Background and Objective: Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and joint disease and a major cause of disability among middle-aged and elderly people. The process of the progressive destruction of articular cartilage, causes pain and dysfunction of the joints involved. However, the main cause of this disease is not known. In several epidemiological studies from other countries, the problem was reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study was to find the relationship between carotid artery atherosclerosis in elderly women and osteoarthritis of the joints. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 256 middle-aged and elderly women referred to the Vali-e-Asr Hospital in Zanjan. The patients were divided randomly into two groups of test and control following medical examination. The rate and severity of atherosclerosis and the presence or absence of atherosclerotic plaques were evaluated using Doppler Sono. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software. The mean values were subjected to student t-test and chi-square methods. Results: Of the total of 256 women who participated (mean age 56.79 years) in the study, 30.8% of women with osteoarthritis and 17.5% of the normal groups had carotid artery atherosclerotic plaque (P=0.009 OR=2.1). Even after normalization for age, osteoarthritis was still considered a risk factor for the carotid plaque. The mean carotid artery intima-media thickness was 0.975 mm in the test group compared with 0.910 mm in the control group (P<0.0001). Conclusion: Our findings are consistent with the outcome of some previous studies reporting a significant relationship between osteoarthritis and atherosclerotic disease. A proper drug treatment to reduce the severity of atherosclerosis in order to prevent the progress of osteoarthritis is recommended.

Background and Objective: As the main virulence factor of Helicobacter pylori, HP-NAP has an important role in immunoprotection against this pathogen. This antigen is a strong candidate as a part of multi-component vaccine in the clinical trial against this bacterium. Due to NAP importance, it was used in this study as a template for optimization of heterologous genes with a low A-T content and low expression in E. coli. Materials and Methods: A synthetic single gene that could reach the highest level of expression in the host was designed by using bioinformatics tools. Results: A number of factors that influence gene expression level were changed for HP-NAP gene optimizing: the codon usage bias in E. coli was changed the G+C content was upgraded from 38% to 45% and the stem-loop structure was broken. These could result to prolong of the half-life of the mRNA and overexpression of recombinant of HP-NAP protein up to 800 mg per liter. Conclusion: Applying of bioinformatics tools was appropriated to optimize of HP-NAP overexpression in E. coli. From our results, it appears that combination of In Silico and experimental approach is a logical approach for expression of heterologous genes in another host.

Background and objective: Association of 6q loci, where IGF2R gene is located, with insulin resistance has been well established. In this study, relationship between 3'UTR and type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance indices in non diabetic subjects was investigated. Materials and Methods: 350 participants (175 diabetic type 2 patient and 175 non-diabetic individuals) were entered in this study. Demographic data were collected. BMI and serum levels of glucose, lipid profiles and IGF2 of all participants were measured. Genotype polymorphism of studied participants was determined by PCR-RFLP method. Then, the relationship between genotypes and insulin resistance indices was measured and analyzed using statistical procedures of ANOVA and post hoc analysis. Results: The genotypes frequency comprised CC (6.85%), AA (33.45%), and CA (59.55%), indicating that the frequency of carrier with CA genotype polymorphism was significantly (P<0.05) higher in type 2 diabetic patients (80.6%) than in non-diabetic participants. Serum FBS levels of CA carriers were significantly (P=0.001) higher than carriers of other two genotypes (CC and AA). The mean levels of serum IGF2 in participants carrying CC and CA genotypes were significantly (P= 0.001) more than other participants carrying genotype AA. Conclusion: (C>A) IGF2R3′UTR polymorphism was associated with type 2 diabetes and some insulin resistance indices especially FBS. However, the A allele may have a protective effect on developing type 2 diabetes. References 1- Shaw JE, Sicree RA, Zimmet PZ. Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2010 and 2030. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2010 87: 4-14. 2- Pettitt DJ, Talton J, Dabelea D, et al. 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Background and Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has been identified as a major health -related problem.There is no proven therapy for NAFLD. However, a number of possible treatments have been proposed and studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of both Chlorella Vulgaris and Artichoke leaf extracts on NAFLD.

Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, 90 patients with NAFLD participated and randomly allocated to three groups. After initial examination, lipids and liver enzymes were measured. The groups received Metformin, Chlorella supplements and Artichoke. After the therapeutic period, liver enzymes were measured again. All collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and independent T-Test, Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square tests.

Results: At baseline, mean age, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, BMI, ALT, AST, HDL, LDL, TG, CHOL and FBS showed no significant difference in three groups. But, after the completion of the treatment, serum ALT, AST, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and BMI significantly decreased in all three groups.

Conclusion: Our study showed the beneficial effects of Artichoke and Chlorella vulgaris in patients with NAFLD. We suggest future studies be performed with larger sample sizes for precise evaluation of the effects of Artichoke and Chlorella vulgaris on NAFLD.

Background and Aims:Colorectal cancer (CRC) poses a significant global health challenge, with elevated mortality rates. Previous research has implicated reduced SLC4A4 levels and increased expression of hsa-miR-223-3p and hsa-miR-106a-5p in CRC. This study explores the diagnostic potential of hsa-circRNA-001587 and hsa-circ-0004872 in CRC within a population-based framework. By focusing on these circRNAs, the investigation aims to contribute valuable insights into CRC diagnostics.
Methods: In this population-based study, tissue samples from 30 pairs of CRC and adjacent normal tissues were collected at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Valiasr Hospital in Birjand, Iran. Systematic patient recruitment, comprehensive data collection, and rigorous tissue sample procedures were employed. The focus of RNA extraction and analysis was on hsa-circRNA-001587 and hsa-circ-0004872, with validation carried out through reverse transcription qPCR and Sanger sequencing.
Results: Our results indicated a notable reduction in the expression of hsa-circRNA-001587 (downregulated by 1.34-fold) and hsa-circ-0004872 (downregulated by 2.19-fold) in CRC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues (p-value > 0.05). Furthermore, our statistical analysis revealed a robust and significant association between hsa-circ-0004872 and hsa-circRNA-001587, suggesting that an increase in one corresponds consistently with an increase in the other (p-value ≤ 0.001, r = 0.81).
Conclusion: Hsa-circ-0004872 and hsa-circRNA-001587, which act as tumor suppressors in CRC through a novel hsa-circ-0004872/hsa-circRNA-001587/hsa-miR-223-3p/hsa-miR-106a-5p/SLC4A4 axis, could serve as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CRC treatment. Further investigations in serum, plasma, and cell lines are needed for a comprehensive understanding.