Corrosion resistance of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride on copper.

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is a layered material with high thermal and chemical stability ideal for ultrathin corrosion resistant coatings. Here, we report the corrosion resistance of Cu with hBN grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Cyclic voltammetry measurements reveal that hBN layers inhibit Cu corrosion and oxygen reduction. We find that CVD grown hBN reduces the Cu corrosion rate by one order of magnitude compared to bare Cu, suggesting that this ultrathin layer can be employed as an atomically thin corrosion-inhibition coating.

Non-carboxylic analogues of aryl propionic acid: synthesis, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic and ulcerogenic potential.

As a part of ongoing studies in developing new potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents, a series of novel 6-methoxy naphthalene derivatives was efficiently synthesized and characterized by spectral and elemental analyses. The newly synthesized compounds were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activities using carrageenin-induced rat paw edema model, analgesic activities using acetic acid induced writhing model in mice and anti-pyretic activity using yeast induced hyperpyrexia method as well as ulcerogenic effects. Among the synthesized compounds, thiourea derivative (6a, e) exhibited higher anti-inflammatory activity than the standard drug naproxen in reduction of the rat paw edema (88.71, 89.77%) respectively. All of the non-carboxylic tested compounds were found to have promising anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activity, while were devoid of any ulcerogenic effects.

Characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from cancer patients with suspected tuberculosis infection in Egypt: identification, prevalence, risk factors and resistance pattern.

Data are sparse on Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among patients with cancer in Egypt. We sought to detect the presence of tuberculosis (TB) disease among patients with malignant conditions and suspected TB and to study the main risk factors. Also, we compared different diagnostic procedures and detected the antimicrobial susceptibility of M. tuberculosis isolates against rifampin and isoniazid. One hundred patients were included in this study, all of them had malignant conditions and were suspected by the clinicians of having TB. Identification of M. tuberculosis in different specimens was performed by smear microscopy, followed by Lowenstein-Jensen medium and Mycobacterium growth indicator tube (MGIT) cultures and artus(®) real-time PCR. In addition, an indirect MGIT anti-TB susceptibility test was carried out against rifampin and isoniazid. A total of 76% of studied cases were found to be TB positive. The frequencies of TB-positive cases in the bronchogenic, haematological and solid tumour malignancy groups were 21%, 25% and 30%, respectively. Significant differences between pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB in different malignancy groups were recorded. Real-time PCR showed the highest overall diagnostic efficiency. Multidrug-resistance of M. tuberculosis to both rifampin and isoniazid was detected in 28.6% of examined isolates. Infection in cancer patients with TB was significantly more often recorded among elderly patients and those suffering from poverty. Pulmonary TB is more common than extrapulmonary TB in patients with malignancy. Real-time PCR is the most accurate and rapid method for TB diagnosis. MGIT-rifampin resistance may be used as a reliable marker for detection of multidrug-resistant TB. Diagnosis and instituting treatment course for active or latent TB infection are crucial before starting anticancer therapy.

Taurine: a novel tumor marker for enhanced detection of breast cancer among female patients.

INTRODUCTION: The antioxidant Taurine found to display antineoplastic effect through down regulation of angiogenesis and enhancement of tumor cell apoptosis. It has been found that progressive inhibition of apoptosis and induction of angiogenesis may contribute to tumor initiation, growth and metastasis in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. AIM OF THE STUDY: To correlate taurine level with the levels of some bioomolecules operating in both angiogenesis (VEGF, CD31) and apoptosis (TNF-α and Caspas-3) which could help for breast cancer pronostication and to evaluate a possible role of serum taurine level as an early marker for breast cancer in Egyptian patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four groups of a total 85 female candidates were studied in this work. The first group consists of 50 female patients at National Cancer Institute (NCI), Cairo University were diagnosed and undergoing surgery for breast carcinoma. In the second group 10 having benign breast lesions, were included. The third group consists of five cases, with positive family history. Twenty healthy females were also recruited as control. A preoperative blood sample were taken from each patient to measure serum level of VEGF; Taurine; CA15.3 and TNF- α. Sample of fresh tumor and their corresponding safety margins were obtained from the first and second groups, for determination of caspase-3; histopathological examination and immunohistochemical assay of VEGF and CD31. RESULT: No significant differences in the serum level of CA15.3 between the breast cancer patients, the high risk and the control group. TNF-α (apoptotic biomolecule) level showed a significant difference only between breast cancer group and control group. The VEGF (angiogenic biomarker) showed a highly significant difference between breast cancer patients, the high risk and the control group. Regarding the antioxidant taurine (antiangiogenic biomolecule) serum level in breast cancer group exhibited a value strongly lower than the high risk and control group. Also the correlative ratio between the angiogenic/apoptotic biomarker (VEGF/TNF-α) showed a highly significant difference between the main previous three groups. Same observation were also noticed in the correlation between angiogenic/antiangiogenic (VEGF/taurine) ratio in the same groups. Moreover the enzymatic activities of Casp-3 in the tissue homogenate were statistically higher in adjacent normal tissues than in malignant tissues. The result of immunohistochemical investigation showed a significant increase in the density of intracellular VEGF and microvessel density expressed as CD31 in cancer cases compared to normal adjacent tissue. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that assessment of taurine level in sera of patients with high risk for breast cancer are of great value in the early diagnosis of malignant changes in the breast.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis in Egyptian children using Etest.

