seyed mohammad jazayeri

The envelope (E) protein of globally circulating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is highly conserved. This study aimed to find the mutation rate of the E genes in COVID-19 patients, and also to evaluate the conformational characteristics of viral E protein.

In this study, 120 patients with SARS-CoV-2 positive test results were selected according to real-time PCR assay. Specific primers for conventional PCR have been used to amplify E gene; furthermore, to identify the E gene mutations, direct sequencing of the E genes was also done. Bioinformatics techniques were used to investigate the possible effects of antigenic changes and 3D characteristics of amino acid substitutions. Also, the immunogenicity of wild-type and mutant E was analyzed utilizing a ClusPro docking server and the IEDB online platform.

A total of 120 COVID-19 patients were included (57.5% were male and 42.5% female), with an overall mean age of 55.70±10.61 years old. Of 10 nucleotide changes, 8 (80%) were silent. Also, 2 (20%) missense mutations (amino acid altering) were found in the E gene (L73F and S68F).

These mutations insert some new helix structures in the E mutants. Also, the results of molecular docking studies indicated that both S68F and L73F mutations could notably enhance the stability and binding affinity of protein E's C-terminal motif to the Protein Associated with LIN7 1, MAGUK P55 Family Member (PALS1) which may probably increase local viral spread, and infiltration of immune cells into lung alveolar spaces.

Host genetic changes like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are one of the main fac- tors influencing susceptibility to viral infectious diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between the host SNP of Toll-Like Receptor3 (TLR3) and Toll-Like Receptor7 (TLR7) genes involved in the immune system and susceptibil- ity to COVID-19 in a sample of the Iranian population.

This retrospective case-control study evaluated 244 hospitalized COVID-19 patients as the case group and 156 suspected COVID-19 patients with mild signs as the control group. The genomic DNA of patients was gen- otyped for TLR7 (rs179008 and rs179009) and TLR3 (rs3775291 and rs3775296) SNPs using the polymerase chain reac- tion-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.

A significant association between rs179008 SNP in the TLR7 gene and the susceptibility of COVID-19 was found between case and control groups. The AT genotype (Heterozygous) of TLR7 rs179008 A>T polymorphism showed a sig- nificant association with a 2.261-fold increased odds of COVID-19 (P=0.003; adjusted OR: 2.261; 99% CI: 1.117-4.575). In addition, a significant association between TC genotype of TLR7 rs179009 T>C polymorphism and increased odds of COVID-19 (P< 0.0001; adjusted OR: 6.818; 99% CI: 3.149-14.134) were determined. The polymorphism frequency of TLR3 rs3775291 and rs3775296 genotypes were not significantly different between the case and control groups (P> 0.004167).

SNPs in TLR7 rs179008 and rs179009 genotypes are considered host genetic factors that could be influenced individual susceptibility to COVID-19. The SNPs in TLR3 (rs3775296 and rs3775291) showed no significant association with COVID-19 in Iranian population.

 SARS-CoV-2 may affect vital organs. The present study investigated the histopathology of pulmonary and cardiac tissues with clinical correlation in deceased patients with COVID-19.

 We obtained pulmonary and cardiac tissues from 30 deceased patients with COVID-19 in Tehran, Iran, from January to May 2021. Sampling was performed through a percutaneous needle biopsy. After slide preparation, two expert pathologists studied them. We assessed the correlation between clinical and pathological data by Fisher’s exact test.

 The mean age of the patients was 73.8±13.4 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 23/7. The most common underlying disease was hypertension (HTN) in 25 patients (83%). Fifty-five tissue samples were achieved, including 28 pulmonary and 27 cardiac samples. Our results showed that all patients (100%) developed diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), and 26 (93%) developed hyaline membrane formation. The most common phase of DAD was the exudative-proliferative phase in 16 (57.1%). Three cardiac samples (11%) revealed myocarditis, and seven (26%) showed cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. In univariate analysis using Fischer’s exact test, myocarditis had significant relationships with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels higher than 80 mg/dL (P=0.008) and elevated cardiac troponin levels higher than two-fold (P=0.01).

