Effectiveness of long-term low-dose aspirin in the prevention of gastric cancer after Helicobacter pylori eradication: study design and rationale of Ardabil gastric cancer randomized placebo-controlled prevention trial (AGCPT).

BACKGROUND: In addition to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection eradication, some medications, including aspirin, metformin, and statins, have been suggested to have protective effects against gastric cancer (GC) development in observational studies. We launched the Ardabil gastric cancer randomized placebo-controlled prevention trial (AGCPT) to evaluate the effectiveness of long-term low-dose aspirin use for the prevention of development and mortality of GC after H. pylori eradication. METHODS/DESIGN: AGCPT is a prospective population-based double-blind, randomized clinical trial. The study sample was targeted at 21,000 participants aged from 35 to 70 years old, both sexes, in Ardabil, a province in northwest Iran with relatively high rates of GC incidence and mortality. All eligible participants were initially tested for H. pylori infection using a H. pylori stool antigen test. Participants with positive tests undergo H. pylori eradication by standard treatment regimens. All participants with a negative test and those with a positive test with a subsequent confirmed H. pylori eradication test were entered into the intervention phase. In the intervention phase, participants were allocated randomly into either the treatment (daily oral consumption of 81 mg enteric-coated aspirin tablets) arm or the control (placebo) arm using permuted balanced blocks. Subjects will be followed for an average period of 10 years to evaluate the incidence and mortality rates of GC. DISCUSSION: In addition to preventing other diseases like cardiovascular events, aspirin may prevent GC incidence and mortality. AGCPT will investigate the difference between the two study arms in the proportion of the cumulative incidence and mortality rates of GC. The study's results may help policymakers and researchers update the strategies for GC prevention. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial with the registry name of "The effect of Low-dose Aspirin in the Prevention of Gastric Cancer" was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT.ir, under the identifier IRCT201105082032N3. Registered on April 21, 2017.

Serotyping and molecular profiles of virulence-associated genes among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates from teaching hospitals of Ardabil, Iran: A cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium that colonized various organs. This bacterium is associated with different community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections. The present study aims to assess the capsular serotypes and frequency of virulence-associated genes in K. pneumoniae isolates from teaching hospitals in Ardabil, Iran. Methods: From October 1, 2019, to November 31, 2021, different clinical samples were collected and K. pneumoniae isolates were diagnosed using conventional biochemical tests. The final identification of K. pneumoniae was performed through the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method using a specific primer targeting the khe gene. The PCR method was employed to confirm the presence of virulence-associated genes and aerobactin, and the main capsular serotypes based on the specific primers. Results: Of all 100 K. pneumoniae isolates, 4% and 2% were typeable with K5 and K2 primers, respectively. In addition, entB (94%), fimH (91%), and wcaG (87%) had the highest frequency among the virulence-associated genes. 24% of K. pneumoniae isolates harbored the entB-wcaG-fimH genes simultaneously. Moreover, 50% of capsular serotype 5 harbored the ybts-mrkD-entB-wcaG-fimH genes simultaneously. Conclusion: The findings revealed that 6% of all K. pneumoniae isolates were typeable, distributed in the two serotypes K5 and K2. Most K. pneumoniae isolates were positive for multiple types of virulence genes. Identifying bacterial virulence genes aids in molecular detection, assay development, and therapeutic pathways.

Seroprevalence of Human Hydatidosis in Ardabil Province, North-West of Iran.

BACKGROUND: Cystic Echinococcosis is considered a cosmopolitan cyclozoonotic parasitic infection. This study aimed at evaluating the seroprevalence of human hydatidosis using ELISA test and find the role of mutable factors such as age, sex, occupation, residency in the broadcast of the parasites in rural Ardabil Province, North-West of Iran. METHODS: The study population was 950 asymptomatic individuals selected randomly from urban and rural populations of Ardabil province, North-West of Iran by randomized cluster sampling in 2019-2020. Immunoglobulin G antibodies against Echinococcus granulosus spp. were analyzed by ELISA test. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and Multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: Overall, 42 (4.4%) of the participants had anti E. granulosus antibodies in this region. High titer antibodies were most prevalent in people age group of >70 yr old, rural areas, females and people having history of contact with dog that showed significant difference. There was no significant association between the presence of Echinococcus antibodies and sex, occupation, having history of eating unwashed vegetable. CONCLUSION: This is the first description of the seroprevalence of E. granulosus infection in the population in Ardabil Province, North-West of Iran. Obtained rate of hydatidosis approves the importance of diagnosing human cystic echinococcosis in these regions and it is expected that the authorities be careful to screen the disease.

