Moslem Ghaseminia

The first human case of monkeypox virus (Mpox) was reported in 1970. In the years after 1970, human infection with Mpox and human-to-human transmission was not widely observed, and more cases were seen in endemic areas. In that year, Mpox spread was confirmed through the export of infected animals to other parts of the world. Every few years, sporadic infections were reported in different parts of the world from human contamination and human-to-human transmission. In recent years, with the slow decline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the outbreak of Mpox was observed in many countries of the world. To deal with the spread of this viral infection, we need to know the ways to diagnose the infection, treat the infection, care for the patients, and implement a wide program of vaccination. Currently, there are no specific drugs available for this virus, but according to previous studies related to smallpox, drugs such as tecovirimat, cidofovir, and brincidofovir, which were used for smallpox and other orthopoxviruses in the past, can be considered to deal with Mpox. Also, some vaccines such as JYNNEOS, IMVAMUNE, and MoVIHvax that have been used against smallpox can be useful to some extent in preventing Mpox.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has been declared a global pandemic. It is well-established that SARS-CoV-2 infection can lead to dysregulated immune responses. Arginase-1 (Arg1), which has a pivotal role in immune cells, can be expressed in most of the myeloid cells, e.g., neutrophils and macrophages. Arg1 has been associated with the suppression of antiviral immune responses. Methods: Whole blood was taken from 21 COVID-19 patients and 21 healthy individuals, and after RNA extraction and complementary DNA (cDNA) synthesis, gene expression of Arg1 was measured by real-time PCR. Results: The qPCR results showed that the expression of Arg1 was significantly increased in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.01). The relative expression analysis demonstrated there were approximately 2.3 times increased Arg1 expression in the whole blood of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed a considerable diagnostic value for Arg1 expression in COVID-19 (p = 0.0002 and AUC = 0.8401). Conclusion: Arg1 might be a promising marker in the pathogenesis of the disease, and it could be a valuable diagnostic tool.