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Occult Hepatitis B Infection (OBI) is a critical risk factor for triggering post-transfusion hepatitis (PTH), cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, which β-thalassemia major (BTM) patients are at risk of it due to multiple blood transfusions. This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of OBI among BTM patients from Khuzestan Province, Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 90 thalassemia patients, who have received blood 36 to 552 times, participated referred to the Shafa hospital of Ahvaz city from January 2018 to April 2019. ELISA for determining serological markers (HBsAg, anti-HBc, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV) and real-time PCR for detecting HBV-DNA were performed; Nested PCR was conducted for DNA sequencing and determining the genotype of OBI case. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses were done by R package. Of 90 subjects enrolled in this study; 95.5% (86/90) were HBsAg negative, and the frequency of OBI among them was 1.16% (1/86). The anti-HBs, anti-HBc, and anti-HCV were detected in 80.00%, 7.78%, and 12.2% of patients, respectively. HBV-DNA was assessed at four HBsAg-positive subjects as well, and all of them were negative. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the detected HBV DNA in the OBI case belongs to the genotype D. This research, for the first time, demonstrated that OBI is present among β-thalassemia patients in Iran. Also, further studies are necessary to determine the actual prevalence of OBI among BTM patients in Iran to decisions concerning OBI screening, especially in transfusion centers.

Background: Occult hepatitis C virus infection (OCI) is defined by the presence of HCV RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and liver tissue cells despite the absence of HCV RNA in plasma. Currently, OCI is classified into two types: seropositive OCI (anti-HCV positive and serum HCV-RNA negative) and seronegative OCI (anti-HCV and serum HCV-RNA negative). Beta-Thalassemia is described as a blood disorder, which decreases the synthesis of hemoglobin. Repeated blood transfusion is the standard treatment for patients with beta-thalassemia major (BTM) that increases the risk of exposure to infectious agents. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of OCI among BTM patients.Materials and Methods: plasma and PBMCs were collected from 90 BTM patients and screened for HCV antibody using the ELISA kit commercially as the first step. Then nested-RT PCR was performed on extractions of plasma and PBMC. Positive samples of HCV RNA from PBMCs were sequenced and aligned to construct the HCV phylogenetic tree to assess the homology of sequences compared to the reference sequences retrieved from GenBank.Results: Seventy-nine out of 90 cases (87.8%) indicated negative results for HCV Ab (seronegative), while 11 patients (12.2%) were seropositive. HCV RNA was found in PBMCs samples of four patients (66.66%) with negative HCV Ab (seronegative) and two patients (33.3%) with positive HCV Ab (seropositive). HCV RNA was not detected in plasma samples of these six patients. Overall six out of 90 patients (6.7%) had OCI. HCV genotyping revealed that all six patients infected with HCV subtype 3a.Conclusion: We indicated the high frequency of OCI in BTM patients. Nevertheless, more attention is warranted, considering the importance of this infection. Also, further studies are necessary to determine the actual prevalence of OCI among BTM patients in Iran.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most important malignancies, worldwide. Oncogenic viruses, such as human papilloma virus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), are linked to these cancers and studies suggest a possible interaction between HPV and EBV during co-infections to promote oncogenesis. Nonetheless, these reports are controversial and demand more investigations in this regard. The present work to assessed the prevalence of HPV and co-infection with EBV in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas.Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were collected from 166 archived oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma samples from Ahvaz Imam Khomeini hospital, Ahvaz, Iran, from March 2013 and December 2019. Nested-PCR was used to detect the viruses and type-specific PCR/nested-PCR and sequencing were performed for virus genotyping.Out of the 166 specimens, 84.33% and 16.42% were from oral cavity and oropharynx, respectively; of which, 32 cases (19.3%) were HPV-positive (16.42% of oral cavity and 34.6% of oropharynx). HPV was detected in 36.36%, 25%, and 16.42% of base of tongue, tonsil, and oral tongue tumors, respectively. HPV was more associated with well differentiated tumors (24;18.04%) in compared to moderately and poorly differentiated ones. Regarding HPV-16 genotyping, 7 (21.8%) out of the 32 samples were found to be HPV-16 (4/26 (15.38%) for oropharynx and 3/140 (2.14%) for oral cavity). Moreover, 90 samples were evaluated for EBV infection and co-infection; of which, 4 (4.4%) subjects tested positive for EBV, including two cases with HPV co-infection. All the positive cases were EBV type B, from oral cavity, and histologically well differentiated.HPV was more associated with oropharyngeal cancer. This association has been linked to various factors such as repeated oral and oropharyngeal exposure to HPV due to change in patterns of sexual behaviors; a phenomenon that may demand routine HPV vaccination.

