The role of UCA1 and WRAP53 in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma: A single-center case-control study.

Aim of the study: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognosis heavily depends on early diagnosis. We aimed to determine the role of serum urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) and wd repeat containing antisense to TP53 (WRAP53) as diagnostic tools of HCC. Material and methods: A case-control study including 90 subjects (30 patients having HCC, 30 patients having liver cirrhosis without HCC and 30 healthy controls) was performed. In all participants, the serum levels of UCA1 and WRAP53 were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction together with serumαa-fetoprotein (AFP). Results: Serum levels of both UCA1 and WRAP53 were upregulated in patients with HCC being significantly higher than in patients with liver cirrhosis and healthy control (p < 0.001). They were also correlated with some clinicopathological characteristics of HCC. Using the receiver operating curve, both UCA1 and WRAP53 showed higher diagnostic performance for HCC (AUC = 0.9, 73.3% sensitivity, 100% specificity and AUC = 0.85, 63.3% sensitivity, 80% specificity respectively) and their combination with AFP resulted in improved sensitivity and specificity (AUC = 0.97, 90% sensitivity, 100% specificity). Conclusions: Serum UCA1 and WRAP53 have the potential to be used alone, or in combination or with AFP, as diagnostic non-invasive biomarkers for HCC with accepted sensitivity and specificity. This study has been registered in clinicaltrials.gov with clinical trial registration number NCT05088811.

Potential mechanisms underlying the association between type II diabetes mellitus and cognitive dysfunction in rats: a link between miRNA-21 and Resveratrol's neuroprotective action.

Cognitive impairment is considered as a typical feature of neurodegenerative diseases in diabetes mellitus (DM). However, the exact link between cognitive dysfunction and diabetes mellitus is still vague. This study aims to investigate some of the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment that associates diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance. We investigated the role of resveratrol as well on cognitive function in experimentally induced type 2 diabetes highlighting on its influence on the expression of brain miRNA 21. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring, biologically active compound that has numerous significant impacts on the body. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was induced by high fat diet followed a single dose of streptozotocin. Diabetic rats were treated with resveratrol for four weeks. Rats were sacrificed after neurobehavioral testing. Hippocampal tissues were used to assess expression of miRNA 21, GSK and oxidative stress markers. Serum samples were obtained to determine glucose levels, lipid profile and insulin levels. Hippocampal and serum AGEs were measured as well and HOMA IR was calculated. We detected memory impairment and disturbed insulin signaling in diabetic rats. These derangements were reversed by resveratrol treatment partially due to increased expression of miRNA-21. Our study pins the role of miRNA-21 in modulating brain insulin signaling and hence alleviating cognitive dysfunction accompanying diabetes mellitus.

Potential effect of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells on hyperoxia-induced pulmonary alveolar injury.

BACKGROUND: With the widespread of Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic, in spite of the newly emerging vaccines, mutated strains remain a great obstacle to supportive and preventive measures. Coronavirus 19 survivors continue to face great danger of contacting the disease again. As long as no specific treatment has yet to be approved, a great percentage of patients experience real complications, including among others, lung fibrosis. High oxygen inhalation especially for prolonged periods is per se destructive to the lungs. Nevertheless, oxygen remains the first line support for such patients. In the present study we aimed at investigating the role of amniotic fluid-mesenchymal stem cells in preventing versus treating the hyperoxia-induced lung fibrosis in rats. METHODS: The study was conducted on adult albino rats; 5 pregnant female rats were used as amniotic fluid donors, and 64 male rats were randomly divided into two groups: Control group; where 10 rats were kept in normal atmospheric air then sacrificed after 2 months, and hyperoxia-induced lung fibrosis group, where 54 rats were exposed to hyperoxia (100% oxygen for 6 h/day) in air-tight glass chambers for 1 month, then randomly divided into the following 5 subgroups: Hyperoxia group, cell-free media-treated group, stem cells-prophylactic group, stem cells-treated group and untreated group. Isolation, culture and proliferation of stem cells were done till passage 3. Pulmonary function tests, histological examination of lung tissue under light and electron microscopes, biochemical assessment of oxidative stress, IL-6 and Rho-A levels, and statistical analysis of data were performed. F-test (ANOVA) was used for normally distributed quantitative variables, to compare between more than two groups, and Post Hoc test (Tukey) for pairwise comparisons. RESULTS: Labelled amniotic fluid-mesenchymal stem cells homed to lung tissue. Stem cells administration in the stem cells-prophylactic group succeeded to maintain pulmonary functions near the normal values with no significant difference between their values and those of the control group. Moreover, histological examination of lung tissues showed that stem cells-prophylactic group were completely protected while stem cells-treated group still showed various degrees of tissue injury, namely; thickened interalveolar septa, atelectasis and interstitial pneumonia. Biochemical studies after stem cells injection also showed decreased levels of RhoA and IL-6 in the prophylactic group and to a lesser extent in the treated group, in addition to increased total antioxidant capacity and decreased malondialdehyde in the stem cells-injected groups. CONCLUSIONS: Amniotic fluid-mesenchymal stem cells showed promising protective and therapeutic results against hyperoxia-induced lung fibrosis as evaluated physiologically, histologically and biochemically.

