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Background and purpose: Ït is now clearly acknowledged that unjustified prescription habit can lead to ineffective or incomplete treatment and may extend the course of illness or time to recovery. Ât present, there is no taught course available on prescription writing method specifically for common illnesses. Çonsequently, students learn through experience. Ïn these circumstances, it seems essential to teach medical students the prescription techniques and insight into national pharmacology. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate diagnosis, treatment and prescription writing capability of graduating interns for common clinical scenarios.
Materials and methods : This was a cross sectional study assessing the prescription writing ability of 41 interns for 10 common clinical situations based on an Ôbjective Structured Çlinical Ëxamination (ÔSÇË).
Results : Ïn every station, average action was 1.57 . From this, 68% were correct performance. Âverage number of medicine for each prescription was 1.8, with 70% appropriate medicine. From correct prescriptions, 59% had accurate dosage and 44% with precise course of treatment. Ôn average, there were 1.4 right and 0.29 wrong medical advices per prescription.Ôver all, 82.7% of recommendations were correct. Âverage score of interns in all stations was 56.4%. There was a correlation between prescription writing ability and the average mark of interns. More than half of the interns had average ability in writing prescription and there was no relation between their ability and age, sex, marital status, or their medical exam (G.P.Â) score at pre-internship exam.
Çonclusion: Generally more than a third of prescriptions written by students graduated from Sari Medical School were wrong and only 5% of them were absolutely accurate. Çonducting practical educational programs of pharmacology, as WHÔ pattern, seems reasonable.

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Background and purpose: The medical importance of cockroaches is much greater than what has generally been realized. They are known to carry pathogenic viruses and bacteria such as escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and salmonella species including S.typhi and S.typhimurium. As a result, their eradication is very important.
Materials and Methods: One of the best and effective ways of controlling cockoaches is thought to be the chemical method, which is performed by insecticides. It should be stated that the chemical treatment must be combined with enviromental sanitation, otherwise, the results will not be satisfactory. This study was carried out by using four different insecticides like: Permethrin 0.92% Deltamethrin 0.98% and Supermithrin 0.92% to evaluate their susceptibility and resistance. In this study, the cockroaches were collected from Imam Khomeini and Boo Ali Hospitals in Sari and were tested by different cocentrations of above -mentioned insecticides. Susecptibility of cockroaches was performed according to the standards of World Health Organization (W.H.O).
Results: In this study, all the strains of cockroaches were exposed to the concentration of the above-mentioned insecticides through surface contact method. Imam Khomeini strain showed the LT50 of 20/24, 19/30, 19/64 minutes and Boo Ali hospitals 19/87, 17/6, 18/66 minutes. For susceptible strain, 8/89, 8/8, 8/64 minutes were obtained to Permethrin, Deltamethrin and Sumithrin respectively. On the other hand, LT90 for Imam Khomeini strain were 42/91, 41/21, 37/38 minutes and Boo Ali hospitals 42/59, 40/88, 34/05 minutes. For susceptible strain, 17/58, 18/43, 17/28 minutes were obtained to Permethrin, Deltamethrin and Supermithrin respectively. In surface contact, the resistance ratio (RR) to pyrethroids insecticides (Permethrin, Deltamethrin and Supermithrin) of BoAli hospitals strain was 2/23, 2 and 2/15 respectively, while this ratio for Imam Khomeini strain was 2/2, 2/19 and 2/27.
Conclusion: Direct use of permethrin, Deltamethrin and supermithrin has developed the resistance of German cockroaches significantly.

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Background and purpose:Chemical fertilizers which contain nitrite and nitrate ions contaminate water, soil and plants. The livestock are exposed to the ions through grazing in these areas. This study was designed to evaluate the levels of ions in raw sheep and cow¢s meat in Mazandaran and also, to estimate the dietary intake of the ions from fresh meat consumed in a regular diet.
Materials and methods:A total of 36 samples of beef and 36 samples of mutton meat were collected from different cities of Mazandaran province (Sari, Babol and Qaemshahr) and their nitrite and nitrate contents were measured by colorimetric Griess Ilosvay method. Data were statistically analyzed by using Mann Whitney.
Results:The mean of nitrate and nitrite in mutton was 4/9 and 0/36 and beef was 6/3 and 0/38 mg/kg. Nitrite and nitrate content in beef and mutton had no significant difference.
Conclusion:Considering the recommended consumption of meat groups and their substitutes in the food pyramid, which is 6.5 ounce/daily for those who use 2,500 Kcal/day, it is estimated that the amount of nitrate and nitrite consumed by an adult in all meat groups from red meat, the nitrate intake is higher than in some countries such as the UK, although lower than CONTAM Panel is recommended

