Modulatory effects of garlic oil and silymarin on carbon tetrachioride-induced liver injury in rats

The present study was conducted to investigate the modulatory effects of silymarin and garlic oil on carbon tetrachloride [CCI4]-induced hepatotoxicity in male albino rats. Animals were orally intoxicated with CCI[4], after 72 hours liver toxicity was assessed. Oral administration with silym4rin or garlic was then continued for 60 days. Serum alanine transaminase [ALT], aspartate transaminase [AST], gamma-glutamyl transaminase[GGT], superoxide dismutase SOD], catalase [CAT], advanced oxidation protein product [AOPP], urinary F2 isoprostanes and 8 hydroxy 2-deoxyguanosine [8-OHdG] were measured. Intoxication of rats with CCI4 induced significant elevation in serum liver enzymes. It also increased oxidative stress through the increase in F2 isoprostanes, AOPP and 8-OHdG, but it reduced SOD and CAT as compared to that of the controls. Oral administration of silymarin or garlic oil improved these adverse effects. Silymarin or garlic has the ability to suppress the occurrence of CCl[4] induced hepatotoxicity in rats by alleviating oxidant status

Multiparametric flow cytometric analysis of estrogen receptor: a study on Egyptian breast cancer patients

Precise prognostication of breast cancer based on immunohistochemical features is a challenging assay. Thus, there is a need for more sophisticated prognostic determinants. This work aims to investigate the sensitivity of flow cytometry for the accurate evaluation of steroid receptor positive, tumor cells in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections. These sections from forty breast cancer patients were subjected to multiparametric flow cytometric analysis for simultaneous assessment of estrogen receptor and DNA content analysis as well as immunohistochemical staining for steroid receptors. Moreover, tumor markers were estimated in the preoperable sera of these patients. About fifty seven percent of tumors were aneuploid. Seven tumors were interpreted positive for ER by FCM and negative by IHC. Flow cytometric results were confirmed by the traditional prognostic factors. Higher levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 occurred predominantly in aneuploid tumors with lymph nodal metastasis and positively immunostained for both estrogen and progesterone receptors. Multiparametric flow cytometric analysis may allows the detection of specific subset of patients that would otherwise escapes detection