Acknowledgment and Funding
The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the Vice Chancellor for
Research in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences for financial
support. This article is a part of the results of the Ph.D.
dissertation, grant number 941237 registered in the Mashhad University
of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. They would also like to gratefully
thank Mr. Seyed Sadegh Assaran for his participation in blood sampling
from patients in Ghaem Hospital.