H.R Mollaie | Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman (original) (raw)

Papers by H.R Mollaie

Pathology & Oncology Research, 2012

Cancers are the second most common cause of nonaccidental deaths in Iran, following cardiovascula... more Cancers are the second most common cause of nonaccidental deaths in Iran, following cardiovascular deaths. Mazandaran, near the Caspian Littoral at north of Iran have identified as a several-high incidence area for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) in the world. Several associated risk factors, such as dietary and cultural habits, infectious agents, nutritional deficiencies, too much use of tobacco and alcohol and infection to certain DNA tumor viruses (HPVs), including environmental and genetic factors are attributed to this disease. To explore this issue, we analyzed HPV DNA prevalence and HPV types together in relation to tumor sites a high-incidence population. Archived tissue blocks from 46, 69 and 62 upper, middle and lower third of esophagus, respectively from ESCC patients were evaluated for the presence of HPV DNA by PCR using the degenerate HPV L1 consensus primer pairs MY09/MY11. The positive specimens were evaluated by Real-time PCR to determine HPV genotypes. From the 49 HPV positive cases, of ESCC patients, 5 (23.1 %), 11 (55 %) and 9 (56.3 %) of upper, middle and lower third of ESCC specimens, respectively were positive by at least one high and one low-risk HPV genotypes. In general, HPV45 and HPV11 were the most common high-risk and low-risk HPV genotypes in HPV L1 positive cases, respectively, followed by HPV6, HPV52 and HPV39. Therefore, the high prevalence of HPV DNA in different anatomical sites of ESCC patients from the Mazandaran region in North of Iran provides more evidence for a role of HPV in this cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), also called colon cancer, includes cancerous growth of the cells in the ... more Colorectal cancer (CRC), also called colon cancer, includes cancerous growth of the cells in the colon, sigmoid and rectum. The CRC is the fourth most common Cancer in men and second in women, according to the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of IRAN (Bouvier and Launoy, 2015; Dolatkhah et al., 2015). It is the third most common cancer in the world with an estimated 1,200,000 new cases per year, of which 608,000 are causing death (Aran et al., 2016). In Iran colorectal cancers, 61.83 % were colon cancer, 27.54 % rectal cancer, 7.46 % recto sigmoid cancer, and 3.10% anal cancers (Rafiemanesh et al., 2016). Colon cancer is the fourth cause of death from cancers in the world. The number of new cases has risen steadily since 1975 onwards. Across the world, cancer accounts for 10.1% of all cancers in women and 9.4% in men (Marley and Nan, 2016). The risk of developing colorectal cancer is affected by many factors such as gender, age, alcohol consumption, fiber deficiency or high fat diet, hereditary conditions, family history of colorectal cancer, individual history of polyp colon, inflammatory bowel disease, and factors Varied genetic (Pahlavan and Kanthan, 2006). According to some hereditary studies, about 20% of patients diagnosed with this type of cancer have a genetic background, and the presence of at least 2 patients with colorectal cancer in a

Gastric cancer (GC) is a multifactorial disease with different factors having roles in its genesi... more Gastric cancer (GC) is a multifactorial disease with different factors having roles in its genesis. Helicobacter pylori and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) are known infectious agents that could contribute. In addition, there is evidence of a relationship with cytomegalovirus (CMV). Since data on CMV prevalence in gastric cancer are limited, we here evaluated the frequency of EBV and CMV in Iranian patients. Ninety paraffin blocks of GC tissues from patients in Kerman were evaluated for the presence of EBV and CMV genomes by real-time polymerase chain reaction. EBV was detected in 10 cases (11.1%) and CMV in seven. One out of 17 female patients (5.88%) and nine out of 73 male patients (12.3%) were positive for EBV, while one out of 17 female patients (5.88%) and six out of 73 male patients (8.22%) were positive for CMV. The mean age for EBV-positive patients was 60.5±14.9 years and the mean age for CMV-positive patients was 67.9±12.3years. This study shows that the frequency of EBV-associated GC is high in Kerman. It also indicates that further studies of associations between GC and CMV are warranted, covering larger samples and populations from different areas of the world.