 COVID-19 can affect the major vital organs. However, only myocarditis had a significant relationship with the circulating levels of inflammatory factors.

Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs) are common sexually transmitted viruses that cause health problems, including genital warts and different type of cancers. There are over 200 different types of HPV, some of which are correlated with the progress of cervical cancer. One of the HPV genes responsible for its oncogenic potential is the E6 gene. E6 is a critical protein in the life cycle of HPV and a key contributor to the development of HPV-associated cancers. Its interactions with cellular proteins lead to disruptions in key cellular pathways and the promotion of cancerous cell growth. Overall, HPV E6 represents a reassuring target for the expansion of novel therapies for the treatment of HPV-associated cancers and understanding its molecular interactions with host proteins is critical for developing targeted therapies for HPV-associated cancers. In this article, we will focus on the cancer-related mechanism and cell interaction of HPV E6.

 Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) without any specific antiviral.

 This study aimed to evaluate the expression level of inflammatory chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines in ATLL patients, asymptomatic carriers (ACs), and healthy individuals to assess the role of these inflammatory markers in ATLL pathogenicity.

 This study was conducted from May 2021 to August 2022. The ATLL blood samples were collected from the oncology wards of Imam Khomeini, Shariati, and Imam Hossein hospitals, in Tehran, Iran. The blood samples of ACs and normal control subjects were collected from blood donors referred to blood transfusion centers of Tehran and Alborz provinces, Iran. RNA extraction, complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis, and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were done in targeted sample groups to investigate the correlation and expression rate of C-C motif chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), C-C motif chemokine ligand 4 (CCL4), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), interleukin 23 subunit alpha (IL-23A), and interleukin 17 A (IL-17A).

 A total of 30 samples were collected from 3 groups. The CCL3, CCL4, CXCL8, and IL-17A messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels were significantly upregulated in the ATLL groups. There was a significant difference between CCL3 expression between the ACs and ATLL groups. In addition, CCL4 and CXCL8 expression levels were more significant in the ATLL group than in the normal control group. The IL-17A expression level significantly increased between groups. The IL-23A expression levels had no significant differences between the ATLL, ACs, and normal control groups.

 This study showed significant upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines mRNAs in HTLV-1–associated ATLL compared to the ACs and normal control groups. Conducting more experiments to investigate the therapeutic effect of chemokines/cytokines in ATLL is essential.

 Objectives were to investigate aspects of the COVID-19 epidemics via testing the individuals who were referred to Aramesh Medical Laboratory in Tehran and to integrate the molecular results with epidemiological data since the beginning of the epidemic. 

 In this cross-sectional Study 77528 outpatients were referred to Aramesh Medical laboratory by physicians for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 2019 and May 2021. Viral acid nucleic extracted from nasal and throat specimens and subsequently amplified using Reverse Transcriptase Real-Time PCR. Laboratory data including Ct values compared with epidemic peaks of COVID-19 countrywide. Statistical Analysis was done by SPSS 21 Software.  

 14312 (18.46%) tested positive.36.5% of the positive cases were in the 30 to 39 years old age group. The positive result rate was significantly different based on months, ranging from 6% to 28%, compatible with four recognized epidemic peaks encompassing the end of March through the first week of April (first epidemic peak), from June to July 2020 (second epidemic peak),  October until mid of November 2020 (third epidemic wave) followed by the end of April to May 2021 (until the end period of study, in the middle of 4th peak). In 37.8% of cases, the Ct value was between 21 and 28. Two separate trends were seen for Ct ≤ 25 and Ct ≤ 20  for the first and fourth epidemic peaks, respectively. There was an association between the number of total monthly positive results and total deaths in the country, especially with the  second to third peaks (in the course of summer 2020) and fourth epidemic peak. 

