Assessment of Helicobacter pylori infection in Lebanon: Endoscopic and histopathological findings.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a pervasive pathobiont, colonizes the gastric mucosa and plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of several gastroduodenal pathologies ranging from chronic gastritis to more severe disorders including peptic ulcer disease, gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric adenocarcinoma. In symptomatic patients, endoscopy and histological examination of the gastric mucosa are the preferred tests for diagnosing H.

Optimized Extraction of Polyphenols from Kiwifruit Peels and Their Biological Activities.

(1) Background: Kiwifruit is a globally valued fruit. Its industrial processing produces a substantial amount of waste, particularly peels, which present an appealing potential source of bioactive compounds. This study focuses on optimizing the extraction of phenolics from kiwi peels using a water bath (WB) and infrared irradiation (IR) and assessing their biological activities.

Optimization of Aqueous Extraction of Polyphenols from Seeds Using Response Surface Methodology and Assessment of Biological Activity.

(1) Background: Cumin seeds, extracted from the plant , are abundant in phenolic compounds and have been extensively researched for their chemical makeup and biological effects. The objective of this research is to enhance the water extraction of polyphenols through the water bath (WB) technique and to evaluate the antiradical, antibacterial, and anticancer effects of the extract. (2) Methods: Response Surface Methodology was used to find the best parameters to extract polyphenols.

Evaluation of the Phenolic Composition and Biological Activities of Six Aqueous Date ( L.) Seed Extracts Originating from Different Countries: A Comparative Analysis.

Date seeds, which are the main by-products of date fruit consumption, were shown to possess promising biological activities and health benefits with minimal human use. The present investigation analyzed and compared the phenolic content of six date seed varieties from four different origins (Khudari, Sakai, and Safawi from Saudi Arabia, Majdool from Jordan, Zahdi from Iraq, and Kabkab from Iran). The aqueous extracts were examined for possible antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-tumor potential.

Genomic Analysis of Waterpipe Smoke-Induced Lung Tumor Autophagy and Plasticity.

The role of autophagy in lung cancer cells exposed to waterpipe smoke (WPS) is not known. Because of the important role of autophagy in tumor resistance and progression, we investigated its relationship with WP smoking. We first showed that WPS activated autophagy, as reflected by LC3 processing, in lung cancer cell lines.

The Effect of Hypoxia and Hypoxia-Associated Pathways in the Regulation of Antitumor Response: Friends or Foes?

Hypoxia is an environmental stressor that is instigated by low oxygen availability. It fuels the progression of solid tumors by driving tumor plasticity, heterogeneity, stemness and genomic instability. Hypoxia metabolically reprograms the tumor microenvironment (TME), adding insult to injury to the acidic, nutrient deprived and poorly vascularized conditions that act to dampen immune cell function.

Role of Hypoxia-Mediated Autophagy in Tumor Cell Death and Survival.

Programmed cell death or type I apoptosis has been extensively studied and its contribution to the pathogenesis of disease is well established. However, autophagy functions together with apoptosis to determine the overall fate of the cell. The cross talk between this active self-destruction process and apoptosis is quite complex and contradictory as well, but it is unquestionably decisive for cell survival or cell death.

Knowledge and attitudes of physicians toward research ethics and scientific misconduct in Lebanon.

Background: Despite the implementation of codes and declarations of medical research ethics, unethical behavior is still reported among researchers. Most of the medical faculties have included topics related to medical research ethics and developed ethical committees; yet, in some cases, unethical behaviors are still observed, and many obstacles are still conferring to applying these guidelines.

Methods: This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted by interviewing randomly selected 331 Lebanese physicians across Lebanon, to assess their awareness, knowledge and attitudes on practice regarding international and national research ethics guidelines (Lebanese decrees/Laws and CNRS chart of ethics) and scientific misconduct and misbehaviors.

Knowledge and attitudes of Lebanese women of childbearing age towards emergency contraception.

