Comparison of apical sealing ability of resected mineral trioxide aggregate, gutta-percha and a resin-based root canal filling material (resilon)

In the case of limited access in endodontic surgery, an alternative approach includes obturation of the canal with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) prior to surgery. Following the setting of MTA, endodontic surgery is carried out by resecting the root-end and exposing the set MTA without cavity preparation. This may also be performed with other retrofilling materials. This study was designed to compare the sealing ability of resected resilon, MTA and gutta-percha. 84 maxillary anterior teeth were instrumented and randomly assigned into three experimental groups (n = 20), each having a positive and negative control (n = 4). The canals were filled with resilon, MTA or gutta-percha. Following the root-end resection and submergence in India ink, the maximum dye penetration was measured. Welch and Brown-Forsythe test was used to analyze the data. The resected gutta-percha showed significantly more leakage than MTA (p = 0.041). The leakage in resected resilon was more than MTA and slightly lesser than gutta-percha. However, the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Based on this study, MTA is the most appropriate choice in this approach.Key words: Gutta-percha, microleakage, mineral trioxide aggregate, resilon, root-end resection

Biofilm production among Staphylococcus epidermidis strains isolated from healthy people

Introduction: Staphylococcus epidermidis is well documented as a nosocomial pathogen causing biofilm in patients and healthy people. The aim of this study was to analyze the biofilm formation of S. epidermidis strains isolated from healthy people during 2013-2014. Materials and methods: Totally 200 healthy people were selected and the sampling was carried out from arm, armpit and axillary area using sterile swaps. Swaps were transferred to thiogylcollate broth and then cultured on mannitol salt agar plates. Isolates were identified at the species level using biochemical tests. Potential of biofilm formation of strains was measured using congo red agar plate and microtiter plate tests. Genes involved in biofilm formation, icaA and icaD, were detected using PCR. Results: Totally 104 S. epidermidis strains were isolated from healthy people. Amongst these, 66 (63%) and 38 (37%) strains were positive and negative for biofilm formation, respectively. icaA and icaD genes were detected in 100% of strains. Discussion and conclusion: Prevalence of biofilm producing S. epidermidis isolates among healthy people indicating their colonization with hospital strains. Prevalence of such strains is  urgent for public health

Microbiota-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as New Systemic Regulators

The gut microbiota and their products play a critical role in metabolism, neurologic status, endocrine and immune system. There are pieces of evidence that dysbiosis in the gut is a factor in an astounding array of conditions and diseases: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), autism, asthma, cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurological disorders, cardiovascular, and fatty liver disease (Zeng et al., 2017). Microbiota-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) carry a large diversity of compounds that can affect diverse pathways in the host. We propose to use various EVs not only as adjuvants for vaccination (Moshiri et al., 2012) but also as potential modifiers of host interactions in the gut that in turn affect several organ functions such as alteration of signaling molecules at the intestinal barriers (Cañas et al., 2016)

Correction: comparing the expression levels of tripartite motif containing 28 in mild and severe COVID-19 infection (Virology Journal, (2022), 19, 1, (156), 10.1186/s12985-022-01885-0)

Following publication of the original article 1, the authors identified an error in the author name of Sana Eybpoosh. The incorrect author name is: Sana Eaybpoush. The correct author name is: Sana Eybpoosh. The original article has been corrected. © The Author(s) 2022

Expression of TRIM56 gene in SARS-CoV-2 variants and its relationship with progression of COVID-19

Tweetable abstract#Tavakoli et al. discovered that the TRIM56 gene, which plays a crucial role in the body's immune response to viruses, is likely associated with severe COVID-19 infections. Plain language summaryScientists looked at a protein called TRIM that helps fight viruses to see if a specific TRIM protein, TRIM56, was linked to how poorly people became with COVID-19. The study looked at the blood samples of 330 patients and found that COVID-19 patients had less TRIM56 than healthy people, especially those who were particularly ill. Aim: The present study aimed to determine a correlation between differential TRIM56 expression levels and severe infections of COVID-19 between the Alpha, Delta and Omicron BA.5 variants. Materials & methods: This study was performed on 330 COVID-19 patients, including 142 with severe and 188 with mild infections, as well as 160 healthy controls. The levels of TRIM56 gene expression were determined using a qPCR. Results: TRIM56 gene showed significantly lower mRNA expression in the severe and mild groups compared with healthy individuals. Our finding indicated the high and low reduction of TRIM56 mRNA expression in Delta and Omicron BA.5 variant, respectively. Conclusion: Further research is needed to characterize the impact of TRIM proteins on the severity of COVID-19

Comparing the expression levels of tripartite motif containing 28 in mild and severe COVID-19 infection

Background Tripartite motif-containing 28 (TRIM28) is an impressive regulator of the epigenetic control of the antiviral immune response. This study evaluated if the differential expression of TRIM28 correlates with the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Methods A total of 330 COVID-19 patients, including 188 mild and 142 severe infections, and 160 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to determine the expression levels of TRIM28 in the studied patients. Results TRIM28 mRNA levels were significantly lower in both groups of patients versus the control group and in the severe group indicated further reduction in comparison to mild infection. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the mean age, lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol, lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and PCR cycle threshold (Ct) value and higher levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and differential expression of TRIM28 were linked to the severity of COVID-19 infection. Conclusion The results of this study proved that the downregulation of TRIM28 might be associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection. Further studies are required to determine the association between the COVID-19 infection severity and TRIM family proteins

The association between interferon lambda 3 and 4 gene single-nucleotide polymorphisms and the recovery of COVID-19 patients

Background The recent pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has elevated several clinical and scientific questions. These include how host genetic factors influence the pathogenesis and disease susceptibility. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of interferon lambda 3 and 4 (IFNL3/4) gene polymorphisms and clinical parameters on the resistance and susceptibility to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Methods A total of 750 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients (375 survivors and 375 nonsurvivors) were included in this study. All single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on IFNL3 (rs12979860, rs8099917, and rs12980275) and IFNL4 rs368234815 were genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Results In this study, a higher viral load (low PCR Ct value) was shown in nonsurvivor patients. In survivor patients, the frequency of the favorable genotypes of IFNL3/4 SNPs (rs12979860 CC, rs12980275 AA, rs8099917 TT, and rs368234815 TT/TT) was significantly higher than in nonsurvivor patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis has shown that a higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and PCR Ct value, and lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and also IFNL3 rs12979860 TT, IFNL3 rs8099917 GG, IFNL3 rs12980275 GG, and IFNL4 rs368234815 increment G/ increment G genotypes were associated with the severity of COVID-19 infection. Conclusions The results of this study proved that the severity of COVID-19 infection was associated with clinical parameters and unfavorable genotypes of IFNL3/IFNL4 SNPs. Further studies in different parts of the world are needed to show the relationship between severity of COVID-19 infection and host genetic factors