It might be useful to consider laboratory admission rates as an indicator for changes in the epidemic level in the country to continue the SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in accordance with public decision-makers.

Several studies have revealed that the hepatitis B virus (HBV) exists in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). It remains poorly understood whether HBV DNA and covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) can emerge in PBMCs of patients with different stages of HBV infection.

This study aimed to compare the detection of HBV DNA and quantification and presence of cccDNA within PBMC from patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The present study was conducted on 120 participants (30 CHB patients, 30 cirrhosis patients, 30 HCC patients, and 30 healthy controls) from Tehran, Iran. HBV serological markers were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). PBMCs of all individuals were assayed for HBV DNA detection, quantification, and the presence of cccDNA.

Of 90 HBV patients, 58 (64.4%) were positive for HBV DNA in PBMCs. HBV DNA was detected in PBMCs isolated from 13/30 CHB, 20/30 cirrhosis, and 25/30 HCC patients. In addition, 6 (20%) CHB, 13 (43.3%) cirrhosis, and 16 (15.3%) HCC patients were cccDNA positive. The HBV viral loads in serums were statistically higher than the HBV viral loads of PBMCs (P < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between HBV DNA loads in serums and PBMCs of patients. Moreover, HBV DNA quantity of serums and PBMCs showed a significant association in terms of hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) status.

HBV quantity in PBMCs correlated with serum HBV viral loads. HBV genomes in PBMCs may be a risk factor for HBV disease progression.

In order to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, there is a need to develop rapid and reliable diagnostic tests. Given that there is currently no effective antiviral drug for COVID-19, the most important current strategy is to identify patients as soon as possible. Therefore, scientists and researchers are conducting experiments for rapid detection of asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19, to control and prevention of this epidemic. Although some aspects of the structural and molecular characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 are unknown, various strategies for the correct diagnosis of COVID-19 have been proposed by research laboratories and medical companies, some of which are presented in the present study. According to studies, rapid antigen and antibody tests, immunoenzymatic serological tests, and RT‑PCR-based molecular tests are the most widely used and valid diagnostic methods worldwide. In addition to these common methods, other methods include; techniques based on nucleic acid isothermal amplification, CRISPR/Cas based methods, new generation sequencing (NGS) techniques and biosensors are used in research fields to identify SARS-CoV-2. In the present study, the recent technologies and techniques of various research institutes, as well as devices and commercial kits produced by companies for the diagnosis of COVID-19 are presented, so that familiarity with these efficient diagnostic methods is an important step in advancing scientific goals.

 To date, little is known about the clinical features of pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs). 

 Herein, we aimed to describe the differences in demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, clinical presentations, and outcomes of Iranian pediatric COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU versus those in non-ICU settings. 

 This multicenter investigation involved 15 general and pediatrics hospitals and included cases with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection based on positive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) admitted to these centers between March and May 2020, during the initial peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. 

 Overall, 166 patients were included, 61 (36.7%) of whom required ICU admission. The highest number of admitted cases to ICU were in the age group of 1–5 years old. Malignancy and heart diseases were the most frequent underlying conditions. Dyspnea was the major symptom for ICU-admitted patients. There were significant decreases in PH, HCO3 and base excess, as well as increases in creatinine, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and potassium levels between ICU-admitted and non-ICU patients. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), shock, and acute cardiac injury were the most common features among ICU-admitted patients. The mortality rate in the ICU-admitted patients was substantially higher than non-ICU cases (45.9% vs. 1.9%, respectively; p<0.001). 

 Underlying diseases were the major risk factors for the increased ICU admissions and mortality rates in pediatric COVID-19 patients. There were few paraclinical parameters that could differentiate between pediatrics in terms of prognosis and serious outcomes of COVID-19. Healthcare providers should consider children as a high-risk group, especially those with underlying medical conditions.

 Behcet's disease (BD) is a chronic multisystem vasculitis with an unknown etiology. During the past years, several reports are published on the occult hepatitis B infection (OBI), the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in the absence of HBsAg, in rheumatic diseases.

