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Aims: The presence of a patient with breast cancer in the family can be considered as a guidance for further prevention and increase the susceptibility of people against this disease. Champion's health belief model scale is translated and tested in different countries, but few attempts have been made to measure this scale in women with history of breast cancer. Methods: After the standard Champion's Health Belief Model Scale was translated, 28 items were extracted with the help of panel of experts (n=13) and focus group (n=42) in four subscales. The eligible women were selected randomly (n=200) and took part in this study. The participants filled in the questionnaire through interviews. To test the construct validity of the data, the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied using AMOS software, moreover, test of internal consistency and test of reliability were applied by retesting (n=30). Findings: The confirmatory factor analysis, which, was repeated after omitting these two items for the subscale of perceived barriers and shows the proper fit of its structural model. Cronbach 'alpha coefficients were 0.72 (susceptibility), 0.75 (seriousness), 0.82 (benefits) and 0.76 (barriers). Internal consistency ranged from 0 .64 to 0 .79 and test-retest reliability correlation were from 0 .67 to 0.92. Conclusions: The Persian version of the Champion's Health Belief Model Scale can be a reliable and valid measure in Iranian women with family history of breast cancer.

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Aim: Regarding the high prevalence of breast cancer among the Iranian women and lack of attention to mammography screening, planning the behavior promotion interventions would be practicable through determining the barriers of conducting mammography screening behavior. The purpose of this study was determining the barriers of conducting breast cancer mammography screening among the women over 40 years. Methods: The participants of this crass-sectional study consisted of 294 over 40-years old women in Arak-Iran who completed the questionnaire of mammography barriers. The questionnaire used was based on Champion's revised Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS). Sampling was based on the population. All hygiene officers of the Health and Cure Centers of Arak were asked to randomly select some samples among the women over 40 years. In this way, all the city's areas were covered. Inclusion criteria were women over 40 years, not already suffering from breast cancer, or having a family member (mother or sister) affected by the disease. Findings: The findings revealed that the high cost is the main barrier (20.1%) of mammography screening among the population. Among the other reasons, one may point to fear of discovering a cancer mass (9.5%), painful procedures of mammography (7.1%), not knowing the mammography centers (6.5%), and shame of undressing for mammography (5.1%). Comparing the mean scores of the barriers based on the individual characteristics showed that the barriers of mammography screening according to education level (p=0.0001), insurance status (p=0.02), and economic status (p=0.0001) have significant difference. Conclusions: Regarding the barriers of mammography screening among the Iranian women, it is necessary that authorities apply solutions to reduce costs, and promote women's knowledge about the importance of early diagnosis of breast diseases through screening plans, especially mammography screening.

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Aim: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in Iranian women. Clinical nurses and midwives are supposed to be at high risk of the disease. The present study aimed at comparing the knowledge and health beliefs of Iranian nurses and midwives about breast cancer screening using Health Belief Model (HBM). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 nurses and 60 midwives working in teaching hospitals affiliated to Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences (Yazd, Iran) were selected via convenience sampling. Three questionnaires were used to collect data including a demographic questionnaire, the Breast Cancer Knowledge Test, and Champion’s Revised Health Belief Model Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS-11.0 for Windows. Findings: According to the independent t-test results, the mean knowledge scores of the two groups were significantly different (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in mean health belief scores between the two groups (p>0.05). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient revealed a significant direct correlation between knowledge and health beliefs in both nurses and midwives (P=0.018; r=0.18). The same test suggested knowledge to have significant direct correlation with benefits of mammography (P=0.01; r=0.2), benefits of breast self-awareness (P<0.001; r=0.4), cues to action (P=0.001; r=0.2), and self-efficacy (P<0.001; r=0.3). Conclusion: There are some risk factors including unhealthy life-style behaviours, exposure to night light, and consequently, disruption in circadian rhythm, and that job stress can threaten the health of nurses and midwives. Thus, it is important to determine their perceived barriers of screening behaviours based on HBM.

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Breast cancer prevention and control efforts serve as priorities in Iran, as breast cancer is, the common leading cause of death women in the country. It seems effective communication can play important role in increasing Breast cancer screening. On the other hand, health literacy is increasing recognized as a critical factor affecting communication across the continuum of breast cancer screening behavior. A goal outlined in healthy people 2020 call for improving health literacy by the use of health communication (1, 2). Health literacy is the capacity to obtain, process, and understand breast cancer information and services needed to make appropriate health care decisions (3).
Women with poor health literacy have a complex set of problems with written and oral communication that may their understanding of breast cancer screening and of symptoms of breast cancer, adversely affecting their stage at early diagnosis (4). In addition, these barriers destroy communication and discussion about the risks and benefits of prevention and treatment options, and women understanding of informed consent for routine procedures and clinical trials, more research is required to identify successful methods for educating and communicating with women who have limited and low health literacy. Individuals with low health literacy may be limited in their ability to access and navigate the breast cancer care system, make appropriate health decisions, and practice on health care information understanding the factors that contribute to miscommunication is important in solving the difficulties included by low health literacy.

