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Background: Individuals experiencing severe cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) exhibited elevated fibrinogen levels and decreased albumin levels, potentially linked to the presence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins. Consequently, our study endeavors to examine the impact of SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b on the expression of fibrinogen and albumin genes within the Hep-G2 cell line. Methods: In this study, the Hep-G2 liver cell line was utilized alongside the plasmid pcDNA3.1 hyg+ containing ORF9b from the SARS-CoV-2 strain originating in Wuhan. Transfection procedures were executed, and the transfected cells were selected utilizing hygromycin B. Validation of ORF9b expression was conducted through SYBR green-based real-time PCR, and the expression of the Fibrinogen a (FGA), Fibrinogen ß (FGB), Fibrinogen (FGG), and Albumin (ALB) genes was quantified using the same method. Results: The real-time PCR analysis revealed a significant upregulation of fibrinogen genes--a (P=0.03), ß (P=0.02), and (P=0.029) in Hep-G2 cells containing ORF9b compared to control cells. Furthermore, the findings indicated a markedly lower expression level of albumin in Hep-G2 cells harboring ORF9b compared to the control cells (P=0.028). Conclusion: The findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 ORF9b could potentially influence the course of SARS-CoV-2 infection by triggering the expression of a, ß, and fibrinogen gene chains while suppressing the albumin gene. Further investigations are warranted to validate these observations across various SARS-CoV-2 strains exhibiting differing levels of pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The potency of Adenovector expressing Mda7-tLyp1 (Ad-Mda7-tLyp1) for death induction was evaluated on the breast (MCF7), liver (HepG2), and gastric (MKN45) cancer cell lines. Background: Mda-7 could be a possible complementary to traditional cancer therapy, and tethering to tumor-homing peptides (THPs) might improve its therapeutic efficacy. Methods: After the preparation of recombinant Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 and Ad-Mda7, the expression of recombinant proteins was analyzed by ELISA. Adenovectors were transduced (MOI=2-5) into Hep-G2, MCF7, MKN45, and normal skin fibroblast, then tumor-killing effect was measured by cytopathic effect (CPE) monitoring, MTT viability test, BAX gene expression analysis, and Caspase3/7 assay. Results: ELISA assay revealed a sustained level of recombinant protein secretion following Adenovector transduction. In CPE microscopy, all cancer cell lines showed a significant reduction (≥50%) in their normal phenotype after receiving Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 and Ad-Mda7. The viability was significantly lower compared to the control, indicating an anti-proliferating effect. In parallel, the viability test showed that Ad-Mda7 and Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 have a significant killing effect (≥50%) on MCF-7, Hep-G2, and MKN45 compared to normal fibroblast (P≤0.05). BAX gene expression analysis showed that both Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 and Ad-Mda7 vectors induced >2-fold increase of apoptosis (P<0.05), particularly in MCF7. Similarly, caspase3/7 activity showed a significant increase (P<0.05) following Ad-Mda7, and Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 transduction into cancer cell lines, but not in normal fibroblasts. Conclusion: The newly constructed Ad-Mda-tlyp1 showed a suitable tumor cell killing activity and enough specificity on studied cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the frequency of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) serological markers among waste collectors in the municipality of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran, 2018. Settings and Design: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 385 waste collectors from all 10 districts of Shiraz city, southwest of Iran were enrolled. A questionnaire was used to gather occupational and demographic information as well as awareness about viral hepatitis. Methods and Material: Their blood samples were collected, and the sera were investigated for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBs antibody, and anti-HCV antibody using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: All the participants were men with a mean age of 41 ± 8 years. Out of 385 participants, 6 (1.5%) subjects were positive for HBsAg, indicative of HBV infection. Moreover, 38 (9.9%) had a protective level of anti-HBs antibodies, while more than 90% had a low level of anti-HBs antibodies. All participants were negative for HCV antibodies. Conclusion: According to these findings, evaluation of HBsAg and anti-HBs levels is recommended in the healthy program of waste collector workers (WCWs). However, this occupation might not be a risk factor for the acquisition of HBV and especially HCV infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The systemic and respiratory clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) include fever, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, rhinitis, dyspnea, chest pain, malaise, fatigue, anorexia and headache. Moreover, cutaneous manifestations have been reported in 0.2% to 20.4% of cases. Early diagnosis of COVID‐19 leads to a better prognosis; knowledge of its cutaneous manifestations is one way that may help fulfil this goal. In this review, PubMed and Medline were searched with the terms "dermatology", "skin" and "cutaneous", each in combination with "SARS‐CoV‐2" or "COVID‐19". All articles, including original articles, case reports, case series and review articles published from the emergence of the disease to the time of submission, were included. In this comprehensive narrative review, we tried to provide an analysis of the cutaneous manifestations associated with COVID‐19, including maculopapular rash, urticaria, Chilblain‐like, vesicular lesions, livedo reticularis and petechiae in asymptomatic/symptomatic COVID‐19 patients that might be the first complication of infection after respiratory symptoms. Immune dysregulation, cytokine storms, side