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

Toxic effects of some tricyclic antidepressant drugs on the heart: clinical and experimental study

This study was done due to increased potential risks of cardiotoxicity of acute tricyclic antidepressants intoxication in human. So this work was carried out to investigate the changes in SGOT, SGPT, CPK.MB, and electrocardiograms in human due to use of both imipramine hydrochloride and dothiepin hydrochloride in therapeutic and toxic doses. Also biochemical and histopathological changes that occur in rats receiving the same drugs in therapeutic and toxic doses. The human part was carried out on "100" persons [50 males and 50 females], the age ranges from 20-40 years. Biochemical analyses revealed that in comparing subjects received therapeutic doses of imipramine hydrochloride to the acutely intoxicated persons by the same drug, there was highly significant difference in SGOT, SGPT, CPK-MB levels. On the other hand, there was slight difference in the levels of SGOT, SGPT, CPK-MB in patient treated with dothiepin therapeutic doses and those received toxic doses of dothiepin hydrochloride where there was slight increase of enzyme levels in toxic doses more than therapeutic dose, but both still in normal range. On examination of electrocardiogram of persons that were treated with imipramine hydrochloride at therapeutic doses there were [30%] suffering from sinus tachycardia, [15%] presented with atrial extrasystole, and [5%] complains of atrial fibrillation. In those that were intoxicated with toxic doses of irnipramine hydrochloride, there were [80%] presented with sinus tachycardia, [40%] presented with atrial extrasystole, [15% ]suffering from atrial fibrillation, and there, were [10%] complained from ventricular tachycardia. Also there were [10%] with ventricular extrasystole and [5%] presented with ventricular fibrillation. Persons that were treated with dothiepin in therapeutic doses, only [20%] presented, with sinus tachycardia, and [10%] were presented with atrial extrasystole. While [50%] of subjects that were intoxicated with this drug presented with sinus tachycardia, [30%] presented with atrial extrasystole, [10%] suffering from atrial fibrillation, [5%] complained of ventricular tachycardia and [5%] presented with ventricular extrasystole. In comparison of animals that were injected with therapeutic doses of imipramine hydrochloride and that injected with toxic dose of imipramine hydrochloride group, there was a highly significant difference in SOOT, SGPT and CPK-MB levels. On the other hand the difference in the levels of SGOT, SGPT, CPK-MB in animals injected with dothiepin therapeutic doses and those injected with toxic doses of dothiepin hydrochloride was slight but both still in normal range. Histopathological examination of the heart of rats treated with therapeutic dose of imipramine revealed small areas of infarction. Histopathological examination of heart of rats treated with toxic dose of imipramine revealed massive infarction and the interstitial connective tissue was markedly infiltrated with lymphocytes, polymorphs, and histocytes. There are no histopathological changes in rats that treated with therapeutic doses of dothiepin hydrochloride while rats that treated with toxic doses of dothiepin hydrochloride showed moderate histopathological changes