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Instruments and Methods: This cross sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 225 women in reproductive age (15-49) with breast cancer and having a mastectomy referred to Sina Hospital-breast surgery clinic, Breast Research Center, and Mahdieh Hospital from 2014 to 2015. A simple random sampling method as well as 4 questionnaires including the Health Literacy for the Iranian Adults (HELIA), Standard questionnaire of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC version 3.0), special edition of Breast Cancer (QLQ-BR 23), and a Special questionnaire for body images was used. The data were analyzed by SPSS 21 software, using Spearman's correlation coefficient and one way ANOVA test.

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Aim: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women.The Health Education Campaign (HEC) is an important educational strategy for breast cancer screening. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the (HEC) based training on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women, regarding breast cancer screening methods.
Materials & Methods: This was a pre- and post-quasi-experimental study conducted among 200 women over 20 years in Mazandaran Province. A self-made 34-item questionnaire was used to collect the data. A pretest was performed before the educational intervention and a posttest was conducted 12 weeks after the intervention. The data were analyzed by logistic regression, Pearson correlation coefficient, and one way ANOVA, using SPSS 22.
Findings: The mean age of the women was 35.16 years. Based on paired t-test, the difference in the mean scores of knowledge and attitudes regarding screening methods in the women was significant (p≤0.0001) before and after the intervention. Also, based on the macnemar test, the difference between the early detection of breast self-examination (BSE) and clinical breast examination (CBE) was significant in the women studied before and after the educational intervention.
Conclusion: According to the results of the study, the intervention had been able to change the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of women regarding breast cancer and early detection methods.
 

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Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the provalent cancers in the world. This cancer as well as other solid tumors, in the course of its development has phases in this order: Epithelial Dysplasia, Carcinoma Insitu, Invassiveness and metastasis. Breast cancer Diagnosis is generally made with pathology methods. In this survey, measuring Angiostatin (which is one of the most important and potent angiogensis inhibitor) in random urine as a noninvassive method was introduced to diagnose the disease. Materials and Methods: In this assay, random urine samples of 15 Breast cancer patient and 15 control urine samples were obtained, and assayed with improved sandwich direct ELISA. Results: Obtained result in statistical T-Test (Pvalue<0.03) showed significant correlation between urine angiostatin and breast cancer, that has coordinace with the result of patients sample pathology. Discussion: Angiostatin dosage in urine of patients of breast cancer is a good marker of non invassive diagnosis.

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Aims: The Mesd is a universal inhibitor and has therapeutic effect against triple negative breast cancer. The peptide derived from carboxyl terminal, similar to protein, acts as an inhibitor of the pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate the probable binding sites of Mesd and its peptide derived from carboxyl terminal on LRP6 first and second beta-propeller domains from a structural point of view in drug design.
Materials & Methods: This experimental study was conducted, using blind and site-directed molecular docking simulation with ClusPro and Haddock and molecular dynamic simulation. The binding sites of Mesd and the peptide on the first and second beta-propeller domains of receptor LRP6 were investigated and the selected complexes were structurally analyzed.
Findings: Extensive levels of Mesd protein were found to interact with LRP6 and the levels involved in the peptide were much lower. The binding region of Mesd to LRP6 was from the carboxyl terminal. The binding region of the peptide and the protein on LRP6 was a similar region between First and Second Beta-Propeller Domains of LRP6. The RMSD and RMSF chart of the Mesd complex and its peptide was approximately the same with the first functional domain of the LRP6 co-receptor.
Conclusion: The binding region of the peptide and the protein on LRP6 is not completely similar, but according to molecular simulation of selected complexes, the pattern of the inhibition mechanism is common and emphasizes on inter domain motion control from a structural point of view. Interactive region of each ligand is similar to a region of the co-receptor, which has maximum flexibility. Molecular docking simulation of Mesd and co-receptor shows important role of carboxyl terminal of the protein to bind to LRP6.

