A possible pathogenic correlation between neutrophil elastase (NE) enzyme and inflammation in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A growing body of evidence indicates that neutrophil elastase (NE) is involved in the pathogenesis of respiratory infectious diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This study aimed to analyze the dynamic changes in serum levels of NE associated with inflammation, disease activity, and mortality rate in patients with COVID-19. We measured the serum concentrations of NE, C-Reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)- 4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and vitamin D levels in 83 ICU and 69 non-ICU patients compared with 82 healthy subjects (HS) in three-time points (T1-T3). Serum levels of NE, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP in ICU and non-ICU patients were significantly higher than HS (P < 0.001) in three-time points. Also, serum levels of NE, IL-6, IL-8, and CRP in ICU patients were significantly higher than in non-ICU patients (P < 0.05). On the day of admission (T1), the levels of NE, CRP, IL-6, IL-8 were gradually decreased from T1 to T3. At the same time, IL-4 and IL-10 were gradually increased from T1 to T2 and then reduced to T3. Further analyses demonstrated that the levels of NE, IL-6, and IL-8 in deceased patients were significantly higher than in recovered patients (P < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis demonstrated that markers, including NE, IL-6, and IL-8, were valuable indicators in evaluating the activity of COVID-19. Overall, our results signify the critical role of NE in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and also, further support that NE has a potential therapeutic target for the attenuation of COVID-19 severity.

Human cytomegalovirus infection in Iranian glioma patients correlates with aging and tumor aggressiveness.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), as a ubiquitous and opportunistic virus, is a matter for consideration in broad-spectrum diseases, specifically in immunocompromised individuals. In recent decades, many studies that have evaluated the role of HCMV in inflammation and malignancies, especially in high-grade gliomas, have reported inconsistent results. Thus, this study was conducted to analyze 97 primary gliomas for human CMV UL83 gene and protein through TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The results were positive for the UL83 gene and pp65 protein in 71% and 24% of samples, respectively. The frequency of HCMV was significantly higher in glioblastomas than other glioma grades (P < .01 and P < .05 for the UL83 gene and protein, respectively). In addition, the association between the prevalence of HCMV and aging strengthened the virus reactivation hypothesis in gliomas. In conclusion, a high frequency of HCMV infection was found in gliomas that correlated with tumor aggressiveness and age. This study recommends a thorough investigation to determine HCMV infection in gliomas to improve the existing knowledge of its role in glial tumors, its prognostic value, and possible efficient antiviral target therapy.

The role of childhood maltreatment in cortisol in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in methamphetamine-dependent individuals with and without depression comorbidity and suicide attempts.

BACKGROUND: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysregulation which was found to have an important role in the pathophysiology of depression, suicide, and substance dependence, may be influenced by childhood maltreatment (CM). The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between CM and cortisol changes in methamphetamine-dependent individuals. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, methamphetamine-dependent individuals (n = =195) with or without both comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD) and a history of suicide attempts were selected and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). To assess cortisol levels, saliva samples were collected at six time intervals for two consecutive days. RESULTS: A history of CM significantly predicted wake-up cortisol level, cortisol awakening response (CAR), and diurnal cortisol slope. Methamphetamine-dependent individuals with both MDD and lifetime suicide attempts had higher CM and higher cortisol levels with a blunted diurnal cortisol slope than individuals who were merely methamphetamine-dependent. Individuals with high CM showed higher cortisol levels with a blunted diurnal slope than those with low or without CM. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional data and use of self-report scales, especially retrospective measurements (e.g., the CTQ-SF), were important limitations of this study. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that methamphetamine-dependent individuals with adverse psychological factors such as CM, MDD, and suicide attempts may show dysregulation in biological factors including cortisol level. In addition, CM and its effects on cortisol in the HPA axis may emerge as important factors regarding psychopathological use of methamphetamine.

The interaction of high and low-risk human papillomavirus genotypes increases the risk of developing genital warts: A population-based cohort study.

Cervical cancer is among the most common type of cancers in women and is associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Genital warts are also reported to be linked with HPV infection types 11 and 6. In turn, clinical characteristics and morphological features of warts may be useful in the prediction of prognosis and in making treatment decisions. Thus, we have investigated the association of high and low-risk HPVs genotype with genital wart risk, as well as pathological and cytological information in cases recruited from a population-based cohort study of 1380 patients. Patients infected with HPV genotype 6 or 11 had an increased risk of having warts, with OR of 2.34 (95% CI: 0.955-5.737, P = 0.06). Also, this association was enhanced in the presence of high plus low-risk HPV for having genital wart (OR: 2.814; 95%: 1.208-6.55, P = 0.017) and cases having high-risk HPV (OR: 2.329; 95% CI: 1.029-5.269, P = 0.042). Moreover, we observed patients with genital warts having CIN2/3, indicating the importance of informing the physician to the patient to prevent more severe lesions. Our data demonstrated that patients with both low/high-risk HPV types had an increased risk of developing genital warts and persistent infection with HPV was a necessary precursor for the increase in cervical lesions.

The potential prognostic and therapeutic application of tissue and circulating microRNAs in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignancy in women and a major cause of cancer-related mortality globally. Some novel biomarkers may enable the early diagnosis and monitoring of CC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that control gene translation at a posttranscriptional level. Hence the deregulation of these molecules can cause many diseases. There appears to be an association between aberrant miRNA expression and CC, but the molecular mechanisms involved in the development of CC remain unknown. The upregulation of some circulating miRNAs, for example, miRNA-20a, miRNA-203, miRNA-21, miRNA-205, miRNA-218, and miR-485-5, as well as tissue-specific miRNAs, for example, miR-7, miR-10a, miR-17-5p, miR-135b, miR-149, and miR-203 have been found in patients with CC. There is also growing evidence for the importance of miRNAs in the development of drug resistance. This review therefore highlights recently published preclinical and clinical investigation performed on tissue specific and circulating miRNAs, as potential biomarkers for the detection of patients at early stages of CC, in the prediction of prognosis, and monitoring of their response to therapy.