study on angiotensin converting enzyme gene insertion/deletion polymorphism and serum cortisol among a sample of egyptian patients with major depression disorder

Angiotensin-converting enzyme [ACE] is assumed to influence the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical [HPA] system, which shows hyperactivity in the majority of patients with major depression. The ACE gene, known to be associated with cardiovascular disorders, which in turn are accompanied with an increased susceptibility for depression, is therefore a promising candidate gene for effective disorders. However, the results are conflicting, with no reported studies on Egyptian depressed patients. This study aimed to assess ACE insertion / deletion [I/D] gene polymorphism among Egyptian depressed patients in order to clarify HPA system dysregulation, and to determine its possible association with severity of depression. This case/control study was conducted on 42 adult depressed patients, and 37 healthy controls were screened to detect genetic associations with unipolar major depression. Determination of ACE genotypes was performed for all subjects by real time PCR. Total serum cortisol levels were measured by ELISA. The frequencies of the DD, ID and II genotypes were 26.2%, 45.2%,and 28.2%, respectively among the cases, and 17.49%, 25.2%, and 56.41%3 respectively among the controls. Significant differences in ACE gefiotype distribution were observed between cases and controls [p - 0.0384]. Serum cortisol in patients show the highest value in the ID polymorphism while II polymorphism shows the lowest value of a.m. cortisol. Data illustrated a significant association of ID polymorphism with the more severity of illness. Our findings support that ACE gene I/D polymorphism and high D allele frequency are associated with depression, also hypercortisolimia is significantly higher in individuals with major depression compared to control among Egyptian adults. ACE gene polymorphism might provide a common link between developing depressive episode and dysfunctional HPA-axis

Modulation the oxidant - antioxidant imbalance induced by thioacetamide in liver of albino rats

The effect of free radicals on human beings has come to attract considerable attention due t their close relation to toxicity and disease. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the antioxidant efficacy of fresh garlic extract [FGE], aged garlic extract [AGE] and ginger ethanolic extract [GEE] against the oxidative stress induced by thioacetamide administration. Silymarin and Hipamax plus [HP] were employed in the current study as reference materials used in the treatment of liver diseases. Intraperitoneal [ip] administration of thioacetamide [200 mg/kg b.wt., three times a week for four weeks] induced oxidative stress that confirmed by the significant elevation of malondialdehyde [MDA, as an indicator of lipid peroxidation], nitric oxide [NO], myeloperoxidase activity [MPO] with the decline in glutathione content [GSH] and the activities of superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidase [GSHPx], glutathione S-transferase [GST] in liver tissue. Meanwhile, there was no change in protein carbonyl. The pre and co-administration of fresh garlic extract, aged garlic extract and ginger ethanolic extract with thioacetamide significantly reduced MDA, NO, MPO activity and enhanced the activity of SOD, GSHPx, GST and markedly increase GSH content in liver tissue. In conclusion, the test materials employed in the current study displayed well marked antioxidant potency and more pronounced antioxidant potency was exerted by AGE

Study of angiogenic factors: Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] and basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC] is one of the most commonmalignancies in the world. Hepatocellular carcinoma is characterized by high vascularity, so tumor angiogenesis nowadays has been considered to be a strong prognostic factor in patients with HCC .The pre-therapeutic serum vascular endothelial growth factor[VEGF] and basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] levels in the HCC patients appear to reflect the disease's potential activity of vascular invasion and metastasis. The pre-therapeutic serum levels of the angiogenic factors VEGF and bFGF were detected in the sera of HCC patients to find new markers to be used for diagnosis of HCC, and were compared with the routinely used tumor markers used for diagnosis of HCC as AFP, CEA, and CA19.9. The relation between the serum levels of VEGF, and bFGF and the clinical characteristics of HCC was also elucidated. On comparing the studied tumor markers among the three studied groups, all the tumor markers were highest in the HCC group, followed the benign liver diseases, and lastly the normal control group [p-value= <0.001 each]. On comparing the studied tumor markers according to different prognostic factors, only AFP showed statistically significant result with the tumor size

Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and lipid profile in children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and their relation to lipid peroxidation

Type-1 diabetes is one of the major chronic illnesses during childhood. In this study, levels of glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1], lipoproteins and the major groups of polyunsaturated fatty acids in plasma were studied in 30 diabetic patients and compared with 20 non diabetic children. Malondialdhyde, a lipid peroxidation end product was also assayed. In the present work, the parent essential fatty acid, lenoleic acid [LA] was found to be higher in the DM-1 patients than in controls. However, values of the long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids [LCPUFAs] namely [dohom-gamma-Linolenic acid C20:3w6 [DHGLA], arachidonic acid C20:5w6 [AA] and Docosapentanoic acid C20:5w6 [DPA], from omega 6 series as well as docosahexaenoic acid C22:6w3 [DHA] from omega 3 series in diabetic children were found to be significantly lower than non diabetics. This pattern of plasma PUFAs is compatible with a reduced conversion rate of the essential fatty acids [EFA] to their respective longer chain metabolites in DM-1 children. As regards lipoprotein pattern abnormalities could be found except for triglycerides levels. A positive correlation was found between Hb-A1 and each of cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C/Cholesterol, LDL-C/HDL-C and a reversed correlation was encountered between HbA1 and HDL-C. This result emphasizes the relation between poor metabolic control in hyperglycemic patients and increased CVD risk. There is an enhanced lipid peroxidation in DM-1 with affected plasma lipoproteins pattern. Under insulin insufficiency, there is reduced formation of long chain omega 6 PUFA from parent EFA together with a decreased level of omega-3 fatty acids