A comprehensive, updated systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic evidence on the connection between herpes zoster infection and the risk of stroke.

Stroke is a common worldwide cause of death and disability, resulting from an obstruction or reduction in blood flow to the brain. Research has demonstrated that systemic infection such as herpes zoster (HZ) / ophthalmicus herpes zoster (HZO) can potentially trigger stroke. This study includes an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiologic data on the connection between HZ/HZO infection and the risk of stroke. A meticulous search of different database yielded 905 studies. Furthermore, an additional 14 studies from a previous meta-analysis were incorporated. Eligible studies underwent rigorous screening, resulting in 18 papers. Statistical analyses, including random/fixed effects models and subgroup analyses, were conducted to assess pooled relative risk (RR) and heterogeneity. The meta-analysis consisted of 5,505,885 participants and found a statistically significant association between HZ infection and the risk of stroke (pooled RR = 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-1.34). The HZO infection showed a significantly higher overall pooled RR of 1.71 (95% CI 1.06-2.75), indicating a strong connection with the risk of stroke. Subgroup analysis revealed that the odds ratio might play a significant role in causing heterogeneity. Time since infection emerged as a crucial factor, with heightened stroke risk in the initial year post-HZ/HZO exposure, followed by a decline after the first year. Asian/Non-Asian studies demonstrated varied results in HZ/HZO patients. Meta-analysis reveals a significant HZ/HZO-stroke link. Subgroups highlight varied risks and warrant extended Asian/non-Asian patient investigation.

Oral immunotherapy for Helicobacter pylori: Can it be trusted? A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a rod-shaped, gram-negative, microaerophilic bacterium that can be identified by gram staining. Its relationship with cancer is significant since it is involved in approximately 80% of gastric cancers and 5.5% of all malignant cancers. Two lines of treatment have been defined for H. pylori, but almost 40% of patients do not respond to the first line. Recent trials have investigated oral Immunotherapy as a new treatment method. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the potential effects of oral Immunotherapy on eradication rate of H. pylori in human studies. METHODS: The systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. We searched online databases, including Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI). Our search strategy was limited to English articles and studies on human populations that use oral immunotherapy for H. pylori. RESULTS: The total number of primary research records in different databases was 2775. After removing duplicate articles (n = 870), we excluded 1829 for reasons including non-human studies, irrelevance to our study objective, non-English language, or lack of information. Of the remaining 76 articles, only seven had sufficient information, and the rest were excluded. The studies were divided into two groups: those that used bovine antibody and those that used immunoglobulin Y to eradicate H. pylori. CONCLUSION: In the group of Immunoglobulin Y, three out of four studies suggest that using Immunoglobulin Y for the treatment of H. pylori infection is significant. However, the group using bovine antibody for the treatment of H. pylori infection has various results, as two out of three studies concluded that bovine antibody therapy is not significant.

Evaluation of autoimmune liver disease natural history in patients referred to Middle East Liver Diseases (MELD) center.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune liver diseases (AILD) are increasing and common forms of chronic liver disease (CLD) with different clinical responses and characteristics which can result in cirrhosis. This study aimed to investigate the natural history and characteristics of AILD in an Iranian population. METHODS: Patients with AILD [Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH), Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC), Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and Overlap Syndrome (OS)] referred to Middle East Liver Diseases (MELD) center, Tehran, Iran, between January 2002 and December 2022 were included in this retrospective cohort study. The main features of natural history (the trends of liver functional tests (LFT), Auto-Antibodies, response to treatment and cirrhotic status) along with demographic data were studied. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-five patients (160 (60.4%) AIH, 37 (14.0%) PBC, 20 (7.5%) PSC, 48 (18.1%) overlap syndrome) with a median follow-up time of 5 years (IQR 4 to 8 years) were included. Baseline laboratory tests revealed that patients with AIH exhibit elevated transaminase levels. However, patients suffering from PBC and PSC displayed increased alkaline phosphatase levels. Conversely, in overlap syndrome patients, both transaminases and alkaline phosphatase were observed at high levels. Autoantibodies represented themselves as important diagnostic markers for the AIH and PBC but not for PSC. The complete response occurred in 112 (70%) of and 28 (58.4%) patients with AIH and overlap syndrome respectively and 21 patients 11 (6.9%) of AIH and 10 (20.8%) of overlap syndrome) were non-responders. Other patients in these two categories were considered as insufficient responders. On the other side, 32 (91.9%) and 8 (40%) of patients with PBC and PSC biochemically responded to Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA). Unpredictably, cirrhosis regression was observed in some AIH and PBC patients. CONCLUSION: Appropriate medication management for AILD patients may leads to regression from cirrhosis and improvement of manifestations; while discontinuation of medication may cause relapses. However, patient suffering from PSC showed limited response to treatment.

