Prevailing of HPV-16 and 52 genotype in 2022-2023 in Sanandaj, Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Human papillomavirus (HPV) presents a potential threat to the onset of carcinogenesis in the cervix, anogenital regions, and oropharynx. HPV encompasses over 200 types, with at least 12 having the potential to cause cancer, impacting the majority of sexually active individuals. In this current research, we explore the occurrence and spread of HPV genotypes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: During this cross-sectional study conducted in Sanandaj, Iran from Feb 2022 to Aug 2023, diverse samples including oral, vaginal, and genital were collected from individuals referred to private laboratories in Sanandaj, Iran. After sample collection and DNA extraction (FAVORGEN, Taiwan), they were subjected to PCR and genotyping (MehrViru, Iran). The subsequent statistical analysis unveiled infection rates across different demographics and age groups. STATA (version 17) were used for statistical analysis. We examined infection rates across demographics using t-tests and Odds Ratio. RESULTS: Overall, 26% (249) out of 950 cases tested positive for HPV, with 69% of these classified as high-risk. Among the examined population, 98% (933) were female, and 2% (17) were male. Females aged 31-40 exhibited the highest percentage of HPV prevalence (115/460) in the study with the majority of positive cases belonging to HR genotypes. The overall most frequent genotypes identified were 6, 16, 52, 53, 51, 58, and 56. HPV-16 exhibited the highest frequency among HR genotypes, accounting for 42 (17%) occurrences, followed by HPV-52 with a frequency of 32 (13%). CONCLUSION: Our findings emphasize the significant prevalence of HPV among females, particularly in the 21-30 age group. The identification of high-risk genotypes, underscores the importance of targeted interventions for specific age cohorts. The age-stratified analysis highlights a consistent predominance of high-risk HPV across age groups, indicating the need for age-specific preventive measures. These results contribute valuable information for designing effective screening and vaccination strategies, to alleviate the impact of diseases associated with HPV.

Global epidemiology of HBV infection among hemodialysis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hemodialysis (HD) is a life-saving procedure that purifies the blood in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Among all major complications, blood-borne diseases like hepatitis B virus (HBV) may be exposed as serious side effects of hemodialysis. A comprehensive review of the global burden of HBV among HD patients has not been written so far. The aim of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the globally epidemiology of HBV infection among HD patients. METHODS: Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, articles that investigated the prevalence of HBV among HD patients were searched from the major databases such as EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science collection, and Scopus. Pooled prevalence with 95% CI and identification of heterogeneity were obtained using the random effects model and Cochran's Q-test, respectively, and quantification was evaluated using the I2 statistics. All statistical analyses were performed by STATA 14.1 statistical software. RESULTS: among 322 datasets (795,623 cases) that included in this study, the pooled prevalence of HBV infection among HD patients was 7.32% (95% CI: 6.53-8.15%; I2 = 97.91%), including 7.57% (95% CI: 6.69-8.48%) for HBsAg and 6.09% (95% CI: 4.05-8.49%) for DNA, respectively. In addition, based on geographic area, the prevalence was 7.44% (95% CI: 6.35-8.61%) in Asia, 4.32% (95% CI: 2.21-7.04%) in North America, 7.07% (95% CI: 6.35-8.61%) in Europe, 5.52% (95% CI: 3.60-7.78%) in Africa, 8.45% (95% CI: 5.81-11.78%) in Oceania, and 9.73% (95% CI: 7.11-12.70%) in South America. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis indicates a relatively high prevalence of HBV infection in HD patients, even in some developed countries. Considering that ESRD patients are not able to properly respond to the vaccination strategies in order to develop an acceptable immunity, vaccination of healthy individuals is highly recommended to arm their bodies for possible immunocompromise conditions in the future. Moreover, donated blood in blood transfusion centers should be checked for possible hepatitis B virus infection using sensitive molecular tests.

Association between Epstein-Bar virus and colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and any potential association between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: A systematic literature search was performed by finding relevant cross-sectional and case-control studies from main online databases. Heterogeneity, odds ratio (OR), and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to all studies through meta-analysis and forest plots. The analysis was performed using STATA Software v.14.1. RESULTS: Twenty-three articles were included in the meta-analysis, eight of them were case/control and 15 were cross-sectional. The pooled prevalence of EBV among 1954 CRC patients was 18% (95% CI: 12%-26%; I2 = 93.14%). Furthermore, in geographical regions, the highest and lowest prevalence of EBV was observed in South America 30% (95% CI: 18%-43%) and Africa 0% (95% CI: 0%-5%), respectively. An association was found between EBV infection and CRC [OR = 3.4 (95% CI (1.13-10.27); I2 = 72.3%)]. CONCLUSION: EBV infection is associated with CRC and can be considered a potential risk factor for the development of CRC. Although the exact molecular mechanism of EBV infection in the development of CRC is still unknown, it seems that latent infection by EBV, intestinal damage, and inflammation can be important factors in the induction of CRC.

Expression pattern analysis of the long non-coding RNAs (TINCR, RP11-573D15.8, RP11-156E8.1), and their target genes (AKT1, FOXO1 and MAPK3) in patients with HIV infection, and elite controllers.

Elite controllers (ECs) defined as a small subclass of subjects with HIV capable of controlling human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication in the lack of antiretroviral treatment. One class of RNA molecules that serve as vital components in the network of HIV-related transcriptional regulation, are long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). The critical part that they take is in transcriptional regulation of HIV through monitoring various cellular signaling pathways. Reportedly, AKT and MAPK signaling pathways serve a crucial role in modulation of HIV infection. In the current investigation, we utilized bioinformatics tools to predict the lncRNAs that have the ability to interact with MAPK3, AKT, and FOXO1. Then, PBMC expression levels of lncRNAs and their target genes (AKT, FOXO1 and MAPK3) measured in the ECs (n = 15), HIV-positive (n = 40) patients and healthy control subjects (n = 40). We found a significant increase and decrease in the level of AKT and FOXO1 expression within the ECs group, respectively than in the HIV + group (P-value <0.0001 and 0.04, respectively). In the ECs group, the level of TINCR and RP11-156E8.1 was overexpressed compared to the HIV + group (P-value: 0.004 and 0.001, respectively). While RP11-573D15.8 level in ECs exhibited a significant suppression in contrast to HIV + group (P-value: 0.02). According to the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve results, AKT and TINCR could serve as useful biomarkers for screening ECs groups from HIV + patients and healthy control groups. Overall, different expression patterns of selected factors and ROC curve results showed these factors could critically contribute to HIV controlling and be considered as diagnostic markers for ECs from HIV + samples.