Cell cycle is one of the main cellular mechanisms involved in tumor progression. Almost all of the active molecular pathways in tumor cells directly or indirectly target the cell cycle progression. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the molecular mechanisms involved in cell cycle regulation in tumor cells. Since, early diagnosis has pivotal role in better cancer management and treatment, it is required to introduce the non-invasive diagnostic markers. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have higher stability in body fluids in comparison with mRNAs. Therefore, they can be used as efficient non-invasive markers for the early detection of breast cancer (BCa). In the present review we have summarized all of the reported lncRNAs involved in cell cycle regulation in BCa. It has been reported that lncRNAs mainly affect the cell cycle in G1/S transition through the CCND1/CDK4-6 complex. Present review paves the way of introducing the cell cycle related lncRNAs as efficient markers for the early detection of BCa.

BACKGROUND: The first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was reported in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of acquiring and spreading the COVID-19 infection; using personal protective equipment (PPE) reduces the risk of COVID-19 infection in HCWs. OBJECTIVE: Our study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of COVID-19 IgG, IgM antibodies among HCWs as well as identifying the factors associated with this seroprevalence. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed from July to August 2020 on healthcare workers at two COVID-19 referral hospitals of Birjand University of Medical Sciences. The level of COVID-19 IgG and IgM antibodies in sera was measured by commercial qualitative ELISA kits. RESULTS: In total, 192 individuals participated in the study: physicians (31.25%), nurses (30.2%). 84.2% of participants had contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases and among them 42.9 % of had close contact with COVID-19 patients for more than 3 months, and 31% reported close contact with more than 50 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Mask and gloves were the most frequently used personal protective equipment (PPE) with 92.4% and 77.2% of usage. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study showed high level of adherence to the use of PPE among HCWs as well as very low prevalence of seropositivity for of COVID-19 antibodies, hence confirming the effectiveness of PPE in protecting HCWs among COVVID-19 and possibly any other similar infections.

Background Maternal diet is known to be important to both mother and infant health. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietary pattern (DP) and sleep problems in mothers and their infants. Methods The study included 350 breastfeeding mothers with an average age of 29.5 ± 5.9 years. Psychological functions were performed using standard questionnaires, including a Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (QLQ), Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Spielberger Anxiety Questionnaire (SAQ), Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Infant Sleep Questionnaire (ISQ). Also, a standardized food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was used to identify adherence to the DASH DP. Results Subjects in the highest tertile of DASH DP had significantly lower scores of mother’s sleep latency (0.70 ± 1.18 vs. 1.24 ± 1.3; P value = 0.031), sleep disorders (4.3 ± 1.6 vs. 5.3 ± 2.4; P value= 0.032) and higher mother sleep efficiency compared to those in the lowest tertile (97.5 ± 89 vs. 54.8 ± 90; P value= 0.011). Also, infants of mothers with higher adherence to a DASH DP had lower sleep disorders compared with subjects with low adherence (4.9 ± 3.8 vs. 5.7 ± 3.2; P value= 0.017). After controlling for the mother’s education, economic status, age, body mass index (BMI), and energy intake, adherence to the DASH pattern was associated with shorter sleep latency (β = 0.60; 95%CI: 0.49–0.82), fewer sleep disorders score in mothers (β = 0.92; 95%CI: 0.85–0.99) and their infants (β = 0.90; 95%CI: 0.84–0.96) as well as high mother’s sleep efficiency (β = 1.2; 95%CI: 1.1–1.31). Conclusions According to our findings, adherence to DASH DP is associated with a lower score for sleep disorders in mothers and their infants.

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are one of the most common human malignancies and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. One of the most prominent hallmarks of cancer and a basic trait of almost all GI malignancies is genomic/epigenomics alterations. DNA methylation is highlighted as a fundamental mechanism underlying the inactivation of several tumor-suppressor gene signaling pathways. Thus, sites of DNA methylation can be triggered for cancer therapy. Available therapeutic procedures for GI cancer show unsatisfactory efficacy, and some treatments are associated with severe side effects, including ulceration or bleeding. Therefore, it is essential to find alternative treatments. There is growing evidence indicating that some chemopreventive phytochemicals can combat cancer. One of the most systematically investigated nutraceuticals for its advantages in managing different diseases is curcumin (CUR). CUR is well known for its potent anticancer characteristics by targeting epigenetic mechanisms, with DNA methylation at the forefront. Prior investigations have indicated that CUR treatment can benefit GI cancers by controlling several signaling pathways related to oxidative stress and epigenomics pathways. The present literature displays recent evidence regarding DNA methylation alterations by CUR and its potential role in GI cancer prevention and treatment.

Although, there is a high rate of good prognosis in early stage head and neck tumors, about half of these tumors are detected in advanced stages with poor prognosis. A combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery is the treatment option in head and neck cancer (HNC) patients. Although, cisplatin (CDDP) as the first-line drug has a significant role in the treatment of HNC patients, CDDP resistance can be observed in a large number of these patients. Therefore, identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in CDDP resistance can help to reduce the side effects and also provides a better therapeutic management. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as the post-transcriptional regulators play an important role in drug resistance. Therefore, in the present review we investigated the role of miRNAs in CDDP response of head and neck tumors. It has been reported that the miRNAs exerted their roles in CDDP response by regulation of signaling pathways such as WNT, NOTCH, PI3K/AKT, TGF-β, and NF-kB as well as apoptosis, autophagy, and EMT process. The present review paves the way to suggest a non-invasive miRNA based panel marker for the prediction of CDDP response among HNC patients. Therefore, such diagnostic miRNA based panel marker reduces the CDDP side effects and improves the clinical outcomes of these patients following an efficient therapeutic management.