How reliable is pre-sleeve endoscopy to characterize pathological features?

BACKGROUND: Vertical sleeve gastrectomy is a relatively new bariatric procedure with lower morbidity and mortality than other weight loss surgeries. The predictive values of preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy for detecting histopathological abnormalities prior to sleeve gastrectomy have not been clearly described. This study aimed to determine the negative predictive value of preoperative endoscopic biopsies for detecting Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and other pathological findings. METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined 102 patients who underwent vertical sleeve gastrectomy from January 2023 to November 2023. Preoperative histopathology of esophagogastroduodenoscopy specimens was compared to postoperative ones for H. pylori infection, gastritis, atrophy, and metaplasia. Moreover, gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms were postoperatively followed for 6 months. RESULTS: The negative predictive value of preoperative esophagogastroduodenoscopy for detecting H. pylori infection, gastritis, metaplasia and atrophy were 95 %, 79 %, 93 %, and 98 %, respectively. In an overall view, for all pathologies, the negative predictive value was 53.4 %. Moderate gastritis and focal metaplasia were significantly underdiagnosed preoperatively (p < 0.001). H. pylori infection and focal metaplasia were significantly more prevalent in females after surgery (p < 0.001). H. pylori infection and gastritis were positively correlated with increased postoperative gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Preoperative endoscopy has a high negative predictive value for detecting H. pylori infection, atrophy, and metaplasia but has suboptimal values for gastritis.

Apatinib increases anticancer potential of doxorubicin in breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, drug resistance has become a most important challenge in chemotherapy of malignancies. Here, we investigated a novel approach to enhance therapeutic potential of doxorubicin (Dox as a common chemotherapeutic drug) by co-administration of apatinib (Apa as a monoclonal antibody) in breast cancer treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: Effects of Apa, Dox, and their combinations (Apa-Dox) were investigated on proliferation of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells by MTT assay. Moreover, migration and invasion of the treated and untreated control cancer cells were evaluated by scratch and transwell methods, respectively. Apoptosis percentage of the treated cancer cells was investigated by flow cytometry method. Finally, apoptosis-, metastasis-, and angiogenesis-related gene expression at mRNA and protein levels in the cancer cells were investigated by Real-Time PCR and western blotting methods, respectively. Our results indicated that treatments of cancer cells by Apa, Dox, and Apa-Dox significantly decrease proliferation, migration, and invasion of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Treatments of the breast cancer cells by Apa, Dox, and Apa-Dox significantly increase apoptosis percentage. We observed that anticancer effects of Apa, Dox, and Apa-Dox may due to modification of apoptosis-, metastasis-, and angiogenesis-related gene expression (at mRNA and protein level) in the breast cancer cells. However, anticancer potential of Apa-Dox combination was significantly more than Apa and Dox monotherapy. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that Apa significantly increases anticancer potential of Dox in MDA-MB-231 breast cells. However, further in-vitro, in-vivo, and clinical studies are required to confirm this result.