Upregulation of microRNA processing enzymes Drosha and Dicer in gestational diabetes mellitus.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in diverse cellular processes and linked to variety of disorders. Dicer and Drosha are two major enzymes in the miRNA biogenesis process. DGCR8 is the assistant of Drosha in the microprocessor complex. In this study, we evaluated the mRNA expression profiles of major miRNA processing machinery Drosha, Dicer, and DGCR8 in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregnant and healthy women. Our findings indicate that the expression levels of Drosha, Dicer and DGCR8 were upregulated in both pregnant and GDM patients compared to the control group. However, Drosha and Dicer were upregulated more than pregnant group. In conclusion, we detected dysregulation of Drosha, Dicer and DGCR8 expression in pregnant and GDM patients when compared to healthy control participants. Therefore, we favor the hypothesis that miRNAs are involved in the development of GDM.

Overexpression of microRNA biogenesis machinery: Drosha, DGCR8 and Dicer in multiple sclerosis patients.

We aimed to evaluate the expression of the major components of microRNA biogenesis machinery including Drosha, Dicer and DiGeorge syndrome critical region gene 8 (DGCR8) in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The expression levels of these components in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients were significantly up-regulated in comparison to healthy controls. DGCR8 was up-regulated 4.9 times in RRMS patients versus healthy controls, and Drosha was up-regulated 3.58 times. Additionally, the expression level of Dicer was 2.11 times higher in RRMS patients than the healthy controls. In conclusion, our results suggest that overexpression of Drosha, Dicer and DGCR8 may contribute to the pathogenesis of MS. Further investigation may introduce microRNA biogenesis machinery as MS markers and therapeutic targets.

Expression levels of microRNA machinery components Drosha, Dicer and DGCR8 in human (AGS, HepG2, and KEYSE-30) cancer cell lines.

UNLABELLED: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been shown to play fundamental roles in diverse cellular processes and linked to variety of cancers. Dicer and Drosha are two major enzymes in the miRNA maturation process. DGCR8 is the assistant of Drosha in the microprocessor complex. In this study, we evaluated the mRNA expression profiles of major miRNA processing machinery Drosha, Dicer, and DGCR8 in human gastrointestinal (AGS, KYSE30 and HepG2) cancer cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cells were cultured and harvested, and total cellular RNA was isolated from cells. Then, first-strand cDNA was synthesized from the RNA of cells. Afterward, Quantitative analysis was performed by real-time RT-PCR using the PowerSYBR Green PCR Master Mix. RESULTS: Expression levels of Drosha in AGS and HepG2 cells were higher than the controls, whereas, Drosha's expression level in KYSE-30 cell line was lower. The Dicer expression levels in AGS and HepG2 cells were higher, while, its expression level in KYSE-30 cell was lower. The DGCR8 expression levels in all three cell lines were significantly higher than the control samples. CONCLUSION: Expression levels of the two most important enzymes of the miRNA machinery, Drosha and Dicer, and microprocessor complex component, DGCR8 were noticeably dysregulated when compared to healthy controls.

Nasal colonization of mecA-positive, oxacillin-susceptible, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates among nursing staff in an Iranian teaching hospital.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of health care-associated infections. In this study, a total of 173 nurses was screened for S aureus nasal colonization, of which 8 (4.6%) were MRSA carriers. Among the MRSA isolates, 6 were mecA positive and oxacillin resistant, and 2 were mecA-positive, oxacillin-susceptible (OS-MRSA) strains. Reports of the OS-MRSA strains are increasing worldwide. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report on the occurrence of OS-MRSA strains in Iran.