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Because long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can affect several interconnected processes, its value as a predictive marker for gastric cancer has been demonstrated. Coumarin - a natural compound known to contain some beneficial antitumor qualities - was tested for its effects on AGS gastric cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the expression level of selected cellular lncRNAs (BANCR, MALAT1 and FER1L4) and their target genes (PTEN, p-PI3K and p-AKT) in coumarin-treated AGS cell line. The expressions of the three lncRNAs: BANCR, MALAT1 and FER1L4, as well as their specified targets, PTEN, PI3K and AKT, were measured by qRT-PCR. To gauge the impact of coumarin on the AGS cells, a MTT assay was utilized. A Western blot has been employed to assess variations in PTEN, p-PI3K, and p-AKT expression. The experiment's results showed that AGS viability diminished with increasing doses of coumarin. Compared to the control cells, the cells exposed to coumarin had showed reduced levels of mRNAs which are known targets of the lncRNA BANCR. At the same time, levels of lncRNAs MALAT1 and FER1L4 within coumarin group have been higher comparing to those within control group. Additionally, the Western blot analysis revealed that the coumarin-treated cells expressed lower levels of p-PI3K, PTEN as well as p-AKT compared to control group. This information points to coumarin being a possible option in a treatment regimen for gastric cancer due to its ability to affect lncRNAs and the molecules they target., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aimed to estimate the disease burden and describe the clinical presentation, risk factors, and outcome of CAM in a single centre in Iran., Methods: A case of mucormycosis was defined as one that had clinical and radiological features consistent with mucormycosis along with demonstration of the fungus in tissue via KOH mount/culture/histopathological and molecular examination., Results: We report 30 cases of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM). The results of this study showed the affected age group in the range of 40-79 years (median = 65.5; IQR = 5) with women (16/30, 53%) affected more than men (14/30, 47%). Among the fungi recovered, Rhizopus oryzae had the highest frequency (79%). Out of the 30 patients, 28 (93%) patients were diabetic with 24 (80%) patients having other co-morbidities. Headache followed by retro-orbital pain, proptosis/ptosis and rapid diminution of vision was a common sequence of symptoms reported by the majority of cases. Use of mechanical ventilation (58% vs. 6%, p  = 0.003), O 2 required (92% vs. 50%, p  = 0.024), and development of renal dysfunction during hospital stay (17% vs. 0%, p  = 0.041) was significantly higher in non-survivors than survivors. Temperature (C°), PR (pulse rate), mean levels of serum creatinine, BUN, troponin, and neutrophils were significantly higher in non-survivors ( p  < 0.05). Besides, Albumin and PO 2 were also significantly higher in survivors than non-survivors., Conclusion: Despite medical and surgical treatment, the mortality rate among CAM patients is still high. Thus, concerted efforts of revamping surveillance, diagnosis and management, along with public awareness and patient education, are the requisites for managing COVID-19 and mucormycosis.

Invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (IFRS) is a life-threatening infection that can occur in immunocompromised patients, including those with COVID-19. Although Mucorales and Aspergillus species are the most common causes of IFRS, infections caused by other fungi such as Fusarium are rare. In this report, we present three cases of proven rhinosinusitis fusariosis that occurred during or after COVID-19 infection. The diagnosis was confirmed through microscopy, pathology, and culture, and species identification of the isolates was performed by DNA sequencing the entire ITS1-5.8 rRNA-ITS2 region and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF-1α). Antifungal susceptibility testing was conducted according to CLSI guidelines. The causative agents were identified as Fusarium proliferatum, F. oxysporum + Aspergillus flavus , and F. solani/falciforme. Treatment involved the administration of antifungal medication and endoscopic sinus surgery to remove the affected mucosa, leading to the successful resolution of the infections. However, one patient experienced a recurrence of IFRS caused by A. flavus 15 months later. Early diagnosis and timely medical and surgical treatment are crucial in reducing mortality rates associated with invasive fusariosis. Additionally, the cautious use of corticosteroids in COVID-19 patients is highly recommended., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Erami, Aboutalebian, Hashemi Hezaveh, Matini, Momen-Heravi, Ahsaniarani, Arani, Ganjizadeh and Mirhendi.)

