Search

Abstract Background: The expression of forkhead box O (FOXO) was found to be connected with developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an inflammatory autoimmune disorder. The current study is intended to assess the expression and methylation status of the FOXO1 gene in individuals with recently diagnosed RA, before and after the administration of customary disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods: Twenty participants were investigated in this study. The assessment of the FOXO1 gene expression in peripheral blood was done by real-time PCR, and the status of FOXO1 promoter methylation was ascertained via quantitative methylation-specific PCR (Q-MSP) before and after the administration of DMARDs for six months. Results: Following DMARDs treatment, the study discovered a decrease in FOXO1 gene expression. However, the decline did not meet the criteria for statistically meaningful (P = 0.087). The expression of the FOXO1 gene was positively correlated with RA disease activity pre- and post-treatment with DMARDs (P = 0.009, r = 0.567 and P = 0.001, r = 0.656, respectively). Moreover, the study showed no alterations in the amount of DNA methylation of the FOXO1 promoter in newly diagnosed RA patients who had not yet received DMARDs, as compared to DMARDs-treated RA patients. Conclusion: Altogether, this study suggests that DMARDs treatment may reduce FOXO1 gene expression, potentially helping to alleviate the pro-inflammatory effects associated with this gene.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most important comorbid condition in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Dysregulated expression of non-coding RNA families has a critical role in RA-associated inflammatory events, including cardiovascular manifestations. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)- HIX003209 has a role in RA associated inflammation. In the current study, we investigated the association of HIX003209 and its downstream microRNA, miR-6089, with various cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers in RA patients. Material and methods: 60 RA patients, including 30 newly diagnosed and 30 on-treatment patients were recruited in this study, and 30 healthy people were selected as a control group. The gene expression of HIX003209, miR-6089, and CXCR3 were measured using Real-time PCR. The CVD risk was measured using Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) and Framingham Risk Score (FRS). Results: The gene expression of LncRNA-HIX003209 was elevated significantly in newly-diagnosed compared to under-treatment and control groups (p

Abstract Background and Aims Breast cancer (BC) is considered one of the most common malignant tumors leading to death in women, and genetic factors have a crucial role in BC pathogenesis. Zyxin (ZYX) is one of these factors that may be important in p53 level and function. Thus, the present work aimed to investigate the ZYX gene and protein expression in tumor tissue and matched margin tissue and its correlation with the p53 expression. Methods In a present case‐control study, 30 tumors and 30 matched margin tissues were obtained from Iran Tumor Bank/Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Real‐time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis techniques were applied to evaluate the genes and protein expression, respectively. Results The data showed that expression of the ZYX gene in tumor tissues significantly decreased (p = 0.0274) compared to matched margin tissues. In contrast, the p53 gene expression in tumor tissues had no significant difference with matched margin tissues. Additionally, we observed that ZYX and p53 genes expression in tumor tissues of estrogen receptor‐positive patients had significant elevation than estrogen receptor‐negative patients (p

Abstract Objectives The dysregulated immune response is one of the cardinal features of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). This study was conducted to clarify the occurrence of autoantibodies (AABs) associated with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) in hospitalized patients with a moderate, severe, and critical form of COVID‐19. Methods The serum samples obtained from 176 hospitalized COVID‐19 patients were investigated in this study, including patients with moderate (N = 90), severe (N = 50), and critical (N = 36) forms of COVID‐19. Also, the serum samples collected from healthy subjects before the COVID‐19 pandemic were used as controls (N = 176). The antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), antidouble‐stranded DNA (anti‐dsDNA), cytoplasmic‐anti neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (c‐ANCA), perinuclear ANCA (p‐ANCA), antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti‐CCP) occurrence was evaluated using a solid‐phase enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The results showed that the occurrence of ANAs, anti‐dsDNA, anti‐CCP, c‐ANCA, and p‐ANCA was significantly higher in the COVID‐19 patients compared to serum obtained from healthy subjects (p

Abstract Objectives The significance of T helper 17 (Th17) cells in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has recently been demonstrated in many studies. Retinoic acid receptor‐related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) is a transcription factor that is specifically involved in the generation of Th17 cells. Besides, the chemokine receptor CCR6, the receptor for CCL20, is characteristically expressed by these cells. Considering the pivotal roles of Th17 cells in RA pathogenesis, in this study, we assessed the gene expression of CCR6 and RORγt in the peripheral blood leukocytes of new case RA patients. Also, we evaluated their association with anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti‐CCP) antibodies and disease activity. Methods Forty‐five new case RA patients and 45 healthy persons have been recruited in this investigation. The gene expression of CCR6 and RORγt was evaluated by quantitative real‐time PCR (qRT‐PCR), and anti‐CCP antibodies plasma levels were measured using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. Disease activity was measured according to the disease activity score‐28 (DAS‐28) formula. Results The gene expression of CCR6 and RORγt increased remarkably in new case RA patients compared to healthy controls (p

Background: Despite close monitoring of transplant patients, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has remained one of the most critical problems in transplantation. This study investigates the relationship between CMV viral load and clinical laboratory findings in transplant recipients. Materials And Methods: A total of 34 transplant recipients comprising 15 Kidney Transplant (KT) recipients and 19 Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) recipients admitted to the Imam Reza Hospital in Kermanshah Province, Iran, were enrolled in this study. The CMV viral load was quantified by the real-time PCR technique. Results: The CMV viral load in KT recipients was significantly higher than in BMT recipients (P=0.03), and there was a positive association between the level of virus and the level of cyclosporine in the blood of patients (r=0.51, P=0.02). Besides, CMV viral load was positively correlated with WBC (r=0.32, P=0.04), urea (r=0.47, P=0.002), creatinine (r=0.39, P=0.01), aspartate aminotransferase (r=0.33, P=0.04), and lactate dehydrogenase (r=0.4, P=0.01). Also, it was negatively associated with albumin (r=-0.61, P