Circular RNAs and tuberculosis infection.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) that affects the immune system chronically. Therefore, effective control and treatment of tuberculosis requires rapid and accurate diagnostic strategies. Tuberculosis has always been a global burden on health, social and economic systems due to the lack of standard curative and diagnostic (bio)markers. Accordingly, the management and monitoring of patients with active TB at the primary care level may be possible through new, rapid and cost-effective non-sputum-based diagnostic procedures. Biomarkers can help diagnose various diseases, including circular RNA (circRNA), which has recently been introduced as an endogenous, abundant and stable RNA in the cytoplasm with unique tissue specificity. There are frequent reports of circRNA involvement in many pathological and physiological processes in human beings. Recent studies have highlighted the presence of circRNAs in serum and their role as promising biomarkers in the diagnosis of the disease, potentially due to the continuous, stable, closed covalent circular structures and lack of easy degradation by nucleases. The purpose of this review article is to scrutinize the behavior of circulating plasma RNAs in relation to the pathogenesis and diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Bacteria-derived chimeric toxins as potential anticancer agents.

Cancer is one of the major causes of death globally, requiring everlasting efforts to develop novel, specific, effective, and safe treatment strategies. Despite advances in recent years, chemotherapy, as the primary treatment for cancer, still faces limitations such as the lack of specificity, drug resistance, and treatment failure. Bacterial toxins have great potential to be used as anticancer agents and can boost the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapeutics. Bacterial toxins exert anticancer effects by affecting the cell cycle and apoptotic pathways and regulating tumorigenesis. Chimeric toxins, which are recombinant derivatives of bacterial toxins, have been developed to address the low specificity of their conventional peers. Through their targeting moieties, chimeric toxins can specifically and effectively detect and kill cancer cells. This review takes a comprehensive look at the anticancer properties of bacteria-derived toxins and discusses their potential applications as therapeutic options for integrative cancer treatment.

Bismuth nanoparticles against microbial infections.

The destructive effect of infectious diseases on human life and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains highlight the importance of developing new and appropriate treatment strategies, one of which is the use of metals as therapeutic agents. Bismuth nanoparticles are an example of prominent metal-containing drugs. The therapeutic effects of bismuth-based drugs in the treatment of wounds have been proven. Various laboratory studies have confirmed the antimicrobial effects of bismuth nanoparticles, including the clinical treatment of ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori. Therefore, considering the performance of this nanoparticle and its potent effect on infectious agents and its therapeutic dimensions, the present study fully investigated the properties and performance of this metal-based nanoparticle.

Molecular Epidemiology of Antimicrobial Resistance of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolates from Patients with Urinary Tract Infections in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Iran.

To characterize the resistance patterns of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Iran, we conducted a descriptive epidemiology study using molecular techniques. The subjects consisted of patients having acute urinary tract infection, who were enrolled in the study from 2014 to 2017. The antimicrobial susceptibility profile of 101 UPEC isolates was determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Extended spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) was detected by the double-disk synergy test. Biofilm formation was done using microtiter plates. The presence of virulence genes (pai, pap, hly, traT, pai, cnf-1, sfa, and afa) was evaluated by a PCR. Molecular typing of UPEC E. coli isolates was performed with fimH and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). 70.3% of isolates were multidrug-resistant. 37.6% of isolates were Extended spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBLs) producer. Strong biofilm formation was seen in 27.7%. Forty-seven different fimH allelic variants were identified. Among identified fimH allelic variants, the most common types were f1 (18.8%) and f14 (18.8%). ST131 (54.5%) was the most prevalent clonal group significantly correlated with the pai gene. Seven sequence types (STs) were detected only once (ST405, ST410, ST450, ST636, ST648, ST1193, and ST6451). Clonal groups showed no significant differences in terms of antibiotic resistance patterns. There was no significant difference between virulence genes and antibiotic resistance patterns in the studied clonal groups. To our knowledge, the present study is the first study in Iran that investigated the genotypic diversity of UPEC isolates by MLST and fimH typing methods. The two methods might serve as a useful molecular test for surveillance and epidemiological studies of isolates.

