Background: Amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogene influences the progression of gastric cancer, its prognosis, and therapy. A precise examination of HER-2/neu-amplified tumor tissue is essential for managing disease and prescribing the appropriate treatment. This study aimed to investigate the status of HER-2/neu gene in the gastric cancer samples and its relationship with clinical and pathological information. Methods: In this study on 80 paraffin-embedded tissue samples from patients with gastric adenocarcinoma [2006][2007][2008][2009][2010][2011], DNA was extracted to quantify the gene expression levels of HER-2 using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Data were statistically analyzed by chi-square test using SPSS16.0 software. Results: PCR results indicated that HER-2/neu gene amplifications occurred in 58 of the 80 samples (72.5%). HER-2/neu gene expression was not significantly related to age and sex, but the larger tumor size and the more advanced stage were significantly associated with HER-2/neu overexpression. Conclusions:The data show the HER-2/neu gene is more amplified in stage 4 of gastric cancer with a larger size of mass. Older age and male sex also appear to be more associated with HER-2/neu gene expression.

Background and objectives: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is one of the most common viral infections and amongst the top health priorities worldwide. Due to frequent exposure, medical students are at high risk of developing HBV infection. This study was conducted to evaluate serum level of anti-HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) 18 years after HBV vaccination in students of the Golestan University of Medical Sciences (Gorgan, Iran). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 241 students (18-20 years old, 137 women) who had been vaccinated at infancy were enrolled. After recording demographic data, blood sample was taken to measure HBsAg, HBs anti-body (HBs-Ab) and HBc antibody (total HBcAb) using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Data were analyzed by the chi-square test using SPSS 16 and at significance of 0.05. Results: HBsAb titer of less than 10 mlU/ml was found in 167 (69.3%) participants (89 females and 78 males). Positive HBsAg and anti-HBcAb were not observed in the subjects. There was no significant relationship between antibody titer and sex, body mass index, place of residence and ethnicity (P>0.05). Conclusion:The high number of medical students with seronegative antibody levels is a cause for concern. In this regard, more attention should be paid to high risk students in medical school of the Golestan Province.