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Background & objectives: Among gynecologic malignancies, endometrial cancer is the fourth most frequent cause of cancer death all over the world. Paclitaxel is one of the chemotherapy regimens that is used against this cancer. Treatment of tumor with Paclitaxel induces apoptosis, but it is also associated with serious side effects. Thus, it is imperative to search for more effective and safer chemotherapeutic regimens. Silibinin is a milk thistle plant extract that its antioxidant effects against some cancers have been studied. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Paclitaxel and Silibinin combination on endometrial cancer cell line (Hela).

Methods: Hela cell line was cultured in 25cm² flask in RPMI-1640 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Then the numbers of live cells were calculated with trypan blue staining method and then the cells were seeded in to 96-well flat-bottomed culture plates and treated with Silibilin, Paclitaxel and Paclitaxel plus Silibilin together with the control without treatment. MTT assay was used to evaluate cytotoxicity of different treatments.

Results: After 48 hours of treatment, Paclitaxel and Silibilin combination inhibited cell growth significantly compared with the other groups (p<0.05).

Conclusions: It is indicated that combination of Paclitaxel and Silibilin can affect the growth arrest of Hela cancer cell line more  effective than other treatments and is needed to be examined in vitro.

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Background & objectives: Prostate cancer is one the most common cancer in men whose incidence is increasing in many countries. According to the studies, decreased expression of miR-143 has been reported in prostate cancer. In this study, we replaced miRNA-143 in prostate cancer cells by vector based miRNA-143 and evaluated its inhibitory effects on migration of prostate cancer cells (PC3).
Methods: MTT assay was performed to reach an inhibitory concentration of Genticin antibiotic (G418 (in PC3 cells. Then, miRNA-143 vector was transfected into PC3 cells via JetPEI transfection reagent. The transfected cells were selected by G418 antibiotic according to a 2-week treatment with IC50 concentration. Then, the expression level of miRNA-143 was measured by qRT-PCR method. To evaluate the effect of miRNA-143 in inhibition of migration, scratch wound healing assay was performed.
Results: Results of MTT assay showed the IC50 level of G418 on PC3 cells was obtained to be 141.9 μg / ml. The results of qRT-PCR indicated increased expression of miRNA-143 in PC3 cells transfected with miRNA-143 compared to control cells. Finally, the results of wound healing assay showed migration reduction in transfected cells compared with control cells (empty vector).
Conclusion: The results showed that miRNA-143 play an important role in cell migration during prostate cancer metastasis, and it can be a good candidate for molecular treatments.

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Background & Objectives: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers of women in the world. Apoptotic pathway is one of the most important pathways to deal with cell damage, especially cancer, which is usually blocked in this disease. One of the main enzymes to set up this pathway is JNK (1,2,3α,3β), which is activated by cellular stress.
Methods: In this study, breast cancer cells with the origin of MCF-7 cell lines were cultured in RPMI medium using 10%fetal bovine serum.Then , they were subjected to heat (42 & 45 ^̊ C) for 1,2,4,6 and 8 hours under X-ray and γ-ray radiations for 1,2,3 and 4 hours as well. Their viability and enzyme level were evaluated by MTT and ELISA tests, respectively.
Results: The obtained results showed that abiotic stresses including heat and radiations resulted in JNK level increase and recovery of apoptosis pathway function in breast cancer cells. In addition, they led to decreased of cell viability and increase of JNK level depending on the duration and kind of stress.
Conclusion: The results in this study showed abiotic stress directly affected the JNK level. Increase of this enzyme in the cell resulted in activity of JNK apoptosis pathway. We hope to find methods to help to cancer treatment by means of more studies on JNK enzyme and relevant pathways.

