Background & Objectives: Clinical findings show that stress can gradually affect the activity of various systems of the body such as immune system and impair them. Different variables potentiate and modify this effect. This research aimed at studying the relationship of personality traits (self-respect, tenacity, type A personality), stress, and stress coping skills with immune system status in nurses.

 Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 246 individuals were selected by simple random sampling method. At the first stage, the subjects on the job completed the questionnaires of self-respect, tenacity, type A personality, stress, and stress coping skills. At the second stage to determine the amount of antibodies, 2-cc blood of the subjects was assessed. The data were analyzed using correlational methods.

  Results: The findings indicated a significant, positive and meaningful relationship of immunoglobulin antibody with “self-respect”, and IgM antibody with “type A personality” in male nurses (p<0.05). But there was no significant relationship between the immune system variables and tenacity, stress, and stress coping skills. From among the predictive variables (self-respect, tenacity, type A personality, stress, and stress coping skills) only the stress variable had significant relationship with the criterion variable (IgA antibody)(p=0.05).

 Conclusion: Regarding the results it can be said that self-respect may adjust IgG variable in stress positions (especially in chronic stress). So in hard jobs such as nursing, psychological characteristics should be considered as an important job factor along with physical capabilities.

  Background & objective : The reason for attacks of wild canines are for hunting or defense or as rabies. Usually in the biting of rabid wolf there are so many victims and the wounds are deeper and more dangerous. The rabies probability in this wonnd is 15 times more than the other bites. This article is a report of 24 bites of a rabid wolf in a short period of time. It is considerable even after 3 years because of the large number of victims and the appropriate measures of health related systems, and lack of mortality .

  Materials and methods: The report consists of 24 wonnded patients from the health center of meshkin Shahr. All of the victims were interviewed, examined and followed up for 3 years.

  Results: In the summer of 2006 a rabid wolf, whose rabies later was confirmed by Pasteur Institute of Iran, attacked 7 contiguous villages in the southern part of Meshkinshahr and 24 of natives were wounded. Mean age of victims was 36.5 years old. The injured organs were as follow: head and face in 21 cases, hands in 12 cases, body and abodomen in 8 cases, neck in 3 case s, leg 3 cases, and buttock 1 case. In 14 cases the wound of claw and teeth were observed. In two cases the attack form was insability in bending fingers and in other cases there weren't any complications. All of the patients were treated with vaccine and anti rabies serum and if necessary with tetabolin. There wasn't any mortality and morbidity reported during the 3-year follow-up.

  Conclusion: T he manner of wolf attack was compatible with the rabid wolf's behavior. No death was reported due to sufficient support, health care centers' awareness, vaccination and serum injection and tetabolin

  Background & Objectives : Visceral leishmaniasis is an important endemic disease in Iran and Meshkin shahr County is the most important foci of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran. The aim of this study is the survey of recent changes in epidemiological patterns of visceral leishmaniasis in Meshkin Shar area during 12 years.

  Methods : This is a descriptive retrospective study. Records of 193 cases with confirmed kala-azar disease were reviewed in the period of 2001-2012. Data collected from files and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS v.15.

  Results : From 193 patients with confirmed kala-azar disease, 85% were resident in rural and 15% in urban areas. Among of these patients, 43% were female and 57% male. About 66% of patients were under 2 years old, 23% in age group between 2-5 years and 11% above five years. Among four parts of Meshkin Shahr County, in the first five years of the study, the most cases of the disease were from the central part, but in second six years the most cases were from the west part of this county and in latest year (2012) it has been coverted .

  Conclusions : Incidence of kala-azar was decreased during last 12 years. Because of high infection rate in dogs and considering important role of these reservoirs in conserving and distribution of disease, stopped health activities in any parts of area can increase the incidence of disease.

Background & objectives: KAI1 is a tumor suppressor gene and inhibitor of metastasis in a wide range of malignancies. While it is ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues, KAI1 expression subjects to the down regulation in tumors. The present research aims semi-quantitative evaluation of KAI1 mRNA expression in Iranian patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and correlation between expression levels of KAI1 and stage oftumorigenesis, especially metastasis and invasion of CRC as well as pathologic factors of patients.

Methods: RT-PCR was done by specific primers for KAI1 and β-actin genes on the 80 tumor tissues and 14 normal tissues as fresh samples which obtained from 80 unrelated patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital.  

Results: According the results, 51.2% and 48.8% of the sample were on and off for KAI1 gene expression, respectively. As a detail, 97.3% of samples in the stage 3 and 4 and 94.5% of metastatic phases samples showed no expression of this gene. Statistical analysis showed that there is a significant difference of the KAI1 expression between four groups of samples; normal, stage 1, 2 and 3 (p<0.05). Also a significant difference was observed between semi-quantitative KAI1 expression and degree of spread to regional lymph nodes (p=0.02) as well as semi-quantitative KAI1 expression and metastasis (p=0.000001).

Conclusion: A significant difference between semi-quantitative expression of KAI1 and degree of spread to regional lymph nodes (p=0.02) and metastasis (p=0.000001) was observed.