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Background and Objectives: Lipoarabinomannan is one of the components of the significant structural cell surfaces of mycobacteria and serves as an immunostimulatory factor. TNF-α and IL-12 are two examples of the anti-bacterial inflammatory cytokines that are activated and induced during infection. Materials and Methods: In this study, mannan was extracted and processed, and then Bulb/c female mice were used in three groups, one group was given BCG vaccine, the other group was given BCG vaccine with mannan adjuvant, and a non-injected group was used as a control group. Inflammatory factors interleukin-12, TNF-α, IgG and IgM were measured in mouse serum. Results: The levels of the inflammatory factors interleukin-12 and TNF-α in the serum isolated from mice receiving the BCG vaccine with mannan adjuvant showed a significant difference compared to the group that received only the BCG vaccine and the control group [IL-12] and , with P≤0.05.The examination of the level of IgG immune factors in these three groups revealed a significant difference. The group that received the BCG vaccine with mannan adjuvant showed a marked contrast compared to the group that received only the BCG vaccine and the control group, with P≤0.05. The level of IgM was higher in the group that received the BCG vaccine alone compared to the adjuvant vaccine group and the control group, with P≤0.05. Conclusion: Our results indicated that mice receiving the BCG vaccine with mannan adjuvant had significantly higher serum levels of IL-12, TNF-α, and IgG than the group receiving BCG alone.

Background: A study conducted on wound treatment by antibacterial wound dressings can reduce the need for using antibiotics to a minimum amount. These wound dressings can create a moist environment at the wound surface to speed the healing process up. In recent years, researchers have paid much attention to polymeric wound dressings. Chitosan can help heal the wounds because of its similar structure to glycosaminoglycans in the skin. In this regard, the aim of the present study was to fabricate and characterize a novel biolayer wound dressing based on the carboxymethyl chitosan polymer with ceramic nanoparticles as a reinforcement and antibacterial agent using the freeze-drying method. Methods: In this study, to make a flexible wound dressing from a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, N-O-carboxymethyl chitosan, diopside was added to improve the mechanical and hydrophobic properties of the soft tissue and cell proliferation was fabricated. After making the samples, a variety of chemical and biological tests and analyses were performed on the samples, including scanning electron microscope and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Results: The results showed that the use of this wound dress significantly reduced the risk of infection at the wound site. Conclusions: An antibacterial product with the proper mechanical behavior as a soft tissue was produced and evaluated in this study. The chemical and biological investigation represented that the sample with 5 wt% magnetite nanoparticles has excellent characteristics and can be introduced as a wound dressing application.

Objective(s): Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of mortality in the elderly. A common medical procedure for the treatment of CVDs is the replacement of the blocked or narrowed arteries, which is currently the optimal vascular transplant associated with autograft transplantation. In general, the saphenous veins and radial arteries in the mammary gland are considered to be the selective vessels for vascular substitution. In many cardiac patients, artificial blood vessels (ABVs) are not used for several reasons, including the age of the patient, small size of the veins, previous impressions, and abnormally. Therefore, the consideration of vascular substitute demands is inevitable, especially regarding vascular transplantation with very small diameters and availability of proper alternatives. The present study aimed to develop a novel artificial bio-composite blood vessel using polymer-reinforced and bioceramic nanoparticles. Materials and Methods: The biomechanics and chemical properties of artificial vessels have been investigated to be used in coronary artery bypassing in atherosclerosis as a soft tissue engineering procedure. In this study, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composed of nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) nanopowder was prepared using the extrusion technique to construct the ABVs. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to investigate the optimum specimen. An important feature of the ABVs was the ability to find the elastic modulus, wettability, and porosity of the veins, which were assessed by fused deposition modeling and 3D printing. Results: The sample containing five wt% of HA had superior mechanical and biological features over the pure sample. Conclusion: According to the results, the narrowed arteries composed of TPU composite with nanocrystalline HA nanopowder had proper chemical stability and mechanical characteristics.

Background and Objective: Wilms’ tumor (WT) is the most common genitourinary tract tumor in children. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs; their role in the pathogenesis of many types of human cancers has been identified. We aimed to evaluate the expression of miR-21, a well-known oncomir, in WT tissue samples which is a very common urinary tract malignancy in children. Methods: We performed chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) to detect the sub-cellular localization of miR-21 in 25 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of WT. We also evaluated miR-21 expression in 24 of these blocks and 6 normal kidneys as controls using quantitative real-time PCR technique. Results: While our real-time PCR analysis showed miR-21 significant overexpression in 4 tumors compared to the normal kidney samples, we could not detect significant ISH signal in any of these samples. Conclusion: Low expression of miR-21 in WT might pinpoint the weak involvement of this miRNA in the pathogenesis of this cancer.

