Evaluation of the Prevalence of Anti-transglutaminase 2 and 6 Antibodies in Patients with Sero-Positive Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Gluten sensitivity (GS) is one of the gluten-related disorders (GRDs). Patients with GS may have serum antibodies against tissue transglutaminase (tTG) (IgA and IgG) without any evidence of enteropathy. We aimed to evaluate both tTG-6 and tTG-2 antibodies to determine the prevalence of seropositive tTG-2 and tTG-6 antibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we carried out serological tests (IgA & IgG anti-tTG-6 and tTG-2 antibodies) in patients with MS. Results: Seventy-two patients with MS were included in this study. Of them, seropositive patients for total (IgA+IgG) of tTG-6 and tTG-2 autoantibodies were 9.7% (95% CI, 4.2-18) and 5.6% (95% CI, 1.4-12.5), respectively. Conclusion: Anti-tTG-6 antibody testing may be necessary for early diagnosis of GS in patients with MS. More studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm these data.

Molecular epidemiology, antibiotic resistance profile and frequency of integron 1 and 2 in adherent-invasive Escherichia coli isolates of colorectal cancer patients.

This study explores the prevalence of adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and investigates the potential of effective intracellular antibiotics as a therapeutic strategy for CRC patients with AIEC infections. Considering the pivotal role of integrons in bacterial antibiotic resistance, the frequency of class 1 and 2 integrons in AIEC isolated from CRC patients, in one of the referenced 3 gastroenterology clinics in Isfahan, Iran was examined. AIEC strains were isolated from the colorectal biopsies and their antimicrobial sensitivity was assessed using the disc diffusion method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to detect intl1 and intl2. The multilocus sequence typing (MLST) method was utilized to type 10 selected isolates. Of the 150 samples, 24 were identified as AIEC, with the highest number isolated from CRC2 (33.4%) and CRC1 (29.16%), and the least from the FH group (8.3%) and control group (12.5%). int1 in 79.2% and int2 in 45.8% of AIEC strains were found and 41.6% of strains had both integrons. AIEC isolates with int1 exhibited the highest sensitivity to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (57.9%), while those with int2 showed the highest sensitivity to ciprofloxacin (63.6%). A significant association between resistance to rifampin and integron 2 presence in AIEC isolates was observed. Furthermore, a significant correlation between integron 1 presence, invasion, survival, and replication within macrophages in AIEC strains was identified. MLST analysis revealed ST131 from CC131 with integron 1 as the most common sequence type (ST). The emergence of such strains in CRC populations poses a serious public health threat. The distribution pattern of STs varied among studied groups, with pandemic STs highlighting the importance of examining and treating patients infected with these isolates. Comprehensive prospective clinical investigations are warranted to assess the prognostic value of detecting this pathovar in CRC and to evaluate therapeutic techniques targeting drug-resistant AIECs, such as phage therapy, bacteriocins, and anti-adhesion compounds, for CRC prevention and treatment.

Sperm Parameters and Chromatin Integrity in Men Suffering from Celiac Disease: Insights into Reproductive Health, Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: Celiac disease is a common chronic inflammatory condition of the small intestine caused by permanent intolerance to gluten/gliadin. It has been demonstrated that oxidative stress is one of the mechanisms that is involved in gliadin toxicity, and there is a correlation between oxidative damage with this disease. Similarly, increased oxidative stress was repeatedly reported in infertile men which led to low-quality of sperm function. Therefore, we aimed to assess sperm parameters and chromatin status in men with Celiac disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, semen samples were collected from 11 fertile men without Celiac and 10 men with diagnostic Celiac disease. Basic semen analyses were performed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2010 protocol. The percentage of sperm with persistence histones, protamine deficiency, DNA fragmentation, malondialdehyde (MDA), and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed using aniline blue, chromomycin A3, sperm chromatin structure assay, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay, and diacetyldichlorofluorescein staining, respectively. RESULTS: Unlike the sperm parameters, which did not show significant differences between men with Celiac disease and fertile individuals, sperm chromatin maturation (persistence histones and protamine deficiency) and sperm DNA damage in men with Celiac disease were significantly higher compared to fertile individuals (P<0.05). In addition, the percentage of sperm viability in these individuals was significantly lower than that in the fertile individuals (P<0.05). We did not observe any significant differences in sperm lipid peroxidation and intracellular ROS levels between the two study groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Celiac disease affects sperm chromatin maturation and DNA fragmentation, emphasizing its impact on reproductive health.

New long noncoding RNA biomarkers and ceRNA networks on miR-616-3p in colorectal cancer: Bioinformatics-based study.

