Investigation of the Potential Presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) Paraffin Embedded Tissue Samples

Background and Aim: Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide Evidence suggests that there is a link between bacterial infection and malignancy. There are few studies on the prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), so this study aimed to investigate the possible presence of this bacterium in ESCC tissue samples.Materials and Methods: In this study, 34 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma samples were collected to evaluate the potential presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis. After extracting the DNA, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to detect the presence of the bacterium molecularly.Results: The age range of the study population was 26 to 90 years, with a mean age of 63 years. Most tissue samples come from stage I cancer (73.5%). Based on the molecular analysis, no P. gingivalis was detected in any biopsy specimensConclusion: P. gingivalis infection and ESCC were not correlated based on the current in this study. Likely, the use of fresh samples, more accurate diagnostic methods, geographic differences, and larger sample sizes all contribute to the differences in results between related research, which can be clarified through large-scale studies

Investigation of the Potential Presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC) Paraffin Embedded Tissue Samples

Background and Aim: Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer death worldwide Evidence suggests that there is a link between bacterial infection and malignancy. There are few studies on the prevalence of Porphyromonas gingivalis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), so this study aimed to investigate the possible presence of this bacterium in ESCC tissue samples. Materials and Methods: In this study, 34 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma samples were collected to evaluate the potential presence of Porphyromonas gingivalis. After extracting the DNA, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to detect the presence of the bacterium molecularly. Results: The age range of the study population was 26 to 90 years, with a mean age of 63 years. Most tissue samples come from stage I cancer (73.5%). Based on the molecular analysis, no P. gingivalis was detected in any biopsy specimens Conclusion: P. gingivalis infection and ESCC were not correlated based on the current in this study. Likely, the use of fresh samples, more accurate diagnostic methods, geographic differences, and larger sample sizes all contribute to the differences in results between related research, which can be clarified through large-scale studies

Determination of the Status of Helicobacter Pylori SabA Gene in Relation to Clinical Findings

Background: Many Helicobacter pylori strains express adhesin proteins that bind to specific host-cell macromolecule receptors, like sialic acid binding adhesion (sabA). SabA-expressing strains have been associated with gastric cancer and negatively associated with duodenal ulcers. The aim of this study was to determine the status of sabA gene of H. pylori and its association with the clinical diseases in Iranian dyspeptic pateints.Methods: Eighty six biopsy block samples that were positive for H. pylori according Geimsa staining were included in this study. Genomic DNA was extracted from paraffin-embedded gastric biopsies obtained from dyspeptic patients.The identity of Helicobacter genus was determined through amplification of 16S rRNA which followed by sabA PCR using the gene-specific primers. The prevalence of sabA gene in three clinical groups including gastritis, gastric ulcer, and gastric atrophy was determined. The association of sabA gene and clinical outcomes was assessed statistically using Chi-square test. A p-value less than <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: Total of 86 patients was included in this study. Seventeen cases out of 86 (23.6%) were yielded a positive result for sabA gene. The prevalence of sabA gene was 28.6% in both dyspeptic and Gastric atrophy patients as compared with peptic ulcers (19.2%).Conclusion: For a first time the frequency of sabA gene using PCR methods was reported. The current study demonstrated that the sabA gene status was not associated with clinical diseases. In limited number of studied samples, higher frequency of sabA gene among dyspeptic and atrophic patients was found

COVID-19 and Influenza Co-infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and Aim: Co-infection of COVID-19 with other respiratory pathogens which may complicate the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of COVID-19 emerge new concern. The overlap of COVID-19 and influenza, as two epidemics at the same time can occur in the cold months of the year. The aim of current study was to evaluate the rate of such co-infection as a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed on September 28, 2019 fororiginal research articles published in Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases from December 2019 to September 2020 using relevant keywords. Patients of all ages with simultaneous COVID-19 and influenza were included. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 14 software. Results: Eleven prevalence studies with total of 3,070 patients with COVID-19, and 79 patients with concurrent COVID-19 and influenza were selected for final evaluation. The prevalence of influenza infection was 0.8% in patients with confirmed COVID-19. The frequency of influenza virus co-infection among patients with COVID-19 was 4.5% in Asia and 0.4% in the America. Four prevalence studies reported the sex of patients, which were 30 men and 31 women. Prevalence of co-infection with influenza in men and women with COVID-19 was 5.3 and 9.1%, respectively. Eight case reports and 7 case series with a total of 123 patients with COVID-19 were selected, 29 of them (16 men, 13 women) with mean age of 48 years had concurrent infection with influenza viruses A/B. Fever, cough, and shortness of breath were the most common clinical manifestations. Two of 29 patients died (6.9%), and 17 out of 29 patients recovered (58.6%). Oseltamivir and hydroxychloroquine were the most widely used drugs used for 41.4, and 31% of patients, respectively. Conclusion: Although a low proportion of COVID-19 patients have influenza co-infection, however, the importance of such co-infection, especially in high-risk individuals and the elderly, cannot be ignored. We were unable to report the exact rate of simultaneous influenza in COVID-19 patients worldwide due to a lack of data from several countries. Obviously, more studies are needed to evaluate the exact effect of the COVID-19 and influenza co-infection in clinical outcomes. Keywords: coronavirus, COVID-19, influenza virus, co-infection, meta-analysis, systematic revie