Aim Incidence of transient bacteremia following dental extractions ranges 30%‐70% among adults and 58%‐100% in children. This study aims to assess the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in detection of transient bacteremia during dental extraction. Methods Twenty volunteers for dental extraction entered the study. Blood samples were taken at baseline and 30 seconds and 15 minutes after extraction. Five types of bacteria were selected, namely Streptococcus mutans, S. salivarius, S. sanguinis, Enterococcus faecalis and Lactobacillus. Blood samples were evaluated by microbial culture and multiplex PCR. Results Blood culture showed rates of 0%, 80% and 25% for bacteremia before, during and after dental extraction, respectively. A significant difference was observed between baseline and during extraction. Using PCR, bacteremia was deemed 20%, 100% and 30% before, during and after extraction, respectively, and a significant difference was witnessed between the baseline and during extraction. The highest incidence was at the 30‐second mark after extraction, and the most prevalent type of bacteria was S. mutans. Conclusions Multiplex PCR can be used to determine bacterial diversity with high accuracy during occurrence of bacteremia. Therefore, in cases where positive blood cultures only indicate the presence of one species, we recommend the use of this method to detect more diverse bacteria types.

Regeneration of the damaged neurons in neurological disorders and returning their activities are two of the main purposes of neuromedicine. Combination use of specific nanoformulations with a therapeutic compound could be a good candidate for neuroregeneration applications. Accordingly, this research aims to utilize the combination of curcumin, as a neurogenesis agent, with dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to evaluate their effects on PC12 cellsʹ neuronal branching morphogenesis in the absence of nerve growth factor. Therefore, the effects of each component alone and in combination form on the cytotoxicity, neurogenesis, and neural branching morphogenesis were evaluated using MTT assay, immunofluorescence staining, and inverted microscopy, respectively. Results confirmed the effectiveness of the biocompatible iron oxide nanoparticles (with a size of about 100 nm) in improving the percentage of neural branching (p < 0.01) in PC12 cells. In addition, the combination use of these nanoparticles with curcumin could enhance the effect of curcumin on neurogenesis (p < 0.01). These results suggest that SPIONs in combination with curcumin could act as an inducing factor on PC12 neurogenesis in the absence of nerve growth factor and could offer a novel therapeutic approach to the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Background: The role of carcinogenic viruses in developing breast cancer has not yet been identified. Many studies have examined the association between breast cancer and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), but conflicting results have been reported. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of IgM & IgG antibodies against HCMV by identifying the viral genome in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer. Methods: A total of 60 patients with breast cancer and 60 healthy individuals (40 cases with fibroadenoma and 20 healthy samples) were selected. Serum levels of IgM & IgG antibodies against HCMV were measured by ELISA, and after DNA extraction from the breast tissue, the presence of the cytomegaloviruses (CMV) genome was assessed by Real-Time PCR. Results: Real-time PCR results showed that 20 samples of breast cancer tissue and 5 samples of fibroadenoma were positive for CMV genome (P = 0.001, OR: 5.50, CI 95%: 1.90 - 15.89). All samples had CMV-IgG antibody in their serum, but their mean serum level was higher in the cancer group (48.27 ± 15.99 U/mL) than the control group (40.11 ± 18.01 U/mL) (P = 0.004). However, CMV-IgM anti-viral antibody was positive in 5 cases with cancer and 3 cases in the control group. The mean serum concentration of this antibody was higher in the cancer group (6.60 ± 6.75 U/mL) than the control group (4.92 ± 3.03 U/mL) (P = 0.099). Conclusions: Increased serum levels of anti-CMV antibodies in patients with cancer, as well as the presence of viral genomes in some cases, indicate the carcinogenesis effect of the virus.