Oleuropein induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cell lines by regulating mir-34a, mir-21, and related genes: An experimental and bioinformatic study.

Gastric Cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide. Oleuropein, as a natural phenolic compound with anti-cancer characteristics, is a good option with low side effects to overcome the adverse impact of conventional treatments in cancer. This research evaluated Oleuropein's anti-cancer and apoptotic activities and the anti-migratory effects by modulating potential target genes in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Bioinformatic analysis was performed to predict possible Oleuropein's target genes. Then the importance of these genes was shown by UALCAN, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets in gastric cancer. Finally, the association between the selected genes was shown by Cytoscape network analysis. The MTT assay, DAPI staining, flow cytometry, and real-time PCR were applied in the current study. The results showed that the viability of cells was decreased, and the apoptosis rate increased in the Oleuropein-treated group. These findings revealed that Oleuropein regulated the expression of the apoptotic and metastatic genes and microRNAs in GC cells.

Persistent diazinon induced neurotoxicity: The effect on inhibitory avoidance memory performance, amyloid precursor proteins, and TNF-α levels in the prefrontal cortex of rats.

INTRODUCTION: Organophosphate pesticides (Ops) like diazinon (DZN) have well-known neurotoxic effects and low-level chronic exposure has been linked to detrimental neurobehavioral impairments and memory deficits. However, it's not entirely clear how DZN-induced biological changes, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) contribute to these effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of DZN exposure on inhibitory avoidance (IA) memory function, amyloid precursor expression (APP), and proinflammatory tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels in the rat cortex. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were divided into 4 groups and recived 2 mg/kg DZN for 5-days or 12-weeks and two control groups recived the same volume of vehicle. IA memory was assesed using the shuttle box apparatus. Rats were sacrificed and the prefrontal cortex PFC were removed. Real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to messure TNF-α, and amyloid protein precursors gene expression and protein levels. RESULTS: Our findings indicated that DZN caused body weight loss and a notable decline in performance on the IA memory. Additionally, 5-days exposure increased APP and APLP2 protein levels in the PFC, while 12-weeks exposure decreased these levels. Furthermore, expression of APP and APLP2 gens were decreased in PFC. TNF-α levels increased as a result of 5-days exposure to DZN, but these levels dropped to normal after 12-weeks administration, and this observation was significant. CONCLUSION: Taken together, exposure to low doses of DZN leads to disturbances in IA memory performance and also alternations in amyloid beta precursors that can be related to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

MicroRNA-143 as a potential tumor suppressor in cancer: An insight into molecular targets and signaling pathways.

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs), which are highly conserved and small noncoding RNAs, negatively regulate gene expression and influence signaling pathways involved in essential biological activities, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cell invasion. MiRNAs have received much attention in the past decade due to their significant roles in cancer development. In particular, microRNA-143 (miR-143) is recognized as a tumor suppressor and is downregulated in most cancers. However, it seems that miR-143 is upregulated in rare cases, such as prostate cancer stem cells, and acts as an oncogene. The present review will outline the current studies illustrating the impact of miR-143 expression levels on cancer progression and discuss its target genes and their relevant signaling pathways to discover a potential therapeutic way for cancer.

The Schiff base hydrazine copper(II) complexes induce apoptosis by P53 overexpression and prevent cell migration through protease-independent pathways.

Although chemotherapy has increased the life expectancy of cancer patients, its toxic side effects remain a major challenge. Recently, organometallic compounds, such as Schiff base copper complexes, have become promising candidates for next-generation anticancer drugs owing to their unique anticancer activities. In this study, binuclear copper(II) complex-1 and mononuclear copper(II) complex-2 were examined to analyze their anticancer mechanisms further. For this purpose, a viability test, flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis and the cell cycle, migration assay, and gene expression analysis were performed. According to our results, complex-1 was more cytotoxic than complex-2 at 24/48-h intervals. Our findings also demonstrated that both complexes induced apoptosis at IC50 concentrations and arrested the cell cycle at the G1-S checkpoint. However, complex-1 accelerates cell cycle arrest at the sub-G0/G1 phase more than complex-2 does. Furthermore, gene expression analysis showed that only complex-1 induces the expression of p53. Interestingly, both complexes induced Bcl-2 overexpression. However, they did not affect MMP-13 expression. More interestingly, both complexes inhibited cell migration in different ways, including amoeboid and collective, by recruiting protease-independent pathways. This study confirmed that adding several metal cores and co-ligands increased the activity of the complex. It also appeared that Cu-containing complexes could prevent the migration of cancer cells through protease-independent pathways, which can be used for novel therapeutic purposes.

