The correlation of long non-coding RNAs IFNG-AS1 and ZEB2-AS1 with IFN-γ and ZEB-2 expression in PBMCs and clinical features of patients with coronary artery disease

Molecular Biology Reports - Aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can contribute to the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the...     

In vitro photomorphogenesis,plant growth regulators,melatonin content,and DNA methylation under various wavelengths of light in Phalaenopsis amabilis

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - We tested the feasibility to promote growth and shoot proliferation of Phalaenopsis through different wavelengths of LED and fluorescent. Therefore,...     

Identification of genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with tolerance to chromium toxicity in spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Plant and Soil - Extreme climate events, including flooding and prolonged drought, may establish long-lasting (legacy) effects on soil abiotic and biotic properties, potentially influencing soil...     

First DNA Barcoding-based Inventory of Suez Gulf Fishes in Egypt and its Implication for Species Diversity

Journal of Ichthyology - The Suez Gulf is one of the most important water bodies north of the Red Sea that contribute significantly in fish production in Egypt. The current study represents the...     

Coarser taxonomic resolutions are informative in revealing fish community abundance trends for the world’s warmest coral reefs

Coral Reefs - The Arabian Gulf is a natural laboratory to examine how subtropical coral reef ecosystems might change in responding to recurring heating events because of uniquely high water...     

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.

     

An integrated analysis to predict micro‐RNAs targeting both stemness and metastasis in breast cancer stem cells

Several evidences support the idea that a small population of tumour cells representing self‐renewal potential are involved in initiation, maintenance, metastasis, and outcomes of cancer therapy. Elucidation of microRNAs/genes regulatory networks activated in cancer stem cells (CSCs) is necessary for the identification of new targets for cancer therapy. The aim of the present study was to predict the miRNAs pattern, which can target both metastasis and self‐renewal pathways using integration of literature and data mining. For this purpose, mammospheres derived from MCF‐7, MDA‐MB231, and MDA‐MB468 were used as breast CSCs model. They had higher migration, invasion, and colony formation potential, with increasing in stemness‐ and EMT‐related genes expression. Our results determined that miR‐204, ‐200c, ‐34a, and ‐10b contemporarily could target both self‐renewal and EMT pathways. This core regulatory of miRNAs could increase the survival rate of breast invasive carcinoma via up‐regulation of OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, c‐MYC, NOTCH1, SNAI1, ZEB1, and CDH2 and down‐regulation of CDH1. The majority of those target genes were involved in the regulation of pluripotency, MAPK, WNT, Hedgehog, p53, and transforming growth factor β pathways. Hence, this study provides novel insights for targeting core regulatory of miRNAs in breast CSCs to target both self‐renewal and metastasis potential and eradication of breast cancer.     

Research ethics capacity development in Africa: exploring a model for individual success

The Johns Hopkins-Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program (FABTP) has offered a fully-funded, one-year, non-degree training opportunity in research ethics to health professionals, ethics committee members, scholars, journalists and scientists from countries across sub-Saharan Africa. In the first 9 years of operation, 28 trainees from 13 African countries have trained with FABTP. Any capacity building investment requires periodic critical evaluation of the impact that training dollars produce. In this paper we describe and evaluate FABTP and the efforts of its trainees. Our data show that since 2001, the 28 former FABTP trainees have authored or co-authored 105 new bioethics-related publications; were awarded 33 bioethics-related grants; played key roles on 78 bioethics-related research studies; and participated in 198 bioethics workshops or conferences. Over the past nine years, trainees have collectively taught 48 separate courses related to bioethics and have given 170 presentations on various topics in the field. Many former trainees have pursued and completed doctoral degrees in bioethics; some have become editorial board members for bioethics journals. Female trainees were, on average, less experienced at matriculation and produced fewer post-training outputs than their male counterparts. More comprehensive studies are needed to determine the relationships between age, sex, previous experience and training program outputs.     

Pistagremic acid a new leishmanicidal triterpene isolated from Pistacia integerrima Stewart

The present study was designed to investigate the whole plant of Pistacia integerrima Stewart in order to examine the pharmacological basis of the use of the plant in folk medicine for the treatment of infectious diseases and disorder. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies led to the isolation of a new triterpene pistagremic acid (3-methyl-7-(4,4,10,13,14-pentamethyl-3-2,3,4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17-tetradecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-17-yl)-oct-3-enoic). Pistagremic acid showed significant leishmanicidal activity (IC(50): 6.71 ± 0.09 μM) against Leishmania major (DESTO) promastigotes in comparison to standard compound amphotericin B (IC(50): 0.21 ± 0.06 μM).