Retinoblastoma in Asia: Clinical Presentation and Treatment Outcomes in 2112 Patients from 33 Countries.

Purpose: To describe the clinical presentation and treatment outcomes of children who received a diagnosis of retinoblastoma in 2017 throughout Asia.

Design: Multinational, prospective study including treatment-naïve patients in Asia who received a diagnosis of retinoblastoma in 2017 and were followed up thereafter.

Participants: A total of 2112 patients (2797 eyes) from 96 retinoblastoma treatment centers in 33 Asian countries.

Challenges in Treating Childhood Infratentorial Ependymoma: A Low- and Middle-Income Country Experience.

Purpose: Patients and physicians in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face challenges owing to limited expertise and suboptimal access to appropriate diagnostic and treatment modalities. We report our experience in treating posterior fossa ependymoma (PFE) at MAHAK, a charity organization in Iran whose radiation oncology department is the only one exclusively dedicated to childhood cancer in the whole country.

Methods And Materials: Pediatric patients with PFE referred to MAHAK between November 2008 and January 2016 were identified.

Outcomes and survival rates of childhood osteosarcoma in Iran, A report from MAHAK Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center, from 2007 to 2020.

Background: Osteosarcoma is one of the most common childhood bone malignancies. Although chemotherapy protocol including methotrexate is an effective treatment for osteosarcoma, some other regimens have excluded it because of its complications.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on 93 children younger than 15 years old who were diagnosed with osteosarcomafrom March 2007 to January 2020.

Toll-Like Receptor 7 a Novel Non-Invasive Inflammatory Genetic Sensor for Ulcerative Colitis Remission Monitoring.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) are two major types of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are expressed in the innate immune system compartments, in charge of identifying a wide range of microorganisms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of , -, and - in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of UC patients as a novel non-invasive primary inflammation sensor for monitoring the clinical course of UC candidates.

Pediatric Cancer Registry at MAHAK Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center: A Single-Center Study from Iran.

The childhood cancer registry in Iran is a hospital-based system and there is not any unique and national registry system for pediatric malignancies in Iran. According to the limitations and requirements, this study was designed to clarify the aspect of childhood malignancies in Iran and promote establishing the Iranian national childhood cancer registry system. This cross-sectional longitudinal study was implied on 1500 patients younger than 20-years old diagnosed with any malignancy and admitted at MAHAK Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center (MPCTRC) from 2007 to 2014.

Epidemiology of pediatric sarcoma in Iran.

Background: Pediatric sarcomas are divided into two major groups of soft-tissue sarcomas (STSs) and malignant bone tumors (MBTs).

Aims: The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence and survival rate of STSs and MBTs in the Iranian population based on diagnosis date, gender, age, and histological types.

Methods And Results: Data was retrieved from Iran National Cancer Registry between 2008 and 2015.

Ocular Manifestations of Newly Diagnosed Acute Leukemia Patients.

Purpose: To present primary ocular manifestations in acute leukemia.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive hospital-based study evaluated all newly diagnosed leukemia patients of three referral hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2015-2016 and Mahak Hospital in Tehran in 2017. Exclusion criteria included the patients with the previous history of chemotherapy, cases of relapsing disease, and the patients with a history of ocular disease or other systemic conditions with ophthalmic manifestations.

The Sensitivity and Specificity of Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification and PCR Methods in Detection of Foodborne Microorganisms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method is frequently used for identifying many microorganisms. The present review aimed to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of LAMP method for detection of food-borne bacteria and to compare these features with those of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as an alternative molecular diagnostic procedure, and with cultivation method, as the gold standard method.

Methods: The literature was searched in electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE) for recruiting publications within Jan 2000 to Jul 2021.

Treatment and outcomes of pediatric patients with cancer and COVID-19 at MAHAK pediatric cancer treatment and research center, Tehran, Iran.

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.

Successful Treatment with Intravenous and Intravascular Cidofovir for BK Virus-Associated Hemorrhagic Cystitis after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Case Report.