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Aims: Considered as one of the marine resources and due to their effective compounds, cyanobacteria activate the cell death process in cancer cells and, thus, may be used as a new source. The aim of the current research was to evaluate the effect of oscillatoria cyanobacterium extract on breast cancer cell line and NM23 gene expression.
Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, oscillatoria cyanobacterium was cultured in a negative zayander medium at 26°C to 28°C with a light intensity of 350 to 3500lux, under 12-hour lighting and 12-hour darkness, and the MCF-7 cell line was prepared. Breast cancer cells were treated by hydroalcoholic extracts of oscillatoria with different concentrations. The effect of extract on cell survival was evaluated by MTT assay and the effect of the extract on the changes of NM23 gene expression was investigated by Real-Time PCR.
Findings: The morphology of MCF-7 cell line showed that the oscillatoria cyanobacterium extract significantly altered the treated cells compared with control cells. The survival of cells decreased with increasing concentration, and there was a significant difference compared to the control sample. After 24 hours, the extract inhibited 50% cell survival at a concentration of 0.6mg/ml (p<0.001). The NM23 gene expression significantly increased over a 24-hour period compared with the control sample.

Conclusion: Oscillatoria Cyanobacterium extract decreases the breast cancer cell line and increases the NM23 gene expression.

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Aims: Breast cancer represents one of the most prevalent cancers and is also the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women globally. Thus, this study was aimed to construct and compare the performance of several rule-based machine learning algorithms in predicting breast cancer.
Instrument & Methods: The data were collected from the Breast Cancer Registry database in the Ayatollah Taleghani Hospital, Abadan, Iran, from December 2017 to January 2021 and had information from 949 non-breast cancer and 554 breast cancer cases. Then the mean values and K-nearest neighborhood algorithm were used for replacing the lost quantitative and qualitative data fields, respectively. In the next step, the Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used for feature selection. Finally, the best rule-based machine learning algorithm was obtained based on comparing different evaluation criteria. The Rapid Miner Studio 7.1.1 and Weka 3.9 software were utilized.
Findings: As a result of feature selection the nine variables were considered as the most important variables for data mining. Generally, the results of comparing rule-based machine learning demonstrated that the J-48 algorithm with an accuracy of 0.991, F-measure of 0.987, and also AUC of 0.9997 had a better performance than others.
Conclusion: It’s found that J-48 facilitates a reasonable level of accuracy for correct BC risk prediction. We believe it would be beneficial for designing intelligent decision support systems for the early detection of high-risk patients that will be used to inform proper interventions by the clinicians.

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Breast cancer is a serious health concern for women. It contributes to about 23% of the cancer cases, and accounts for the second largest number of deaths among all cancers. Expensive and time consuming recognition methods currently available for recognition of breast cancer potentiates the need for improvement of novel, specific and ultrasensitive strategies. Biosensors are sensitive, specific and cost effective procedures. These also display the benefit of quick response due to direct calculation in physiological fluids (saliva, blood, serum, milk, urine etc.) in a non-invasive way. Aptamer-based biosensors for cancer cell recognition have shown advantages of rapidness, simplicity and cost-efficiency over traditional approaches. In this study, by linking DNAzyme and aptamer together, we established colorimetric biosensor for the detection of MCF7 breast cancer cells.  MUC1 and PTK7 aptamers used as specific aptamers to binding to the breast cancer cells. This manner may also evade the modification of DNA and the use of labels, which can intensely rise the cost-efficiency and simplicity of cancer cell discovery. Our results indicated that these aptamers showed good activity for breast cancer cells detection in which in the control cells no activity was observed. Results also indicated that there is a good linear relationship between the cancer cell values and colorimetric signal. Finally, the obtained results indicated a cost effective and conveniently operated approach for cancer diagnosis in future.

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Aims: In Iran and many countries of the world, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. This qualitative study aimed to explain the effects of physical and psychological changes following breast cancer and its treatments on the sexual function and sexual relationships of survivors.
Participants & Methods: A qualitative study based on Woods' sexuality theory was conducted from October 2019 to May 2020. Participants included married female breast cancer survivors (aged 20-49) with stage one to three breast cancer who had undergone primary treatment. Data were collected through in-depth and semi-structured individual interviews with 17 patients and an oncology nurse in a teaching hospital affiliated with the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran. Sampling continued until theoretical data saturation happened. Data analysis was done by Maxqda 10 software.
Findings: Sexual function in women surviving breast cancer included four categories: sexual desire and arousal, orgasm, sexual pain, and the sexual function of spouses. Sexual relationship included two categories: relations and intimacy with spouses; and satisfaction with relations with spouses.
Conclusion: Breast cancer and its treatments generally affect sexual function and relationships and, as a result, the sexual health of the survivors.
 