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Background and purpose: Heterotrophic plate count (HPC) is commonly used to assess the general microbiological quality of drinking water. HPC must be less than 500 colonies per milliliter in drinking water. The aim of this study was to compare the heterotrophic bacteria of bottled water and drinking water distribution system and their relationship with water quality parameters. Materials and methods: In this study 21 samples of bottled water belonging to seven domestic brands and 15 samples of drinking water from water distribution system in Semnan were analyzed and compared for HPC. The Relationship between HPC with pH, temperature, turbidity and free residual chlorine were also determined in drinking water distribution system. Results: The results showed that HPC was lower in bottled water compared with that of the tap water. HPC has increased when the temperature increased. In contrast, HPC has decreased when free residual chlorine increased. Turbidity and pH did not influence the HPC in drinking water distribution system. Conclusion: The quality of all bottled water was consistent with the Iranian drinking water standards and also the standard levels proposed by World Health Organization. However, HPC was found more in some parts of distribution system where the residual chlorine was low.

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Background and purpose: Due to the beneficial physiological effects of conjugated linoleic acid (ÇLÂ), there has been a growing tendency to produce it as a functional lipid in recent years. Different ÇLÂ isomers have different physiological effects hence, production of certain ÇLÂ isomers with high purity is of great importance. ÇLÂ can be produced through both chemical and enzymatic methods however, unlike chemical catalysts, enzymes make it possible to produce pure ÇLÂ isomers. Ïn this study, linoleic acid isomerase from Propionibacterium acnes was expressed in Ë. coli and the possibility of the production of ÇLÂ was studied.
Materials and methods: The vector containing linoleic acid isomerase, pGËX-6P-PÂÏ, was transformed in Ë. coli . Transformants were selected based on their resistance to ampicillin and restriction digestion analysis. To express the recombinant linoleic acid isomerase, transformants were induced using isopropyl-beta-thiogalactopyranoside (ÏPTG). The expression of recombinant protein was confirmed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting using anti-linoleic acid isomerase antibody. Then, the possibility of the production of ÇLÂ from Linoleic acid by using Ë-coli transformant was investigated.
Results: Recombinant linoleic acid isomerase was intracellularly produced as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) tagged protein by transformed Ë-coli. The fusion of GST to the N-terminus of linoleic acid isomerase increased its molecular weight from 49 to 75 kDa. GST-tagged enzyme acted like linoleic acid isomerase and the transformed bacterium could convert considerable amounts of linoleic acid to ÇLÂ.
Çonclusion: The findings indicated that transformed Ë. coli can be used for ÇLÂ production in biocatalytic processes.

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Background and purpose: Studies have indicated that phytoestrogens in soybean can influence the reproductive system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of soybean on testicular tissue and pituitary-gonad axis in male rat.
Materials and methods: Forty adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into five groups including control, sham, and three experimental. Ânimals in the experimental groups received soybean extract for 48 days at doses of 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg by gavage, respectively. The rats in the sham group received only water by gavage for the same period, as well. Ïn the control group received no treatment. Ânimals’ weight was measured before and after the intervention. Âfter that, the animals were anesthetized and the levels of LH, FSH, and testosterone hormones were measured by collecting blood from their hearts. Ïn the end, the left and right testes were removed and weighed. Quantitative and qualitative studies were done on the left testis of each rat.
Results: Âdministration of soybean hydroalcoholic extract at doses of 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg did not have any negative effect on body weight, gonads, testicular function, and histometric parameters. Âdministration of extract with the highest dose used in this study (120 mg/kg) significantly decreased the plasma LH level, germinal epithelium length, and repopulation index (P<0.05). Furthermore, histopathologic studies did not show any damage on testicular tissue.
Çonclusion: The results indicated that soybean in routine doses that used in this study did not exert considerable negative effects on testicular tissue and hormone secretion in the rats.

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Background and purpose: Vitiligo is a common acquired pigmentation disorder. There are various therapeutic options for the treatment of vitiligo which bare some limitations due to their side effects. Recently topical immunomodulators (TIMS) such as topical Pimecrolimus have been used for the treatment of vitiligo in children as safe and efficient therapeutic options. This study compared the efficacy of the combination therapy of Pimecrolimus 1% cream and Mometasone cream with either agent alone in the treatment of childhood vitiligo. Materials and methods: In a nonrandomized double blind interventional study, 50 patients were enrolled. In each patient three lesions was selected. Topical Pimecrolimus cream 1% was applied to the first lesion twice daily, topical Mometasone furoat 0.1% ointment was applied for the second lesion every night, and Pimecrolimus cream 1% and topical Mometasone ointment 0.1% were applied to the third lesion twice/daily for the first five days. Topical Mometasone furoat 0.1% ointment was used at nights for the rest of the days of the week. All three treatments were administered simultaneously over three months. The data was analyzed using SPSS V.20. Results: Forty patients completed the study period whose mean age was 10.6 years and 46% were male. Significant decreasing trend was seen in the lesions size over time (P< 0.0001). However, this decreasing trend was not statistically significant among the three treatment groups at the end of the study (P= 0.5). Conclusion: In this study combination therapy had no any advantage to either Pimecrolimus or Mometasone. However, due to the limited number of patients in this study, further studies with large sample sizes are needed to evaluate the efficacy of this type of combination therapy and other combination therapies. (Clinical Trials Registry Number: ACTRN12611001165976)

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Background and purpose: Bioindicators are microorganisms directly associated with environmental changes which their numbers are affected by chemical pollutants. Materials and methods: Sampling was done from four stations in Shirood River in depth of 20 cm of water surface and transferred to laboratory in less than 24 hr. KF medium, SPS, ECC Chrome agar, Plate count agar were used for isolation of fecal streptococci, sulfate-reducing bacteria, E. coli, coliform and heterotrophic bacteria, respectively. Results: The mean count of TVC, fecal streptococci, coliform, E. coli, sulfate-reducing bacteria, in four stations in shirood river were 6.78×105, 9.7×104, 1.07×106, 1.27×106 (cfu/1ml) 6×101, 3.65×102, 5.83×102, 1.6×102 (fecal streptococci) 3.58×103, 3.54×103, 2.11×103, 4.42×103 (coliform) 2.51×102, 6.81×102, 1.95×102, 3.62×102 (E. coli) 3.21×102, 2.62×102, 2.25×102, 2.04×101 (sulfate-reducing bacteria). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the rate of pollution in the studied stations was higher than the standard limits. Other studies also indicate that distribution of some bacterial bioindicators such as coliform and fecal coli forms is very high in site of effluent of domestic and urban sewage.

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Background and purpose: Diazinon is a widely used organophosphorus pesticide around the world especially in rice paddy fields. Some studies showed that such toxic chemicals can influence the health conditions of fish at various levels including fish immune system and increase the fish susceptibility to infectious diseases. Materials and methods: In this study, histopathological effects of different sublethal concentrations of diazinon at 1, 2 and 4 mg/L were investigated on gills, liver, spleen, kidney and nostril of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). One hundred and twenty grass carps weighing 850±155 g were studied at 1, 7, 15, 30 and 45 days post-exposure to the toxicant for 12 hours at 18- 22ºC. Results: Light microscopic examinations of tissues showed that toxicant concentrations caused severe damages to the cells and tissues structure such as congestion of blood vessels, haemorrhage, cellular infiltration, pyknosis of cells nuclei, vacuolar degeneration and general necrosis in the tissues of kidney, spleen and liver. Conclusion: There were degenerative changes of interstitial tissue and detachment of tubular basement membrane in kidney. We also observed hyperplasia and fusion of secondary lamellae, separation and sloughing of epithelium from the underlying basement membrane in gill sections and denudation of epithelial surface in nostril.

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Background and purpose: Tools of screening and diagnosis of autism result in early diagnosis in childhood which are of great benefit for early intervention. This study investigated these tools from various aspects to provide a comprehensive view. Materials and methods: This research was a narrative review study on tools of screening and diagnosis of autism. A search was conducted using some databases including Iran medex, SID, Magiran, Google scholar, Medline, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of Science. The tools were then investigated regarding the date of publishing, age range of participants, method of administration/format, subscales, the duration of each test and psychometric features. Results: In this study, 25 tests were reviewed of which 14 tests were related to screening and 11tests were used for diagnosis. The tests were all in forms of questionnaire, checklist, observation and interview. The oldest test was invented in 1980 and the most recent one was developed in 2013. In terms of age, minimum and maximum ages for implementation of test were listed six months old and 22 years old. The minimum and maximum times to administrate were five minutes and 90-180 minutes, respectively. Conclusion: We found that some tests have been used more because of their proficient subscales in recent years. Also, comparing recent tests to old tests revealed their evolutionary path.