 The current study aimed to, firstly, investigate the prevalence of OBI in patients with BD, and, secondly, its potential association with the clinical and therapeutic status of BD.

 HBV serological markers and HBV DNA were evaluated in 220 consecutive BD patients to detect OBI. Demographic and clinical data of OBI positive and negative groups were compared.

 The mean age of patients was 39.24 (± 10.57), and 134 (62.9%) were male. The mean disease duration was 14.13 (± 8.63) years. No HBsAg positive case was found, but HBV DNA was found in 19 (8.6%) patients. The median viral load value was 475.84 copy/mL. We compared clinical data of 10 OBI positive and 156 OBI negative BD patients with complete and accessible data. There was no difference between the two groups concerning demographic characteristics (age, sex, and disease duration), different clinical manifestations, or types of medications (immunomodulatory, cytotoxic, and corticosteroids).

 This is the first study showing a rather high prevalence of OBI among BD patients. We did not find any correlation between OBI positivity and different clinical manifestations, medications, or HLA-B51. Further studies are needed on a larger group of patients and by molecular HBV evaluation (as well as serologic) regarding this possible association.
 

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The exact molecular contributors to the development of HBV-related HCC are not yet completely understood. Recent studies demonstrated that the deregulation of the Wnt pathway is highly associated with the development of HCC. Besides, HBV is known to have roles in the deregulation of this pathway. The present study evaluated the molecular aspects of the Wnt pathway in HBV-related HCC in liver tissue samples. Viral characterization was done by identifying the HBx mutations and the assessment of intrahepatic viral load. The expression of Wnt pathway genes was assessed using real-time PCR and methylation-specific PCR. The intrahepatic viral load was significantly higher in tumor samples than in normal tissues (P = 0.0008). Aberrant expression was observed in Wnt-1, Wnt-7a, FZD2, FZD7, β-catenin, URG7, c-Myc, SFRP5, and GSK3β, among which Wnt1, FZD2, SFRP5, Gsk3β, and URG7 were associated with HBV. HBx mutations at positions I88, L116, and I127 + F132 were associated with the decreased expression of GSK3β and overexpression of URG7 and Wnt1. Alterations in the expression level of β-catenin, as well as some mutants of HBx, were correlated with the level of c-Myc. HBV-related HCC seems to be mostly coordinated with epigenetic behaviors of HBx, such a multi-functional peptide with suppressing/trans-activating functions.

 Due to their availability and rapid turnaround time, the supplemental role of chest computed tomography (CT) scan and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is growing for early diagnosis of patients with COVID-19. However, due to the low efficiency of viral nucleic acid detection as well as low specificity of chest CT scan for detecting COVID-19 pneumonia, both methods show incomplete clinical performance for proper COVID-19 disease diagnosis. The purpose of this review was to compare the clinical performance of two methods and to evaluate the diagnostic values of chest CT scan and RT-PCR for suspected COVID-19 patients.

We systemically searched PubMed, Cochrane, from December 2019 to the end of April 2020. Clinical research papers in goal fields that reviewed COVID-19 patients, whom chest CT scan, and PCR testing were performed together were included. 

In total, we found 536 studies; and finally168 studies were shortlisted. Following title and abstract screening, we reached 83 studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conducted screen by the full text covered 28 studies, which led to data extraction. By the full-text assessment of 28 included studies, we found 4486 assessed patients. Totally, 3164 patients had positive chest CT scans, and 3014 patients had positive PCR results. The finding showed that recent studies on the diagnostic performance of RT-PCR and chest CT scan have commonly been reported from China. 

The results from this review indicate that the chest CT scan should be used for symptomatic and hospitalized patients. Moreover, chest CT scan should not be used as a primary screening tool for diagnosing COVID-19. Application of RT-PCR as the first line diagnosis is still recommended.