Since COVID-19 spread worldwide, invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (IFRS) has emerged in immunocompromised patients as a new clinical challenge. In this study, clinical specimens of 89 COVID-19 patients who presented clinical and radiological evidence suggestive of IFRS were examined by direct microscopy, histopathology, and culture, and the isolated colonies were identified through DNA sequence analysis. Fungal elements were microscopically observed in 84.27% of the patients. Males (53.9%) and patients over 40 (95.5%) were more commonly affected than others. Headache (94.4%) and retro-orbital pain (87.6%) were the most common symptoms, followed by ptosis/proptosis/eyelid swelling (52.8%), and 74 patients underwent surgery and debridement. The most common predisposing factors were steroid therapy (n = 83, 93.3%), diabetes mellitus (n = 63, 70.8%), and hypertension (n = 42, 47.2%). The culture was positive for 60.67% of the confirmed cases, and Mucorales were the most prevalent (48.14%) causative fungal agents. Different species of Aspergillus (29.63%) and Fusarium (3.7%) and a mix of two filamentous fungi (16.67%) were other causative agents. For 21 patients, no growth was seen in culture despite a positive result on microscopic examinations. In PCR-sequencing of 53 isolates, divergent fungal taxons, including 8 genera and 17 species, were identified as followed: Rhizopus oryzae (n = 22), Aspergillus flavus (n = 10), A. fumigatus (n = 4), A. niger (n = 3), R. microsporus (n = 2), Mucor circinelloides, Lichtheimia ramosa, Apophysomyces variabilis, A. tubingensis, A. alliaceus, A. nidulans, A. calidoustus, Fusarium fujikuroi/proliferatum, F. oxysporum, F. solani, Lomentospora prolificans, and Candida albicans (each n = 1). In conclusion, a diverse set of species involved in COVID-19-associated IFRS was observed in this study. Our data encourage specialist physicians to consider the possibility of involving various species in IFRS in immunocompromised and COVID-19 patients. In light of utilizing molecular identification approaches, the current knowledge of microbial epidemiology of invasive fungal infections, especially IFRS, may change dramatically., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.)

Objective: Patients with substance use disorders (SUD) under methadone maintenance therapy (MMT) are susceptible to a number of complications (psychological and metabolic disorders). Evidence studies have shown the roles of the glutamatergic system in addiction. N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) enhances extracellular glutamate, and is effective in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. We assessed oral NAC as an add-on to MMT medication for the treatment of SUD., Methods: In the current randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, outpatients with SUD under MMT who were 18-60 years old received 2400 mg/day NAC (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for 12 weeks. Psychological status and metabolic biomarkers were assessed at baseline and the end of the trial., Results: Compared with the placebo group, NAC treatment resulted in a significant improvement in depression score (β -2.36; 95% CI, -3.97, -0.76; p = .005), and anxiety score (β -1.82; 95% CI, -3.19, -0.44; p = .01). Furthermore, NAC treatment resulted in a significant elevation in total antioxidant capacity levels (β 72.28 mmol/L; 95% CI, 11.36, 133.19; p = .02), total glutathione (GSH) levels (β 81.84 μmol/L; 95% CI, 15.40, 148.28; p = .01), and a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (β -0.89 mg/L; 95% CI, -1.50, -0.28; p = .005), and homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (β -0.33; 95% CI, -0.65, -0.009; p = .04), compared with the placebo group., Conclusion: In the current study, improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms as well as some metabolic profiles with NAC treatment for 12 weeks in outpatients with SUD under MMT was detected., (© 2022 The Authors. Brain and Behavior published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Introduction: Patients under methadone maintenance treatment programs (MMTPs) are susceptible to numerous complications (e.g., mental and metabolic disorders). This study evaluated the effects of probiotics on clinical symptoms, biomarkers of oxidative stress, inflammation, insulin resistance, and serum lipid content in patients receiving MMTPs., Materials and Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted among 70 patients receiving MMTPs to receive either 1.8 × 10 9  CFU/day probiotics ( n  = 35) or placebo ( n  = 35) for 12 weeks. Clinical symptoms and metabolic profiles were measured before and after the intervention in patients receiving MMTPs., Results: Compared with the placebo group, probiotic supplementation resulted in a significant improvement in the severity of depression ( P < 0.05). In addition, probiotic administration significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) ( P < 0.05). Furthermore, probiotics resulted in a significant reduction in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and a significant elevation in total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total glutathione (GSH) levels ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Treatment with probiotics for 12 weeks to patients receiving MMTPs had beneficial effects on symptoms of depression, as well as several metabolic profiles. Clinical Trial Registration: this study was registered in the Iranian website (https://www.irct.ir) for clinical trials registration (https://fa.irct.ir/trial/46363/IRCT20170420033551N9). The registration date is March 22, 2020., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 Nader Molavi et al.)

Introduction: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a grade IV glioma and accounts for 15% of all primary brain tumors. This GBM has a median survival range of less than 2 years after diagnosis and it is highly vascularized by neoformed vessels. Neoangiogenesis is a crucial factor in the malignant tumoral behavior and prognosis of patients and Nestin protein belongs to class VI which is expressed in endothelial cells of neoformed vessels in GBM. Our study shows the correlation between EGFR mutation and Nestin expression in endothelial of neoformed vessels in GBM., Methods: We analyzed 40 GBM samples by immunohistochemistry staining. The immunohistochemical expression of EGFR in tumoral cells and Nestin in endothelial cells in paraffin sections were analyzed. EGFR scoring was the based on staining intensity. Score 0 shows No staining, Score1, mild to moderate staining and score2 sever staining. Microvascular density (MVD) was evaluated with Nestin-immunoreactive., Results: The mean of MVD was 14.6 ±8.25. Nestin-MVD was significantly higher in GBM with sever vascular prolifration (p-value=0.01). EGFR was expressed in 92.5% of samples. The EGFR scoring for tumoral tissue was 7.5%(score:0), 22.5% (score:1) and 70% (score:2). There was a significant relationship between EGFR expression and MVD (p-value=0.017)., Conclusion: We suggest that some important mutations as like as EGFR in GBM is responsible for inducing angiogenesis and vascular proliferation. Nestin overexpression as a novel marker might reflect the extent of neoangiogenesis, thus target therapy against EGFR pathway and anti angiogenic may be useful for GBM treatment.