Unwanted pregnancy is sometimes associated with unsafe abortion, which may lead to maternal death. Pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse can be avoided by using emergency contraception (EC). Our study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of reproductive-aged Lebanese women towards EC use.

Proteasome inhibitors increase missense mutated dysferlin in patients with muscular dystrophy.

No treatment is available for patients affected by the recessively inherited, progressive muscular dystrophies caused by a deficiency in the muscle membrane repair protein dysferlin. A marked reduction in dysferlin in patients harboring missense mutations in at least one of the two pathogenic DYSF alleles encoding dysferlin implies that dysferlin is degraded by the cell's quality control machinery. In vitro evidence suggests that missense mutated dysferlin might be functional if salvaged from degradation by the proteasome.

Modular dispensability of dysferlin C2 domains reveals rational design for mini-dysferlin molecules.

Dysferlin is a large transmembrane protein composed of a C-terminal transmembrane domain, two DysF domains, and seven C2 domains that mediate lipid- and protein-binding interactions. Recessive loss-of-function mutations in dysferlin lead to muscular dystrophies, for which no treatment is currently available. The large size of dysferlin precludes its encapsulation into an adeno-associated virus (AAV), the vector of choice for gene delivery to muscle.

Proteasomal inhibition restores biological function of mis-sense mutated dysferlin in patient-derived muscle cells.

Dysferlin is a transmembrane protein implicated in surface membrane repair of muscle cells. Mutations in dysferlin cause the progressive muscular dystrophies Miyoshi myopathy, limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2B, and distal anterior compartment myopathy. Dysferlinopathies are inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, and many patients with this disease harbor mis-sense mutations in at least one of their two pathogenic DYSF alleles.

Dysferlin interacts with histone deacetylase 6 and increases alpha-tubulin acetylation.

Dysferlin is a multi-C2 domain transmembrane protein involved in a plethora of cellular functions, most notably in skeletal muscle membrane repair, but also in myogenesis, cellular adhesion and intercellular calcium signaling. We previously showed that dysferlin interacts with alpha-tubulin and microtubules in muscle cells. Microtubules are heavily reorganized during myogenesis to sustain growth and elongation of the nascent muscle fiber.

Dysferlin interacts with tubulin and microtubules in mouse skeletal muscle.

Dysferlin is a type II transmembrane protein implicated in surface membrane repair in muscle. Mutations in dysferlin lead to limb girdle muscular dystrophy 2B, Miyoshi Myopathy and distal anterior compartment myopathy. Dysferlin's mode of action is not well understood and only a few protein binding partners have thus far been identified.

The ubiquitin ligase Itch mediates the antiapoptotic activity of epidermal growth factor by promoting the ubiquitylation and degradation of the truncated C-terminal portion of Bid.

The truncated C-terminal portion of Bid (tBid) is an important intermediate in ligand-induced apoptosis. tBid has been shown to be sensitive to proteasomal inhibitors and downregulated by activation of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) pathway. Here, we provide evidence that tBid is a substrate of the ubiquitin ligase Itch, which can specifically interact with and ubiquitinate tBid, but not intact Bid.

Reciprocal regulation of the ubiquitin ligase Itch and the epidermal growth factor receptor signaling.

EGF-mediated stimulation of the EGF receptor activates a plethora of signaling cascades followed by receptor down regulation. Preventing down regulation leads to increased mitogenic signaling and potentially, cancer. Cbl and Endophilin are two key proteins required for EGF receptor down regulation and both become ubiquitylated and subject to proteasome-mediated degradation following EGF activation, providing a negative feedback loop for EGF receptor down regulation.

The ubiquitin ligase itch is auto-ubiquitylated in vivo and in vitro but is protected from degradation by interacting with the deubiquitylating enzyme FAM/USP9X.

Itch is a ubiquitin ligase that has been implicated in the regulation of a number of cellular processes. We previously have identified Itch as a binding partner for the endocytic protein Endophilin and found it to be localized to endosomes. Using affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry, we have now identified the ubiquitin-protease FAM/USP9X as a binding partner of Itch.