Expression of Pivotal Long Non-coding RNAs Implicated in Gastric Cancer: A Bioinformatic and Clinical Study.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a prominent public health issue and ranks as the third most prevalent cause of cancer-related mortality on a global scale. The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer is not yet fully understood, particularly in relation to GC development. The objective of this study was to examine the expression levels of lncRNAs in GC tissues using a bioinformatics-based ranking approach. A bioinformatics methodology was employed to prioritize lncRNAs that are hypothesized to play a role in GC tumorigenesis. Moreover, a selection was made for experimental validation of the highest-ranked lncRNAs, which include HCG18, OIP5-AS1, FGD5-AS1, and NORAD. Additionally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to confirm the results obtained from bioinformatics analysis in a total of 35 GC samples and their corresponding adjacent non-tumoral samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the corresponding area under the ROC curve (AUC) were utilized to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the lncRNAs. The bioinformatics analysis revealed that the lncRNA HCG18 is the highest-ranked lncRNA associated with GC. Furthermore, the expression levels of HCG18, OIP5-AS1, FGD5-AS1, and NORAD were found to be significantly elevated in GC samples when compared to adjacent non-tumoral samples. The calculated values for the AUC of HCG18, OIP5-AS1, FGD5-AS1, and NORAD were 0.80, 0.74, 0.73, and 0.71, respectively. The results of the study indicate that the lncRNAs HCG18, OIP5-AS1, FGD5-AS1, and NORAD may play a role in the development of GC. Additionally, the present study revealed that utilizing bioinformatic techniques can prove to be a highly effective strategy in identifying potential lncRNAs pertinent to the progression of GC.

Targeted delivery of a short antimicrobial peptide (CM11) against Helicobacter pylori gastric infection using concanavalin A-coated chitosan nanoparticles.

Helicobacter pylori is the cause of most cases of stomach ulcers and also causes some digestive cancers. The emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of H. pylori is one of the most important challenges in the treatment of its infections. The present study aims to develop a concanavalin A (ConA) coated chitosan (CS) nanocarrier-based drug delivery for the targeted release of peptides to the site of H. pylori infection. Accordingly, chitosan was used as an encapsulating agent for CM11 peptide delivery by applying ionotropic gelation method. Con-A was used for coating CS nanoparticles to target H. pylori. The CS NPs and ConA-CS NPs were characterized by FTIR, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The MIC of CM11-loaded ConA-CS NPs against H. pylori SS1 strain was analyzed in vitro. In order to evaluate the treatment efficiency in vivo, a gastric infection model of H. pylori SS1 strain was established in mice and histopathological studies and IL-1ß cytokine assay were performed. Based on the results, the size frequency for CS NPs and ConA-CS NPs was about 200 and 350 nm, respectively. The prepared CM11-loaded ConA-CS NPs exhibited antibacterial activity against H. pylori SS1 strain with a concentration of 32 µg/ml. The highest healing process was observed in synthesized CM11-loaded ConA-CS NPs treatments and a significant decrease in IL-1ß was observed. Our findings highlight the potential of chitosan nanoparticles as a drug delivery vehicle in the treatment of gastric infection model of H. pylori SS1 strain.

Outlook of therapeutic and diagnostic competency of nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: The newly emerged coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) continues to infect humans, and no completely efficient treatment has yet been found. Antibody therapy is one way to control infection caused by COVID-19, but the use of classical antibodies has many disadvantages. Heavy chain antibodies (HCAbs) are single-domain antibodies derived from the Camelidae family. The variable part of these antibodies (Nanobodies or VHH) has interesting properties such as small size, identify criptic epitopes, stability in harsh conditions, good tissue permeability and cost-effective production causing nanobodies have become a good candidate in the treatment and diagnosis of viral infections. METHODS: Totally 157 records (up to November 10, 2021), were recognized to be reviewed in this study. 62 studies were removed after first step screening due to their deviation from inclusion criteria. The remaining 95 studies were reviewed in details. After removing articles that were not in the study area, 45 remaining studies met the inclusion criteria and were qualified to be included in the systematic review. RESULTS: In this systematic review, the application of nanobodies in the treatment and detection of COVID-19 infection was reviewed. The results of this study showed that extensive and sufficient studies have been performed in the field of production of nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2 virus and the obtained nanobodies have a great potential for use in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus. CONCLUSION: According to the obtained results, it was found that nanobodies can be used effectively in the treatment and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

A case report of simultaneous autoimmune and COVID-19 encephalitis.

