Association of human papillomavirus with breast cancer: a new perspective on an old debate.

Breast cancer is a common cancer in the female population. Despite remarkable progress in the treatment of this cancer, its exact etiology is still unknown. Since the first evidence of an association between breast cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) was provided in 1992, numerous studies have explored this subject but have reached contradictory results. In this review, the authors examine the existing evidence and hypotheses regarding the pathways whereby HPV infection can reach breast cells and the mediators linking HPV oncoproteins to breast cancer pathogenesis. Furthermore, the authors discuss contradictory findings regarding the association of HPV with breast cancer. Showing the link between HPV infection and increased genomic instability, reduced apoptosis, immune system dysfunction and progression of metastasis, the reviewed findings highlight the importance of active presence or history of HPV infection as a prognostic factor for breast tumor development.

Breast cancer is a common cancer in the female population. Although the exact cause of this cancer is still unknown, it has several major risk factors including family history, hormonal problems and age. It has been suggested that various viral infections, including human papillomavirus, can increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer. This review discusses the evidence regarding the association of human papillomavirus with breast cancer.

Prevalence of Invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections among Iranian Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen of children, mostly in developing countries. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of invasive S. pneumoniae among Iranian children using a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic search was carried out to identify papers published by Iranian authors in the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar electronic databases from January of 2010 to December of 2017. Then, seven publications that met our inclusion criteria were selected for data extraction and analysis. RESULTS: Totally, one study was multicenter, and six were single-center based studies. Meanwhile, all of the included studied performed among hospitalized patients. Seven studies reported the prevalence of invasive S. pneumoniae isolated from children, of these the pooled prevalence of S. pneumoniae was 2.5% (95% CI: 0.7%-9.1%). CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of invasive S. pneumoniae infections among Iranian children is low (2.5%). However, further clinical studies are required to elucidate the burden of infections among Iranian children, especially in eastern regions.

Effect of Helicobacter Pylori eradication on patients with ITP: a meta-analysis of studies conducted in the Middle East.

BACKGROUND: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a bleeding disorder. Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative bacterium that is presumed to be associated with ITP and therapeutic response of patients. To evaluate the effect of H. pylori eradication on platelet count of ITP patients, we analyzed the studies conducted on the association between H. pylori infection and response to therapy in ITP patients in Western Asia focusing on the Middle East region. METHODS: A systematic search of databases (PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Central) and Google Scholar search engine results was conducted up until January 2020. The keywords included in the search were Helicobacter pylori and/or H. pylori, ITP and/or immune thrombocytopenia. RESULTS: Seven studies comprising a total of 228 H. pylori-infected patients (193 with successful eradication) were included in this study. The association between H. pylori eradication and ITP was expressed as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The findings showed that patients who received eradication treatment for H. pylori infection had significantly higher OR (OR, 8.83; 95% CI, 2.03‒38.35; P =0.004) than those in the non-eradicated group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate a significant therapeutic effect of H. pylori eradication on the platelet count of patients with chronic ITP. Given the inherent limitations of this study, including the small number of patients, further studies with more patients are recommended.