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Background & objectives: The relationship between dietary patterns and esophageal cancer has not been documented yet. However, recent studies have shown that the Western dietary pattern is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. The current study was performed a comparative evaluation of the food habits and serum nitrate level in patients with esophageal cancer and healthy individuals in Gorgan city.
Methods: In a case-control study, 44 patients with esophageal cancer (the case group) and 44 healthy subjects (control group) were selected for one year in Gorgan city. Anthropometric factors were measured, and then demographic and dietary data were recorded using general and food frequency questionnaires (FFQs), respectively. Fasting blood samples from both groups were collected to measure serum nitrate levels. Data were analyzed by independent t-test, Chi-square, Fisher, and Monte Carlo tests.
Results: the mean weight, body mass index (BMI) and serum nitrate levels were statistically lower in the case group than in control group (p<0.05). Salt intake, smoking cigarette or hookah was higher in patients than in control group (p<0.05). Based on nutritional habits , consumption of bread , rice, saturated fats, hot tea, sausages and industrial soft drinks was statistically higher in the patient group than control group, but intake of vegetables, fruits, unsaturated fats, honey and grilled meat was lower in patients  than control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Consumption of fast foods, hot tea and saturated fats may be associated with esophageal cancer. Serum nitrate levels were lower in patients than control group, probably indicating the need for further research in this field.

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Background & objectives:  The use of supplements such as L-carnitine, optimum nutritional support and early feeding after surgery in cancer patients can be important in the prevention of cancer complications. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of early L-carnitine-rich feeding on complications of esophageal cancer surgery and duration of hospitalization.
Methods: In a clinical trial, 50 patients with esophageal cancer under surgery in two equal groups were randomly selected. Nutritional information was obtained using food record questionnaire. Basic blood samples and 24-hour urine samples were taken in order to measure the hematological parameters (like blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit and blood urea) and nitrogen balance, respectively from two groups at the beginning and end of the study. Then, the intervention group received 3 g L-carnitine daily in 3 doses on the first day after the complementary operation, with a routine hospital diet at each meal, and the control group received a routine hospital diet for ten days. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, paired t-test and chi-square test.
Results: The results showed that changes in the mean BUN and nitrogen balance were significantly different after intervention between the study groups (p<0.05). Patients with early L-carnitine-rich feeding had less hospitalization time in hospital wards and were discharged earlier (p<0.05).
Conclusion:  The results of this study showed that early L-carnitine-rich feeding after surgery has probably a positive effect on the duration of hospital stay in patients with esophageal cancer.

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Background & objectives: Micro-RNAs are non-coding RNAs with a length of approximately 22 nucleotides, which, by binding to the target gene's mRNA, regulate its expression and play an important role in tumor suppression. Changes in the expression level of microRNAs play a crucial role in the pathobiology of multiple cancers. In this study, the expression levels of miR-143 and miR-338 were compared in gastric cancer and its margin.
Methods: This case-control study was performed on 35 biopsy samples of gastric cancer and adjacent tissue of the patients who were admitted to Imam Reza Hospital. Total RNA was extracted from the tissue using Trizol reagent and based on the company's instructions. Then, the acquired microRNAs were used to synthetize cDNA. Expression of microRNAs was measured by RT-PCR. U6 was used as a house keeping gene. Statistically, the obtained results were analyzed using Graph pad Prism software.
Results: According to the results obtained in this study, the expression levels of miR-143 (p≤0.1244) and miR-338 (p≤0.0059)  in tumor tissue, compared to the adjacent tissue,  were down-regulated. Reduced expression of miR-143 and miR-338 in the tumor tissue, in comparison to margin tissue, was about four folds.
Conclusion: This study showed that the average expression level of miR-143 and miR-338 was significantly decreased in gastric cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues, and these results strongly suggest that miR-143 and miR-338 may play a key role in gastric cancer progression; therefore, they may be considered tumor markers.