The epidemiology of respiratory human bocavirus (HBoV) infection has not been described in Tehran... more The epidemiology of respiratory human bocavirus (HBoV) infection has not been described in Tehran's adult and to determine the epidemiological and clinical characteristics associated with HBoV infection, a population of adults hospitalized with respiratory tract infections were chosen. Throat swab samples were collected from 91 hospitalized adults aged between 29 to 91 year and Real-time PCR TaqMan was used to screen specimens by amplifying a part of the NP1 gene. HBoV was detected in 6 adults (6.6%). Mean age was 76 years and 67% of patients were female. The most common symptoms were wheezing (100%), tachypnea (100%), cough (100%), rhinorrhea/pharyngitis (83.33%) and fever (83.33%) which clinically diagnosed by a physician. Gastrointestinal symptoms was present only in 1 patient (16.6%). In our study the distribution of HBoV was influenced by temperature, relative humidity and precipitation. HBoV is circulating in Tehran and is associated with both upper and lower respiratory tract disease in adults.

DNA sequencing is the most conclusive method for emm (M protein gene) typing of Streptococcus pyo... more DNA sequencing is the most conclusive method for emm (M protein gene) typing of Streptococcus pyogenes. This method is not a feasible approach in developing countries where streptococcal infection is widespread among adults and children. Alternatively the PCR-RFLP has the potential for rapid screening of different types of S. pyogenes. To document the emm type distribution of S. pyogenes in a group of patients suffering from pharyngitis, the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profile of 50 isolates were analyzed. By using Hae III+ HincII (double digestion) and Dde I restriction enzymes and based on RFLP, the profile patterns of the isolates were compared. The analysis of data identified 15 distinct RFLP patterns for Hae III+ Hinc II and 13 patterns for Dde I. They differ from each other by at least one band. Although the number of isolates was not sufficient to make any epidemiological conclusion, but the finding demonstrated that the S. pyogenes population among pateints was heterogeneous. Regarding the PCR method, we managed to improve the results by modification of CDC protocol in three different ways. This study was conducted in normal circumstances when pharyngitis was at the peak seasonal incident. However emm amplicon restriction digest analysis is a valuable tool for rapid analysis of S. pyogenes infection in more important situation like outbreaks and in selected type of study like consideration of nosocomial infection.

Background & Aims: Maternal infections with parvovirus B19 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) maybe associ... more Background & Aims: Maternal infections with parvovirus B19 and cytomegalovirus (CMV) maybe associated with intrauterine fetal death. The aim of this study was to compare frequency of CMV & Parvovirus B19 Infections in intrauterine fetal death (IUFD) and normal pregnancy. Methods: In a case-control study in Afzalipour Hospital during 2006 placental biopsies were collected from 70 cases of IUFD and 70 normal term pregnancies as controls and were examined for CMV DNA and parvovirus B19 DNA using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Maternal viral serology was measured as well. Results: Cytomegalovirus DNA on placental biopsies were recovered in 44.3% (31 cases) of cases and 5.7% (4cases) of the controls. (OR=11.6,95% CI 4.2-32.3, P=0.0001). CMV IgG antibodies were found in 98.6% of two groups. In whole, 44.3% of case group and 5.7% of the control group had CMV IgM antibodies (OR=13.11, 95% CI 4.3-39.95, P=0.0001). Parvovirus DNA were found in 10% (7 cases) of case group and 1.4% (1case) of the control group (0R=7.7, 95% CI 0.92-64, P=0.06). 37.2% of cases and 22.1% of the controls had IgG. IgM antibodies were found in 10% (7 cases) of the case group and 2.9% (2 cases) of the control group (OR=3.78, 95%CI 0.76-18.9, P=0.16). Conclusion: CMV maybe considered as an etiologic factor in fetal death. PCR on placental and presence of IgM antibodies can be used for diagnosis of this infection. Association of maternal parvovirus B19 infection with IUFD is not clear.

