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Background and Aim: Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) ranks as one of the most substantial risk factors associated with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). At the core of this intricate relationship lies the EBV nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA1) protein, a central figure with a remarkable ability to regulate the expression of both cellular and viral genes. This research delves into the impact of EBNA1 on the expression patterns of four cellular genes - MDMX, MDM2, MYC, and BIRC5 in the U87MG cell line. Materials and Methods: We divided U87MG cells into two distinct groups. The first group involved cells that were transfected with a plasmid containing the EBNA1 gene, while the second group consisted of cells that were transfected with a control plasmid. To evaluate the transcriptional activity of MDMX, MDM2, MYC, and BIRC5 genes in both sets of cells, we employed a real-time PCR technique. Any observed differences were considered statistically significant if the associated Pvalues were less than 0.05. Results: Our findings demonstrated a substantial three-fold increase in the expression of the MDMX gene when U87MG cells were transfected with EBNA1 plasmid (P=0.02). Although the cells transfected with EBNA1 plasmid displayed great elevations in the expression levels of MDM2, MYC, and BIRC5 genes, these alterations were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The outcomes of this investigation have unveiled that EBNA1 has the ability to trigger the expression of four crucial cellular genes, which wield substantial influence in the genesis of GBM within glioblastoma astrocytoma cells. This underscores the potential impact of EBNA1 on the evolution of GBM, particularly in individuals harboring EBV. [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]

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]

Background One of the most important emerging carbapenem-resistant bacteria is Klebsiella pneumoniae ( K. pneumoniae ). The present study aimed to investigate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of K. pneumoniae isolates and detection of carbapenemase producing K. pneumoniae obtained from Iranian hospitalized patients. Methods This cross-sectional study was performed on 211 K. pneumoniae isolates which were recovered from different clinical specimens from 2014 to 2015. Modified Hodge test (MHT) and double disk synergy test (DDST) were done for detection of carbapenemase and metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL) producing K. pneumoniae . The presence of antibiotic resistance determinants was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results The results of antibiotic susceptibility showed that all isolates were resistant to ampicillin, and then mostly resistant to piperacillin and ceftazidime with 76.3% and 66.8%, respectively. On the other hand, the highest sensitivity was toward polymyxin B, followed by carbapenems. Of 29 carbapenem-resistant isolates, all were high-level imipenem-resistant isolates (Minimum inhibitory concentration ≥4), except 4 isolates. The results of MHT and DDST showed that 93.1% (27/29) of carbapenem-resistant isolates were carbapenemase and MBL producing isolates, respectively. The presence of bla NDM-1 and bla OXA-48-like genes was detected in 27 (10.9%) and 2 (0.9%) isolates, respectively. Conclusion This is the first identification of bla NDM-1 and bla OXA-48-like in K. pneumoniae in Southwestern Iran and the highest reported prevalence of bla NDM in this bacterium from Iran. Since carbapenem-resistant isolates containing New Delhi metallo-beta-lactamase 1 (NDM-1) were almost resistant to all the tested antibiotics, the resistance due to this gene may be increased in the near future as a potential health threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is the most common viral opportunistic infection causing gastrointestinal diseases such diarrhea and colitis in immunocompromised patients. The development and performance of a robust and sensitive PCR assay are usually evaluated to detect CMV DNA in human fecal specimens. In this study, our aim was to detect CMV DNA in stool samples taken from patients with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and transplant recipient patients with chronic and persistent diarrhea using a non-invasive method. Materials and Methods: A total of 633 immunocompromised patients (451 males and 182 females) suffering from persistent or chronic diarrhea were included in this study. Among them, 392 were HIV/AIDS patients, 151 had cancer and were receiving chemotherapy, and 90 were recipients of a solid organ or bone marrow transplant. CMV genome was extracted from the stool samples using phenol: chloroform: isoamyl alcohol method. CMV DNA was identified by polymerase chain reaction using sequence specific primers on genomic DNA. Results: Looking at the frequency of CMV DNA in 392 HIV/AIDS patients, we found that only 5 patients (1.27%) were positive for CMV genome, while this frequency was 4.63% (7/151) and 