Current and Novel Emerging Medical Therapies for Peripheral Artery Disease: A Literature Review.

Despite the improvements in endovascular techniques during the last decades, there is still an increase in the prevalence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) with limited practical treatment, which timeline impact of any intervention for critical limb ischemia (CLI) is poor. Most common treatments are not suitable for many patients due to their underlying diseases, including aging and diabetes. On the one hand, there are limitations for current therapies due to the contraindications of some individuals, and on the other hand, there are many side effects caused by common medications, for instance, anticoagulants. Therefore, novel treatment strategies like regenerative medicine, cell-based therapies, Nano-therapy, gene therapy, and targeted therapy, besides other traditional drugs combination therapy for PAD, are newly considered promising therapy. Genetic material encoding for specific proteins concludes with a potential future for developed treatments. Novel approaches for therapeutic angiogenesis directly used the angiogenetic factors originating from key biomolecules such as genes, proteins, or cell-based therapy to induce blood vessel formation in adult tissues to initiate the recovery process in the ischemic limb. As PAD is associated with high mortality and morbidity of patients causing disability, considering the limited treatment choices for these patients, developing new treatment strategies to prevent PAD progression and extending life expectancy, and preventing threatening complications is urgently needed. This review aims to introduce the current and the novel strategies for PAD treatment that lead to new challenges for relief the patient's suffered from the disorder.

Preparation of MnO2@poly-(DMAEMA-co-IA)-conjugated methotrexate nano-complex for MRI and radiotherapy of breast cancer application.

OBJECTIVE: A novel efficient pH-sensitive targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent and innovative radio-sensitizing system were synthesized based on MnO2 NPs coated with biocompatible poly-dimethyl-amino-ethyl methacrylate-Co-itaconic acid, (DMAEMA-Co-IA) and targeted with methotrexate (MTX). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The as-established NPs were fully characterized and evaluated for MRI signal enhancement, relaxivity, in vitro cell targeting, cell toxicity, blood compatibility, and radiotherapy (RT) efficacy. RESULTS: The targeted NPs MnO2@Poly(DMAEMA-Co-IA) and MTX-loaded NPs inhibited MCF-7 cell viability more effectively than free MTX after 24 and 48 h, respectively, with no noticeable toxicity. Additionally, the insignificant hemolytic activity demonstrated their proper hemo-compatibility. T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was used to distinguish the differential uptake of the produced MnO2@Poly(DMAEMA-Co-IA)-MTX NPs in malignant cells compared to normal ones in the presence of high and low MTX receptor cells (MCF-7 and MCF-10A, respectively). In MRI, the produced theranostic NPs displayed pH-responsive contrast enhancement. As shown by in vitro assays, treatment of cells with MnO2@Poly(DMAEMA-Co-IA)-MTX NPs prior to radiotherapy in hypoxic conditions significantly enhanced therapeutic efficacy. CONCLUSION: We draw the conclusion that using MnO2@Poly(DMAEMA-Co-IA)-MTX NPs in MR imaging and combination radiotherapy may be a successful method for imaging and radiation therapy of hypoxia cells.

Partners in crime: Autoantibodies complicit in COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Autoantibodies (AABs) play a critical role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases (AIDs) and serve as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in assessing these complex disorders. Viral infections have long been recognized as a principal environmental factor affecting the production of AABs and the development of autoimmunity. COVID-19 has primarily been considered a hyperinflammatory syndrome triggered by a cytokine storm. In the following, the role of maladaptive B cell response and AABs became more apparent in COVID-19 pathogenesis. The current review will primarily focus on the role of extrafollicular B cell response, Toll-like receptor-7 (TLR-7) activation, and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation in the development of AABs following SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the following, this review will clarify how these AABs dysregulate immune response to SARS-CoV-2 by disrupting cytokine function and triggering neutrophil hyper-reactivity. Finally, the pathologic effects of these AABs will be further described in COVID-19 associate clinical manifestations, including venous and arterial thrombosis, a multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and recently described post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) or long-COVID.