Background: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01-4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3-48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1-45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60-3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8-54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36-1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5-41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6-28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8-25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9-42·8] and 33·3% [25·8-42·0]). Interpretation: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. We are grateful to the surveillance systems, including cancer registries, that generated and shared observed cancer burden data. S M Aljunid acknowledges the Department of Health Policy and Management, College of Public Health, Kuwait University for the approval and support to participate in this research project. H Ariffin acknowledges support from the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (grant FRGS/1/2021/SKK0/UM/01/1). F Barra acknowledges support from Lega Italiana per la Lotta contro i Tumori - LILT - Bando 5 x 1000 anno 2019. L Belo and M Carvalho acknowledge the support from FCT in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of i4HB. A J Cohen was supported by the Health Effects Institute, Boston, MA, USA. J Conde acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council - ERC Starting Grant 848325. V M Costa acknowledges her grant (SFRH/BHD/110001/2015), received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006. T C Ekundayo was supported by the African-German Network of Excellence in Science (AGNES), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH). N Ghith acknowledges support from a grant from Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF16OC0021856). J C Glasbey is support by a Doctoral Research Fellowship from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR300175). V K Gupta and V B Gupta acknowledge funding support from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia. C Herteliu, A Pana, and M Ausloos acknowledge partial support by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNDS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P4-ID-PCCF-2016-0084. C Herteliu is also partially supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministry of Research Innovation and Digitalization, MCID, project number ID-585-CTR-42-PFE-2021. S Hussain was supported from Operational Programme Research, Development and Education–Project, Postdoc2MUNI (number CZ.02.2. 69/0.0/0.0/18_053/0016952). M Jakovljevic acknowledges partial support through the grant OI 175 014 of the Ministry of Education Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia. J H Kauppila acknowledges research grants from Sigrid Jusélius Foundation and the Finnish Cancer Foundation. M N Khatib acknowledges support from Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (deemed-to-be-university). Y J Kim was supported by the Research Management Centre, Xiamen University Malaysia [XMUMRF/2020-C6/ITCM/0004]. S L Koulmane Laxminarayana acknowledges institutional assistance by Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal. K Krishan is supported by the UGC Centre of Advanced Study (Phase II), awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. I Landires is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Investigación (SNI), which is supported by Panama’s Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT). M-C Li was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 110-2314-B-003-001). G Liu acknowledges support from the CREATE Hope scientific fellowship from Lung Foundation Australia. J Liu acknowledges support from the National Natural Science Foundation (72122001). J A Loureiro was supported by Scientific Employment Stimulus (FCT; CEECINST/00049/2018). E Mathews is supported by a Clinical and Public Health Early Career Fellowship (grant number IA/CPHE/17/1/503345) from the DBT India Alliance/Wellcome Trust Department of Biotechnology, India Alliance (2018–2023). T J Meretoja was supported by an unrestricted grant from Cancer Foundation Finland sr. S Mohammed acknowledges a fellowship grant from Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, outside the submitted work. M Molokhia is supported by the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center at Guy’s and St Thomas’ National Health Service Foundation Trust and King’s College London. L Monasta received support from the Italian Ministry of Health at the Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Trieste - Italy (RC 34/2017). U Mons is supported by the Marga and Walter Boll Foundation, Kerpen, Germany. M A Moosavi acknowledges the financial support of National Institute of Genetics Engineering and Biotechnology (NIGEB). J Musa acknowledges support from the NIH/FICK43TW011416 for research-protected time for cervical cancer research and career development at University of Jos. V Nuñez-Samudio is a member of the Sistema Nacional de Investigación (SNI), which is supported by Panama’s Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT). O O Odukoya acknowledges support by the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health under the award number K43TW010704 for research-protected time. The content is solely the responsibility of all the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. A S Oguntade acknowledges funding by a doctoral scholarship from the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford (Oxford Population Health). J R Padubidri acknowledges Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal for their constant support in research collaborations. R G Pestell acknowledges support from NIH grant W81XWH1810605 Breast Cancer Research, Breakthrough Grant R21 CA235139-01. Z Z Piracha acknowledges the International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR), Islamabad (44000), Pakistan. R A Radhakrishnan acknowledges support from Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance - IA/CPHI/18/1/503927. U Saeed acknowledges the International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR), Islamabad, Pakistan. A M Samy acknowledges the support from Ain Shams University and the Egyptian Fulbright Mission Program. F Sha was supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (grant number KQTD20190929172835662). H R Shahsavari acknowledges the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS) Research Council. A Shetty acknowledges Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal for all the academic support. D A S Silva acknowledges financing in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 and D A S Silva is supported in part by CNPq-Brazil (309589/2021-5). L M L R Silva was supported by project CENTRO-04-3559-FSE-000162, Fundo Social Europeu (FSE). Am Singh is supported by the International Graduate Research Scholarship, University of Tasmania. R Suliankatchi Abdulkader acknowledges support from ICMR—National Institute of Epidemiology. B Unnikrishnan acknowledges Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal. H Xiao acknowledges support from the Public Health Sciences Division of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. X Xu is supported by the University of New South Wales (Australia) Scientia Program. C Yu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 82173626) and Wuhan Medical Research Program of Joint Fund of Hubei Health Committee (grant number WJ2019H304). Sí

