Journal of Inflammatory Diseases
Year:2023 | Volume:27 | Issue:2|Papers Count:6

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is one of the major public health problems in the world. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the prognostic factors of survival time. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we used information from HIV-positive or acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients in Qazvin province from 2012 to 2021. We calculated the cumulative incidence of AIDS and deaths in HIV-positive and AIDS subjects. We examined the influence of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV transmission, co-infection with tuberculosis, history of Hepatitis B and C, and demographic factors on survival time. Using the Cox proportional hazard model, we calculated the crude and adjusted hazard ratio of disease progression to death. Results: Of 201 HIV-positive patients, 170 were identified in the first stage (n = 25) and the second stage (n = 145). The one-year, five-year, and ten-year survival rates from HIV infection to AIDS were 98%, 89%, and 71%, respectively. The survival rates from the time of HIV diagnosis to the time of death were 93%, 69%, and 43%, respectively. The hazard ratio of death from AIDS-related causes was 0.19 in patients who received antiretroviral therapy compared to those who did not (P < 0.001). Additionally, the hazard ratio was 4.11 in patients who had tuberculosis compared to those who did not (P < 0.029). Conclusions: Co-infection with tuberculosis was one of the most important prognostic factors for the progression to AIDS, and antiretroviral treatment was found to improve the survival of patients living with HIV.

Background: Although a high prevalence of periodontitis has been reported in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the possible association between the severity of periodontitis and RA disease activity remains unclear. Methods: This study was performed on 73 patients with RA selected according to the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology who were referred to a rheumatology clinic in Qazvin in 2021. The activity of the RA disease was evaluated by the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), and the severity of periodontitis was evaluated by clinical attachment loss (CAL) and plaque index (PI). Age, sex, duration of disease, and type of treatment were also recorded. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the normal distribution of quantitative variables, and the chi-square test was used to investigate the relationship between qualitative variables. Results: Patients with RA were predominantly women (86.3%) between the ages of 25 and 73. The average duration of the disease was 5.78 years with a range of 3 months to 30 years. The majority of RA patients had moderate disease activity (47.9%) and the lowest prevalence was for the low disease activity (8.2%). Most of the patients had mild periodontitis (65.8%). The highest mean of PI was observed in patients with severe disease activity and the patients at the remission stage had the least PI level, but the difference was not significant (P = 0.574). In dental examination, 24(32.9%) patients had moderate to severe periodontitis unrelated to the higher disease activity (P = 0.372). Conclusions: No significant relation was observed between RA disease activity and periodontitis severity.

Background: Determining the incidence of lesions in communities, including salivary gland diseases, is an important pillar of epidemiological studies that affects the recognition of oral lesions.Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence of salivary gland lesions referred to the pathology centers in Rasht City between 2016 and 2021. Methods: This retrospective study is of a descriptive-analytical type, which was conducted using the records of 261 patients between 2016 and 2021, referring to the archived records at Rasht pathobiology laboratories. The required information, including the age and sex of the patients, histopathological diagnosis, and location of the lesions, was recorded and analyzed by SPSS 26 software using the incidence formula at a significance level of less than 0.05. Results: The highest incidence was observed for benign tumors (15.44 per 100,000 individuals), non-neoplastic salivary lesions (15.29 per 100,000 individuals), and malignant tumors (4.85 per 100,000 individuals), respectively. The highest frequency based on the location of secondary salivary glands was related to the palate region (48.4%), and based on the type of main gland, the parotid gland (63.5%). Pleomorphic adenoma and inflammatory lesions had the highest incidence. Conclusions: Based on the results of the present study, the incidence of salivary gland neoplastic lesions has increased in the last 5 years. Pleomorphic adenoma and adenocystic carcinoma were the most common benign and malignant tumors reported in this study, respectively. These findings highlight the need for further studies on the causes of salivary gland neoplasms.