5.5% (5/90) in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy and in those with solid organ or bone marrow transplant, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that the cause of chronic or persistent diarrhea in HIV/AIDS, cancer, and graft recipient patients might be related to CMV infection. Accordingly, we recommend a non-invasive method, such as stool sample, as a first line of diagnosis of enteritis when the physician suspects that a patient has CMV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary hepatitis C virus infection might be spontaneously cleared or become chronic. Polymorphisms in immune regulatory genes might influence the outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of genotypes and alleles of PD-1.3 and PD-1.5 gene loci in HCV infected patients and their association with the disease outcome. In this study 167 patients with chronic hepatic C and 42 individuals whose infection was spontaneously cleared, and a healthy control group comprising of 300 participants were included. The presence of chronic or spontaneously cleared infection amongst the participants was determined in advance by serologic and molecular methods. Genomic DNA was extracted using salting out method. PD-1 gene polymorphisms assay was performed using PCR-RFLP method. The frequency of alleles of PD-1.3 gene locus was significantly higher in the spontaneously cleared HCV infected group (P = 0.03) as well as the healthy control group (P = 0.04) in comparison to the chronic infected participants. In the case of PD-1.5 locus, there was no association between the frequency of inherited genotype or alleles and HCV infection outcome amongst the three groups. Haplotype analysis showed no statistically significant differences in the frequencies of different haplotypes between the three studied groups. Our finding collectively inferred that individuals with A allele at PD-1.3 locus might clear HCV infection more frequently than those with T allele. Instead, polymorphisms at PD-1.5 locus as well as haplotypes emerged from PD-1.3 G/A and PD-1.5 C/T might not be significant in the HCV infection outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To evaluate the baseline expression of the immune genes in PBMCs of responder and non-responder patients with chronic Hepatitis C. Background: Although the contribution of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression in treatment outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is supposed, it has remained to be distinctly delineated. The baseline expression of the immune genes inside PBMCs may reflect the responsiveness status following IFN treatment. Methods: Totally, 22 chronic HCV encompasses 10 responders and 12 non-responsive cases enrolled randomly regarding medical records. The PBMCs from the peripheral blood samples were isolated and then incubated for 6 hours in the culture media. The baseline expression of TLR7, SOCS1 and ISG15 was measured by Real time PCR. Results: The gene expression pattern in PBMCs of both groups showed a similar trend. The expression of SOCS1 and TLR7 genes showed higher levels in non-responder group (P>0.05). The result of ISG15 showed a higher but non-significant expression in the responder group (P>0.05). Conclusion: The similar pattern of TLR7, SOCS1 and ISG15 expression in the responder and non-responder patients indicated their poor discriminating and predictive value in PBMCs sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spontaneous viral clearance occurs in 10% to 40% of individuals after hepatitis C virus infection. Some polymorphisms in IL-28B gene may influence the outcome of HCV infection. The present study aimed at investigating the genotype and allele frequency of IL-28B rs12979860 and rs8099917 SNPs in HCV infected patients in addition to determining their association with disease outcome. Methods: A total of 302 patients with chronic hepatic C infection and 36 individuals whose infection was spontaneously cleared were included in this case-control study. The presences of chronic or spontaneously cleared infection in participants were deter- mined by serologic and molecular methods. Genomic DNA of the participants was extracted using salting out method. IL-28B/IFN- 3 gene polymorphisms were conducted using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP). Results: The frequency of CC genotype (P = 0.001) and C allele (P = 0.0007) of IL-28B gene at rs12979860 SNP was significantly higher in participants with spontaneously cleared HCV infection compared to that of those who were chronically infected. In the case of rs8099917 SNP of IL-28B, no correlation was found between frequency of genotype (P = 0.17) or allele (P = 0.12) and HCV infection outcome. The results of haplotype analysis showed the association of CT (P = 0.012) and TT (P = 0.013) haplotypes with spontaneous clearance and chronic infection, respectively. Conclusions: The findings implied that individuals with CC or CT genotype at rs12979860 SNP but rs8099917 SNP was not in association with spontaneous clearance of HCV in an Iranian population with HCV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]