Objective: To identify the pathogenic gene of Panton-Valentine leukocidin in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain isolated from clinical specimens of burn patients in Shaheed Zare Burn Hospital. Methods: A total of 104 samples of Staphylococcus were collected and 78 aureus samples were isolated from Zare Hospital patients from November 2016 to July 2017. All isolates were identified using a standard biochemical and laboratory methodology in accordance with CLSI principles, and disk agar diffusion antibiogram were performed to identify methicillin resistant colonies. Then the presence of the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene was tested by PCR. Results: Of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus samples, 80% were negative for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene, and only 20% of the samples had Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene. Male and female patients showed no significant difference in the positivity rate of Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene (16.12% vs. 33.33%) (P=0.25). Besides, there was no significant difference in bacterial resistance or susceptibility to antibiotics between samples with or without the Panton-Valentine leukocidin gene. Conclusions: In recent years, increased resistance has been a serious threat. The resistance or susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus strains to different antibiotics is different in different geographical locations.

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is recognized as a great concern and a public health problem worldwide. Several factors including environmental and genetic factors have been involved. Recently, infectious agents such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been reported to be associated with diabetes. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the frequency of HCV infection among patients with diabetes type 2 in Ahvaz city, Iran. Materials and Methods: A case-control study design was conducted at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. A total of 600 study subjects were included in this research. All the patient sera were tested for Anti- HCV antibody, HBsAg, and HIV antibody. The sera of positive Anti-HCV antibody, were assayed for 5'- UTR and core regions of the HCV genome by Nested RT-PCR. Finally, the HCV genotyping was determined by sequencing. Results: The prevalence of HCV in type 2 diabetes and nondiabetic controls was 2% and 0.33%, respectively. The distribution of HCV genotypes among the HCV-positive patients were 3a (1.66%) and 1a (0.33%). Conclusion: To control and improve the treatment, the screening of HCV infection with anti-HCV antibody was followed by molecular techniques such as PCR and HCV genotyping which should be implemented for all patients with diabetes type 2.

Section Title Breast cancer is the most common cause of death among women worldwide. Although there are many known risk factors in breast cancer development, infectious diseases have appeared as one of the important key to contribute to carcinogenesis formation. The effects of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) on women with breast cancer has been recently studied and reported. To contribute to this research trend, this study was conducted to evaluate the association between HCMV and the women with breast cancer. Objective: This experiment aimed to evaluate HCMV DNA in women with breast cancer in Ahvaz city, Iran. Materials and Methods: A total of 37 formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissues of the patients with ductal breast carcinoma and 35 paraffin embedded tissues of the patients with fibro adenoma as control group were collected. The deparaffinization of all the samples were carried out and the DNA was extracted. Initially, the PCR test was carried out to detect beta –globulin DNA as an internal control. For those samples positive for beta –globulin DNA, Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect HCMV for the tests and control samples. Results: Among 37 ductal breast carcinoma, 20 (54.04%) cases were proved positive for HCMV DNA by PCR. While among the 35 control group (fibroadenoma), 10 (28.57%) cases were positive for HCMV DNA (P >0.028). The prevalences of HCMV DNA among the age groups 30-39, 40-49 and >50 years were 7 (72.22%), 9 (69.23%), 4 (57.14%), respectively (P=0.066). A high frequency of HCMV DNA was detected in tumor grade III, 13/18 (58.33%) compared with tumor grade II, 7/19 (36.84%) (p=0.044). A high frequency of 16/24 (66.66%) of HCMV DNA was found in invasive ductal breast cancer compared with 4/13 (30.76%) HCMV DNA in situ (P

