The investigation of the death-inducing potency of a recombinant Adenovector expressing Mda-7-tlyp-1 on different cancer cell lines.

Aim: The potency of Adenovector expressing Mda7-tLyp1 (Ad-Mda7-tLyp1) for death induction was evaluated on the breast (MCF7), liver (HepG2), and gastric (MKN45) cancer cell lines. Background: Mda-7 could be a possible complementary to traditional cancer therapy, and tethering to tumor-homing peptides (THPs) might improve its therapeutic efficacy. Methods: After the preparation of recombinant Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 and Ad-Mda7, the expression of recombinant proteins was analyzed by ELISA. Adenovectors were transduced (MOI=2-5) into Hep-G2, MCF7, MKN45, and normal skin fibroblast, then tumor-killing effect was measured by cytopathic effect (CPE) monitoring, MTT viability test, BAX gene expression analysis, and Caspase3/7 assay. Results: ELISA assay revealed a sustained level of recombinant protein secretion following Adenovector transduction. In CPE microscopy, all cancer cell lines showed a significant reduction (≥50%) in their normal phenotype after receiving Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 and Ad-Mda7. The viability was significantly lower compared to the control, indicating an anti-proliferating effect. In parallel, the viability test showed that Ad-Mda7 and Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 have a significant killing effect (≥50%) on MCF-7, Hep-G2, and MKN45 compared to normal fibroblast (P≤0.05). BAX gene expression analysis showed that both Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 and Ad-Mda7 vectors induced >2-fold increase of apoptosis (P<0.05), particularly in MCF7. Similarly, caspase3/7 activity showed a significant increase (P<0.05) following Ad-Mda7, and Ad-Mda7-tLyp1 transduction into cancer cell lines, but not in normal fibroblasts. Conclusion: The newly constructed Ad-Mda-tlyp1 showed a suitable tumor cell killing activity and enough specificity on studied cell lines.

The frequency of IgG anti-varicella and anti-rubella antibodies in female students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Background: As infection with rubella and varicella-zoster viruses (VZV) can lead to congenital syndrome and its dangerous complications, assessing immunity to these congenital infections can represent the biological risk assessment related to their exposure in high-risk groups. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of IgG anti-varicella/rubella antibodies (Abs) in female students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS), Iran. Patients and Methods: In this study, a total of 434 female students were included. Sera were isolated from blood samples and stored at -20°C for later analysis. A questionnaire form was documented and contained demographic data as well as the history of vaccinations. Enrolled students were divided into recipients of either one or two doses of the measles/rubella (MR) vaccine. Serum samples were analyzed for rubella and VZV IgG Abs using commercial IgG immunoassays. Results: The students were 21.6±4.25 years old on average. Out of the 434 enrolled students, 292 (67.3%) and 287 (66.1%) students were positive for anti-varicella and anti-rubella IgG-Abs, respectively. The frequency of anti-rubella IgG Ab was significantly higher in those who received one dose of MR vaccine (P<0.001). In addition, 205 (47.2%) and 59 (13.6%) students were double-positive (anti-varicella/rubella IgG Abs) and double-negative, respectively. Conclusion: Our results indicated that an additional dose of rubella vaccine may be required for those who received two doses of the vaccine. In addition, we recommend the inclusion of the VZV vaccine in Iran's routine vaccination program. Further studies are recommended to verify these results.

Investigation of the Seroprevalence of Antimeasles Immunoglobulin G Antibody in Students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.

Measles is an acute, highly contagious disease with a high mortality rate in children. Although vaccination has reduced measles incidence, outbreaks still occur. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of antimeasles immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody (Ab) among students at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Four hundred fifty SUMS students were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Information on demographics and measles vaccination history was collected using a questionnaire. Participants were divided into two groups, including A and B, according to routine doses of measles vaccine and the national measles/rubella immunization program. The antimeasles IgG Abs were tested using a commercial Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Kit. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 48 years, with a mean age of 22.2 (±4.3). Fifty percent of the subjects were male. Our results showed that 63.6% of the cases were positive for antimeasles IgG Abs. The seroprevalence of IgG Abs between groups A and B did not differ significantly (p = 0.612). There was also no significant correlation between the seroprevalence of antimeasles IgG Abs and the age (p = 0.43) or sex (p = 0.24) of the subjects. The results showed that the frequency of antimeasles IgG Abs is lower than required to prevent the measles virus from circulating. Therefore, a booster vaccination may be necessary.

The molecular epidemiology, genotyping, and clinical manifestation of prevalent adenovirus infection during the epidemic keratoconjunctivitis, South of Iran.

PURPOSE: Adenoviral-mediated keratoconjunctivitis is among the emergency diseases of ophthalmology with long-term sequels. The role of adenovirus infection, ocular-related genotypes, and association with ocular symptoms need to be investigated for epidemiological as well as clinical purposes. METHODS: The affected patients from two close keratoconjunctivitis epidemics were included in the study. The swab samples were taken from patients; the total DNA was extracted and then used as a template for in-house Real-time PCR. Besides, partial Hexon genes of 11 adenovirus positive samples were amplified and submitted to sanger sequencing. Moreover, they were finally evaluated by phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: Of 153 patients, 92 (60.1%) were males and 47 cases (30.7%) had a history of eye infection in the family or colleagues. Real-time PCR tests of 126 samples (82.4%) were positive for adenovirus, and all eleven cases that underwent sequencing analysis were determined to be group 8 (HAdV-D8). Adenovirus infection has a significant relationship with infection among family or colleagues (p = 0.048), membrane formation (p = 0.047), conjunctival bleeding (p = 0.046), tearing, and pain(p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that Adenovirus is the major cause of keratoconjunctivitis, and HAdV-D8 was the most common genotype in the area. There were some clinical manifestations associated with Adenovirus infection of the conjunctiva.