A pregnant woman presented by cough and dyspenia. Employing a respiratory multiplex real-time PCR, Human bocavirus (HBoV), Haemophilus influenza and Staphylococcus aureus were positive at cycle thresholds (CTs) of 21, 35 and 33.5, respectively. The patient was diagnosed for bacterial respiratory infection superimposed by bocavirus due to a relative high CT value. Patient’s condition improved using bronchodilators and corticosteroid without any further antibiotic treatment. HBoV is not exclusively a bystander pathogen in some patients.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is recognized by stereotypic and repetitive behaviors after 2 years of old. Dysregulation of the immune system, especially inflammation which is mostly regulated by IL-6, imposes a deficit in CNS development. Along with this crucial biomarker, researchers have proposed BCL-2, micro RNA-23a-3p (miR-23a-3p), miR-181b-5p as other probable biomarkers involved in inflammation and apoptosis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the alteration in the expression of these biomarkers in a group of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were obtained from 37 autistic patients. After RNA extraction with precipitation method, the Syber green qReal-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed in order to evaluate the possible alteration in the expression of IL-6, BCL-2, miR-181b-5p, and miR-23a-3p. The results were compared with healthy controls. IL-6 was significantly upregulated in ASD patients (p=0.003). On the other hand, miR-23a was upregulated and BCL-2 downregulated in ASD patients but the changes were not significant. In initial evaluations, expression changes of miR-181b-5p were not statistically significant. However, when Patients were divided into two groups of upregulated and downregulated, re-evaluation showed that both up- (p=0.005) and down-regulation (p=0.004) (i.e. changes regardless of the direction) of miR-181b were significant in autistic children. IL-6 and miR-181b-5p can have proper diagnostic values and are reliable biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity. On the other hand, PBMC can be utilized for such studies and also evaluation of patients' condition instead of brain tissue as it is less accessible.

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI); the presence of HBV DNA in the absence of HBsAg, has been recognized as one of the possible phases in the natural history of chronic HBV infection. OBI is a known clinical entity in some clinical settings including blood transfusion, cryptogenic cirrhosis, dialysis patients, solid transplantation, etc. The molecular basis of OBI is closely related to the peculiar life cycle of the HBV, and in particular to the long-lasting persistence of HBV covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) organized as a minichromosome into the nucleus of the infected hepatocytes. This feature together with the long half-life of liver cells imply that HBV infection, once occurred may continue for life, even in condition of strong inhibition of viral transcription and replication. In addition to cccDNA stability, other factors such as immune responses, viral mutations, epigenetic mechanisms, and co-infection are associated with occult infection. Importantly, all the conditions inducing host immunosuppression (i. e. , hematological malignancies, chemo-or immunotherapies, etc.) can cause the reactivation of OBI with the development of a typical overt hepatitis B infection.

The natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection is divided into different phases including immune tolerance (IT), immune clearance (or immune active [IA]), inactive carrier (IC), and reactivation. Despite utilizing high-throughput data, the distinct immunological mechanisms of these phases have been insufficiently investigated.
The aim of the present study was to determine candidate disease-associated genes and significantly altered biological processes for each phase of CHB infection.
The gene expression profiles of 83 CHB patients (22 IT, 50 IA, and 11 IC phases) were obtained from gene expression omnibus (GEO dataset: GSE65359) and analyzed by bioinformatics tools. Several plugins of Cytoscape software were used to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and measure their topological properties. Subsequently, functional annotation and signaling pathway enrichment were carried out using the database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG).
449 and 452 deregulated genes were identified in IT-IA and IA-IC patients, respectively. Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses showed that several immune response-associated genes and signaling pathways (i.e. cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway and T cell receptor signalling pathway) were upregulated in the IA phase, but downregulated in the IC phase. The LCK (encoding a tyrosine kinase) was determined as the most important hub gene of both constructed PPI networks. Furthermore, other immune response-associated genes such as CXCR3, VCAN, MYC, and STAT1 were found to be the important hub genes in clinical phases of CHB.
The immune response-related pathways were found to be up and downregulated in the immune clearance phase and inactive carrier phase of CHB, respectively. The LCK hub gene might help the pathogenesis of different phases of CHB and serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of hepatitis B virus.