Objective (s): Artificial bone implants have been studied as a possible bone replacement for fractured and destroyed facial tissue; the techniques employed to determine the success of the dental implants. The stability, porosity and resistance of the bone implant which is subjected to varying forces and stresses within the surrounding bone is a subject of interest among the dentists. Materials and Methods: An experimental analysis was conducted on bio-nanocomposite scaffold using space holder methods. The reaction of the bio-nanocomposites deformation under load was determined using Abaqus software. Thereafter, an analytical solution was presented to express explicitly the deformation responses of the artificial bone implant. Results: It was seen that the vibrational behavior and mechanical performance of the sample containing 15 wt% additives have shown better mechanical characteristic compared to the pure specimen. On the other hand, the additive weight fraction has a significant effect on the compression test and porosity value. Also, the elastic modulus of the samples increases more than two times with the addition of additive (from 60 MPa to 145 MPa). From the results, it can be concluded that the highest vibration variation is seen in the sample with lower MNPs percentages.Conclusion: By observing the results of the stresses, it was seen that the stresses were in a small value in the bio-nanocomposites with highest amount of reinforcement.

Objective: Piwil2, a member of Ago/Piwi gene family containing Piwi and PAZ domains, has been shown to be ectopically expressed in different cancer cells, especially its remarkable expression in cancer stem cells (CSCs), and is also known to be essential for germ line stem cell self-renewal in various organisms. The hypothesis that CSC may hold the key to the central problem of clinical oncology and tumor relapse leads to more anticancer treatment studies. Due to emerging controversies and extreme difficulties in studying of CSC, like the cells using in vivo models, more attempts have expended to establish different in vitro models. However, the progress was slow owing to the problems associated with establishing proper CSC cultures in vitro. To overcome these difficulties, we prompted to establish a novel stable cell line over-expressing Piwil2 to develop a potential proper in vitro CSC model.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were isolated and electroporated with a construct containing Piwil2 cDNA under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter (CMV). Stable transfectants were selected, and the established MEF-Piwil2 cell line was characterized and designated as CSC-like cells using molecular markers. Functional assays, including proliferation, migration, and invasion assays were performed using characterized CSC like cells in serum-free medium. Additionally, MEF-Piwil2 cell density and viability were measured by direct and indirect methods in normoxic and hypoxic conditions.Results: The results of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot, and immunocytochemistry revealed an overexpression for Piwil2 in the transfected Piwil2 cells both in the RNA and protein levels. Furthermore, analysis of the kinetic and stoichiometric parameters demonstrated that the specific growth rate and the yield of lactate per glucose were significantly higher in the MEF-Piwil2 group compared to the MEF cells (ANOVA, p

Despite substantial efforts, no effective treatment has been discovered for severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Therefore, vaccination to reach herd immunity is the ultimate solution to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate the potency, toxicity, and protection of candidate PastoCoAd vaccines as novel mix and match of recombinant adenovirus type 5 (rAd5) containing the full-length spike protein (rAd5-S), rAd5 containing the receptor-binding domain of S protein and nucleoprotein (rAd5 RBD-N), and SOBERANA dimeric RBD protein of SARS-CoV-2. Three vaccine candidates were developed against SARS-CoV-2 using adenoviral vectors, including the prime-boost (rAd5-S/rAd5 RBD-N), heterologous prime-boost (rAd5-S/ SOBERANA vaccine), and prime only (mixture of rAd5-S and rAd5 RBD-N). The rAd5-S and rAd5 RBD-N were produced with a Cytomegalovirus promoter and the human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) leader sequence. The immunogenicity of vaccine candidates was also evaluated in mouse, rabbit, and hamster models and protection was evaluated in a hamster model. Following the injection of vaccine candidates, no significant toxicity was observed in the tissues of animal models. The immunogenicity studies of mice, rabbits, and hamsters showed that responses of total IgG antibodies were significantly higher with the prime-only and heterologous prime-boost vaccines as compared to the other groups (P < 0.009). Virus neutralizing antibodies were detected, and the level of cytokines related to humoral and cellular immunity increased significantly in all vaccinated models. A high cellular immunity response was found in the vaccinated groups compared to the controls. On the other hand, the vaccine challenge test showed that the virus titers significantly decreased in the pharynx and lung tissues of vaccinated hamsters compared to the control group. These successful findings suggest the safety and protection produced by the heterologous prime-boost vaccine (adenovector/ SOBERANA RBD), as well as a single dose of adenovector vaccine in animal models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Aorto-enteric fistula (AEF) is a life-threatening complication arising from abnormal connections between the gastrointestinal tract and major arteries. One uncommon type, iliac artery-enteric fistula (IEF), can occur following vascular interventions such as arterial stent-graft placement., Case Presentation: We report the case of a 47-year-old male presenting with hematemesis and abdominal pain, who was diagnosed with an iliac graft-enteric fistula. Timely recognition and management were crucial for a favorable outcome., Clinical Discussion: Diagnosing AEFs remains challenging, requiring a multidisciplinary approach and high clinical suspicion. While computed tomography angiography (CTA) is commonly used for diagnosis, its sensitivity may be limited, emphasizing the importance of integrating clinical history and findings. Management strategies vary based on etiology and patient status, with surgery being pivotal., Conclusion: Aorto-enteric fistula, which can arise from a thrombosed graft, presents diagnostic challenges due to its rare formation. In patients with a history of vascular interventions and gastrointestinal bleeding, AEF should be considered. This case underscores the need for heightened awareness among healthcare professionals regarding AEF diagnosis and management to reduce severe morbidity, mortality, and prolonged hospital stays., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)