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β-Glucans are valuable functional polysaccharides distributed in nature, especially in the cell walls of fungi, yeasts, bacteria, and cereals. The unique features of β-glucans, such as water solubility, viscosity, molecular weight, and so on, have rendered them to be broadly applied in various food systems as well as in medicine to improve human health. Moreover, inhibition of cancer development could be achieved by an increase in immune system activity via β-glucans. β-glucans, which are part of a class of naturally occurring substances known as biological response modifiers (BRMs), have also shown evidence of being anti-tumorogenic, anti-cytotoxic, and anti-mutagenic. These properties make them attractive candidates for use as pharmaceutical health promoters. Along these lines, they could activate particular proteins or receptors, like lactosylceramide (LacCer), Dickin-1, complement receptor 3 (CR3), scavenge receptors (SR), and the toll-like receptor (TLR). This would cause the release of cytokines, which would then activate other antitumor immune cells, like macrophages stimulating neutrophils and monocytes. These cells are biased toward pro-inflammatory cytokine synthesis and phagocytosis enhancing the elicited immunological responses. So, to consider the importance of β-glucans, the present review introduces the structure characteristics, biological activity, and antitumor functions of fungal β-glucans, as well as their application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Health care systems all over the world face numerous challenges as a result of the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus that has resulted in increased mortality rates. About 40% of ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients were not severely ill at the time of admission. Thus, by using appropriate ICU admission predictors, clinicians can identify potential critical patients early on. It can also result in suitable resource allocation and consideration for these patients. Therefore, the current study was done with the aim of identifying clinical characteristics and laboratory data that could predict ICU admission in cases with COVID-19. Methods: This two-center retrospective observational study was done in Imam Reza and Ghaem Hospitals, Mashhad, Iran. Overall, 334 COVID-19 patients who referred to these hospitals from February to May 2020 were enrolled in this study. The participants were separated into two groups according to ICU admission status. All demographic, clinical, and paraclinical information were extracted from the medical records of the patients. Results: The present study composed of 88 ICU and 246 non-ICU-admitted COVID-19 patients. No significant differences were found in age between the two groups of patients (P=0.154). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that higher levels of CRP (OR=1.01, 95%CI 1.001-1.010, P=0.016), WBC (OR=1.11, 95% CI 1.01-1.22, P=0.03), and HRCT scores (OR=1.08, 95%CI=1.01-1.16, P=0.037) were linked to higher odds of ICU admission. Conclusion: This study suggests that higher levels of CRP, WBC, and LDH, as well as the HRCT score at the time of admission, were potential independent predictors of ICU admission during inpatient treatment in COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pulmonary involvement which was reported for the first time in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China. The aim of the study was to describe the demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiological characteristics of 204 definitive laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized in Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi province, Iran. Patients and Methods: This study was performed on 204 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients. A set of laboratory tests combined with various patient information and results from lung high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) were gathered in a checklist and analyzed to give us a better view of patients who are hospitalized due to the complications caused by this disease. Results: The average age of our patients was 58.83 ± 15.93 years. There were 122 (59.8%) male and 82 (40.2%) female patients, and almost all of our patients had at least one underlying disease. Nine (4.4%) of our patients reported having gone for a trip to COVID-19-epidemic areas in the last 2 weeks. The most common signs shared among all our patients were cough, fever, and decreased O2 saturation; the average respiratory rate was 25.50 ± 6.74/min, average axillary body temperature was 37.69°C ± 0.69°C, and average O2 saturation was 88.34% ± 7.34%. Conclusion: Based on our results, the most common signs of this disease are fever, cough, and shortness of breath, similar to seasonal influenza. Our data on disease severity showed that 33 (16.2%) patients had moderate disease, 139 (68.1%) had severe disease, and 28 (13.7%) were critical; 22 (10.8%) of our hospitalized patients died due to the complications of this disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the world faced the epidemic of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), novel clinical evidence and genetics related to this virus are emerging. This virus presents a broad range of clinical manifestations that mainly include various asymptomatic infections and severe pneumonia that are followed by multiple organ failures which could lead to death. The immune system has a critical role in the protection of the body against viruses and diseases and the production of antibodies against pathogens. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on immune responses of the body. A comprehensive collection of related clinical trials and reviews on the issue of COVID-19 were searched. The main focus of the reviewed studies was on immune response in COVID-19. In this regard, various databases of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL Plus, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were reviewed and all related articles from 2010 to 2021 were investigated. All records were searched in the English language and finally records with the highest thematic relevance were included in the main criteria of the study. It is well-known that the immune system's response to the SARS-CoV-2 virus involves all the components of the immune system that are responsible for viral elimination and recovery of the body. However, these immune system responses are involved in the progression of COVID-19 to a severe and lethal process. When the period of COVID-19 in the body increases, the regulation between protective and altered responses will be lost because of exacerbation of the inflammatory components. Therefore, all the responsible factors which affect immunity should be investigated just like that performed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Novel Coronavirus outbreak has posed a global threat. While the infection appears to be mild in most patients, considering its high rate of transmission, a large number of people are at risk of developing severe to critical illness in total which makes prognosis studies a priority. The aim of the present study was to evaluate red blood cell distribution width (RDW) as a predictive factor for diagnosing severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Materials and Methods: A total number of 204 inpatients diagnosed with COVID-19 including 122 men and 82 women (Mean age: 58.83±15.93 years old) treated at Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran were included in the study. Patients were divided into severe and moderate groups according to their clinical signs and examinations and pulmonary imaging features. Demographic Data, laboratory test results, treatments, patients' complications and outcome were recorded. Mann-Whitney U test and spearman correlation coefficient (r) were performed to assess RDW correlation with severity and serious complications in patients including intensive care unit (ICU) admission, shock, secondary infections, intubation, length of hospitalization and death. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves analysis was carried out to define the reliability of RDW as a predictive indicator in severe COVID-19. Results: The results showed statistical significant correlations between high levels of RDW and developing secondary infections and longer hospitalization (P values =0.001). The optimal cutoff for RDW to predict the length of hospitalization (= 7 days or more than 7 days) was estimated to be 14.65% with 94% sensitivity and 71.3% speciJicity. The area under curve was calculated to be 0.895 through Roc curve analysis. Conclusion: High predictive value of RDW, a routine blood test parameter, could be used in diagnosing COVID-19 patients at higher risk for developing secondary infections and longer hospital stay which in turn helps with better management of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease of chronic diffuse irreversible airflow obstruction. Due to the relatively high prevalence of the disease, paying attention to the treatment of these patients helps a lot in controlling the disease and reducing its cost. This study aimed to investigate the presence of serum procalcitonin in patients with an acute attack of COPD. Methods & Materials: This cross-sectional study was performed on 65 patients with an acute COPD attack in Imam Reza Hospital in 2019 by the convenience sampling method. Three ccs of blood samples were taken from patients to check serum procalcitonin levels from hospitalization to 24 hours after that. Patients with an acute COPD attack were selected based on American thoracic society criteria. Also, demographic information such as age, sex, hospitalization time, and duration of the disease was recorded. Patient complaints, disease exacerbation, and type of ventilation were recorded. Data were analyzed with SPSS software (version 16). Man-Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests were used to analyze the data. The signi@icance level was <0.05. Informed consent was received from all participants. Results: According to data, 65 patients (36 men and 29 women) were examined and the mean age of the patients was 66.72 (±12.65) years. Dyspnea was the most common complaint in patients. Serum procalcitonin levels were higher in patients with invasive ventilation (P = 0.007). Also, serum procalcitonin levels were lower in patients with non-invasive ventilation (P = 0.008). Besides, serum procalcitonin levels increase with increasing disease exacerbation from mild to moderate (P <0.001). According to the results of the post hoc test, there was a signi@icant difference between mild and severe (P <0.001) and moderate and severe groups (P <0.001). There is also a signi@icant correlation between procalcitonin serum levels and exacerbation (R=0.6, P <0.001) and age (R=0.2, P = 0.01). serum procalcitonin levels were higher in patients with the use of invasive ventilation. Conclusion: According to the results, serum procalcitonin levels are associated with acute COPD attacks. Measurement of procalcitonin levels in patients with acute COPD attacks can help diagnose and perform timely care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: COPD is a common preventable disease characterized by airflow limitation that is not completely reversible. Acute exacerbation is prominent and serious features of COPD. Acute Exacerbation of COPD leads to hospitalization and concomitant with morbidity and mortality. The ventricular dysfunction increases serum Brain Natriuretic Peptide(BNP). This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between serum N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) level and the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 140 patients with COPD exacerbation referred to Imam Reza Hospital affiliated to Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran from March 2016 to December 2017. The patients were asked about the number of exacerbations over the past year including the recent attack. The severity of COPD was determined by the measurement of forced expiratory volume in 1 second by spirometery and level of hypoxemia by pulse oximetery. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 20. Results: Regarding the results, COPD was more prevalent in males. The mean age of the patients was 57.60±9.76years old. There was a significant direct correlation between mean serum level of NT-pro BNP and age (P=0.01). Although mean serum NT-pro BNP level was higher in females patients (5.70±0.96) than males (5.66±1.24), no significant correlation was observed between mean serum NT-pro BNP level and gender (P=0.8). The most common chief complaints of the patients were dyspnea (97.9%), cough (88.9%), and phlegm (81.9%). There was no significant relationship between serum NT-pro BNP levels and the length of stay in hospital (P=0.1). However, there was a significant relationship between mean serum level of NT-pro BNP and COPD exacerbation (P=0.004). The mean serum level of NT-pro BNP was higher in the patients with more than two exacerbations over the last year in comparison to the other patients. Additionally, there was a significant direct relationship between mean serum level of NT-pro BNP and the severity of COPD (P=0.009). Moreover, a significant direct relationship was found between serum NT-pro BNP level and hypoxemia (SpO2<90%; P=0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between mean serum level of NT-pro BNP and blood pH, which means that the mean serum level of NT-pro BNP was higher in the patients with blood pH levels of 7.25 and 7.25-7.30 (P=0.001). Conclusion: The serum NT-pro BNP level was a prognostic factor in the patients with COPD exacerbation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly conserved transport protein particle (TRAPP) complexes regulate subcellular trafficking pathways. Accurate protein trafficking has been increasingly recognized to be critically important for normal development, particularly in the nervous system. Variants in most TRAPP complex subunits have been found to lead to neurodevelopmental disorders with diverse but overlapping phenotypes. We expand on limited prior reports on TRAPPC6B with detailed clinical and neuroradiologic assessments, and studies on mechanisms of disease, and new types of variants. We describe 29 additional patients from 18 independent families with biallelic variants in TRAPPC6B. We identified seven homozygous nonsense (n = 12 patients) and eight canonical splice-site variants (n = 17 patients). In addition, we identified one patient with compound heterozygous splice-site/missense variants with a milder phenotype and one patient with homozygous missense variants. Patients displayed non-progressive microcephaly, global developmental delay/intellectual disability, epilepsy and absent expressive language. Movement disorders including stereotypies, spasticity and dystonia were also observed. Brain imaging revealed reductions in cortex, cerebellum and corpus callosum size with frequent white matter hyperintensity. Volumetric measurements indicated globally diminished volume rather than specific regional losses. We identified a reduced rate of trafficking into the Golgi apparatus and Golgi fragmentation in patient-derived fibroblasts that was rescued by wild-type TRAPPC6B. Molecular studies revealed a weakened interaction between mutant TRAPPC6B (c.454C>T, p.Q152*) and its TRAPP binding partner TRAPPC3. Patient-derived fibroblasts from the TRAPPC6B (c.454C>T, p.Q152*) variant displayed reduced levels of TRAPPC6B as well as other TRAPP II complex-specific members (TRAPPC9 and TRAPPC10). Interestingly, the levels of the TRAPPC6B homologue TRAPPC6A were found to be elevated. Moreover, co-immunoprecipitation experiments showed that TRAPPC6A co-precipitates equally with TRAPP II and TRAPP III, while TRAPPC6B co-precipitates significantly more with TRAPP II, suggesting enrichment of the protein in the TRAPP II complex. This implies that variants in TRAPPC6B may preferentially affect TRAPP II functions compared to TRAPP III functions. Finally, we assessed phenotypes in a Drosophila TRAPPC6B-deficiency model. Neuronal TRAPPC6B knockdown impaired locomotion and led to wing posture defects, supporting a role for TRAPPC6B in neuromotor function. Our findings confirm the association of damaging biallelic TRAPPC6B variants with microcephaly, intellectual disability, language impairments, and epilepsy. A subset of patients also exhibited dystonia and/or spasticity with impaired ambulation. These features overlap with disorders arising from pathogenic variants in other TRAPP subunits, particularly components of the TRAPP II complex. These findings suggest that TRAPPC6B is essential for brain development and function, and TRAPP II complex activity may be particularly relevant for mediating this function., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a peptide overexpressed in gastric cancer (GC) and linked to carcinogenesis and resistance to chemotherapy. Applying microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) to downregulate ET-1 and reverse resistance to commonly used chemotherapy drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is practical., Methods: The current study sought to evaluate the miR-648 expression in GC and any plausibility of its replacement, either with or without the combination of chemo agents to downregulate ET-1 expression through interaction with its target gene. To this end, miR-648 and ET-1 expression levels were assessed in GC tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues driven from 65 patients who had already undergone surgery, fifteen of which had received 5-FU before surgery. The impact of miR-648 and chemo agents on ET-1 expression was measured using qPCR and Western blotting. Further, an MTT assay was conducted to assess its association with cell viability. Ultimately, the association of miR-648 and ET-1 with clinicopathological characteristics was evaluated., Results: The current study revealed that miR-648 was considerably down-regulated, while ET-1 was substantially up-regulated in patients with GC. The 5-FU caused a significant increase in miR-648 and reduced ET-1 expression. It was also determined that overexpression of miR-648 suppressed ET-1 production, notably when combined with 5-FU, leading to survival reduction. These results further showed that miR-648 replacement could sensitize chemoresistant GC cells. Besides, a significant association between ET-1 and miR-648 with clinicopathological features was discovered CONCLUSIONS: miR-648 replacement may serve as a potential oncosuppressive therapeutic approach that warrants further investigation to translate into an effective GC treatment., Competing Interests: Competing interests None., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

The emergence of a novel coronavirus, COVID-19, in December 2019 led to a global pandemic with more than 170 million confirmed infections and more than 6 million deaths (by July 2022). Studies have shown that infection with SARS-CoV-2 in cancer patients has a higher mortality rate than in people without cancer. Here, we have reviewed the evidence showing that gut microbiota plays an important role in health and is linked to colorectal cancer development. Studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 infection leads to a change in gut microbiota, which modify intestinal inflammation and barrier permeability and affects tumor-suppressor or oncogene genes, proposing SARS-CoV-2 as a potential contributor to CRC pathogenesis., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)