Elevated Serum Vinculin in Patients with HBV/HCV-Associated Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Pilot Study.

Background: The stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) controls many cellular processes, such as migration and differentiation. Cells detect stiffness through adhesion structures termed focal adhesions (FAs). Vinculin, an actin-binding FA protein, plays a pivotal role in FA-mediated mechanotransduction.

Effect of metformin as an adjuvant therapy to letrozole on estradiol and other biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer in overweight and obese postmenopausal women: a pilot study.

Introduction: Metformin may provide a therapeutic benefit in different types of malignancy.

Purpose: We aimed at evaluating the effect of metformin as an adjuvant therapy to letrozole on estradiol and other biomarkers involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer in overweight and obese postmenopausal women.

Methods: Seventy-five postmenopausal stages II-III breast cancer female patients were assessed for eligibility in an open-labeled parallel pilot study.

Modulation the expression of natural killer cell activating receptor (NKp44) in the peripheral blood of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients and the correlation with clinic pathological features.

NK cell activation is one strategy to improve the immunotherapy of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. So, we aimed to investigate expression of Natural killer cell activating receptor NKp44 in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and its correlation with clinic pathological data. In this study, 30 new cases with DLBCL in addition to 20 healthy control were involved.

Association of MNS16A VNTR and hTERT rs2736098: G>A polymorphisms with susceptibility to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Purpose: Genetic studies of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may serve to clarify disease pathogenesis and mark at-risk populations. Evidence of long telomeres and high telomerase activity have been demonstrated in DLBCL. We aimed to examine human telomerase gene ( hTERT) MNS16A variable number of tandem repeats and hTERT rs2736098: G>A polymorphisms in relation to DLBCL susceptibility.

Serum PAI-1 and PAI-1 4G/5G Polymorphism in Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Cirrhosis and Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients.

Association between variable agent-induced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and both PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI-1) levels compared to healthy controls have been reported in earlier studies. We aimed to assess serum PAI-1 and PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced HCC, HCV-induced liver cirrhosis, and viral infection-free apparently healthy control subjects. Forty nine HCC, 52 cirrhosis, and 105 controls were genotyped for PAI-1 4G/5G using an allele-specific polymerase chain reaction analysis.

Elevated serum adiponectin is related to elevated serum ferritin and interleukin-6 in β-thalassaemia major children.

Background: There is evidence that iron affects lipid metabolism and adipocyte biology. Given the effects of iron on adiponectin, the role of iron in lipid oxidation, and the potential additive effects of oxidative stress from excess iron and lipid metabolism. We aimed to investigate serum adiponectin in relation to clinical and laboratory parameters including the inflammation markers [C-reacitve protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6)] in β-thalassaemia major children.

Increased expression of brother of the regulator of imprinted sites in peripheral blood neutrophils is associated with both benign and malignant breast lesions.

Background: BORIS, a paralog of the multifunctional CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) gene is restricted to testis and normally not present in females. It is aberrantly activated in various human cancers including cancer breast. Using immunohistochemistry, western blot and/or RT-PCR, significantly higher levels of BORIS expression were reported in the neutrophils of cancer breast patients.

Association Between Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1-675 4G/5G Insertion/Deletion Polymorphism and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Molecular pathology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is still being investigated to discover relationships with disease pathogenesis. Evidence of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) overexpression in the sputum and the blood of COPD patients is growing. We aimed to investigate the potential relation between PAI-1 promoter 4G/5G insertion/deletion polymorphism and COPD development.

sTREM-1 in patients with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis.

The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily. TREM-1 has been implicated as an amplifier of inflammation. Soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) was investigated in different clinical conditions, but not in hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Peripheral blood mammaglobin gene expression for diagnosis and prediction of metastasis in breast cancer patients.

Aim: To evaluate the value of peripheral blood mammaglobin (MG) gene expression for diagnosis and prediction of metastasis in breast cancer patients.

Methods: MG expression was detected by nested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in the peripheral blood of 46 females (32 breast cancer, 12 benign breast lesions, 2 no breast abnormalities). In total 28 breast cancer patients were followed up through a period of 34 months for the development of metastasis.

Apolipoprotein E gene variants as a risk factor for coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetic Egyptian patients.

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have increased mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular diseases compared with non-diabetic patients. The role of apolipoprotain E in lipid metabolism and cholesterol transport is well established. Apolipoprotein E gene (APO E) polymprphism that confers susceptibility to or protection from CAD in patients with type 2 DM may be quite different in different ethnic populations.

Analysis of CD177 neutrophil expression in β-thalassemia patients.

Ineffective erythropoiesis plays a well established role in the pathophysiology of disease expression in β-thalassemia major and intermedia. CD177 expression was investigated in different clinical conditions. The study aimed to analyze neutrophil expression of CD177 in β-thalassemia patients and its correlation with serum soluble transferrin receptor (s-TfR) concentration as a marker for the extent of erythropoiesis and hence disease severity in these patients.

The role of antifungal therapy in the prevention of recurrent allergic fungal rhinosinusitis after functional endoscopic sinus surgery: a randomized, controlled study.

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis (AFRS) is the most common form of fungal sinus disease. Its recurrence rate is high despite numerous strategies to prevent it. We conducted a study to assess the effect of systemic and topical antifungal agents-both separately and in combination-in preventing recurrence of AFRS following functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).