International Journal of Medical Laboratory

Background and Aims: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult human leukemia. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression. Research has shown that in CLL, microRNAs can have function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. Some studies demonstrated that the expression of microRNA-93 (miR-93) and microRNA-330 (miR-330) have been changed in several cancers, including lung, prostate, and colon cancer. We aimed to elucidate the changes in miR-93 and miR-330 expression in CLL patients in comparison with controls.
Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the expression levels of miR-93 and miR-330 was evaluated in 30 CLL patients who had referred to Omid Hospital, Isfahan, Iran, and 30 controls in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).
Results: The expression of miR-93 and miR-330 were found to significantly increase in CLL patients compared with controls (p<0.0001).
Conclusions: The findings indicated that miR-93 and miR-330 are probably the novel potential biomarker for early diagnosis of CLL, at least in Iranian patients. However, for a decisive result, further investigations are warranted. 

Background and Aims: The therapeutic effects of the olibanum, the resin of Boswellia serrata (B. serrata) from the Burseraceae family in inflammatory disease have been reported. There are more than 200 active ingredients in this resin, including Boswellic acid. It is proposed
that aqueous extract of B. serrata can improve memory impairment induced by cerebral inflammation result in the administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
Materials and Methods: In this study, after the treatment of rats with LPS, brain toxicity induction was performed, and finally, the behavioral tests were evaluated. Following cerebral inflammation induction and treatment, behavioral performance biochemistry tests and molecular methods were assessed in all groups.
Results: LPS administration increased the duration and distance to find the platform in the Morris water maze test compared to the control group in 5 days (p<0.05 to p<0.001). Furthermore, LPS reduced the peripheral, central, and total locomotion compared to the control group (p< 0.001) in the open field test. Pretreatment with both doses of aqueous extract of B. serrata enhanced performances of the rats in Morris water maze (p<0.05 to p<0.01) and open field test (p<0.01 to p<0.001). LPS also increased hippocampus Interleukin-6, malondialdehyde levels (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Aqueous extract of B. serrata can be a useful drug in memory impairment caused by LPS-induced inflammation.