ABSTRACT
This work aimed to study the effect of putrescine at (50, 100 and 200 ppm ) as a chemical growth regulator , moringa leaves extract ( 3.5%, 7% and 10 %) as a natural extract and control (distilled water ) on growth, photosynthetic pigments, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacity of jojoba plants grown in earthenware pots. Application of MLE (10 %) caused an increase in plant height by 103.24%, meanwhile (7 %) of MLE led to 4.08% increment in the branches number as compared to control plants. Chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids recorded the highest concentrations by treating with MLE (10 %) followed by putrescine (50 ppm).Total phenolic, flavonoid , tannin content and antioxidant activity of jojoba plants significantly increased with putrescine treatment at 50 ppm and these increments were 28.98%, 31.33%, 74.82% and 65.44%, respectively as compared to control plants. Also, foliar spray of MLE (7 %) led to highest increment of total phenolic, flavonoid and tannins (41.67%, 85.13% and 80.50%, respectively).Moringa leaves extract had the superiority in increasing reducing power ability it increased gradually by increasing moringa leaves extract concentration. Some changes in amino acids concentration were observed with putrescine (50and200 ppm) as well as total essential amino acids.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common malignancy in the world. In Egypt, HCC was reported to account for about 4.7% of chronic liver disease (CLD) patients. Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) has been reported to be strongly expressed in HCC tissue hampering its extensive use in clinical practice. AIM: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum SCCA levels as a serological marker for early detection of HCC among high-risk patients compared to AFP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study comprised of three groups. Group A included 30 patients with CLD diagnosed based on clinical, laboratory, and ultrasonographical investigations; group B included 49 patients with HCC diagnostically confirmed by spiral CT, elevated alfafetoprotein (AFP), and/or liver biopsy; and group C, the control group, included 15 healthy subjects matched for age and sex. All groups were subjected to thorough history taking, full clinical examination, and laboratory investigations including liver functions, viral markers, and AFP and SCCA estimation using ELISA technique. RESULTS: This study revealed a highly significant difference between patients with HCC, CLD, and controls regarding serum SCCA levels (5.138 +/- 7.689, 1.133 +/- 0.516, and 0.787 +/- 0.432 ng/ml, respectively). SCCA level was persistently elevated in patients with HCC with normal AFP levels representing its useful role in early detection and follow-up of patients treated for HCC. The area under the curve (AUC) of SCCA was 0.869 (95% CI 0.783-0.929), the cut-off value was established at 1.5 ng/ml with sensitivity of 77.6% and specificity of 84.4%). The difference between AUC of SCCA and that of AFP was 0.09 which mounted statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: SCCA could represent a useful tool as a marker for detection of HCC.