Efficient inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus replication using novel modified microRNA-30a targeting 3'-untranslated region transcripts

RNA interference (RNAi)-based gene therapy is currently considered to be a combinatorial anti-human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) therapy. Although arti­ficial polycistronic microRNAs (miRs) can reduce HIV-1 escape mutant variants, this approach may increase the risk of side effects. The present study aimed to optimize the efficiency of anti-HIV RNAi gene therapy in order to reduce the cell toxicity induced by multi-short hairpin RNA expression. An artificial miR-30a-3'-untranslated region (miR-3'-UTR) obtained from a single RNA polymerase II was used to simultaneously target all viral transcripts. The results of the present study demonstrated that HIV-1 replication was signifi­cantly inhibited in the cells with the miR-3'-UTR construct, suggesting that miR-3'-UTR may serve as a promising tool for RNAi-based gene therapy in the treatment of HIV-1. © 2016, Spandidos Publications. All Rights Reserved

Bacteriological Typing of C. Diphtheriae Strains Recently Isolated in Teheran

From a total of 600 nose and throat introduction swabs examined for diphtherie, 200 or 33% were positive. Cultures were carfully classified on the basis of morphological appearance and biochemical characteristics into Gravis, Mitis and Intermedius groups.  A special tellurite serum agar was used for colonial appearance. Neill's broth culture was employed for haemolytic tests. The virulence of each culture was examined in laboratory animals by the agar gel precipitation method of Elek. From 200 cultures tested, 138 or 69% were gravis, 5 or 2.5% were intermedius, and 57 or 28% were mitis. 'I'hre.e strains of gravis type and one strain of mitis type were avirulen

ISOLATION OF VIRUS IN PRODUCTS OF CONCEPTION IN SPONTANEOUS ABORTION

Two hundred pa t ient s o f t he l ow socioe conomic g roup wi th an aborti on o f the f i r s t t r i mest e r were stud 1ed . The s ter i l e produc ts o f concept ion were c ul t ured on Gr e e n Monke y Kidney ti s sue cul t ure f or v i r a l de t e c - tion. Four po s i t i ve Herpe s virus, two positive Rubella"nv~ru s and t hree pos i tive unidentifie d Entero v irus l ike Vlrus were obtained The sera of 192 of these patients were titrated for Rubella antibody. The sera of a control group of 150 normal pregnant women were titrated for Rubella antibody and 8.8 per cent of these patients had a negative titre and 21.3 per cent , 1 had a tltre over 4

Comparison of Integrated Cell Culture -RT-PCR & Cell Culture Methods for Detection of Enteroviruses

"nBackground: Generally, sewage exposed water could be potentially contaminated with enteroviruses. For this reason, en­terovirus isolation from sewage specimens is one of the most sensitive indicators for virus circulation in the population. We evalu­ated the ICC-RT-PCR and cell culture methods for detection of enteroviruses in Tehran sewage system."nMethods: This research utilized 63 specimens provided through Grab sample method to concentrate by two-phase method and cultured in RD and HEp-2 cells, respectively. All specimens then were inoculated using sensitive cell cultures of RD and HEp-2. After 24 hours incubation at 36 ˚C by means of Pan E.V primers and afterwards Pan P.V Primers along with spe­cific sabin primers, RT-PCR was carried out on the cell culture specimens. Data were analyzed using SPSS Software (SPSS for and ANOVA test as well as Chi-square test."nResults: Out of 63 collected specimens, enteroviruses were isolated from 33 specimens (52.38%) and 41(65.01%) specimens which utilized cell-culture & ICC-RT-PCR methods respectively. Polioviruses were also isolated from 6 specimens."nConclusions: Statistical analysis indicated that there was a significant relationship (0.05 level) between cell culture and ICC-RT-PCR methods to isolate enteroviruses. Further the sensitivity of ICC-RT-PCR method to detect en-teroviruses less than 0.01 TCID50 was evaluated, which indicated that this method is acceptable and sensitive enough to detect enteroviruses in sewage

Environmental Surveillance of Polio and Non-Polio Enterovi¬ruses in Sistan and Balouchestan Province

"nBackground: Enteroviruses can easily circulate in the population through sewage and they are suitable indicators for environ­mental surveillance. On the other hand, in some countries there are evidences of silent circulation of viruses in sew­age specimens despite no virus isolation from clinical specimens. Therefore, WHO has suggested environmental surveil­lance using surface water and sewage specimens for final confirmation of Poliovirus eradication. In this research, according to wild Poliovirus circulation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and probability of virus entrance to Iran, and also to assure wild Poliovi­rus eradication, the environmental surveillance was performed in Sistan and Balouchestan Province of Iran."nMethods: From March 2004 to February 2005, 86 specimens from 2 sewage disposal systems, 5 hospitals and surface water from several villages were collected by Grab Sample method and tested for Enteroviruses directly and using 2 concentration meth­ods: Pellet and Two-phase. Then Poliovirus and Non-Polio Enteroviruses (NPEV) were serotyped by microneutraliza­tion method and Polioviruses were intratypically differentiated using ELISA and Probe Hybridization techniques."nResults: From a total of 86 specimens, Enteroviruses and Non-Polio Enteroviruses were isolated from 49(56.98%) and 46(53.49%) of specimens respectively. Polioviruses were isolated from 18(20.93%) specimens and none of them was wild Poliovi­rus fortunately. 13(17.81%), 39(53.42%) and 57(78.08%) of enteroviruses were isolated using Direct, Pellet and Two-phase methods, respectively."nConclusions: The results of this research confirm the validity of environmental surveillance and Polio eradication in Sistan and Balouchestan Province. "n&nbsp

Association of Epstein-Barr virus and Hodgkin’s disease

We have analyzed paraffin sections from 55 patients with histologically confirmed Hodgkin’s disease (HD) for the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) markers using in situ hybridization to detect the EBV-encoded RNAs (EBERs) and immunohistochemistry to identify latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) expression. Tissue specimens from 55 cases of Hodgkin’s disease included 22-mixed cellularity (MC), 27 nodular sclerosis (NC), one lymphocyte depleted (LD) and 5 lymphocyte predominance (LP). All of the confirmed EBV associated cases were examined and subtyped of the presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA by polymerase chain reaction. In situ hybridization revealed exclusive localization of virus in the tumor cells and FBV markers were present in 30 HD cases (55%) and were mainly confined to the mixed cellularity (MC) and nodular sclerosis (NC) subtypes. 1-MH immunohistochemistry has similar results as in situ hybridization. EBV positivity with regards of HD subtypes were 64% (14/22) mixed cellularity (MC), 44% (12/27) nodular sclerosis (NS), 0% (0/1) lymphocyte depleted (LD) and 80% (4/5) lymphocyte predominance (LP). Epstein-Barr virus-specific DNA sequences were detected by PCR in DNA extracts from paraffin-embedded tissues of all LMP1 positive cases. Twenty-eight cases were type 1 EBV and 2 cases type 2 EBV. There was difference between EBV-positive and EBV-negative HD patients with regard to age. Analysis of age group 1-14 years, 15-49 years and over 49 years, revealed 73% (16/22), 35% (10/29), 100% (4/4) EBV positivity, respectively. These findings compared to the EBV association pattern with HD in developed and developing countries suggest an overall intermediate pattern of EBV association with HD and high incidence of EBV children and elderly HD cases