Evaluation of transforming growth factor-, procollagen III and tissue polypeptide antigen in carcinoma of the bilharzial bladder

Carcinoma in bilharzial bladder is among the most important health problems. The development of the tumor and its biological behavior needs to be well predicted. To approach this problem, this study determined cytosolar levels of transforming group growth factor beta [TGF-beta], procollagen III [PIIINP] and tissue polypeptide antigen [TPA] in cytosols of 27 patients with carcinoma of the bilharzial bladder as well as 18 patients with benign bilharzial lesions. The results were compared with the corresponding values in eight bilharzial control tissues obtained 5 cm apart from benign bilharzial lesions and seven healthy bladder tissues. The study revealed significantly increased levels of TGF-beta, PIIINP and TPA compared with benign bilharzial controls and healthy controls. Also, the levels in benign bilharzial lesions were significantly higher than bilharzial or healthy controls. Despite the higher levels of TGF- beta, PIIINP and TPA in bilharzial compared with healthy controls, the difference was significant only in case of TPA. This data clarify the importance role played by TGF-beta in the pathophysiology of carcinoma of the bilharzial bladder, where it is increased in bilharzial infestation and benign bilharzial lesions reaching its highest concentrations in malignant lesions. Moreover, it seems to act as an angiogenic factor, immunodepressant as well as stimulator of collagen synthesis

Oxidant stress in children with iron deficiency anemia

The susceptibility to oxidant stress was evaluated in forty-one children with iron deficiency anemia [IDA] as well as ten healthy children as a control group. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS] as a measure of lipid peroxides, the antioxidant enzymes catalase and glutathione peroxidase [GPX] in red blood cells [RBCs] and superoxide dismutase [SOD] in both RBCs and plasma together with the non-enzymatic antioxidants glutathione in both RBCs and plasma, vitamin C and beta-carotene in plasma were measured in all patients and controls. The study revealed significant decrease in the levels of catalase [7.6 +/- 2.3], GPX [14.4 +/- 2.0], glutathione in both RBCs and plasma [435.4 +/- 56.5, 368.8 +/- 123.7], vitamin C [0.24 +/- 0.15] and beta-carotene [78.1 +/- 25.2] in children with IDA compared with the healthy control group [11.34 +/- 3.0, 19.9 +/- 2.7, 636.4 +/- 54.3, 640 +/- 94.9, 1.4 +/- 0.3, 118.5 +/- 22.9, respectively]. Consistent with the reduced levels of enzymatic and non- enzymatic antioxidants is the significant increased levels of the lipid peroxidation marker [TBARS]in both plasma and RBCs in children with IDA compared with the control group. The study revealed increased vulnerability to oxidant stress in children with IDA

Intracellular distribution of some enzymes in the normal cardiac muscle and under the effect of thyroxine injection in adult albino rat

The present study was carried out on 32 adult male albino rats, eight of them were used as control and the rest were divided into three groups [eight rats each], that injected daily intraperitoneally with proper dose of thyroxine and sacrificed after 7, 10 and 15 days. The heart was removed and the left ventricle was examined histochemically for succinic dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase enzymes. Succinic dehydrogenase was found to be apparently strong in activity in the normal myocardium and were more distributed subsarcolemmally in the muscle fibers specially concentrated near the epicardium and subendocardium. Alkaline phosphatase was moderate in activity and were distributed equally in the sarcoplasm of the muscle fiber and specially strong around the blood vessels. Acid phosphatase was found to be weak in activity in myocardium and present in both sarcoplasm and nuclei. After thyroxine injection, there was progressive increase in succinic dehydrogenase activity [denoted increased aerobic oxidation], alkaline phosphatase [denoted increased demands for absorption of nutrient] and acid phosphatase [denoted cell injury and autolysis]. The distribution of the mentioned enzymes after thyroxine was found to follow the same manner as that of the control. Also, some areas of the myocardium showed more activity than the others i.e. Patchy in distribution