Prognostic value of interleukin-6 [IL-6] and tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-alpha] in Egyptian patients with breast cancer

The study was conducted on 41 females selected from National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Surgery Department. The patients were divided into two groups. Group I included 21 clinically established breast cancer patients in early stage [I or II] and Group II included 20 clinically established breast cancer patients in late stage [III or IV]. Beside 20 healthy females were included as control group. The aim of the present work is to assess the prognostic value of pre and postoperative IL-6, TNF-alpha and to investigate the relationship between these parameters and the serum inflammatory parameter [ESR]. The results showed that non-significant changes were found in the serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in early cases before and after surgery when compared to control group, while ESR value was significantly increased before and after surgery [p<0.01] and [p<0.05] respectively. Both IL-6 and TNF-alpha showed non-significant changes on comparing early cases group before and after surgery, while ESR values showed a significant decrease after surgery [p<0.01]. In late cases, levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha and ESR were highly significantly increased before surgery, [,p<0.001] for all parameters when compared to the control group. After surgery, this increase was still highly significant for IL-6, TNF-alpha and ESR [p<0.001, <0.01, <0.01] respectively when compared to controls. Comparing, TNF-alpha and ESR before and after surgery in group II, our results showed significant decrease [p < 0.05] for both parameters. While IL-6 showed highly significant decrease [p<0.001]. In conclusion, the preoperative serum levels of IL-6, TNF-alpha, and ESR significantly increased with advanced stages of breast cancer. So, IL-6 and TNF-alpha may be considered as promising additive prognostic parameter for breast cancer

Evaluation of plasma thrombomodulin in patients with type II diabetes mellitus

Thrombumodulin is an important endothelial anticoagulant protein that decreases thrombin activity and activates protein C. Increased plasma concentrations of various markers of endothelial damage especially thrombomodulin, have been observed in type I diabetic patients particularly in those with microangiopathy. So we aimed in this study to evaluate the significance of plasma thrombomodulin as a biochemical marker for early detection of microvascular complication such as diabetic nephropathy in patients with Type II diabetes mellitus Thirty diabetic patients fulfilled the WHO criteria for type II diabetes-were included in this study together with 10 normal volunteers as normal control.-The type II diabetic patients were classified into three groups according to the level of microalbuminuria in 24hours urine: Group I: included 10 diabetic patients [without nephropathy] microalbumin/24 hours urine<30 mg, Group II included 10 diabetic patients with [incipient diabetic nephropathy] microalbomin/24 hours urine ranged from 30 to 300 mg, and Group III included 10 diabetic patients with [overt diabetic nephropathy], microalbuminl24 hours urine>300mg. For all patients and control the following were done serum creatinine, glycated hemoglobin [HbAlc] Plasma thrombomodulin [TM] and 24 hours urinary micro-albuminuria-In this study we found that, TM were highly significantly elevated in diabetic patients with microalbominuria [group II] and with macroalbuminuria [group III] as compared to the control group [P<0.01] [Table 2]. Also group III showed highly significant elevation in TM than group II [P<0.0 1]. TM showed highly significant correlation with albumin concentration in 24 hours urine HbAlc, and duration of diabetes [P<0.01] [tables]. Because plasma TM level was strongly affected by kidney function. TM index [TM[FU/ml]/serum creatinine [mg%] was used as an endothelial marker. TM index showed a highly significant elevation in diabetic patients [p<0.01] especially in patients with macroalbuminurea [group III] as compared to normal control [p<0.01] [Table 2] also its level was significantly higher in group III than both group I and group II [p<0.01] while no significant difference was found between neither group I nor group II and control group [p>0.05]. TM index showed a highly significant positive correlation with duration of diabetes, but it showed no significant correlation with HbAlc [P>0.05] [Table 6]. These results suggested that a generalized vascular endothelial damage occurs in diabetic nephropathy including the microalbuminuric stage, and TM could be used as a marker for early detection of diabetic microvascular complications