Research in Molecular Medicine
Volume:10 Issue: 1, Feb 2022

Environmental factors may play a role in colon cancer. In this view, several studies investigated tumor samples for the presence of various viral DNA with conflicting results. The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in patients with colorectal carcinomas.

In this study, we collected 74 tumorous paraffin-embedded tissues (Mean±SD age: 66.3±14.98) from the Pathology Department of a hospital in AinTemouchent and laboratories of pathological anatomy in western Algeria. DNA from each tissue was extracted and the presence of HPV and EBV was investigated using PCR.

None of our samples were HPV or EBV positive, and we failed to find an obvious correlation between EBV and HPV infections and this type of cancer.

The results suggested that EBV and HPV infection is not common in patients with colorectal cancer in our population. However, the findings merit more investigations on a large number of cases.

The arboviruses Zika virus (ZIKV) is a pathogen that threatens human health. Scientists have warned that a single mutation in the mosquito-borne ZIKV could spark another major outbreak of the disease in humans. Therefore, designing a suitable vaccine for this virus seems necessary. This study aimed to predict the protective epitopes of envelope protein from the Zika virus with bioinformatics methods for multi-epitope vaccine development.

Computational studies including the identification of potential B-cell and T-cell epitopes were used. For generating a multi-epitopic vaccine construct (MEVC), selected epitopes are connected by suitable linkers. To enhance protein immunogenicity, Maltosebound protein was added to the MEVC after the prediction and refinement of the 3D structure of the designed vaccine. The binding mode of the MEVC with toll-like receptor was investigated by molecular docking technique. Finally, molecular dynamics and in silico cloning were performed for the designed vaccine.

This study showed that this recombinant vaccine is nontoxic, nonallergenic, and thermostable and elicits immune responses against the Zika virus.

The computational data suggest that the MEVC has appropriate characteristics and a high-quality structure.

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is over-expressed in breast, ovarian, gastric, and prostate cancers and is used as a tumor marker in the diagnosis of cancer. Monoclonal antibodies have been used as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool against HER2. Because of the difficulties associated with the stability and complexity of the construct and the high cost of antibody production, we aimed to investigate, cloning, and expression of HER2- binding DARPins genes to identify, HER2-positive tumor markers, we aimed to investigate.

After synthesis, the DARPins peptide gene was cloned into the M13 vector and sub-cloned into the TOP10 pet28b bacterial vector. After culturing the bacteria on an agarose plate containing antibiotics, the transfected bacteria expressing the DARPins gene were selected. To ensure gene cloning, we used enzymatic digestion and recombinant plasmid delivery for sequencing. Isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranosideIPTG was used for the induction of recombinant protein expression and the SDS-PAGE method and Western blot for expression confirmation.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification product of DARPins was analyzed using agarose gel electrophoresis. Plasmid was purified from the positive clone by PCR cloning, sequenced and gene cloning was confirmed. After culturing from competent cells, protein expression was obtained from positive colonies. SDS- PAGE results showed the effect of different conditions including temperature, IPTG concentration, and time on the pET-DARPins expression.

We were succeeded to express a new codon-optimized DARPins gene in Escherichia coli and HEK293t system.

Hydatidosis is known as one of the most prevalent zoonotic diseases across the world. This complication is also endemic in Iran, followed by a higher risk of infection in rural areas. To our knowledge, there has been no study on the seroprevalence of hydatidosis in Sistan and Baluchistan Province, Southeast of Iran. The main objective of the current study was to examine the seroprevalence of hydatidosis and its risk factors in high-risk individuals (farmers and ranchers) living in Sistan and Baluchistan Province.

This study included 500 serum samples, and the participants were requested to complete a researcher-made questionnaire. Subsequently, counter-current immunoelectrophoresis (CCIEP) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods were employed to analyze the anti-Echinococcus granulosus antibody. The analysis of the obtained data was conducted by logistic regression in SPSS software, version 22.

According to the results, four (0.8%) cases were found positive for anti-E. granulosus antibody by both CCIEP and ELISA tests. Seroprevalence of hydatidosis was more in rural people, compared to those in urban areas. It was also higher in illiterate people than in educated people. Nevertheless, seropositivity showed no significant differences with age, gender, occupational status, education level, place of residence, and contact with dogs (P>0.05).