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Background and purpose: Nitrate is probably the most widespread groundwater contaminant in the world, due to its high water solubility. It imposes a serious threat to human health and contributes to eutrophication. The objectives of this study were set to explore how the factors of ultraviolet light and ionic strength could influence the nano zero valent iron (NZVI) system for nitrate removal. Material and methods: In this study, response surface methodology was employed for the design and analysis of experiments .Experiments were carried out as per Box–Behnken) BBD) surface statistical design with four input parameters namely NZVI dose (0.5–2g/L), initial concentration (50–150mg/L), contact time (15–60min), and ionic strength (1000-5000μmho/cm). All experiments were performed in the presence and absence of UV irradiation. Results: The Maximum reduction efficiency for experiments in the presence and absence of UV irradiation was 85.3% and 91.6% in nano zero valent iron dose 2g/L, initial concentration 100mg/L, Contact time 60, and ionic strength 3000μmho/cm. The proposed model was essentially in accordance with the experimental case with correlation coefficient R2 = 0.9992, 0.9946 and Adj-R2 = 0.9982, 0.9884, respectively. Conclusion: Removal efficiency of nitrate increased with increase in time and NZVI dosage. In contrast, it decreased when ionic strength and initial concentration increased. Also, UV irradiation accelerated the removal of nitrate.

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Background and purpose: Cyanobacteria are rich sources of secondary metabolites. Antibiotic resistant pathogens are rising and people are more interested in using natural products these days. Hence, identifying competent cyanobacteria for the extraction of antimicrobial compounds is of great benefit. The main objective of this study was to investigate the in vitro antibacterial activity of methanol, ether and aqueous extracts of some species of cyanobacteria. Materials and methods: In this experimental study, the cyanobacteria of Fischerella ambigua, Synechococcus elongatus and Schizothrix vaginata were obtained from the culture collection of algae at the Iranian Academic Centre for Education, Culture and Science. Extraction was performed by adding the solvent to cyanobacterial biomass and then filtering and drying of the mixture. The antimicrobial effect was studied using disk diffusion method and broth microdilution method was applied to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration. Results: Results showed that methanol, ether and aqueous extracts of Fischerella ambigua and aqueous extract of Synechococcus elongatus had considerable antibacterial activity. Ether extract of Fischerella ambigua was the most effective against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, and the average diameter of inhibition zone were 31/67 and 32/67 mm, respectively. The most effective extracts against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria were the aqueous extract of Synechococcus elongatus and the ether extract of Fischerella ambigua, respectively. Conclusion: Two species of cyanobacteria Fischerella ambigua and Synechococcus elongatus were found with significant antimicrobial activity. The aqueous extract of Synechococcus elongatus was the best for isolation of antibacterial compounds and diethyl ether was an efficient solvent for the extraction of antimicrobial compounds from Fischerella ambigua species.

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Background and purpose: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) are environmental pollutants that are caused by human activity and considered as carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds. Anthracene is a hazardous substance causing serious health problems. There are many bacteria with the ability to remove this pollutant. The aim of of this study was isolation of some bacteria from Tajan river estuary and their use in biodegradation of Anthracene. Materials and methods: In this study the samples taken from estuaries were inoculated into a synthetic medium culture. Four species of bacteria were isolated in the culture process and applied for removal of Anthracene in different environmental conditions such as pH, time, temperature and concentration of Anthracene. Spectrophotometer and HPLC were used to study the growth of bacteria and Anthracene concentration, respectively. Results: The results showed that, optimum condition for removal of Anthracene was pH= 7, temperature= 30 °C, and the dose of inoculated bacteria 107 cfu/ml. Anthracene concentration was 100 ppm. Efficiency of the Anthracene removal in the presence of Pseudomonas putida, Achrobactrum haematophilum, Klebsiella oxytoca, Enterococcus sp, was obtained 51, 45, 43 and 48 percent, respectively. Pseudomonas putida bacteria species had the highest efficiency in Anthracene removal and Enterococcus sp strains had the lowest efficiency. Conclusion: The biological method is a cheap and effective method that can be used for Anthracene removal.

