Search

The focus of this research is in the area of the relationship between linguistics and the Victorian literature. Such a study is important in order to demonstrate how the masterpieces of Victorian literature possess the potential to be studied according to the principles of linguistics and how the motives behind many characters' activities can be determined by recourse to linguistics. The findings from this research provide evidence that all human activities follow the same rules which all the human languages are based on and according to which they all function due to their common root in the human mind. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that linguistic principles can constitute a great methodology for determining the real motives behind many activities done by the humans. This paper recommends that linguistic principles can be an excellent methodology by means of which the researchers can study the literary works of other eras in the English literature.

Objective Placenta accreta is a pregnancy-related disorder with extreme trophoblast invasion and the adherence of the placenta to the uterine wall. This study aimed to investigate the serum level of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin (IL)-35 in patients with placenta accreta. Methods Thirty-one women with placenta accreta and 57 healthy pregnant women were enrolled. The serum levels of TGF-β1 and IL-35 were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results The serum levels of both TGF-β and IL-35 were significantly higher in the placenta accreta group compared with the group of healthy women (1082.48 pg/mL vs 497.33 pg/mL and 4541.14 pg/mL vs 1306.04 pg/mL; P <.001, respectively). Moreover, the level of TGF-β1 positively correlated with the IL-35 level but other factors such as age, gestations, live births, and abortions did not correlate with IL-35 and TGF-β1 levels. Conclusion The serum levels of IL-35 and TGF-β1 may contribute to the pathogenesis of placenta accreta and could be considered as potential targets in clinical and diagnostic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary antibody deficiencies (PADs) are the most common inherited primary immunodeficiencies in humans, characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia, an inability to produce specific antibodies, and recurrent infections mainly caused by encapsulated bacteria. However, it has been shown that inflammatory disorders, granulomatous lesions, lymphoproliferative diseases, cancer, and autoimmunity are associated with the various types of PAD. Both systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases could be attributed to B-cell defects in PAD patients. Immune thrombocytopenic purpura and autoimmune hemolytic anemia are the most common autoimmune disorders in this group of patients. The aim of this review is to describe the proposed mechanisms for autoimmunity and to review the literature with respect to the reported autoimmune disorders in each type of PAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder characterized by the growth of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity that is associated with chronic pelvic pain and subfertility. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of broccoli extract (BE) alone and in combination with soy isoflavones (SI) on endometrial implants in female rat.In this study, endometriosis was induced surgically in 40 mature female rats. The rats were divided into 5 groups that were treated by oral gavage for 6 weeks with 0.5 mL of saline 0.9 %/day (control group), BE (3,000 mg/kg/day), SI (50 mg/kg/day), BE/soy isoflavones (BE 3000 mg/kg/day + soy isoflavones 50 mg/kg/day) and diphereline as a standard medication (3 mg/kg) intramuscularly. At the end of treatments, the volume and histopathology of the endometrial implants were compared among the 5 groups. The serum levels of oxidative parameters including superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were also compared between the groups. The volume of the implants significantly decreased in diphereline group (p=0.002).The histopathological grade of endometrial implants in BE/SI and diphereline group were significantly decreased compared to the control group (p=0.001). The serum levels of SOD in BE group were enhanced significantly in comparison to the control group (p=0.034).BE in combination with SI decreased the growth and histopathologic grades of transplanted endometrial implants. These herbal compounds may have the potential therapeutic effect to be used as an alternative medication for the treatment of endometriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pre-eclampsia (PE) is the most common pregnancy complication affecting 2-8% of all pregnancies. PE could lead to maternal and prenatal morbidity. Imbalanced cytokine network and altered levels of several inflammatory and antiinflammatory cytokines have been reported in PE. Because of scare information regarding the roles of IL-17 and IL-35 in PE, the current study aimed to investigate the serum level of these cytokines in a group of Iranian women suffering from PE. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 100 pre-eclamptic and 100 healthy pregnant women. Patients and controls were matched for age, ethnicity and body mass index. The level of IL-35 and IL-17 were evaluated by ELISA technique. T test and one-way ANOVA with Tukey Post-Hoc test were used for analysis and p<0.05 were assumed significant. Results: The serum level of IL-35 was increased in pre-eclamptic subjects as compared with healthy pregnant women (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the serum level of IL-17 between pre-eclamptic and healthy pregnant women (p=0.73). Moreover, the results of the present study also showed that the pregnant women with severe pre-eclampsia had higher level of IL-35 in their sera when compared to those with mild form of the disease (p<0.001). In addition, the serum level of IL-35 was significantly elevated in women with higher proteinuria (p<0.001). Conclusion: Based on the our results, it seems that elevated levels of IL-35 in sera of pre-eclamptic women might work as a marker to evaluate the severity of the preeclampsia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Low-dose naltrexone (LDN) is involved in the treatment of inflammatory and immune system diseases and can affect immune cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are known for their immunomodulatory effects and the potential for the treatment of certain types of autoimmune diseases., Objective: To investigate the long-term effects of LDN on human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) to see how their immunomodulatory properties are affected and also how LDN-treated ASCs interact with other immune cells present in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)., Methods: After 14 days of treatment, the ability of LDN-treated ASCs to modulate PBMC proliferation in a two-way mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) model was assessed using XTT. The relative expression of IDO, PD-L1, COX-2, HGF genes, and the level of IL-6 and TGF-β cytokines were measured in IFN-γ stimulated and unstimulated ASCs (treated and not treated cells) using real-time PCR and ELISA respectively., Results: Unstimulated ASCs treated with 10-8 M Naltrexone (10-8 M NTX) showed higher levels of TGF-β, compared with the controls (P<0.05). Stimulated ASCs treated with 10-6 M NTX showed elevated expression of IDO, PD-L1 genes, and IL-6 level (P<0.05)., Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that various LDN concentrations have dissimilar effects on ASCs' immunomodulatory properties. A higher LDN concentration induced an alteration in the immunomodulatory features of ASCs.

Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis study was performed to assess the potential association between interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs1143634 and rs16944) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) SNP (rs1800795) and pre-eclampsia (PE)., Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the international search engines and databases, including MEDLINE (via PubMed), Scopus, and Web of Science (ISI) up to 9 March 2021. After retrieving relevant articles, data extraction was performed by four authors independently. Pooled ORs and corresponding 95% CIs were used to evaluate the association between IL-1β and IL-6 polymorphisms and PE risk. Cochran's Q test was used to check heterogeneity, and the I 2 index was calculated for measuring the heterogeneity between the estimations of included studies., Results: After reviewing fully published studies, 21 studies were included in this study based on the eligibility criteria. Our results showed that rs16944 and rs1143634 of IL-1β were significantly associated with the risk of PE. Regarding rs16944, the minor C allele significantly decreased the risk of PE (C vs. T: OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.69-0.90). In contrast, the minor T allele of rs1143634 significantly increased the risk of PE (T vs. C: OR = 1. 28, 95% CI = 1.04-1.58). There was no significant association between IL-6 rs1800795 (C vs. G: OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.93-1.16) polymorphism and PE risk., Conclusions: In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests rs1143634 and rs16944 polymorphisms of IL-1β are related to the risk of PE.