AIM: Etest (AB Biodisk, Solna, Sweden) is a new rapid and accurate alternative for susceptibility testing. It also can measure the minimal inhibitory concentration. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium TB (MT) in newly diagnosed tuberculous Egyptian children, and to determine the effectiveness of the Etest to detect drug-resistant MT. METHODS: This prospective study included 150 newly diagnosed pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculous children. The organism was isolated and identified after decontamination. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by proportion method using Lowenstein-Jensen medium (PMLJ) and Etest. Minimal inhibitory concentration for both first and second line anti tuberculous drugs was determined by Etest. Comparison between the two methods was done. RESULTS: Age range was 6 months - 15 years (mean of 7.4+/-3.3). Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and extrapulmonary cases were 85/150 (55.3%) and 67/150 (44.7%) respectively. Seventy three isolates of MT were obtained from patients or contacts. Using Etest, the over all drug resistant of MT was 24.7% which is resistance to one drug (any drug). Resistance to first-line drugs; isoniazid, rifampicin, streptomycin and ethambutol was 5.4%, 2.7%, 6.8% and 1.4% respectively. Rifampicin resistance strongly correlated with isoniazid resistance. The prevalence of multi-drug resistance was 2.7%. Resistance to second line was 2.7% for amikacin and 1.4% for ciprofloxacin. Etest showed an overall specificity of 97.89 and sensitivity of 81.8. Overall agreement of Etest with reference proportion method range was 94.5-100%. CONCLUSION: Etest appears to be a good alternative method for testing susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Receiver operating characteristic analysis for the selection of threshold values for detection of capping in powder compression.

The acoustic emission (AE) energy obtained from compressing lactose powder to form pharmaceutical tablets was chosen for condition monitoring of the tablets. The method used was based on the setting of an AE energy decision threshold such that problems of tablet capping and lamination were successfully identified. Capping and lamination are the most common types of problem that can occur in tablets manufacturing using a powder compression process. To assess the performance of a classifier, use was made of a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) obtained by plotting the correct detection probability against the false alarm probability based on AE energy distributions for capped and non-capped tablets. The area under the ROC curve, referred to as the AUC, determines the level of competency of the classifier. A value of 0.5 suggests a mere hazarding of guesses whilst a value of 1 indicates correct classification every time. The AE energy approach for tablet capping monitoring gives an AUC value of 0.96, thereby suggesting the possibility of a highly accurate classifier. With the assumption that penalties for false alarm and missed detection are equally severe, using the graphical method of expected penalty cost (EPC), the optimal AE energy decision threshold was established to be 1.2x10(8) units, at which the maximum correct capping detection rate of 95% was achieved. The paper also explains how a decision threshold can be obtained when the two penalties are not equal.

Breast cancer in Egypt: a review of disease presentation and detection strategies.

Carcinoma of the breast is the most prevalent cancer among Egyptian women and constitutes 29% of National Cancer Institute cases. Median age at diagnosis is one decade younger than in countries of Europe and North America and most patients are premenopausal. Tumours are relatively advanced at presentation. The majority of tumours are invasive duct subtype and the profile of hormone receptors is positive for estrogen receptors and/or progesterone receptors in less than half of cases. This overview examines genetic changes, potential and established predictive and prognostic markers and end results of surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy for early, locally advanced and metastatic disease stages. Disease presentations common to the region and early detection strategies are presented.