The prevalence rate of hydatidosis in Sistan and Baluchistan Province was similar to that in neighboring provinces. According to the findings, high-risk individuals offer remarkable information about the epidemiology of hydatidosis in Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeastern Iran. This could help to manage and prevent this infection.

Vitamin K2 refers to a series of naphthoquinone derivatives, which have a variety of physiological and pharmacological functions for the human body. The most important type of vitamin K2 is menaquinone-7 (MK-7), an expensive raw material with no local manufacturers in Iran.

Since there was no report on the yield of MK-7 produced by the currently available Bacillus subtilis natto species in Iran, this study aims to optimize the culture condition for the production of MK-7 using this Bacillus species.

The base medium (BM) for MK-7 production contained glycerol (6.3%), soybean peptone (3%), and yeast extract (0.51%). The selected factors for optimizing the MK-7 production included the incubation temperature (30, 37, and 40°C) and incubation time (72, 96, and 120hr) with/without the addition of K2HPO4 to the fermentation medium. Three sets of experiments with six modes in each set were designed based on these parameters. MK-7 content was analyzed by the HPLC method.

Two experiments showed the highest MK-7 production yields of 0.319 and 0.3158 mg/L. The culture condition for both of these yields was as follows:120 hours incubation time in the presence of K2HPO4. However, the incubation temperature was different in these two experiments. The incubation temperature of 30°C resulted in 0.319 mg/L MK-7 concentration, and 37°C yielded 0.3158 mg/L.

B. subtilis natto (IBRC-M 11153) is suitable to be used as a basic platform for the mutation and production of a high-producer species. Optimizing the culture conditions using the wild-type species is not beneficial in increasing the production ability of the bacterium. It is necessary to use different methods for enhancing the production yield of MK-7 to lower the cost of microbial production and make the industrial process economic.

Previous experiments have shown different responses of pancreas and liver cells to the culture medium. It has been revealed that the most important step in preserving primary pancreas and liver cells is selecting the appropriate supplements to support the viability and functionality of these cells.

Cultivation supplements were prepared by adding bilirubin, hemin, zinc protoporphyrin, glutathione, curcumin, and their combination in the pancreas and liver cell culture at a concentration of 1, 3, and 5 μM. Then, the survival rate and function of the pancreas and liver cells were evaluated. The function of pancreas cells was evaluated based on producing insulin and the function of liver cells was based on liver enzymes, including transaminases.

We found that bilirubin, hemin, zinc protoporphyrin, curcumin, glutathione, and their combination as supplements can dose-dependently maintain pancreas and liver cells viability and functionality proven by increasing insulin secretion levels and transaminase enzyme activity. The strength of effects is displayed in the following order: bilirubin > combination of all compounds > hemin > zinc protoporphyrin > curcumin > glutathione.

This study shows that these compounds are suitable supplements with special biochemical properties. They provide optimal supplements for the culture media of pancreas and liver cells. They may fulfill a function in the antioxidant protection of pancreas and liver cells.

Trichostrongylus is an intestinal parasite that is highly prevalent in humans and livestock worldwide. There is limited information about the prevalence and epidemiology of Trichostrongylus species among the infected livestock in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. This study aimed to identify Trichostrongylus spp. among small ruminants using morphometric and molecular methods.

Small intestinal organs of sheep and goats, slaughtered in Mazandaran Province, were examined for infectivity with Trichostrongylus parasites. Primary species identification was conducted based on the morphological characterization of the male worms. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) II regions of the ribosomal DNA of the worm tissues were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and then the product was subjected to sequencing. Subsequently, the PCR products of the ITS II region were subjected to digestion by HinfI and DraI restriction enzymes using the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP).

Of 180 samples, 98 (54.44%) were confirmed positive for Trichostrongylus based on the conventional PCR. The digestion of the PCR products with HinfI and DraI facilitated the identification of three Trichostrongylus species, namely Trichostrongylus colubriformis (35%, 90.81%), Trichostrongylus axei (4%, 4.08%), and Trichostrongylus vitrinus (5%, 5.1%). Both morphometric and RFLP techniques resulted in the differentiation of the three Trichostrongylus species.

The present study was the 1st attempt in the last 30 years for the identification of Trichostrongylus species in small ruminants in Mazandaran Province. The findings of this study can be helpful for epidemiological and ecological studies, the establishment of effective control programs, and the management of gastrointestinal parasites in Mazandaran Province.