A Distinct Anti-EBV DNase Profile in Patients with Undifferentiated Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Compared to Classical Antigens.

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a prevalent type of cancer that often takes the form of undifferentiated carcinoma in the Maghreb region. It affects people of all ages. NPC diagnosis, mainly based on detecting Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), has not been well evaluated in North Africa. We compared the classical EBV serological tests using indirect immunofluorescence to the detection of EBV DNase antibodies by immunoblot in Algerian NPC patients. Significant variations were observed among different age groups of patients regarding the presence of VCA-IgA antibodies (0-14 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.0001; 15-19 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.01) and EA-IgA (0-14 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.01; 15-29 and ≥30 years old, p < 0.05). Differences were also noted in the titers of IgA anti-VCA and anti-EA antibodies across the three age groups. Some patients under the age of 30 with detectable IgG anti-VCA antibodies had undetectable IgA anti-VCA antibodies. These patients had a strong anti-DNase IgA response. However, older individuals had a higher level of anti-DNase IgG. Before treatment, children had strong DNase reactivity as indicated by specific IgA antibodies. Young adults had high IgA anti-DNase response, but the elderly (90.9%) had a lower response for these antibodies. Following therapy, the children retained high levels of IgA anti-DNase antibodies, and 66% of the young adults demonstrated robust antibody reactivity against DNase. In contrast, IgG responses to anti-DNase were low in children. This study demonstrated the utility of anti-DNase responses in the diagnosis and prognosis of NPC.

[In silico study of a functional mutation associated with non-small cell lung cancer: G12D mutation of exon 2 in KRAS gene]. / Étude in silico d'une mutation : application à la mutation fonctionnelle G12D du gène KRAS, retrouvée dans les cancers bronchiques non à petites cellules.

Biology flourished during the XXth century and was profoundly disrupted during the last decade because of the transition to the post-genomic era, the spread of high-throughput biology, and the advent of a relatively new discipline, namely bioinformatics. This latter, which encompasses the collection, organization and analysis of biological data using the computer tool, has quickly become inseparable from the studies related to the genome understanding. The consequences of the different mutations that may affect our genes are responsible for a change in the protein sequence and are likely to affect, for example, the stability of the protein, its intracellular targeting, its maturation, its assembly in a multimeric structure, the essential sites for its enzymatic activity or for the interaction with ligands. Thus, a number of bioinformatic developments have made it possible to set up in silico prediction tools of the structure of a protein that is aiming at predicting the impact of local mutations on the structure of proteins. Throughout our study, we have been interested in exploring, through in silico bioinformatic study, three analytical, prediction and modeling, software, choosing as exemple the G12D mutation that affects the proto-oncogene KRAS found in numerous algerian patients with bronchopulmonary cancers cells (NSCLC). This study allowed us to integrate these bioinformatic tools into our laboratory of developmental biology and LBDD differentiation at the University of Oran 1 Ahmed Benbella, in Algeria. Thus, we have been able to conclude, even if the found mutation is predicted to be tolerated and has no deleterious effect on the entire Ras protein, that the consequence of this missense mutation depends mainly on the position in the protein and the chemical properties of the amino acid involved in the substitution and which shows a strong affinity with the GTP molecule.

Study of Serum Carcinoembryonic Antigen's Profile for Breast Cancer in Western Algeria: 100 cases.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Biology contributes to the early diagnosis and monitoring of breast cancer with several categories of markers such as prognostic markers (ER, PR, HER2), proliferative markers (Ki67), and tumor markers such as CEA and CA 15-3. CEA can be detected at a high concentration in serum of patients with malignant tumors. AIM: The aim of our study was to evaluate the concentrations of CEA in serum of women with breast cancer and to verify the existence of a possible link between the average rates of CEA and SBR grade. METHODS: Serum samples from 100 patients with breast cancer and 100 controls was recovered and examined with an AxSYM analyzer (Abbott Laboratories, USA) to measure CEA using Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay (MEIA) technology. RESULTS: In our clinical study, the mean age of patients and controls were 52.7 and 50.3 years respectively. The results revealed an elevation in the CEA levels from patients with an average value of 16.61 ± 0.2 ng/ml. Positive correlation was found between CEA concentrations and SBR grade, it has found with 45,7 ± 1 ng/ml in grade III. CONCLUSION: CEA represents an excellent marker for breast cancer development. Changes in its concentration reflect the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of treatment.