Breast cancer in Egypt: a review of disease presentation and detection strategies

Carcinoma of the breast is the most prevalent cancer among Egyptian women and constitutes 29% of National Cancer Institute cases. Median age at diagnosis is one decade younger than in countries of Europe and North America and most patients are premenopausal. Tumours are relatively advanced at presentation. The majority of tumours are invasive duct subtype and the profile of hormone receptors is positive for estrogen receptors and /or progesterone receptors in less than half of cases. This overview examines genetic changes, potential and established predictive and prognostic markers and end results of surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy for early, locally advanced and metastatic disease stages. Disease presentations common to the region and early detection strategies are presented

Multivariate analysis of bcl-2, apoptosis, P53 and HER-2/neu in breast cancer: a short-term follow-up.

BACKGROUND: Several molecular genetic alterations in breast cancer, including aneuploidy, altered apoptosis, aberrant expression of p53, HER-2/neu and Bcl-2, have been associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. To determine the importance of molecular-genetic factors relative to more traditional surgical-pathological prognostic factors, multivariate analysis was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ninety-four fresh tissue samples of primary breast carcinoma were studied with flow cytometry for DNA ploidy. On the same specimens, steroid hormone receptors (ER and PR) were measured in the cytosol fraction using Abbott ELISA assays. HER-2/neu was determined in the membrane fraction and mutant p53 protein in the nuclear fraction, both, by Oncogene Science ELIZA procedures. Bcl-2 and apoptosis (cell death) were measured in cell lysates by Oncogene Science & Boehringer Mannheim ELISA assays. In addition, information regarding surgical-pathological features of the tumor was obtained. Multivariate analysis using an unconditional logistic regression model was done to identify variables predictive of poor prognosis. RESULTS: Using univariate analysis, histological grade, tumor stage, lymph node status, HER-2/neu and mutant p53 were predictive of poor short-term prognosis. By multivariate analysis, tumor stage, lymph node status and HER-2/neu were independent factors. Grade subgroup analysis versus time of relapse, illustrated a predictive value of Bcl-2 in only low-grade tumors while apoptosis was significant in high-grade type. CONCLUSION: Among a panel of molecular-genetic factors investigated, HER-2/neu was the most strongly predictive of poor short-term prognosis in breast cancer. Patients with HER-2/neu-positive tumors can benefit from Herceptin therapy.

Accelerated hyperfractionation (AHF) compared to conventional fractionation (CF) in the postoperative radiotherapy of locally advanced head and neck cancer: influence of proliferation.

Based on the assumption that an accelerated proliferation process prevails in tumour cell residues after surgery, the possibility that treatment acceleration would offer a therapeutic advantage in postoperative radiotherapy of locally advanced head and neck cancer was investigated. The value of T(pot) in predicting the treatment outcome and in selecting patients for accelerated fractionation was tested. Seventy patients with (T2/N1-N2) or (T3-4/any N) squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, larynx and hypopharynx who underwent radical surgery, were randomized to either (a) accelerated hyperfractionation: 46.2 Gy per 12 days, 1.4 Gy per fraction, three fractions per day with 6 h interfraction interval, treating 6 days per week or (b) Conventional fractionation: 60 Gy per 6 weeks, 2 Gy per fraction, treating 5 days per week. The 3-year locoregional control rate was significantly better in the accelerated hyperfractionation (88 +/- 4%) than in the CF (57+/- 9%) group, P=0.01 (and this was confirmed by multivariate analysis), but the difference in survival (60 +/- 10% vs 46 +/- 9%) was not significant (P=0.29). The favourable influence of a short treatment time was further substantiated by demonstrating the importance of the gap between surgery and radiotherapy and the overall treatment time between surgery and end of radiotherapy. Early mucositis progressed more rapidly and was more severe in the accelerated hyperfractionation group; reflecting a faster rate of dose accumulation. Xerostomia was experienced by all patients with a tendency to be more severe after accelerated hyperfractionation. Fibrosis and oedema also tended to be more frequent after accelerated hyperfractionation and probably represent consequential reactions. T(pot) showed a correlation with disease-free survival in a univariate analysis but did not prove to be an independent factor. Moreover, the use of the minimum and corrected P-values did not identify a significant cut-off. Compared to conventional fractionation, accelerated hyperfractionation did not seem to offer a survival advantage in fast tumours though a better local control rate was noted. This limits the use of T(pot) as a guide for selecting patients for accelerated hyperfractionation. For slowly growing tumours, tumour control and survival probabilities were not significantly different in the conventional fractionation and accelerated hyperfractionation groups. A rapid tumour growth was associated with a higher risk of distant metastases (P=0.01). In conclusion, tumour cell repopulation seems to be an important determinant of postoperative radiotherapy of locally advanced head and neck cancer despite lack of a definite association between T(pot) and treatment outcome. In fast growing tumours accelerated hyperfractionation provided an improved local control but without a survival advantage. To gain a full benefit from treatment acceleration, the surgery-radiotherapy gap and the overall treatment time should not exceed 6 and 10 weeks respectively.

