In the last few decades, carcinogenesis has been extensively explored and substantial research has identified immunogenic involvement in various types of cancers. As a result, immune checkpoint blockers and other immune-based therapies were developed as novel immunotherapeutic strategies. However, despite being a promising therapeutic option, immunotherapy has significant constraints such as a high cost of treatment, unpredictable toxicity, and clinical outcomes. miRNAs are non-coding, small RNAs actively involved in modulating the immune system’s multiple signalling pathways by binding to the 3′-UTR of target genes. miRNAs possess a unique advantage in modulating multiple targets of either the same or different signalling pathways. Therefore, miRNA follows a ‘one drug multiple target’ hypothesis. Attempts are made to explore the therapeutic promise of miRNAs in cancer so that it can be transported from bench to bedside for successful immunotherapeutic results. Therefore, in the current manuscript, we discussed, in detail, the mechanism and role of miRNAs in different types of cancers relating to the immune system, its diagnostic and therapeutic aspect, the effect on immune escape, immune-checkpoint molecules, and the tumour microenvironment. We have also discussed the existing limitations, clinical success and the prospective use of miRNAs in cancer.

Purpose: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute hepatitis in humans and constitutes a major problem for immunocompromised patients, patients with hematological diseases, and pregnant women. It is transmitted mainly through fecal oral route; however, transmission through blood and blood products is reported globally and becoming a health concern. We sought to determine the prevalence of HEV among blood donors in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia using molecular as well as serological assays to assess the safety of blood transfusion and the need for HEV screening among blood donors. Patients and Methods: A total of 806 whole blood samples were collected from blood donors between May and November 2020 and tested for anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA and for HEV RNA by RT-PCR. Results: The overall seroprevalence of HEV IgG antibodies was 3.2% with no statistically significant difference between the non-Saudis (3.28%) and Saudis (3.17%) (p value 0.929) or between males (3.14%) and females (4.88%) (p value 0.527). None of the IgG positive individuals had IgM antibodies. HEV RNA was not detected in any of the blood donors. Conclusion: HEV seroprevalence is low among blood donors in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and may constitute minimal risk for transfusion associated infections.

Most of the cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) were reported in Saudi Arabia. Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) was identified as the receptor for the virus. The level of soluble DPP4 (sDPP4) was found to be reduced in MERS-CoV infected patients while high levels of sDPP4 were suggested to be protective against MERS-CoV in animal models. We investigated whether the Saudi population has lower levels of sDPP4 which makes them more susceptible to MERS-CoV infection and, therefore, could explain the larger number of cases from the country. Blood samples were collected from 219 Saudi blood donors and 200 blood donors from other ethnic groups. The plasma level of sDPP4 was measured by ELISA and the following SNPs in the DPP4 gene; rs35128070, rs1861978, rs79700168, and rs17574, were genotyped by TaqMan SNP genotyping assay. The average level of plasma sDDP4 was significantly lower in Saudis than other Arabs and non-Arabs (P value 0.0003 and 0.012, respectively). The genotypes AG of rs35128070 and GT of rs1861978 were significantly associated with lower sDPP4 among Saudis (P value 0.002 for each). While both genotypes AA and AG of rs79700168 and rs17574 were associated with significantly lower average sDPP4 level in Saudis compared to other ethnic groups (P value 0.031 and 0.032, and 0.027 and 0.014, respectively). Herein, we report that the Saudi population has lower levels of plasma sDPP4 than other ethnic groups, which is associated with genetic variants in the DPP4 gene. This may have contributed to increase the susceptibility of the Saudi population to MERS-CoV infection and could be a factor in the long-lasting persistence of the virus in the country.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women around the world, having a sudden spread nowadays because of the poor sedentary lifestyle of people. Comprising several subtypes, one of the most dangerous and aggressive ones is triple-negative breast cancer or TNBC. Even though conventional surgical approaches like single and double mastectomy and preventive chemotherapeutic approaches are available, they are not selective to cancer cells and are only for symptomatic treatment. A new branch called nanotechnology has emerged in the last few decades that offers various novel characteristics, such as size in nanometric scale, enhanced adherence to multiple targeting moieties, active and passive targeting, controlled release, and site-specific targeting. Among various nanotherapeutic approaches like dendrimers, lipid-structured nanocarriers, carbon nanotubes, etc., nanoparticle targeted therapeutics can be termed the best among all for their specific cytotoxicity to cancer cells and increased bioavailability to a target site. This review focuses on the types and molecular pathways involving TNBC, existing treatment strategies, various nanotechnological approaches like exosomes, carbon nanotubes, dendrimers, lipid, and carbon-based nanocarriers, and especially various nanoparticles (NPs) like polymeric, photodynamic, peptide conjugated, antibody-conjugated, metallic, inorganic, natural product capped, and CRISPR based nanoparticles already approved for treatment or are under clinical and pre-clinical trials for TNBC.

