Association between human herpesvirus-6 and primary brain tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aim: The present study aimed to find out the prevalence and any possible association between human herpesvirus (HHV-6) and primary brain tumors. Materials & methods: The systematic literature search was performed by finding related articles from major databases. Analysis was performed by comprehensive meta-analysis software. Results: A total of 13 (25 datasets) articles were included in the study, seven (15 datasets) of which were case/control and the rest (ten datasets) were cross-sectional studies. The pooled prevalence of HHV-6 among primary brain cancer patients was 29% (95% CI: 24–33%; I2 = 97.89%). An association was found between HHV-6 and primary brain cancer (summary odds ratio: 3.77% [95% CI: 2.59–5.49%; I2 = 19.0%]). Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrated that HHV-6 is associated with primary brain cancer. Reactivation of the virus could be triggered by the tumor, therefore, we cannot be certain that the virus appeared before the cancer development.

Salivirus infection: Systematic review and meta-analysis of association with gastrointestinal symptoms in children

Salivirus (SaV) is a newly described member of the family Picornaviridae that has been associated with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, particularly in children. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of SaV in symptomatic children and its potential association with GI complications. A systematic search was conducted from 01 December 2009 to 10 December 2020, in three major English databases, including Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science as well as Google scholar search engine. Random effect model-based overall prevalence and odds ratio (OR) were assessed in cross-sectional and case-control studies by STATA 14.1. The random effect model-based pooled prevalence of SaV was 1.6% (95% CI, 0.010-0.022%) and overall OR for all eight case-control studies indicated an association (3.19 with 95% confidence interval 1.35-7.57) that was not statistically significant, due to the small number of studies available. More comprehensive case-control studies in multiple geographies should be conducted on the prevalence of SaV in children.

Possible role of HPV/EBV coinfection in anoikis resistance and development in prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to evaluate the possible role of human papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) coinfection as an etiological factor for prostate cancer (PCa) development.

METHODS

This case-control study was conducted on 67 patients with PCa and 40 control subjects. The expression levels of cellular and viral factors involved in inflammation, tumor progression, and metastasis were quantified, using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay.

RESULTS

The EBV/HPV coinfection was reported in 14.9% of patients in the case group and 7.5% of the control subjects. The high-risk types of HPV, that is, HPV 16 and HPV 18, were responsible for 50 and 30% of HPV/EBV-coinfected PCa cases (n = 10), respectively. No significant relationship was observed between PCa and HPV/EBV coinfection (OR = 2.9, 95% CI: 0.18-45.2, P = 0.31). However, the highest percentage of HPV genome integration was found in the HPV/EBV-coinfected PCa group (8/10; 80%). Also, the mean expression levels of inflammatory factors (IL-17, IL-6, TNF-α, NF-κB, VEGF, ROS, and RNS), anti-apoptotic mediators (Bcl-2 and survivin), and anti-anoikis factors (Twist and N-cadherin) were significantly higher in the HPV/EBV-coinfected PCa group, compared to the non-coinfected PCa cases. Nevertheless, the tumor-suppressor proteins (p53 and pRb) and E-cadherin (inhibitor of anoikis resistance) showed significant downregulations in the HPV/EBV-coinfected PCa group, compared to the non-coinfected PCa cases.

CONCLUSION

The HPV/EBV coinfection may be an etiological factor for PCa through modulation of cellular behaviors.

Human papillomavirus and prostate cancer: The role of viral expressed proteins in the inhibition of anoikis and induction of metastasis

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to address the role of HPV in prostate cancer (PCa) development through the inducement of resistance to anoikis.

METHODS

In this case-control study, prostate tissues and blood samples were collected from 116 individuals, including 72 cases with PCa and 44 non-malignant prostate tissue samples as a control group. The expression level of HPV genes (E2, E6, and E7) and cellular genes including anti-apoptotic mediators (Bcl-2 and survivin), tumor suppressor proteins (Rb and p53), and some mediators involved in anoikis resistance and invasiveness (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Twist, PTPN13 and SLUG) were evaluated.

