The aim of this study was investigation of variation(s) in the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reverse transcriptase domain. 120 patients with chronic HBV infection recruited. 104 patients were received nucleos(t)ide analogs treatments. DNA extractions were done from plasma samples. Direct sequencing and alignment of Polymerase Chain Reaction products were applied for further analysis. HBV genotypes determined by NCBI's Genotyping Tool. Polymorphism(s) were detected by using DnaSP software. Of 120 samples, 98 were sequenced. All of products were HBV genotype D. 13/98 (13.27%) of patients had M539I/V substitutions corresponding to YMDD motif. FLLAQ to FLMAQ was observed among 22/98 (22.98) patients. Two substitutions N459Y and L515M were significantly correlated (R 2 = 0.486 and R 2 = 0.941 respectively) with FLLAQ motif variation. Mutation ratio among treatmentreceived patients to treatment-naïve patients was 0.2-0.6. Drug resistance conferring substitutions (DRCSs) were rtL180M (22/98), rtA194V (11/98), rtM204V (1/98), and rtM204I (11/98). Furthermore, six variants were observed among all patients. Appearance of DRCSs in HBV polymerase is a major obstacle to the virus treatments. In the present study, it was shown that DRCSs are more prevalent among treated patients. Therefore, replacement of current anti-viral regimen with novel anti-HBV drugs is warranted in the future.

The 32 bp deletion in the chemokine receptor (C-C motif) 5 gene (CCR5Δ32) is a natural loss of function polymorphism that prevents the protein from locating on the cell surface. This genetic variation acts as a double edge sword in the pathogenesis/defense mechanism of different health conditions, such as viral infections, autoimmune diseases, and cancers. Here, we evaluated the prevalence of CCR5Δ32 polymorphism in the Turkmen population of Golestan province, northeast of Iran. Blood samples were collected from 400 randomly selected Turkmen populations (199 women and 201 men), and genomic DNA was extracted. Characterization of CCR5Δ32 genotypes was performed by PCR using primers flanking the 32-nucleotide deletion in the CCR5 gene. The amplified DNA fragments were visualized on 2% agarose gel electrophoresis with cyber green staining under UV light. All individuals were of Turkmen ethnicity and lived in the Golestan province northeast of Iran. The mean age of all participants was 35.46 years, with a 20–45 years range. All the studied subjects were healthy without severe conditions such as autoimmune disease and viral infections. All individuals had no history of HIV infection. The PCR product visualization showed that all the samples were at the 330 bp size, suggesting the absence of the CCR5Δ32 allele in the study population. The presence of the CCR5Δ32 allele among Turkmens may be attributed to the admixture with European descent people. We conclude that the CCR5Δ32 polymorphism may be absent in the Iranian Turkmen population and further studies with large populations are needed.

Background: As one of the most widespread sexually transmitted infections, Herpes Simplex Virus (HSVs) globally account for 60-95% of persistent infections in adults. This infection is prevalent in women of gestational age and is likely to be transmitted from the infected mother to her neonate. Additionally, it gives rise to devastating complications in neonates. This study was designed to estimate the molecular and serological prevalence of HSV-1 and 2 in pregnant women of Gorgan city, North East of Iran. Methods: Vaginal secretions and blood specimens of 315 pregnant women referred to an educational hospital in the North east of Iran were tested for HSV-1 and HSV-2 using multiplex PCR and ELISA assays. Chi-Square test was utilized to evaluate the association of qualitative variables and the level of significance was set at p≤0.05. Moreover, statistical analysis was performed using SPSS V.19.0. Results: HSV-1 and HSV-2 DNA was detected in 5.7% and 8.3% of participants, respectively. Given the serological analyses of total HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies, 92.7% (239/315) of patients were IgG positive and 5.4% (17/315) were IgM positive. Conclusion: The rate of HSV-1 and 2 in the present study was lower than that reported by World Health Organization (WHO). This study emphasizes the conduction of further investigations on HSVs since these viruses are probably playing significant role in sexually transmitted infections.