Viral Infection in Endometritis: Is There an Important Role or Not?

Chronic endometritis (CE) is a frequent pathological condition that is defined as localized inflammation in the endometrium. Some adverse fertility consequences such as recurrent miscarriage and failure of implantation are associated with chronic endometritis. On the one hand, inflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of endometritis, and on the other hand, the role of viral infections in inducing inflammation can make this review strongly attractive and practical. We set out to provide an overview of viral infections as a potential etiology of CE pathophysiology through the alteration of an endometrial microenvironment and its association with infertility. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review to demonstrate the role of viral infection in chronic endometritis, and whether or not infection ultimately plays a role..

Investigating the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus infection and gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and Aims: Gastric cancer (GC) is a common cancer type worldwide, and various factors can be involved in its occurrence. One of these factors is Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. In this regard, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to achieve a better understanding of the EBV prevalence in GC samples. Methods: English databases were searched and studies that reported the prevalence and etiological factors of EBV related to GC from July 2007 to November 2022 were retrieved. The reported data were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of EBV infection with 95% confidence intervals was calculated. Quality assessment, heterogeneity testing, and publication bias assessment were also performed. The literature search showed 953 studies, of which 87 studies met our inclusion criteria and were used for meta-analysis. Results: The pooled prevalence of EBV infection related to GC was estimated to be 9.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.2%-11%) in the general population. The prevalence of EBV infection related to GC by gender was 13.5% (95% CI: 11.1%-16.3%) in males and 7.6% (95% CI: 5.4%-10.6%) in females. No significant differences were observed in terms of geographical region. Out of the 87 studies included in the meta-analysis, the most common diagnostic test was in situ hybridization (58 cases). Conclusions: Altogether, the results indicated that EBV infection is one of the important factors in the development of GC. However, this does not necessarily mean that EBV infection directly causes GC since other factors may also be involved in the development of GC. Therefore, it is recommended to conduct extensive epidemiological studies on various aspects of the relationship between this virus and GC, which can provide valuable information for understanding the relationship between EBV and GC.

Oncoviruses: Induction of cancer development and metastasis by increasing anoikis resistance.

The phenomenon of cell death is a vital aspect in the regulation of aberrant cells such as cancer cells. Anoikis is a kind of cell death that occurs when cells get separated from the extracellular matrix. Some cancer cells can inhibit anoikis in order to progress metastasis. One of the key variables that might be implicated in anoikis resistance (AR) is viral infections. The most important viruses involved in this process are Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, human herpes virus 8, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1, and hepatitis C virus. A better understanding of how carcinogenic viruses suppress anoikis might be helpful in developing an effective treatment for virus-associated cancers. In the current study, we review the role of the mentioned viruses and their gene products in anoikis inhibition.

New Potential MicroRNA Biomarkers in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Elite Controllers, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections, and Coinfections with Hepatitis B Virus or Hepatitis C Virus.

INTRODUCTION: This research aimed to evaluate the specific microRNA (miRNA) including miR-17-5p, miRN-140-3p miR-191-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-N367 and cellular factors (p21, SDF-1, XCL1, CCL-2, and IL-2) in controlling replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in ECs. METHODS: The expression of miRNAs was assessed between healthy control groups and patient groups including ART-naïve HIV, HIV ART, ECs, and coinfection (HIV-HBV and HIV-HCV) via real-time PCR technique. Besides, the expression level of the nef gene and cellular factors were assessed by the ELISA method. The differences in the level of cellular factors and selected miRNAs between study groups were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis H or one-way ANOVA test. In addition, the potential of selected miRNAs as biomarkers for discriminating study groups was assessed by the receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: Some miRNAs in ECs, HIV ART, and healthy controls have similar expression patterns, whereas a miRNA expression profile of patient groups significantly differed compared to EC and control groups. According to ROC curve analyses, the miR-17-5p, miR-140-3p miR-191-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-N367 can be served as biomarkers for discriminating ECs from ART-naïve HIV-infected groups. There was a significant correlation between some miRNAs and cellular factors/the viral load as well. CONCLUSION: This report demonstrated a differentiation in the expression of selected immunological factors and cellular/viral miRNAs in ECs compared to other patient groups. Some miRNAs and cellular factors are involved in the viral replication control, immune response/modulation and can be used as biomarkers for diagnosis of ECs and differentiation with other groups. Differential expression of these miRNAs and cellular factors in different stages of HIV infection can help in finding novel ways for infection control.

Human papillomavirus maybe is a critical player in the regulation of chemoresistance related factors (P53, Rb, TWIST, Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, c-IAP2, cytochrome C, and caspase 3) in breast cancer.