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Background & objectives: Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Leukemia is a cancer of blood cells and bone marrow, which is characterized by abnormal growth of white blood cells, known as blasts. Chronic myeloid leukemia is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder that accounts for 15-20 percent of adult leukemia. Embelin, a natural compound found in the fruit of Embeliaribes plant, has low toxicity and potent anticancer properties. Several studies have shown that the anticancer properties of Embelin are due to inhibition of XIAP (X-linked inhibitor of the apoptosis protein) and modulation of NF-kB signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Embelin on the growth and apoptosis of K562 cell line.
Methods: K562 cells were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium containing 10 % FBS and 1% penicillin. Then, the cells were treated with different concentrations of Embelin (2, 4, 6, 8 μM/ml) for 72 hours. MTT assay was used to determine the viability of cells. Hoechst staining and DNA electrophoresis were used for apoptosis analysis.
Result: Based on the results of MTT assay, Embelin inhibited the viability of K562 cells. The results of Hoechst staining showed that DNA fragmentation was increased in the treated cells. DNA electrophoresis analysis revealed that Embelin induced apoptosis.
Discussion: As the results showed, Embelin inhibited the cell growth and induced apoptosis in K562 cells time- and dose-dependently. Therefore, Embelin may be a candidate for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

 

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Background & objectives: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and its prevention is expected to increase in the future appreciably. Following the emergence of the new field of nutritional genetics and investigations about the effect of natural antioxidants on the hypermethylation of genes, this study was performed to measure the effect of  Vaccinium arctostaphylos poly phenols and anthocyanins on PC-3 cell line as well as methylation and expression changes of GSTP1 gene.
Methods:  In order to evaluate the survival potency of PC-3 cell line in a completely randomized design, MTT test was used and these cells were treated with different concentrations of Vaccinium arctostaphylos extract (4500, 2250, 1125, 562.5, 140.62, 70.31, 35.15, 17.57, 8.78, 4.39 µg/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Expression level of GSTP1 gene was analyzed by Q-RT-PCR method in 2500, 1250, 625, 312 and 156 µg/ml concentrations of Vaccinium.
Results: Statistical results showed that Vaccinium arctostaphylos poly phenolic extract at 35-70 ppm concentration  significantly reduced the survival rate of  PC-3 cells. Moreover, compared to control cells, the expression level of GST gene significantly increased in PC-3 cells treated with 1250ppm extract.
Conclusion: Anthocyanin- polyphenolic extract from Vaccinium arctostaphylos can decrease the survival rate of cancerous cells and GST gene expression in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. This may be explained by changes in cell carcinogenesis pathway or CpG demethylation process.
Keywords: Vaccinium arctostaphylos; Antioxidant; Cancerous Cells; Prostate.
  Background & objectives: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and its prevention is expected to increase in the future appreciably. Following the emergence of the new field of nutritional genetics and investigations about the effect of natural antioxidants on the hypermethylation of genes, this study was performed to measure the effect of  Vaccinium arctostaphylos poly phenols and anthocyanins on PC-3 cell line as well as methylation and expression changes of GSTP1 gene.
Methods:  In order to evaluate the survival potency of PC-3 cell line in a completely randomized design, MTT test was used and these cells were treated with different concentrations of Vaccinium arctostaphylos extract (4500, 2250, 1125, 562.5, 140.62, 70.31, 35.15, 17.57, 8.78, 4.39 µg/ml) for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Expression level of GSTP1 gene was analyzed by Q-RT-PCR method in 2500, 1250, 625, 312 and 156 µg/ml concentrations of Vaccinium.
Results: Statistical results showed that Vaccinium arctostaphylos poly phenolic extract at 35-70 ppm concentration  significantly reduced the survival rate of  PC-3 cells. Moreover, compared to control cells, the expression level of GST gene significantly increased in PC-3 cells treated with 1250ppm extract.
Conclusion: Anthocyanin- polyphenolic extract from Vaccinium arctostaphylos can decrease the survival rate of cancerous cells and GST gene expression in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. This may be explained by changes in cell carcinogenesis pathway or CpG demethylation process.

