Detection of Major Human Herpesviruses in Iranian Patients with Suspected Encephalitis Using Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction

PTEN regulation in virus-associated cancers

Despite advancements in science, researchers still face challenges in curing patients with malignancies. This health issue is linked to various risk factors, including alcohol consumption, age, sex, and infectious diseases. Among these, viral agents play a significant role in cancer-related health problems and are currently a subject of ongoing research. In this review, we summarize how several viruses-such as herpesviruses, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and adenovirus-impact cancer signaling pathways through their effects on the tumor suppressor PTEN.

A dual RPA-LFD assay for the simultaneous detection of Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis

Introduction: Salmonella was one of the most common bacteria that caused foodborne illness, with S. typhimurium (Salmonella typhimurium) and S. enteritidis (Salmonella enteritidis) infections accounting for more than 75% of human salmonella infections. Methods: In this study, we developed a method of dual recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral flow dipstick for the rapid detection of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis in clinical specimens (stool). Results: The entire reaction process, including amplification and result reading, could be completed within 65 min. The detection limits of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis in pure culture samples were 5.23 × 101 CFU/mL and 3.59 × 101 CFU/mL, respectively. The detection limits of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis in artificially contaminated samples were 8.30 × 101 CFU/mL and 2.70 × 102 CFU/mL, respectively. In addition, the method had no cross-reaction with other pathogenic microorganisms. The results in clinical samples were fully consistent with those obtained using Bacterial Analysis Manual, with sensitivity and specificity were 100% (8/8) and 100% (17/17) for S. typhimurium and 100% (4/4) and 100% (21/21) for S. enteritidis, respectively. Discussion: The detection limits of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis in artificially contaminated samples were higher than those in pure culture samples, which might be attributed to the inherent complex composition of artificially contaminated samples. In addition, the detection limits of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis in the same sample were also different, which might be attributed to different amplification efficiency of two target genes in the same reaction system. Conclusion: This assay had potential application outdoors, as it could be performed within 1 h at 38°C without a complex instrument, and the results could be observed with the naked eye. In conclusion, the dual RPA-LFD assay established in this study had practical significance for the rapid detection of S. typhimurium and S. enteritidis in the future.

The Evaluation of HERV-K np9, rec, gag Expression in Isolated Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell (PBMC) of Gastric and Colon Cancer

Background

In the current age of diagnostic approaches in cancer, countless efforts have been allocated to identify novel and efficient biomarkers to detect cancer in its early stages. We focused on evaluating the correlation between the progression of gastrointestinal cancer, a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and human endogenous retrovirus (HERV).

Materials and Methods

In this study, we conducted a study on the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) gathered from gastric and colon cancer patients. We focused on HERV-K rec, np9, gag expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR, after extraction of RNA and synthesizing cDNA.

Results

Unlike np9 whose expression increased significantly in the colon and gastric cancers, the mRNA level of the rec gene declined in both cancers. Moreover, our data illustrated that the over-expression of the gag gene was only observed in colon cancerous cells rather than gastric malignancy.

Conclusions

Overall, given the correlation between the expression level of HERV-associated genes and gastrointestinal cancer, our study suggests that these genes could be considered beneficial markers for cancer diagnosis. However, researchers should conduct studies in future articles on whether these genes can be employed as biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancer.