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Owing to their unique characteristics, nanoparticles (NPs) could be incorporated into valuable therapeutic modalities for different diseases; however, there are many concerns about risk factors in human applications. NPs carry therapeutic chemicals that could improve the outcome of cancer therapies. Nowadays, NPs are being recognized as important and strategic agents in treatment of several disorders due to their unique properties in targeting malignant cells in tumor sites. Numerous investigations have shown that the majority of chemotherapeutic agents can be modified through entrapment in submicron colloidal systems. Still, there are problems and limitations in application of NPs in cancer therapy. The aim of the present study is to focus on potential NPs usage in cancer treatment with an emphasis on the cell cycle of malignant cells.

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PURPOSE This study aims to identify potential biomarkers of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence/recurrence and obesity, along with the molecular mechanisms that involve these biomarkers. METHODS Three microarray data sets, namely GSE18897, GSE25097, and GSE36376 (genetic suppressor elements associated with obesity, tumor, and recurrence, respectively), were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database to be investigated for their expression as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HCC and obesity. The functional and pathway enrichment analysis of these DEGs were identified by the Database for Annotation Visualization and Integrated Discovery. The protein-protein interaction network analysis was performed with STRING online tool and Cytoscape software. RESULTS One hundred sixty common DEGs were screened. We found that these genes were associated with certain pathways such as metabolic pathways, terpenoid backbone biosynthesis, and adipocytokine signaling pathway. The involvements of 10 genes, including RPS16, RPS7, CCT3, HNRNPA2B1, EIF4G1, PSMC4, NHP2, EGR1, FDPS, and MCM4, were identified in the subnetwork. HNRNPA2B1 and RPS7 in the GSE18897 data set, RPS16, RPS7, CCT3, HNRNPA2B1, PSMC4, NHP2, FDPS, and MCM4 in the GSE25097 data set, and RPS16, RPS7, CCT3, HNRNPA2B1, EIF4G1, PSMC4, NHP2, FDPS, and MCM4 in the GSE36376 data set exhibited positive fold changes. CONCLUSION These DEGs and pathways could be of diagnostic value as potential biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis of HCC, pertaining to both obesity and HCC occurrence/recurrence.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Addition to respiratory manifestations, gastrointestinal symptoms have been observed in some patients with COVID-19. The aim of the present study was to investigate the simultaneous diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal and fecal specimens of patients with covid-19 with gastrointestinal symptoms. In the present study, 100 patients with COVID-19 disease with gastrointestinal symptoms were included. Isolation of viral RNA in nasopharyngeal and fecal samples performed using specific laboratory kits. Detection of COVID-19 in clinical samples conducted using TaqMan-probe Real Time PCR method with specific primers and probes (Pishtaz Teb RT-PCR kit, Iran). PCR test results showed that in 21% of patients with positive nasopharyngeal test, SARS ‐ CoV ‐ 2 RNA was detected. As a result, the compatibility of PCR test in the diagnosis of Covid-19 virus between nasopharyngeal and fecal results was 21%. Keywords: Covid-19, nasopharyngeal, fecal specimens, RT-PCR