Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an integral part of lab medicine, revolutionizing how biochemists and clinical chemists approach research, analysis, and diagnosis. Several domains, each with unique capabilities, have emerged as game-changers in AI. Understanding these domains, such as Generative AI, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Large Language Models (LLMs), and other related technologies, is essential for harnessing their potential in biochemistry and clinical chemistry.

  A large amount of research suggests that polyphenols may have health benefits, particularly in metabolic disorders associated with obesity, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD), type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Because of the importance of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of metabolic disorders, great emphasis has recently been paid to the characteristics of polyphenols in obesity-related problems. This narrative review summarizes the current knowledge on the inhibitory effects of polyphenols, including curcumin, resveratrol, baicalin, nobiletin, and quercetin, on oxidative stress by focusing on the role of the Nrf2 pathway. This review gathered the data of the articles showing that the aforementioned polyphenols improve health in metabolic diseases via regulating Nrf2 and its target proteins involved in ameliorating oxidative stress. However, due to the limitations of in vitro and in vivo investigations, as well as lack of long-term human clinical trial trials studies, further high-quality research is required to definitively show polyphenols’ clinical usefulness for the prevention and management of NAFLD.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have emerged as promising agents in cancer prevention due to their ability to target DNA repair machinery of cancerous cells. PARP enzymes repair single-strand DNA breaks through the base excision repair pathway. In cancer cells, particularly those with deficiencies in homologous recombination, PARP aids in DNA repair pathways and promote cancer cell survival. PARP inhibitors suppress the enzyme function and thus induce apoptosis in cancerous cells.  Phytochemicals, bioactive compounds derived from plants, have gained increasing attention for their potential role in cancer prevention and treatment. We have investigated selected phytochemicals such as cinnamaldehyde, baicalein, curcumin, galangin, ellagic acid, resveratrol, pinocembrin, genistein, quercetin, and apigenin against PARP. The assessment of selected phytochemicals, including baicalein, galangin, ellagic acid, genistein, and apigenin, reveals promising attributes through various computational analyses. Specifically, these compounds exhibit favorable docking scores, indicating strong binding affinity to their target molecules. Molecular dynamic simulation for 10 nanosecond was performed to validate the findings. Moreover, their potential as PARP inhibitors suggests a plausible role in inhibiting DNA repair mechanisms, an essential aspect of cancer therapy. These compounds were found to exert PARP inhibition through direct interference with enzymatic activity or modulation of PARP expression. This targeted investigation underscores the potential of these phytochemicals as PARP inhibitors contributing to the advancement of precision cancer therapeutics.

Objective: Crocetin, a saffron-derived carotenoid, inhibited tumor growth in some cancer types. However, its mechanism of action still needs to be clearly understood. Here, the Crocetin effect on the expression of some cell cycle regulators was investigated.

Methods: The N-nitroso-N-methylurea (NMU)-induced rat mammary carcinomas were induced in a group of 35-day-old female Wistar Albino rats. Then, the expression of several cell cycle regulators was studied using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. After the tumor appearance, these rats were treated with Crocetin through weekly, intraperitoneal injections of 100 mg/kg body weight for four weeks. A control group has received the vehicle only. In the end, rats were sacrificed, and tumors were divided into two parts. A part was for pathologic investigation, and a part was retained at -70 °C to determine desired parameters.

Results: Before Crocetin treatment, the tumor volumes were 13.27 ± 3.77 and 9.44 ± 4.39 cm³, which was changed to 23.66 ± 8.82 and 4.71 ± 2.44 cm³ at the end of the experiment in the untreated and treated groups, respectively. The results showed that Crocetin markedly decreased the increased expression of cyclin D1 due to NMU administration. However, it further increased the expression of p53 and p21^Cip1, with no significant effect on p27^Kip1 expression. We previously showed Crocin-induced cell cycle arrest through a p53-dependent mechanism.

Conclusions. Crocetin induced the cell cycle arrest in NMU-induced breast cancer in rats through a p53-independent mechanism. It is the second mechanism additional to apoptosis induction in cancer cells.

Genome analysis of bacteriophages is crucial for their successful application in clinical and biocontrol settings. In this study, we isolated a new lytic phage, vB_SenS_TUMS-E15, from hospital sewage against Salmonella enteritidis and analyzed its genomic features. Complete genome analysis revealed that E15 had circularly permuted double-stranded DNA of 43,048 base pair (bp), with a G+C content of 49.7%. Sixty coding sequences (CDSs) were predicted in the genome, with 44 CDSs encoding known proteins in different modules, including the packaging, structure, replication and metabolism, and lysis modules, and there were no tRNA genes in the genome. Eight transcriptional promoter sequences and 37 rho-independent terminators were detected in the E15 genome. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole-genome sequences suggested that phage E15 should be included as a member of the Jersyvirus genus in the subfamily Guernseyvirinae. Also, no antibiotic-resistance genes, toxins, virulence factors, or lysogen-forming genes were observed in the genome. This indicates that E15 is a lytic phage, making it a promising candidate for clinical and biocontrol purposes.