COVID-19 encephalitis is a rare condition usually presenting with altered mental status. Simultaneous presence of anti-NMDAR antibody and SARS-CoV-2 virus in CSF is a very rare condition described in a few case reports so far. On the other hand, brain edema is an unusual presentation of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Herein, we reported a case with simultaneous detection of anti-NMDAR antibody and SARS-CoV-2 virus in her cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) presenting with brain edema, altered mental status, seizures, and respiratory symptoms.

Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with COVID-19: a case report study.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading around the world. Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) typically present fever, cough, and respiratory illnesses. It has been revealed that the comorbidities can turn it into severe types, and the managements meet unpredicted complications. Here, we report a case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) coincidence with confirmed acute Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Ten days after admission and therapeutic process, the patient developed autonomic dysfunction. Despite respiratory support and receiving intravenous immunoglobulin, the patient died due to cardiac arrest. Albeit it is yet scientifically doubtful, there are raising concerns toward a possible association between GBS and SARS-CoV-2 infection, demonstrating potential neurological symptoms of COVID-19.

Nanobodies, the potent agents to detect and treat the Coronavirus infections: A systematic review.

The newly emerged coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) continues to infect humans, and no effective treatment has yet been found. Antibody therapy is one way to control infection caused by COVID-19. However, the use of classical antibodies raises complex issues. Heavy chain antibodies (HCAbs) are single-domain antibodies derived from the Camelidae family. The variable part of these antibodies (Nanobodies or VHH) has interesting properties such as small size, cost-effective production, and good tissue permeability, causing VHH to be regarded as an antiviral therapeutics. However, the small size of nanobodies may lead to low antigen binding affinity and rapid renal clearance. In this systematic review, the application of nanobodies in the treatment of COVID-19 infection and other similar infections (MERS and SARS) was reviewed.

Therapeutic effects of Chlorella vulgaris on carbon tetrachloride induced liver fibrosis by targeting Hippo signaling pathway and AMPK/FOXO1 axis.

This study was conducted to present the mechanism of the therapeutic effects of Chlorella vulgaris extract (CV) on the carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced liver fibrosis model. Primarily, the mechanism of antioxidant effects of CV were investigated via measuring the expression of forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1) and phosphorylated 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) as upstream regulators of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). Subsequently, we investigated the regulatory effect of CV treatment on the yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivators with a PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) as fibrogenic factors. Male Wistar rats received CCl4 and olive oil solution 1 ml/kg intraperitoneally for 12 weeks, twice weekly. CV 50 and 100 mg/kg were administered on a daily basis by gavage in the last 4 weeks. Ultimately, liver marker enzymes and hepatic hydroxyproline content were measured. The activity of SOD and CAT and the expression of YAP, TAZ, FOXO1, SOD, and CAT were analyzed. Finally, the protein levels of YAP, TAZ, and p-AMPK were detected. CV administration decreased liver marker enzymes and hydroxyproline content significantly. The expression and protein levels of YAP and TAZ reduced by CV treatment. Furthermore, the augmentation of expression and function of CAT and SOD by CV treatment was followed by an increase in the expression of FOXO1 and protein level of p-AMPK. Our data revealed that the stimulation of expression and function of SOD and CAT by CV treatment could be mediated by FOXO1/p-AMPK axis. Moreover, anti-fibrotic effect of CV might be associated with its inhibitory effect on the hepatic expression of YAP and TAZ. Chlorella vulgaris treatment ameliorates liver fibrosis via two cellular mechanisms. A) Likely, Chlorella vulgaris treatment increases gene expression of enzymatic antioxidants superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) via upregulating its upstream regulatory elements i.e. phosphorylated 5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK) and forkhead box protein O1 (FOXO1). These possible regulatory effects maybe lead to reduce reactive oxygen species level (ROS). B) Chlorella vulgaris treatment decreases hepatic protein level and gene expression of key elements of Hippo signaling pathway i.e. Yes-associated protein (YAP) and Transcriptional coactivators with a PDZ-binding motif (TAZ). Figure created with BioRender ( https://biorender.com ). ROS: Reactive oxygen species, YAP: Yes-associated protein, TAZ: Transcriptional coactivators with a PDZ-binding motif, FOXO1: Fork head Box O1, AMPK: 5' adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase, SOD: Superoxide dismutase, CAT: Catalase, P: Phosphate group.