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related mortality. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is associated with gastric cancer. The present research was performed to investigate the prevalence of EBV-associated gastric cancer (EBVaGC) among Iranian patients. Materials and Methods Seventy formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) cases of gastric cancer and 30 FFPE cases of gastric ulcer were studied from 2011–2018 in the case-control study. The specimens were investigated for the presence of the EBV genome by Nested-PCR for EBNA1. The positive samples for the EBNA1 region were again tested for the EBER gene by the PCR method. Positive samples were sequenced and aligned to construct the EBV phylogenetic tree. Results Five out of 70 cases (7%) indicated positive results for EBV by EBNA1, while all EBNA1 positive samples were negative for EBER. Additionally, EBV was detected in none of the gastric ulcer patients. The mean age for patients with EBV-positive gastric carcinomas was 64.5 years. Three (60%) male patients and 2 (40%) female cases were positive for EBV. Three out of 24 (60%) diffuse-type cases were EBV associated, and 2 out of 46(40%) intestinal-type were EBV positive. most cases of EBVaGC were seen in grade Ⅰ. Conclusion The present study shows that the frequency of EBVaGC in Iran is low. Differences in EBVaGC incidence in different countries may represent epidemiologic factors and dietary habits. Further analysis of clinical pathology characteristics of EBVaGC using a greater number of cases will offer useful insights into its etiology.

The emergence of a highly pathogenic virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) accounts for severe pneumonia throughout the world. More than 7 million world population have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and the number of deaths is increasing every day. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI). During an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2, the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 909 hospitalized patients with severe pneumonia, including 517 (56.9%) males and 392 (43.1%) females. All the collected samples were from different cities of Khuzestan province from 19 February to- 27 March 2020. The RNA was extracted from samples and subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2. Simultaneously, the computerized tomography (CT) scan was tested for the presence of ground-glass opacity in the lung among the patients. Of the total number of 909 specimens, 328 (36.08%) cases, including 185 (20.35%) females and 143 (15.73%) males, were positive for the SARS-CoV-2 while, 581 (63.9%) cases, including 374 (41.14%) males and 207 (22.77%) were negative for the SARS-CoV-2 by real-time PCR (p=0.001).Four hundred sixteen (45.76%) cases were positive for ground-glass opacity in the lung by CT scan, while 328/909 (36.08%) trials proved positive for SARS-CoV-2 by the real-time PCR (p=0.003). In this study, 36.08% of patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Although the results of positive cases by CT scan showed higher than real-time PCR, screening the SARS-CoV-2 with a real-time PCR method is the first line of choice.

Acute gastroenteritis caused by Rotavirus remains the leading cause of child mortality worldwide. Rotavirus genotype G9 circulates in humans throughout the world. Antibodies against the outer glycoproteins VP7 and VP4 Rotavirus capsid are the main neutralization antibodies in the vaccine assessment. This study aimed to select an epitope to evoke T and B cells' response, as a favorable candidate for vaccine development using in Silico evaluation. In the present study, Rotavirus genotypes were determined in 100 stools specimens collected from children with acute diarrhea. The results showed predominant G genotype, G9 (38.5%) followed by G2 (22.9%), G1 (16.5%), G12 (11.4%), G4 (6.4%), and G3 (4.3%). The G9 was dominant in this study and other regions of Iran; thus, this study was conducted to select an epitope from Rotavirus genotype G9 as a promising epitope candidate for future vaccine development. For this reason, several works including a complete sequence of VP7 G9, phylogenetic analysis, Prediction of Protein Structure, Physicochemical Properties of Protein and Epitope prediction were carried out. The outcomes of this study revealed that the complete sequence of VP7 (G9) was comprised of 1062 nt with 326 amino acids (accession number MH824633). The selected epitope contained amino acid sequence of STLCLYYPTEASTQIGDTEWKN with the best score for T and B cells response. Based on data of computational biology, the selected epitope can optimistically have considered as an epitope candidate for Rotavirus vaccine development.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as an awesome medical issue is one of the most important pathogens of the human. Youngsters with thalassemia who get visit blood transfusions will be endangered with a high danger of HCV contamination. The point of this review is to decide the predominance of HCV disease among thalassemia patients in Abadan, Khuzestan region that is situated in the south-west of Iran. For this study a specific questionnaire on demographic information (Demographic information, for example, age, number of blood transfusions were acquired from patient records) in which completed by trained personnel and also blood samples were taken at the same time in order to check the presence and amount of anti-HCV-Ab as a result, it showed that 11.17% (179/20, 11.17%) of samples were positive. The HCV contamination is an illness which influences the extensive number of thalassemia patients in the world. The Lack of knowledge about blood safety of HCV contamination as the most predominant transfusion-transmitted sickness of blood in thalassemia patients is a major threat to public health in a group of countries in which the most obtained data from this region came from provinces of Iran. The anti-HCV prevalence in patients with thalassemia who live in Khuzestan province is less than other provinces of Iran and also neighbor countries and researchers should be paid attention to hepatitis C infection in order to prevent thalassemia cases.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as a serious medical issue is one of the most important pathogens of the human. Youngsters with thalassemia who get blood transfusions are endangered with a high risk of HCV contamination. Objective: This review intended to study the predominance of HCV among thalassemia patients in Abadan, Khuzestan, in the south-west of Iran. Materials and Methods: For this study, a specific questionnaire on demographic information (age, number of blood transfusions) was completed by trained personnel based on acquired information from patient records, and also blood samples were taken at the same time in order to check the presence and level of anti-HCV antibodies. Results: As a result, it was shown that from 179 patients 20 (11.17%) were positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Conclusion: The HCV infection is an illness which influences extensive number of thalassemia patients in the world. The Lack of knowledge about blood safety and HCV infection as the most predominant illness transmitted with contaminated blood in thalassemia patients is a major threat to public health in a group of countries including Iran and the data are mostly obtained from provinces of Iran. The prevalence of HCV infection in patients with thalassemia who live in Khuzestan province is less than that in other provinces of Iran and also neighbour countries; and researchers should pay attention to hepatitis C infection in order to prevent thalassemia cases.

