Association Between Serum Magnesium and the Prevalence of Kidney Stones: a Cross-sectional Study

Biological Trace Element Research - Kidney stones, a painful and costly disease, have become a public health problem worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between serum...     

MicroRNA signature in hepatocellular carcinoma patients: identification of potential markers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in liver pathologies and they are potential biomarkers for diagnosis of liver diseases progression. Changes in miRNA sera expression can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the study was to identify the miRNome profiling of HCC and its diagnostic value in distinguishing HCC from healthy individuals. Expression profiles of miRNAs in serum samples of 20 HCC patients and 10 healthy controls were detected. Whole miRNome profiling was done using next generation sequencing. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic performance of the deregulated miRNAs for discriminating HCC cases from healthy controls. MiRNA 142 was highly expressed in HCC (P value?=?0.023) while miRNAs 191, 22, and 126 were higher in the controls (P value?=?0.005, 0.034, 0.010 respectively). We have identified 5 novel miRNAs and they were highly expressed in HCC than controls. Analysis of ROC curve demonstrated that these deregulated miRNAs can be used as a reliable biomarker for detection of HCC with high diagnostic accuracy (AUC?=?0.93). We have detected a panel of serum miRNAs that can be used as a reliable noninvasive screening biomarker of HCC. The study recommends further research to shed light on a possible role of the newly discovered novel miRNAs in HCC pathogenesis.

     

Survival,development and reproduction of Euseius finlandicus (Oudemans) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) fed on various kinds of food substances

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of diet on the biology of the phytoseiid mite, Euseius finlandicus (Oudemans). The predatory mite was able to develop and reproduce better when fed on the eriophyid mites, Aceria olivi (Zaher and Abou-Awad), Aceria dioscoridis (Soliman and Abou-Awad) and Cisaberoptus kenyae (Keifer). The developmental time of immature stages was the shortest when fed on motile stages of eriophyid mite species, followed by the spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, and then pollen grains of Ricinus communis L., Phoenix dactylifera L. and Helianthus annuus L. Total egg production was highest when the predator fed on A. olivi, A. dioscoridis and C. kenyae recording at the rate of 51.0 50.0 and 43.84 eggs/female, respectively, but lowest on pollen grains, R. communis, P. dactylifera and H. annuus at the rate of 11.96, 5.3 and 2.0 eggs/female, respectively. But, the reproduction was nil on the tetranychid mite, T. urticae. Also, sex ratio of the progeny favoured females, when the predatory mite was reared on the eriophyid preys. E. finlandicus recorded the highest intrinsic rate of increase (r_m?=?0.31 females/female/day) when fed on A. dioscoridis, followed by (0.30 and 0.23 females/female/day) when fed on A. olivi and C. kenyae, respectively. In contrast, the lowest intrinsic rate of increase (r_m?=??0.31) was noted when fed on H. annuus pollen grains. The eriophyid mite, as a prey, recorded the shortest developmental time and highest oviposition rate of E. finlandicus.     

Formulation and optimization of mouth dissolve tablets containing rofecoxib solid dispersion

The purpose of the present investigation was to increase the solubility and dissolution rate of rofecoxib by the preparation of its solid dispersion with polyvinyl pyrrolidone K30 (PVP K30) using solvent evaporation method. Drug-polymer interactions were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). For the preparation of rofecoxib mouth dissolve tablets, its 1∶9 solid dispersion with PVP K30 was used with various disintegrants and sublimable materials. In an attempt to construct a statistical model for the prediction of disintegration time and percentage friability, a 3² randomized full and reduced factorial design was used to optimize the influence of the amounts of superdisintegrant and subliming agent. The obtained results showed that dispersion of the drug in the polymer considerably enhanced the dissolution rate. The drug-to-carrier ratio was the controlling factor for dissolution improvement. FTIR spectra revealed no chemical incompatibility between the drug and PVP K30. As indicated from XRD and DSC data, rofecoxib was in the amorphous form, which explains the better dissolution rate of the drug from its solid dispersions. Concerning the optimization study, the multiple regression analysis revealed that an optimum concentration of camphor and a higher percentage of crospovidone are required for obtaining rapidly disintegrating tablets. In conclusion, this investigation demonstrated the potential of experimental design in understanding the effect of the formulation variables on the quality of mouth dissolve tablets containing solid dispersion of a hydrophobic drug.     