Contrasting molecular pathology of colorectal carcinoma in Egyptian and Western patients.

Colorectal carcinoma is uncommon in Egypt, but a high proportion of cases occurs before age 40 years and in the rectum. We compared the molecular pathology of 59 representative Egyptian patients aged 10-72 to Western patients with sporadic, young-onset, or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome (HNPCC)-associated carcinoma and found significant differences. Most Egyptian cancers were rectal (51%) and poorly differentiated (58%). High levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) were frequent (37%) and attributable in some cases (36%) to methylation of the promoter of the hMLH1 mismatch repair gene, but no MSI-H cancer had loss of hMSH2 mismatch repair gene product of the type seen with germline hMSH2 mutation in HNPCC. K-ras mutation was uncommon (11%). In subset analyses, high frequencies of MSI-H in rectal carcinomas (36%) and p53 gene product overexpression in MSI-H cancers (50%) were found. MSI-H and K-ras mutation in Egyptians under age 40 were unusual (17% and 0%, respectively), and schistosomiasis was associated with MSI and K-ras mutation. Cluster analysis identified 2 groups: predominantly young men with poorly differentiated mucinous and signet-ring cell colorectal carcinoma lacking K-ras mutation; older patients who had well- or moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma often with MSI-H, K-ras mutation and schistosomiasis. Our findings show that the molecular pathology of colorectal cancer in older as well as younger Egyptians has unique differences from Western patients, and schistosomiasis influences the molecular pathogenesis of some tumours.

Deletion of p16 and p15 genes In schistosomiasis-associated bladder cancer (SABC).

Alterations of p16 and p15 genes have been reported in cancer cell lines and in certain malignant neoplasm. These genes are designated as candidate tumor suppressor genes because they encode proteins that function as negative cell cycle regulators at G(1)-S checkpoint. One hundred and sixty eight tumor tissue, 20 schistosomal tissue, and 50 normal tissue samples were examined. The status of p16 and p15 genes in these tissues was determined by the polymerase chain reaction and by sequencing the DNA fragments produced during PCR. In addition, the expression of p16 and p15 proteins was examined by Western blot analysis. p16 and p15 genes were detected in all normal and schistosomal tissues. Deletion of both p16 and p15 genes was observed in 72 and 36 bladder tumors, respectively. Twenty eight of the 72 cases that exhibited p16 deletions also displayed deletions of p15. Only eight cases showed loss of the p15 gene while retaining p16 gene, and p16 deletion with apparently intact p15 gene was identified in 44 cases. The present analysis also reveals that deletion in the two genes are associated with low-stage, low grade bladder cancer, schistosomiasis-associated bladder cancer (SABC) and squamous cell carcinoma type (SCC). No point mutations were identified in either gene. The expression of p16 and p15 proteins was undetectable in 75 and 38 bladder tumors, respectively, by Western blot analysis. Alteration of the p16 and p15 genes appears to be an early event in bladder cancer which occurs more frequently in SABC and SCC, and may play an important role in the development of schistosomal bladder cancer.

DNA copy number changes in Schistosoma-associated and non-Schistosoma-associated bladder cancer.