Context: Host factors including single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in or near interferon lambda (IFNL) gene are the important factors in predicting response to treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and association of IFNL4 rs368234815 with IFNL3 SNPs rs12979860, rs8099917 and other factors including cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, fibrosis, viral load, age and body mass index in genotype 1a treated CHC patients, to achieve rapid virologic response (RVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR). Subjects and Methods: A total of 71 hepatitis C virus genotype 1a patients were enrolled from 2013 to 2015. The genotypes of rs12979860, rs8099917 were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism while the genotype rs368234815 detected by amplification-refractory mutation system-PCR. Results: The rate of RVR and SVR were 43/71 (60.6%) and 46/71 (64.8%), respectively. To achieve an SVR in patients with rs368234815, TT/TT genotype 20/24 (83.3%) was found to be higher than other SNPs. The correlation coefficient of rs368234815 was strongly associated with rs12979860 (r = 0.788, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression showed that the cholesterol (odds ratio [OR]: 0.205, confidence interval [CI] 95%: 0.047–0.891, P = 0.035), age (OR: 0.160, CI 95%: 0.035–0.730, P = 0.018), baseline viral load (OR: 0.167, CI 95%: 0.032–879, P < 0.035) and IFNL4 (OR: 5.453, CI 95%: 1.015–29.293, P < 0.048) could be independent predictors of SVR. Conclusions: The results of these findings emphasise that factors such as age, cholesterol, baseline viral load and IFNL4 rs368234815 are better predictive factors and should be evaluated before CHC treatment.

Bacterial virulence factors are important in determining the outcome of H. pylori associated diseases. The initial stage of colonization is the binding of H. pylori to surface receptors on gastric epithelial cells known as bаbА. It caused colonization by another recently described H. pylori virulence factor, the duodenal ulcer promoter gene A, which is a specific marker for the development of duodenal ulcer and protection against gastric adenocarcinoma. Based on heterogeneity among H. pylori strains, this study was aimed at investigating the frequency of bаbА 2 and dupA genes in clinical isolates of H. pylori and its correlation with different H. pylori associated diseases in Kermanshah, Iran. Stomach biopsy specimens were collected and inoculated into egg yolk and antibiotics supplemented Columbia agar. Presumptive colonies were confirmed biochemically and genetically, and the presence of bаbА 2 and dupA genes was detected by PCR. This study included a total of 96 isolates from patients with different gastroduodenal disorders. The prevalence of bаbА 2 and dupA genes was observed to be 58.38 and 37.5%, respectively. Despite the fact that there was no statistically significant relationship between bаbА 2 and dupA virulence factors and gastroduodenal diseases, a high frequency of the genes was recorded among the isolates in Iran.

Background: Diarrhea is one of the most significant diseases in children, causing morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diarrhea is caused by viruses, bacteria, and parasites. There are several viruses that can cause diarrhea, including some groups of enteroviruses that have a significant role in acute diarrhea in children. Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the presence of enteroviruses in the stool of children with diarrhea. Methods: We collected 85 stool samples including 50 (58.82%) from males and 35 (41.17%) from females with acute diarrhea. All the stool samples proved negative for bacterial and parasitic pathogens. The RNA was extracted from the stool samples and cDNA was prepared. The semi-nested PCR was carried out for the detection of the 5’-UTR region of enteroviruses. To determine the enterovirus serotypes, the sequences of semi-nested PCR product was performed using conserved primers for the 5'-UTR region. Results: Overall, 21/85 (24.7%) patients including 12/50 (24%) males and 9/35 (25.71%) females showed positive results for enteroviruses (P = 0.3). Based on the results of sequencing, one of the isolated serotypes was identified as coxsackievirus A6 and the other isolated serotype was echovirus 9. Conclusions: Overall, 21/85 (24.7%) children with acute diarrhea were infected with enteroviruses. The distribution of enteroviruses was not significantly different between male and female patients. The results of sequencing indicated that one of the isolated serotypes was coxsackievirus A6 and the other isolated serotype was echovirus 9. The remaining 64/85(75.29%) isolates were negative for enteroviruses. The role of other viral gastroenteritis agents including rotaviruses, noroviruses, calicivirus, astrovirus, and adenoviruses was not explored that needs further investigation.

