The effect of nutritional factors on urolithiasis: A case-control study.

Urolithiasis, a prevalent chronic kidney disease affecting all age groups, can be influenced by nutritional factors. The incidence of urolithiasis in Asian countries ranges from 1% to 19.1%, attributed to geographical and lifestyle differences. In Iran, several risk factors, including ethnicity, dietary habits, gender, and age, are associated with urolithiasis. This study aimed to assess the impact of nutritional factors on kidney and urinary tract stone formation. This case-control study enrolled 127 newly diagnosed urolithiasis patients, and 127 matched healthy participants between February to May 2017. Exclusion criteria included diabetes and acute or chronic renal failure. Data were collected using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and analyzed using chi-square and logistic regression tests. Water (95% CI: 0.09-0.89, OR=0.28), natural juices (95% CI: 0.10-0.65, OR=0.53), mineral water (95% CI: 0.05-0.64, OR=0.18), legumes (95% CI: 0.00-0.38, OR=0.032), butter, cream, or peppermint (95% CI: 0.09-0.95, OR=0.30), and ice cream (95% CI: 0.07-0.54, OR=0.203) had a significant protective effect against kidney and urinary tract stone formation. Conversely, tea consumption (95% CI: 1.15-7.99, OR=4.70), beverages (95% CI: 4.45-23.32, OR=23.32), coffee (95% CI: 1.63-11.78, OR=4.39), bread (95% CI: 1.1-10.59, OR=3.37), meat (95% CI: 1.01-8.01, OR=2.85), liver (95% CI: 3.37-488.90, OR=40.58), fish (95% CI: 2.89-216.39, OR=25.03), and various canned foods (95% CI: 1.34-10.25, OR=3.70) were significantly associated with kidney and urinary tract stone risk. These findings showed that the risk of urinary stones formation had a significant relationship with dietary habits. Therefore, the correct dietary pattern and sufficient fluid consumption may play an important role in preventing urinary stones.

Are the Costimulatory Molecule Gene Polymorphisms (CTLA-4) Associated With Infection in Organ Transplantation? A Meta-Analysis.

Organ transplantation has been linked to certain gene polymorphisms. The effect of gene polymorphisms-associated organ transplantation gene on infection, on the other hand, is yet unknown. The research studying the link between the CTLA-4 rs5742909, rs733618, rs4553808, rs231775, and polymorphisms of the organ transplantation gene and infection were found in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, and the published articles from 2012 to 2020 were gathered. For the best estimation of the intended results, a random-effects model was used in this meta-analysis. In this study, 1,567 studies were initially included and 9 eligible studies were eligible for further analyses. A significant correlation between CTLA4+49 [A/G-231775 odds ratio (OR) = 077, 0.59-0.95] and CTLA4 [rs5742909TT OR: 0.09, 0.27-0.45] gene polymorphism with infection in organ transplantation was observed. Also, no significant association was found between other CTLA4 gene polymorphisms with infection in organ transplantation. Further studies involving gene-gene and gene-diet interactions should be conducted to investigate this association with infection.

MiR-181a and -b expression in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its correlation with acute graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, COVID-19 and torque teno viruses.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a malignant transformation and proliferation of the lymphoid line of blood cells, is characterized by chromosomal abnormalities and genetic changes. The purpose of this research was the evaluation of expression level of miR-181a and -b in patients with ALL compared to the control group. Furthermore, we examined their expression level in hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) patients who developed acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) in comparison with those without aGVHD and explore the relationship between their expression level and cytogenetic abnormalities. In this cross-sectional study, 76 newly diagnosed adult De novo ALL patients were enrolled who were admitted to our referral hospital. All patients received standard chemotherapy, consisting of daunorubicin. A total of 37 patients underwent HSCT from the related human leukocyte antigen-matched donors. ALL patients have been diagnosed with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Torque teno viruses (TTVs). We assessed the expression levels of miR-181a and -b in the peripheral blood sample of ALL patients at the time of diagnosis prior to chemotherapy, and healthy matched individuals by RT-PCR. TTVs and COVID-19 load were also determined via RT-PCR. In conclusion, the expression level of miR-181a and -b were significantly higher in ALL patients than healthy controls and also increased in patients who developed aGVHD in comparison with those without aGVHD. MiR-181a and -b can be a useful biomarker in ALL and a useful indicator of aGVHD. The expression level of miR-181a in ALL patients with COVID-19 is significantly up-regulated, while it is reduced in these patients with TTV.