Cognitive Impairment and Neurodegenerative Diseases Development Associated with Organophosphate Pesticides Exposure: a Review Study.

A significant body of literature emphasizes the role of insecticide, particularly organophosphates (OPs), as the major environmental factor in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This review aims to study the relationship between OP insecticide exposure, cognitive impairment, and neurodegenerative disease development. Human populations, especially in developing countries, are frequently exposed to OPs due to their extensive applications. The involvement of various signaling pathways in OP neurotoxicity are reported, but the OP-induced cognitive impairment and link between OP exposure and the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases are not clearly understood. In the present review, we have therefore aimed to come to new conclusions which may help to find protective and preventive strategies against OP neurotoxicity and may establish a possible link between organophosphate exposure, cognitive impairment, and OP-induced neurotoxicity. Moreover, we discuss the findings obtained from animal and human research providing some support for OP-induced cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disorders.

DNA methylation changes and inflammaging in aging-associated diseases.

Aging as an inevitable phenomenon is associated with pervasive changes in physiological functions. There is a relationship between aging and the increase of several chronic diseases. Most age-related disorders are accompanied by an underlying chronic inflammatory state, as demonstrated by local infiltration of inflammatory cells and greater levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the bloodstream. Within inflammaging, many epigenetic events, especially DNA methylation, change. During the aging process, due to aberrations of DNA methylation, biological processes are disrupted, leading to the emergence or progression of a variety of human diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The focus of this review is on DNA methylation, which is involved in inflammaging-related activities, and how its dysregulation leads to human disorders.

Aging as a natural process is associated with variation in physiological functions. One of the hallmarks of aging is epigenetic changes, which are directly involved in the aging process and aging-related diseases. DNA methylation is one of the epigenetic changes during aging. Consequently, changes in DNA methylation affect various cellular processes and cause age-related diseases. This review discusses the role of DNA methylation in aging processes and age-related diseases.

Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in COVID-19 Patients and its Association with the COVID-19 Manifestations.

COVID-19 is a systematic disease that frequently implies neurological and non-neurological manifestations, predominantly by inducing hypoxia. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key factor in regulating functions of nervous and respiratory systems and has been strongly related to hypoxia. Therefore, this study planned to investigate BDNF association with the COVID-19 manifestations especially neurological impairments and the infection-induced hypoxia. We enrolled sixty-four COVID-19 patients and twenty-four healthy individuals in this study. Patients were divided into two groups, with and without neurological manifestations, and their serum BDNF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). COVID-19 patients had significantly lower BDNF levels than healthy individuals (p = 0.023). BDNF levels were significantly lower in patients with neurological manifestations compared to healthy individuals (p = 0.010). However, we did not observe a statistically significant difference in BDNF levels between patients with and without neurological manifestations (p = 0.175). BDNF's levels were significantly lower in patients with CNS manifestations (p = 0.039) and higher in patients with fever (p = 0.03) and dyspnea (p = 0.006). Secondly, BDNF levels have a significant negative association with oxygen therapy requirement (p = 0.015). These results strongly suggest the critical association between dysregulated BDNF and hypoxia in promoting COVID-19 manifestations, particularly neurological impairments.

The role of IL-1 family of cytokines and receptors in pathogenesis of COVID-19.

A global pandemic has erupted as a result of the new brand coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pandemic has been consociated with widespread mortality worldwide. The antiviral immune response is an imperative factor in confronting the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. Meantime, cytokines recognize as crucial components in guiding the appropriate immune pathways in the restraining and eradication of the virus. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 can induce uncontrolled inflammatory responses characterized by hyper-inflammatory cytokine production, which causes cytokine storm and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). As excessive inflammatory responses are contributed to the severe stage of the COVID-19 disease, therefore, the pro-inflammatory cytokines are regarded as the Achilles heel during COVID-19 infection. Among these cytokines, interleukin (IL-) 1 family cytokines (IL-1, IL-18, IL-33, IL-36, IL-37, and IL-38) appear to have a strong inflammatory role in severe COVID-19. Hence, understanding the underlying inflammatory mechanism of these cytokines during infection is critical for reducing the symptoms and severity of the disease. Here, the possible mechanisms and pathways involved in inflammatory immune responses are discussed.

MicroRNA-143 act as a tumor suppressor microRNA in human lung cancer cells by inhibiting cell proliferation, invasion, and migration.