Background and Objectives: Adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis is an extremely frequent ophthalmological disease caused by various serological subtypes of human adenovirus (HAdV) worldwide. Adenoviruses serotypes 8, 11, 19, 37 frequently cause epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). This study was conducted to evaluate the frequency of adenovirus serotypes in patients with EKC in Ahvaz , Iran. Materials and Methods: Eighty- eight ocular swabs were collected from patients with EKC. The specimens were analyzed for detection of adenovirus by standard PCR. The PCR products were further sequenced and analyzed to determine the serotypes. Results: The study population consisted of 49/88 (55.7%) males and 39/88 (44.3%) females. Among them 25 (51.02%) males and 22 (56.41%) females were positive for HAdV serotype 8 (p= 0.488). Overall forty-seven (53.4%) samples were positive for AdV serotype 8 while forty- one patients (46.59%) were negative for the adenovirus serotypes. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed predominanance of HAdV 8 with high prevalence of 53.4% among patients with Keratoconjunctivitis. Forty- one patients (46.59%) were negative for adenovirus. Still, the role for other related viruses such as enteroviruses need to be investigated in patients with EKC.

Background: Ductal carcinoma is one of the most common breast cancer (BrC) among the women in the world. Several factors may involve in establishment of breast cancer. The role of viral infections have been investigated in BrC, Among them the association of Epstein Barr virus have been reported in the patients with breast cancer type ductal carcinoma. Thus this study was conducted to evaluate the rate of Epstein Barr virus in women with breast cancer type ductal carcinoma. Material and methods: A total of 72 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks samples were collected from 37 (51.38%) women with breast cancer type ductal carcinoma and 35 (48.61%) samples of breast with fibro adenoma as control group. The DNA was extracted for all the samples. The detection of EBNA 3C EBV DNA was done by nested PCR. The results of positive were sequenced to confirm PCR product and determine EBV genotypes. Results: About 10/37 (27.02%) samples of ductal breast carcinoma were showed positive for EBNA 3C EBV DNA while 4/35 (11.42%) of fibro adenoma were positive for EBNA 3C EBV DNA (p= 0.095). Randomly 7 PCR products were sequenced and the results of sequencing EBNA 3C shows, the detected EBVDNA were type 1 EBV type. Conclusion: This study shows high prevalence of 27.02% EBV DNA type 1 was found in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue of Patients with ductal breast carcinoma. The outcomes of this study suggesting that EBV might have a significant role in breast cancer in Ahvaz city, south west region of Iran. However the expression of EBV oncoproteins ,EBNA1, LMP1, and LMP2 require to be determined with ductal carcinoma cells. About 72.97% breast samples showed negative for EBVDNA. The role other viruses including Human cytomegalovirus, papilloma viruses and Merkel viruses are required to be investigated in further studies.

