Introduction: Anthracyclines are one of the classes of chemotherapy drugs that are widely used to treat many types of cancers including breast cancer. Taking this class of medications has a significant relationship with cardiac dysfunction. N-acetylcysteine has antioxidant properties and may be effective in preventing cardiac dysfunctions. In this study, we investigated the effect of N-acetylcysteine in preventing cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline. Methods: A total of 60 breast cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy with anthracyclines were enrolled in the present case-control study and divided into two groups. The case group received 600 mg of N-acetylcysteine per day adjacent to chemotherapy; while the control group did not receive this medication. One month after the last chemotherapy session, troponin I was measured as a predictor of cardiotoxicity. Results: Troponin I was positive in one patient in the case group compared with 3 patients in the control group without any significant difference among groups (P> 0.05) However, the respective mean±SD level of troponin I was 0.120±0.039 and 0.192±0.063 in the case and control groups with a statistically significant difference among groups (P <0.001). Conclusions: Administration of 600 mg N-acetylcysteine per day during the anthracyclinebased chemotherapy protocol in breast cancer patients may reduce the mean troponin I levels which can be a prediction of reduced anthracyclines cardiotoxicity.

Background: Type 2 diabetes and thyroid disorders cause extensive changes in insulin resistance. An increase in serum resistin level is associated with insulin resistance. Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the cumulative effect of diabetes and hypothyroidism on the serum resistin levels of type 2 diabetic patients. Methods: Participants were divided into four groups using the convenience sampling method. Each group contained 30 diabetic patients, 32 hypothyroid patients, 30 diabetics + hypothyroid patients, and 29 healthy individuals. Serum samples were taken from participants and their serum resistin levels were measured. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 23. Pearson correlation test, ANOVA statistical analysis, and Tukey post hoc test were used to analyze the data. A P-value of < 0.05 was used as statistically significant. Results: Among patients with hypothyroidism, resistin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone were moderately correlated (P = 0.001, r = 0.580). ANOVA revealed a statistically significant difference between the resistin levels in the studied groups (P = 0.000, F = 6.813). Conclusions: Serum resistin levels are significantly lower in people with diabetes + hypothyroidism than in people with only one of these two conditions. Therefore, the cumulative effect of diabetes and hypothyroidism on resistin levels cannot be deduced from the findings of the present study.

No abstract