The P1812A and P25T BRCA1 and the 5164del4 BRCA2 mutations: occurrence in high-risk non-Ashkenazi Jews

Founder mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have been discovered in the Ashkenazic Jewish population, but a founder mutation(s) has not been discovered among non-Ashkenazi Jews (NAJ). Two BRCA1 mutations (P1812A, P25T), and a BRCA2 mutation (5164del4) have been detected in NAJ high-risk families. We studied the prevalence of these three mutations in 270 high-risk NAJ families, including 85 from Iraq/Iran, 67 from North Africa, 27 from Yemen, 50 from the Balkan region, and 41 with mixed ancestry. The three mutations were detected only in individuals related to the original families. We conclude that the P1812A and P25T BRCA1 and 5164del4 BRCA2 mutations are not likely to be founder mutations in NAJ high-risk families. We also assessed the pathogenicity of the BRCA1 P1812A mutation in vitro using reporter gene assays in yeast and mammalian cells. We found that the BRCA1 P1812A variant activity assays yielded a slightly reduced reporter gene activity. Thus, there is some uncertainty as to the pathogenicity of BRCA1 P1812A.     

Kinetics of rebounding of lymphoid and myeloid cells in mouse peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow after treatment with cyclophosphamide

Recently, we showed that post cyclophosphamide (CTX) microenvironment benefits the function of transferred T cells. Analysis of the kinetics of cellular recovery after CTX treatment showed that a single 4 mg/mouse CTX treatment decreased the absolute number of leukocytes in the peripheral blood (PBL) at days 3-15, and in the spleen and bone marrow (BM) at days 3-6. The absolute numbers of CD11c(+)CD11b(-) and CD11c(+)CD11b(+) dendritic cells (DCs), CD11b(+) and Ly6G(+) myeloid cells, T and B cells, CD4(+)CD25(+) T regulatory (T(reg)) cells, and NK1.1(+) cells also decreased. The cell numbers returned to control levels during the recovery phase. The absolute numbers of B cells remained low for 3 weeks. The numbers of DCs increased in PBL and spleen at day 9 but returned to control levels at day 15. These data indicate that CTX alters the cellular microenvironment in kinetics that might be precisely targeted to benefit the host.     

Evaluation of Anticancer Drug-Loaded Nanoparticle Characteristics by Nondestructive Methodologies

The purpose of this study was to utilize near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and near-infrared chemical imaging (NIR-CI) as non-invasive techniques to evaluate the drug loading in letrozole-loaded PLGA nanoparticle formulations prepared by the emulsification–solvent evaporation method. A Plackett–Burman design was applied to evaluate the main effects of amount of drug (X₁), amount of polymer (X₂), stirring rate (X₃), emulsifier concentration (X₄), organic to aqueous phase volume ratio (X₅), type of organic solvent (X₆), and homogenization time (X₇) on drug entrapment efficiency. The influence of three different spectral pretreatment methods (multiplicative scatter correction, standard normal variate, and Savitzky–Golay second derivative transformation with third-order polynomial) and two different regression methods (PLS regression and principal component regression (PCR)) on model prediction ability were compared. PLS of spectra that were pretreated with Savitzky–Golay second derivative transformation provided better model prediction than PCR as it revealed better linear correlation (correlation coefficient of 0.991) for both calibration and prediction models. Relatively low values of root mean square errors of calibration (RMSEC = 0.748) and prediction (RMSEP = 0.786) and low standard errors of calibration (SEC = 0.758) and prediction (SEP = 0.589) suggested good predictability for estimation of the loading of letrozole in PLGA nanoparticles. NIR-CI analysis also revealed mutual homogenous distribution of both polymer and drug and was capable of clearly distinguishing the 12 formulations both quantitatively and qualitatively. In conclusion, NIR and NIR-CI could be potentially used to characterize anticancer drug-loaded nanoparticulate matrix.KEY WORDS: imaging, letrozole, nanoparticle, near-infrared, PCR, PLGA, PLS     