A challenging choice of aptamer for the selective enrichment of ochratoxin A.

In a recent study, the adenosine monophosphate-specific aptamer has been applied for the rapid extraction of ochratoxin A. Although several publications have already reported the selection of adenosine monophosphate, adenosine triphosphate, and adenosine, there is no report on the detection of ochratoxin A using this aptamer. The data of the previous study are surprising since its aptamer-based magnetic metal-organic framework has shown a high selectivity with a very low detection limit for the selection of ochratoxin A. However, numerous studies have demonstrated that each aptamer can specifically bind to a target by folding into a unique structure and can differentiate molecules that differ by only one functional group. This study aimed to deal with the possibility of recognizing ochratoxin A and adenosine monophosphate by adenosine monophosphate-specific aptamer. The procedure was performed by determining structural similarity and alignment, docking adenosine monophosphate and ochratoxin A on aptamer, and monitoring the interactions between ochratoxin A and adenosine monophosphate specific aptamer complex. The results indicated not only the lack of structural similarity between adenosine monophosphate and ochratoxin A but also the little possibility for strong bonds between the ochratoxin A and aptamer.

An Integrated Data Analysis of mRNA, miRNA and Signaling Pathways in Pancreatic Cancer.

Although many genes and miRNAs have been reported for various cancers, pancreatic cancer's specific genes or miRNAs have not been studied precisely yet. Therefore, we have analyzed the gene and miRNA expression profile of pancreatic cancer data in the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database. The microarray-derived miRNAs and mRNAs were annotated by gene ontology (GO) and signaling pathway analysis. We also recognized mRNAs that were targeted by miRNA through the mirDIP database. An integrated analysis of the microarray revealed that only 6 out of 43 common miRNAs had significant differences in their expression profiles between the tumor and normal groups (P value < 0.05 and |log Fold Changes (logFC)|> 1). The hsa-miR-210 had upregulation, whereas hsa-miR-375, hsa-miR-216a, hsa-miR-217, hsa-miR-216b and hsa-miR-634 had downregulation in pancreatic cancer (PC). The analysis results also revealed 109 common mRNAs by microarray and mirDIP 4.1 databases. Pathway analysis showed that amoebiasis, axon guidance, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, absorption and focal adhesion, adherens junction, platelet activation, protein digestion, human papillomavirus infection, extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor interaction, and riboflavin metabolism played important roles in pancreatic cancer. GO analysis revealed the significant enrichment in the three terms of biological process, cellular component, and molecular function, which were identified as the most important processes associated strongly with pancreatic cancer. In conclusion, DTL, CDH11, COL5A1, ITGA2, KIF14, SMC4, VCAN, hsa-mir-210, hsa-mir-217, hsa-mir-216a, hsa-mir-216b, hsa-mir-375 and hsa-mir-634 can be reported as the novel diagnostic or even therapeutic markers for the future studies. Also, the hsa-mir-107 and hsa-mir-125a-5p with COL5A1, CDH11 and TGFBR1 genes can be introduced as major miRNA and genes on the miRNA-drug-mRNA network. The new regulatory network created in our study could give a deeper knowledge of the pancreatic cancer.

Epidemiology of COVID-19: An updated review.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a zoonotic infection, is responsible for COVID-19 pandemic and also is known as a public health concern. However, so far, the origin of the causative virus and its intermediate hosts is yet to be fully determined. SARS-CoV-2 contains nearly 30,000 letters of RNA that allows the virus to infect cells and hijack them to make new viruses. On the other hand, among 14 detected mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 S protein that provide advantages to virus for transmission and evasion form treatment, the D614G mutation (substitution of aspartic acid [D] with glycine [G] in codon 614 was particular which could provide the facilitation of the transmission of the virus and virulence. To date, in contrary to the global effort to come up with various aspects of SARS-CoV-2, there are still great pitfalls in the knowledge of this disease and many angles remain unclear. That's why, the monitoring and periodical investigation of this emerging infection in an epidemiological study seems to be essential. The present study characterizes the current epidemiological status (i.e., possible transmission route, mortality and morbidity risk, emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, and clinical feature) of the SARS-CoV-2 in the world during these pandemic.