There is a growing trend in ultrasound use in interventional pain management. Recently, the ease of use and clinical benefits of lumbar medial branch nerve block under ultrasound guidance have been identified..
In this study, we assessed the relevant anatomy and sonoanatomy of these specific interventional techniques. We also evaluated the feasibility and success rates of ultrasound guided lumbar medial branch nerve block..
Patients and Thirty patients with facet joint pain who were referred to the Akhtar hospital pain clinics between 2011 and 2012 were evaluated. Eighty-nine ultrasound-guided lumbar medial branch nerve blocks were performed. The target point for the lumbar nerve block was the cephalad margin of the transverse process groove in the vicinity of the superior articular process. C-arm fluoroscopy was performed to confirm the needle location. Pain levels were measured by a visual analog scale (0 - 10 scale), the Oswestry disability index (0 - 5 scale), and patient satisfaction scores (0 - 3 scale). The patients were followed for 6 weeks..
The success rate was 98% (87/89 blocks), which was due to our use of ultrasound guided needle placement for the correct positioning of the needles. The mean procedural time was 5.9 ± 1 minutes. The average time of needle insertion was 4 ± 1 minutes. The pain intensity significantly improved from an initial value of 5 to 2.8 in the final follow-up (P = 0.0001). The oswestry disability index score significantly improved from 33.9 to 18.3 in the final follow-up (P = 0.0001). Patient satisfaction significantly improved from poor satisfaction immediately after the medial branch nerve block to excellent satisfaction in the final follow-up (P = 0. 0001). Analgesic requirements were also significantly reduced after 6 weeks of follow-up (P = 0.046)..
Lumbar medial branch nerve block under ultrasound guidance was associated with high rates of treatment success and excellent treatment outcomes for facet joint pain. It is also feasible and administers no radiation. Thus, ultrasound-guided procedures can be used instead of conventional methods..

Prisoners are at high risk of blood borne and sexually transmitted infections due to their high involvement in risky behaviors. In this descriptive/cross-sectional study, the prevalence, sero-prevalence, and risk factors for bloodborne tumor viruses including HTLV-I, HBV, HCV, and KSHV were evaluated among inmates of two central prisons in the northeast of Iran..
Blood samples of 1114 inmates were analyzed for the presence of anti HTLV-I, KSHV, and HCV antibodies and HBsAg by ELISA. PCR tests were performed to confirm the presence of these viruses in plasma and identify the current infections..
The sero-prevalence of HCV, HBV, HTLV-I, and KSHV was 24.5%, 4.2%, 3.4%, and 3.2% and the prevalence of HCV, HBV, HTLV-I, and KSHV was 19.1%, 2.1%, 2%, and 3%, respectively. HCV infection was significantly associated with history of imprisonment, tobacco consumption, alcohol consumption, intravenous drug use, length of imprisonment, and type of crime committed. Thirty one (2.8%) prisoners had HCV-KSHV co-infection, 16 (1.5%) had HCV-HTLV-I co-infection, and 14 (1.3%) had HBV-HCV co-infection. Triple co-infection was observed in seven cases and one case had four infections concomitantly..
This epidemiological study indicated different rates and transmission risks for these viruses. HCV was the most contagious viral infection and HTLV-I was the weakest in the prisoners. Apart from KSHV infection which its prevalence was as twice as in the general population, the prevalence of HBV and HTLV-I in prisoners was nearly in ranges of the general population..

