FATEMEH HEIDARI^1,2, REIHANEH SEYEDEBRAHIMI^1,2, PIAO YANG³, MOHSEN ESLAMI FARSANI^1,2, SHIMA ABABZADEH^2,4, NASER KALHOR⁵, HAMED MANOOCHEHRI⁶, MOHSEN SHEYKHHASAN^7,*, MARYAM AZIMZADEH^8,9,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.12, pp. 2597-2608, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.043351

Abstract Exosomes are small vesicles that carry molecules from one cell to another. They have many features that make them interesting for research, such as their stability, low immunogenicity, size of the nanoscale, toxicity, and selective delivery. Exosomes can also interact with viruses in diverse ways. Emerging research highlights the significant role of exosomes in viral infections, particularly in the context of diseases like COVID-19, HIV, HBV and HCV. Understanding the intricate interplay between exosomes and the human immune system holds great promise for the development of effective antiviral therapies. An important aspect is gaining clarity on how exosomes influence the… More >

SONIA MORETTI, FLAVIA MANCINI, ALESSANDRA BORSETTI^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.12, pp. 2695-2699, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.022257

Abstract Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies are efficacious for the achievement of sustained virologic response (SVR) in almost all treated hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected patients. However, the impacts of HCV eradication on immune function and chronic immune activation in the long-term remain controversial and limited, especially in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Indeed, although restoration of many immune responses clearly can be observed, several features of immune perturbations persist over time after HCV clearance. Understanding the degree and reasons of the partial recovery of the immune system in chronic HCV/HIV co-infection after HCV elimination is pivotal to avoid disease progression… More >

Gonzalo RODRÍGUEZ-LOMBARDI¹, Luciana REYNA², María Susana VITALI¹, Susana GENTI-RAIMONDI²

BIOCELL, Vol.39, No.2-3, pp. 15-24, 2015, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2015.39.015

Abstract A competitive internal control (IC) adapted to RT-PCR in-house assay was developed for HCV RNA detection in human pooled plasma. Also, it was applied in a multiplex RT-PCR for the HIV-1 and HCV RNA screening in human pooled plasma and plasma-derived products. A 258-bp PCR product from the 5´noncoding region of HCV genome was obtained. A competitive IC template was constructed by inserting a 52-bp double strand sequence into the NheI site of the 258-bp amplicon. This sequence was cloned and the obtained plasmid was used to generate a synthetic RNA. The IC/RNA was incorporated in in-house HCV and/or HIV… More >

Hoda M. EL-EMSHATY¹, Entsar A. SAAD², Mona S. GOUIDA³, Zahraa R. ELSHAHAWY^1,2

BIOCELL, Vol.42, No.2, pp. 55-60, 2018, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2018.07009

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-cirrhotic patients have the highest threat of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and may be at risk of extra hepatic cancer. The present study was designed to investigate CD133 and CK19 in HCV (genotype-4)-cirrhotic patients with/without HCC or extra hepatic cancer, to assess the degree of their correlation with cell cycle abnormalities and finally to assess the role of their combination as diagnostic tool for discrimination of cirrhotic patients with HCC from those with extra hepatic cancer. The study included 77 HCV-cirrhotic patients and 20 healthy non-disease control group. Patients were categorized histo-pathologically into: 24 have only liver… More >