Manoochehr Makvandi

Objective: To describe the frequency and demographic characteristics of SARS‐CoV‐2 and influenza infections, as well as their co‐occurrence, among patients in Khuzestan province. Methods: This retrospective laboratory‐based study was conducted at the Reference Laboratory of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Between March 2021 and November 2023, respiratory swab samples from patients with suspected Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) or influenza referred from 64 affiliated healthcare institutions (23 health centers and 41 hospitals) were tested for SARS‐CoV‐2 and influenza A/B using RT‐qPCR. Demographic and laboratory data were analyzed using chi‐square and simple logistic regression, and the results were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 148,079 respiratory specimens were analyzed between 2021 and 2023. Among them, 41.2% tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 in 2021, 14.9% in 2022, and 4.5% in 2023, showing a marked decline in COVID‐19 positivity over time. In contrast, influenza positivity progressively increased from 13.3% in 2021 to 15.5% in 2022 and 20.8% in 2023, coinciding with broader testing coverage. Females consistently showed higher infection rates for both viruses. The most affected age groups for COVID‐19 shifted from 40 to 50 years in 2021 to 20–30 years in 2022 and ≥ 70 years in 2023, while influenza was more frequent among individuals under 20 years in 2023. Coinfection with SARS‐CoV‐2 and influenza was uncommon, detected in only 0.6% of the patients in 2023, predominantly involving the H1N1 subtype. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates a declining trend of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection alongside a progressive rise in influenza cases in southwest Iran from 2021 to 2023. The findings highlight age‐ and sex‐related variations in infection patterns and underscore the value of continuous dual surveillance for both viruses.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections among women. This virus, which has a global distribution, is one of the most serious factors related to cervical cancer (CC). Despite the importance of the virus, there is not enough information about its prevalence in Iran. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of HPV and its common types in healthy women referred to HPV screening centers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and compare it with cytology results. Methods: In our cross-sectional study, 271 vaginal and cervical swab samples collected from December 2016 to November 2017 and examined in terms of cytology were received from the laboratory. The samples were related to married women aged 16–72 years. The cytological examination was performed on each specimen. Then, the presence of HPV was investigated using PCR. Positive samples were typed by specific primers of genotypes 6, 11, 16, and 18. Results: Out of 271 samples, 50 (18.45%) were positive for HPV by PCR. These positive samples demonstrated normal or inflammatory cytology. Among all samples, 1 (0.3%) and 4 (1.47%) cases were positive for HPV-18 and HPV-6, respectively; however, types 11 and 16 were not detected. Conclusion: Although all samples were negative on the Pap smear, DNA HPV was found in at least 18.45% of the samples. Considering the identification of at least one case of high-risk genotype 18, it is recommended that PCR be used alongside Pap-smear screening, as it enables earlier detection of HPV infections compared to cytology alone, potentially enhancing CC prevention strategies.

Surfactant Protein D (SP-D), a key component of the innate immune system, has attracted significant interest for its potential role in the pathophysiology and prognosis of COVID-19. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to clarify the prognostic importance of SP-D levels in COVID-19 patients. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus, EMBASE, and Google Scholar, covering studies published from January 2000 to January 2024. The inclusion criteria focused on studies measuring SP-D levels in the serum or plasma of COVID-19 patients, comparing severe and non-severe cases. Standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random-effects model to assess overall effect sizes. Meta-regressions and subgroup analyses were performed to identify potential sources of heterogeneity, including patient age, assay techniques, and gender ratio. The meta-analysis incorporated data from nine studies involving 5,410 COVID-19 patients. Elevated SP-D levels were significantly correlated with increased disease severity, yielding an SMD of 0.642 (95% CI: 0.314 to 0.870; p = 0.012). This meta-analysis confirms the prognostic significance of SP-D in the context of COVID-19. Elevated SP-D levels are associated with severe disease outcomes, highlighting its potential as a prognostic biomarker.

Background: HRV is the causative agent of severe gastroenteritis in children and responsible for two million hospitalizations and more than a half-million deaths annually. Sequence characteristics of the gene segments encoding the VP7 and VP4 proteins are used for the genotype classification of rotavirus. A wide variety of molecular methods are available, ...

The 3C protease is one of the most important proteases in enteroviruses which is responsible for several cleavages on viral polyproteins and maturation processes. Some reports indicated that this protease disrupts the IFN signaling pathway; however, another report shows that 3C protease does not have such inhibitory effects on IFN signaling.In this study, a construction was designed consisting of 3C protease to test its effects on Interferon type I signaling pathway.The designed construction containing 3C protease was transfected to RD cells for evaluation of its effects on interferon signaling pathway. RD cells were treated with Interferon β for 4 hours and then the expression of two ISGs including MxA and OAS were analyzed by real-time PCR. All the proteins in interferon type I signaling pathway were also evaluated by Western blot analysis.The results showed that 3C protease does not affect ISG expression after IFN induction. Western blot analysis also indicated that there is no difference in IFN pathway protein level between 3C protease treated and control groups.This report suggests that 3C protease alone does not have a significant effect on IFN pathway, in contrast to any of the previous reports.

Background and Objectives: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has infected more than 90% of adults worldwide. EBV infection is asymptomatic in healthy individuals and is controlled by a robust immune response while in individuals with weakened immunesystems including Hemodialysis (HD) patients and transplant recipients leads to serious illnesses. This study was aimed to investigate the frequency of EBV among the HD patients. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was carried out on 84 HD patients. These sera were checked for an- ti-EBV (VCA) IgG Ab assessment using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The DNA was extracted from the sera samples and tested for EBV DNA using nested PCR. Results: 52/84 (61.9%) of HD were males and 32/84 (38.1%) were females. The average age of participants was varying from 18 to 85 years while the mean age was 52 ± 1.57 SD years. 81 of 84 (96.42%); including 49/52 (94.23%) male and 32/32 (100%) female, were positive for anti-EBV (VCA) IgG antibody while 3 (3.58%) were negative. No significant dif- ferences were observed between the subjects regarding gender (P=0.28). EBV DNA was detected in 7 (8.33%) individuals, including 6 (11.53%) and 1 (3.12%) in male and female, respectively (P=0.24). Conclusion: Our study results showed that high prevalence of anti-EBV (VCA) IgG antibody (96.42%) were observed among the HD patients. Although the status of EBV latency was not performed, but it seems many of these patients are at risk of EBV-reactivation during the organ transplantation. As a result, it is recommended that the detection of EBNA-1 gene as a marker of EBV latency should be implemented for all HD patients to prevent EBV reactivation during organ transplantation.

Background: Ductal carcinoma is one of the most common breast cancer (BrC) among the women in the world.Several factors may involve in establishment of breast cancer. The role of viral infections have been investigated inBrC, Among them the association of Epstein Barr virus have been reported in the patients with breast cancer typeductal carcinoma. Thus this study was conducted to evaluate the rate of Epstein Barr virus in women with breast cancertype ductal carcinoma. Material and methods: A total of 72 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue blocks sampleswere collected from 37 (51.38%) women with breast cancer type ductal carcinoma and 35 (48.61%) samples of breastwith fibro adenoma as control group. The DNA was extracted for all the samples. The detection of EBNA 3C EBVDNA was done by nested PCR. The results of positive were sequenced to confirm PCR product and determine EBVgenotypes. Results: About 10/37 (27.02%) samples of ductal breast carcinoma were showed positive for EBNA 3CEBV DNA while 4/35 (11.42%) of fibro adenoma were positive for EBNA 3C EBV DNA (p= 0.095). Randomly 7PCR products were sequenced and the results of sequencing EBNA 3C shows, the detected EBVDNA were type 1EBV type. Conclusion: This study shows high prevalence of 27.02% EBV DNA type 1 was found in formalin-fixedparaffin-embedded tissue of Patients with ductal breast carcinoma. The outcomes of this study suggesting that EBVmight have a significant role in breast cancer in Ahvaz city, south west region of Iran. However the expression of EBVoncoproteins ,EBNA1, LMP1, and LMP2 require to be determined with ductal carcinoma cells. About 72.97% breastsamples showed negative for EBVDNA. The role other viruses including Human cytomegalovirus, papilloma virusesand Merkel viruses are required to be investigated in further studies.