Background: Cancer development is aided by the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) absorbing microRNAs (miRNAs). We aimed to discover a novel regulatory axis in colorectal cancer (CRC) and potential biomarkers based on miR-616-3p. Materials and Methods: The gene expression omnibus database was mined for differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and mRNAs. LncRNAs and mRNAs were predicted using the RegRNA and TargetScan databases. A combination of the ciBioPortal and Ensemble databases was used to locate the mRNAs. Cytoscape 3.7.1-built CeRNA networks. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was utilized to confirm the expression levels of these RNA molecules. Statistical analyses were implemented by GraphPad Prism 9. Results: qRT-PCR showed (Linc01282, lnc-MYADM-1:1, and Zinc Finger Protein 347 [ZNF347]) were overexpressed whereas, (salt-inducible kinases 1 [SIK1], and miR-616-3p) were down regulated. Conclusion: These results identify unique, unreported lncRNAs as CRC prognostic biomarkers, as well as prospective mRNAs as new treatment targets and predictive biomarkers for CRC. In addition, our study uncovered unexplored ceRNA networks that should be studied further in CRC.

A restrição de alimentos lácteos é obrigatória para pacientes com doença inflamatória intestinal? Estudo transversal multinacional / Is dairy foods restriction mandatory for inflammatory bowel disease patients: a multinational cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Background: The role of dairy foods in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been controversial and it is debatable if patients with IBD should avoid milk and dairy products or not, as well as the relationship between these foods and symptoms among those population. Objective: This multi centric cross-sectional study designed to evaluate if it is really necessary to deprive IBD patients from consumption of dairy foods. Methods: A multicenter study with 12 gastroenterology referral centers in four countries was designed to evaluate gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms after consumption of dairy foods from all outpatients with IBD during 6 months and to compare patients treated at the same centers without IBD (non IBD cases). Results: Overall 1888 cases included (872 IBD patients and 1016 non IBD cases). 56.6% of participants were female with average age of 40.1 years. Racially 79.8% participants were Caucasians and originally they were citizens of 10 countries. Relative prevalence of IBD was higher in Africans and Indians and the most frequent prevalence of dairy foods intolerance was seen in Asians. Among IBD patients, 571 cases diagnosed as ulcerative colitis and 189 participants as Crohn's disease. Average duration of diagnosis as IBD was 6.8 years (from 2 months to 35 years). The most prevalent GI symptoms after consumption of all the dairy foods were bloating and abdominal pain. Totally, intolerance of dairy foods and lactase deficiency was more prevalent among IBD patients in comparison with non IBD cases (65.5% vs 46.1%, P=0.0001). But the rate of GI complains among IBD patients who had not any family history of lactase deficiency, history of food sensitivity or both were 59.91%, 52.87% & 50.33% respectively and similar to non IBD cases (P=0.68, 0.98 & 0.99 respectively). Conclusion: The rate of dairy foods intolerance among IBD patients without family history of lactase deficiency or history of food sensitivity is similar to non IBD cases and probably there is no reason to deprive them from this important source of dietary calcium, vitamin D and other nutrients.

RESUMO Contexto: O papel dos alimentos lácteos na doença inflamatória intestinal (DII) tem sido controverso e é discutível se os pacientes com DII devem ou não evitar leite e laticínios, bem como a relação entre esses alimentos e sintomas nesta população. Objetivo: Estudo transversal multicêntrico foi projetado para avaliar se é realmente necessário privar os pacientes com DII do consumo desta classe de alimentos. Métodos: Um estudo multicêntrico com 12 centros de referência em gastroenterologia de quatro países foi projetado para avaliar sintomas gastrointestinais após o consumo de alimentos lácteos em todos os ambulatórios de DII durante seis meses e comparar pacientes tratados nos mesmos centros sem DII. Resultados: No total, foram incluídos 1888 casos (872 pacientes com DII e 1016 casos sem DII. 56,6% dos participantes eram do sexo feminino com idade média de 40,1 anos. 79,8% dos participantes eram caucasianos e originalmente eram cidadãos de 10 países. A prevalência relativa de DII foi maior em africanos e indianos e a prevalência mais frequente de intolerância a alimentos lácteos observada nos asiáticos. Entre os pacientes com DII, 571 casos foram diagnosticados como colite ulcerativa e 189 participantes como doença de Crohn. A duração média do diagnóstico como DII foi de 6,8 anos (de 2 meses a 35 anos). Os sintomas de gastrointestinais mais prevalentes após o consumo de todos os alimentos lácteos foram inchaço e dor abdominal. No total, a intolerância aos alimentos lácteos e a deficiência de lactase foi mais prevalente entre os pacientes com DII em comparação com os casos sem DII (65,5% vs 46,1%, P=0,0001). A taxa de queixas gastrointestinais entre os pacientes com DII que não tinham histórico familiar de deficiência de lactase, histórico de sensibilidade alimentar ou ambos foram de 59,91%, 52,87% e 50,33% respectivamente e semelhantes aos casos sem DII (P=0,68, 0,98 e 0,99, respectivamente). Conclusão: A taxa de intolerância de alimentos lácteos entre pacientes com DII sem histórico familiar de deficiência de lactase ou histórico de sensibilidade alimentar é semelhante aos casos sem DII e provavelmente não há razão para privá-los dessa importante fonte de cálcio dietético, vitamina D e outros nutrientes.