Objective: Over 50 million confirmed cases and 1.5 million fatalities worldwide have been linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers have used convalescent plasma (CP) from recovered patients, including neutralizing antibodies, to develop therapeutics for virus neutralization and prevention. This study assessed the effectiveness of CP by using several clinical and laboratory variables.

Methods: The intervention group received two doses of CP on the day of hospitalization, while the control group received standard care. Clinical and analytical data were documented and evaluated before plasma therapy and on the third and fifth days after therapy. The results included measurements were measured in the patient's blood using the ELISA method.

Results: The present study showed that the ICU hospitalization times for the control and CP groups were similar, with a slightly lower mortality rate in the CP group (6.2% vs. 8.2%, p > 0.05). There was no significant association between COVID-19 and clinical factors such as blood pressure, heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and temperature. The blood serum urea, serum LDH, ALT, PTT, PLT, and IL-6 were significantly higher in the CP group than in the control group (p <0.05). Our results indicated that there was no difference in blood pH, PO₂, HCO₃, ESR, WBC counts, serum troponin, Na, AST, CRP, D-dimer, and PT between patients in the CP and control groups.

Conclusion: Overall, in certain instances, CP therapy may help individuals with covid-19 recover. In general, additional research is required to determine the efficacy of plasma treatment in COVID-19 patient care.

Objects: Coronavirus, a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus with ~30 kb, can infect various host species. Cytokine storm, caused by the activation of some pro-inflammatory genes in the second phase of COVID-19 as an infectious and contagious disease, is accompanied by severe acute respiratory disorder. Based on the evidence, microRNAs (miR) and cytokine levels can play a critical role in host cell antiviral defense mechanisms. The present study investigates the pattern changes of IP-10 and miR-296-5p genes expression as well as their relationship with some inflammatory cytokines and biochemical variables in COVID-19 patients.

Methods: Present retrospective single-center study was conducted on 30 COVID-19 patients and 30 controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) miR-296-5p and IP-10 gene expression were evaluated using real-time PCR. IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP serum levels were measured by utilizing ELISA.

Results: Higher miR-296-5p and IP-10 genes expression in COVID-19 patients compared to controls (P=0.001) were revealed as a result of this study. Moreover, IP-10, IL-6, and TNF-α levels were significantly higher (P‌<‌0.01) in COVID-19 patients than in controls. Furthermore, results showed positive correlations between miR-296-5p expression and serum levels of IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α in patients with COVID-19. ROC curve analysis of miR-296-5p in COVID-19 patients showed an [area under curve‌=‌0.830, 95% CI (0.658‌-‌0.815), P‌<‌0.001] with an optimal cut-off point of 0.32965.

Conclusions: Our results suggest regulatory role of miR-296-5p in COVID-19 for cytokine secretion. The results indicate that PBMC expression of miR-296-5p and IP-10 genes might be convenient novel biomarkers for prognosis of COVID-19.

Objective: Considering the role of oxidants in asthma, airway inflammation and anti-inflammatory effects of Nasturtium officinale extract, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of hydroalcoholic extract of Nasturtium officinale on sleep quality, asthma control, and quality of life in asthmatic patients.

Methods: This was a parallel group randomized clinical trial undertaken in Yasuj, Iran. It included 60 patients who randomly received either Nasturtium officinale hydroalcoholic extract (500 mg daily, four weeks, and orally plus routine care) or placebo (500 mg capsule containing flour daily, four weeks, orally plus routine care. To achieve the study objectives, lung function (FEV1, FVC, PEF, FEF 25-75%, and FEV1/FVC), quality of life as measured by the 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12), sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and asthma control as examined by the Asthma Control Test (ACT) were assessed at baseline and one-month follow-up.

Results: In all 48 patients (22 patients in intervention group and 26 patients as controls) completed the study. The results obtained from analyses showed no significant differences between the two groups regarding changes in lung function, quality of life, sleep quality, and status of asthma control within a one-month follow-up.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that hydroalcoholic extract of Nasturtium Officinale does not appear to improve sleep quality, asthma control, and quality of life in asthmatic patients in short term