 
 
 
 
  

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Background & objectives: 10 year survival rates for thyroid cancer is about 90%, but papillary thyroid cancer often spread to regional lymph nodes resulting in survival rate falls below 90%. In patients with thyroid cancer, cervical lymph node metastasis risk is about 20 to 50 percent. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between ultrasound results and the involvement of lymph nodes before thyroidectomy and compare it with the pathologic response after thyroidectomy in patients with non-medullary thyroid cancer.
Methods: 60 patients with thyroid cancer were randomly selected and entered into the study. Ultrasonographic examination of cervical lymph nodes was performed by two radiologists using an ultrasound machine in all patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Patients underwent total thyroidectomy and neck lymph node dissection by surgeon.
Results: In papillary thyroid cancer, there was a significant relationship between ultrasonographic results and pathologic outcomes in determining the presence of cervical lymph node metastasis before thyroidectomy. And also, there was a significant relationship between the results of ultrasonography and pathologic findings in determining the location of affected lymph nodes.
Conclusion: Compared to histological examination, ultrasonography can be a useful tool in determining the location of affected cervical lymph node in thyroid cancers before surgery.

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Backgrounds & objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Micro RNAs are a group of non-coding small RNAs that inhibit the translation of target mRNA. MiR-146a-5p, as a tumor suppressor, has abnormal expression in many cancers. In this basic research, our goal was to restore the expression level of miR-146a-5p to normal level and to investigate its effect on the expression of the MMP9 gene in HT-29 cells.
Methods: this study evaluates the effect of transfection of miR-146a-5p in HT-29 cell line. At first, the HT-29 cell line from colorectal cancer was cultured in RPMI-1640 culture media and then  were transfected with miR-146a-5p using Jet-PEI reagent. qRT-PCR technique was employed to evaluate the expression level of miR-146a-5p and MMP9 genes. The statistical analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 6 software.
Results: According to the obtained data, the onset of the invasion and metastasis, in particular, at the final stage of colorectal cancer may be related to a reduction in the expression of miR-146a-5p. The results of the qrRT-PCR test showed that by increasing the expression level of miR-146a-5p in HT-29 cells, the expression level of MMP9 gene decreased in the miR-146a-5p transfected group compared to the control group.
Conclusions: According to this study, activation of metastatic pathways was due to the down regulation of miR146a-5p. Accordingly, miR-146a-5p can inhibits migration of these cells through down-regulating the expression of metastasis-related genes. Hence, miR-146a-5p can be a new diagnostic biomarker and new therapeutic target for CRC.
 

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Background & objectives: Breast cancer is one of the most important cancers in women worldwide. Taxol as a chemotherapeutic agent, is used for treatment of breast cancer.The aim of this study was to investigate alterations in the expression of mir-1246 and mir-224 in four breast cancer cell lines after Taxol treatment with the goal of introducing them as a biochemical marker for determining response or resistance of breast cancer to the Taxol therapy.
Methods: In this in vitro study, four breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, SKBR-3 and BT-474 were cultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS and antibiotics. Then, MTT assay was performed to determine IC50 concentration of Taxol. Cells were treated for 24 hours and then RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed. Alterations in the expression level of mir-1246 and mir-224 were quantitated using qRT- PCR.
Results: After treatment with Taxol, the expression level of mir-1246 was significantly up-regulated in two HER2-overexpressing cell lines, BT-474 (113 fold) and SKBR-3 (1.4 fold), and down-regulated in two HER2-negative cell lines, MCF-7 (45.5 fold) and MDA-MB-231 (7.7 fold). Expression of mir-224 was detected only in two cell lines including SKBR-3 and MDA-MB-231, and was down-regulated after treatment with Taxol (2.1 and 17.2 fold, respectively).
Conclusions: According to the different pattern of alteration in the expression level of mir-1246 in HER2-overexpressing breast cancer cell lines compared to HER2-negative cell lines after treatment with Taxol, this miRNA could be a useful biomarker for responsiveness to Taxol in  different types of HER2-positive and -negative breast cancers.
 

