Journal of Inflammatory Diseases
Volume:26 Issue: 1, Spring 2022

Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is found in several cell types of adults, such as cardiomyocytes, and endothelial cells. It is expressed in response to different cellular stress conditions. HSP27 decreases the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and dyslipidemia is closely associated with increased endothelial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). 

Higher serum HSP27 antigen and anti-HSP27 antibodies have been reported in patients with unstable angina and myocardial infarction

This population-based case-control study was conducted in 2018. We investigated serum anti-HSP27 antibody titers in all participants with dyslipidemia from the Mashhad stroke and heart atherosclerotic disorder (MASHAD) study (n=8141) and those who were healthy in terms of dyslipidemia (n=1637) using an in-house enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) in individuals with dyslipidemia.

Anti-HSP27 titers were significantly lower in individuals with dyslipidemia compared to people without dyslipidemia (P=0.036).

Our results revealed that the anti-HSP27 antibody titer was lower in the participants with dyslipidemia than in the negative group. However, there may be a confounding effect of drug therapy. In a subgroup of dyslipidemic subjects, we observed lower anti-HSP27 antibody titers in patients treated with some drugs (statins or corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs], or anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive) compared to subjects untreated with these drugs.

The heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) protein belonging to Mycobacterium tuberculosis is known as a molecular adjuvant. 

Hence, the expression of this protein in the prokaryotic system is essential.

To predict an appropriate signal peptide for the expression of the HBHA protein, 50 signal peptides were selected from the signal peptide database. Then, the crucial parameters of signal peptides, including the probability of signal peptide, different regions of signal peptides, physicochemical features, sorting of signal peptides, and sub-cellular location were completely investigated by reliable tools. After the best-predicted signal peptide was identified, it was linked to the HBHA protein, and its secondary structure, tertiary structure, and in silico cloning in pET21a (+) was assessed. 

The results of different evaluations confirmed that only 13 signal peptides passed all features, including clearance of N, H, and C regions, D-score >0.7, instability index >40, and periplasmic localization. Finally, based on D-scores, among these 13 signal peptides, the asr (acid shock RNA) peptide with D-score=90 was selected as the best-predicted signal peptide to apply. Moreover, the results showed that the secondary structure of the adjuvant linked to asr peptide contained 88.18% alpha helix and 9.5% random coil. Also, the results of in silico cloning showed that the nucleotide sequences of the adjuvant linked to the asr peptide were successfully cloned between BamHI and XhoI enzymes in the multiple cloning site of pET21a (+).

The results of this study confirmed that the asr peptide can be used as an appropriate signal peptide for the expression of the HBHA protein in the prokaryotic system.

Prostate cancer (PCa), as the fifth leading cause of death, is the second most common cancer diagnosis in men worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) can potentially contribute to PCa development and chronic inflammation. HPV infection leads to malignant and benign lesions in the genital areas of men and women. The data on the role of HPV in PCa development is contradictory. 

This study aims to investigate the frequency of HPV in PCa samples in hospitals in Tabriz City, Iran.

This study was conducted in a cross-sectional descriptive manner. Paraffin tissue blocks including 50 patients with primary prostate adenocarcinoma and 50 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were selected from Tabriz hospitals. All samples were examined for the presence of HPV16/18 by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

3 out of 50 PCa patients are infected with HPV18. None of the benign and malignant prostate samples are infected with HPV 16. Therefore, in our study, no connection exists between HPV and PCa. The Mean±SD age of HPV positive samples was 61.33±11.50 years.

The result of this research does not support the role of HPV in the development of PCa. Therefore, additional studies are necessary to clarify the possible role of HPV in prostate carcinogenesis.

Preterm birth (PB) is a worldwide gestational problem. Poor sleep quality and short duration have been reported as possible predisposing factors of PB in some studies.

This study was conducted to investigate the roles of sleep quality/duration in the occurrence of PB.

This longitudinal study was performed on pregnant women with gestational age ≤14 weeks. The sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) at the first visit and women were followed until delivery. A total of 76 women with preterm and 441 women with term delivery were compared regarding the sleep quality components, sleep duration, and long or short sleep duration. The multivariate logistic regression was performed to examine the independent association of sleep quality/duration with PB.

Data from 517 participants were analyzed. PB occurred in 14.7% of participants. No significant difference of 7 items of sleep quality was observed between preterm and non-preterm groups (P>0.05 for each comparison). The total PSQI score in the preterm group was significantly higher (poorer quality) compared to the non-preterm group (5.6±2.1 vs 5.3±2.4, P=0.076). In multivariate logistic regression, each unit of worsening PSQI was independently associated with a 20% higher risk of PB occurrence. Sleep duration was not associated with PB either in unadjusted or adjusted models.

No relationship was observed between poor sleep quality (defined as PSQI>5) and PB; however, based on our results, poorer sleep quality (as a continuous variable) can be an independent risk factor for PB.

Dermatophytes are keratinophilic fungi that affect the stratum corneum of the skin and keratinous structures. Violent factors play a vital role in the pathogenesis and antifungal resistance of dermatophytes. 

This study aims to evaluate the activity of extracellular enzymatic and biofilm formation as virulence factors of dermatophyte isolates.

Fifty-eight dermatophyte isolates belonged to 27 Trichophyton. rubrum (46.6%), 19 T. mentagrophytes (32.8%), and 12 Microsporum. canis (20.7%) for evaluating the activity of phospholipase, hemolysin, proteinase, and biofilm formation were examined. The biofilm formed was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Evaluation of extracellular enzymes production revealed that 86.2%, 77.6 %, and 57% of dermatophyte strains were shown to be phospholipase, hemolysin, and proteinase producers, respectively. Furthermore, all isolates of T. rubrum and M. canis can produce phospholipase and hemolysin, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between phospholipase activity and dermatophyte strains (P<0.05). In addition, biofilm formation ability was observed in 41.5% of dermatophyte isolates. The highest level of biofilm production was found in 93% of dermatophytes isolated from nail chips. A significant difference between biofilm formation with dermatophyte isolates and different body sites was observed (P <0.05).

The activity of hydrolytic enzymes and biofilm formation as important pathogenic factors may play a role in the persistence of dermatophytosis infections. Our results showed that dermatophyte isolates have enzymatic activity and biofilm production at different levels. Therefore, understanding the function of these factors is essential to controlling the spread of dermatophytosis infection.

Fish tapeworms of the genus Diphyllobothrium are pseudophyllidean cestodes transmitted through the consumption of raw or inadequately cooked fish.

The current systematic review and meta-analysis aim to estimate the global prevalence of Diphyllobothrium in dogs and cats based on published literature. 

Multiple English databases (PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) were explored for relevant papers published until December 2021. 

Among the 37 studies that were included, 32 documented Diphyllobothrium infection in dogs and five in cats. The pooled prevalence (95% confidence interval) was 0.060% (0.030%-0.100%). The analysis based on country showed that the highest pooled prevalence in dogs and cats was observed in Bangladesh (0.250%, 0.149%-0.366%) and Indonesia (0.254%, 0.182%-0.333%), respectively. Based on the continent, Africa (0.109%, 0.017%-0.264%) and Asia (0.060%, 0%-0.345%) were the most common regions for infection in dogs and cats, respectively. Among different diagnostic methods, the highest pooled prevalence was related to molecular (0.661%, 0.573%-0.743%) and parasitological techniques (0.041%, 0%-0.217%) for dogs and cats’ studies, respectively. 

The findings show the importance of establishing a prevention and control measure focused on improving regular deworming and enhancing awareness of parasitic zoonotic diseases to minimize the transmission risk.