Personalized and Precision Medicine Journal

Abstract Background and purpose: Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in which inflammation plays an essential role in its pathophysiology. One of the secondary effects of asthma is depression, which is probably due to overlapping pathogenic mechanisms. One of the important mechanisms in the treatment of depression and asthma is to pay attention to removing inflammation and reducing oxidative stress. Purslane exerts its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects through NFqB and NOS pathways. This study aims to investigate the effect of the aqueous-alcoholic extract of the purslane plant on depression caused by experimental asthma using an Open Field Test and Forced Swimming Test in small laboratory mice.
Materials and methods: To investigate the aqueous-alcoholic extract of the purslane plant on depression caused by experimental asthma, 40 Syrian NMRI male mice were divided into 4 groups: control, asthmatic, and asthmatic receiving the extract at a dose of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg. Syrian mice were injected and inhaled ovalbumin to develop asthma, and the control group received PBS solution in the same way. The treated groups received the extract at the same time as asthma induction.
Results: The results show that depression symptoms increased significantly after asthma induction. These symptoms were significantly reduced after the administration of purslane extract in a dose-dependent manner. The results indicated a significant increase in depression in the asthmatic group samples compared to the control group and also a significant decrease in depression in the groups treated with purslane extract compared to the asthmatic group.

Abstract Uropathogenic Escherichia coli is one of the most important causes of urinary tract infections. These strains possess various virulence factors, including adhesins, toxins, and iron acquisition systems. Virulence genes are situated on mobile genetic elements or in specific regions of the chromosome known as pathogenicity islands. In this study, 375 clinical samples from male and female patients suspected of having urinary tract infections were collected in the hospitals of Dhi Qar, Iraq, during the period from June 1, 2019, to November 1, 2019. Following the collection of 100 samples, bacterial isolation, DNA extraction, and antibiotic sensitivity tests were conducted using the disc diffusion method with the selected antibiotics. The presence of papC, aer, fimH, hly, cnf-1, and afa class genes was investigated using multiplex PCR. The results indicated that the highest frequency among the genes was associated with the fim gene (98%). The aer, papC, cnf-1, hly, and afa genes were also detected, with frequencies of 52%, 30%, 18%, 13%, and 11%, respectively. Additionally, the highest resistance and sensitivity among UPEC isolates were observed for amoxicillin (82.37%) and amikacin (92.35%) antibiotics, respectively.

Abstract Asthma is one of the most common non-communicable diseases characterized by reversible obstruction of airflow. It poses many problems for all age groups from infancy to old age. Various studies have shown that the occurrence of viral infections is associated with the severity of asthma symptoms so it can be prevented by controlling viral agents. In this study, the severity of the symptoms of persistent severe asthma with Haemophilus influenza infection was investigated. 31 patients with asthma with different degrees of disease were studied in this study. The results showed that in patients with asthma, the percentage of people with Haemophilus influenza was 71% and in 29% of other asthma cases, Haemophilus influenza virus was not observed. The relationship between asthma, cough and dyspnea with Haemophilus influenza infection showed that with increasing asthma symptoms, the severity of infection increases, and no significant association was observed between cough and dyspnea with Haemophilus influenza. Therefore, the results of this study clearly show that Haemophilus influenzae virus causes asthma symptoms to worsen in patients.

Abstract Free radicals are naturally produced in the body and are inhibited by the body’s antioxidants. The excessive production of free radicals and the inability of the body to remove them lead to oxidative stress in the body, which can lead to many diseases, including cancer. Nanoparticles are compounds that have been given much attention to cancer prevention and treatment, due to their specific biological characteristics and their small size. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic and antioxidant potential of serum oxide nanoparticles synthesized using aqueous extract of Hyssopus officinalis.
To perform the MTT assay, first, the MDA-MB231 cancerous cells were cultured, seeded and then treated for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Subsequently, MTT was performed and finally, absorption at 517 nm was recorded. The antioxidant potential of the CeO-NPs was evaluated by estimating the amount of ABTS and DPPH free radicals inhibiting in different concentrations of nanoparticles.
The results showed that the CeO-NPs were able to inhibit the ABTS and DPPH free radicals with a mean concentration (IC50) of about 62 and 31.2 μg / ml. Also, the CeO-NPs inhibited cancer cells with IC50 of about 400 µg/ml, 48 hours after exposure. According to the antioxidant results obtained from this paper, it is suggested that by performing further experiments, this nanoparticle can be used as an antioxidant supplement.

Abstract Exposure to low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF-EMF) has been considered a global concern because of its harmful effects on human health (cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, etc.). According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, EMF has been classified as a possible cancerous element for human health. Antioxidants such as vitamin C improve the damage caused by EMF by reducing oxidative stress. To evaluate the effects of EMF on the serum total protein, blood sugar, albumin and triglyceride, and the inhibitory role of vitamin C, 40 male BALB/c mice were recruited. Participants were randomly distributed into four groups 1- exposure to LF-EMF, 2- exposure to LF-EMF which received vitamin C (50 mg/kg), 3- exposure to LF-EMF which received vitamin C (100 mg/kg), and 4- control group (no exposure). The experimental groups (1-3) received LF-EMF (50 Hz, 4 mT, 4 hours/day, and 1 month) while both groups 2 and 3 had intraperitoneally injected vitamin C (50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg) every other day basis respectively. The obtained results demonstrated higher triglyceride and total protein levels and lower albumin and blood sugar levels in the LF-EMF group compared to controls while vitamin C restricts their alterations (p<0.05). To sum it up, our data show that intraperitoneal injection of vitamin C restricts the effects of LF-EMF exposure on the biochemical parameters in mice. However, the antioxidant characteristics of vitamin C may be probably involved in the LF-EMF effects of biochemical parameters in mice.

Abstract Objectives: Diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1DM), which is also an autoimmune disorder, can coexist alongside other types of autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of a subclinical association between diabetes disease and autoimmune thyroid dysfunction. The clinical condition of the patient and their approach to managing their diabetes were specifically considered when deciding whether or not the patient had autoantibodies.
Methods: This study included sixty individuals who were diagnosed with diabetes type 1. (thirty males and thirty women, with a mean age of 21.04 years) and 30 healthy controls (12 males and 18 females).
Results: Diabetics had considerably greater serum IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α levels than healthy controls. Stepwise regression indicated significant positive correlations between IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α with these antibodies and strong inversed relationships between IL-6 and Anti-TPO, Anti-TG, antibodies.
. No matter if the antibodies were present or how severe they were, this held true. The study's findings lend credence to the idea that people with type 1 diabetes should have their thyroid antibodies and function checked.
Conclusions: Thyroid antibodies were most common among type 1 diabetics aged 21–35, according to our study (Anti-TPO and Anti-TG). IL-10, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in diabetic patients and controls were significantly different (P<0.01). IL-10, TNF-α, HbA1C, and body mass index positively correlated with thyroid antibodies, except for IL-6. Thyroid antibodies and functional abnormalities should be tested often in type 1 diabetics due to the high occurrence of thyroid autoimmune illnesses.