Pillars of Hospital Preparedness in Radiation Emergency Management

Human beings have always suffered and have incurred irreparable damages from different disasters. The most logical way to deal with disaster is to be comprehensively prepared. In line with this, the readiness of hospitals in the vicinity of nuclear centers is of great importance, as this could lead to reduced injuries and damage. In this study, we aimed to develop a model by which hospitals could effectively react to nuclear incidents. This is a comparative study using library studies, including examining existing patterns, recommended policies and instructions of WHO and IEAE, and articles and documents of selected countries that have models for radiation disaster management. The primary developed model was discussed in expert panels and, ultimately, with some modifications, was finalized. The findings of the research indicated that the most important factors in the success of crisis management are skill in predicting a crisis and having a preparation plan for necessary measures at the time of an incident. Different countries have developed various approaches toward radiation incident management that are mostly focused on human resources, medical equipment, and physical space. The model plan developed here includes a two-part foundation with seven pillars. Intra- and intersectorial arrangements are considered as the foundation, and the pillars are physical structure, medical equipment, human resources, process and instructions, intra- and intrasectorial coordination, information systems, and organizational structure. Having an appropriate model for coping with radiation incidents is pivotal for hospitals active in areas with nuclear centers. Undoubtedly, existence of an effective and comprehensive model could reduce the consequences of radiation crises.

The rs2910164 variant is associated with reduced miR-146a expression but not cytokine levels in patients with type 2 diabetes

PURPOSE

Previous reports have demonstrated that genetic variations in microRNAs regulome could affect microRNAs-mediated regulation. Therefore, in the present study we were aimed at (1) comparison of microRNA 146-a (miR-146a) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and plasma levels between diabetic patients and controls, and (2) investigating the possible association of rs2910164 with miR-146a and its related target genes expression and also serum cytokine levels.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 60 subjects including 30 type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients and 30 controls with determined genotypes for rs2910164. The RNA expression levels were determined by real-time PCR. Moreover, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-1β serum levels were measured using ELISA method.

RESULTS

Our results showed that the miR-146a expression levels were significantly decreased in PBMCs (P = 0.004) and plasma (P = 0.008) samples of patients with T2D compared to healthy participants. In addition, we observed that IRAK1 mRNA expression-but not TLR4, TRAF6 and NFĸB-was significantly increased in patients with T2D compared to controls (P = 0.028). The relative expression levels of miR-146a in plasma and PBMCs samples of diabetic patients with the rs2910164 GG genotypes were significantly higher than that in CC (P < 0.05). Moreover, no significant differences were found in miR-146a targets and cytokine levels between the rs2910164 different genotypes.

CONCLUSION

Our study demonstrated that miR-146a circulating levels were significantly elevated in controls compared with T2D patients. In addition, we identified that rs2910164-C allele is associated with reduced expression levels of the miR-146a but not its mRNAs targets and cytokine levels in diabetic patients.

The pre-mir-27a variant rs895819 may contribute to type 2 diabetes mellitus susceptibility in an Iranian cohort

PURPOSE

The study was aimed at investigating the association between hsa-mir-27a polymorphism rs895819 (T/C) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) susceptibility in a large Iranian cohort.

METHODS

In this case-control study, the investigated population consisted of T2DM patients (n = 204) and sex- and age-matched controls (n = 209). We used the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) for genotyping.

RESULTS

We observed significant differences between T2DM patients and controls for weight (p = 0.002), BMI (p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (p < 0.001), triglyceride (p = 0.004) and LDL cholesterol (p = 0.051). Moreover, we found that genotype distributions were significantly different between groups (p < 0.05) and that the rs895819-C allele is more frequent in controls (p = 0.030, OR = 0.72, 95 % CI 0.53-0.97).

CONCLUSION

Our study shows that rs895819 in hsa-mir-27a is associated with T2DM susceptibility and that the C allele conveyed a protective role against T2DM. Larger multicentric and specific functional studies will be necessary to obtain a deeper comprehension of the role of rs895819 and hsa-mir-27a and how they are involved in the development of diabetes.

Hepatitis B virus infection in patients with blood disorders: a concise review in pediatric study

Childhood Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection causes both medical and public health challenges. Infants who acquire HBV parentally have up to 90% risk of developing chronic HBV infection. It is now estimated that approximately 10% of worldwide cancers are attributable to viral infection, with the vast majority (>85 %) occurring in the developing world. In this distribution, elevated rate and prevalence of HBV marker have been found in patients with malignancies as compared to the general population. By reviewing the web-based search for all Persian and English types of scientific peer review published articles initiated using Iran Medex, MEDLINE/PubMed, CINAHL and other pertinent references on websites about HBV and HCV blood disorders. The high prevalence of HBV and HCV infective markers was detected in patients with different malignancies. Moreover, identification of high prevalence of HBV infective markers in leukemia patients proposed strong association between hepatitis viral infections and leukemia.