Borago Officinalis L.: A Review Oon Extraction, Phytochemical, and Pharmacological Activities.

Borago officinalis L., an annual herb belonging to the Boraginaceae family, is used in the traditional medical practices of various countries and for multiple treatments, including respiratory disorders, colds, influenza, diarrhea, cramps, inflammation, palpitation, hypertension menopause, and post-menopausal symptoms. Its pharmacological properties and biological activities - among them antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, insecticidal, antigenotoxic, and anti-obesity activity - were demonstrated in vitro and in vivo and are related to its rich content of bioactive compounds (mainly phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, alkaloids, and terpenes) extracted from various parts of B. officinalis including leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots. This review summarizes all updated information on applied extraction processes, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicity of B. officinalis.

Improvement of SARS-COV-2 screening using pooled sampling testing in limited RT-qPCR resources.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic representing the most challenging global health crisis currently. Screening tests availability are a problematic task due to resource-limited abilities of some countries using RT-qPCR technique for SARS-COV-2 detection. OBJECTIVE: To cope with these health emergencies, in particular with this COVID-19 pandemic, states with low molecular diagnostic resources must optimize their capacity in molecular tests. We aimed to design a simple and effective strategy to improve inputs in the RT-qPCR tests as we attempted to check the financial advisability of using such an approach by calculating reduction rate of the test unit cost. METHODS: The used RNA was taken from suspected Covid-19 positive people. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected at Pasteur Institute Diagnostic Center, Constantine, Algeria, 2020. We have optimized a screening strategy by grouping 16 individuals per pool, without reducing the sensitivity of RT-qPCR. RESULTS: A 1/16 dilution of a positive sample was a practical limit that does not require the use of robotic systems or mathematical modeling to construct the pools. The financial analysis of our strategy has shown that the costs can be reduced to 90 %. The pooled testing strategy that was proven in this study could be recommended to help COVID-19 containment in countries with low potential screening infrastructures using RT-qPCR technique by reducing the number of tests required to identify all positive subjects.

Analysis of EGFR Mutation Status in Algerian Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status is used as a predictive biomarker for the tyrosine kinase inhibitors therapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The incidence of EGFR mutations appears to vary according to ethnic and geographical backgrounds. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the EGFR mutation status in Algerian NSCLC patients and its association with clinicopathological features. METHODS: We examined the presence of EGFR mutations (Exons 19-21) in 58 unselected  NSCLC samples using PCR followed by direct sequencing. RESULTS: The present study included 53 (91.4%) men and 5 (8.6%) women, with a median age of 59 (ranging from 44 to 94 years old). EGFR mutations were detected in 23 patients, with an overall rate of 39.6%. There were 21 (91.3%) cases with the exon-21 L585R single mutation and two (8.7%) with dual mutations of exon-19 deletions and L585R. EGFR mutations were more frequently found in patients with confirmed adenocarcinoma (14/27, 51.8%) than in non-adenomatous NCSCL subtypes (3/14, 21.4%; p=0.03). Furthermore, early stages of the disease were significantly associated with a higher rate of EGFR mutations (14/27, 51.8%) compared with those at  advanced stage (5/21, 23.8%; p=0.02). There were no significant differences in EGFR mutation frequency by age, gender, or smoking status. CONCLUSION: We found that Algerian NSCLC patients exhibited a high rate of EGFR mutations, which was quite similar to that in Asians population rather than Caucasian patients. Thus, TKI-based treatments may be more beneficial for Algerian patients with NSCLC. Further studies using a large number of patients are required to confirm our preliminary findings.