As one of the frequent malignancies, breast cancer (BCa) is the foremost reason for cancer-related deaths among women. The role of Human papillomavirus (HPV) in chemoresistance has rarely been investigated in previous studies. The current study sets out to the possible role of HPV in BCa chemoresistance. In this research, 90 BCa tissue and 33 normal breast tissue were collected. We evaluated the presence of the HPV genome along with the viral (E2, E6, E7) and cellular gene expression associated with cell resistance to death. Statically significant differences in the prevalence of HPV between the BCa group (25.2% or 23/90) and the control group (21.8% or 7/32) were not found. HPV-16 and HPV-18 genotypes were the abundant HPV genotypes. Resistance to the Adriamycin-Cyclophosphamide (AC), paclitaxel regimen was elevated in the HPV- group (56/70) in comparison to the HPV+ group (14/70). Nevertheless, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of resistance to AC + paclitaxel + triple-negative breast cancer combination therapy between the HPV+ group (9/20) and in the HPV- group (11/20). In the BCa group in contrast to the control group, the expression level of Bcl-2, BCL-XL, and c-IAP2 demonstrated a significant decrease, while, the expression level of cytochrome C and caspase 3 was significantly increased. This study suggests that HPV infection might contribute to BCa chemoresistance through disrupt cellular genes involved in cell death.

PBMC MicroRNAs: Promising Biomarkers for the Differential Diagnosis of COVID-19 Patients with Abnormal Coagulation Indices.

MicroRNAs, or miRNAs, may involve in coagulation and inflammation pathways caused by severe Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Accordingly, this attempt was made to explore the behavior of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) miRNAs as effective biomarkers to diagnose COVID-19 patients with normal and abnormal coagulation indices. We selected the targeted miRNAs (miR-19a-3p, miR-223-3p, miR-143-5p, miR-494-3p and miR-301a-5p) according to previous reports, whose PBMC levels were then determined by real-time PCR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was obtained to clarify the diagnostic potency of studied miRNAs. The differentially expressed miRNA profiles and corresponding biological activities were predicted in accordance with bioinformatics data. Targeted miRNAs' expression profiles displayed a significant difference between COVID-19 subjects with normal and abnormal coagulation indices. Moreover, the average miR-223-3p level expressed in COVID-19 cases with normal coagulation indices was significantly lower than that in healthy controls. Based on data from ROC analysis, miR-223-3p and miR-494-3p are promising biomarkers to distinguish the COVID-19 cases with normal or abnormal coagulation indices. Bioinformatics data highlighted the prominent role of selected miRNAs in the inflammation and TGF-beta signaling pathway. The differences existed in the expression profiles of selected miRNAs between the groups introduced miR-494-3p and miR-223-3p as potent biomarkers to prognosis the incidence of COVID-19.

Physically stimulus-responsive nanoparticles for therapy and diagnosis.

Nanoparticles offer numerous advantages in various fields of science, particularly in medicine. Over recent years, the use of nanoparticles in disease diagnosis and treatments has increased dramatically by the development of stimuli-responsive nano-systems, which can respond to internal or external stimuli. In the last 10 years, many preclinical studies were performed on physically triggered nano-systems to develop and optimize stable, precise, and selective therapeutic or diagnostic agents. In this regard, the systems must meet the requirements of efficacy, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and safety before clinical investigation. Several undesired aspects need to be addressed to successfully translate these physical stimuli-responsive nano-systems, as biomaterials, into clinical practice. These have to be commonly taken into account when developing physically triggered systems; thus, also applicable for nano-systems based on nanomaterials. This review focuses on physically triggered nano-systems (PTNSs), with diagnostic or therapeutic and theranostic applications. Several types of physically triggered nano-systems based on polymeric micelles and hydrogels, mesoporous silica, and magnets are reviewed and discussed in various aspects.

Variation analysis of SARS-CoV-2 complete sequences from Iran.

Aim: SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging coronavirus that was discovered in China and rapidly spread throughout the world. The authors looked at nucleotide and amino acid variations in SARS-CoV-2 genomes, as well as phylogenetic and evolutionary events in viral genomes, in Iran. Materials & methods: All SARS-CoV-2 sequences that were publicly released between the start of the pandemic and 15 October 2021 were included. Results: The majority of mutations were found in vaccine target proteins, Spike and Nucleocapsid proteins, and nonstructural proteins. The majority of the viruses that circulated in the early stages of the pandemic belonged to the B.4 lineage. Conclusion: We discovered the prevalence of viral populations in Iran. As a result, tracking the virus's variation in Iran and comparing it with a variety of nearby neighborhoods may reveal a pattern for future variant introductions.

Virus, Exosome, and MicroRNA: New Insights into Autophagy.

Autophagy is known as a conserved self-eating mechanism that contributes to cells to degrade different intracellular components (i.e., macromolecular complexes, aggregated proteins, soluble proteins, organelles, and foreign bodies). Autophagy needs formation of a double-membrane structure, which is composed of the sequestered cytoplasmic contents, called autophagosome. There are a variety of internal and external factors involved in initiation and progression of autophagy process. Viruses as external factors are one of the particles that could be associated with different stages of this process. Viruses exert their functions via activation and/or inhibition of a wide range of cellular and molecular targets, which are involved in autophagy process. Besides viruses, a variety of cellular and molecular pathways that are activated and inhibited by several factors (e.g., genetics, epigenetics, and environment factors) are related to beginning and developing of autophagy mechanism. Exosomes and microRNAs have been emerged as novel and effective players anticipated in various stages of autophagy. More knowledge in these pathways and identification of accurate roles of them could help to provide better therapeutic approaches in several diseases such as cancer. We highlighted the roles of viruses, exosomes, and microRNAs in the autophagy processes.