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Background & objectives: Allium cepa has anti-cancer, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties due to flavonoid compounds. Allium cepa can prevent the onset and progression of cancer by removing free radicals. In this study, the preventive effect of Allium cepa in preventing the proliferation of breast cancer cells in BALB/c mice was evaluated.
Methods: In the present study, Female BALB/c mice at 6–7 weeks of age were subjected to the abdominal mammary gland subcutaneous injection with 5×10⁶ viable 4T1 cells. Eight mice were placed in 3 groups: healthy group, the patient without treatment and the experimental group. The experimental group received Allium cepa root juice, three weeks before induction of disease. Daily, each mouse in the experimental group received 0.1 ml / 100 g BW / day fresh Allium cepa root juice. Seven weeks after induction, the mice were exposed to deep anesthesia. During the test, the mice were weighed every other day and after the appearance of the tumor, by the end of the seventh week, the volume of the tumor was measured using digital caliper and the tumor mass was removed and weighed. The spleen was removed from the body and cultured in 1640-RPMI medium containing 10%, FBS, and ELISA test was used to measure IFN-γ and IL-4 levels. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software version 18. One-way variance analysis was used to assess the difference between the groups and, if it was significant, Tukey's post hoc test was employed to determine the differences between the groups. Also, p-value less than 0.05 were considered as the level of significance for examining the hypothesis test and deciding whether or not to reject the hypothesis.
Results: The weight of mice in all three groups increased and tumor weight and tumor volume decreased significantly in the experimental group compared to the patient group (sham) (p<0.001, p<0.0001 respectively). In the experimental group, compared with the patient group, the levels of IFN-γ (p<0.001) and IL-4 levels decreased significantly (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the use of Allium cepa can prevent and reduce the growth and proliferation of cancer cells and disease progression in breast cancer mouse model.
 

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Background & objectives: Gastric cancer has a very wide geographic distribution. Identification of the genetic factors involved in the cancer predisposition is very important. IL-1β as a pro inflammatory cytokine is involved in gastric acid secretion in the H. pylori infected individuals. This study was aimed to evaluate the role of IL-1β-511 polymorphism on the susceptibility to gastric cancer in residents of Ardabil province.
Methods: One-hundred patients affected with gastric cancer and 100 normal individuals were selected as case and control groups, respectively. After DNA extraction from peripheral blood samples, the presence of the polymorphism IL-1β-511 was determined via PCR-RFLP assay. The results were evaluated by agarose gel electrophoresis.
Results: Among cases, CC, CT, and TT genotypes were observed in 19%, 60%, and 21% of individuals, respectively. Also, the distribution of genotypes among the participated individuals in control group was 4%, 67%, and 29%, respectively. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) between case and control groups.
Conclusion: According to this study, there was a significant relationship between IL-1β 511C allele polymorphism and gastric cancer in patients with gastric cancer in Ardabil province. It is indicated that some of the polymorphisms in IL-1β cytokine are associated with gastric cancer, and this finding would be used as a predictive value.

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Background & objectives: Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. In this study, the cytotoxic effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Colutea persica leaf and its synergic effect with doxorubicin were investigated on MCF-7, LNCaP and SKM (as control) cell lines.
Methods: Hydroalcoholic leaf extract of Colutea persica was prepared using maceration method and ethanol 70%. Breast cancer (MCF7), prostate (LNCaP) and fibroblast (SKM) cell lines were cultured in microplates (96 wells) and exposed to various concentrations (10, 7.5, 5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.625, 0.312 and 0.156 mg/ml) of plant extract and doxorubicin (20, 80, 320 and 640 nM) solution. The synergistic effect of 20 nanomol of drug and 0.156 mg / ml of the plant extract was investigated. MTT assay was employed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the extract on cell lines at different time intervals (24, 48 and 72 hours). Staining with annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) was used to identify different types of cell death either necrosis or apoptosis.
Results: The plant extracts had cytotoxic effect and cell viability rate was lower than fibroblasts. At different times, the concentration of 10 mg /ml of the extract showed the most growth inhibition of breast and prostate cell lines. The combination effect of plant extract with doxorubicin on cells was not significant (p<0.01). The Annexin V/PI flow cytometry results showed that the percentage of initial apoptosis, delayed apoptosis and necrosis in treated cells increased compared to untreated cell.
Conclusion: Hydroalcoholic extract of Colutea persica leaf inhibits the growth of cancer cells and induce apoptosis in breast and prostate cancer cells.