Introduction. Carbapenem resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) are one of the leading causes of systemic and nosocomial infections and are multidrug-resistant organisms producing different carbapenemases. There are many genotypic and phenotypic methods for detecting the carbapenemases; however, there is a limitation for each. Modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM) assay is a recent phenotypic method which has been published by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Hypothesis / Gap Statement. mCIM assay could provide a reliable method for the detection of carbapenemases in CRE. Aim. Evaluation of the mCIM assay performance for the detection of carbapenemases in Enterobacterales and the identification of the common carbapenemase genes at Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and Kingdom of Bahrain. Methodology. A collection of 197 non-duplicate carbapenem resistant Enterobacterales clinical isolates, were evaluated with the mCIM test comparing its performance to multiplex PCR. The minimum inhibitory concentration susceptibility testing was done by the Etest method for imipenem, meropenem, and ertapenem. Results. The sensitivity of the mCIM assay was 94 % (95 % CI, (89.3–97.1)). In Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, OXA-48 was the most prevalent carbapenemase gene followed by NDM. Coexistence of multiple carbapenemase genes is reported in eleven cases. Conclusion. These findings indicate that the mCIM test is a reliable and simple assay for detecting the activity of carbapenemase in Enterobacterales , especially in resource-limited laboratories.

Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria are intrinsically multidrug-resistant opportunistic pathogens that pose a growing threat in hospital settings, particularly among immunocompromised patients. Despite its clinical significance, data on sporadic Burkholderia cepacia complex infections outside cystic fibrosis populations and hospital outbreaks remain limited. A 22-year retrospective observational cohort study (May 2001-April 2023) was carried out at a tertiary care academic center in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Adults hospitalized with confirmed Burkholderia cepacia infection and ≥ 72 h of antibiotic therapy were included. Demographics, comorbidities, infection type, microbiological resistance profiles, treatment outcomes, and mortality predictors were analyzed using logistic regression and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates. Of 189 identified cases, 151 patients met the inclusion criteria (mean age 53 ± 21 years; 57.6 % male). The majority of infections were hospital-acquired (84.8 %), with bloodstream infections (33.1 %) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (26.5 %) being the most prevalent. Resistance was high to piperacillin/tazobactam (73.6 %), ceftazidime (58.6 %), levofloxacin (57.4 %), carbapenems (42.0 %), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (30.3 %). Clinical resolution was achieved in 82.1 %, but bacteriological eradication occurred in only 56.9 %, with a recurrence rate of 17.2 %. Mortality reached 9.9 % at 14 days, 17.2 % at 30 days, and 35.8 % at one year. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality included advanced age, critical care admission, central venous catheter insertion, mechanical ventilation, and resistance to fluoroquinolones or carbapenems. Our findings indicate that Burkholderia cepacia complex infections represent a significant clinical challenge due to antibiotic resistance and elevated mortality rates. The data highlight the importance of improving diagnostic and treatment approaches, as well as implementing effective infection control policies, especially for vulnerable hospitalized populations.