Production of monoclonal antibodies against mouse molar papilla cells

To develop markers for the analysis of the molecular mechanisms of dental papilla cells differentiation, 10 monoclonal antibodies were produced against trypsin-isolated mouse molar dental papilla cells. These antibodies identify matrix components, cell membrane associated antigens and intracellular-constituents. Changes of the staining patterns were correlated with a typological hierarchy of dental papilla cells and with terminal differentiation of odontoblasts.     

Adiponectin gene polymorphisms in Egyptian type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with and without diabetic nephropathy

Recently, several reports addressed the associations of adiponectin (ADIPOQ) gene polymorphisms with abnormal adiponectin serum levels, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and diabetic nephropathy (DN); however, results are inconsistent. This study aimed to investigate the possible association of ADIPOQ gene polymorphisms with T2DM and/or DN and whether they affect serum adiponectin levels in Egyptian population. Two hundred and ninety-six T2DM patients (100 normoalbuminuric patients, 103 microalbuminuric patients, and 93 macroalbuminuric patients) and 209 controls were enrolled in the present study. Polymorphisms of +45, ?11391, and +276 of the ADIPOQ gene were detected using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Serum adiponectin was measured using ELISA. Our results revealed that ADIPOQ +45 TG and GG genotypes and G allele were significantly associated with T2DM, micro/macroalbuminuria, and decreased serum adiponectin level. ADIPOQ ?11391 AA genotype frequency was significantly increased in T2DM group. Moreover, GA and AA genotypes and A allele of ADIPOQ ?11391 were significantly associated with susceptibility to macroalbuminuria despite increased serum adiponectin concentrations. While, ADIPOQ +276 TT genotype and T allele were protective factors regarding the susceptibility to T2DM and micro/macroalbuminuria, and they were significantly associated with increased adiponectin levels. We observed also that the decrease of the serum Adiponectin level was accompanied by an insulin resistance, albuminuria, as well as an increase of serum creatinine. We concluded that ADIPOQ +45; ADIPOQ ?11391 gene polymorphisms are associated with T2DM and/or DN in Egyptian population. While, ADIPOQ +276 gene polymorphism is a protective factor regarding T2DM and/or DN susceptibility.     

Immunomodulatory effects of IL-12 released from poly-N-acetyl glucosamine gel matrix during schistosomiasis infection

We have reported recently that Interleukin-12 (IL-12) released from poly-N-acetyl glucosamine gel matrix (F2 gel/IL-12) is more effective than free IL-12 to enhance vaccination of mice with Schistosoma soluble worm antigen preparation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of F2 gel/IL-12 on the inflammatory responses in mice undergoing schistosomiasis infection in absence of vaccination. To achieve this, mice undergoing Schistosoma mansoni infection or cured from this infection, after treatment with praziquantil (PZQ), were treated with subcutaneous injection of IL-12 for 3 consecutive days or once with F2 gel loaded with IL-12 (F2 gel/IL-12). The treatment was started on day 35 days after infection. For infection, mice were infected with 100 cercariae of S. mansoni using tail immersion method. We found that treatment with F2 gel/IL-12 induced significant decreases in the egg burden with a moderate reduction in the size of granuloma and decrease in the cellular granulomatous reaction in the lung as compared to infected mice treated with IL-12. These effects of F2 gel/IL-12 were more pronounced in infected mice previously treated with the anti-schistosomal drug PZQ. The total numbers of white blood cells in all treated mice showed similar profile. Treatment with IL-12 or F2 gel/IL-12, however, showed significant reduction in the number of mononuclear cells when compared with non-treated infected mice. In conclusion, this study showed the ability of IL-12 released from F2 gel to lower the inflammatory response to Schistosoma infection even in absence of vaccination.