Induced pluripotent stem cells in cartilage tissue engineering: a literature review.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a long-term, persistent joint disorder characterized by bone and cartilage degradation, resulting in tightness, pain, and restricted movement. Current attempts in cartilage regeneration are cell-based therapies using stem cells. Multipotent stem cells, such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs), have been used to regenerate cartilage. However, since the discovery of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in 2007, it was seen as a potential source for regenerative chondrogenic therapy as it overcomes the ethical issues surrounding the use of ESCs and the immunological and differentiation limitations of MSCs. This literature review focuses on chondrogenic differentiation and 3D bioprinting technologies using hiPSCS, suggesting them as a viable source for successful tissue engineering. METHODS: A literature search was conducted using scientific search engines, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases with the terms 'Cartilage tissue engineering' and 'stem cells' to retrieve published literature on chondrogenic differentiation and tissue engineering using MSCs, ESCs, and hiPSCs. RESULTS: hiPSCs may provide an effective and autologous treatment for focal chondral lesions, though further research is needed to explore the potential of such technologies. CONCLUSIONS: This review has provided a comprehensive overview of these technologies and the potential applications for hiPSCs in regenerative medicine.

Using CADD tools to inhibit the overexpressed genes FAP, FN1, and MMP1 by repurposing ginsenoside C and Rg1 as a treatment for oral cancer.

Oral cancer is one of the most common cancer types. Many factors can express certain genes that cause the proliferation of oral tissues. Overexpressed genes were detected in oral cancer patients; three were highly impacted. FAP, FN1, and MMP1 were the targeted genes that showed inhibition results in silico by ginsenoside C and Rg1. Approved drugs were retrieved from the DrugBank database. The docking scores show an excellent interaction between the ligands and the targeted macromolecules. Further molecular dynamics simulations showed the binding stability of the proposed natural products. This work recommends repurposing ginsenoside C and Rg1 as potential binders for the selected targets and endorses future experimental validation for the treatment of oral cancer.

Potential Candidate Genes for Therapeutic Targeting in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a prevalent hematological malignancy known for the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome and activation of the BCR-Abl kinase activity. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors are widely used as the standard treatment, resistance remains a concern among certain patients. This study aimed to investigate the gene expression profile of a group of CML patients in comparison to a control group in order to identify novel candidate genes associated with the disease. METHODS: Whole transcriptome sequencing was performed, and gene expression levels were validated using quantitative real-time PCR. Additionally, single nucleotide and insertion/deletion variants were analyzed in the selected candidate genes among 10 CML patients and 4 healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Analysis revealed a set of differentially expressed genes, whose up- or downregulation was further confirmed by qRT-PCR. Among the upregulated genes in the patient group were ribosomal protein like (RPL) members, specifically RPL9, RPL34, RPL36A, and RPL39, while downregulation was observed in CCDC170, LDB1, and SBF1 compared to the healthy subjects. Furthermore, gene variant studies identified novel genetic changes in these candidate genes, suggesting potential clinical significance in CML. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights RPL9, RPL34, RPL36A, RPL39, CCDC170, LDB1, and SBF1 as potential targets in CML. Additionally, it underscores the importance of investigating these genes and their variants in larger cohort studies to assess their clinical significance in CML patients.

Oral Intragastric DMBA Administration Induces Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and Other Tumors in Male Wistar Rats.

BACKGROUND: Animal models of blood cancer are important tools to study these malignancies and also screen for novel therapeutic agents. Evidence from past research on the carcinogenic properties of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]-anthracene (DMBA) was provided by a handful of studies. However, recent literature on DMBA carcinogenic activity and the underlying mechanisms is scarce. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a chemical model of leukemia using DMBA. Male Wistar rats (6 weeks old) were administered 1.5 mg of DMBA dissolved in sesame oil in biweekly doses using oral intragastric intubation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Frequent complete blood counts and blood smear morphology assessment were used to assess the development of leukemia, while gross pathology and histopathology staining were used to evaluate malignancy development. RESULTS: The results showed that only 4% of rats developed acute lymphocytic leukemia. Interestingly, 36% of the rats developed tumors (parotid tumors [24%] and fibrosarcomas [12%]). CONCLUSION: These results suggest the pleiotropic potential of DMBA in the induction of multiple types of malignancies, including leukemia. This could be used as a model to validate therapeutic targets for leukemia and other induced malignancies.

