AIM:To investigate the associations of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotype with HBeAg and anti-HBe status, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and HBV-DNA detection in different groups of HBV-infected patients in southwest Iran. METHODS:A total of 89 HBsAg-positive serum samples were collected from the same number of patients. All sera were then investigated to determine HBV DNA and serological markers. For all the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive samples, biochemical, histopathological assays and genotyping were also performed. RESULTS:Genotype D was the only type of HBV found in different clinical forms of acute and chronic infections. There was a high prevalence of HBeAg-negative HBVinfected patients with chronic hepatitis (52.7%). Out of 55 patients with chronic hepatitis, seven (12.7%) were diagnosed with cirrhosis. A significant association between the presence of anti-HBe antibody and an increase in ALT level, among either HBeAg-negative (P = 0.01) or HBeAg-positive (P = 0.026) patients, was demonstrated. No significant differences were observed between the clinical outcomes of HBeAg-positive and -negative individuals (P = 0.24). CONCLUSION:Genotype D has been recognized as the only type of HBV found in different clinical forms of HBV infections, including cirrhosis, among the residents of southwest Iran. Anti-HBe possibly plays a role in disease progression in some patients with chronic hepatitis, at least for a period of disease.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in cadaveric liver transplantation is not avoidable. Liver I/R injury is an important phenomenon in hepatic damage. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) plays an important role in I/R injury. The present study aimed to determine the expression pattern of miR-21 in liver I/R injury/recovery and its correlation with the immunologic transmission signals pathways in several days post-reperfusion. In an animal model for I/R in the liver, 40 male Balb/c mice were divided into 3 groups. The animals were monitored for 3 and 24 hours, and also for 4, 7, 14, and 28 days postreperfusion. Liver tissue damage was assessed by histopathology. The plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels were measured with enzymatic assays. MiR-21, programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) mRNA, T-cell-restricted intracellular antigen 1 (TIA1) mRNA, and fas ligand (FASL) mRNA expression levels were measured; using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at different times after the reperfusion in liver tissue and blood. Histopathology and plasma ALT, AST, ALP, and TAC levels confirmed liver damage induced by I/R injury. MiR-21 increased by twofold in the liver tissue and on the inflammatory phase after 24 hours of reperfusion; it then continued to decrease up to day 7 post-reperfusion. Afterward, it continued to rise slightly up to day 14 post-reperfusion. This trend was in parallel with the recovery of the liver damage. MiR-21 expression level in the liver and blood is a predictor of the extent of I/R injury.

BACKGROUND: Blood transfusion is a life-saving procedure; millions of lives are saved each year. However, blood transfusions are associated with certain risks that can lead to adverse consequences. This study aimed to survey the prevalence and trend of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among blood donors of Fars province, Iran (2006-2018).METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted by reviewing the records of the blood transfusion organization of Fars province. A total of 1952478 blood units were screened for transfusion-transmitted infections (TTIs). Then, data were entered into SPSS software (Negare. version 25). Chi-square test was used to compare the sof TTIs among blood donors. Chisquare test for trend was used to analyze the variations in trends of TTIs during this period. Finally, p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. GraphPad Prism software was used for the depiction of the graphs.RESULTS: Among the 1952478 blood donations within the 13-years, 4479(0.229 %) of donors were HBsAg, HCV Ab, and HIV Ag-Ab positive. The seroprevalence of HBV, HCV, and HIV was 2684(0.137%), 1703(0.087 %), and 92(0.0047%), respectively.CONCLUSION: The current study showed that the overall prevalence of TTIs among blood donors was low and had a descending trend over the years of study.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) has affected over 200 million individuals worldwide, and finding a treatment to control and eradicate the disease is considered a critical issue. Different drugs and therapies have been used since the beginning of the pandemic; however, effective infection control has not been achieved. Convalescent plasma (CP) that contains immune factors (neutralizing antibodies and inflammatory) can be an effective way to treat some infections, as it was previously used to control the pandemic. Objectives: the present study aimed to assess the effect of CP infusion on some clinical indicators of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: This study investigated the effects of CP treatment on some clinical factors, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and D-dimer among 125 patients in two groups, including a CP-treated group and a non-treated control group, in Ali-Asghar Hospital of Shiraz, Iran. Results: Mortality rate analysis between CP-treated and control groups showed a 31% reduction (53% and 84% mortality in CP-treated and non-treated control groups, respectively). In addition, the clinical factor analysis of CP-treated patients showed a significant change in D-dimer on the seventh day (P = 0.036) and oxygen saturation (SpO2) (P = 0.00), lymphocyte count (P = 0.00), platelet (P = 0.005), and ESR (P = 0.007) between the first and fourth days of treatment. Moreover, CP-treated patients were separated into two age groups. It was observed that on the fourth day, the rate of SpO2 and lymphocyte count were significantly different in patients under 50 years compared to patients ≥ 50 years (P = 0.004 and P = 0.011, respectively); a similar finding was shown for lymphocyte count on the seventh day after CP infusion (P = 0.012). The results also revealed a significant difference between males and females in lymphocyte count after CP treatment on the fourth and seventh days (P = 0.006 and P = 0.042, respectively). Conclusions: The results demonstrated the potential impact of CP infusion on the laboratory data of COVID-19-infected patients. Accordingly, this method could have a practical effect on reducing and even suppressing inflammation, infection, and mortality rate among these patients. However, further studies are needed to obtain more accurate results.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Different treatments have been used to fight against the virus; however, one of the most effective and accessible is convalescent plasma therapy (CPT). Objectives: The present study investigated the effect of CPT on improving the clinical conditions of COVID-19 patients. Methods: This study was conducted on 440 individuals, including 220 COVID-19-recovered individuals as plasma donors and 220 plasma recipients, in Shiraz, Fars province, Iran, from May 2020 to February 2021 using random sampling. After complete recovery from COVID-19, patients were recalled for apheresis and plasma isolation for convalescent plasma (CP) preparation; they were referred to the blood donation centers of Shiraz. According to the hospital request, compatible and related plasma was sent for COVID-19-hospitalized patients. At the same time, hospitals were asked to send the clinical condition documents of the patients based on the medical records and the outcomes after CPT. The Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization evaluated the results. Results: The median antibody titer was 1300. Titers higher and lower than 1300 were considered high and low, respectively. Blood group O had 54 times higher antibody titers above 1300 than other blood groups (odds ratio (OR) = 54, confidence interval (CI): 19.5 - 205.3, P < 0.001). Additionally, most deceased cases received plasma with antibody titers less than 1300 (OR = 0.08, CI: 0.009 - 0.36, P < 0.001). Nevertheless, most discharged patients received plasma with antibody titers higher than 1300 (OR = 1.5, CI: 1.06 - 2.3, P = 0.01). Moreover, when donors’ antibody titer was higher than 1300, the chance of survival increased by 50%. In addition, the results of this study showed higher mortality in patients whose volume of received plasma was less than 387 mL (OR = 0.3, CI: 0.10 - 0.91, P = 0.018). However, patients who received more than 387 mL CP were more likely to discharge (OR = 5.7, CI: 3.7 - 8.8, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Using blood group O plasma with a minimum volume of 387 mL can be very effective in improving the clinical symptoms of patients with COVID-19 and increasing the chances of survival for these patients.