Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia) due to defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both.  Infectious diseases by various viruses can impact humans’ health. It has been demonstrated that antiviral medications may be linked to the development of diabetes or exacerbation of existing diabetes mellitus. This mini review aims to summarize the current evidence on the effects of antiviral agents on blood glucose levels. The studies revealed that some antiviral drugs, such as Ribavirin, Remdesivir, Interferon-α, Lopinavir, Ritonavir, and Zidovudine, have the potential to increase the risk of development of diabetes mellitus or worsen existing diabetes. While Raltegravir's impact on diabetes mellitus is controversial. Therefore, it can be suggested the measurement of blood glucose, insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet cell autoantibody levels before and during the antiviral therapy.

TGF-β acts as a cytokine with a dual role in tumor control and metastasis. In the early stages, TGF-β functions as a tumor suppressor, helping to maintain cellular homeostasis. However, as cancer progresses, this cytokine can promote tumor invasion and metastasis by regulating the tumor microenvironment and the immune system. TGF-β controls multiple functions, including growth regulation, differentiation, apoptosis, and cell signaling, through SMAD and non-SMAD signaling pathways. In cancer, the signaling pathway of this cytokine activates the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process, leading to reduced cell adhesion, increased motility, and ultimately, tumor invasion. These changes are also associated with resistance to chemotherapy. Additionally, TGF-β stimulates angiogenesis by inducing pro-angiogenic factors such as VEGF and PDGF, which are crucial for the spread of metastatic tumors. Furthermore, this cytokine plays a significant role in tumor immune evasion by suppressing the activity of T cells and NK cells while promoting regulatory T cells (Tregs). Targeted therapies against TGF-β, including ligand receptors, monoclonal antibodies, kinase inhibitors, and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO), have shown promising results in preclinical and clinical studies. However, challenges such as tumor resistance to therapy and side effects due to the broad inhibition of TGF-β isoforms remain. Therefore, efforts to improve TGF-β-based therapies and combine them with other treatments, including immunotherapy, are ongoing.

Objectives: Early detection of prostate disease is crucial, but current methods have limitations.  S100P protein and saliva sampling offer potential non-invasive diagnostic options.  This study aimed to evaluate S100P and PSA as biomarkers for prostate cancer (PC) and differentiate PC from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).  Additionally, the study investigated the suitability of saliva as a diagnostic medium for prostate patients.

Methods: This case-control study included 100 Iranian men aged 50 to 65 years, divided into two groups: 50 men with PC and 50 men with BPH. Serum and saliva samples were collected from each patient after a consent form was obtained. Serum and salivary PSA and S100P levels were measured using ELISA kits.  Mann–Whitney U test, Spearman’s correlation coefficients and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were applied to evaluate the data.

Results: Salivary and serum PSA and S100P levels were significantly higher in men with PC compared to those with BPH (P<0.001). A strong positive correlation was observed between serum and salivary levels of both biomarkers in two groups (P<0.001). ROC curve analysis indicated that salivary PSA and S100P levels could effectively differentiate PC from BPH.  

Conclusions: Salivary PSA and S100P hold promise as non-invasive biomarkers for PC detection and differentiation from BPH. Further research with larger cohorts is needed to validate these findings and confirm the clinical utility of salivary PSA and S100P in PC and BPH diagnosis and management.

The exclusion criteria for the study were incomplete records or highly limited information.

Results: The mean age of female patients was significantly lower than that of male patients. Breast and bladder cancers are the most common type of cancer referred to the hospital, whereas larynx and cervical cancer   are the cancers with the lowest frequency.

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the disease pattern, main complaint, laboratory findings and pathology of patients have similarities and differences with international patterns. It should be noted that this single-center study cannot provide a comprehensive picture of cancer statistics in the province, though it offers valuable insights into the current conditions .

Objectives:  In recent decades, deuterium-depleted water (DDW) has been discussed as a supplement to increase the longevity. In this study we aim to investigate the effects of DDW on the factors involved in the aging process including FOXO gene family and oxidative stress. We also aim to study the effect of DDW on cellular toxicity caused by heavy metal of manganese.

Methods: We used HNNFPi8 cell line as an experimental model. HNNFPi8 cell line incubated with specific DDW media with deuterium concentration of 30ppm, 50ppm, 75ppm, 100ppm, 125ppm and 150ppm and 0.01 to 5mM MnCl₂ up to 72 h. Cell proliferation, the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) antioxidant were determined by MTT and colorimetric methods, respectively.  RT-PCR was used to measure FOXO3A gene expression.

Results: The increase in MnCl₂ concentration resulted in dose-dependently reduction in the viability of the cells. However, the decrease in the cell viability in the treated groups with DDW was found to be significantly lower in concentrations of 50ppm to 125 ppm DDW. DDW at concentrations of 30, 50, 75, 100 and 125 ppm could significantly upregulate the expression of FOXO3A gene in the cells treated with different concentrations of MnCl₂. In addition, DDW at concentrations of 75, 100 and 125 ppm were able to increase the activities of these two antioxidant enzymes in the cells treated with different concentrations of MnCl₂

Conclusion: The results suggest that DDW, especially at concentrations of 100 and 125ppm, is effective in reducing the toxic effects of the MnCl₂.

Objectives: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by insulin resistance and progressive β-cell dysfunction. Early detection is extremely important for effective management and the prevention of complications. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) been found to be promising non-invasive biomarkers for a variety of diseases, including metabolic disorders. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic potential of serum microRNA-29a-3p (miR-29a-3p) and microRNA-221-3p (miR-221-3p) in patients with T2D.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted involving 48 T2D patients and 42 healthy controls. Serum levels of miR-29a-3p and miR-221-3p were quantified using real-time PCR.

Results: Both miR-29a-3p and miR-221-3p were significantly increased in sera of T2D patients compared to controls. Serum miR-29a-3p and miR-221-3p were positively correlated with fasting blood glucose (r = 0.466), (r = 0.403) and HbA1c (r = 0.375), (r = 0.366), respectively. miR-29a-3p showed moderate correlations with TG (r = 0.300) after adjustment for BMI, age and gender. Both miRNAs also correlated with adiposity parameters such as body mass index, weight and waist circumference.

Conclusion: Serum miR-29a-3p and miR-221-3p are significantly upregulated in T2D and correlate with key metabolic markers. Their diagnostic performance suggests that they can function as valuable non-invasive biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of T2D. Further research is needed to examine these results in larger and more diverse population groups.

Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a recurrent inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that increases at an alarming rate around the world. The microRNA-29 (miRNA-29) family has been implicated in the pathogenesis of UC. In recent year, the alteration of Dipeptidyl-peptidase 4 (DPP4) levels in IBD patients has been reported. In the present study, we evaluated the relationship between miRNA-29a expression of intestinal tissue and serum DPP4 level in UC patients and healthy subjects.

Methods: Blood samples and colonic punch biopsy were obtained from 35 UC, and 29 healthy subjects. Serum levels of DPP-4 were evaluated by ELISA technique. The expression levels of miRNA-29 were assessed by qRT-PCR. Also, biochemical parameters and demographic information were collected based on patient tests and questionnaire.

Results: The results of this study showed a significant increase of miRNA-29a in intestinal tissue of UC patients compared to control. In addition, elevated expression of miRNA-29a was accompanied by a decrease in serum levels of DPP4, but there was no significant difference between moderate and severe conditions. Furthermore, the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and platelet were higher in UC patients relative to those without UC.

Conclusions: These findings supported the role of the miRNA-29a-DPP4 axis in the pathogenesis of UC and provide the evidence for the further evaluation of this axis as biomarkers of the disease.