Impact of COVID-19 on Blood Donation and Supply: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study from Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused a major impact on blood donation process and supply globally. A lockdown management procedure was launched nationally in Saudi Arabia to manage this global health crisis. The main aim of this study was to determine the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on blood donation services and supply in different regions of Saudi Arabia. Study Design and Methods. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the blood bank centers of 5 major cities including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Hail, and Jizan in Saudi Arabia. Demographic and blood characteristics were retrieved from the first 6 months of 2019 (January-June) and compared to the same period of 2020. RESULTS: Our findings showed variation in the characteristics of blood donation and supply among the centers surveyed, as some of these centers were adversely affected, while others showed an increase in the availability of blood products during the pandemic. For example, Jeddah's center was significantly affected by COVID-19 lockdown whereas Hail's center showed a significant increase in the analyzed characteristics of blood donation services in 2020 compared to 2019. Overall, there was no major difference among the surveyed centers between 2020 and 2019, and this might be due to the effective management of blood supply and transfusion. Discussion. Although blood supply and transfusion practice was slightly affected at various degree among the surveyed centers, the whole process did not show a significant effect on the overall outcome. This is in fact due to the proper preparedness, management of blood requirements and supplies, and efficient response of the surveyed centers in Saudi Arabia.

RNA sequencing identified novel target genes for Adansonia digitata in breast and colon cancer cells.

Adansonia digitata exhibits numerous beneficial effects. In the current study, we investigated the anti-cancer effects of four different extracts of A. digitata (polar and non-polar extracts of fruit powder and fibers) on the proliferation of human colon cancer (HCT116), human breast cancer (MCF-7), and human ovarian cancer (OVCAR-3 and OVCAR-4) cell lines. RNA sequencing revealed the influence of the effective A. digitata fraction on the gene expression profiles of responsive cells. The results indicated that only the polar extract of the A. digitata fibers exhibited anti-proliferative activities against HCT116 and MCF-7 cells, but not ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, the polar extract of the fibers resulted in the modulation of the expression of multiple genes in HCT116 and MCF-7 cells. We propose that casein kinase 2 alpha 3 (CSNK2A3) is a novel casein kinase 2 (CSNK2) isoform in HCT116 cells and report, for the first time, the potential involvement of FYVE, RhoGEF, and PH domain-containing 3 (FGD3) in colon cancer. Together, these findings provide evidence supporting the anti-cancer potential of the polar extract of A. digitata fibers in this experimental model of breast and colon cancers.

Phenotype Frequencies of Major Blood Group Systems (Rh, Kell, Kidd, Duffy, MNS, P, Lewis, and Lutheran) Among Blood Donors in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION: The understanding of blood group phenotypes in Saudi Arabia is limited to the ABO and Rh blood groups. Data for the other major blood group phenotypes in different populations have been widely studied and used as a reference for identifying antigen-negative blood in hospital blood banks. Such information is crucial for facilitating the challenging task of providing antigen-negative blood for patients with multiple antibodies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of the major blood group phenotypes in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia and compare them to phenotypes in other populations. METHODS: A total of 100 volunteer Saudi donors were included in this study. Red blood cells from the donors were subjected to antigen typing of the major blood group systems (Rh, Kell, Kidd, Duffy, MNS, Lewis, Lutheran, and P) using the gel microtube technique. RESULTS: From the Rh blood group system, the e antigen was found in 97% of donors, followed by c at 86%. The Cellano (k) antigen of the Kell system was found in all donors, whereas the Kell (K) antigen was only found in 8 % of donors. The K+k- phenotype was not detected in our study. Unexpectedly, for the Duffy blood group system, the null phenotype Fy(a-b-) was found in 61% of donors. In the MNS blood group system, M+N-S+s+ was the most common phenotype at 24%. CONCLUSION: The frequency of blood group phenotypes in the Eastern region of Saudi Arabia differs from that in other populations because of the diverse ethnic backgrounds of those living in that region. The findings of this study can be used to establish a local donor registry to help provide antigen-negative blood for patients with unexpected antibodies or to create an in-house antibody identification panel to add to the commercial panel that would be useful for confirming antibody identification results.

Novel IRF-1 Mutations in a Small Cohort of Leukaemia Patients From Saudi Arabia

Involvement of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 (IRF-1) gene in regulation of cell differentiation and proliferation made it a potential target in cancer research. IRF-1 acts as a tumor suppressor gene, and is inactivated in chronic (CML) and non-chronic myelogenous leukemia (non-CML). In the light of numerous reports on genetic changes in the noncoding region of the IRF-1 gene, this study aimed to explore possible genomic changes in coding and non-coding regions of IRF-1 in a random sample of leukemic Saudi patients, in order to obtain insights into potential impact of genetic changes on clinicopathological characteristics. Patients were classified into two major leukemia subtypes: CML (8 cases; 36.4%) and non-CML (14 cases; 63.6%). Sequencing results revealed two novel mutations in the coding area of the IRF-1 gene likely to influence the IRF-1/DNA binding affinity. In addition, three mutational sites in the noncoding region between exon 5&6 (8985(T>G), 8,990(T>G) and 8995(A>G) were identified. In conclusion, a larger representative study might help provide better understanding of the possible contribution of the identified genetic changes in IRF-1 to disease prognosis and outcomes in leukemic patients.