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Background and purpose: Escherichia coli is a common cause of food poisoning. After entering the body, toxins will release in the intestinal. Toxin derived from this bacterium can damage the intestinal mucosal and cause severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. Listeria monocytogenes in animals and humans causes a serious infection called listeriosis that could be transferred to humans through contaminated food such as cheese, raw vegetables, salads and fish. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of essential oil of Boiss Zataria multiflora on the behavior of E. coli and L. monocytogenes in ground silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) stored at temperature C ° 4. Materials and methods: The samples were inoculated separately by E.coli and L. monocytogenes at 4.5 and 4.6 log CFU/gr, respectively. Then, treatments of B. Zataria multiflora were prepared in two concentrations of 0.8% and 1.2%. All samples in both treatment and control group were stored at refrigerator temperature for 72 hr. The number of E.coli and L. monocytogenes were counted daily by cultivation on the Ecc Chromagar liquid and listeria selective chromagar medium. Results: We observed significant antimicrobial effect in 1.2% concentration of B. Zataria multiflora, which was also able to reduce E. coli after 48 hours. This treatment had a high bactericidal effect, since no bacterial colonies were isolated at 48 and 72 hours. The studied concentrations of B. Zataria multiflora, showed inhibitory effects on L. monocytogenes. Conclusion: B. Zataria multiflora was found to have bactericidal activity against E.coli while this activity was not considerable against L. monocytogenes.

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Background and purpose: Endothelial-derived nitric oxide (NO) is a major contributor in regulating myocardial function and has been implicated in development of coronary artery disease (CAD) as the most common type of cardiovascular disease. It is synthesized in the human body from L-arginine by constitutive endothelial NOS (eNOS) as one out of three known isoforms of NO synthase (NOS) involved in this process. Based on recent studies, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of some genes, such as eNOS, appear to be genetic risk factors for CAD however, the results are inconsistent across different ethnic populations. Therefore, the current study was carried out to assess the association between -786T/C polymorphism (rs2070744) and susceptibility to CAD risk in Iranian population. Materials and methods: The study included 50 patients with angiographically confirmed CAD (≥50% stenosis in at least one coronary vessel) and 100 aged-matched individuals without cardiovascular background, hypertension, diabetes, or any other specific illness. The genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood cells and genotyping was performed using amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). Results: The frequency of risk allele (C) was significantly higher in case group compared to control group (P= 0.04). According to the findings, the presence of the C allele was associated with 1.67-fold increased risk of CAD compared with individulas lacking the risk allele (95% CI= 1.01-2.73, P= 0.04). Conclusion: Several studies revealed association of -T786C polymorphism with coronary spasm, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and multivessel CAD in different populations. In current study, a possible association was found between -T786C polymorphism and risk of CAD, which is in line with previous findings. These results suggest this variation as a predictor marker for estimating the risk of CAD in Iranian population.

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Background and purpose: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the major reason for abnormal liver function and is associated with obesity. Omentin (ITLN1) gene is highly expressed in visceral adipose tissue. The plasma omentin level is inversely correlated with obesity and serum omentin is elevated in patients with fatty liver diseases. This study investigated the association between Val109Asp polymorphism in omentin gene and susceptibility to NAFLD.

Materials and methods: This case-control study was carried out in 94 patients with NAFLD (45 women aged 20-83 and 49 men aged 21-66) and 188 healthy participants (90 women aged 19-81 and 98 men aged 20-65). Genomic DNA was extracted from blood samples. The omentin gene Val109Asp polymorphism was determined using PCR-RFLP method. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association between omentin gene Val109Asp polymorphism and susceptibility to NAFLD.

Results: In control and NAFLD groups the frequencies of Asp allele were 0.77 and 0.67 and Val allele frequencies were 23% and 33%, respectively. Significant association was found between Val allele and susceptibility to NAFLD (OR: 1.6, 95%CI: 1.1-2.4, P= 0.01). Also, the results showed that Asp/Val genotype is associated with increased risk of NAFLD (OR: 2.07, 95%CI: 1.2-3.5, P= 0.005).

Conclusion: Omentin gene Val109Asp polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to NAFLD.

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Background and purpose: Viable tissue detection after STEMI can lead to successful revascularization for reversing myocardial dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to compare the Thallium-201 SPECT and MRI findings in viability assessment.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 17 patients with STEMI. In addition to Thallium SPECT, contrast enhanced MRI imaging was done. Viability was determined as more than 50 percent thallium uptake after 4 hours in SPECT and lower than 50 percent gadolinium enhancement after 10 minutes in each segments in CMRI.