DNA copy number changes were investigated in 69 samples of schistosoma-associated (SA) and non-schistosoma-associated (NSA) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH). DNA copy number changes were detected in 47 tumors. SA tumors had more changes than NSA tumors (mean, 7 vs. 4), whereas the number of changes in SCC and TCC tumors was similar. SA tumors displayed more gains than losses (1.7:1), whereas NSA tumors showed an equal number of gains and losses. Changes that were observed at similar frequencies in SCC and TCC, irrespective of the schistosomal status, included gains and high-level amplifications at 1q, 8q, and 20q and losses in 9p and 13q. These changes may be involved in a common pathway for bladder tumor development and progression independent of schistosomal status or histological subtype. Losses in 3p and gains at 5p were seen only in SCC (P < 0.01) and losses in 5q were more frequent in SA-SCC than in other tumors (P < 0.05). However, changes that were more frequent in TCC than those in SCC included gains at 17q (P < 0.01) and losses in 4q (P < 0.05) and 6q (P < 0.01). Gains and high-level amplifications at 5p were seen only in SA-SCC (P < 0. 01), whereas gains and high-level amplifications with minimal common overlapping regions at 11q13 were more frequently seen both in SA-SCC and SA-TCC tumors (P < 0.01). In addition to the above mentioned alterations, several other changes were also seen at lower frequencies. The variations in the DNA copy number changes observed in TCC, SCC, SA, and NSA bladder carcinomas suggest that these tumors have different genetic pathways.

Diagnosis of giardiasis using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on formalin preserved stools.

From a total of 162 children, three stool samples were collected from each child over a period of one week and preserved in formalin. Giardia lamblia was diagnosed by direct microscopy of formol-ether concentrates for each of the three samples. The first sample was also subjected to an ELISA test for detection of Giardia Iambia stool antigen in formalin preserved stool specimens. Microscopic examination revealed that 45 children were infected whereas ELISA detected 41 cases giving a sensitivity of 91.1% and a specificity of 99.1%. Predictive value of a positive test was 97.6% and that of a negative test was 96.7%. A significant correlation was present between mean optical density readings of ELISA and number of cysts present. No crossreactivity was observed ELISA is a simple, sensitive and specific test that can be applied in epidemiological studies for detection of Giardia lamblia coproantigen in formalin preserved stool specimens.

Regulators of apoptosis in human breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Apoptosis or programmed cell death represents a mechanism by which tumor cells with DNA damage can be deleted. Bcl-2 and p53 gene products have been both linked to apoptosis. Bcl-2 plays a role as an inhibitor of apoptosis that may extend the viability of cells containing genetic alterations and facilitate tumor progression. Mutant p53 has a similar effect. The purpose of this study was to investigate expression of bcl-2 in 70 malignant and 30 benign breast lesions using different methods (enzyme immunoassay, immunodot blot, Western blot) and to compare it with the established clinicopathological prognostic factors (age, tumor size, type, grade, lymph node status) and some molecular genetic markers in breast cancer. RESULTS: bcl-2 and mutant p53 were highly expressed in breast cancer than benign breast lesions and aneuploidy was more frequently detected in malignant breast samples. No correlation could be observed between bcl-2 expression and node status, tumor size, differentiation, type, age at excision or mutant p53 expression. However, a strong positive associations were seen between bcl-2 and estrogen receptors (ER), DNA aneuploidy. Eighty-five percent of bcl-2 positive tumors were ER positive and 65% were aneuploid, while in bcl-2 negative tumors only 28% were ER positive and 37% were aneuploid. CONCLUSIONS: The association seen between bcl-2 and ER raises the possibility that bcl-2 is an ER-regulated gene which suggests a potential important role for bcl-2 as a modulator of response to hormonal therapy in breast cancer. Monitoring hormonal therapy can easily be done by bcl-2 quantitative EIA method.

Expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 in bladder cancer: relation to schistosomiasis.

Cell cycle regulation is mediated in part through expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21WAF1/CIP1. Loss of p21WAF1/CIP1 expression may, therefore, contribute partially to schistosomal carcinogenesis in the urinary bladder. We compared p21WAF1/CIP1 expression in schistosomal and nonschistosomal bladder cancer to explore possible differences in p21WAF1/CIP1 expression between the two subtypes and the possible association between schistosomiasis and loss of p21WAF1/CIP1 expression. Tumor specimens were obtained from 130 patients who underwent transurethral biopsy or cystectomy. p21WAF1/CIP1 was determined by immunodot blot, Western blot, and enzyme immunoassay (EIA). We validated a highly sensitive quantitative EIA assay for determination of p21WAF1/CIP1 in cell lysates. Precision, analytical recovery, and linearity were all excellent. Our results did not show any correlation between p21WAF1/CIP1 expression and most clinicopathologic variables. Lower expression of p21WAF1/CIP1 was evident in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and schistosomal subtype than in transitional cell carcinoma and nonschistosomal tumors. Our data suggest a potential role for p21WAF1/CIP1 alteration in schistosomal carcinogenesis.

