Bacterial Ocular Infections in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: Eye infections can be caused by several microorganisms and the most common causative bacterial agents are staphylococci, streptococci, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, viridans group streptococci, and P. aeruginosa as the cause of ocular infections in Iran. Methods: We conducted a systematic search on the studies published by Iranian authors from January 2000 to December 2020 in Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Eligible studies were selected according to the defined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Statistical heterogeneity between and within groups was estimated by the Q-statistic and I2 index. The funnel plots, Duval and Tweedie trim, and fill methods were obtained to evaluate the evidence of publication bias. Results: Twenty-seven studies were included in this review. According to the meta-analysis results, the prevalence of S.epidermidis was 19.1% (95% CI: 12.5-28.1). It was estimated 6.9% (95% CI: 4.4-10.6), 6.7% (95% CI: 4.6-9.6), and 3.3% (95% CI: 1.8-5.8) for P.aeruginosa, S. aureus, and viridans streptococci, respectively. Conclusions: S. epidermidis is the prevalent bacterial agents responsible for eye-associated infections in Iran.

Apoptosis-inducing Plant-based Phenolic Compounds are Effective on Leukemia Cell Lines.

Numerous natural compounds have been identified that are able to induce apoptosis in cancer cells. These compounds have various chemical properties and are found in medicinal plants, vegetables, and fruits that are commonly consumed by humans. Phenols represent important compounds, which have been demonstrated to induce apoptosis in cancer cells, and some of the involved mechanisms have also been determined. The most important and abundant phenolic compounds are tannins, caffeic acid, capsaicin, gallic acid, resveratrol, and curcumin. Induction of apoptosis with the least or no toxicity to natural tissues is one of the useful effects of many plant-based bioactive compounds. Phenols, with anticancer potency at different degrees, serve to induce apoptosis through different pathways, including both extrinsic (Fas) and intrinsic (calcium release, ROS increase, DNA degradation, and mitochondrial membrane impairment). In this review, we report these compounds and their apoptosis-inducing mechanisms. Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a precise and systematic mechanism that is aimed at removing damaged or abnormal cells and is very useful to control, treat, and prevent cancer. Apoptotic cells are characterized by specific morphological features and molecular expression. In addition to physiological stimuli, there are many external factors that can be useful for inducing apoptosis. Also, these compounds can affect the regulatory proteins of the apoptotic pathways, such as the apoptotic proteins (Bid and BAX) and antiapoptotic proteins (Bcl-2). Taking these compounds and their molecular mechanisms into account can help use them in combination with chemical drugs and develop new drugs.

Prognostic and Clinicopathologic Significance of Discoidin Domain Receptors in Different Human Malignancies: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Discoidin domain receptors (DDRs) belong to the receptor tyrosine kinases family and are activated by different types of collagens, which play roles in various physiological processes. An abnormal expression of DDRs is reported in different types of cancers. Despite many reports about the association and roles of high DDR expression levels in cancers, the prognostic values of DDRs are still unclear. This meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic effect of DDRs in different tissue cancers. METHOD: A literature search was performed in several related databases to find eligible English articles. Based on our research, 20 appropriate studies with 2,602 patients were selected till October 5, 2020. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to evaluate the strength of correlation between DDRs and survival of cancer patients. RESULT: Pooling results showed that a high DDR expression was significantly associated with poorer overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.304, 95% CI 1.007-1.69, p = 0.04). Subgroup analysis based on cancer type revealed a significant link between a high DDR expression level and poor OS both in gastrointestinal (pooled HR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.214-2.624, p = 0.003) and urological cancers (pooled HR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.062-1.82, p = 0.018). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis results suggest that high DDRs expression has the potential to be used as a biomarker of poor prognosis in cancers.