Publications by authors named "Azza El-Derby"

Hypoxia is one of the main hallmarks of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resulting from improper oxygenation and insufficient nourishment of the HCC microenvironment. The effect of hypoxia is mediated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1A (HIF-1A) via targeting various downstream pathways, including glycolysis, angiogenesis, and survival signaling. However, HCC cell lines in a 2-dimensional (2D) setting do not resemble the metabolic signature of HCC.

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T lymphocytes play a primary role in the adaptive antiviral immunity. Both lymphocytosis and lymphopenia were found to be associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While lymphocytosis indicates an active anti-viral response, lymphopenia is a sign of poor prognosis.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study develops a new organoid model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using a plasma-derived extracellular matrix to better mimic the complex cancer environment.
  • HUH-7 hepatoma cells were cultured alone or with other cell types to create both homogeneous and heterogeneous organoids, which were analyzed for characteristics like viability, invasion, and drug resistance.
  • Heterogeneous organoids exhibited greater invasion potential and cancer stem cell traits compared to homogeneous organoids, demonstrating that incorporating multiple cell types can enhance model accuracy for HCC research.
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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers causing the highest mortality rate worldwide. Treatment options of surgery, radiation, cytotoxic drugs and liver transplantation suffer significant side effects and a high frequency of relapse. Stem cell therapy has been proposed as a new effective therapy, however, controversial reports are emerging on the role of mesenchymal stem cells in cancer.

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Millions of people have been affected ever since the emergence of the corona virus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, leading to an urgent need for antiviral drug and vaccine development. Current experimentation on traditional two-dimensional culture (2D) fails to accurately mimic the in vivo microenvironment for the disease, while in vivo animal model testing does not faithfully replicate human COVID-19 infection. Human-based three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models such as spheroids, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip present a promising solution to these challenges.

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The amniotic membrane (Amnio-M) has various applications in regenerative medicine. It acts as a highly biocompatible natural scaffold and as a source of several types of stem cells and potent growth factors. It also serves as an effective nano-reservoir for drug delivery, thanks to its high entrapment properties.

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Unlabelled: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have shown promise in liver cancer treatment. However, when MSCs are recruited to hepatic site of injury, they acquire cancerous promoting phenotype.

Aims: To assess the influence of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) microenvironment on human adipose MSCs (hA-MSCs) and predict hA-MSCs intracellular miRNAs role.

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Context: Seaweeds of the genera Turbinaria and Padina have long been used as food and in traditional medicine for treating several diseases.

Objective: The current study determines the protective efficacy of the brown seaweeds Turbinaria ornata (Turner) J. Agardh (Sargassaceae) and Padina pavonia (Linnaeus) J.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the antiproliferative and protective effects of the brown seaweeds, Turbinaria ornata and Padina pavonia, against azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colon carcinogenesis in mice. Both algal extracts showed anti-proliferative effects on the human carcinoma cell line HCT-116 in vitro, with T. ornata demonstrating a more potent effect.

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