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Background and Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease of the colon or rectum arising from adenoma precursors and serrated polyps. Recently, probiotics have been proposed as an effective and potential therapeutic approach for CRC prevention and treatment. Probiotics have been shown to alleviate inflammation by restoring the integrity of the mucosal barrier and impeding cancer progression. Materials and Methods: In this study, we aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of live and UV-killed Bacillus subtilis natto on the inflammatory response in CRC. Caco-2 cells were exposed to various concentrations of live and UVkilled B. subtilis natto, and cell viability was assessed using MTT assay. Gene expression analysis of IL-10, TGF-β, TLR2 and TLR4 was performed using RT-qPCR. Results: Our findings showed that both live and UV-killed B. subtilis natto caused significant reduction in inflammatory response by decreasing the gene expression of TLR2 and TLR4, and enhancing the gene expression of IL-10 and TGF-β in Caco-2 cells as compared to control group. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that live and UV-killed B. subtilis natto may hold potential as a therapeutic supplement for modulating inflammation in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In November 2021, an investigation was conducted into an outbreak of abortion, stillbirth, and the birth of calves with congenital abnormalities (arthrogryposis and hydranencephaly) at a dairy farm in Dasht-e-Mughan city, Ardabil province. A total of 70 cows experienced these issues. To determine the cause of the outbreak, post-mortem brain tissue samples were collected from two calves affected by hydranencephaly, which occurred shortly after their birth. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was conducted for multiple viruses, including bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), border disease, Akabane, Schmallenberg, and bluetongue viruses (BTVs). The samples were positive only for Akabane virus. Serum samples were collected from a group of 60 cattle, consisting of 45 adult cows and 15 younger calves aged between 8 to 10 months. These samples were analyzed to detect the presence of antibodies against the Akabane and Schmallenberg viruses. Both of these viruses are known to be responsible for causing abortion, stillbirth, and congenital abnormalities in calves. Among 45 cows that tested by competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA), 26.66% and 33.33% exhibited antibodies against Akabane and Schmallenberg viruses, respectively. Notably, 20.00% of cows co-exhibited antibodies for both viruses. Despite PCR evidence implicating Akabane virus as the principal etiology of clinical signs observed in the affected herd, the high coseropositivity to Schmallenberg virus, warrants a thorough investigation into potential viral interactions. Further research is required to determine the source of the virus and their transmission routes. This information could facilitate the refinement of disease control strategies and improving the management of reproductive challenges in such affected herds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PastoCovac is a subunit protein vaccine against COVID-19 which contains the tetanus toxoid as a carrier conjugated to SARS-CoV-2 RBD. The primary goal of the tetanus application was to elicit a stronger specific response in the individuals. However, conjugate vaccines have the potency to generate anticarrier antibodies in addition to the target antigen. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the PastoCovac vaccine in the humoral immune induction against tetanus. Six groups of individuals, including those who received one, two, or three doses of the PastoCovac vaccine, Td vaccine, and also the controls who received other COVID-19 vaccines (except PastoCovac), were investigated. The anti-tetanus IgG was assessed by an ELISA assay in all vaccinated groups. The antibody persistency against tetanus in the group who received one dose of the PastoCovac vaccine was also assessed on day 60, 90, and 180 after the last injection. The anti-tetanus antibody titer in the three groups of PastoCovac recipients was positive, though additional doses of the vaccine led to a significant antibody rise (p = 0.003). Notably, the comparison of the mean antibody titer between the Td recipients and those who received one/two doses of PastoCovac showed that the mean rise in the antibody titer before and after the injection was not significant. Although the antibody titer on day 180 decreased to a lower level than on day 21, it was still estimated to be highly positive against tetanus. Eventually, none of the PastoCovac recipients presented vaccine side-effects during the follow-up. The current data indicate that the tetanus conjugate vaccine against COVID-19, PastoCovac, could induce immune responses against tetanus, which can persist for at least 6 months. Combination vaccine formulae containing TT and DT as carriers for conjugate vaccines could be considered instead of TT and/or DT boosters in adults if they are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the possible effects of blood types on coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) vaccine immunogenicity and antibody (Ab) persistency. Five different vaccinated groups against COVID‐19 were investigated at Pasteur Institute of Iran from April 2021 to December 2022. Anti‐Spike IgG and neutralizing Ab rise were tracked on Day 21 as well as the humoral immune persistency assessment 180 after booster shots. Late adverse events up to 6 months after the booster dose were collected. The results showed that blood type A, led to a significantly higher anti‐Spike Ab rise in AstraZeneca primed recipients in comparison with Sinopharm primed ones in heterologous regimens (p: 0.019). Furthermore, blood type O was a great co‐effector in homologous AstraZeneca recipients regarding neutralizing Ab rise (0.013). In addition, blood type O led to a better anti‐Spike Ab persistency in the Sinopharm homologous group whereas type A had the best effect on neutralizing Ab durability in the same vaccine group. What is more, Rh‐positive individuals in AstraZeneca + PastoCovac Plus group had a higher rate of anti‐Spike Ab rise (p = 0.001). Neutralizing Ab rise was also induced in AstraZeneca homologous and heterologous regimens of Rh‐positive individuals significantly higher than Sinopharm primed cases. The present study showed the potential impact of blood types A/O and Rh‐positive on a better humoral immune responses and Ab persistency. It is proposed that blood type A and Rh‐positive could increase the Ab rise in AstraZeneca vaccinated individuals. Moreover, blood type O might be a better co‐effector of anti‐Spike Ab persistency in Sinopharm recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sleep is thought to play an important role in memory consolidation. Here we tested whether sleep alters the subjective value associated with objects located in spatial clusters that were navigated to in a large-scale virtual town. We found that sleep enhances a generalization of the value of high-value objects to the value of locally clustered objects, resulting in an impaired memory for the value of high-valued objects. Our results are consistent with (a) spatial context helping to bind items together in long-term memory and serve as a basis for generalizing across memories and (b) sleep mediating memory effects on salient/reward-related items.