Ligand-receptor dissociated expression explains high TSLP without prognostic impact in human primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an interleukin (IL)-7-like cytokine expressed by epithelial cells during allergic inflammation, and activating dendritic cells (DC). Its expression and functional role in cancer remain controversial. We conducted retrospective (n = 89), and prospective studies including patients with untreated primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We found that TSLP was overexpressed by HNSCC tumor cells, and associated with a highly differentiated status. However, no significant difference in overall and recurrence-free survival was found between patients bearing a tumor with high and low TSLP levels, respectively. Surprisingly, there was no significant association between the levels of TSLP expression, and the number of tumor-infiltrating mature DCLAMP(+) DC. In order to explain the apparent lack of TSLP-induced DC activation, we performed phenotypic and functional experiments on freshly resected tumors. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells, including DC, did not express the TSLP receptor heterodimer (TSLPR chain, IL-7Ralpha chain). Furthermore, freshly sorted blood CD11c(+) DC from healthy donors cultured with tumor-conditioned supernatant exhibited an activated profile, but this was not affected by an anti-TSLP blocking antibody, suggesting a DC activation pathway independent of tumor-derived TSLP. Overall, our results demonstrate that TSLP is overexpressed in HNSCC but its function is hampered by the lack of TSLPR-expressing cells in the tumor microenvironment. Such a dissociated ligand-receptor expression may impact intercellular communication in other immune activation pathways, and tumor types.

Characterization of Breast Cancer Preclinical Models Reveals a Specific Pattern of Macrophage Polarization.

Drug discovery efforts have focused on the tumor microenvironment in recent years. However, few studies have characterized the stroma component in patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMs). In this study, we characterized the stroma in various models of breast cancer tumors in mice. We performed transcriptomic and flow cytometry analyses on murine populations for a series of 25 PDXs and the two most commonly used GEMs (MMTV-PyMT and MMTV-erBb2). We sorted macrophages from five models. We then profiled gene expression in these cells, which were also subjected to flow cytometry for phenotypic characterization. Hematopoietic cell composition, mostly macrophages and granulocytes, differed between tumors. Macrophages had a specific polarization phenotype related to their M1/M2 classification and associated with the expression of genes involved in the recruitment, invasion and metastasis processes. The heterogeneity of the stroma component of the models studied suggests that tumor cells modify their microenvironment to satisfy their needs. Our observations suggest that such models are of relevance for preclinical studies.

Assessment of hypoxic stress in 44 women with breast cancer in the West Algeria.

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the expression of hypoxia-inducible transcription factor 1α (HIF1α) protein profile among women with breast cancer in a population of western Algerian and to correlate the intensity of this expression with prognosis histological grade Scarff Bloom and Richardson (SBR) of the disease and the age of the patients. METHODS: We used a kit provided by Life Science Inc (UScnk) for a sandwich enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative measurement of in vitro HIF1α in plasma in 44 patients and 44 controls in a population of western Algerian. Then we looked for the correlation between the intensity of the expression of HIF1α and prognosis histological grade SBR and the age of the patients studied. RESULTS: The results indicate high levels of HIF1α at SBRIII grade with an average value of 12.26 ± 0.5 ng/ml. The average age of patients is around 50 ± 1year. In healthy subjects the mean concentration of 1.88 ± 0.1 ng/ml represents HIF1α with a mean age of 49 ± 1year. CONCLUSION: Clinical monitoring of patients treated for breast cancer by assaying the HIF1α marker seems to be very important in the prognosis.

Acinar cell carcinoma of the pancreas in a young patient with chronic pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy of the pancreas arising from acinar cells. Unlike ductal adenocarcinoma, this tumor rarely presents with pancreatitis. METHODS: We present a case of ACC associated with chronic calcifying pancreatitis, and a review of the literature focusing on diagnosis and management. RESULTS: A 43-year-old man was proposed for Wirsungojejunal derivation for chronic pancreatitis. Histopathological examination of the tissue extracted revealed an ACC. Duodenopancreatectomy was performed. Six months post-operatively, the patient developed hepatic metastasis and was treated with gemcitabine as palliative chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical presentation of ACC of the pancreas is not specific and the tumor can be under-diagnosed when associated with chronic pancreatitis. Data regarding course, treatment, and prognosis of this tumor are generally lacking.