Immunohistochemistry and scoring of Ki-67 proliferative index and p53 expression in gastric B cell lymphoma from Northern African population: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to clarify the Ki-67 distribution, p53 expression and their relationship with clinico-pathologic features of gastric B cell lymphoma from Northern African population. METHODS: Twenty paraffin blocks of gastric lymphoma were retrieved from the archival materials of Department of Pathology, Central University Hospital of Sidi Bel Abbes (Western Algeria) from 2007 to 2013. Four µm section specimens were stained by immunohistochemical (IHC) technique with Ki-67 and p53 tumor markers. P values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Expression of p53 proteins and the mean proliferative index (PI) were compared between high grade gastric B cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and low grade gastric B cell lymphomas (gastric MALTs). p53 overexpression (P=0.007) and a high proliferation index Ki-67 (P=0.001) were significantly associated with gastric DLBCL. We found also a statistically significant correlation between p53 and Ki-67 (P=0.007) but no obvious relationships were found between Ki-67 PI and p53 expression as well as clinico-pathological features (age, sex, location, macroscopic type). CONCLUSIONS: The IHC studies of Ki-67 and p53 expression in gastric B cell lymphoma can help in monitoring of patients at risk, and to give suitable treatment and management of patients.

Use of GeneXpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis/rifampicin for rapid detection of rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains of clinically suspected multi-drug resistance tuberculosis cases.

BACKGROUND: Multi-drug resistance (MDR) TB is defined as tuberculosis (TB) disease caused by a strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) that was resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin (RIF). Emerging Multidrug-Resistant TB is one of the major concerns of health policy and rapid detection of M. tuberculosis and detection of RIF resistance in infected patients are essential for disease management. The aim of this study was to evaluate patterns of RIF resistance in cases of sputum positive pulmonary TB by using GeneXpert MTB/RIF and comparing between phenotypic and genotypic testing of RIF resistance in MTB strains of clinically suspected MDR-TB isolated cases in western Algeria. METHODS: In this study 50 sputum positive cases of pulmonary TB who were potential MDR suspect were included. Their sputum samples were collected and subjected to sputum smear microscopy, culture and conventional MTB/RIF test followed by GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay. RESULTS: Of total 50 cases included in this study, MTB was detected in all patients (100%) by GeneXpert MTB/RIF. However, RIF's resistance was detected in only 21 cases (42%) by GeneXpert MTB/RIF. All RIF resistant strains detected by GeneXpert MTB/RIF were phenotypically confirmed as MDR strains. 42.85% of cases were retreatment failure cases, retreatment cases smear positive at 4 months were 23.82%. While 19.05% of cases were retreatment cases smear positive at diagnosis, and 14.28% patient had history of contact with MDR-TB. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Xpert MTB/RIF to detect RIF resistance in comparison to conventional phenotypic drug susceptibility technique were found equal to the rates of 100%, 100%, 100% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay is efficient and reliable technique for the rapid diagnostic of TB. It's simplicity, high sensitivity and specificity for RIF resistance detection make this technique a very attractive tool for diagnostic of MTB and RIF resistance in MDR cases.

Immunohistochemical examination of cholecystokinin and gastrin receptors (CCK-2/gastrin-R) expression in normal and exocrine cancerous human pancreatic tissues.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluating tissue samples of normal and exocrine cancerous human pancreas on the expression of CCK2/gastrin receptor. We performed an immunohistochemical protocol that allows efficient detection of this receptor in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human tissues. METHODS: Twenty (20) paraffin blocks of pancreatic tissue sections were collected from the Departments of pathology, Central University Hospital of Sidi-bel-Abbes City (Western Algeria) for the period 2004-2013; ten (10) of them were normal pancreatic samples; and ten (10) cancerous pancreatic sections. The samples were studied using an immunohistochemical protocol for CCK-2/gastrin receptors. RESULTS: Our immunohistochemical analysis revealed that CCK-2/gastrin receptors were expressed in both normal and malignant pancreatic cells but with different immunoreactivity levels and different immunostaining intensity i.e., CCK-2/gastrin receptors were highly expressed within the cytoplasmic area of cancerous cells; 40% of the samples had an immunoreactivity (IR) of (+++) and 60% (++++); the immunostaining was as well very intense since we reported a dark brown staining of the malignant cells. However; in normal pancreatic tissues; CCK-2/gastrin receptors IR levels were very low; 80% of the samples had an IR of (+); and 20% had (++) and the immunostaining was less intense; we noted a light brown staining of few normal pancreatic cells. CONCLUSION: The gastrointestinal peptides CCK could be very interesting targets for exocrine pancreatic cancer therapies; thus further surveys such as western blotting and RTPCR could indentify CCK-2/gastrin receptors as a helpful biomarker for exocrine pancreatic cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Delayed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer reported as more common in a population of North African young adults.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging tumor entities worldwide, characterized as a highly aggressive disease with dismal overall prognosis and an incidence rate equaling mortality rate. OBJECTIVE: In order to have an update about pancreatic cancer incidence and evolution in North Africa, we conducted an epidemiological analytical retrospective study at the level of three Algerian regions: Sidi-bel-Abbes, Oran and Tlemcen along the last eight years [2006-2013]. METHODS: We performed a retrospective hospital-based study in which we analyzed the records of 160 pancreatic cancer patients registered, evaluated and treated in a Northern African region; at the level of hospital centers of the three western Algerian regions from 2006 to 2013. RESULTS: Along the period of study, 160 patients were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; with a mean age of 66.2 years, and a sex ratio of 1.65; other parameters such as a medical history smoking and alcoholism history, tumor site; histological type as well as the stage of diagnosis were also enrolled in the study. Our statistical analyses reported a very significant correlation between patients who belonged to the age group of 21-40 years and the advanced stage of diagnosis (basing on TNM classification) with P=0.02. CONCLUSIONS: Pancreatic cancer is increasingly diagnosed in young adults at an advanced stage in North African regions.