BK virus rarely causes disease but is typically associated with patients who have had a transplant. The cornerstone of therapy is reduction in immunosuppression. A recent surge in BKVAN correlates with use of potent immunosuppressant drugs, such as tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil.

Association of expression in gastric carcinoma and the significance of its clinicopathologic features in an Iranian patient.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of and the relationship between its expression with clinical characteristics in an Iranian gastric cancer patient.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) play critical roles in the initiation and development of gastric cancer. Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 () is a highly conserved lncRNA and plays key roles in various types of human cancer.

Prediction of Cranial Radiotherapy Treatment in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Patients Using Machine Learning: A Case Study at MAHAK Hospital.

Background: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common blood disease in children and is responsible for the most deaths amongst children. Due to major improvements in the treatment protocols in the 50-years period, the survivability of this disease has witnessed dramatic rise until this date which is about 90 percent. There are many investigations tending to indicate the efficiency of cranial radiotherapy found out that without that, outcome of the patients did not change and even it improved at some cases.

Expression of and and Serum Level of Adiponectin in Gastric Cancer.

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 .

Polymorphisms within methotrexate pathway genes: Relationship between plasma methotrexate levels, toxicity experienced and outcome in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the relationship of genetic polymorphism and plasma methotrexate (MTX) levels, toxicity experience and event free survival (EFS) in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Materials And Methods: The study included 74 ALL patients. Polymerase chain reaction and genotyping of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) rs1801133, MTHFR rs1801131, ATP-binding cassette superfamily B1 (ABCB1) rs1045642, ATP-binding cassette superfamily G2 (ABCG2) rs2231142 and solute carrier 19A1 (SLC19A1) rs1051266 genetic variations were performed.

Evaluating the mechanism underlying antitumor effect of interleukin 27 on B cells of chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

Chronic lymphocyte leukemia (CLL) is a B-cell malignancy resisted to apoptosis. Recently, some studies indicated that cytokines such as interleukin 27 (IL-27) can reduce B-cell proliferation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanism underlying the proapoptotic effect of IL-27 on B cells of patients with CLL in comparison with B cells of normal subjects.

Retinoblastoma presentation, treatment and outcome in a large referral centre in Tehran: a 10-year retrospective analysis.

Background/objectives: Early diagnosis, care and treatment of retinoblastoma is a challengeable issue for Iranian health system. This study was designed and conducted in a referral multidisciplinary centre in the capital city of Iran to evaluate management, care, prognosis and survival rates of paediatric patients with retinoblastoma.

Methods: In this retrospective study, a total number of 309 patients younger than 15 years, diagnosed with retinoblastoma, who referred for diagnosis and treatment to MAHAK's Pediatric Cancer Treatment and Research Center (MPCTRC) from 2007 to 2017 were evaluated.

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale.

Pattern of Transporter Gene Expression in Pediatric Patients with Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Background: Abnormal expression of transporter genes has been associated with treatment failure in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression pattern of and genes in Iranian pediatric patients with ALL relapse and determine the potential predictive value of determining ALL relapse from expression.

Methods: Patients with ALL were divided into two separate groups, either the case group with relapsed ALL or the control group in which ALL patients have been in progression-free survival for at least 3 years A total of thirty-nine participants (23 with relapsed ALL; 16 controls) were enrolled over 26 months.

Characterizing Iranian Pediatric Patients With Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Through Gene Expression Profiling of Common ATP Binding Cassette Transporters Subfamily C.

Background: The correlation between gene expression of ABCC transporters and recurrence as a treatment failure in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an unsolved problem in scientific associations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of ABCC1-6 gene expression pattern for estimating recurrence in Iranian pediatric patients with ALL.

Materials And Methods: Iranian pediatric patients with approved ALL enrolled in this study as 2 groups of case (relapsed ALL) and control (treated individuals who lasted for >3 years following their final treatment).

Smartphone apps to help children and adolescents with cancer and their families: a scoping review.

Considering the importance of empowering patients and their families by providing appropriate information and education, it seems smartphone apps provide a good opportunity for this group. The purpose of this review was to identify studies which used smartphone apps to help children and adolescents with cancer and their families. Arksey and O'Malley's framework was employed in this review.