RESULTS

HPV genome was identified in 36.1% cases and 15.9% control samples, additionally there was found to be a statistic significant association between the presence of HPV and PCa (OR = 1.64, 95% C.I = 0.8-1.8, P-value = 0.023). HPV genotype 16 and 18 were the most prevalent genotype in both in the PCa group and the control group. The expression level of the tumor suppressor proteins (Rb and p53) and anti-apoptotic mediators (Bcl-2 and Survivin) were significantly decreased and increased, respectively, in the HPV-positive specimens compared to the HPV-negative specimens. Furthermore, the mean expression level of N-cadherin, SLUG, and TWIST in the HPV-positive specimens was higher than HPV-negative specimens while the mean expression level of PTPN-13 and E-cadherin genes in the HPV-positive specimens was lower than HPV-negative specimens.

CONCLUSION

Our study suggests that HPV infection may be involved in the development of PCa metastases by modulating anoikis resistance related genes.

Serum B cell activating factor (BAFF) and sarcoidosis activity

Objectives

This study aims to determine the relationship between the severity of sarcoidosis and serum B-cell activating factor (BAFF) concentrations.

Patients and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2015 and March 2018 on 55 patients with sarcoidosis (16 males, 39 females; mean age, 39.9; range 25 to 60 years) and 28 healthy subjects (7 males, 20 females; mean age, 39; range 25 to 60 years). The sarcoidosis patients were divided into active chronic sarcoidosis and acute sarcoidosis groups. The diagnosis of sarcoidosis was based on clinical, radiological, and pathologic findings. Also, the diagnosis of the active disease was based on the level of angiotensin-converting enzyme, active skin, eye, and lung lesions. Scadding score was also measured, and other patient information was collected by pre-designed questionnaires.

Results

The most involved organs were the skin (92.7%) and joints (92.3%), respectively. The mean BAFF concentration in both active chronic sarcoidosis (p=0.001) and acute sarcoidosis (p=0.001) groups was significantly higher than the control group, but the mean level of BAFF in these two groups was not significantly different (p=0.351). Between two groups of patients, only calcium (p=0.001) and forced vital capacity (p=0.021) were higher in the acute group of sarcoidosis. Also, among the factors associated with active chronic sarcoidosis and acute sarcoidosis, none was significantly correlated with BAFF.

Conclusion

Serum BAFF concentration was higher in patients with sarcoidosis, while this was not significantly different from increasing severity of symptoms. There was no significant difference in BAFF levels between acute sarcoidosis and active chronic types.

The role of miR-146a in viral infection

Cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) were identified as a key player in the posttranscriptional regulation of cellular-genes regulatory pathways. They also emerged as a significant regulator of the immune response. In particular, miR-146a acts as an importance modulator of function and differentiation cells of the innate and adaptive immunity. It has been associated with disorder including cancer and viral infections. Given its significance in the regulation of key cellular processes, it is not surprising which virus infection have found ways to dysregulation of miRNAs. miR-146a has been identified in exosomes (exosomal miR-146a). After the exosomes release from donor cells, they are taken up by the recipient cell and probably the exosomal miR-146a is able to modulate the antiviral response in the recipient cell and result in making them more susceptible to virus infection. In this review, we discuss recent reports regarding miR-146a expression levels, target genes, function, and contributing role in the pathogenesis of the viral infection and provide a clue to develop the new therapeutic and preventive strategies for viral disease in the future.

Evaluation of STAT3 rs1053004 single nucleotide polymorphism in patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma

Chronic infection with hepatitis B (CHB) virus is one of the most important risk factors for Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes liver cancer in various ways. One of these ways is increasing the expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) in Hepatocytes by HBV. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1053004 in the STAT3 gene in CHB patients and individuals who suffer from HCC. In this research, 33 patients CHB-related HCC, 50 patients infected with chronic hepatitis B infection (CHB) without HCC and 50 healthy individuals were investigated for the presence of rs1053004 in the STAT3 gene according to the PCR-based differentiation of alleles test. Data analysis presented a different and significant distribution of alleles and genotypes (p<0.05). When the HCC and CHB groups were compared from the point of the frequency of alleles, the frequency of the C allele and CC genotype in the HCC group were higher CHB and control groups. Analysis of our data in the genotype model (CC vs. TT + TC) showed, this meaningful relationship remained between the HCC group and the three groups of CHB, healthy and all controls. These results illustrate that perhaps rs1053004 polymorphisms in the STAT3 gene participated in the progression of hepatitis B to HCC in Iranian people.