Background: Vitamin D inhibits cell proliferation via the vitamin D receptor (VDR), which may affect breast cancer risk. This study aimed to investigate the association of ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms of the VDR gene with breast cancer risk which followed by stratified analysis., Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 150 breast cancer patients and 150 healthy controls. VDR ApaI and TaqI genotyping were performed by PCR-RFLP. Some demographic and pathologic features of patients were extracted from their archived files and then were analyzed by genotypes distributions., Results: For ApaI polymorphism, our data showed a significant difference between the patient and healthy groups for mutant allele carriers compared with those with AA genotype. Besides, statistical analysis showed that there was a significant association between the C allele and the increased risk of breast cancer. For TaqI polymorphism, statistical analysis revealed that there was a significant association between CC genotype and increased risk of breast cancer. Also, there was a significant association between the C allele and the increased risk of breast cancer. In a preliminary study, stratified analysis based on the size of tumor and lymph node metastasis revealed no significant association between two ApaI and TaqI variations and these parameters., Conclusions: Based on our results, the VDR ApaI and TaqI variations could be considered as genetic risk factors for breast cancer. However, further studies with a larger sample size are required to obtain more accurate outcomes, especially in stratified analysis.

Background and Aim: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM-1) is a receptor on phagocytes that is triggered by infectious agents. The soluble form of it (sTREM-1) can be elevated in gastric juice by Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection of gastric mucosa. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic values of sTREM-1 and C-reactive protein (CRP) for detection of H. pylori infection in gastric mucosa., Methods: In this diagnostic accuracy study on cases who underwent endoscopy from March 2015 to July 2016 in Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan, Iran, gastric juice sTREM-1 and CRP concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and their diagnostic values were compared to detect H. pylori infection. Gold standard test was histopathology. Data were entered into SPSS software version 16. Statistical analysis was made by Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square, Independent-samples t-test, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, Pearson product-moment correlation, Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), Brier score, Nagelkerke R square and scaled reliability test., Results: Of a total of 160 cases, 81 (50.6%) were H. pylori -positive based on pathology. The level of sTREM-1 in H. pylori -positive patients was significantly higher than H. pylori -negative patients (p=0.000), but no significant difference between CRP concentrations was shown between groups (p=0.7). Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and accuracy of sTREM-1 were 82%, 75%, 3.3, 0.25, 78% and for CRP were 62%, 40%, 1.02, 0.98, 51% respectively for diagnosis of H. pylori infection. True positive and negative rates were 66 (81.5%) and 59 (74.7%) for sTREM-1 and 50 (61.7%) and 31 (39.2%) for CRP. The levels of sTREM-1 and CRP were not significantly different between endoscopic finding groups (p=0.97, p=0.2 respectively)., Conclusion: Despite CRP, sTREM-1 was a relatively acceptable indicator of H. pylori infection of gastric mucosa., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.

Background and Aim: Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) is an important and common contagious human pathogen which may cause peptic ulcer and also gastric cancer. The definite diagnosis of it is made through invasive tests. Recently, non-invasive tests including serologic tests of serum and saliva have been conducted for diagnosis of H. pylori infection. In this research, the diagnostic values of serum and salivary serology were compared together to use salivary anti- H. pylori test as an alternative method in the future., Methods: During this prospective case-control study on patients who were candidates for endoscopy and gastric biopsy from March 2015 to April 2016 in Shahid Beheshti hospital, Kashan, Iran, serum and salivary samples were obtained for measurement of Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody levels against H. pylori by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Histopathology was the gold standard test. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software version 16. Statistical tests included Kolmogorov-Smirnov, independent-samples t-test, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, McNemar and correlation., Results: Of 123 patients, sixty-one patients (49.6%) were H. pylori -positive according to histology. The median levels of anti- H. pylori antibodies in serum (p<0.001) and saliva (p<0.001) of H. pylori -positive cases were significantly higher than H. pylori -negative cases. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and accuracy of serologic tests in serum were 75%, 79%, 3.5, 0.3, 77% and for saliva were 85%, 82%, 4.7, 0.18, 84% respectively., Conclusion: Diagnostic values of salivary ELISA are comparable to serum ELISA and can be used as an alternative modality for diagnosis of H. pylori infection., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.