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a common cause of mild to acute hepatitis among children and adolescents, worldwide.The aim of this study was to investigate the complete sequence of isolated HAV from a child with acute hepatitis.A serum sample was collected from a child with clinical sign and symptoms of acute hepatitis. Following RNA extraction, the genotype of the virus was determined based on sequencing of VP1-2A region of the isolated HAV genome. The whole HAV genome was sequenced by the nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. The size of the complete length of isolated HAV genome, 5UTR (Untranslated Region), and 3UTR were determined. The amino acid sequencing of single polyprotein, including VP1 and VP3 regions, were analyzed using the BioEdit software. To evaluate the isolated HAV genome, phylogenetic tree was conducted to analyze the complete HAV Genome, 5UTR, and VP1-2A regions of the isolated HAV. Simplot and RDP4 analyses were accomplished to confirm recombination in the genome of the sequestered HAV strain in Ahvaz city.The sequestered HAV/Ahvaz/Iran/2015 was recorded with an accession number BankIt 2063303 MG 546669 in GenBank. The complete HAV sequence of the isolated HAV comprised of full length of 7239 nt, 5’UTR 619 nt, 3’UTR 21nt, and an open reading frame (ORF) encoding single polypeptide of 2200 amino acids (6600 nt). The whole sequences of isolated HAV strain Ahvaz/Iran/2015 showed 96% and 95% nucleotide identity with prototype strain HAV 1B isolated from Egypt (96%), South Africa (95%), and HM 175 (95%) strains, respectively. The complete amino acid sequence of the VP1 region of the isolated HAV showed 100% identity with HM175 and 99% identity with isolated HAV from Egypt and South Africa. The detected HAV was identified as HAV genotype 1B. A mutation was observed in the amino acid sequences of VP3 region of the isolated HAV; this mutation showed substitution of isoleucine (I) with Arginine at position 433 amino acid sequence compared with the consensus sequences in amino acid of HM 175 strain. The results of RDP4 showed no evidence of recombination in the isolated strain HAV/Ahvaz/Iran/2015 genome.The isolated HAV was genotype1 B, comprised of full length of 7239 nt, 2200 amino acid. The complete amino acid sequence VP1 region of the isolated HAV showed 100% homology identity with HM175 and 99% with isolated HAV in Egypt, South Africa. A mutation was observed in the amino acid sequences of VP3 region of the isolated HAV, this mutation showed substitution of isoleucine (I) with Arginine at position 433 amino acid sequence compared with the consensus sequences amino acid of HM-175 strain. No evidence of recombination was observed in the isolated strain HAV/Ahvaz/Iran/2015 genome.

Background: Human T‐lymphotropic virus Type 1 (HTLV‐1) is a retrovirus that is endemic in some regions of the world. It is known to cause several diseases like adult T‐cell leukemia (ATL) and HTLV‐1‐associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Serology and molecular methods have been used to detect this virus. Of these, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is used as a primary screening method and this is usually followed by western blotting (WB) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods as confirmatory tests. We conducted a systematic review of the different techniques used in the diagnosis of HTLV‐1 infection.Materials and Methods: Our search was limited to original papers in the English language from 2010 to 2018 using several databases including Pubmed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Iranmedex, and Scientific Information Database. A manual search of references provided in the included papers was also performed.Results: Of 101 electronically searched citations, 43 met the inclusion criteria. ELISA is commonly used for qualitative and screening detection, and WB and PCR techniques are used to confirm infection.Conclusion: Among all the reported methods for detection of HTLV‐1, only serological and molecular tests are used as the most common technical assays for HTLV‐1. The ELISA assay, without a confirmatory test, has several limitations and affect the accuracy of the results. Owing to the prevalence of HTLV‐1 and limitations of the current detection methods, further evaluation of the accuracy of these methods is needed. There are new opportunities for applying novel technological advances in microfluidics, biosensors, and lab‐on‐a‐chip systems to perform HTLV‐1 diagnostics.