Impact of corpulence parameters and haemoglobin A1c on metabolic control in type 2 diabetic patients: comparison of apolipoprotein B/A-I ratio with fasting and postprandial conventional lipid ratios.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The incidence of diabetes co-morbidities could probably be better assessed by studying its associations with major corpulence parameters and glycaemic control indicators. We assessed the utility of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in metabolic control for type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Fasting and postprandial blood samples were collected from 238 type 2 diabetic patients aged 57.4±11.9 years. The sera were analysed for glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), and apolipoproteins (apoA-I and apoB). Ratios of lipids and apolipoproteins were calculated and their associations with BMI, WC, and HbA1c levels were analysed. RESULTS: Our investigation showed increases in most fasting and postprandial lipid parameters according to BMI and WC. In men, postprandial HDL-c and TG levels were significantly higher (p<0.05) in overweight and obese patients, respectively, as well as in patients with abdominal obesity. Contrariwise, postprandial TC levels were significantly higher (p<0.01) in overweight and abdominal obese women. However, elevations of apoA-I and apoB levels were according to BMI and WC in both genders. There was a strong influence of BMI, WC, and HbA1c levels on the apoB/apoA-I ratio compared to traditional fasting and postprandial lipid ratios in both men and women. The apoB/apoA-I ratio was more correlated with postprandial TC/HDL and LDL-c/HDL-c ratios in men and with postprandial TG/HDL-c in women. CONCLUSION: The apoB/apoA-I ratio is helpful in assessing metabolic risk caused by overall obesity, abdominal obesity and impaired glycaemia in type 2 diabetic patients.

Epidemiology and risk factors for exocrine pancreatic cancer in a Northern African population.

BACKGROUND: The etiology of pancreatic cancer remains largely unknown. Although epidemiological studies have reported that many environmental factors may contribute to the development of pancreatic cancer, only age and cigarette smoking have been established as consistent risk factors for the disease. OBJECTIVE: Studying the biological clinical and histological features of patients with pancreatic cancer in order to assess the possible risk factors for pancreatic cancer in a North African population. METHODS: An epidemiological retrospective descriptive study has been performed at the level of surgery department of the university hospital of Sidi bel Abbes region, western Algeria, from 2007 to 2013. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients were diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas (55 males and 32 females) with a mean age of 63.1 years, ranging from 16 to 96 years old, and a sex ratio of 1.71. In 92 % of cases, pancreatic tumors were located at the head of the pancreas; the most predominant histological type was the adenocarcinoma; cigarette smokers represented the rate of 24.3 % and alcoholics 13.5 %. The most recorded disease among patients medical history was diabetes mellitus (25.28 %). About 35.63 % was the prominent rate of patients who underwent cholecystectomy and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after an average duration of 5.23 years. Our patients were mostly diagnosed with cancer at M1 and T3 stages. CONCLUSION: According to our results, cholecystectomy could possibly be a risk factor for pancreatic cancer in Algerian population.