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic debilitating disease known as one of the most common neurological dysfunctions in young adults. Recent studies suggest that infections with herpesviruses play a critical role in the pathogenesis of MS.
The present investigation aimed to detect the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in patients with MS using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods.
Patients and Plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from MS patients (n = 82) and from blood donors as control group (n = 89). They were tested for the presence of CMV antibodies and DNA by ELISA and PCR, respectively.
Anti-CMV was positive in 65 (79.3%) and 69 (77.5%) of the MS patients and healthy subjects, respectively (P= 0.853). Similarly, 23 (28%) and 2 (2.2%) patients were positive for CMV DNA among the MS and control groups, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the frequency of CMV DNA in the MS patients was significantly higher than in the healthy controls (P The results of this study showed a possible association between CMV infection and MS. Further experimental and epidemiological studies using case-control approaches are needed to confirm this association.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system associated with both infectious and non-infectious underlying factors. Many recent studies suggest that infection with herpesviruses has a contributing role in the pathogenesis of MS..
The current case-control study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with MS compared to those of the healthy controls..
Patients and PBMC samples of 82 relapsing-remitting patients with MS (23 males, 59 females; mean age 36.9 ± 9.30 years) and 89 subjects in the healthy control group (34 males, 55 females; mean age 34.32 ± 10.56 years), from the North of Iran (2013 - 2014) were enrolled in a case-control study. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were applied to investigate the frequency of HSV in the participants..
Totally, 63 (76.8%) patients with MS showed a history of HSV exposure by anti-HSV testing compared to 70 (78.7%) subjects in the healthy group (P value = 0.855). The HSV-DNA test was positive in 37 (45.1%) and 3 (3.4%) patients with MS and healthy subjects, respectively (P value Herpes simplex virus was present in more patients with MS than healthy cases. HSV may be directly or indirectly associated with MS development. Further comprehensive molecular studies are needed to confirm the etiopathologic association between HSV and MS disease..

Human lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) causes various diseases such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) and HTLV-1 associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraperesis (HAM / TSP) in humans. The main goal of this study is to compare Iranian protease subtypes structure of this virus (HTLV-1) to samples collected from other part of world in order to understand their differences.
During 1394 -1395, 10 blood samples taken from HTLV-1 virus infected individuals. Samples went through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process.The obtained products were sequenced and phylogenetic analysis were done. The second and third structures of these sequences were obtained by using a specialized websites.
The Iranian samples were completely exposed in to the cluster of Cosmopolitan subtype. The result of first structure alignment of protease protein in different subtypes of the virus, suggested some differences in the gene of interest. The conversion of the first structure to second and third structures and respectively pairwise and multiple alignment showed no significant difference in the protease protein conformation.
The comparison of HTLV-1 virus protease protein from Iran and other sequences in the world which were obtained from GenBank shows no significant dissimilarity. This dissimilarity help to design the production of the drug. Therefore, future studies can be targeting a part of the protein and generalize the treatment outcomes to all subtypes circulating. This comparison have beneficiary effect in making the right medication that inhibit the subtypes of the virus in treatment studies of disease developed by this virus.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been known as a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) worldwide. However, the distinct molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of HCV proteins on the HCC progression have remained unclear.. In the present study, we studied the possible role of HCV in the HCC initiation and invasion using topological analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. After analysis with GEO2R, a PPI network of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was constructed for both chronic HCV and HCC samples. The STRING and GeneMANIA databases were used to determine the putative interactions between DEGs. In parallel, the functional annotation of DEGs was performed using g: Profiler web tool. The topological analysis and network visualization was carried outperformed using Cytoscape software and the top hub genes were identified. We determined the hub genes-related miRNAs using miRTarBase server and reconstructed a miRNA-Hubgene network. Based on the topological analysis of miRNA-Hubgene network, we identified the key hub miRNAs. In order to identify the most important common sub-network, we aligned two PPI networks using NETAL tool. The c-Jun gene was identified as the most important hub gene in both HCV and HCC networks. Furthermore, the hsa-miR-34a, hsa-miR-155, hsa-miR-24, hsa-miR-744 and hsa-miR-92a were recognized as the most important hub miRNAs with positive correlation in the chronic HCV and HCC samples. Functional annotation of differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) using the tool for annotations of human miRNAs (TAM) revealed that there is a considerable overlap between miRNA gene expression profiles of HCV-infected and HCC cells. Our results revealed the possible crucial genes and miRNAs involved in the initiation and progression of HCC cells infected with HCV.

