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Introduction: COVID-19, a novel coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2), is currently regarded as the most serious viral disease. During corona infection, viruses bind to host proteins and employ a variety of cellular pathways for their own purposes. Cell signaling is important for the regulation of cellular function. SARS-CoV-2 infection alters multiple signal transduction pathways that are critical for cell survival. The virus causes a severe and prolonged period of hypercytokinemia with misusing of these signaling cascades. Hyperactivation of the host immune system after infection with SARS-CoV-2 is the main cause of death in COVID-19 patients. Thus, to develop effective therapeutic approaches, it is necessary to first understand the problem and the underlying molecular pathways implicated in host immunological function/dysfunction. A number of intracellular signaling cascades have been implicated in infected cell pathways, including MAPK pathway, NF-κB pathway, JAK–STAT signaling pathway, PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and TLRI signaling cascades. Here, we have presented the molecular insights on the potential mechanisms involved in immunopathological events of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Mood disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders have been affecting a relatively high proportion of the world's population. Neuroplasticity hypothesis of depression proposes that lack of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can cause structural changes in the brain. The extract of Ginkgo biloba (Gb) leaves can restore much of the damage in the nervous system. We examined the antidepressant role of Gb extract (EGb 761) on BDNF expression modulation in the hippocampus of rats subjected to repeated restraint stress (RRS). Methods: Adult male rats were randomly divided into 10 groups: control, controlvehicle treated, stress, stress-vehicle treated, as well as three control and three experimental groups pretreated with EGb (15, 30, 60mg/kg, IP daily) for 21 days. They underwent restraint stress on a daily basis, 6 hours for 21 consecutive days. Weight changes, locomotor activity and forced swim test (FST) were employed to assess depressive-like symptoms. The serum corticosterone level was also measured by ELISA. Hippocampal BDNF DNA methylation and protein expression were assayed by methylation sensitive restriction enzymes (Real Time PCR) and Western-blotting respectively in all groups. Results: Pre-treatment with 30 and 60 mg/kg/day of Gb extract significantly attenuated depressive-like effects in the body weight, FST and serum corticosterone level in RSS rats compared to control groups. Further, it inhibited chronic stress-induced alterations in the hippocampal BDNF DNA methylation and protein expression. Conclusion: These findings suggest that Gb can induce an antidepressant role through its modulation effect on the hippocampal BDNF expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE Multiple potential risk factors have been proposed for the development of thyroid cancer. Type 2 diabetes and ABO blood group had a significant relationship with some cancers. These agents may be related to thyroid cancer. This study investigates the association between thyroid cancer and diabetes and the ABO blood group. METHODS This analytic study was conducted in patients with thyroid cancer (n=87) and the individuals cancerfree (n=929). The odds ratio of thyroid cancer was estimated in diabetic patients after adjusting age and sex. The distribution of the blood groups in both groups was determined and compared with considering confidence interval 95%. RESULTS We observed a significant association between thyroid cancer and type 2 diabetes (odds ratio (OR): 4.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.04-9.57, p<0.001). There was a significantly lower frequency of blood type A in patients with thyroid cancer (25.3%) compared to the control group (34.4%) with a reduced risk of 43% (OR: 0.57; 95% CI: 0.33-0.97, p=0.04). The patients with blood type B had a borderline risk of thyroid cancer (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 0.96-2.70, p=0.07). CONCLUSION Our findings show the relationship between type 2 diabetes and thyroid cancer. The blood type A can significantly decrease the risk of thyroid cancer, and the blood type B may increase. To confirm these results, further studies should be conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the developments in techniques for genome study, our understanding of its sequences has completely changed. The non-coding sequences of the human genome are no longer considered as "junk" but are rather known to be the source of high-functioning molecules. Some of the most fascinating transcripts in this regard are long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) ___RNA molecules that exceed 200 nucleotides and are not transcribed from protein-coding regions of the genome. These transcripts are capable of gene regulation by various mechanisms, from epigenetic changes and chromosomal arrangements to post-transcription modulation of messenger RNAs. Furthermore, lncRNAs interact with other non-coding transcripts such as microRNAs that further affects gene expression. Considering the fact that cancer is a disease of deregulated expression, recent studies have identified lncRNAs acting as either oncogene or tumor suppressor in a wide range of human malignancies. Head and neck cancer (HNC), with a high incidence rate and unfavorable survival, is no exception in this matter and many investigations have introduced lncRNAs involved in its tumor progression and drug response, as well as those acting as promising diagnostic or prognostic markers. The present study reviews the vital regulatory roles of lncRNAs and further introduces their role in progression of HNC subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]