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Introduction: Beta thalassemia is a hereditary blood disorder characterized by anomalies in the synthesis of the beta chains of hemoglobin. Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS) is used for fetal genotyping and as it is an invasive procedure, it has the risk of abortion. As a result, it is desirable to use a noninvasive method instead. The aim of this study was to present a noninvasive method for prenatal diagnosis of &beta-Thalassemia based on pattern of paternal polymorphism.

Materials & methods: In this study 30 families with the risk of thalassemia were screened. RFLP pattern of these families were identified and it was possible to investigate the transmission of paternal gene for thalassemia. Whole blood sample was drawn from mothers at gestation weeks 10-12 and their plasma was separated.

Findings: A cellular DNA of 7 plasma that contains DNA from both mother and fetus was investigated for RFLP informative sites of beta-globin gene.

Discussion & Conclusion: Although the amount of fetal DNA in plasma is less than maternal DNA, we could detect specific RFLP pattern of fetus and identified transmission of paternal allele.

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Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer and the most lethal cancer worldwide. It is often diagnosed at advanced stages. One of the mechanisms of the immune system to fight lung cancer cells is autophagy. Autophagy is a conserved catabolic process in which proteins and organelles are deleted by lysosomes. microRNAs are small RNAs containing about 19–22 nucleotides that function as important regulatory elements in the cell and as oncogene or tumor suppressors in lung cancer. The role of miRNAs is important in lung cancer progression by regulating autophagy genes of several proteins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of miR-204-5p and miR-20a expressions involved in the autophagy pathway in non-small cell lung cancer.
 
Materials & Methods: In this study, miR-204-5p and miR-20a expression levels were studied, using the quantitative Real-Time PCR technique, in 30 patients with non-small cell lung cancer. RNA was extracted from tumor and adjacent normal tissue of NSCLC patients. cDNA was synthesized using specific stem-loop for miR-20a, miR-204-5p, and RNU44 reference gene. Finally, the expression levels of miRNAs were assessed by Real-Time PCR and the data were analyzed using the 2^-∆∆CT method.
Code of ethics: sbmub.REC.1394.112
 
Findings: Based on the results of the qRT-PCR analysis it was revealed that miR-20a and miR-204 were upregulated and downregulated in tumor tissues, respectively.
 
Discussion & Conclusions: These changes in the expression level, suggest that miR-20a and miR-204-5p are oncogenes and tumor suppressors, respectively. So, measuring the expression level of miR-20a could be a biomarker for the diagnosis and progression of non-small cell lung cancer as well as a platform for the targeted treatment of cancer.
 
 

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Introduction: Behcet's disease is an autoimmune disease that can affect various parts of the body. This disease manifests itself with skin, oral and ocular lesions. Although it is an idiopathic disease, various factors, including environmental and genetic factors, contribute to the onset of it. In this study, the association between two polymorphisms, namely rs13075270 and rs13092160 of CCR1 and CCR3 genes and susceptibility to Behcet’s disease were investigated in Iranian population.
 
Materials & Methods: Totally, 100 patients with Behcet's disease and 100 healthy individuals were selected in this study. After DNA sampling and extraction, polymorphisms of CCR1 and CCR3 receptor genes were examined using PCR-RFLP method. The findings were analyzed in SPSS software (Version 22). P-value less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.
 
Findings: According to the results, the frequencies of CT genotype of rs13092160 polymorphism in the patient and control groups were 18% and 23%, respectively; moreover, the frequencies of TT genotype were 82% and 77%, respectively. Furthermore, the frequencies of CC genotype of rs13075270 polymorphism were 1% and 5%, the frequencies of CT genotype were 80% and 19%, and TT genotype were 19% and 76% in the patient and control groups, respectively.
 
Discussion & Conclusions: In rs13075270 polymorphism, CT genotype is associated with Behcet’s disease (P<0.005). Moreover, there is no significant difference between the patients with Behcet's disease and the control group regarding the rs13092160 polymorphism.