Background: Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a common cause of mild to acute hepatitis among children and adolescents, worldwide. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the complete sequence of isolated HAV from a child with acute hepatitis. Methods: A serum sample was collected from a child with clinical sign and symptoms of acute hepatitis. Following RNA extraction, the genotype of virus was determined based on sequencing of VP1-2A region of the isolated HAV genome. The whole HAV genome was sequenced by the nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. The size of the complete length of isolated HAV genome, 5UTR (Untranslated Region), and 3UTR were determined. The amino acid sequencing of single polyprotein, including VP1 and VP3 regions, were analyzed using the BioEdit software. To evaluate the isolated HAV genome, phylogenetic tree was conducted to analyze the complete HAV Genome, 5UTR, and VP1-2A regions of the isolated HAV. Simplot and RDP4 analyses were accomplished to confirm recombination in the genome of the sequestered HAV strain in Ahvaz city. Results: The sequestered HAV/Ahvaz/Iran/2015 was recorded with an accession number BankIt 2063303 MG 546669 in GenBank. The complete HAV sequence of the isolated HAV comprised of full length of 7239 nt, 5’UTR 619 nt, 3’UTR 21nt, and an open reading frame (ORF) encoding single polypeptide of 2200 amino acids (6600 nt). The whole sequences of isolated HAV strain Ahvaz/Iran/2015 showed 96% and 95% nucleotide identity with prototype strain HAV 1B isolated from Egypt (96%), South Africa (95%), and HM 175 (95%) strains, respectively. The complete amino acid sequence of the Vp1-2A region of the isolated HAV showed 100% identity with HM175 and 99% identity with isolated HAV from Egypt and South Africa. The detected HAV was identified as HAV genotype 1B. A mutation was observed in the amino acid sequences of VP3 region of the isolated HAV; this mutation showed substitution of isoleucine (I) with Arginine at position 433 amino acid sequence compared with the consensus sequences in amino acid of HM 175 strain. The results of RDP4 showed no evidence of recombination in the isolated strain HAV/Ahvaz/Iran/2015 genome. Conclusions: The isolated HAV was genotype1 B, comprised of full length of 7239 nt, 2200 amino acid. The complete amino acid sequence VP1 region of the isolated HAV showed 100% homology identity with HM175 and 99% with isolated HAV in Egypt, South Africa. A mutation was observed in the amino acid sequences of VP3 region of the isolated HAV, this mutation showed substitution of isoleucine (I) with Arginine at position 433 amino acid sequence compared with the consensus sequences amino acid of HM-175 strain. No evidence of recombination was observed in the isolated strain HAV/Ahvaz/Iran/2015 genome.

Hemodialysis (HD) patients are a high-risk population for acquiring blood-borne viruses such as HHV-6. HHV-6 can remain latent in the host cells after primary infection; the reactivation of virus may result complications such as seizure, respiratory failure, hepatitis, and encephalitis. There is a limited report concerning HHV-6 infection in HD patients in Iran. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the frequency of HHV-6 among HD patients.We determined HHV-6 DNA in sera samples of 84 patients undergoing HD. The DNA was extracted from the sera samples and the presence of HHV-6 DNA variants A and B was evaluated by nested PCR.52/84 (61.9%) of HD patients were males and 32/84 (38.1%) females. The age ranges of patients were between 18 to 85 years and the mean age was 52 ± 1.52 (± SD) years. Out of 84 sera samples, HHV-6 DNA was detected in 10 (11.9%) participants, including 6/52 (11.5%) in males and 4/32 (12.5%) in females. HHV- 6A was detected in 10/10 (100%) of positive cases. No HHV-6 B was found in HD patients. The distribution of HHV-6A DNA was not significant between genders (P.05). Out of 84 HD patients, 55 (65.47%) cases were over 50 years, among them 10 (18.18%) cases were positive for HHV-6 A infection (P.05).The results showed that only HHV-6 DNA variant A was found in 11.9% of HD patients. Regarding the consequence of HHV-6 reactivation, to manage and improve treatment, the screening of HHV-6 DNA test should be implemented for HD patients.

Background MDR1 is a highly polymorphic gene that encodes P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This protein anchor to the cell membrane and transports toxins, xenobiotic, chemicals, and drugs from the intracellular to extracellular and thus protect cells. Polymorphism of the MDR1 gene seems to be effective in gene expression and response to treatment. Since one of the main mechanisms of drug resistance is the removal of the drug from the cell by ATP-dependent efflux proteins, thus MDR1, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) C3435T can be used as a predictor for treatment outcomes. Methods The peripheral blood-EDTA samples were collected from 71 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The total genomic DNA extraction was carried out. The PCR was performed for detection of the MDR1 gene in HCV patients and MDR1 gene polymorphism was genotyped by the PCR-RFLP method. Results Out of 71 patients 52 (73.3%) were male, 19 (26.7%) female with mean age-min-max; 41.17 ± 8.3-(26–59). The distribution of MDR1 genotype in 48(67.6%) responders were CC 13 (27%), CT 34 (71%) and TT 1(2%), while MDR1 genotypes in 8 (11.3%) non responders were CC 2(25%), CT 1(12.5%) TT 5(62.5%) and in 15(21.1%) recurrence were 5 (33%) CC, 6 (40%) CT and 4 (27%) TT genotype. The patients with heterozygous CT (C3435T) genotype 34/48(71%) were found better response than non-responders with TT 5/8(62.5%) genotype (p Conclusion Our result reveals that 71% of the responders were CT genotypes (C3435T) and 62.5% of non-responders were TT genotype (T3435T). With aforementioned results, determination of different forms of SNPs in MDR1 gene should be considered as a predictor in the treatment of all chronic HCV patients. The homozygous TT genotype and high prevalence of T allele may be related to low antiviral response during combined therapy in treatment of chronic HCV patients.