Background: Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease widely reported in most developing countries. Despite vaccination programs for domestic animals, this disease continues to cause economic losses and human infections. Objectives: The current project aimed to design a recombinant construct using a bioinformatics approach against brucellosis. Methods: To design the recombinant construct, amino acid sequences of heparin-binding hemagglutinin adhesin (HBHA) and outer membrane protein 25 (OMP25) were collected from databases, and then the HBHA-OMP25 chimera was assembled using an appropriate linker. The most important physical and chemical features, antigenicity, secondary structure, three-dimensional structure, and structural refinement of the designed chimera were evaluated using the best online tools. Moreover, the interaction between the HBHA moiety of the designed chimera (as a ligand) and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/MD2 (as a receptor) was assessed using protein-protein docking. Finally, the codons of the coding DNA sequence of the designed construct were adapted using the JCat tool and cloned into pET21a (+). Results: The findings confirmed that the designed construct, with a protein weight of 45.172 kDa and an antigenicity index of 0.7184, was an antigenic protein capable of triggering immune responses. Additionally, our results demonstrated that the HBHA moiety of the designed chimera could interact with the TLR4/MD2 receptor using nine hydrogen bonds. Finally, our results showed that the designed chimera, with a codon adaptation index (CAI) of 0.97, was successfully cloned into pET21a (+) between the BamHIand NotIrestriction enzymes. Conclusions: It seems that our designed chimera could be an appropriate candidate for combating brucellosis.

Poly cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex endocrine disorder characterized by hormonal imbalances and reproductive and metabolic disorders in women. In this narrative review article, the focus is on PCOS and its relationship with inflammation, hormonal imbalance, cardiovascular risks, and metabolic factors. To review and find related articles, relevant keywords were first determined based on the MeSH. The search continued in PubMed, Science Direct, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases. A total of 178 articles were investigated through the primary search. Then, 41 relevant articles were reviewed to write this review article.The findings of this study were divided into six groups: Mediators and inflammatory pathways, metabolic factors, reproductive and hormonal aspects, cardiovascular and atherosclerotic risks, biomarkers and diagnostic measures, and intestinal microbiota in insulin resistance. These findings emphasize the role of inflammatory mediators, such as C-C chemokines (Chemokines with Cysteine at Both Ends), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Evidence is presented about the high cardiovascular risks in PCOS and the positive correlation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) as a diagnostic marker for PCOS.Next, the intestinal microbiota and its role in insulin resistance and ovarian dysfunction in PCOS were investigated. Finally, given the complex nature of PCOS, personalized approaches and further research are recommended for effective diagnosis and management of this syndrome. A deeper understanding of PCOS and its complexities is necessary to improve the diagnosis, management, and prevention of associated risks.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a human viral infectious disease caused by a coronavirus, known for its high transmission rate. As there is no specific drug for COVID-19 treatment, therapy is primarily symptomatic. Ivermectin, an FDA-approved antiparasitic agent, has recently shown antiviral activity against a broad range of viruses.Objectives: Previous studies have indicated that ivermectin, as an inhibitor of inflammation, could be useful in treating COVID-19. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the structural characteristics of ivermectin-(NF-κB/MAPK10/MAPK14) complexes using molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. The docking process was performed to determine the best conformation of the complexes. Complexes with the best binding energies were selected as models for the MD simulation process. Furthermore, the structural (RMSD, H-bond) properties and interactions of the complexes were evaluated. Additionally, to calculate the binding free energy, PMF and MMPBSA calculations were carried out. Results: The molecular docking results showed that the binding energy of the ivermectin-NF-κB complex was higher than that of the other two complexes. Moreover, the MD simulation results for the ivermectin-NF-κB complex demonstrated that the complex equilibrated after 10 ns, and the number of H-bonds increased during the simulation. The binding energy of the ivermectin-NF-κB complex was calculated as 3.3 kcal/mol. Conclusions: Ivermectin binds to NF-κB with high affinity, suggesting that this protein can be an appropriate drug target to decrease inflammation, confirming the anti-inflammatory activity of ivermectin. Thus, ivermectin could be a good candidate for treating SARS-COV2 infections.