The effects of melatonin on signaling pathways and molecules involved in glioma.

Glioblastoma is one of the most common brain tumors with high invasion and malignancy. Despite extensive research in this area and the use of new and advanced therapies, the survival rate in this disease is very low. In addition, resistance to treatment has also been observed in this disease. One of the reasons for rapid progression and failure in treatment for this disease is the presence of a class of cells with high proliferation and high differentiation, a class called glioblastoma stem-like cells shown as being the source of glioblastoma tumors. It has been reported that several oncogenes are expressed in this disease. One important issue in recognizing the pathogenesis of this disease, and which could improve the treatment process, is the identification of involved oncogenes as well as molecules that affect the reduction of the expression of these oncogenes. Melatonin regulates the biological rhythm and inhibits the proliferation of malignant glioma cells due to antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. Melatonin has been considered in biological processes and in signaling pathways involved in the development of glioma. The aim of this review is to investigate the effects of melatonin on signaling pathways and molecules involved in the progression of glioma.

Virulence Genes and Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated From Hospitalized Patients in Kashan, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most prevalent infectious diseases. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), as the most important cause of UTI, are associated with a number of virulence factors. OBJECTIVES: The current study aimed to investigate the virulence associated determinants as well as their patterns of antibiotic resistance in UPEC isolated from hospitalized patients with UTI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 150 E. coli isolates were collected from patients with UTI from December 2012 to June 2013 in Kashan, Iran. Antimicrobial susceptibility screening of 12 antibiotics was determined using disk diffusion method. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect virulence-related genes in UPEC strains. The purified PCR products were sequenced. RESULTS: Of the total 150 UPEC isolates, 111 (74%) were multidrug-resistant. High resistance was observed against ampicillin (81.3%), nalidixic acid (71.3%), cotrimoxazole (64.7%) and ciprofloxacin (61.3%), respectively. Eighty-four out of the 150 isolates showed resistance against the extended spectrum cephalosporins. Totally, virulence genes were detected in 126 (84%) UPEC isolates .The PCR results identified the traT gene in (74%), PAIs markers in (61.3%) and the pap gene in (16.6%) of the isolates. CONCLUSIONS: The traT gene and PAI markers were highly prevalent among UPEC strains isolated from patients in Kashan, Iran; therefore these determinants could be used as targets for prophylactic interventions. Also there was a high level of resistance against the antibiotics commonly used for urinary tract infection treatment. To reach better therapeutic outcomes, treatment regimens have to be modified.

Detection of virulence genes in Escherichia coli isolated from patients with cystitis and pyelonephritis.

BACKGROUND: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a common cause of ascending urinary tract infections including cystitis and pyelonephritis. The purpose of this study was to investigate virulence genes among Escherichia coli isolated from patients with cystitis and pyelonephritis. METHODS: Between December 2012 and June 2013, 150 E. coli isolates from hospitalized patients with pyelonephritis (n = 72) and cystitis (n=78) were collected at Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan. A PCR assay was used to evaluate the presence of virulence genes including pap, hly, aer, sfa, cnf, afa, traT, and pathogenicity island (PAI) markers in isolates. RESULTS: Of the total 150 UPEC isolates, 130 (86.7%) were found to carry the virulence genes studied. Nineteen different virulence patterns were identified. The most prevalent virulence pattern was UPEC including traT-PAI operons. The pap, traT, aer, hly, and PAI operons were more prevalent among patients with pyelonephritis than cystitis, and the sfa, afa, and cnf genes were not detected in any of the isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Higher virulence gene diversity was found among pyelonephritis UPEC isolates in comparison to cystitis UPEC isolates, showing that UPEC strains that cause pyelonephritis need more virulence factors.