Correlation between EBV DNA and rearrangement and expression of Bcl-2 gene in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Previous in vitro studies have shown that bcl-2 expression can be induced by transfection of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) cell lines with EBV. This induced expression of bcl-2 is important for the long survival of EBV-positive cells and might be a first step in tumorigenesis. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the possibility of similar correlation between bcl-2 expression and EBV infection in vivo in a cohort of patients with aggressive NHL, who were uniformly evaluated and treated with effective chemotherapy. The 42 patients included were 25-65 years old. None had prior treatment, discordant lymphoma, or human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity. Fresh biopsied samples were obtained and stored frozen for analysis of bcl-2 gene rearrangement major break point and of EBV DNA by PCR. Bcl-2 protein expression was estimated by Western blot, and enzyme immunoassay. With a median follow-up of 30 months, overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were measured to determine the prognostic significance of these variables. Analyzable DNA was present in all samples, 24% demonstrating bcl-2 rearrangement and 33% showing EBV DNA. Patients with bcl-2 gene rearrangement tended to have shorter DFS, and OS than patients without translocation. Bcl-2 protein expression was not correlated to gene rearrangement and had no significant influence on survival. The presence of EBV DNA in NHL had no prognostic significance but was correlated to bcl-2 expression. EBV-positive tumors showed higher bcl-2 expression than EBV-negative tumors did. Our results suggest a role of EBV infection in inducing bcl-2 expression as a survival factor for EBV-positive cells.

Determination of cytosolic citrulline and nitrate as indicators of nitric oxide in bladder cancer: possible association with basic fibroblast growth factor.

BACKGROUND: Nitric Oxide (NO) and nitrosamines have been implicated in bladder carcinogenesis. Apart from its implication in carcinogenesis, NO contributes to the regulation of tumor angiogenesis via angiogenic peptides exemplified by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: In order to examine NO pattern in normal, schistosomal, and malignant bladder cytosols, we have used a combined approach by measuring nitrate and the amino acid citrulline. The results were correlated to bFGF, which were measured in bladder cytosols by an EIA method. RESULTS: Comparison between normal, schistosomal, and malignant bladder groups showed that patients with schistosomiasis and bladder cancer had significantly higher cytosolic nitrate, citrulline, and bFGF levels. There were no apparent correlations between these investigated parameters and tumor histologic features. The level of citrulline was strongly correlated to nitrate level and both were correlated to bFGF level in bladder cancer and schistosomiasis groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that NO and bFGF were significantly elevated in schistosomiasis and bladder cancer compared to normal bladders. Moreover, the consistent association of NO with bFGF found in the present work, support the hypothesis that the angiogenic peptide bFGF may be modulated by NO and suggest a useful target in antiangiogenic therapy in bladder cancer.

Epstein-Barr virus, human papillomavirus, and flow cytometric cell cycle kinetics in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and inverted papilloma among Egyptian patients.

It is widely accepted that the Epstein-Barr virus is etiologically associated with the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The human papillomavirus is also associated with inverted papilloma. We used the polymerase chain reaction technique to detect both viruses in both types of tumors. Flow cytometry was also used to study the DNA pattern and proliferative behavior of the tumors in relation to the viruses. EBV was detected in 13/20 (65%) of NPC specimens, and in none of IP (n = 10) or control specimens (n = 10). This indicates the contribution of EBV as an etiologic factor in NPC. Five cases of NPC (25%) were positive for HPV 16, two of them were EBV positive. Four HPV 16 positive cases were found among cases with inverted papilloma, but none among the control cases. Flow cytometry revealed that all NPC, IP, and control samples were diploid except one aneuploid NPC sample. Proliferative capacity (PC) of primary tumors was predictive of tumor recurrence in NPC. Using 13.6% as a cut-off point for PC, we were able to discriminate between high risk and low risk groups with 100% sensitivity and 86% specificity. PC can be used as a baseline prognostic parameter in NPC, making it possible to modify courses of treatment in an attempt to inhibit tumor recurrence.