Publications by authors named "Esmaeil Saberfar"

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays important roles in multiple cellular processes as well as cell survival and apoptosis. Perturbation of ER functions leads to ER stress and unfolded protein response (UPR). The primary goal of this response is cell survival, but severe ER stress can trigger apoptosis signaling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Occult hepatitis B (OHB), or persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) viremia in surface-antigen-HBsAg-negative patients, has been recognized as a medical concern during the last decade. The exact magnitude, pathogenesis and clinical relevance of OHB are unclear. This review organizes the published data on OHB and presents an overview of the current hypotheses on OHB's pathogenesis and clinical relevance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Resistance to antiretroviral therapy (ART) threatens the success of programs to reduce HIV morbidity and mortality, particularly in countries with few treatment options. In the present study, genotype and phenotype data from ART-naïve and experienced hospitalized patients infected with HIV in Tehran, Iran were used to assess the prevalence and types of transmitted (TDR) and acquired drug resistance (ADR) mutations. All 30 participants naïve to ART and 62 of 70 (88.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Immunomodulators and Nucleotide analogues have been used globally for the dealing of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the development of drug resistance is a major limitation to their long-term effectiveness.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the hepatitis B virus reverse transcriptase (RT) protein variations among Iranian chronic HBV carriers who did not receive any antiviral treatments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study was designed to determine the correlation of hepatitis B virus surface Ag (HBsAg) variations with the clinical/serological pictures among chronic HBsAg positive patients. The surface gene (S-gene) was amplified and directly sequenced in twenty-five patients. Eight samples (group I) contained at least one mutation at the amino acid level.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Avian influenza virus (AIV) infection is a major cause of bird or human mortality and morbidity, therefore the rapid identification of the virus is of important clinical and epidemiological implication.

Methods: A multiplex Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) was optimized for the detection of influenza A virus and the H5 and H9 subtypes. The influenza type A specific primers were directed to the region of the influenza A matrix gene that is conserved among most type A influenza viruses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF