Expression of SSX-1 and SSX-5 genes in the peripheral blood of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer is the fifth most common cancer in men and the seventh in women. Hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality in patients with liver cirrhosis and accounts for 90% of primary liver cancer. Synovial sarcoma X chromosome [SSX] genes belong to cancer testis antigens [CTA] family; expressed only in germ cell tumors. There have been some studies about the SSX genes expression in the HCC. To the best of our knowledge no reports included these genes expression in the Egyptian patients with HCC. This study aims to evaluate the SSX-1 and SSX-5 mRNA expression in tumor cells circulating in the peripheral blood [PB] of a cohort of Egyptian patients with HCC and to find out any possible associations between these genes expression and different clinical/laboratory parameters. This study included 100 subjects; 52 HCC cases, 25 with post viral hepatitis liver cirrhosis and 23 apparently healthy controls. Expression of SSX-1 and SSX-5 mRNA in PB was tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR] SSX-1 and SSX-5 mRNA were expressed in 40.4% and 36.5% of the HCC patients, respectively. SSX-1 and/or SSX-5 were not detected in healthy controls or cirrhotic patients. Neither SSX-1 nor SSX-5 expression showed an association with Alfa-Fetoprotein [AFP] levels, tumor size, tumor differentiation, hepatitis B infection and Bilharziasis [P > 0.05]. SSX-1 and SSX-5 mRNA are specifically expressed in tumor cells circulating in PB of HCC patients and thus could be used as easy access, simple method molecular markers for early diagnosis of HCC patients in Egypt

Effect of reversed polarity microcurrent electrical stimulation on an experimentally induced Achilles tendon injury in male albino rats: a histological and immunohistochemical study

The application of electrical stimulation can lead to a greater and faster increase in the rate of wound healing, especially when applying the cathedral [negative] stimulation for the first week, followed by the anodal [positive] polarity for the rest of the treatment period. The present work aimed to study the effect of polarity reversal of microelectrical current stimulation [MES] on the healing process in an experimentally induced Achilles tendon injury in rats. Forty three male albino rats were used in this study; they were classified into group I [control group] and group II [experimentally injured group], which was further classified into subgroups, I, II, III and IV. Subgroup I represents the injured tendon without MES treatment, whereas subgroups II, III and IV represent the MES-treated ones. The obtained tendon sections were subjected to H and E staining. Masson's trichrome stain, and immunohistochemical staining for alpha smooth muscle actin [alpha SMA], followed by morphometric study and statistical analysis. Subgroup I showed signs of inflammation, a few thin irregularly arranged collagen, active fibroblasts that start to align in rows on the regenerating collagen bundles, and alpha SMA immunoreactivity. In anodal-treated tendons, signs of inflammation had started to disappear; collagen fibers appeared thin and irregularly arranged, active fibroblasts were obviously observed and minimal alpha SMA immunoreactivity were recorded only in subgroup II. Cathodal-treated tendons showed rapid disappearance of cellular infiltration; most collagen fibers appeared regularly arranged with mature fibrocytes in between and multiple avoid alpha SMA immunoreactive myofibroblasts were maximally observed in subgroup II. alpha SMA was suggested to play a role in wound healing due to its high immunoreactivity in myofibroblasts during wound healing. Moreover, the application of electrical stimulation by applying cathodal [negative] stimulation for the first week, followed by anodal [positive] polarity for the rest of the treatment period may lead to better repaired tissue due to myofibroblast directional attraction to the cathode, especially when applied for 4-week duration

Molecular detection of circulating thyroid specific transcripts [TSHR/Tg-mRNAs] in thyroid cancer patients: their diagnostic significance

Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine malignancy. The preoperative diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancer [DTC] that relies solely on fine-needle aspiration [FNAC] biopsy, sometimes possesses conflicting results. New molecular markers for thyroid cancer have been investigated with most of them based on the detection in thyroid nodules or tumor tissue specimens. Recently, it was possible to detect thyroid cancer cells in the circulation by measuring the mRNA of thyroid specific genes. Among these, thyroglobulin and more recently thyroid stimulating hormone receptor mRNAs, TSHR/Tg-mRNAs in peripheral blood might serve as cancer-specific markers. These have become promising new circulating markers for thyroid cancer. The purpose of this study is to assess TSHR/Tg-mRNAs as diagnostic molecular markers for thyroid cancer and if they can be used preoperatively in synergy with FNAC. This study was performed on 60 subjects; 20 healthy volunteers and 40 patients; including 16 patients with benign thyroid diseases, 24 patients with thyroid cancer; 18 patients with newly diagnosed [DTC] and 6 patients with recurrent thyroid cancer. Diagnosis of cancer was based on FNAC and histopathology of surgical specimens. All subjects had TSHR/Tg-mRNAs in peripheral blood measured by reverse transcriptase [RT]-PCR. Based on cytology/pathology; 18 patients had newly diagnosed DTC and 11 had benign thyroid disease. Preoperative FNAC was performed on 29 of 40 patients; FNAC was diagnostic in 11/18 of malignant lesions [61.1%], in 8/11 of benign lesions [72.7%], while 10/29 [34.5%] were indeterminate. TSHR/Tg-mRNAs correctly diagnosed DTC in 20/24 and 19/24 [sensitivity 83.3% and 79.1%] and benign disease in 14/16 and 13/16 [specificity 87.5% and 81.3%], respectively. With indeterminate FNA, TSHR/Tg-mRNAs correctly diagnosed DTC [follicular type] in 5/7 and benign disease in 2/3 [combined sensitivity 71.4%; specificity 66.7%]. There was high concordance between RT-PCR results for TSHR-mRNA and Tg-mRNA. Of the controls 19/20 [95%] and 16/20 [80%] were negative for both TSHR- and Tg-mRNAs. With the use of a carefully selected primer pair and qualitative RT-PCR; our results indicate that TSHR/Tg-mRNAs in peripheral blood are both equally sensitive and specific markers for detection of thyroid cancer cells. Combining TSHR/Tg-mRNAs and FNAC and ultrasound enhances the preoperative detection of cancer in patients with thyroid nodules, reducing unnecessary surgeries and correctly classified most follicular cancers and could have spared surgery in patients with benign disease