Antitumor effect of mIFN-λ3 in C57BL/6 mice model for papilloma tumors

Although several years have passed since the determination of the human papilloma virus (HPV) as the causative agent for cervical cancer, a definitive treatment has not yet been found. Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) immunotherapy is one of the promising methods for tumor treatment, although numerous side effects were observed in clinical trials. Recently, a new type of interferon, lambda-interferon (IFN-λ), has been discovered with fewer side effects than IFN-α since its receptor repertoire is limited. IFN-λ has a series of activities including antiviral, anti-proliferative and anti-tumor actions. In the present study, the effects of IFN-α and IFN-λ on the TC1 papilloma tumor model in C57BL/6 mice were evaluated. TC1 cells were injected into the mice subcutaneously. Upon tumor formation, murine IFN, mIFN-α and mIFN-λ, expression plasmids were injected intratumorally in combination or alone. The survival time and tumor size as well as apoptosis in tumors and NK cytoxicity were measured after three injections. As compared with the control group, the remarkable results especially in the group which received mIFN-α and mIFN-λ together were obtained for all of the measured parameters. Although IFN-λ is a new member of the interferon family and its properties should be studied in detail, the data obtained suggests that the use of IFN-λ especially in combination with IFN-α could be considered as an effective strategy for papilloma cervical cancer immunotherapy. © 2015, Pleiades Publishing, Inc

The impact of COVID-19 outbreak on emotional and cognitive vulnerability in Iranian women With Breast Cancer

The psychological cost on emotional well-being due to the collateral damage brought about by COVID-19 in accessing oncological services for breast cancer diagnosis and treatment has been documented by recent studies in the United Kingdom. The current study set out to examine the effect of delays to scheduled oncology services on emotional and cognitive vulnerability in women with a breast cancer diagnosis in Iran, one of the very first countries to be heavily impacted by COVID-19. One hundred thirty-nine women with a diagnosis of primary breast cancer answered a series of online questionnaires to assess the current state of rumination, worry, and cognitive vulnerability as well as the emotional impact of COVID-19 on their mental health. Results indicated that delays in accessing oncology services significantly increased COVID related emotional vulnerability. Regression analyses revealed that after controlling for the effects of sociodemographic and clinical variables, women’s COVID related emotional vulnerability explained higher levels of ruminative response and chronic worry as well as poorer cognitive function. This study is the first in Iran to demonstrate that the effects of COVID-19 on emotional health amongst women affected by breast cancer can exaggerate anxiety and depressive related symptoms increasing risks for clinical levels of these disorders. Our findings call for an urgent need to address these risks using targeted interventions exercising resilience

The pattern of antiviral protein expression induced by interferon λ1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection

Interferon lambda was discovered in recent years to be an antiviral agent, and research on different aspects of this antiviral factor in viral infection and investigations of its effectiveness are also progressing. The immunological effects of interferon lambda on different cell populations is not precisely known, which may be due to its use of a heterodimeric receptor consisting of IL-10R2 and IFN-λR1, which are not broadly expressed in all types of cells. In the present study, signaling by interferon lambda and its effect on the expression of hepatitis C virus (HCV) proteins were measured, and the expression pattern of some antiviral proteins and IL-10 levels were investigated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PBMCs were isolated from 50 patients with chronic genotype 1a HCV infection and 10 healthy individuals as controls. The PBMCs were treated with various doses of interferon lambda at different times of cultivation. Real-time PCR was used for relative quantification of Mxa, PKR, OAS, ISG15 and HCV core mRNAs. Expression of the NS5A protein was measured by flow cytometry, and IL-10 production was assessed by ELISA. A significant increase in the expression of mRNA encoding antiviral proteins and a decrease in the expression of mRNAs encoding the HCV core protein were observed when cells were treated with interferon lambda in an intermittent manner. The expression of HCV NS5A protein and interleukin 10 levels were also lower than in the control group. It was shown that the maximum antiviral effect of interferon lambda in PBMCs is dependent on the dose and treatment time. © 2020, Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature

Improving access to psychological intervention in low-middle income settings: Results from a waitlist-controlled, proof-of-concept trial of the MemFlex intervention for trauma-exposed Afghan youth

Low-intensity interventions targeting a range of mental health issues offer a scalable approach for young trauma survivors in low-middle income countries. Here, we present results from a proof-of-concept, randomised, waitlist-controlled trial evaluating MemFlex, an autobiographical memory-based intervention, for trauma-exposed Afghan youth residing in Iran. MemFlex seeks to reduce the negative and overgeneral memory biases which maintain and predict poor mental health. Young people aged 12-18 years (N=40) with parents who had experienced forced migration from Afghanistan were recruited from high schools in Karaj City in Iran. All had experienced a traumatic event in the last month. Participants were randomized to receive four weeks of a group-based delivery of MemFlex, or Waitlist. Our primary cognitive outcome was autobiographical memory flexibility, that is, the ability to deliberately retrieve any memory type on demand. Primary clinical outcome was emotional distress, measured on the Farsi version of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. Results indicated that MemFlex participants demonstrated large effect sizes for pre-to-post improvement in memory flexibility (d=2.04) and emotional distress (d=1.23). These improvements were significantly larger than Waitlist (ds<0.49), and were maintained at three-month follow-up. Further evaluation of MemFlex in this context may offer a low-cost, and low-resource intervention to improve access to psychological intervention for young migrants in low-middle income countries