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Aptamers, DNA or RNA single-stranded sequences, have different applications in biological investigations, such as apatsensors, due to their many advantages including high specificity and affinity, cost-effectiveness and easy synthesis. In this study, an aptasensor was designed based on the changes in the SPR spectra of gold nanoparticle, in order to detect carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) cancer indicator as a marker for breast cancer. In the presence of aptamer, gold nanoparticles were stable, SPR spectrum of gold nanoparticle was unchanged after adding NaCl. However, in the presence of CEA as a cancer marker, aptamer binds to the target molecule and by adding NaCl consequently the SPR spectrum of gold nanoparticles is changed. The results of this study showed that the designed aptasensor enables the detection of CEA over a range of 50 ng ml^-1. The limit of detection was about 22.75 ng ml^-1. It seems this aptasensor can be used in detection of carcinoembryonic antigen cancer marker.

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Chemotherapy is one of the most effective and common treatments for cancer. Multi-drug resistance and drug side effects are one of the major obstacles to successful chemotherapy. To address these limitations and achieve better drug efficacy, nanosystem-based combination therapy offers a promising approach. This study aimed to synthesize, characterize, and investigate the synergistic effect of nanoliposomes loaded with doxorubicin and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. In the present study, nanoliposomes were prepared by passive loading and thin-film hydration. The characterization of nanoliposomes such as size distribution, zeta potential, the loading rate, drug release profile, and toxicity were measured. The mean diameter of nanoliposomes was 82.5 nm, their surface charge was -24.2 mV and drug loading was about 80%. The interaction of doxorubicin and EGCG with nanoliposomes was mediated by electrostatic and van der Waals bonds and EGCG has a deceasing effect on the doxorubicin release profile but the observed differences are not significant. The toxicity and viability data indicate that the simultaneous use of these two drugs increased the toxicity of the cells. Nanoliposomes containing doxorubicin were not able to reduce viability to below 50% in monotherapy with 5×10^-3 μM. While, the amount of viability dramatically reduced to below 50%, in combination with EGCG, resulting as combination chemotherapy. Consequently, the concomitant administration of EGCG with doxorubicin may be a suitable candidate for chemotherapy.

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Aim: During the uncontrolled development of cells in the body, a subset of neoplasms or tumors is formed, the abnormal proliferation of these cells leads to the formation of a mass and eventually cancer. This mass can spread throughout the body. Thus, inhibiting the abnormal growth of cancer cells will have a significant effect on preventing the spread of cancerous tumors and improving the disease. Therefore, in the present study, a new sulfonamide derivative was designed and synthesized (HB20) and its anti-cancer effects on human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) were investigated.
Materials and Methods: For the synthesis of a sulfonamide derivative (HB20), dcriptiazonium salt was first made using a sulfamethoxazole base compound and then combined with a pyrimidine coupling agent. Concentrations of a new synthetic compound (HB20) against Cells (MCF-7) were used. MTT assay was also performed to measure survival and cell proliferation.
Results: The synthesized compound structure was confirmed by spectral analysis, such as FT- IR, and NMR. Also, Survival in MCF-7 cells treated with a synthetic compound (HB20) was significantly reduced compared to the control group (untreated). HB20 inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 cancer cells with an IC₅₀ value of 75/23 μg/ml.
Conclusion: The new sulfonamide derivative (HB20) has the potential to inhibit proliferation and anti-cancer properties in the cell line (MCF-7).

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Objective: RNA interference (RNAi) is the most potent technique for gene silencing in eukaryotic cellular system at transcriptomic level. Genetic disorders and cancers are important targets for therapeutic development of this technique. In order to bypass the temporary dpwnregulation by siRNA, a new generation of shRNA named shRNAmir has developed. Silencing construct with structure similar to microRNA (shRNAmir), mimics a natural microRNA pathway inside the cell. Steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA) is one of the regulators of steroid receptor like ER. Prostate, uterus and breast tissue express a low level of SRA, there is an increase of expression during their tumorgenesis. So SRA may participate in tumorgenesis or proliferation of tumors. Materials and Methods: We used RNAi technique to silence expression of SRA. The SRA silencer was designed and constructed by Soe-PCR, then cloned into an expression vector pEGFPC1. Human breast cancer (MCF7) cells were transfected with silencer plasmid then the changes in the SRA expression estimated by Real-Time PCR at 24, 72 hours and after 10days. Result: The results showed about 60% decrease in relative expression of SRA gene, after 72 hours and 10 days, which shows that shRNAmir–SRA could successfully knockdown the expression of target gene. Conclusion: It seems that the designed shRNAmir may be a suitable tool for a variety of applications because it could stably knockdown the expression of target gene.