been used globally for the dealing of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the development of drug resistance is a major limitation to their long-term effectiveness.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase (RT) protein variations among Iranian chronic HBV carriers who did not receive any antiviral treatments.

A U-shaped relationship between haematocrit and mortality in a large prospective cohort study.

Background: Only a limited number of studies have investigated the correlation between haematocrit (HCT) and mortality in the general population, and few of those studies have had data on a wide range of low and high levels of HCT. We investigated the association between baseline HCT and mortality in a prospective cohort study of 49,983 adult subjects in Iran with a broad spectrum of HCT values.

Methods: Data on socio-demographic and life-style factors, past medical history, and levels of HCT were collected at enrollment.

Neuropsychiatric and psychosocial issues of patients with hepatitis C infection: a selective literature review.

Context: We briefly reviewed the evidence on the association of hepatitis C (HCV) infection with several aspects of mental and psychosocial health.

Evidence Acquisition: Medline was searched with appropriate keywords. The primary sources were the systematic reviews.

Association of tooth loss and oral hygiene with risk of gastric adenocarcinoma.

Poor oral health and tooth loss have been proposed as possible risk factors for some chronic diseases, including gastric cancer. However, a small number of studies have tested these associations. We conducted a case-control study in Golestan Province, Iran, that enrolled 309 cases diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma (118 noncardia, 161 cardia, and 30 mixed-locations) and 613 sex, age, and neighborhood matched controls.