Because of some problems in about fifty percent of the current cancer treatments, the alternative... more Because of some problems in about fifty percent of the current cancer treatments, the alternative methods are being actively considered [1]. The interest in using bacteria as an anti-cancer therapeutic agent dates back to the end of the 19th century [2,3]. It has been shown that some bacterial strains like: Salmonella choleraesuis, Vibrio cholera, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli replicate effective

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains the most common cause of viral intrauterine infection. The objectiv... more Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains the most common cause of viral intrauterine infection. The objective of this research was to determine the prevalence of at-risk pregnancies for congenital cytomegalovirus transmission in a randomly selected pregnant women and their newborns. Enzyme Link Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were utilized to screen the sera of mothers (n = 100) and consecutive umbilical cord blood samples from their newborn (n = 100). Of the 100 mother's sera analyzed, 100 (100%) and 3 (3%) were positive for cytomegalovirus IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Of the 100 cord serum specimens analyzed, 99 (99%) and 2 (2%) were positive for cytomegalovirus IgG and IgM antibodies, respectively. Cytomegalovirus DNA was detected in 4 out of 100 (4%) cord blood samples of newborns. From four CMV DNA positive cases, Case 1 had no IgM in cord serum, but had IgM in mother's sera. Cases 2 and 4 were positive for IgM in both mother's sera and cord serum. Case 3 had no detectable CMV IgM in sera and cord serum. As many as 66 and 100% of CMV IgM-positive women in this study also had CMV IgM and CMV DNA in their delivery cord blood samples, respectively suggesting an increased risk of congenital CMV infection in those pregnancies. A paired women sera/cord blood CMV IgM-negative was found to be positive for CMV DNA. The data may also suggest the utility of PCR in place of CMV IgM as a diagnostic method for congenital CMV infection.

Rubella is a disease caused by the rubella virus and it is usually mild and self-limiting. Infect... more Rubella is a disease caused by the rubella virus and it is usually mild and self-limiting. Infection of a developing fetus is serious and important because the child may be born with congenital rubella syndrome. Its symptoms include mental retardation, heart defects, cataract, etc. In 2003, mass vaccination against measles and rubella in individuals 5-25 years old was done. One of the main objectives of this study was to survey congenital rubella infection status with the presence of IgM antibodies against rubella virus in cord blood samples and also the immunity assessment of maternal IgG antibodies against rubella virus in the above samples. Methods: The cross-sectional study was to determine the transfer of congenital rubella in 358 cord blood samples collected in hospitals affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences that was done in 2008-2009 The collected samples were analyzed by two ELISA methods for detection of IgG and IgM antibodies, RT-Nested PCR tests was applied on samples of IgG-negative and IgM-positive and also some of randomly IgG-positive samples for identifying the presence of the virus genome. In this study two groups of mothers were tested, one consisted above 29 years of age (at the time of vaccination) with the frequency of 73.4% and the other one below 29 years of age with the frequency of 26.6%. Results: Of the 358 samples, 91.1% IgG and 2.8% were found to be positive. None of the 31 samples were positive according to the presence of the virus genome via the method of RT-Nested PCR.

Background: Human Bocavirus (HBoV) infection is of worldwide distribution. There is increasing ev... more Background: Human Bocavirus (HBoV) infection is of worldwide distribution. There is increasing evidence that HBoV is pathogenic for the human gastroenteric tract. However, less data are available on the role of HBoV in gastroenteritis. The present study was aimed to determine the prevalence of HBoV in children with gastroenteritis. Methods: Real-time PCR TaqMan was used to screen 200 stool specimens that had been referred to the virology laboratory for HBoV evaluation. All of samples were collected on viral transport media. Results: Of the 200 stool samples analyzed, 16 (8%) were positive for HBoV. Human Bocavirus positive samples from patients aged between 1 to 5 years with acute gastroenteritis infection suggest a minor role of HBoV in gastroenteritis (p=0.0001). Conclusion: The study showed a high prevalence of human Bocavirus in young children with acute gastroenteritis diseases in Iran, suggesting that HBoV play a role in the pathogenesis of gastroenteritis.

