Monogenic etiologies of persistent human papillomavirus infections: A comprehensive systematic review.

PURPOSE: Persistent human papillomavirus infection (PHPVI) causes cutaneous, anogenital, and mucosal warts. Cutaneous warts include common warts, Treeman syndrome, and epidermodysplasia verruciformis, among others. Although more reports of monogenic predisposition to PHPVI have been published with the development of genomic technologies, genetic testing is rarely incorporated into clinical assessments. To encourage broader molecular testing, we compiled a list of the various monogenic etiologies of PHPVI. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review to determine the genetic, immunological, and clinical characteristics of patients with PHPVI. RESULTS: The inclusion criteria were met by 261 of 40,687 articles. In 842 patients, 83 PHPVI-associated genes were identified, including 42, 6, and 35 genes with strong, moderate, and weak evidence for causality, respectively. Autosomal recessive inheritance predominated (69%). PHPVI onset age was 10.8 ± 8.6 years, with an interquartile range of 5 to 14 years. GATA2,IL2RG,DOCK8, CXCR4, TMC6, TMC8, and CIB1 are the most frequently reported PHPVI-associated genes with strong causality. Most genes (74 out of 83) belong to a catalog of 485 inborn errors of immunity-related genes, and 40 genes (54%) are represented in the nonsyndromic and syndromic combined immunodeficiency categories. CONCLUSION: PHPVI has at least 83 monogenic etiologies and a genetic diagnosis is essential for effective management.

Shikonin ameliorates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) via immunomodulatory, anti-apoptotic and antioxidative activity.

OBJECTIVES: Multiple sclerosis is a common autoimmune inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. There are several underlying mechanisms for the pathogenesis of the disease, including inflammation, oligodendrocyte apoptosis and oxidative stress. METHODS: The mechanism of action of shikonin was investigated in the C57BL/6 experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of multiple sclerosis. KEY FINDINGS: The results revealed that EAE induction significantly increased the extent of demyelination in the corpus callosum tissues of the animals, while treatment of the mice with shikonin significantly decreased the extent of demyelination. Real-time polymerase chain reaction-based analysis of the brain samples from the EAE mice revealed significant enhancement in the expression levels of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and Bax genes as well as a reduction in the expression levels of transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and Bcl2. But, shikonin treatment significantly reduced the expression levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ and Bax. On the other hand, the expression levels of TGF-ß and Bcl2 as well as the activity of glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPX-1) enzyme were significantly increased following the shikonin treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasized the immune-modulatory and antioxidative effects of shikonin, which may have an important healing effect on the severity of EAE.

Is α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase the key to curing cancer? A mini-review and hypothesis.

In the constant battle against cancer cells, macrophages are of great importance. Their activation is achieved through various mechanisms such as Vitamin D binding protein (VDBP or Gc). After undergoing modifications via enzymes secreted by stimulated lymphocytes, VDBP is modified into Macrophages Activator Form/Factor (Gc-MAF). Some studies (particularly those focusing on cancer) have reported that an enzyme known as α-N-acetylgalactosaminidase (nagalase) facilitates the deglycosylation of Gc-MAF, which in turn inhibits the activation of macrophages. The aim of this review was to evaluate studies associated with nagalase and its escalation in various diseases and to propose hypothetical solutions in order to neutralize the effects of nagalase in cancer patients.

The Genotoxic and Cytotoxic Effects of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in MCF-7 Cell Line and Amniocytes.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an industrial xenoestrogen used widely in our living environment. Recently, several studies suggested that BPA has destructive effects on DNA and chromosomes in normal body cells via estrogen receptors (ER). Therefore, BPA could be considered as an important mediator in many diseases such as cancer. However, there are still many controversial issues which need clarification. In this study, we investigated the BPA-induced chromosomal damages in MCF-7 cell line, ER-positive and negative amniocyte cells. Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity effects of BPA were also compared between these three cell groups. Expression of estrogen receptors was determined using immunocytochemistry technique. The cell cytotoxicity of BPA was measured by MTT assay. Classic cytogenetic technique was carried out for the investigation of chromosome damage. BPA, in addition to cytotoxicity, had remarkable genotoxicity at concentrations close to the traceable levels in tissues or biological fluids. Although some differences were observed in the amount of damages between ER-positive and negative fetal cells, interestingly, these differences were not significant. The present study showed that BPA could lead to chromosomal aberrations in both ER-dependent and independent pathways at some concentrations or in cell types yet not reported. Also, BPA could probably be considered as a facilitator for some predisposed cells to be cancerous by raising the chromosome instability levels. Finally, estrogen receptor seems to have a different role in cytotoxicity and genotoxicity effects.