Long-term lamivudine therapy, despite its initial effectiveness against hepatitis B virus (HBV), is associated with the emergence of drug resistance mutations in polymerase protein. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of precore and lamivudine drug resistance mutations in lamivudine treated patients with chronic B hepatitis.Patients and Sequential sera were obtained from 88 chronic HBV carriers who received lamivudine for more than 24 months. Polymerase and precore regions were directly sequenced for these groups: I (before treatment), II, and III (12 and 24 months after treatment, respectively). All patients (100%) were contained genotype D, subtype ayw2. One (1.1%), 12 (13.6%), and 22 (25%) members of groups I, II, and III had the replacement of either isoleucine or valine instead of methionine in tyrosine-methionine-aspartate-aspartate (YMDD) motif, respectively. The frequency of mutations from 0 time point to 12 and 24 months showed that there was an increasing trend between sequential samples (P < 0.001). In group I, 31 (35.2%); II, 36 (41.0%) and III, 41 (46.6%) members had the precore stop codon mutations. The frequency of mutations from 0 time point to 12 and 24 months showed that there was an ascending trend between sequential samples. Indeed, frequency of precore stop codon was significantly increased with the passage of time (P < 0.001). Presence of drug resistance mutations among the patients was significant. Precore mutations were common amongst Iranian HBV chronic carriers under lamivudine therapy and these mutations were accompanied by clinical relapse.

Nowadays, the presence of HBV DNA in the absence of HBsAg; occult hepatitis B infection; (OBI), is a known clinical entity along with the rapid influx of research being conducted on its clinical relevance. Biologists and clinicians alike have a recent-standing interest in this regards. OBI has been described in several clinical settings. However, the data on its prevalence among immunized and non-immunized healthy general population, in particular, among health care workers (HCWs) is ambigous. This review attemps to explore the significance of OBI in vaccinated groups as a special subject. The prevalence of OBI among general population, vaccinated children/general population and health care workers were: 157 (5.2%), 222 (6.7%) and 33 (1.8%), respectively. The prevalence of anti-HBc among OBI-positive subjects were: 64 (40.7%), 133 (82.7%) and 27 (81.8%), respectively. OBI is partly prevalent in general population and in vaccinated individuals, especially in those who born to HBsAg positive mothers. HBV serological surveys are not enough adequate and sensitive to rule out the presence of HBV DNA. For high-risk groups (subjects born to HBsAg mothers, health care workers, isolated anti-HBc, etc) sensitive molecular tests based on real time PCR should be applied for a proper diagnosis.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a frequent and clinically significant complication of surgery and anesthesia. The main objective of this study was to evaluate, in a double-blind and randomized manner, the efficacy of Ondansetron hydrochloride administered in intravenous patient control analgesia with Fentanyl for the prophylaxis of PONV in patients undergoing total hip replacement or total knee replacement procedures.
Eighty-four Patients undergoing elective and primary total hip or total knee replacements were selected. After surgery, patients divided into 2 groups: in treatment group (n=42), patients received 0.16 mg/ml Ondansetron hydrochloride in Patient Controlled Analgesia IV (PCA/IV) pump with 5 µg/ml Fentanyl in 72 ml 0.9% isotonic sodium chloride and in control group (n=42), patients received PCA/IV pump with 5 µg/ml Fentanyl in 80 ml 0.9% isotonic sodium chloride. Then, patients were assessed for the presence and severity of nausea or vomiting and emetic episodes.
In control group, the incidence and severity of nausea as well as the incidence of vomiting and the severity of vomiting were greater compared to treatment group.
The results indicate that Ondansetron provides superior control of PONV in patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement procedures.