Background Due to the tropism of human parvovirus B19 to erythroid progenitor cells, infection in... more Background Due to the tropism of human parvovirus B19 to erythroid progenitor cells, infection in patients with an underlying hemolytic disorder such as beta-thalassemia major leads to suppression of erythrocyte formation, referred to as transient aplasia crisis (TAC), which may be life-threatening. We investigated the prevalence of parvovirus B19 among patients with beta thalassemia major attending the Zafar Adult Thalassemia Clinic in Tehran, Iran. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed to determine the presence of parvovirus B19 DNA in blood samples and parvovirus B19 genotypes in plasma samples of patients with thalassemia major. The population consisted of 150 patients with beta-thalassemia major who attended the Zafar clinic in Tehran. Specimens were studied using a real-time polymerase chain reaction assay. Results The prevalence of parvovirus B19 in our study population was 4%. Of 150 patients with thalassemia, six (4%) were positive for B19 DNA. There was no significant correlation between blood transfusion frequency and B19 DNA positivity. Finally, phylogenetic analysis of human parvovirus B19 revealed genotype I in these six patients. Conclusion In this study, acute B19 infections were detected in patients with beta thalassemia major. Screening of such high-risk groups can considerably reduce the incidence and prevalence of B19 infection; thus, screening is required for epidemiologic surveillance and disease-prevention measures.

Background: Infection with parvovirus B19 may cause fetal losses including spontaneous abortion, ... more Background: Infection with parvovirus B19 may cause fetal losses including spontaneous abortion, intrauterine fetal death and non-immune hydrops fetalis. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of parvovirus B19 in formalin fixed placental tissues in lost fetuses using real-time PCR method. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 formalin fixed placental tissues with unknown cause of fetal death were determined using real-time PCR method after DNA extraction. Results: Six out of 100 cases (6%) were positive for parvovirus B19 using real-time PCR. Gestational age of all positive cases was less than 20 weeks with a mean of 12.3 weeks. Three cases have a history of abortion and all of positive cases were collected in spring. Mean age of positive cases were 28 years. Conclusion: Parvovirus B19 during pregnancy can infect red precursor cells and induces apoptosis or lyses these cells that resulting in anemia and congestive heart failure leading to fetal death. Management of parvovirus B19 infection in pregnant women is important because immediate diagnosis and transfusion in hydropsic fetuses can decrease the risk of fetal death.

This study aims to determine the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection among pregnan... more This study aims to determine the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection among pregnant women as well as congenital infection of their newborns in Tehran. One hundred samples of blood sera from pregnant women were analyzed for the presence of HSV specific antibodies. Umbilical cord blood samples from the newborns were analyzed for the presence of HSV DNA using real-time PCR. HSV IgG and IgM antibodies were found in 97% and 2% of pregnant women, respectively. Of all the 100 cord blood samples, 6 were positive for HSV DNA in which 2 cases were from mothers who had detectable IgM. It was notable that all corresponding mothers of six HSV positive infants had detectable IgG antibodies in their sera. It was demonstrated that the presence of HSV DNA in cord blood of newborns could be a risk marker for maternal-fetal transmission of the virus in asymptomatic pregnant women.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is contagious with transmissiobn vertically or horizontally by ... more Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is contagious with transmissiobn vertically or horizontally by blood products and body secretions. Over 50% of Iranian carriers contracted the infection prenatally, making this the most likely route of transmission of HBV in Iran. To evaluate the resistance to adefovir (ADV) therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, a study was conducted on 70 patients (63 males and 7 females), who had received in first line lamivudine and second line adefovir. All were tested for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg), serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) level and HBV DNA load before and after treatment with ADV. In all samples, resistance to lamivudine and ADV was tested with real time PCR. Among seventy patients with chronic hepatitis B infection, 18 (25.7%) were resistant to LAM and 8 (11.4%) were resistant to ADV. Only one patient was negative for the presence of HBS-Ag (5.6%) and two were negative for HBe-Ag (11.1%). In this study we used a new method (ALLGIO probe assay) that has high sensitivity in detection of adefovir resistance mutants, which we recommend to other researchers. Mutant strains of the YMDD motif of HBV polymerase can be found in some patients under treatment with lamivudine and ADV. ADV has been demonstrated to be efficient in patients with lamivudine resistant HBV.

