relevance of Ki-67 and COX-2 immunoexpression in right-sided versus left-sided sporadic cancer colon in Egyptian patients

Cancer colon is one of the most common malignancies in Egypt. There are growing amount of data suggesting that carcinomas of the right and left colon should be considered as different tumor entities. Difference in tumor proliferation rates has been used as a prognostic tool. Ki-67 is a proliferation-associated nuclear and nucleolar protein antigen, which is expressed in all cycling cells, and it is an important marker to determine the degree of tumor malignance and invasion ability. Cyclooxygenase-2 [COX-2] is an important key enzyme required for the synthesis of prostaglandins, with high level seen in many cancers including colon cancer. A total of 167 colectomy specimens were reviewed during the period of 1 year. Fifty cases from the originally viewed 167 cases were chosen; 25 cases from the right-side colon and 25 from the left-side colon of comparable stages and grades. Each case was stained immunohistochemically for Ki-67 and COX-2 antibodies. The results of Ki-67 immunostaining showed that the difference between the right and left cases was significant [P < 0.05] in addition to the results of COX-2 immunostaining. We suggest that right and left cancer colon may be two different entities with possible different risk factors and different pathogenesis, and hence each may require different treatment polices as well. COX-2 expression in right-side tumors more than in left-side tumors may provide a chance for right-side cancers to benefit from COX-2 inhibitor therapy

Protective effect of fish liver oil and propolis on anticonvulsant drugs-induced osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a major health problem and its prevalence increases the risk of bone fracture. It is classified into primary [postmenopausal or age related] and secondary [related to chronic diseases, drug therapy, or life style]. There is accumulating evidence that patients on antiepileptic drugs [AEDs] are at an increasing risk of developing osteoporosis. The present study aimed at investigating the protective effect of dietary natural products, fish liver oil, and propolis on osteoporosis caused by anticonvulsant drugs. A total of 105 albino rats were used, divided into seven groups of 15 rats each. Group 1 was used as a control group. In group 2, rats were injected intraperitoneally with pilocarpine [300 mg/kg body weight]. The pilocarpine-induced epileptic rats in the other five groups were orally treated with valproate [400 mg/kg body weight], a combination of valproate and fish liver oil [0.4 ml/kg body weight/day], a combination of valproate and propolis [50 mg/kg body weight/ day], fish liver oil, and propolis, respectively. At the end of the experiment [6 months treatment], animals were sacrificed, femur shafts were extracted, decalcified, and processed into paraffin blocks for histopathological and image analysis and morphometric studies. Rats treated with the antiepileptic valproate alone showed a decrease in the thickness of shaft cortical bone, with a marked decrease in the number of osteocytes, increase in Haversian canals, and decrease in bone trabeculae, disruption of normal architecture, and widening of bone marrow spaces compared with the control group. Treatment with the dietary natural products, fish liver oil, and propolis along with the AED valproate might improve histopathological changes and morphometric parameters in bone associated with AED-induced osteoporosis

relevance of image analysis in differentiating computed tomography guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of lung adenocarcinoma versus pleural mesothelioma in Egypt

Mesothelioma is a very serious illness that can have dangerous, long-term health effects. Catching the disease early on is often the best way to combat it, knowing the signs and process for diagnosis of the disease can help make it easier. Mesothelioma can be difficult to diagnose. This is because there are many different types of cells that can make up a mesothelioma tumor. Sometimes it can be very difficult for a pathologist to diagnose pleural mesothelioma as it can look like other types of lung cancer. The differentiation of mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma can be challenging, as proper classification is essential for determination of treatment regimen for these diseases. The present work aim to clarify if the use of image analysis can replace the more expensive immunohistochemical technique in differentiating lung adenocarcinoma from malignant mesothelioma [epithelial type] of the pleura. In our study we investigated computed tomography guided fine needle biopsy [CT-guided FNA] from 20 cases of pleural mesothelioma and 20 cases of lung adenocarcinoma. The pleural mesothelioma cases were confirmed by specific immunohistochemical panel then were investigated by image analysis. These data showed insignificant variation [p value <0.05] in the nuclear area and cell area in pleural mesotheliomas and lung adenocarcinomas. From the cytological morphology, the malignant pleural mesothelioma in fine needle aspiration has somehow a special pattern for arrangement with nuclear crowding then those of the peripheral lung adenocarcinoma. The results were not significant enough for the substitution of immunohistochemistry technique by image analysis on cytological specimens yet it may give different results when applied on tissue specimen which need further investigation