Results: Two hundred eighty nine segments were studied in each method of which 15.6% in TL SPECT and 35% in MRI were considered as non-viable tissue. Substantial agreement was detected between these methods in apical septal and apical segments (k: 0.653, k: 0.757, respectively).

Conclusion: The percentage of non-viable myocard in MRI was found to be higher than that of Thallium SPECT and also considerable agreement was seen between MRI and Thallium SPECT in determination of myocard viability in apical septal and apex segments.

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Background and purpose: Menopause is a physiological process and diabetes is a metabolic disease that occurs more frequently in older women. The present study investigated the effects of diabetes on some biochemical parameters and histopathological changes in ovariectomized rats.

Materials and methods: Thirty two adult female rats were divided into four groups of 8 and studied for 55 weeks. The animals were assigned into a control group, an ovariectomized group (55 weeks), a third group in which diabetes was induced in the last 5 weeks of the study in rats with intact ovary. The next group included ovariectomized rats (for 55 weeks) in which diabetes was induced in the last 5 weeks of the study. Pathological alterations of liver, kidney, pancreas, lung and some serum biochemical parameters were determined in each group at the end of the study.

Results: Diabetic and diabetic ovariectomized rats showed increase in serum levels of blood glucose, AST, ALT, GGT, ALP, calcium, urea, TG and HDL compared with the control group (P< 0.05). Increased serum levels of LDH, TG, cholesterol, HDL, LDL were seen in ovariectomized rats compared with the control group (P< 0.05). Pathological examinations revealed changes in all groups except in the control group.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that long term reduction of estrogen in ovariectomized diabetic rats can reduce the serum levels of glucose, AST, ALT, GGT, urea, VLDL and triglycerides compared with non ovariectomized diabetic rats.

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Background and purpose: High-energy photon beams above 8-10 MV used in external radiation therapy produce neutron in dealing with the linear accelerator components and other parts in radiation field. The weakening of neutrons due to the closing jaws collimator angle, in smaller field sizes can also be a contributing factor in changing the neutron spectrum. Since a direct measurement of the neutron flux and spectrum require complex measurements in treatment room, the Monte Carlo is an alternative method for determining the true environmental neutron spectrum.

Materials and methods: Geometry of linear accelerator Elekta SL75/25 was designed in FLUKA simulation code and its validation was tested. Spectrum of neutrons produced in the accelerator was determined in the center of four field sizes of 20 × 20,   15 × 15, 10 × 10, and 5 × 5 cm². Data analysis was done applying Mann-Whitney test.

Results: In the condition with flattening filter, significant differences was found in the neutron spectrum only in 5 × 5 to 15 × 15 cm² and 5 × 5 to 20 × 20 cm² field sizes (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Our results of the neutron spectrum using FLUKA simulation code are in a good conformity with the results of practical dosimetry of other researchers; therefore, checking the neutron flux in radiotherapy by simulation can be an appropriate solution to improve patient treatment and protection issues. Since neutron dose increases with an increase in field size, so, we can conclude that field size influences secondary effects of treatment.

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Background and purpose: Interest into targeting PI3K in cancer has increased by the recent disclosure that aberrant activity of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is associated with disease recurrence and poor outcome in different malignancies. The aim of this study was to investigate the potentiating effect of PI3K inhibitor, GS-1101 on doxorubicin-induced cell death in acute lymphoblastic leukemia-derived, Nalm-6 cells.
Materials and methods: In this experimental study, to evaluate whether abrogating PI3K/Akt pathway using GS-1101 could enhance cytotoxic effect of doxorubicin in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Nalm-6 pre-B ALL cells were subjected to combination treatment and subsequent cell viability. Then cell count, metabolic activity, and transcriptional alteration of apoptosis-related target genes were investigated using Trypan blue exlussion, MTT and Rq-PCR analysis, respectively.
Results: Our data delineated that GS-1101 augments doxorubicin-induced cytotoxic and its anti-proliferative effect, as evidenced by the decreased cell survival, cellular metabolic activity, and reduction in the number of inhibitor-treated viable cells. Moreover, real-time PCR analysis revealed that induction of cell death by the drug combination was associated with increased Bax transcriptional activity (P≤0.01) followed by the elevated molecular ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 (P≤0.001).
Conclusion: This study suggested that abrogation of the PI3K pathway using GS-1101 could potentiate doxorubicin-induced anti-leukemic activity.