Detection of urinary Chlamydia trachomatis, Mycoplasma genitalium and human papilloma virus in the first trimester of pregnancy by PCR method

Abstract Background Miscarriage and preterm delivery are the most important challenges of pregnancy. Different bacterial and viral infection may cause miscarriage and preterm delivery. Among bacterial factors, Mycoplasma genitalium and Chlamydia trachomatis have the most important role and human papilloma virus (HPV) is the leading viral factor in this regard. Methods First void urine samples were collected from 119 pregnant women who visited health centers for routine first-trimester screening (12–14 weeks gestation). About 10 ml of the sample was centrifuged at 3000×g for 20 min and 1–2 ml of the sediment was transferred to sterile microfuges and stored at − 20 °C until analysis. DNA extraction was conducted using A101211 kits imported by Pars Tous Biotechnology Company. The following commercial kits, imported by Pars Tous Biotechnology, were used for PCR. Results There is no significant association between urinary isolation of C. trachomatis and miscarriage (P = 0.93) and there is no significant association between urinary isolation of M. genitalium and miscarriage (P = 0.80). Regarding HPV, since all urine samples were PCR-negative, comparison was not possible. C. trachomatis was isolated from the urine samples of 6.72% of the pregnant women who underwent first-trimester screening in health centers using PCR. Previous studies reported a mean chlamydia isolation rate of 3% from urine specimens collected from pregnant women in general. T test showed no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.10). Based on present study the mycoplasma isolation rate was 17.65% using PCR. Previous studies reported a mean mycoplasma isolation rate of 10% from urine specimens collected from pregnant women in general. T-test showed a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.03). Discussion First void urine samples in pregnant women may be an appropriate sample for detection of C. trachomatis and M. genitalium; however, it is not a good method for HPV isolation therefore vaginal or cervical discharge specimens should be used instead for detection of HPV

Borrelia duttonii-like spirochetes parasitizec Meriones persicus in East Azerbaijan Province of Iran

Borrelia persica and B. microti/microti-like borreliae have been established as causative agents of relapsing fever in Iran. However, the epidemiology of previously described tickborne relapsing fever (TBRF) species Borrelia balthazardi and Borrelia latyschewii (latychevi) has remained elusive for many years. We investigated Borrelia infection in various rodents and small mammals in the TBRF endemic East Azerbaijan Province, northwestern Iran, where B. perisca and B. balthazardi might coexist. Among trapped rodents (n=210), a 16S real-time PCR detected Borrelia DNA in 11 Meriones persicus. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) using six different loci, including four coding regions (flaB, glpQ, groEL, p66) and two non-coding (rrs, IGS) followed by phylogeny revealed considerable sequence identity between the borreliae detected, B. microti, and East African Borrelia duttonii, and Borrelia recurrentis. Our results indicate that B. microti and microti-like borreliae, including the specimens characterized previously in the south of Iran and the present study, are different ecotypes of B. duttonii, i.e., a single species/entity or descendants of a recent common ancestor. Our findings also suggest that the species we had long coined as B. balthazardi and the microti-like spirochetes detected herein might be the same

Expression analysis of a panel of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) revealed their potential as diagnostic biomarkers in bladder cancer

Introduction: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have fundamental roles in cell migration, proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Methods: In the current study, we evaluated expression of a panel of lncRNAs in bladder cancer tissues, adjacent non-cancerous tissues (ANCTs) and normal bladder tissues to evaluate their diagnostic power. Results: PV1 was down-regulated in tumor tissues compared with both ANCTs and normal controls (Expression ratios of 0.48 and 0.14; P values of 0.4 and <0.001 respectively). HOTAIR, NEAT1, TUG1 and FAS-AS1 were significantly down-regulated in tumor tissues compared with normal controls (Expression ratios of 0.4, 0.68, 0.54 and 0.11; P values of 0.04, 0.02, 0.02 and <0.001 respectively). Conclusion: Combination of transcript levels of seven lncRNAs improved both sensitivity and specificity values to 100. The current study shows dysregulation of lncRNAs in bladder cancer and implies their role as diagnostic markers in this malignancy. © 201