Impact of Additional Chromosomal Aberrations Present at Diagnosis on Outcome of Adolescent and Young Adult Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients: A Single Center Experience.

Studying the influence of additional chromosomal aberrations (ACAs) present at diagnosis on the outcome of adolescent and young adult (AYA) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients as it has not been addressed previously. Eighty-six AYA CML patients have been analyzed for occurrence of ACAs at diagnosis through performing bone marrow karyotyping. All patients received imatinib mesylate upon diagnosis of CML. Overall response, molecular response, survival status, progression and occurrence of events were monitored during the follow up period. There was a statistically significant difference between patients with and without ACAs regarding overall response (P = 0.049). There was insignificant difference between the two groups regarding achievement of major molecular response (MMR) (P = 0.594), MR4 (P = 0.282) and MR4.5 (P = 0.704). There was a significant difference between patients with and without ACAs regarding time to MMR (P = 0.042) and time to MR4 (P = 0.048) but not regarding time to MR4.5 (P = 0.065). There was insignificant impact of ACAs at diagnosis on overall survival (P = 0.152), progression free survival (P = 0.112), failure free survival (P = 0.114), event free survival (P = 0.194) and alternative treatment free survival (P = 0.731). The presence of ACAs at diagnosis does not signal worse prognosis in AYA CML patients but it may delay molecular response to imatinib mesylate.

Immunohistochemical expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in breast cancer

Background: breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of diagnosed cancers in women. It is still the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women after lung cancer all over the world. Breast cancer is the first of top ten cancers in Egypt. It ranks as the first malignancy affecting females, contributing 30% of all female cancers. It affects 1 in 14 women during their life time. Aim: This study investigated the association between cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in female breast cancer versus the expression of ER, PR, as well as its association with other established prognostic indicators like age, tumor size, lymph nodal status, stage, grade, lymphovascular invasion, insitu component and histological subtype, and aims to validate the role of overexpression of COX-2 as a prognostic marker in female patients with breast cancer in Egypt. Results: High significant correlation was found between lymph node metastasis, negative ER and PR cases and COX-2 expression. No significant correlation could be detected between age, tumor size, site, histologic type, grade, insitu component, LVI and COX-2 expression. Conclusion: Cyclooxygenase-2 has poor prognostic parameter in breast cancer, as it is over expressed in majority of breast carcinoma, especially with lymph node metastasis, ER and PR negative hormone receptor

Quality of care of Egyptian asthmatic children: clinicians adherence to asthma guidelines.

BACKGROUND: Despite the development and dissemination of guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma, a gap remains between current recommendations and actual practice. OBJECTIVES: To assess the physicians attitude towards asthma guidelines and their adherence to its recommendations. METHODS: Three hundred and fifty two clinicians (101 General practitioners, 131 pediatric specialists, 35 pediatric consultants and 85 doctors did not report the qualification) engaged in direct childhood asthma care in Cairo, Egypt were subjected to a self-administered questionnaire with 35 questions of which most were multiple choices, aiming at assessment of three important aspects about the involved physicians; physician's knowledge, practice and attitude. 165 of the clinicians were working in governmental hospitals, 68 clinicians work in private clinics and 119 clinicians work in both. RESULTS: Agreement with asthma guidelines was present in 76.2% of the studied physicians, however those who not in agreement with the guidelines claimed that this was mainly due to patient factors, firstly the poor socioeconomic standard of the patient (18.1%) and secondly due to poor patient compliance (16%). Poor knowledge was found in 28.5%, poor practice was found in 43.6% and poor attitude was found in 14.4% of the studied physicians. There was positive highly significant correlation between qualification and knowledge, (p<0.01), positive highly significant correlation between qualification and practice, (p<0.01), and positive highly significant correlation between qualification and attitude, (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The attitude of the studied physicians revealed agreement of their majority with the guidelines, while the disagreement was mainly explained by the poor socioeconomic standard of the patients. The degree of poor practice is more marked than that of poor knowledge or poor attitude reflecting resources limitations and applications obstacles in the physician's practice.