effects of antiviral drugs, environmental conditions and high‐dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy might be involved in the pathogenesis of the cutaneous manifestations in COVID‐19 patients. Therefore, knowledge of cutaneous COVID‐19 manifestations might be vital in achieving a quick diagnosis in some COVID‐19 patients, which would help control the pandemic. Further research is very much warranted to clarify this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Determination of HPV genotypes in cervical lesions is essential in screening programs and the impact of current HPV vaccines. Therefore, we investigated the frequency of various HPV genotypes among different grades of cervical lesions. Materials and Methods: In total, 101 biopsy samples of different grades of cervical lesions were collected. Extracted DNA was subjected to PCR amplification of beta-globin to assess sample integrity. Duplex Taq-Man Real-Time PCR was performed to identify HPV types 16 and 18. Nested PCR following sequencing was done on those samples with HPV16/18 negative results. Results: The mean age of participants was 43±1. Of 101 samples, 91 (90%) were infected with HPVs. In the LSIL group, HPV genotypes 16, 18, and 51; in the HSIL group, genotypes 6, 16, 18, 31, and 53; in the SCC group, genotypes 6, 16, 18, and 3; and in the AD group, HPV genotypes 16 and 18 were detected. Also, 49 (61%) samples had co-infection with HPV16 and HPV18. Conclusion: Our results showed that HPV 16 and 18 were the most prevalent genotypes among different grades of lesions. The presence of low-risk HPV types, including genotypes 6 and 53, might need more attention in HPV screening and prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Objective: Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1) is one of the most important proteins of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) that might be mutated in various related cancers. The purpose of this study was to compare EBNA1 mutations in the C-terminal region between patients with cervical and ovarian cancer and healthy individuals. Methods: As test and control groups, 18 EBV-positive paraffin-embedded samples of cervical and ovarian cancer and 10 age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers who did not have cancer but were EBV-positive were both used. Utilizing a commercial DNA extraction kit, total DNA was extracted following deparaffinization. The entire C-terminal region of the EBNA1 sequence was amplified using an in-house nested PCR. Phylogenetic analysis and Sanger sequencing were used to analyze the sequences using MEGA 7 software and through NJ method. Results: Sequence analysis revealed that the P-Ala subtype of EBNA1 was present in all samples. In two and one samples, respectively, of cervical cancer patients, the mutations A1887G and G1891A were found. The G1595T mutation was also detected in four sequences taken from ovarian cancer patients. No statistically significant difference could be found between the frequency of mutations in patients and controls (P>0.05). No known amino acid substitutions were found in the USP7-binding region and the DBD/DD domain. Conclusion: The findings showed that P-Ala is the predominant EBV subtype across all samples. Additionally, as the sequence of EBNA1's C-terminal region is so stable, it's possible that it had little impact on the pathogenesis of ovarian and cervical malignancies. It is advised to conduct additional research to verify these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has recently become the number one problem affecting global health. Coronavirus disease 2019 is principally recognized by its respiratory manifestations; however, recent studies have shown an increasing number of patients with gastrointestinal complaints like diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal discomfort. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infects the gastrointestinal tract via the angiotensin-converting enzyme II receptor, expressed on the ileum and colon enterocytes. Usually, gastrointestinal symptoms manifest later than respiratory symptoms. Concern for fecal-oral transmission has been raised following the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA in fecal samples for prolonged periods, even after respiratory clearance. In this review, we summarize the effects of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 on the gastrointestinal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression level of Interferon-stimulated Gene 15 (ISG15), Interleukin28B (IL28B) or IFN-lambda-3 and Ubiquitin specific peptidase 18 (USP18) genes in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PBMCs) of patients with chronic active and inactive hepatitis B in comparison with healthy individuals. Background: Despite the presence of the vaccine for hepatitis B virus (HBV), it remains a public health challenge. The effort to uncover the immune genes attributed to infection outcome is going through. Methods: This Cross-sectional study was conducted on hepatitis B infected patients that were admitted to the Clinic of Liver diseases, Shiraz, January-November 2016. Patients were divided into two groups including active and inactive chronic regarding relevant World Gastroenterology Organization Global Guideline. They were mono-infected with HBV, and HCV or HIV co-infection was excluded from the study. Gene expression analysis was performed on fresh PBMCs samples with the help of Real-time PCR method. Results: Interleukin 28B gene expression showed no statistically significant difference between the three studied groups (P>0.05). The expression level of ISG15 was significantly higher in the healthy control group compared to active (P= 0.0068) and inactive chronic subjects (P<0.0001). Similarly, USP18 expression level in the control group was also significantly higher compared to the active (P= 0.0228) and inactive chronic patients (P=0. 0226). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the expression level of ISG15 and USP18 but not IL28B were higher in healthy individuals than in those infected with HBV. This difference expression may highlight the role of ISG15 and USP18 in the immune- related mechanism of HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]