BACKGROUND/AIM: MicroRNAs play crucial roles in controlling cellular biological processes. miR-143 expression is usually downregulated in different cancers. In this study, we focused on exploring the role of miR143 in NSCLC development. METHODS: Bioinformatics analyses were used to detect the expression level of miR-143 in lung tumors. The cells were transfected by pCMV-miR-143 vectors. The efficacy of transfection was verified by Flow cytometry. The influence of miR-143 replacement on NSCLC cells migration, proliferation, and apoptosis was detected using wound-healing assay, MTT assay, and DAPI staining, respectively. RESULTS: MTT assay revealed that overexpression of miR143 inhibited cell growth and proliferation. Scratch assay results demonstrated that restoration of miR143 suppressed cell migration. The qRT-PCR assay was further used to detect the assumed relationship between miR143 and apoptotic and metastatic-related genes. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that miR-143 could reduce cell proliferation, invasion, and migration by reducing CXCR4, Vimentin, MMP-1, Snail-1, C-myc expression level, and increasing E-cadherin expression levels in lung cancer cells and might be a potential target in NSCLC's targeted therapy.

Nano-curcumin supplementation in critically ill patients with sepsis: a randomized clinical trial investigating the inflammatory biomarkers, oxidative stress indices, endothelial function, clinical outcomes and nutritional status.

Sepsis is a severe reaction and excessive immune response to infection, which can lead to organ dysfunction, and death. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of nano-curcumin (NC) on inflammatory biomarkers, endothelial function, oxidative stress indices, biochemical factors, nutritional status, and clinical outcomes in patients with sepsis. In the present double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial, 40 ICU-admitted patients were randomly allocated into either NC or placebo group for 10 days. Both nano-curcumin (160 mg) and placebo were administered via a nasogastric tube twice a day. The mRNA expression of nuclear-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), BCL2 associated X (BAX), B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2), and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and the serum levels of primary, secondary, tertiary, and exploratory outcomes were assessed before the baseline and on days 5 and 10. There were significant improvements in the primary outcomes, including inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-18, IL-1ß, IL-10, TLR-4, BCL-2 and BAX), markers of endothelial function (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1), and oxidative stress indices (malondialdehyde (MDA), nuclear-related factor 2 (Nrf-2), catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and TAC) (p < 0.005) in the NC group compared to the placebo group after 10 days, while no significant increase was observed in the glutathione peroxidase (GPx) level between the two groups. However, no significant decrease was observed in the levels of secondary outcomes, including biochemical factors (creatinine, fasting blood sugar (FBS), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), total bilirubin, triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC)) (P > 0.05). Our results showed that in the tertiary outcome (nutritional status), there was no significant increase (P > 0.05) except for TLC (P = 0.003). NC supplementation also resulted in a significant decrease in the exploratory outcomes including the SOFA score and the duration of mechanical ventilation (P < 0.05). Supplementation with NC may be a promising treatment strategy for critically ill patients with sepsis. However, further experiments are suggested to investigate the effects of nano-curcumin on biochemical pathways involved in sepsis.

Can anti-parasitic drugs help control COVID-19?

Novel COVID-19 is a public health emergency that poses a serious threat to people worldwide. Given the virus spreading so quickly, novel antiviral medications are desperately needed. Repurposing existing drugs is the first strategy. Anti-parasitic drugs were among the first to be considered as a potential treatment option for this disease. Even though many papers have discussed the efficacy of various anti-parasitic drugs in treating COVID-19 separately, so far, no single study comprehensively discussed these drugs. This study reviews some anti-parasitic recommended drugs to treat COVID-19, in terms of function and in vitro as well as clinical results. Finally, we briefly review the advanced techniques, such as artificial intelligence, that have been used to find effective drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

Restoration of miR-143 reduces migration and proliferation of bladder cancer cells by regulating signaling pathways involved in EMT.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of regulatory endogenous short RNAs, are involved in various biological functions by targeting the mRNA of multiple protein-coding genes and influencing their related signaling pathways. In this investigation, we upregulated microRNA-143 (miR-143) expression levels in bladder cancer (BC) EJ138 cells by pCMV-miR-143 vectors. The efficacy of transfection was verified by Flow cytometry. The influence of miR-143 overexpression on BC cells migration, proliferation, and apoptosis was detected using wound-healing assay, MTT assay, and DAPI and Annexin V/PI staining, respectively. The results demonstrated that upregulation of miR-143 in BC EJ138 cells leads to inhibited proliferation and migration. Also, restoration of miR-143 was negatively associated with the expression levels of metastatic, apoptotic, invasion, and EMT-related genes, including C-Myc, CXCR4, MDM2, Vimentin, Snail-1, and MMP-9, along with increased E-Cadherin and TP53 expression. Therefore, miR-143 may be considered a potential therapeutic target for BC.