Despite a Mycobacterium tuberculosis control programme and anti-tuberculosis drugs, drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is one of the most serious public health issues worldwide. Rapid laboratory diagnosis of M. tuberculosis is needed for the diagnosis of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB and to find the optimal treatment protocol. The purpose of this study was to detect resistance to rifampicin in new cases of TB using the GeneXpert MTB/RIF ( M. tuberculosis /rifampicin) assay and the standard proportional method in west and northwest Iran. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, sputum samples were enrolled and screened for M. tuberculosis using Ziehl–Neelsen stain and mycobacterial culture. Samples from individuals with smear-positive TB were cultured on Lowenstein–Jensen medium; afterwards, the presence of resistance to rifampicin was examined by the GeneXpert MTB/RIF and standard proportional methods. A total of 400 new cases of suspected TB were collected, 162 (40.5%) of which were smear- and culture-positive for M. tuberculosis . The frequencies of rifampicin resistance in new smear-positive TB cases were 3.1% and 4.3% for GeneXpert and standard proportional method, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of GeneXpert were 71% and 100%, respectively, compared with the proportional method. GeneXpert can be a quick and helpful method for the diagnosis of rifampicin-resistant TB in regions with high rates of DR-TB or MDR-TB. GeneXpert MTB-RIF assay must be used as an early diagnostic method whose results must be confirmed by the standard proportional method. The GeneXpert and proportional methods complement but do not replace each other.

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major problem for healthcare workers worldwide, and among them, dentists are at risk of acquiring HBV infection. The prevalence of HBV infection has been reported among the dentists in different regions of the world. Since none of the available drugs can clear HBV infection, the presence of effective immunity against HBV infection is important to prevent HBV infection. Objectives This study aimed at determining HBs antibody and specific HBV gamma interferon among the dentists, who received hepatitis B vaccine. Methods The blood samples were collected from 40 dentists, including 7 endodontics, 2 oral and maxillofacial radiologist, 4 periodontics, 11 oral and maxillofacial surgeons, 6 implantologists, 3 orthodontics, 1 oral and maxillofacial pathologist, 2 esthetic and restorative dentists, and 4 doctors of dental surgery (DDS) at from dental college of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran during December, 2013. Overall, 31 (77.5%) dentists had already received 3 doses of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine, and 9 (22.5%) had received only two doses of the vaccine. Their sera were tested for HBsAb and anti-HBc-IgG by the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) test. The lymphocyte of individuals was separated from their blood sample by Ficoll-Hypaque, cells were washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) by centrifugation, and finally the pellet cells was resuspended in RPMI-1640 media. Separated cells were exposed to 2.5 µg of purified recombinant HBs antigen, and supernatants were collected after 72 hours and tested for detection of specific interferon γ level by ELISA test. Results Overall, 97.5% of dentists showed positive HBs antibody test results while 36 showed (90%) positive test results for specific interferon γ against hepatitis B virus infection. Conclusions High coverage of 97.5% immune response against hepatitis B infection was found, indicating high efficacy of recombinant HBV vaccine among the dentists.

Aim and Background: Several studies have shown that adipose tissue plays an important role to produce large amounts of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and CRP by the development of insulin resistance, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study is investigation of the effect of low impact aerobic exercise on acute phase proteins (APPs) and lipid profile status in older obese women with type П diabetic. Methodology: Twenty diabetic old women (mean age 55.05, BMI=28.06 Kg/m2) from Izeh diabetic clinic with no specific disease were randomly assigned to two groups of training (3 times a week, 60 minutes per session), aerobic group (n=10) and control group (n=10) that blood samples were taken each of them. Then resting blood sampling and anthropometric factors were taken from anterior vein in 5cc amount, while they did not eat any breakfast for 8-hours. Experimental group were directed to the LIA exercise program such as musical aerobic exercise with 40-60 percent of maximum heart rate for 50 minutes, 3 sessions per week for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks blood samples, APPs, lipid profile and anthropometric measures were taken from two groups. Findings: 8 week Low impact aerobic exercise in diabetic old women caused a significant decrease in CRP concentrations (p=0.01) A slight but no significant decrease in serum IL-6 (p=0.85), fibrinogen (p=0.29), WBC (p=0.14), TG (p=0.26), LDL (p=0.12) and TC (p=0.63), also caused a slight but no significant increase in HDL (p=0.93) compared with the control group. Conclusion: Based on research results, probably more intense or over 8 weeks aerobic training could be effective on APPs levels and lipid profile in obese diabetic elderly women. Keywords: Diabetes type П, Aerobic dance training, APPs and obese older women