Phytochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Biological Activities of Egyptian Carob Pods ( L.) Aqueous Extract: In Vitro Study.

(Carob) is an evergreen Mediterranean tree, and carob pods are potentially nutritive and have medicinal value. The present study was carried out to estimate the possible biological activities of phytochemical-characterized carob pod aqueous extract (CPAE). The phytochemical contents of CPAE were determined by using colorimetric methods and HPLC.

MicroRNA signature in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma associated with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related cirrhosis is one of the liver complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and reported to be a risk factor for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A reliable screening biomarker of liver cirrhosis (LC) and HCC among T2DM patients is important to reduce the morbidity and mortality of this disease. MicroRNA (miRNA) is considered a key player in HCC and T2DM, and it might be a hidden culprit in diabetes-associated HCC, making it a promising reliable prognostic tool.

Silencing HCV Replication in Its Reservoir.

Background: HCV infection and its complications are among the leading public health challenges; the emergence of drug-resistant variants are expected to be a major problem. A novel combinatorial small interfering RNA (siRNA) could be a novel triple therapy that could be suitable for genotype 4. Although HCV is a hepatotropic virus, there is reliable evidence about its replication in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of chronically infected patients; these cells act as an extra-hepatic reservoir for viral recurrence and persistence.

Validation of a serum microRNA panel as biomarkers for early diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma post-hepatitis C infection in Egyptian patients.

Aim: To investigate the prospective importance of serum micro (mi)RNAs (miR-125b, miR-138b, miR-1269, miR-214-5p, miR-494, miR375 and miR-145) as early biomarkers for the diagnosis of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: Two-hundred and fifty HCV4a patients, 224 HCV4a-HCC patients, and 84 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Expression levels of miR214-5p, miR-125b, miR-1269 and miR-375 were quantified using quantitative real-time PCR.