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Background and Objective: Human erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycosylated hormone with molecular weight of about 40 KDa which is synthesized in kidneys and plays an important role in proliferation and differentiation of erythrocytes.This study was done to assess and analyze the expression of recombinant EPO in Leishmania tarentolae host. Method: In this descriptive study, the EPO gene was codoned , optimized with bioinformatics database prior to be synthesized. It was cleaved by KpnIandXbaI enzymes and cloned into pLEXSY expression vector. The constructed expression cassette was transfected into Leishmania tarentolae through electroporaton method. Identification and confirmation of transfected colonies was performed using PCR expression diagnostic primers and EPO specific primers. Induction of the cloned gene was done with tetracycline. The expression in induced strains was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and western blotting techniques. The amount of recombinant protein was quantified by ELISA method. Confirmation of cloning and EPO expression cassette was carried out through genetic engineering procedures. Results: Expression analysis of transfected parasitic strain with SDS-PAGE and western blotting confirmed gene integration into chromosomal of host as well as expression. The optimal conditions for expression were found to be 10μg of tetracycline and 72h induction time. Molecular weight of expressed protein estimated to be 40 KDa and expression level was determined to be 12.4 mg/l which was equal to 1% of total protein mass. Conclusion: EPO expression cassette for cloning and expression in Leishmania tarentolae was designed and protein of interest was successfully induced and identified Leishmania tarentolae can be used as a suitable host for production of recombinant EPO and this technology has a potential for localization.

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Neurofibromatosis type1 (NF1) with the incidence of 1 in 3500 births, is the most common disorder which affects skin and peripheral nervous system. NF1 results from mutations in NF1 gene. The NF1 gene spans 350kbp and to date, nearly 2434 mutations in it were reported. The gene with 100 percent penetrance is located on chromosome 17 encoding neurofibromin protein. Recently, many challenges of its genetic analysis have been overcome through the application of new sequencing techniques. In present study patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 have been characterized from clinical symptoms such as presence of café au lait spot, plexiform neurofibroma, optic nerves involvement, presence of several patients in first degree relatives. These patients were in different ages including 73, 63, 44, 20 with different symptoms and severities of disease. In this communication, a NF1 family with 4 cases in 3 generations has been presented.

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Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) is an extremely rare autosomal dominant disorder having variable expressivity with complete penetrance. FOP incidence has been estimated to be 1 per 2 million. FOP caused by mutations in ACVR1 gene encoding bone morphogenetic protein type-1 receptor. To date, 15 types of mutations have been reported. The majority of cases were determined to be the rsult of a new mutation occuring sporadically. Here we report a 20 years old girl who's suffering FOP for 11 years.

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Background and Objective: Micro-ribonucleic acids (microRNAs) have introduced a new field in the molecular diagnosis of cancer. However, the role of circulating microRNAs in the plasma/serum of colorectal cancer patients is still unclear. This study was conducted to determine the expression of let-7d microRNA in patients with colorectal cancer.
Methods: This case-control study was conducted on 40 patients with colorectal cancer and 40 healthy people. In this study, 7 mL blood samples were collected from patients with colorectal cancer (both before and after tumor resection) and healthy individuals (only once). The serum samples were isolated and stored at - 80°C until molecular analysis. MicroRNAs were extracted from serum samples, and cDNA was synthesized. Let-7d expression was examined using the RT-qPCR method. Data were analyzed using GraphPad Prism v. 9 software. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, sensitivity, and specificity were also calculated for the let-7d microRNA data to introduce a diagnostic biomarker between the preoperative patient group and the control group.
Results: In the preoperative samples of the patients, the expression of let-7d microRNA was significantly lower than that of the control group (P˂0.05). The expression of let-7d microRNA significantly increased after tumor resection compared to before. The ROC analysis for let-7d microRNA in the preoperative patient group with the control group showed that the sensitivity was 33.3%, specificity was 92.3%, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.622.
Conclusion: Let-7d microRNA could potentially serve as a new noninvasive diagnostic biomarker for the early detection of colorectal cancer. However, further studies are required on this subject.