Background Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is one of the smallest DNA viruses and shows great resista... more Background Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is one of the smallest DNA viruses and shows great resistance to most disinfectants. Therefore, it is one of the common contaminant pathogens present in blood and plasma products. Parvovirus 4 (PARV4) is a newly identified parvovirus, which is also prevalent in parenteral transmission. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of B19V and PARV4 DNA among patients with hemophilia in Birjand County in eastern Iran. Methods This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study comprising nearly all people with hemophilia in this region. Whole blood samples were taken after patient registration and sent for plasma isolation. After nucleic acid extraction, B19V was detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction, PARV4 DNA was then detected using sensitive semi-nested PCR. Results In total, there were 86 patients with hemophilia, with mean age 28.5±1.5 years. Of these, 90.7% were men and 9.3% women; 84.9% had hemophilia A and 7.0% had hemophilia B. We found 11 patients (12.8%) were positive for B19V DNA and 8 were positive (9.3%) for PARV4 DNA. The prevalence of B19V was higher in middle-aged groups rather than younger people, whereas PARV4 infection was more common in younger patients (P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion There was a high prevalence of B19V and PARV4 infection in this high-risk group of patients with hemophilia. Due to the clinical significance of the B19 virus, imposing more precautionary measures for serum and blood products is recommended.

Objective: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is presently occurring in Kerman province, southeastern I... more Objective: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is presently occurring in Kerman province, southeastern Iran. The objective of this study was to determine the correlation between the different blood groups and the blood feeding behavior of sand flies. Materials and Methods: Sticky paper traps were used to collect sand flies in the study location. Traps were set at dusk and flies were collected at dawn. A total of 200-300 sticky traps were set each day in each area. Results: A total of 1320 sandflies were collected; 320 bloodfed female sandflies were selected for the analysis of blood meals by PCR-RFLP. In this study, 82 (25.6%) sandflies fed on human blood meals. Conclusion: The results of the current study clearly indicated that there is a significant relationship between the different blood groups and the blood feeding behavior of sand flies.

Objectives: HBV infection is a contagious disease that may transmit vertically from mothers to th... more Objectives: HBV infection is a contagious disease that may transmit vertically from mothers to their neonates or horizontally by blood products and body secretions. Over 50% of Iranian carriers have contracted the infection perinatally, making this the most likely route of transmission of HBV in Iran. This study assesses the serologic markers of HBV in children born to HBsAg positive mothers who received HBIG and 3 doses of HBV vaccine. Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination against HBV, a study was conducted on 95 Children, born to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers, who had received Hepatitis B Immune Globulin and HBV vaccines during 2004-2008. All children were tested for the presence of HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HB core antigen (anti-HBc). Results: Among an estimated 30000 pregnant women during the five year study, about 130 (0.42%) were HBV carriers. Ninety-five children from these mothers were enrolled in this study. Only one child (1.1%) was HBsAg positive, while 88.4% of children were Anti-HBs Positive. Eleven children (11.6%) were exposed to HBV as shown by the presence of anti-HBc. A significant difference was observed between the children's age and Anti-HBs (p=0.0001). Conclusion: Passive-active immunoprophylaxis of high risk babies was highly efficacious in preventing perinatal transmission of the HBV carrier state. Also, evaluation of serologic markers in HBV infected people is important for designing the strategies for disease control.

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2014

Every year, seasonal epidemics of influenza viruses are causing considerable morbidity and mortal... more Every year, seasonal epidemics of influenza viruses are causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Also infrequent novel and rearranged strains of influenza viruses have caused quick, acute universal pandemics resulting in millions of mortalities. The usage of efficient and accurate detection is superior for infection control, effective treatment, and epidemiological supervision. Therefore, evaluation of useful real-time PCR molecular tests for the detection of pandemic viruses is important before the next wave of the pandemic. A novel quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay with specific primers was used successfully for detection and monitoring of the influenza A, B, and swine influenza. The newly designed primers target highly conserved regions in influenza viruses. Our qRT-PCR assay is highly specific for detecting influenza A, B, and swine influenza viruses. The cutoff CT value was determined <38 for domestic human diagnostic test, under conditions of FDA emergency, and the reaction efficiency of the InfA, swInfA, and InfB assays were thereby estimated to be 97.9 % (R2=0.998), 98.3 % (R2=0.986), and 99.5 % (R2=0.995), respectively. Interestingly, based on our finding, there is no cross reactivity of detecting other viruses.

Pathology & Oncology Research, 2012

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 2014