Reactive Oxygen Species Modulator 1 (ROMO1) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of mitochondrial structure integrity, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Increased ROMO1 expression was reported in various cancer cell lines; however, the possible association between ROMO1 expression and bladder cancer was not well studied. The present study aimed to investigate the rate of ROMO1 expression and the correlation of oxidative stress with the development of bladder cancer. In this study, a total of 35 cancerous and healthy adjacent tissues were examined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to analyze the gene expression of ROMO1. Also, we evaluated the serum level of ROMO1 and Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), as well as Total Oxidant Status (TOS) in patients with bladder cancer along with age-and sex-matched healthy individuals. The ROMO1 gene was significantly higher in cancerous tissues than that of adjacent healthy tissues. Also, the serum levels of ROMO1, TAC, TOS, and Oxidative Stress Index (OSI) were increased in patients with bladder cancer compared with healthy subjects. It can be concluded that the overexpression of the ROMO1 gene is associated with advanced grades of bladder cancer as well as an increase in oxidative stress conditions. Our findings also suggest that the serum level of ROMO1 might be a promising tumor marker for bladder cancer.

Introduction The biology of colorectal cancer (CRC) is remained to be elucidated. Numerous genetic and epigenetic modifications are in concert to create and progress CRC. DNA methylation as a principal epigenetic factor has gained increased attention and could be utilized for biological studies. This study aims to find novel methylated and downregulated genes with a focus on HAND2 in CRC and decipher the biological consequences. Material and method Data on DNA methylation from GEO and SMART databases and the expression GEPIA2 database were downloaded. Afterward, a set of hypermethylated and downregulated genes in CRC was chosen by overlapping genes. Consequently, HAND2 was selected as a key gene for further investigation and confirmed with cell lines methylation and expression data. The functions of HAND2 were further analyzed using gene ontology analyses and the protein–protein interaction network. Results The methylation (p < 0.01) and expression (p < 0.01) of HAND2 are significantly varied in CRC compared to normal control. The correlation analysis (Pearson's correlation coefficient = -0.44, p = 6.6e-14) conveys that HAND2 significantly downregulated and has a reverse correlation with the methylation status of CpG islands. The biological process analysis of HAND2 target genes conveyed that disruption in HAND2 expression could dysregulate ERK1 and ERK2 signaling pathways. Conclusion Together, the findings showed that DNA hypermethylation of HAND2 was critical evidence in CRC. Further validation and prospective studies are needed to utilize HAND2 methylation as a promising biomarker.

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), which is associated with many systemic inflammatory reactions and high morbidity and mortality rates, became a serious public health problem and led to a rapid epidemic. Fever, dry cough, and shortness of breath are the most common symptoms of COVID-19. In addition to respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal manifestations of COVID-19 are increasingly known to progress more rapidly than other symptoms and can occur in cases of mild infection or even after remission of the viral infection. Acute pancreatitis (AP) caused by COVID-19 is one of the rare gastrointestinal symptoms which is an acute inflammatory disease of the pancreas that is associated with high complications. Here, we report acute COVID-19-induced pancreatitis in a 38-year-old man who died.

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Scan to discover onlineBackground & Objective: Female breast cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies among women. The critical step in management of breast cancer is an accurate diagnosis. Hence, peripheral blood-based tests would be one of the most favorable and less invasive methods to study. Recent studies have investigated the inflammatory parameters such as neutrophil: lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the platelet: lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The elevation in mentioned parameters was proposed as a key factor in cancer progression. The main goal of this study was to investigate the association of NLR, PLR, and CRP levels in patients with breast lesions. Methods:The NLR, PLR, and CRP levels were calculated from 200 female patients presenting with either benign or malignant lesions. Results:The cut-off values of NLR, PLR, and CRP were 1.24, 96, and 10.36 mg/L, respectively. A significant difference in NLR (P<0.001), PLR (P<0.001), and CRP levels (P<0.001) were observed between the two major studied cohorts. Conclusion:Elevated NLR, PLR, and CRP levels could predict the presence of malignancy. In addition to the low cost and properties of the mentioned methods, utilization of this data could facilitate and improve clinical decision-making for treatment.