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Introduction & objectives: Application of traditional medicine and identification of herbs to treat cancer are being on the rise. Little information is available on the anticancer effects of Smyrnium cordifolium bioss species. For this purpose, the present study investigated the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the alcoholic extract of S. cordifulium.
Methods: After preparing the plant and its alcoholic extract, different concentrations of the extract (0, 2, 10, 50 and 250 μg/ml) were added to the culture medium of MCF-7 cells. MTT assay was used to evaluate cytotoxicity of different extract concentrations. In addition, acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining was used to assess apoptosis rates. Data was analyzed by SPSS software at the significance level of 5%.
Results: the results of this study showed that S. cordifolium extract at 250μg/ml concentration had a more inhibitory effect on proliferation compared to other treatment groups. Moreover, this concentration (250μg/ml) had a significant effect on apoptosis in comparison with other concentrations.
Conclusion: In conclusion, it seems that alcoholic extract of S. cordifolium can partially reduce proliferation of cancer cells.
 

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Background & objectives: Colon cancer is a common disease in the world that causes high mortality in affected people. The lack of appropriate diagnostic and prognostic markers has led to the failure in early diagnosis of colorectal malignancies. MicroRNAs play an important role in controlling the expression of target genes involved in the development and progression of colon cancer. The aim of the present study was the bioinformatics identification of microRNAs with distinct expression in cancerous and non-cancerous colon samples.
Methods: This type of study was theoretical bioinformatics and microarray data of 1513 colon cancer samples with the accession number of GSE115513 were obtained from the GEO site and marker genes were selected by using R program. Target genes of the identified microRNAs were provided by TARGETSCAN software and finally, the graphical network was plotted in Cytoscape software.
Results: Analysis of microarray data showed that has-miR-663b, has-miR-650, has-miR-17-5p, has-miR-4539 and has-miR-501-3p have biomarker potential in cancer samples. Statistical analysis and investigation of the target genes indicated that miR-663b (ROC^AUC=0.8965, p=0.001) and has-miR-650 (ROC^AUC=0.9104, p=0.001) had significant distinct expression between cancerous and non-tumor margins with biomarker potential.
Conclusion: The has-miR-663b and has-miR-650 genes can be used as diagnostic markers to distinguish colon cancer from non-cancerous samples

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Background & objectives: Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases and the leading cause of death among women worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of five weeks of endurance training in combination with curcumin on the cancer progression, intratumoral gene expression of angiomiR-126 and Angiopoietin-1 in breast cancer bearing female BALB/c mice.
Methods: The present study was an experimental study. 4T1 breast cancer was transplanted into forty female BALB/c mice. Afterward, they were randomly divided into four groups including, a control group (C), an endurance training group (E), an endurance training along with curcumin (EC) and curcumin group (CC). E and EC groups performed 40 min at a constant running intensity corresponding to 60-65% vVo_2peak at 0% inclination, 5 weeks (five days a week). CC and EC groups were treated by oral gavage with curcumin for five weeks (six days a week). Then, tumor tissue of all mice was extracted 24 hour after the last training session. Gene expression levels of miR-126 and angiopoietin-1 were determined by qReal-time PCR. Statistical data values were also measured by One-way ANOVA.
Results: The results showed a significant inhibition of cancer growth, increased gene expression of miR-126 (p<0.001) and decreased angiopoietin-1 gene expression (p<0.001) in E, CC, and especially E-C compared to control group. All of these changes were significantly greater in the EC group than in the other intervention groups (p<0.001).
Conclusion: It seems that five weeks of endurance training with curcumin supplementation possibly have a further effect on decreasing breast cancer mass growth by inhibiting miR-126 /angiopoietin-1 axis compared to other interventions alone.

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Background & Objectives: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the world and Ardabil province is in the top ranks in the world. MicroRNAs are non-coding RNA molecules with a length of 18 to 21 nucleotides and due to their regulatory role in post- transcriptional gene expression; single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could affect their function on target genes regulation.
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of 150 healthy volunteers, which were born and living in Ardabil province, 30 SNPs in microRNA genes have been detected by the Whole Exome Sequencing assay. Then, the obtained results were evaluated using Sanger-based PCR-Sequencing method. The Pearson correlation test was used for finding significant relationships.
Results: After confirming the WES results, the population frequency of the selected variants was compared with the general populations of Iran, Europe and the world. Based on the age-standardized rate (ASR), six variants with significant differences, including rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2292832, rs2505901 and rs6505162 were observed.
Conclusion: According to the previous case-control studies which indicate the association between the variants rs10061133, rs12220909, rs12983273, rs2505901, and rs6505162 and gastric carcinogenesis in various populations, the observed significant differences in our population could imply on the presence of the cancer susceptibility in Ardabil province.

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Background & objectives: One of the functions of RNA editing is to change the RNA sequence without changing the genomic DNA sequence and changing the fate of cellular RNA. Therefore, studying the clinical application of RNA editing for targeted therapies is necessary.
Methods: All articles related to the subject of the study were searched in the Scopus,
PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, and Google Scholar database.
Results: The changes that occur within the RNA editing are A to I base replacement by adenosine deaminase (ADAR) on RNA and C to U replacement by the apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide1 (APOBEC1). Recently, the role of RNA editing in human diseases has been reported.
Conclusion: RNA editing can be used as a new strategy to identify new disease biomarkers and more personalized treatments for various diseases.
 

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Background & objectives: One of the main effective factors in combating gastric cancer is having good health literacy in the community. The aim of this study was to determine the health literacy of gastric cancer in clients and patients admitted to Imam Khomeini Medical Center in Ardabil.
Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study. The sample of this study consisted of clients and patients admitted to Imam Khomeini educational -medical center in Ardabil in the second half of 2019. The sample size was 320 people which were randomly sampled. Researcher-made tools were used after ensuring validity and reliability. The questionnaire had two parts: demographic characteristics and items of health literacy dimensions. Patients' informed consent was obtained before completing the questionnaire. Data were collected by nurses and entered into SPSS-26 software. By using descriptive and analytical statistical parameters such as frequency and frequency percentage, mean and standard deviation, t-test and ANOVA analyzed.
Results: The mean and standard deviation of the age of participants was 42.98±14.35. The overall level of health literacy about stomach cancer was calculated as 31.13. The average gastric cancer health literacy in five dimensions in the clients and patients of Imam Khomeini educational-medical center in Ardabil was calculated as follows: access to health information resources was 38.02±10.6, reading health information was 13.47±4.41, understanding health information was 30.37±6.9, evaluation of health information was 16.73±4.58 and decision-making and application of health information was 58.49±10.77. Apart from reading in other dimensions of health literacy, no significant difference was found between clients and inpatients.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the mean score of health literacy of clients and patients admitted to Imam Khomeini medical center in Ardabil from gastric cancer is low and not sufficient. Considering the role of health literacy in energy storage, cost and time management of the individual's disease, it is necessary to plan and perform more efficient interventions to promote health literacy in the community, especially clients and patients admitted to Ardabil educational medical centers on gastric cancer.