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Background and Aim: Cancers have a special place in health programs because of the costs of diagnosis and treatment as well as their irreversible complications. Distribution of diseases and their relationship with certain geographical areas is a confirmed subject producing a scientific background for medical geography. This study aimed to determine the five-year incidence of gastric cancer and its relationship with geographical factors in Khuzestan Province between 2009 and 2013.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study we assessed the incidence rate and relationship of gastric cancer with environmental, geographic and climatic factors. The study included all patients with gastric cancer in Khuzestan Province, between 2009 and 2013. The demographic and pathologic data of the patients had been recorded in a comprehensive cancer registration system. Using SPSS version 16, data were analyzed by independent T-test, Kruskai-Wallis test and ANOVA. Mapping of climatic factors was performed by Arc GIS.ver10.3 software.

Results: 1587 patients with gastric cancer had been recorded between 2009 and 2013 in the province's comprehensive cancer registration system. The mean age of the patients was 62.57± 14.17 years. 1047 patients (66%) were male, and 540 (34%) were female. The cumulative incidence of gastric cancer, was estimated as 35 per hundred thousand people. The relationship between gastric cancer and mean rainfall was statistically significant (p: 0.04).

Conclusion: The incidence rates of gastric cancer in different regions of the Khuzestan Province were not the same which can be related to the demographic variables as well as different geographic and climatic factors. Therefore, in order to identify the related risk factors in different regions further epedemeological  and etiological studies are recommended.

Key words: Incidence rate, Gastric cancer, GIS, Geographical factors.

Received: Oct 26, 2016      Accepted: Dec 23, 2016

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Background and Aim: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common metabolic disorders characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with impaired metabolism of carbohydrate, fat, and protein. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of white button mushroom (WBM) powder on anthropometric indices, blood pressure, and liver enzymes in type 2 diabetic patients (T2DM).
Materials and Methods: This double-blind clinical trial included 41 T2DM patients between 23 and 50 years of age. Patients were randomly divided into intervention (n = 19 mushroom powder) and placebo (n = 22 corn starch) groups. Patients received 16 g dried WBM powder or corn starch/day for 8 weeks.  Anthropometric indices, blood pressure, and liver enzymes were assessed at the baseline and at the end of our study. An independent sample t-test was used to compare quantitative variables between the two groups. Comparison of the mean values before and after treatment in each group was performed by means of paired T-test. p<0.05 was considered significant.
Results: Comparison of the results at the baseline and after 8 weeks showed no significant difference in regard to weight, body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and the waist-to-height ratio between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, the patients in the intervention group had a significant decrease in waist circumference and also lower weight at the end of the study compared to the baseline (P < 0.05). In addition, BMI reduction was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in relation to hepatic enzymes, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the end of the study (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: This study showed that WBM had no significant effect on liver protection. However, improvement in anthropometric indices in the intervention group indicated the potential effect of WBM on reducing T2DM complications.

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Background and Aim: Retinoic acid (RA) is involved in protecting the intestinal barrier, inducing differentiation, growth and proliferation of epithelial cells. There are several hypotheses about the mechanism of induction of apoptosis by RA, but few studies have been performed on the role of HNF4α and Cdx-2 in intestinal cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival and expression of these two genes following administration of RA in Caco-2 cells as a model of intestinal epithelial cells.
Materials and Methods: In the present study, Caco-2 cells were used and exposed to retinoic acid at concentrations of 10, 20, and 40 μM for 72 hours. After incubation for 24 and 48 hours, these samples were assigned to evaluate the effects of cytotoxicity by measuring mitochondrial enzyme activity using the MTT method. The expression levels of HNF4α and Cdx-2 genes at the mRNA level were examined by real-time PCR technique.
Results: The results showed that 48 hours after adding 20 and 40 μM RA, the number of cells decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. In the first 24 and 48 hours, the dependence on the expression concentration of the HNF4α gene increased, and in contrast, the expression of the Cdx-2 gene decreased during these hours. Based on the results obtained during the 72 hours of the study, the expression levels of the genes decreased compared to those in the control which was due to the reduction of living cells and disruption of cellular homeostasis.
Conclusion: Use of RA in high concentrations can cause disruption of intestinal homeostasis due to an imbalance between the two genes. Therefore, concentration of retinoic acid derivatives should be selected according to the purpose of treatment.