SARS-CoV-2 in municipal wastewater treatment plant, collection network, and hospital wastewater.

The current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led to creating a public health emergency conditions since 2019. COVID-19, which is caused by SARS-CoV-2, is spread via human-to-human transmission by direct contact or droplets. Through conducting this study, we were looking for detecting SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater produced in Iran country (Ardabil, Nir, Khalkhal, and Kowsar) (wastewater collection network, wastewater treatment plant, and hospital wastewater). In this research, samples (n=76) were collected from influent and effluent of municipal and hospital wastewater treatment plants, and some samples were also collected from Ardabil municipal wastewater manholes. The sampling duration included the white (lower risk of COVID-19) and red (high risk of COVID-19) conditions. Samples were stored at -20 °C for further diagnostic tests. The specific primer and probe real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) targeting ORF1ab and N genes (nucleoprotein gene) were applied to detect viral genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the wastewater samples. Out of 76 samples, a total of 15 samples (19.73%) collected from wastewater in Ardabil province (Ardabil, Nir, Khalkhal, and Kowsar), were positive in terms of SARS-CoV-2. Wastewater epidemiology can facilitate detection of the incidence of pathogens through metropolises, measurement of population prevalence without direct testing, and provision of information to the public health system about the efficiency of intervening efforts. Graphical abstract.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells: Important communicators in systemic lupus erythematosus pathogenesis and its potential therapeutic significance.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a recognized chronic condition associated with immune system disorders that affect women nine times more commonly than men. SLE is characterized by over-secretion and release of autoantibodies in response to different cellular compartments and self-tolerance breaks to its own antigens. The detailed immunological dysregulation as an associated event that elicits the onset of clinical manifestations of SLE has not been clarified yet. Though, research using several animal models in the last two decades has indicated the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of this disease. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as heterogeneous myeloid cells, are responsible for severe pathological conditions, including infection, autoimmunity, and cancer, by exerting considerable immunosuppressive effects on T-cells responses. It has been reported that these cells are involved in the regulation process of the immune response in several autoimmune diseases, particularly SLE. The function of MDSC is deleterious in infection and cancer diseases, though their role is more complicated in autoimmune diseases. In this review, we summarized the role and function of MDSCs in the pathogenesis and progression of SLE and its possible therapeutic approach.

The sufficient vitamin D and albumin level have a protective effect on COVID-19 infection.

There is limited information regarding the protective factors of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This research is focused on analyzing the role of vitamin D and albumin in the severity, progression, or possible prevention of COVID-19 infection. In this case-control study, 191 patients and 203 healthy individuals were enrolled. Blood samples were taken to test the albumin and vitamin D levels of both groups. Our results show a direct association of vitamin D deficiency with the infection of COVID-19 and severity. According to our findings, 84.4% of patients with COVID-19 in this study had vitamin D deficiency. Moreover, the average level of albumin was significantly decreased in those infected patients who had respiratory symptoms. In the present study, a considerable negative correlation was established between the levels of vitamin D and the severity of COVID-19 infection. This reflects on the immunomodulatory and inhibitory nature of vitamin D to the viral replication.

The immune response and immune evasion characteristics in SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2: Vaccine design strategies.

The worldwide outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 as a novel human coronavirus, was the worrying news at the beginning of 2020. Since its emergence complicated more than 870,000 individuals and led to more than 43,000 deaths worldwide. Considering to the potential threat of a pandemic and transmission severity of it, there is an urgent need to evaluate and realize this new virus's structure and behavior and the immunopathology of this disease to find potential therapeutic protocols and to design and develop effective vaccines. This disease is able to agitate the response of the immune system in the infected patients, so ARDS, as a common consequence of immunopathological events for infections with Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, could be the main reason for death. Here, we summarized the immune response and immune evasion characteristics in SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 and therapeutic and prophylactic strategies with a focus on vaccine development and its challenges.