Aptamers, the bivalent agents as probes and therapies for coronavirus infections: A systematic review.

The recently known coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has turn into the greatest global health challenge, affecting a large number of societies. The lack of specific treatment and gold-standard diagnostic system has made the situation more complicated. Efforts have led to production of several diagnostic kits that are associated with limitations such as inadequate sensitivity and accuracy. Aptamers as multipotent biological probes could be promising candidates to design sensitive and specific biosensors. Although few studies have introduced specific aptamer types of coronavirus, they may help us select the best approach to obtain specific aptamers for this virus. On the other hand, some of already-introduced aptamers have shown the inhibitory effects on coronavirus that could be applied as therapeutics. The present study has provided a systematic overview on use of aptamer-based biosensors and drugs to diagnose and treat coronavirus.

A novel circular RNA hsa_circ_0060927 may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for human colorectal cancer.

CYP24A1 plays a role in strictly regulated vitamin D metabolism pathway and has been nominated as a prognostic biomarker for colorectal cancer (CRC). Increasing evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved in cancer initiation and progression; however, their diagnostic values in cancers as the new potential biomarkers are still not fully understood. In the present study, by using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), we demonstrated that CYP24A1 and hsa_circ_0060927 were only transcribed in 33 and 25 out of 83 CRC tissues, respectively. In these samples, we demonstrated that CYP24A1 was up-regulated in both linear and circular forms (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we showed that CYP24A1and hsa_circ_0060927 transcription were induced after vitamin D treatment in HCT-116 and HT-29 colon cancer cell lines. Importantly, analysis of the ROC curve in expressed samples indicated that CYP24A1 and hsa_circ_0060927 could serve as the potential diagnostic markers of CRC, but due to the fact that these transcripts are not expressed in many samples, the diagnostic role of these transcripts could be rejected. Taken together, for the first time, the results of our study illustrated the expression levels hsa_circ_0060927 in CRC; however, further studies are required to validate the present results.

Crosstalk between chitosan and cell signaling pathways.

The field of tissue engineering (TE) experiences its most exciting time in the current decade. Recent progresses in TE have made it able to translate into clinical applications. To regenerate damaged tissues, TE uses biomaterial scaffolds to prepare a suitable backbone for tissue regeneration. It is well proven that the cell-biomaterial crosstalk impacts tremendously on cell biological activities such as differentiation, proliferation, migration, and others. Clarification of exact biological effects and mechanisms of a certain material on various cell types promises to have a profound impact on clinical applications of TE. Chitosan (CS) is one of the most commonly used biomaterials with many promising characteristics such as biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, biodegradability, and others. In this review, we discuss crosstalk between CS and various cell types to provide a roadmap for more effective applications of this polymer for future uses in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Manufacturing of a novel double-function ssDNA aptamer for sensitive diagnosis and efficient neutralization of SEA.

Staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) is an enterotoxin produced mainly by Staphylococcus aureus. In recent years, it has become the most prevalent compound for staphylococcal food poisoning (SFP) around the world. In this study, we isolate new dual-function single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) aptamers by using some new methods, such as the Taguchi method, by focusing on the detection and neutralization of SEA enterotoxin in food and clinical samples. For the asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (PCR) optimization of each round of systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX), we use Taguchi L9 orthogonal arrays, and the aptamer mobility shift assay (AMSA) is used for initial evaluation of the protein-DNA interactions on the last SELEX round. In our investigation the dissociation constant (KD) value and the limit of detection (LOD) of the candidate aptamer were found to be 8.5 ±â€¯0.91 of nM and 5 ng/ml using surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In the current study, the Taguchi and mobility shift assay methods were innovatively harnessed to improve the selection process and evaluate the protein-aptamer interactions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on employing these two methods in aptamer technology especially against bacterial toxin.