Publications by authors named "Haleh Akhavan Niaki"

Background And Aim: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) increases the risk of atherosclerosis and diabetes, but there are no approved predictive markers. This study assessed the role of specific genetic variations in MetS susceptibility and their impact on clinical manifestations.

Method: In this study, a genotype-phenotype assessment was performed for IKZF3 (rs907091), microRNA-let-7a-2 (rs1143770), and lncRNA-CDKN2B-AS1 (rs1333045).

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The aberrant regulation of the Notch signaling pathway, which is a fundamental developmental pathway, has been implicated in a wide range of human cancers. The Notch pathway can be activated by both canonical and noncanonical Notch ligands, and its role can switch between acting as an oncogene or a tumor suppressor depending on the context. Epigenetic modifications have the potential to modulate Notch and its ligands, thereby influencing Notch signal transduction.

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Aging is a significant risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), although the precise mechanism and molecular basis of AD are not yet fully understood. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, mitochondrial DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), play a role in regulating gene expression related to neuron plasticity and integrity, which are closely associated with learning and memory development. This review describes the impact of dynamic and reversible epigenetic modifications and factors on memory and plasticity throughout life, emphasizing their potential as target for therapeutic intervention in AD.

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Introduction: The microenvironment of solid tumors such as breast cancer is heterogeneous and complex, containing different types of cell, namely, cancer stem cells and immune cells. We previously reported the immunoregulatory behavior of the human immune cell in a solid tumor microenvironment-like culture under serum starvation stress for 96 h. Here, we examined the effect of this culture-derived solution on breast cancer development in rats.

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Objective: Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy syndrome (APECED) is a rare autosomal recessive systemic autoimmune disease caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Incidence of this genetic disorder is estimated at 1/90,000-200,000 worldwide and 1/6500-9000 in genetically isolated populations such as Iran. Here, we investigated AIRE gene mutations in eight independent Iranian non-Jewish families.

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Background: Stem cell differentiation therapy is a promising strategy in cancer treatment. we show that protein cocktail prepared from serum starved fibroblasts has therapeutic potential based on this strategy.

Methods: The condition medium was prepared from foreskin isolated fibroblasts and analyzed by Liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS).

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Cellular stress response plays an important role in the pathophysiology of coronary artery disease (CAD). Inhibition of cellular stress may provide a novel clinical approach regarding the diagnosis and treatment of CAD. Fibroblasts constitute 60-70% of cardiac cells and have a crucial role in cardiovascular function.

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Despite considerable progress in gastric cancer screening, prevention, and treatment, it remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to late diagnosis of the disease, early potential diagnostic biomarkers are needed. Accumulating evidence indicates that non-coding RNAs have potential applications as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in gastric cancer.

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Article Synopsis
  • - This study addresses the challenge of early diagnosis in gastric cancer by using next-generation RNA sequencing to examine gene expression in tumor and non-tumor tissue samples from patients with early-stage gastric cancer.
  • - The results showed that 5 genes were upregulated while 234 were downregulated in cancerous tissues, revealing significant alterations in various biological pathways related to gastric health and disease.
  • - The findings suggest that the identified genes and pathways could lead to new diagnostic biomarkers for early detection of gastric cancer, highlighting the potential of RNA sequencing in cancer research.
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Gastric cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Given the importance of gastric cancer in public health, identifying biomarkers associated with disease onset is an important part of precision medicine. The hedgehog signaling pathway is considered as one of the most significant widespread pathways of intracellular signaling in the early events of embryonic development.

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is embedded in the transcriptional oasis of the gene desert. A plethora of genomic elements has roles in aberrant expression in cancer development by interacting with transcription factors and epigenetics regulators as well as altering the structure of chromatin at the locus and tissue-specific long-range enhancer-promoter contacts. Furthermore, MYC is a master regulator of several human cancers by modulating the transcription of numerous cancer-related genes through epigenetic mechanisms.

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The COVID-19 pandemic emerges a reminder that wide spectrum discrepancy in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and antiviral drugs among different populations might be due to their different SNPs and/or miRNAs profile. ACE2 is the major component for SARS-CoV-2s' cell entry, and disruption of its 3D structure could influence virus-ACE2 interaction. In this study we aimed to investigate the consequence of 16,860 SNPs within on its expression as well as protein folding, function, and stability by using several beneficial bioinformatics tools.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common demyelinating neurodegenerative disorder with significant heritability. Previous studies have associated genetic variants in human leukocyte antigen complex, , and genes with the pathophysiology of MS.

Methods: In order to investigate the gene association in the Iranian population, we performed a genotyping study of 36 variants in the mentioned genes using Sanger sequencing in 102 MS patients and 113 healthy controls.

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Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a multifactorial condition in which many genetic and environmental factors interfere. The association between genes involved in the immune system and MS was previously reported. The aims of this study were to evaluate 14 SNPs of , 14 SNPs of with severity of MS through Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Annualized Relapse Rate (ARR).

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BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease with significant morbidity. A wide spectrum of risk factors has been suggested that triggers the development of MS. Among them, several viral infections have been implicated to play a role in MS pathogenesis.

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PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway is one of the most important signaling pathways involved in normal cellular processes. Its aberrant activation modulates autophagy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, apoptosis, chemoresistance, and metastasis in many human cancers. Emerging evidence demonstrates that some infections as well as epigenetic regulatory mechanisms can control PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

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Antimalaria drugs such as chloroquine (CQ) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been administered to several inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, and infectious diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome and influenza. Recently, several patients infected with novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were given HCQ, and showed a discrepant response. HCQ inhibits SARS-CoV-2 cell entry, and inflammatory cascade by interfering with lysosomal and endosomal activities, and autophagy, impeding virus-membrane fusion, and inhibiting cytokine production resulted from inflammatory pathways activation.

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The world has witnessed a high morbidity and mortality caused by SARS-CoV-2, and global death toll is still rising. Exaggerated inflammatory responses are thought to be more responsible for infiltrated immune cells accumulation, organ damage especially lung, dyspnea, and respiratory failure rather than direct effect of viral replication. IL-6 and NLRP3 inflammasome are the major immune components in immune responses stimulation upon pathogen infection.

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This study investigated the fluctuation of NF-KB and HIF-1a gene expression between inhabitants of a high-level background radiation area (HBRA) and a normal-level background radiation area (NBRA) of Ramsar, Iran. Sixty participants with the mean age of 48 ± 15 years were selected and divided into two groups. The group receiving a dose of ≤1.

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Malignant melanoma is a devastating disease. Because of its aggressiveness, it also serves as a model tumor for investigating novel therapeutic avenues. In recent years, scientific evidence has shown that cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) might be a promising modality in cancer therapy.

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Background: The present study aimed to investigate and compare the effect of starved fibroblast culture supernatant (SFS), DMEM and normal saline alone or along with LA7 on dexamethasone-treated immunosuppressed Wistar rats.

Methods: After the isolation of fibroblasts from the fresh foreskin of children, it was cultured in serum-free DMEM, and the supernatant collected after 16 hours (16h-SFS). This solution and the other treatments were injected subcutaneously into the rats from each group once daily for 14 days.

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Current SARS-CoV-2 pandemy mortality created the hypothesis that some populations may be more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. encodes a transmembrane serine protease which plays a crucial role in SARS-CoV-2 cell entry. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in might influence SARS-CoV2 entry into the cell.

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